[FM22] Wrath of the Lich King

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - March 2023 - Íþróttafélagið Völsungur

Lengjubikarinn A

Quite an even group in the end, we weren't that far off.

[Rikulec]

Another one in the bag.

[Rikulec]

We also got another upgrade in.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - April 2023 - Íþróttafélagið Völsungur

Friendlies

Good results in preparation for the league campaign.

[Rikulec]

Would be nice to get someone really good.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - May 2023 - Íþróttafélagið Völsungur

Friendlies

One more friendly win and that's an opponent some of you should recognise.

1. deild

What a start! We did need a late winner against Fjarðabyggð, but who cares? Quite remarkably a month as good as this only gets us into 4th so far.

Bikarkeppni

Our second choice players have done their job against lower league sides. Notably, Þorsteinsson has scored his first goal from the club after getting promoted from the youth team and he's done it quicker than the striker Guðmundsson.

Edited November 5, 2021 by Rikulec

[Deisler26]

That's a good result for the B team.

[abulezz]

Excited to see how the GK from the Youth Intake is going to look like!

[Rikulec]

1 hour ago, Deisler26 said:

That's a good result for the B team.

I'm surprised with how well they've been doing. There's a significant gap in quality between them and the starting XI, but they seem to be doing the job whenever called upon. It has worked several times in the league as well.

1 hour ago, abulezz said:

Excited to see how the GK from the Youth Intake is going to look like!

So am I! We already have a very good goalkeeper in Sysuev, but I'd definitely be willing to give some games to a youngster if we turns out to be good enough.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - June 2023 - Íþróttafélagið Völsungur

1. deild

Safe to say we're not the most entertaining team in the league. What's worrying is that none of our attacking three scored in any of these games, all three goals came from set pieces. We also haven't scored in three games now.

Bikarkeppni

Another routine win sends us to our second cup quarter final in a row.

[Rikulec]

Yes, you read that right. I decided to apply for the Keflavík job despite them struggling below us in the table. Even though we're flying high, they're a much bigger club in the long run and it feels like the right career move at this point, provided I end up getting the job of course. Let's see what happens next!

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - July 2023 - Íþróttafélagið Völsungur

Bikarkeppni

I ended up only playing one game in July and it was one that almost turned my head around. Given the relatively light schedule and the weight of the tie, I decided to field our strongest squad against Breiðablik and it paid off! We raced into a two-goal lead quickly only to give it away, but an Óli Einarsson goal sent us (or maybe I should say the team) to the cup semis!

Transfers

Tristan Crama - Jaime Agujetas decided to terminate his deal because of little playing time, so I replaced him with a player good enough to slot into the first team right away.

[Rikulec]

I managed to negotiate my wage up to £400 p/w. Let's get to it!

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - New Club - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

The pressure is on then, it would seem. Keflavík is a recognisable name in Iceland with four league titles to show for, although the last one was won in 1973. What matters to me is that I've moved to a 2* reputation, professional club while Völsungur only have 1,5* and are semi-pro.

Club Name: Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag
Nickname: -
Year Founded: 1929
Status: Professional
Stadium: Nettóvöllurinn (2,554 capacity, 1,160 seated)

My word, look at that mess. 33 players on the books and some of them are certainly good enough for a promotion push, but my first task here is to cut this squad down by a third. Sindri Kristinn Ólafsson is listed as our key player and I also like the look of Davíð Snær Jóhannsson and Hamza Masoudi a lot.

I was expecting the club vision to be more ambitious given our stature to be honest, I suppose it's going to change once we sort out the mess we're currently in. Speaking of which...

This is not ideal.

 

[Deisler26]

Oooh! Narrative!

[Rikulec]

1 hour ago, Deisler26 said:

Oooh! Narrative!

As I've said before, I'm not interested in the bring-in-all-the-best-players-possible-and-win-everything-with-a-small-club pathway anymore, it's become boring and unrealistic. Having established Völsungur as a decent 1. deild side I feel a move to a side struggling at that level that should be aiming for promotion is a logical step. Ideally I'd like to achieve that promotion and then consolidate before switching clubs again, this time for one of the biggest Icelandic sides, and then win the title with them and move on.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - July 2023 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

1. deild

Average, but the performances were slightly better than the results, which was encouraging. Maybe we just need some more time to kick things off properly.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - August 2023 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

1. deild

Uh-oh, this is not good. We're actually in trouble going into the final three games of the season. We were really poor against Fram, Þór, and Völsungur and didn't really deserve more than we got out of those games. The second defeat of the month pushed us down into the relegation zone, so we needed a quick reaction and that's exactly what happened with a great performance and a well deserved win at Afturelding. Beating Fjarðabyggð five days later would have probably left us feeling more or less safe, but despite absolutely dominating them with over 20 shots and the shot on target count going into double digits we didn't break the deadlock until almost an hour had passed and then we just couldn't follow up, conceding against the run of play instead. Finally, we made the Leiknir R. game an uphill battle for ourselves by letting in two sloppy goals inside the space of the first twelve minutes. Kudos to the lads for the late comeback - quite notably, all three subs got ratings of 7,0 or higher - but we have to do better than that and the margins are becoming very, very thin.

Oh, and our next game is Þróttur R. at home. It's a huge one, isn't it?

Youth Intake

Not much luck on the academy front either, although it might be worth keeping an eye on the 1,5* CA players, sometimes these guys develop way beyond their initial assessments.

Helgi Þór Daníelsson

Ómar Guðmundsson

Ásgeir Garðarsson

[Rikulec]

This doesn't help much to be honest, we're still deep in the red.

[SixPointer]

Had a bit of a fight on your hands since the move to the new club 

[Rikulec]

7 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Had a bit of a fight on your hands since the move to the new club 

That's true, and I honestly like it. I felt FM21 was a bit too easy for me, I just plugged in my very simple 4-2-3-1, maybe altering it slightly depending on the level I managed at, and it was pretty much guaranteed instant success. I'm using a different shape and different approach this time and it's a welcome change of tone. I just hope we don't actually get relegated!

[Rikulec]

We got FM'd in the worst possible manner at the worst possible time. We hit the crossbar three times and missed a few good chances and Þróttur scored after they hoofed the ball away, our centre back missed the header and their striker ran free on goal. What a terrible game, we're in serious trouble now. Our next fixture is KV away and if we don't win, we're very likely going down.

[Rikulec]

Finally! A win we so desperately needed allows us to breathe a sigh of relief. The KV game was another dominant performance and the partnership between Volesky as the deep lying forward and Jóhansson as the central midfielder attacking from deep worked beautifully, the former assisting the latter twice. It's far from over though, we're above the surface by the skin of our teeth and even winning our last game isn't a 100% guarantee of survival.

As luck would have it, all three relegation-battling sides play their final games at home. It's Þróttur vs. Völsungur, Keflavík vs. ÍBV and Fjarðabyggð vs. Þór on the last day of the season. Anything can happen - Fjarðabyggð have the toughest opponent on paper, but ours certainly isn't easy and there's just no guessing how my old side can match up against the least likely relegation candidate. Fingers crossed it's not us who's going to end up in 11th!

And yes, you read that right - Njarðvík have won the cup and will participate in next season's Conference League qualifiers!

[Koetzer]

41 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

And yes, you read that right - Njarðvík have won the cup and will participate in next season's Conference League qualifiers!

Did they get some wonderkids through the academy? They have one of the best youth setups in Iceland and I'm currently doing the youth challenge with them.

[Rikulec]

4 hours ago, Koetzer said:

Did they get some wonderkids through the academy? They have one of the best youth setups in Iceland and I'm currently doing the youth challenge with them.

It doesn't seem like they did, apparently their best young player is, uh, a Scottish guy named Antonio Ibáñez. I don't have him scouted, but from what I'm able to see he's nothing special.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - September 2023 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

1. deild

What a way to secure survival! We destroy an in-form ÍBV side with a phenomenal performance and, despite battling relegation right until the end, finish the season with a +3 goal difference. That last game really shows what these guys are capable of once they finally gain some confidence!

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - Season Review - 2023 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

1. deild

Results (red line marks my arrival)

Competition Performance: 10th

To be honest I didn't consider a proper relegation fight a real possibility when I was signing the contract, but that's exactly what happened. The players clearly lacked confidence and we often couldn't convert our advantage into points. In the end I'm happy to have stayed up, the final games show that there's a lot of potential in this side, I only have to get them to shine.

Bikarkeppni

Competition Performance: Third Round

I had no hand in this...

Lengjubikarinn A

Competition Performance: Group Stage

...or this.

Squad (part 1) - Squad (part 2)

I don't think I've ever had to use two screenshots for the squad review. The squad is ridiculously bloated and in some places overpaid as well. At the same time there's plenty of quality too and many of these guys would probably be capable of doing a good job in the league above. All we need to do is get rid of all those players who aren't good enough and then bring in some proper depth, the starters are already there. Ndure, Hákonarson, Elvarsson, Heras, Wiktorowicz, Björn Aron Björnsson, Ingason, Guðlaugsson, Hákon Freyr Jónsson, Ágúst Leó Björnsson, Helgi Þór Jónsson, and Arnarsson are all getting released at the end of their contracts this year.

Transfers (red lines mark my arrival) - Finances

Not a lot of activity, I haven't brought anyone in yet. Not that I was in a position to do so!

We're so, so deep in the **** despite the board injecting almost half a million. We need a small miracle to sort the financial mess out.

Player of the Season

1st - Chris Volesky - he may not look like a typical deep lying forward, but for me he's more than capable of doing a fine job in that role. He's done pretty well since my arrival and the quality on the pitch is clear to see. He also seems to be linking up well with another player on this list, which could produce great things next season.

2nd - Davíð Snær Jóhannsson - probably the best player in the team in terms of sheer ability. Similar to Volesky, I see him in a different role than his attributes would most obviously suggest, playing him as a central midfielder on attack duty rather than a winger. The way the two have connected, especially in the final league games, seems to be proving me right!

3rd - Frans Elvarsson - I wasn't particularly keen on him upon joining the club and he had to wait a few games for his chance. I finally got fed up with Edon Osmani at DM and gave this guy a chance. The effect was immediate, the quality of our play improved hugely, even if it didn't bring more points right away. Shame he had already decided to leave when I joined, although his physicals are declining rapidly.

Next Season

A good pre-season to build up the players' confidence ahead of the league campaign is a necessity. Get this right and I see no reason why we shouldn't challenge for promotion.

[Deisler26]

Welcome to no money land lol

[Rikulec]

14 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

Welcome to no money land lol

I had no idea it would be that bad.

[DefinitelyTaylor]

Not the easiest of times so far since taking over at Keflavik but the club have the makings to perform well next season if you can trim the squad down and replace the depth suitably.

[Rikulec]

1 hour ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

Not the easiest of times so far since taking over at Keflavik but the club have the makings to perform well next season if you can trim the squad down and replace the depth suitably.

Exactly my thoughts. I've already confirmed some interesting incomings as well, we really need to challenge for promotion.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - Season Preview - 2024 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

Board Expectations:

1. deild: Top half finish
Bikarkeppni: Quarter Final
Lengjubikarinn: Not important

My Expectations:

1. deild: I really want that promotion.
Bikarkeppni: I don't care too much.
Lengjubikarinn: Not important.

Budgets:

Transfer: £5,110
Wage: £13,216 (currently spending £9,418)
Balance: -£827,903

[SixPointer]

Done well surviving and now the reshaping of the team begins 

[Rikulec]

Just now, SixPointer said:

Done well surviving and now the reshaping of the team begins 

Reshaping the team is my favourite part of FM.

[Rikulec]

"Continue running the club as it has been"? Has he seen our finances?

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - Pre-Season - 2024 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

Friendlies

Absolute perfection. We beat the current Icelandic champions KR as well as a strong Valur side among others.

Transfers

No transfers in to display yet because of the stupid scheduling that forces us to play one league cup game before the transfer window actually opens for us and the players I've already signed come in. As for the outgoings, I offered Williams out since we simply didn't need him and Jóhannsson ended up being too good for us. The board stepped in and accepted the offer, but I wasn't even mad. It's decent money and our new record sale as well.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - February 2024 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

Lengjubikarinn A

Those results don't do us justice. We're playing very, very well, but finishing is becoming a real issue. There should have been more goals this month and we also should have beaten ÍA.

Transfers

The cavalry has arrived!

Dejan Rahić - not a player I'd have signed. The transfer had already been arranged when I joined, I guess he's not completely useless though.

Christian Friis - what the ****, this guy looks WAY too good for us. He also joins from the club that's my newfound love, which is a bonus.

Joel Mero - a decent centre back with plenty of experience.

Martin Støvring - another loanee from Denmark, definitely our starting left back this season.

Fjalar Hrafn Þórisson - some nice playmaking stats there, although the physicals are a worry. He still has plenty of time to develop.

Ísak Snær Þorvaldsson - him and Friis make up a ridiculous midfield for our standard.

Tryggvi Jónsson - one for the future. I like the look of him, but I'll be retraining him to play left back.

We also promoted Sigurbergur Árni Jörundsson (who we promptly sold to Valur), Axel Ingi Jóhanesson and Benóný Haraldsson from the youth team.

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, Rikulec said:

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - February 2024 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

Lengjubikarinn A

Those results don't do us justice. We're playing very, very well, but finishing is becoming a real issue. There should have been more goals this month and we also should have beaten ÍA.

Transfers

The cavalry has arrived!

Dejan Rahić - not a player I'd have signed. The transfer had already been arranged when I joined, I guess he's not completely useless though.

Christian Friis - what the ****, this guy looks WAY too good for us. He also joins from the club that's my newfound love, which is a bonus.

Joel Mero - a decent centre back with plenty of experience.

Martin Støvring - another loanee from Denmark, definitely our starting left back this season.

Fjalar Hrafn Þórisson - some nice playmaking stats there, although the physicals are a worry. He still has plenty of time to develop.

Ísak Snær Þorvaldsson - him and Friis make up a ridiculous midfield for our standard.

Tryggvi Jónsson - one for the future. I like the look of him, but I'll be retraining him to play left back.

We also promoted Sigurbergur Árni Jörundsson (who we promptly sold to Valur), Axel Ingi Jóhanesson and Benóný Haraldsson from the youth team.

Great window great start 

[Rikulec]

3 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Great window great start 

Couldn't have asked for a better window really. I'll be severely disappointed if we don't get promoted this year!

[Rikulec]

Another much needed injection.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - March 2024 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

Lengjubikarinn A

That's more like it! We overwhelmed Selfoss with pure quality and Breiðablik made the terrible mistake of opening up against us. Thanks to those results we end up with an unlikely group win and just the one goal conceded in five games.

Unfortunately, KA were just too much for us. We were lucky to make it to extra time, the difference in quality was clearly visible. We're not quite there yet, it turns out.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - April 2024 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

Friendlies

Stjarnan mess up our 100% friendly record, but it's still a very nice set of results.

[Rikulec]

Looks pretty meh to me, I guess we'll see.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - May 2024 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

Friendlies

A routine win against a lower league opponent.

1. deild

Exactly the results we needed! It may not have been the most convincing performance against Grótta, nevertheless we're off to a perfect start.

Bikarkeppni

Two close games, but we're through.

[Deisler26]

Good start. Title?

[Rikulec]

7 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

Good start. Title?

I would certainly hope so! We definitely have the quality to pull it off, the question is whether the youngsters can hold their nerve. It's going really well so far, we seem to be simply too good for this league.

[DefinitelyTaylor]

Very good start to the season. Long may it last.

[Rikulec]

1 hour ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

Very good start to the season. Long may it last.

Cheers mate.

[Rikulec]

It took long enough because of an annoying bug that apparently hasn't been fixed since FM21.

[Rikulec]

Magni Þórðarson's Management Career - June 2024 - Keflavík íþrótta- og ungmennafélag

1. deild

Another good month allows us to build up a decent advantage at the top already. Even though there's plenty to be happy about and our defensive record is very impressive, I just can't get over the Njarðvík game, it was a proper FMing with us missing a number of good chances and them scoring from a hoofball that resulted in miscommunication in our ranks and their striker running through on goal.

Bikarkeppni

I thought we'd get through when they got reduced to ten men in the first half, but sloppy defending cost us here.

[Deisler26]

Ooooof. That cup defeat