chesterfan2 Posted March 12, 2006 Author Share Posted March 12, 2006 The pressure's on now Two games left. Given our recent form the prospect of two more games to negotiate was bad enough, but the fact was they were both as difficult as they could have possibly been, next up was 4th placed VG-62 at home with 5th placed AC Oulu away on the final day. Honka meanwhile would have 6th placed KPV at home then 9th placed VPS away to close their campaign. I could do with them slipping up. The fat was I didn't want to let the chairman down. They's clearly given me the contract extension on the basis that we were going up, or at least going to be in the promotion/relegation play off. Now that prospect looked extremely dodgy. If we fail, how do I explain that ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loeffle Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by chesterfan2: The pressure's on now Two games left. Given our recent form the prospect of two more games to negotiate was bad enough, but the fact was they were both as difficult as they could have possibly been, next up was 4th placed VG-62 at home with 5th placed AC Oulu away on the final day. Honka meanwhile would have 6th placed KPV at home then 9th placed VPS away to close their campaign. I could do with them slipping up. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Your season finale far in the North at Oulu is crucial. Keep in mind it could already snow up there so late in the year. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 12, 2006 Author Share Posted March 12, 2006 Once more unto the breech dear friends, once more The game at home to VG-62 came up on us quickly. Juha Lund admits that they are a strong side and whilst they may not be the quickest they have a hard working and combative midfield unit. The surprising news is that the bookies are calling us favourites, so I guess it’s up to us to go out there and put some pressure on them, and Honka. An obvious move I know, but I put the now fit again Panchenko in from the start, the hapless Hamalainen dropping out. And I made a couple of other changes, risky ones given the players involved, but I had to do something. I dropped Mikkola and replaced him with young Saxman. Mikkola has been no better than ordinary for a couple of weeks now, and the young lad did well for us last time. Let’s see what he can do. And at the back I dropped Matti Uoti, he too has been less than impressive. But I replaced him with the Argentinean Zerbo who I bought at the start of the season and have never played. Risky I grant you, but drastic times call for drastic measures and none of the other alternatives gave me much cause for hope. I made adjustments to the formation. VG-62 are strong on the wings so I asked my wingers to play a more defensive game and instead pushed Lehtonen on in the centre where I perceive a weakness in their formation. We got off to the flying start I was hoping for as Panchenko scored on the rebound after some determined attacking play with only 107 seconds elapsed on the clock. However VG-62 were level within another 5 minutes. We were a bit shambolic at the back. I’ll hold my hands up for that one and the unmarked header at the far post gave Peltonen no chance. We upped a gear and were unlucky to retake the lead on 14 when Kotilahti close range effort was topped by a superb reflex save. However the VG-62 netminder couldn’t do anything about it on 17 after Panchenko, going nowhere in the box, was hauled down. Kotilahti stepped up confidently and slotted the penalty home. 2-1. Now it was VG-62’s turn to attack. They had a second equaliser chalked off for offside on 21 minutes. Unhappily for them the pressure they had at that time amounted to nothing and instead it was PP-70 who extended the lead to 3-1 with a bizarre own goal, a 30 yard backpass that the keeper somehow missed, by VG-62 full back Botha. On 39 minutes we made it 4-1 with a second penalty, scored again by Kotilahti, this time sending the keeper the wrong way, once again for a foul on Panchenko by the same VG-62 defender. Saxman put in the hard work in the build up to the goal, his shear persistence getting the reward it deserved. 4-1 at half time and meanwhile elsewhere, Honka lead KPV by a single goal and MIFK lead 2-0 in the game, against SalPa that if they win they will secure the league title. I tell the lads not to lose focus and make a single change Nielsen coming on for Zerbo who had been booked for a reckless challenge at the end of the first half. I didn’t want us playing any portion of time with only 10 men, so I made the switch. The second half went much as you have probably predicted. We did sit back, though could have scored a couple of times on the break and though VG-62 tried hard they didn’t create much. Peltonen made one awesome save late on but it apart from that it was all pretty much at a canter for us in the second period. The score was great but the even better news came from Honka where KPV had found a late equaliser. MIFK completed a 3-1 win over SalPa and picked up the Division One crown with it. Nevermind we still have the playoff to play for. One game. Anything other that we lose and Honka win will see us confirmed in Second spot in the league. Final Score PP-70 4-1 VG-62 When I need them to play, they played. Current League Position : 2nd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
united_forever Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 how many points ahead is 1st place i mean with one game to go are they 1 or 2 points ahead? I hope so that way you have a chance of coming first Good Luck my friend Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
axeman Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">MIFK completed a 3-1 win over SalPa and picked up the Division One crown with it. Nevermind we still have the playoff to play for. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> I guess this explains it all UF Good job Mav, now whoop their @rses so you can get that playoff spot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
axeman Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Good job Mav </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Of course I meant Chesterfan2, I wish I'd stop typing too fast for my own good Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 Thanks lads. MIFK are 5 points up with one game left. Meanwhile PP-70 are on 46 points I think, with Honka on 44. I say I think as I'm not playing FM at the mo. I'm dreading actually playing the crunch game, and I'm playing other things (mainly Civilization 4) instead. Will hopefully update y'all this evening Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loeffle Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by chesterfan2: Thanks lads. MIFK are 5 points up with one game left. Meanwhile PP-70 are on 46 points I think, with Honka on 44. I say I think as I'm not playing FM at the mo. I'm dreading actually playing the crunch game, and I'm playing other things (mainly Civilization 4) instead. Will hopefully update y'all this evening </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Tension is increasing. Almost like a penalty shoot-out that includes England and Brazil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 Bad news on the injury front Physio Jani Helin comes into the office a bit sheepish like. It turns out that defensive mainstay Timo Etelemaki has injured his back doing weights. What the f*** are we doing weights for now ????? Was my considered response. Turns out we can get him through the last game of the season with pain killing injections. It’s a plan I go for. He’s not going to be a hundred per cent, but what the hell, we need him. If we make the playoff, I’ll have to worry what to do then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 The final day of the season The final day of the regular season. We were away at AC Oulu a team which, according to Juha Lund, is capable with a pacey forward line and a strong midfield. A tough game for the last one of the season indeed. The bookies make us 9-4, against Evens for Oulu, about as good as we could have hoped. On the morning of the game Vesa Etelemaki was named Division One player of the month, and ‘that’ goal against SalPa by Harri Mikkola was named goal of the month for the division. I came second in Manager of the Month. I hoped all this would lift the boys for the game. I reverted to my preferred line up for the game. Out went Zerbo and Saxman in came Uoti and Mikkola. Saxman might consider himself unlucky but Mikkola’s proven goalscoring threat was just too tempting for me. The game started scrappy, much as you might expect from a game of this magnitude. With the ball pinging about as it was chances were few and far between. But the chance did come, and with it the first goal. Fortunately it was for us. 22 minutes and the ever reliable Mikkola latches onto an Ollikainen pass and slots the ball past the onrushing keeper into the bottom left hand corner. 1-0 and we are on the right road. There wasn’t much more to report in the first period, AC Oulu tried to get back on level terms but their shooting was wayward. And that’s as good as it got. So 1-0 up at half time whilst Honka are still 0-0 at VPS. If it all ended now we’d be home and hosed, but unfortunately it doesn’t we still had 45 more minutes to endure. Honka opened the scoring in their game in the first minute of the second half. Meanwhile play here in Oulu was open and end to end. Ac Oulu got an equaliser on 70 minutes as their midfielder was allowed time and space in the box to pick his spot. Now things were on a knife-edge. If we draw, it doesn’t matter if Honka win, unless they can pull off a clear seven goal margin of victory. So we now needed to hold on, could we do it ? AC Oulu had their tales up now, and chance after chance came their way but Valkeapaa and, turning in a man of the match performance, Etelemaki were like giants. In the 92nd minute Panchenko blazed wide our only chance of the second half. After 93 and a half minutes Ac Oulu contrived to miss a sitter. Half a minute later the final whistle blew. Dreamland. Final Score AC Oulu 1-1 PP-70 We did it Final League Position : 2nd, on goal difference Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 Never tried this before. Let's Hope it works The Final table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Finnish First Division – Final Standings 1.10.2006 | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | MIFK | | 26 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 39 | 17 | +22 | 53 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | PP-70 | | 26 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 51 | 35 | +16 | 48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Honka | | 26 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 34 | 24 | +10 | 48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | VG-62 | | 26 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 44 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | AC Oulu | | 26 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 38 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | SalPa | | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 35 | 32 | +3 | 38 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | KPV | | 26 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 36 | 33 | +3 | 37 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | VPS | | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 35 | 39 | -4 | 34 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | P-Iirot | | 26 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 29 | 27 | +2 | 33 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Rakuunat | | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 29 | 44 | -15 | 27 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | MP | | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 37 | 45 | -8 | 26 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | TPV | | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 33 | 44 | -11 | 24 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Atlantis FC | | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 28 | 45 | -17 | 24 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | GBK | | 26 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 23 | 40 | -17 | 23 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 And for our next trick. The fact that we had come second sat very well with players, board and fans of PP-70. And also myself, if I'm honest. Kaija treated me to a fine Finnish meal and some fine Australian wine at her place that evening. The players had wanted me to go out with them, and I had put in a brief appearance, but I'd soon made a retreat back to the warmth I always felt when I was with Kaija. The fact was that though this was a great acheivement in itself we now had a chance to get into the Premier League. but to do that would mean winning the play off and that was a very tall order indeed, much taller than any we had faced so far. RoPS of Rovaneimen would be our opponents. They may have finished 13th in the top division, one off the bottom, but they were still chock full of overseas players and expensive talent. A daunting prospect indeed, but at least one we had a chance of cracking. At this point I got back to the business of celebrating. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 14, 2006 Author Share Posted March 14, 2006 Promotion Playoff First Leg We get to play at home first, then at their place in four days time. Juha Lund doesn’t seem to think RoPS are anything out of the ordinary, giving them his usual epithet of ‘capable’, but noting that Antti Puera is a potent threat in a quick forward line. They are on a three game losing stream. Is that a good thing ? We are short a left back with the injury to Timo Etelemaki. We couldn’t give him any more pain injections apparently. A bit stuck for a replacement I ask wide midfielder Linus Blomster to step in. He’s unconvincing at best in the role, but he is one of the very few options we have, and probably the best one of them. Playing at home is, of course, our best hope so I ask the boys to go out with a positive attitude. We do well but rarely come close to breaking them down. Panchenko had a couple of half chances but that’s all they were. RoPS offered very little coming forward and the game meandered through a cagey first half to a scoreless conclusion. Of course, given that I didn’t want to change very much. I still believed we could break them down at least once, perhaps twice and so other than the odd tweak of tactical nuance I left the game plan as was. RoPS made all three substitutions at half time and came out with much more purpose. They put us under immense pressure and how we held out at times I don’t know, but we did. But we weren’t getting much joy up front so I decided to make a change, I took off, on 77 minutes, Ollikainen who wasn’t having his best game and put young Chrisoffer Carlsson in his place, I also asked the guys to go to All Out Attack. On 83 minutes Valkeapaa picked up a loose ball on the half way line, he pinged a 30 yard pass to Panchenko. The Ukrainian was tackled on the edge of the box but the ball ran free into the area where Harri Mikkola was quickest to it. He slotted it past the stranded RoPS keeper and we are one nil up. RoPS tried to get back into and threw players forward. They came close to an equaliser but the goalbound shot was blocked by young Linus Blomster who, for the entire game, stood up to the task I had given him admirably. Once again we attacked but Kotilahti was hacked down in mid flow. Nothing came of the free kick and worse than that Kotilahti looked like he was limping. Then as we ticked into injury time Blomster found Kotilahti who played it out to Robert Dahm overlapping him down the right. Dahm took the ball on and crossed into the box where it was met by an incoming Kotilahti on the volley giving the keeper no chance, 2-0. The Premier Division side tried to get back into it, but to no avail and we ran out two goal winners of the first leg. All the lads were great today with notable contributions coming from Peltonen, of course, also Valkeapaa in the heart of defence, Vesa Etelemaki and Joni Lehtonen in the midfield engine room and of course Harri Mikkola up front. An outstanding contribution came from Jussi Kotilahti but he was pipped to the man of the match award by Robert Dahm, the right back, who was awesome in defence but also created the second goal. The win was great, and the two goal margin would give us a chance in the second leg. Final Score PP-70 2-0 RoPS Aggregate Score 2-0 Very much what the doctor ordered. So far so good, now for the next leg. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 14, 2006 Author Share Posted March 14, 2006 Another injury The agricultural challenge on Jussi Kotilahti’s ankle has left it’s mark, quite literally. The wingers ankle is twisted by Jani Helin offers us the chance of pumping it full of pain killing drugs and that’ll get him through one more match. We only have one more match, so what do you think I did ? But some good news Jarno Eranen returned to full training today after a lengthy injury layoff. Probably won’t be fully match fit in time for the second leg, but will give us a great option on the bench. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 14, 2006 Author Share Posted March 14, 2006 I don't think I meant to say that his ankle was twisted by the physio ! It was twisted in the last game. Once again my proof reading skills are not up to what they should be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 14, 2006 Author Share Posted March 14, 2006 Promotion Playoff Second Leg I made just that one change on the bench with an unfit Eranen taking a pew. The starting lineup was unchanged. They all did well in the first game and deserved the chance to do it again. The temptation was, of course, to put all eleven men on the goal line and hope that RoPS couldn’t find a way through. But having seen the last game I thought we stood a better chance if we played our own game. We started brightly and had the better of the opening exchanges. We suffered a setback on ten when Ollikainen, the left winger was clattered and had to come off. Carlsson was his replacement. And the young Swede sparked the action on the 17th minute winning the ball on the left and crossing inch perfect to find Panchecko unmarked in acres of space in the box. The front man picked his spot and we are one nil up, three- nil on aggregate. RoPS put together nothing and we continued to dominate the half. Right up until the 45th minute when the Premier Division side broke away and scored a barely deserved equaliser from close range after Peltonen had made an initial save. I told the lads at half time not to get careless, and I made a change taking off Blomster who had been found out somewhat in the first period and replacing him with perennial back up centre half Ilja Gronlund who has a bit of experience at left back. We expected, and got, a bit of an onslaught initially at the start of the second half, but we held firm and indeed it was us who got the next breakthrough. On 65 minutes a corner was half cleared, Vesa Etelemaki spread the ball out to Carlsson on the left and his cross was met at the near post by Harri Mikkola with a powerful header that left the RoPS keeper standing statuesque. The second goal knocked the stuffing out of RoPS and they failed to threaten our goal again. In the end we won the game at a canter, hardly what I expected at all, but hats off to the lads for making it so. Final Score RoPS 1-2 PP-70 Aggregate Score 1-4 And we did it, into the top division. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
united_forever Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 A good couple of wins. Keep it up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 That's alot easier said than done now I'm up with the 'big boys' of the Premier League, u_f ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 But thanks, anyway Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
axeman Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Congratulations on the promotion chesterfan Excellent to manage it so early in the management career in a difficult division. Good luck in the battles against the big boys KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 Thanks axeman. Wish I knew how to make this team competitive in the next division, at least competitive enough to survive! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loeffle Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Bravo! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
united_forever Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> That's alot easier said than done now I'm up with the 'big boys' of the Premier League, u_f ! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Godd luck with it I have faith in you Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suma Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 if you can make the team competative then you could see yourself in Euro appereance next season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 As I with you, United_forever. And cheers for the encouragemnt Suma. Anyway my , now hopefully corrected, spelling errors tell me it's time for bed. If I were you u_f I'd spend the day watching the Commonwealth Games. As a Sydneysider does it make you sick to see what a show Melbourne can put on ? Personally I'd think isn't it great that Australia can put on a sporting event so well. If only my Aussie story was up to date I could have included it in the story ! Doh ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
united_forever Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 To be honest Chesterfan, i'm glad Melbourne put on such a great show, because they represented all of Australia, not just Melbourne.. And believe me it was awesome. My cousin Daniel Beltrame was telling me about it on the phone about an hour ago, he was there last night. Anyway, as i said before. good luck with the rest of the story. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 16, 2006 Author Share Posted March 16, 2006 Thanks for all the comments guys, but it is time I got back on with the story Tabloid Tales As we left the stadium at Rovaneimen a journo from a national tabloid asked me if I thought we could handle the step up in division with the players we have or not. Bhouyed up by euphoria no doubt I told him that we could. The looks I got from some of the better players, Panchenko and Dahm most notably, told me that they weren't in agreement with that statement and as I sat down into my seat on the coach and we started the journey back to Tampere I had to admit it was a bit rash. We hadn't got the players to compete in the top division next season, not by a long chalk. As we drove on into the evening twilight I started to think of not only the positions we needed to strengthen but also the players we needed to get rid of. It seemed unlikely either would be a short list. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 And the winner is ... First Division Manager of the Year is ... Me !, Meanwhile Eranen is the divisions leading scorer with 14 goals, Panchenko came second with 13 and five of the lads, inclding Panchenko but not Eranen are in the First Division Team of The year, the others to get the accolade being Peltonen, Timo Etelemaki, Vesa Etelemaki and Jussi Kotilahti. I couldn't have done it without them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 We're making plans for Sami (amongst others) I had some decisions to make. Pretty obviously, even with the transfer funds I still had available to me, we would have to trim some dead wood before we invested in any new blood. Once again the prospect of no summer break loomed large. I got my head down and reviewed the list of first team players. It was huge, there had to be some give here <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> | Pkd | Inf | Name | Position | Morale | Form | Con | Apps | Gls | Av Rat | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Antti Peltonen | GK | Very Good | 10-10-6-8-7 | 96% | 30 | - | 7.27 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Pasi Laine | GK | Very Good | 6-6-6-7-6 | 95% | - | - | - | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Michael Høiby | GK | Very Good | 6-6-8-7 | 94% | - | - | - | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Hernán Zerbo | SW, D C | Very Good | 6-7-7 | 64% | 1 | - | 7.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Hannu Pernu | D R | Very Good | 6-9-6 | 95% | 1 | - | 6.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | PR | Robert Dahm | D R | Okay | 7-8-7-9-8 | 95% | 8 | - | 7.38 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Ville Sihvonen | D RC, DM, M RC | Very Good | 7-6-6-6-8 | 95% | 8 (3) | - | 6.55 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Timo Etelämäki | D LC | Very Good | 6-5-7-8-8 | 54% | 25 | - | 7.16 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Nic Häggblom | D L | Very Good | 6-8-7-6-6 | 36% | 2 | - | 6.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Matti Uoti | D C | Very Good | 6-8-7-7-7 | 94% | 19 | - | 6.95 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Ilja Grönlund | D C | Very Good | 6-6-6-7-7 | 76% | 0 (1) | - | 7.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Jaakko Vesala | D C | Very Good | 8-5-7-7-6 | 95% | 2 | - | 6.50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Roger Nielsen | D C | Very Good | 7-6-7-6-7 | 96% | 6 (3) | - | 6.78 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Per Arne Gjerdalen | D C, DM | Very Good | 7-9-6-8-4 | 95% | 3 | - | 6.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Aki Iso-Pietilä | D/WB/AM R | Good | 6-5-6-7-6 | 100% | 10 (3) | 1 | 6.46 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Timo Valkeapää | D/M C | Very Good | 7-7-8-8-8 | 96% | 29 | 3 | 7.03 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Jarkko Riihimäki | D/AM L | Very Good | 6-6-7-7-6 | 96% | 4 (5) | 1 | 6.11 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Pasi Lahti | DM | Very Good | 7-7-7-6 | 94% | - | - | - | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Vesa Etelämäki | DM | Very Good | 9-9-7-8-7 | 94% | 23 | - | 7.48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Lasse Vornanen | DM | Very Good | 7-8-8 | 95% | - | - | - | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Tomi Lahtinen | DM | Very Good | 8-6-7-7-7 | 94% | 7 | - | 7.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Linus Blomster | M RL | Very Good | 7-6-7-5 | 95% | 2 (1) | - | 6.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Christoffer Carlsson | M LC | Very Good | 8-6-6-6-7 | 88% | 0 (4) | - | 6.25 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Tommi Rajamäki | M L | Very Good | 6-7-6-6-7 | 95% | - | - | - | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Joni Lehtonen | M C | Very Good | 7-7-7-8-8 | 93% | 26 | 6 | 7.15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Juuso Ollikainen | AM RL | Very Good | 6-8-6-6-6 | 83% | 29 | 1 | 6.86 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Jussi Kotilahti | AM RC | Okay | 7-9-7-9-8 | 58% | 28 | 6 | 7.46 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Tero Karhu | AM RC | Very Good | 7-8-8-6-5 | 94% | 2 | - | 5.50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Juha-Pekka Torvinen | AM R | Very Good | 6-6-6-6-6 | 93% | - | - | - | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Jaakko Laitinen | AM R | Very Good | 6-6-6-8-6 | 94% | 0 (1) | - | 6.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Andrejs Arajs | AM R | Good | 7-7-6-7-7 | 95% | - | - | - | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Samuli Laitila | AM LC | Very Good | 6-6-5-5-5 | 94% | 1 (2) | - | 5.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Anssi Ripatti | AM L | Very Good | 7 | 94% | 1 | - | 7.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Rian | AM C | Very Good | 7-7-7-7 | 96% | 4 | - | 7.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Jarno Eränen | AM/F C | Very Good | 7-8-7-6-6 | 88% | 25 | 14 | 7.04 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Miikka Nurmi | ST | Very Good | 7-7-7-7 | 95% | - | - | - | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Harri Mikkola | ST | Very Good | 8-6-7-8-7 | 89% | 17 (2) | 10 | 7.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Kalle Hämäläinen | ST | Very Good | 7-6-7-7-6 | 95% | 1 | - | 6.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Samu Ruisniemi | ST | Very Good | 8-7-7-7-7 | 95% | - | - | - | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | PR | Sergiy Panchenko | ST | Okay | 7-8-7-7-8 | 90% | 16 (3) | 13 | 7.37 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Slt | Ville Saxman | ST | Very Good | 7-7-8 | 98% | 1 (2) | 1 | 7.33 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 The first cuts are the deepest Anyone, with the exception of reserve goalie Michael Hoiby, who hadn't played at all last season, or had an average rating of 6.00 or less went straight onto the transfer list without any more thought. Only excpetions were Nurmi and Gjerdalen who were both retiring. Only trouble was , no-one seemed interested. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loeffle Posted March 18, 2006 Share Posted March 18, 2006 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by chesterfan2: The first cuts are the deepest Anyone, with the exception of reserve goalie Michael Hoiby, who hadn't played at all last season, or had an average rating of 6.00 or less went straight onto the transfer list without any more thought. Only excpetions were Nurmi and Gjerdalen who were both retiring. Only trouble was , no-one seemed interested. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Tristan "Iron Axe" Langley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 18, 2006 Author Share Posted March 18, 2006 Cheers Loeffle but I think I prefer Tristan "The Butcher" Langley ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 21, 2006 Author Share Posted March 21, 2006 b]The first moves[/b] It wasn’t long before the phone started to ring. TKT, Kings and JJK were all interested in Samu Ruisniemi. We had him up for £3,000 but at 21 he remains a promising striker. Not promising enough for us, but to the liking of these non-league sides. He agreed to go to local non leaguers TKT, the transfer would go through when the window reopened in November. Meanwhile Kings got 28 year old striker Kalle Hamalainen to sign on the dotted line, no transfer fee involved as his contract expires on December 1st and he’ll move on a bosman. Tommi Rajamaki the 23 year old left midfielder had a few offers too, but decided to go to JaPS of Jaarvenpaa. We decided to let the lad go for free, to give us a bit more leeway in the wage department. I decided to add another scout to the staff and selected a Swede Magnus Sohlberg from Swedish non league footy. The club now had three scouts (four if you counted Juha Lund but he was busy boning up on our new opposition). I sent them out to scout the three ‘local’ countries, Finland, Sweden and Norway. Whilst I had a bit of cash to spend, thanks to the terms of my improved contract, the budget wasn't endless and I wanted to upgrade in many areas. Nothing to do now but sit down and wait for the phone to ring, either from my scouts, or a club wanting one of the many whose details I had circulated to them. Actually there was something I could do. I forwarded the office phone to my mobile, slipped it into my pocket. After phoning Kaija and seeing if she wanted to go for a drink. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Well done on the promotion, cf2. Good luck for the new season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 22, 2006 Author Share Posted March 22, 2006 And so, the season draws to a close In the Finnish Cup Final FC Lahti beat TP-47 2-0. This is traditionally the last game of the season and with it the lads are off on their holidays until the start of December. It's been a good season, we have achieved what we set out to achieve, so that's good. But whilst the lads take a well earned break I need to start work on keeping us up next year, that's going to be one whole load of work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 23, 2006 Author Share Posted March 23, 2006 Two More off. No rest for me, then. Goalkeeper Pasi Laine is off to First Division champions MIFK. He was behind Peltonen and Hoiby in the queue for the number one jersey and as such is dispensible. We get an initial £1,000 for the 26 year old. The other player on his way in today’s dealings is right winger Juha-Pekka Torvinen who is also going to local non-leaguers TKT. The 23 year old right winger hasn’t ever amounted to much and wasn’t ever going to get a chance in this side. He goes for another thousand and goes with our best wishes. The first news was also coming back from the scouts. None of these players had yet grabbed my fancy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 23, 2006 Author Share Posted March 23, 2006 Spare us The Cutter November 18th came round and the transfer window opened up. The deals we had already made to ship players out were completed. We tried to get players in but the message from the boards was that I still didn't have enough leeway in the transfer budget to offer better players better wages, so some further cuts were made. Three players heading to the end of their contracts were invited to go and find new clubs, without our help. Fullbacks Nic Haggblom and Hannu Pernu were shown the door as was center back Jaakko Vesala. The coaches really didn't rate this one and told me to get rid in no uncertain terms. We still had plenty of dead wood to get rid of, so there was still plenty of work to do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 23, 2006 Author Share Posted March 23, 2006 A first one in. After a couple of abortive attempts we managed to sign up our first capture of the winter break. He’s a 20 year old full back from Sweden, by the name of Christoffer Holmgren. He has bags of promise and joins us from the Swedish non-leaguers Tord. We now have enough leeway in teh budget to sign him up, and so we have. One in, and possibly one out as we get a couple of offers for Laitinen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
united_forever Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 congrats on the new signing...AT LAST...anyway good luck for the new season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 24, 2006 Author Share Posted March 24, 2006 board wouldn't let me sign anyone, despite having £100k+ in transfer budget, because the wage bill was maxed out. They limited the wages on any offer I made to piddly small amounts thus I had to wait until the transfer window reopened, we got rid of some bodies and lo and behold they'd let me offer the kind of wages that any player I'd want would accept. Anyway hope that makes a bit more sense Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loeffle Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by chesterfan2: board wouldn't let me sign anyone, despite having £100k+ in transfer budget, because the wage bill was maxed out. They limited the wages on any offer I made to piddly small amounts thus I had to wait until the transfer window reopened, we got rid of some bodies and lo and behold they'd let me offer the kind of wages that any player I'd want would accept. Anyway hope that makes a bit more sense </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Known situation ... but soon my wage bill is back to normal. Anyway my balance is horrible. Good luck in off-season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 29, 2006 Author Share Posted March 29, 2006 Cheers, Loeffle. All, the preseason has really dragged for me thus far and here is a summary of it for you, apologis for the delay. The revolving door continues to spin, Doctor Watson Laitinen soon completed his £2,000 move to MuSa. Our attempts this time last year to find a decent right winger lead us to a whole load of dross, and here we got rid of one of them. Meanwhile we got another player in. This was a deal we had inked in a while ago whilst this player was on loan at TKT. The lad in question is centre-back/ defensive midfielder Jesper Tornqvist who we have signed from Tampere Utd for £1,000. Three clubs made bids for Jarkko Riihimaki, the 22 year old left back is clearly surplus to requirements here. Another one on the way as another one comes in. We spend £4,000 on Vernamo’s 18 year old Swedish goal machine Sebastian Goransson, he’s another one for the future, and a very bright future at that. Later on the same day we signed up another youngster. We picked up centre-back Martin Thiman, 21, from Helsingborg Sodra on a free. Another player with a very promising outlook. TPS, our new premier division rivals, were the team that Jarkko Riihimaki chose in the end, he departs with our best wishes. Meanwhile right back Aki Iso-Pietila’s contract expired and we released him from the club, another one for whom the talent versus wage cost equation just didn’t work in their favour. And with that the end of the post-season break is upon us and we are officially back to training. Mikka Nurmi reports that Jusso Ollikainen has reported back tired, but that can be forgiven as he spent most of the break recovering from fractured ribs. What can’t be forgiven is Andrejs Arjais reporting back late. He has no excuse. Yes he’s on the transfer list but whilst he remains our player he plays by my rules. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 30, 2006 Author Share Posted March 30, 2006 Olli drops in for a chat I had the report concerning Jusso Ollikainen's injured ribs on my desk. As the young left winger wandered past the office I called him in. Trisatn Langley (TL) : "Olli, How are you ? How are the ribs ?" Jusso Ollikainen (JO) : "O.k., boss. The x-ray shows that they hav healed nicely, but the whole are is still quite sore." TL : "That is good news about the fracture healing Olli. But I have had a word with Jani Helin and she reckons that you could od with a bit more of a rest before you start training." JO : "That's very kind boss, but I wouldn't want to let the boys down, I'll train." TL: "It's good that you feel that way Olli, but I'd rather you were fit come day one of the season proper, and compared to that right now doesn't matter. So I want you to concentrate on resting those ribs and getting better for a while more." Jani Helin's report had recommended that I let the lad have another two to four weeks off. I told Olli that I was signing him off training for another three weeks (always best to go somewhere in the middle of these estimates, don't you think ?) and that I expected him to come back then fully refresehed and raring to go. He assured me that that would be the case. And with that he left to go home. The other matter I had to deal with was Andrejs Arjais' no show. Angry as I was I had no intention of breaking the disciplinary code of the club and I issued the Latvian with a formal warning. Failure to start to tow the line would result in a loss of wages so hopefully this would get his attention without us having to go that far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted March 30, 2006 Author Share Posted March 30, 2006 Olli drops in for a chat I had the report concerning Jusso Ollikainen's injured ribs on my desk. As the young left winger wandered past the office I called him in. Trisatn Langley (TL) : "Olli, How are you ? How are the ribs ?" Jusso Ollikainen (JO) : "O.k., boss. The x-ray shows that they hav healed nicely, but the whole are is still quite sore." TL : "That is good news about the fracture healing Olli. But I have had a word with Jani Helin and she reckons that you could od with a bit more of a rest before you start training." JO : "That's very kind boss, but I wouldn't want to let the boys down, I'll train." TL: "It's good that you feel that way Olli, but I'd rather you were fit come day one of the season proper, and compared to that right now doesn't matter. So I want you to concentrate on resting those ribs and getting better for a while more." Jani Helin's report had recommended that I let the lad have another two to four weeks off. I told Olli that I was signing him off training for another three weeks (always best to go somewhere in the middle of these estimates, don't you think ?) and that I expected him to come back then fully refresehed and raring to go. He assured me that that would be the case. And with that he left to go home. The other matter I had to deal with was Andrejs Arjais' no show. Angry as I was I had no intention of breaking the disciplinary code of the club and I issued the Latvian with a formal warning. Failure to start to tow the line would result in a loss of wages so hopefully this would get his attention without us having to go that far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted April 4, 2006 Author Share Posted April 4, 2006 Now here's a novel idea That evening I sat in the living room of my apartment in the centre of Tampere. Kaija had come over and I had cooked her a meal. I usually find that creating a meal is a good way of taking my mind of things for a while. The company of Kaija usually works the same way too. But tonight was different. Try as I might I couldn't get it out of my head that we had an immense task on our hands and whilst we had got rid of alot of the 'chaff' in the squad there was still a fair bit left. In addition to that I wasn't sure that the players we had brought in were the ones to ensure survival. I'd brought in a few young players, and I thought maybe I should be thinking less about the future and more about the season coming up. Kaija, as ever, was quick to spot that I was preoccupied. Kaija Salonen (KS): "Your worried about the new season aren't you ?" Tristan Langley (TL): "Ahh, you noticed." KS: "Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work that one out ! What exactly is the problem." TL: "You know I think I can't see the wood for the trees. So many of the lads in the squad did jobs for me last year, yet I don't know if they are good enough to help me out this year. It's like I'm too close to be able to make any sound judgements. Most of what I've done so far has been obvious, but what are the next steps ?" KS: "You need someone else, someone not as close to the squad, to give you an honest assessment of what they see in the squad. Get them to do you a report and then use that to assist you in your decisions." TL: "That sounds like a great idea, but who's going to do it ?" KS: "I will. I'll watch the training sessions for a few days and then give you a report." It was a perfect solution. Kaija was a fan of the club, it was true, but she was also someone I could be sure would give me her own honest opinion without any regard for whether I would like it or not. She also knew enough of a football fan to be able to form an opinion on what was required. I agreed to the idea on the spot. My, how I love that woman. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Finland! Love this place. I've stayed near the Russian border. Don't remember exactly where. Very very beatiful country with it's lakes and landscape! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loeffle Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tanel: Finland! Love this place. I've stayed near the Russian border. Don't remember exactly where. Very very beatiful country with it's lakes and landscape! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Jaja, nice country indeed, but you poor Estonians suffer from the Finnish hordes in search for cheap alcohol (and girls, too, sadly) ... Even in Lithuania I met such Finns - sad, because most of them are really nice people Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseylee Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Chesterfan brill read!! I just clicked onto the story by accident 2 hours ago and read the 1st bit and err couldnt get off! Have read thru all 9 pages! Im interested in what kind of tactics you use and what detail you go into for each game? I am following quite a few storys and I am interested in all there answers on this! Ive left a few Q's at the end aswell that are interesting me and will make the story much more intreaging!! 1. Is there a reserve league in the fin top division? 2. Did you play friendlies during the past season to keep your res players match fit? 3. Are you playing FM 2006 or another version? 4. And is this your 1st story? Anyway hope you dont mind the q's as you have an avid fan here and looking forwars to how you will do in the premier! And if I wwas you I would bring in just a few players as your squad did well and they deserve a chance as I dont think the gap is that massive in fin football,and you did great against rops and your squad will def play better after a full season behind them! Good luck and chat to you soon! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted April 7, 2006 Author Share Posted April 7, 2006 The report comes in. Well, the first part does I was taking traingh, with Kaija watching and making notes for the best part of a week before anything came back. I returned from my trip into Estonia to get some cheap booze (Sorry, Loeffle and Tanel, too easy to resist) to find the first part of the report on my desk. I sat down at my desk cracked open a bottle of finest Estonian beer and read on... <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">PP-70 Squad Report - Part 1 Section 1 – Goalkeepers 15. Antti Peltonen. Age: 22 First choice goalkeeper for last two season’s and entirely worthy of that honour. Capped three times for Finland U21. Good in the air and commands his box. I’d have worries about his skill in one-on-one situations as that might be a very important area in the higher division. A fan’s favourite, but is that one weakness going to let him down ? 1. Michael Hoiby Age: 23 Norwegian understudy to Peltonen. He’s not happy as a deputy either. Not as good in the air, doesn’t command the box as well but communicates with the defence better and is good rushing out. These are both qualities that might play well in the top league, so it may be worth experimenting in pre-season. 20. Jyri Niemenen. Age: 19 Net minder for the Under 20’s side. Bags of heart but may not have the technical skills to make the step up to the first team. Section 2 – Defenders 37. Hernan Zerbo Age:22 Argentinan centre back who didn’t make the grade the last season and will fail to do so even worse this time. Put on the transfer list immediately. 27. Christoffer Holmgren Age:20 Newly signed Swedish right back. Initially probably only a back up to Robert Dahm but a player of immense talent. One for the future. 2. Robert Dahm Aged:24 Swedish first choice right back. A good player with a head for the important games. Aggression with good positional sense make him an accomplished full back. Jari Lehtonen Aged:18 Full back from the U20 squad that can play either side. Has some exceptional physical gifts and may well be able to make the step up to the first team when the time is right. 24. Jesper Tornqvist Aged : 21 Recently signed, this is a versatile player who can play centre back, right back or defensive midfield. He has the technical ability to excel in any of those positions and is a clear asset to the team 19. Ville Sivohnen Aged:32 Experienced player who can play in a myriad of positions, mainly down the centre and right. He is a gifted player and should do well in the higher division. 3. Timo Etelemaki Aged:27 Starting left back can also play in the centre of defence. One of last season’s most consistent performers he is far better suited to play left back than centre. 4. Matti Uoti Aged: 30 Regular centre half last year but this player may well be out of his depth in the higher division. You should consider getting rid of him. 25. Ilja Gronlund Aged:23 Backup centre half who wasn’t up to the job last season, and certainly isn’t up to it this. Place player on transfer list immediately. Martin Thiman Aged:21 Another Swede and another new signing with a large amount of potential. Not ready for the first team just yet however. 17. Roger Nielsen Aged:21 Played mainly as backup center half last season but should be given the chance to prove that he is better than that. A great marker and good in the air we’d like to see him improve his tackling a bit but that’s just being picky. Jari Pietila Aged:16 U20 player. Unlikely to make grade. 36 Matti Makinen Aged:16 U20 player, capped once as a 15 year old by the U21 side. This player has the world at his feet and should be considered for immediate promotion to the first team now he is old enough to be included. He is blessed with great innate physical abilities and the big clubs will probably beat a path to your door once they see how good he is. 12. Per Arne Gjerdalen Aged:34 Retiring soon. Ville Laine aged:18 Another U-20 player who isn’t going to amount to much. 5. Timo Valkeapaa Aged:29 Can play central defence or central midfield. Takes penalties well, was a defensive stalwart for much of last season. In reality one of the clubs best players and one we should be building the rest of the team around. In the next instalment Midfielders, and possibly Strikers. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loeffle Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by chesterfan2: The report comes in. Well, the first part does I was taking traingh, with Kaija watching and making notes for the best part of a week before anything came back. I returned from my trip into Estonia to get some cheap booze (Sorry, Loeffle and Tanel, too easy to resist) to find the first part of the report on my desk. I sat down at my desk cracked open a bottle of finest Estonian beer and read on... </div></BLOCKQUOTE> No Problem, you are an Englishman so you also have to defend a reputation Note: Rumour has it that around 5,000 English supporters are camping in your lands during WC. Your lady seems to be quite dominant? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.