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The Scandinavian Shankly: From paupers to kings.


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So unlucky against Schalke, can you take the club any further at Boda or just try to get to the latter stages of the CL knockout which won't be easy?

Yeah, it was pretty devastating. We played so well in both legs though, so I can't complain too much. Europe's definitely a challenge in Norway, but the problem is the domestic stuff at this stage. This team is the strongest one I've built so far I think, which puts us miles clear of the rest. Trophies are great, but it can go a little stale if there's no challenge for them. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but it is tempting.

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Tricky decision time again... can you delay the decision until the end of the season (Spain) so you can decide if you are taking a team up from the lower division? Or would it be best to wait until a club in Sweden becomes available that'll give you more chance of going on to compete for the champions league final?

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Cheers for the advice, Brizza.

I've been thinking about this all day, and I'm leaning towards staying. I've taken the club so far in my 7 seasons, who knows where we could be another 2 or 3? Also, the extra Champions League spot which has opened up this season will eventually make the top flight more competitive too, which will solve the issue I have at the moment.

On we go.

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Tricky decision time again... can you delay the decision until the end of the season (Spain) so you can decide if you are taking a team up from the lower division? Or would it be best to wait until a club in Sweden becomes available that'll give you more chance of going on to compete for the champions league final?

Yeah, there have been a few tricky decisions to make over the course of this career! I've decided to reject the offer in the end, as appealing as it was. As for Sweden, I think I'm probably better staying in Norway now - with the stadium expansion nearly finished Sweden might just be a sideways step unless I went to AIK, and I wouldn't want to join the biggest club in the country anyway. Denmark might be an option at some point though - although not Kobenhavn for the same reason.

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March

TL: Bodø/Glimt 3-0 Tromsø

Our local rivals have been something of a yo-yo club the last few years, and they were put to the sword here on their reemergence to the top flight. Dario Torres bagged all 3 in his first Slaget om Nord-Norge derby.

TL: Sandefjord 0-3 Bodø/Glimt

Another newly promoted side, and it's the same result. Youngster Kristoffer Lindeth scored on his first start after just four minutes, before Dag Even Sandsund came off the bench to grab a double.

TL: Vålerenga 0-1 Bodø/Glimt

An excellent defensive display in the capital. Torres grabbed his fourth of the season already.

TL: Bodø/Glimt 3-0 Start

Another good display ensures we have a perfect record for the first month of the season. Sandsund scored a tap in before Torres got two more - and he's now being watched by some pretty big clubs like Lazio and St Ettienne. He's under contract for 3 more years though, so no concerns there!

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I think that staying was the right choice. :)

In another season or two you might seriously make some inroads into those latter stages in Europe. The second champs league spot should help domestic competition too like you said and you never know, a rival might get a tycoon. ;)

It's your game but I certainly think you made the right decision staying in Scandinavia. Have any of the other nations got a fallen giant type team. Perhaps that might be a new challenge for you in a year or two if you get itchy feet again. ;)

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Another excellent start to the season. I think you made the right decision to stay for the time being :)
Yeah, I'm glad you stayed! The grass isn't always greener! Look at me!
I think that staying was the right choice. :)

In another season or two you might seriously make some inroads into those latter stages in Europe. The second champs league spot should help domestic competition too like you said and you never know, a rival might get a tycoon. ;)

It's your game but I certainly think you made the right decision staying in Scandinavia. Have any of the other nations got a fallen giant type team. Perhaps that might be a new challenge for you in a year or two if you get itchy feet again. ;)

Not quite a fallen giant as such, but when I started the game, I selected Brøndby IF as my favourite club. They're up to their eyeballs in debt and their big rivals FC Kobenhavn are winning everything in sight. Might be an option in a few years.

I would say stay and see how far you can go in Europe. It will be an interesting and tough challenge.

Cheers for the comments, all. The European side of this career definitely makes it worthwhile, so I've decided to limit my temptations and turn off all the non-Scandinavian leagues.

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April

TL: Byrne 1-2 Bodø/Glimt

Not the best display, but three points ground out thanks to a couple of great finishes from Marius Jacobsen

TL: Bodø/Glimt 3-0 Haugesund

Another Dario Torres hat-trick sees the home fans leave happy.

TL: Brann 0-2 Bodø/Glimt

Torres again on target against one of our title rivals, and Gluhak sealed it late on.

TL: Rosenborg 4-1 Bodø/Glimt

An absolute hiding - our first for 39 league games. We got exactly what we deserved from a rapidly improving RBK. Gluhak briefly made it 2-1, but we fell apart in the second half.

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May

Norwegian Cup first round: Mo 0-3 Bodø/Glimt

A solid display in the first round of the cup, despite me making 9 changes. Gluhak, Victor and Kassi on target

TL: Bodø/Glimt 1-1 Lillestrøm

Not the greatest way to open up the redeveloped stadium, but a crowd of more than 14,000 at least got to see Dag Even Sandsund grab a late equaliser.

Norwegian Cup second round: Brumunddal 0-2 Bodø/Glimt

Another solid performance from the cup team. Jose Manuel Norinho scored a fluke from long range, and Victor made things safe in the second half.

TL: Bodø/Glimt 4-1 Strømsgodset

A comprehensive victory over the champions of 2015, which led to the sacking of their manager. Victor was on fire here and bagged a hat-trick, while Yahaya scored the goal of the game with a volley against his former club.

TL: Stabæk 0-5 Bodø/Glimt

Dag Even Sandund celebrated his first call up to the national team in style here. The youngster, who will become the first player from my youth set up to be capped by Norway if he gets on the pitch, grabbed four and made the other for fellow new Norwegian international Hakon Koppervik.

Norwegian Cup third round: Start 3-6 Bodø/Glimt

Wow... rollercoaster doesn't even come close. We fell behind early on, only for Victor to level on the half hour, and Anderson put us in front just after. However, two quick goals after half time had us staring down the barrel, but Anderson scored his second on the counter to bring us back to 3-3 after 65mins. Nymark put us in front with 15 minutes to go, drilling home from 25 yards, and then two more Victor strikes put us safely through.

TL: Bodø/Glimt 3-0 Molde

Another fine win against one of the big boys. Torres ended his relative drought with two thumping headers, and skipper Valsvik sealed it in stoppage time.

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June

TL: Bodø/Glimt 4-0 Hønefoss

I had to make plenty of changes for this game as I had a lot of my team away on international duty, but our performance was a good indication of our strength in depth. Lindseth, Victor and a double from forgotten man Mohammed Elyounoussi.

Norwegian Cup fourth round: Strømsgodset 1-1 Bodø/Glimt aet (7-6 on pens)

So frustrating. Just three minutes in we lost Ahmed Yahaya after he received his marching orders for the third time in 18 months at the club, and we were always up against it. We fell behind soon after, only for Dag Even Sandsund to level on the hour. Into extra time, and I'd had to make two changes during the 90 minutes, and one right at the start of extra time, so when we lost Jacobsen to injury after 102 minutes we were down to 9. We had to cling on for penalties, which we did, but sadly we weren't good enough when they came around. Frustrating, but for the third time in 4 years, we fall out at this stage.

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FK Bodø/Glimt

2020 mid season report

Into another short summer break we go then, and we're in familiar territory - at least as far as the league is concerned. Bar the hammering at Rosenborg, we've been pretty good in the league and that's a tidy little gap opening up from the chasing pack. The form of Torres, Victor and Sandsund going forward has been excellent so we've scored plenty of goals, and we've kept 12 clean sheets in all competitions too, which can't be sniffed at. Squad wise then I'm very happy, although I do have a bit of transfer news.

The hero of Manchester, otherwise known as Argentine defender Julio Cesar Quiroga, will be on his way to Malmo for £2.3m and a 50% sell on. While I hadn't planned to sell him, that's a tidy profit of £1.5m plus it frees up a foreign spot for defender Luka Plazonic, who arrives in July. Quiroga is an excellent defender, but at 20 he's too old to become home-grown, and he was my third choice anyway. I've used most of the money generated by his sale to bring in goalkeeper Roberto Wolff from Lanus, who'll arrive at the end of the season. While I wasn't thrilled at spending £2m on him, that takes my career total spending to £9m, while I've brought in just under £20m, which is a decent return. On the money front though I'm a little disappointed by how much the wage bill has crept up - damn that "match highest earner "clause! We're now spending £80,000p/w on wages, but at least that's well in budget.

I was a little disappointed to find that despite spending £4.5m on our youth facilities, they're still no better than average. I'm hoping that if we make the Champions League again we can use that money to upgrade once more. I'm thinking that we can't expand the stadium any more than it's current capacity as I think the board option would be there by this point. That means thinking about a new stadium, which I can see the board agreeing to as we sell out every week, but to stop them taking out some ridiculous loan I'll hang on a little while before I mention it.

It was nice seeing us break into the top 50 sides in Europe, although on the flip side the Tippeligaen has slipped back in the competitions rating. Still, we seem to be heading in the right direction, so hopefully another good run at Europe will help on that front. Right then, on we go.

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Just before I get back underway, I've another brief update for you on the transfer front.

I may have mentioned earlier that Ahmed Yahaya has been pestering me to leave the club so he could earn some more money. I'd stayed firm and kept him as he's only been here 18 months and is a quality player, and he initially accepted me telling him we'd be in the Champions League in the next couple of years. However, just after he got sent off in the cup, we had an offer £1.5m for him from FC Kobenhavn, which I instantly rejected. He wasn't happy, and after a meeting he demanded a transfer. I reluctantly agreed, and stuck him on the market for an outrageous £7.5m - nearly 11 times the £700,000 we paid for him. Enter AS Monaco:

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He was a wonderful player, as you can see

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I then decided to use £1.5m of that to sign his replacement

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Excellent signing to replace Yahaya.

I'm very happy with him, and as I've got a few Portuguese speaking players I'm hoping he settles quickly too. He's a little older than the foreign players I usually like to sign, but for that price he's a bargain. A much needed set-piece specialist too.

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Fantastic signing & great use of the money for more youth facilities

Still a couple of million left for a rainy day, too. Hopefully this upgrade makes a difference to the status of the facilities, as the last one had no effect.

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July

TL: Ull/Kisa 1-1 Bodø/Glimt

Not the greatest of performances, but a solid enough point. Torres has been mis-firing in recent weeks, so I'd left him on the bench and his replacement Victor found the net.

TL: Aalesund 0-2 Bodø/Glimt

This was far more convincing than it looked. Valsvik finally put us in front after an hour, and it was left to Victor to secure the points in stoppage time.

TL: Tromsø 0-1 Bodø/Glimt

Ah, a double over our bitter rivals... lovely stuff. Hakon Koppervik celebrated his new contract with a towering header to seal it.

TL: Bodø/Glimt 2-0 Vålerenga

A huge game at the top of the table, and thankfully we came out on top. Paulo Sergio curled a peach of a free kick into the top corner after 10 minutes on his home debut, and Victor pounced on a defensive error to make it two on half time. That opens up a very useful gap.

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UEFA Champions League- 3rd qualifying round

1st Leg: Shamrock Rovers 0-3 Bodø/Glimt

An efficient first leg performance sees us in total control of the tie. Victor opened the scoring early on, and he then made the second for Anderson at the start of the second half. Lindseth sealed it with a close range header in stoppage time.

2nd Leg: Bodø/Glimt 1-0 Shamrock Rovers

Not a great display in the second leg, but Luc Kassi sees us safely through.

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I really wish I could fine players who are consistently poor in training. It's infuriating.

I understand you there. I would also like to see a sacking option without having to pay them off if they are clearly not good enough for the level they play at.

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I understand you there. I would also like to see a sacking option without having to pay them off if they are clearly not good enough for the level they play at.

I'd imagine that's illegal, like fining players for no reason, hence why it's not in the game. There'd be no issues with taking disciplinary action over a poor attitude in training though - there are two or three players in this squad who I'd hammer for it.

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I'd imagine that's illegal, like fining players for no reason, hence why it's not in the game. There'd be no issues with taking disciplinary action over a poor attitude in training though - there are two or three players in this squad who I'd hammer for it.

I'm not so sure how illegal it is. If I turned up to my job and was clearly not able to perform the duties asked of me I'd be sacked and rightly so without a penny of pay off. Much the same with a player who consistently cannot perform his duties and contributes to the failure of the team would surely justify a sacking.

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I'm not so sure how illegal it is. If I turned up to my job and was clearly not able to perform the duties asked of me I'd be sacked and rightly so without a penny of pay off. Much the same with a player who consistently cannot perform his duties and contributes to the failure of the team would surely justify a sacking.

You might get sacked, but they'd have to pay your notice period to you unless you were sacked for misconduct. Most contracts in the business world are open ended (ie not a fixed time scale) but with a football contract there's a clear end date, so that would supersede the idea of notice. At least that's my take on it.

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UEFA Champions League- Play Off

1st Leg: Rapid Wien 1-2 Bodø/Glimt

A repeat of our play off meeting a couple of years ago, and it was always going to be a tough tie. This wasn't a good display at all, and we deservedly fell behind in the first half. Thankfully there's a bit of character about this squad though, and two goals in the last twenty minutes put us in control of the tie. Torres and Sandsund with them.

2nd Leg: Bodø/Glimt 1-0 Rapid Wien

Once again we didn't play particularly well, and we were up against it when Jacobsen got himself sent off after 65 minutes. However, five minutes later we were in front thanks to a thumping Sandsund header, and that was enough for us to go through. Worryingly though we lost winger Simen Kleiva to a knee injury that will see him miss about 6 weeks of the season.

The good news is we're now in pot three, so the group looks decent

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August

TL: Bodø/Glimt 4-0 Sandefjord

A thoroughly convincing display against the newly promoted club. Victor had an excellent game and fired us in front early on, and Elyounoussi made it two just after. Tronstad thumped home his first of the season after an hour, and a perfect Sandsund chip sealed it.

TL: Start 2-1 Bodø/Glimt

Not quite sure where this came from, but we were abysmal in the second half. Dario Torres was on the score sheet after five minutes, but defensively we were just a mess and Start took full advantage.

TL: Bodø/Glimt 1-1 Byrne

Once again this wasn't great, but a Lindseth drive at least ensured we'd pick up a point.

TL: Bodø/Glimt 1-0 Brann

A real test against a side desperately trying to keep their European hopes alive, and Robert Gluhak was the difference. Sadly he also picked up a knock which will probably end his season, which leaves me very short of wingers for the next few weeks.

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Great thread, but was disappointed to see your game crash right when you had gone for my local team - AGF! Well done with the Norwegians, though.

Cheers Mander, glad you're enjoying it. I might be due a trip back to Denmark at some point, so you never know...

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September

TL: Lillestrøm 0-1 Bodø/Glimt

As this game fell just three days before our first Champions League game, I had a juggling job to do to ensure we took our best team to Liverpool. We defended really well here and I'd have taken a point, but Dag Even Sandsund struck late on to give us the points.

Champions League Group G: Liverpool 4-3 Bodø/Glimt

It's very difficult for me to do this game justice - it was incredible, but it didn't start that way. Just 90 seconds were on the clock when we were sliced wide open, and Suso ran through to score. Eight minutes later it was two, as Tom Huddlestone wasn't closed down, and then rocketed a 30 yard drive into the top corner. This stung us into action, and Charuto exchanged passes with Sergio on the left before swinging in a peach of a cross for Dag Even Sandsund to flick home his 50th goal for the club. Just after half time things got even better for us - Sandsund found Elyounoussi on the right, and his cross picked out Torres to smash a volley home for 2-2. Liverpool responded strongly, and were back in front when Borini pounced on a defensive slip to restore Liverpool's lead. I decided to go for it, bringing on Victor and playing with 3 up front, and 13 minutes from time we were level. Victor played a 1-2 with Torres and then picked out Sandsund's head at the far post for him to power home his second and it was 3-3. I thought they were there for the taking, and so continued pressing forward, but in the dying embers of the game Jordan Henderson robbed Charuto in our half and raced clear to slot the ball under Thomas. Heartbreak in the 86th minute - and all my fault. :(

TL: Strømsgodset 1-4 Bodø/Glimt

After that tough loss in England, we needed to regroup for a tough league game, and we were nothing short of magnificent. Torres grabbed two more, with Sandsund and Nymark also on target before we conceded a late penalty.

TL: Haugesund 2-2 Bodø/Glimt

We're without a win in the league at Haugesund Stadium since 2017 now, but it could have been worse than a draw. We couldn't live with them in the first half, and two of my ex players (Khalili and Skalvold Nordberg) had them 2 up at half time. Thankfully, Lindseth and Victor dragged us back into the game in the second period, and we could have even won it late on.

TL: Bodø/Glimt 2-0 Rosenborg

A little bit of revenge from our early season mauling. Torres grabbed both of them, which ended any lingering hope Rosenborg might have had about winning the title.

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