samboing Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 Great pair of wins against Sevilla, and what a payday. Which got me thinking about your new signing and the improvements that he wants in the coaching area, is it worth mentioning to the board about extra coaching staff? The finances are there now, could be an option for you to consider? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 (edited) Episode 109 - Champions League Quarter Finalists | 1st April 2031 "Transfer Deadline Day" -- -- It turned out I was right and it was a quiet transfer deadline day. That suited me very well as I'm very happy with the current Viking squad. -- We did do one piece of business though. Spoiler With young Per Andreas Haugerud Hagen joining our Academy, I'm very happy with David Møller Wolfe and El Hadji Malick Diouf at left-back so we made Anders Hiim available for transfer and he'll join Football Club Nordsjælland in Denmark on the 15th June. Spoiler -- -- Transfers In -- Transfers Out Edited April 30 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 10 minutes ago, samboing said: Great pair of wins against Sevilla, and what a payday. Thank you. Our Bank Manager is rubbing his hands together. 11 minutes ago, samboing said: Which got me thinking about your new signing and the improvements that he wants in the coaching area, is it worth mentioning to the board about extra coaching staff? The finances are there now, could be an option for you to consider? That's a great shout, @samboing and one I hadn't considered. Board Request made... ... let's wait and see what their decision will be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 Episode 109 - Champions League Quarter Finalists | 1st April 2031 "Viking - First Team Squad" -- Now that the transfer window has closed, we know the Viking squad we'll be working with... at least until the next window opens in August. -- Appearances -- Reports -- Players Out on Loan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 Episode 109 - Champions League Quarter Finalists | 1st April 2031 "Captains and Squad Numbers" -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 Wednesday 2nd April 2031 Until Next Time... ... when last season continues with our UEFA Champions League two-legged Quarter Final against Arsenal, and... ... next season starts as our Eliteserien 2031 campaign kicks-off with four league fixtures in April. -- April's Fixtures -- Thoughts, comments, general feedback appreciated. Any questions, just ask and I'll answer them if I can. Thank you for reading and following. Until next time... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 1 hour ago, samboing said: Which got me thinking about your new signing and the improvements that he wants in the coaching area, is it worth mentioning to the board about extra coaching staff? The finances are there now, could be an option for you to consider? Well... I gave it my best shot, @samboing -- -- -- -- -- ---- 1 hour ago, Stuniverse said: Thank you. Our Bank Manager is rubbing his hands together. That's a great shout, @samboing and one I hadn't considered. Board Request made... ... let's wait and see what their decision will be. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 Sunday 6th April 2031 Eliteserien Preview -- Season Preview -- -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 Monday 7th April 2031 Board Expectations - 2031 Season -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 Monday 7th April 2031 Eliteserien Results -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 4 hours ago, Stuniverse said: Eliteserien Results That's a lot of goals on the opening day.. hopefully you can respond in the appropriate manner 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) 6 hours ago, warlock said: That's a lot of goals on the opening day.. hopefully you can respond in the appropriate manner Indeed, @warlock. Our four main rivals for the Eliteserien crown all won and three of them hit four. I’m long enough in the tooth to know that the Eliteserien title won’t be won, or lost for that matter, on the opening day but, as the only Norwegian club left in last season’s UEFA European club competitions we are going to be playing catch up with games-in-hand for as long as we remain in the UEFA Champions League. It does feel like my players are playing football all-year round at the moment and it’s difficult to find any gap in the schedule to give them a decent rest. That said, I feel I’ve got the strongest squad I’ve had at Viking - both in the quality of my starting 11 and strength in depth - and, hopefully, that will see us through. 🤞⚽️ — The team I support, Odds Ballklubb, took one heck of a beating at home as well. ☹️⚽️ Edited May 1 by Stuniverse 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Preview -- We know Arsenal are going to provide our toughest test yet. We believe we're an improved team now than the one that lost to Chelsea (0-1) and Barcelona (0-5) in the League Phase but we're also conscious that neither Barcelona, nor Chelsea have made it to the Quarter Finals. Atletico knocked Chelsea out in the UEFA Champions League playoff and PSG beat Barcelona on penalties in the Round of 16. So let's take on Arsenal and see just how good... or not... we actually are. We're under no illusions about how difficult this away leg will be, but we have confidence in our abilities and we're going to go to London, play our normal game, and see how the match plays out. The important thing is that we do our best to stay in the tie for the second leg at our own SR-Bank Arena. If that means we have to adapt, and change things, and maybe even go ultra-defensive then we will. Let's see how it goes. Edvin Austbø is suspended for the first leg and we have three central midfielders out injured. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Tuesday 8th April 2031 Arsenal (England) v Viking (Norway) UEFA Champions League Quarter Final first leg -- -- -- Look, we believed in ourselves going into this match and it's a sign of where we're at as a football club that we're disappointed not to have won the tie. We went toe-to-toe with Arsenal in their own back yard and more than matched them. When their goalkeeper is named Player of the Match then that says it all really. But it's important we don't get carried away. There's a lot of hard work still to be done in a week's time when we host Arsenal at our own SR-Bank Arena in the second leg. But, before then, we have our opening Eliteserien fixture to play at home to Åsane. -- 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Tuesday 8th April 2031 Borukov Set for Viking Exit Preslav Borukov is a very good striker and he did very well for us last season, scoring 12 goals. We went into this season with four very good senior strikers and Preslav was one of those alongside Lasse Nordås, Edvin Austbø and Oscar Aga. We fully expected Preslav to be part of our plans this season. But the opportunity arose for us to sign Anders Hartveit Ryste from Odd, a player we'd been trying to sign for two seasons, and the asking price had dropped to one we could afford so we had to get the deal done. That left us top heavy up top, as we want to give playing time to Sean Nilsen-Modebe as well to help his development. So we spoke to agents, we spoke to clubs, and when a bid came in for Preslav, and he made it clear he was interested in speaking to the club, we accepted the offer. It's up to Preslav now; if he can agree personal terms with Toronto FC, he can leave with our blessing. -- Thursday 10th April 2031 Toronto FC Sign Borukov Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) Preview -- -- To be fair, there's only so much Tobias Linderoth, me and our respective backroom staff can do. Once the match kicks off then it's 11 players against 11 players plus substitutes. Åsane did play very well that day, winning 3-1 at our own SR-Bank Arena. We're aware of how good Åsane can be on their day but we've trained well and are confident of putting the record straight today. We were delighted to sign Anders Hartveit Ryste from Odd in pre-season as he's a player we've been tracking and trying to sign for two seasons now. Odd always had a far higher valuation of Anders than we did but, for some reason, Odd lowered their valuation in January and we were able to get the deal done. I've been pleased with Anders's contribution in the UEFA Champions League and look forward to working with him moving forward. Signing Anders left us top heavy in the striker department. In an ideal world I would've liked to have kept Preslav Borukov, as he's a very good player, but the reality was we don't need six strikers. Our main area of concern going into the Åsane match is that we are short in central midfield due to injuries. We have the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final in four days time but we'll worry about the Arsenal match once the game against Åsane is over. -- Expected Line-up Edited May 1 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) Saturday 12th April 2031 Viking (10th) v Åsane (9th) Eliteserien -- -- -- -- I was very happy with our first half performance, less so with our second half performance. I wouldn't say it was a Jekyll and Hyde performance as such, I just thought we lost concentration at times and should've defended better for their second goal. Anders Hartveit Ryste gave us a second minute lead and later hit the post. Anders is a goal scorer and that's why we signed him. Without being disrespectful to Åsane, Øystein Bekkeheien is starting for them and I'm not sure he'd have made our matchday squad had he not gone out on loan. It was good to witness his Åsane debut and I thought Øystein had a good game. A season out on loan at Åsane will do him the world of good and we'll reassess him in pre-season for next season. We knew the rules when we agreed to the loan so it was no surprise that Øystein played for Åsane against us. -- Edited May 1 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 Good showing in your match against Arsenal in Champion's League. You did what you had to do in the Norwegian League, you won. Keep doing that and the title will be yours.......if you can keep it up! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Sunday 13th April 2031 Eliteserien Results -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 1 minute ago, Hootieleece said: Good showing in your match against Arsenal in Champion's League. Thanks, @Hootieleece. 1 minute ago, Hootieleece said: You did what you had to do in the Norwegian League, you won. We did. I made substitutions in the second half with the Arsenal UEFA Champions League second leg in mind. 2 minutes ago, Hootieleece said: Keep doing that and the title will be yours.......if you can keep it up! That little word, "IF ". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Preview -- Yesterday's Results -- We've put ourselves in a great position after drawing the first leg 0-0 away from home but we know Arsenal will be a very difficult opponent and we don't have the benefit of an away goal. We really need our de mørkeblå supporters to get behind us at the SR-Bank Arena. Injury and fitness wise, we're close to a clean bill of health but we're not there yet. -- Expected Line-up 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) Wednesday 16th April 2031 Viking (Norway) v Arsenal (England) UEFA Champions League Quarter Final second leg (0-0 after the first leg) -- -- -- We gave it our best shot tonight and we came up short. Early on, Lasse Nordås beat their goalkeeper but his header was cleared off the line. Arsenal took the lead after eight minutes and that set us back as they were able to retain possession of the ball well. I thought we were still in it but, on 40 minutes, Lasse Berg Johnsen gave away a penalty and we were 0-2 down. That knocked the stuffing out of us and a deflected shot made it 0-3 at half time. We made some changes during the interval and went with an Attacking mentality and formation. We looked more composed and Jakob Napoleon Romsaas pulled a goal back after 50 minutes. Arsenal made things very difficult for us, we couldn't break them down, and Arsenal won 3-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate. To be fair, I think Arsenal's greater experience in the Champions League shone through and that helped them progress to the Semi Final. Being objective, I think we've done amazingly to reach the Quarter Final and we didn't embarrass ourselves against Arsenal. If we had knicked an away goal it may have been different but it wasn't to be. I have no complaints, Arsenal were better than us tonight. But our players will have learnt a lot from our UEFA Champions League campaign and we should hopefully see the benefit of that for the rest of this season and beyond. -- Edited May 1 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Wednesday 16th April 2031 Viking (Norway) v Arsenal (England) -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) Preview -- -- Our recent good record against Sandnes Ulf potentially makes things more difficult for us as Thomas Holm will have his team fired up and determined to get a positive result. It's up to us to make sure we do everything we can to try and get the result we want. We're getting closer to a fit and healthy squad with only Martin Palumbo unavailable for selection. Our schedule's somewhat hectic at the moment with three games in a week so my team selection against Sandnes Ulf today will be made with the away fixtures against Molde and Tromsø very much in mind. Let's see if this Viking squad have the strength in depth I think we have. -- Expected Line-up Edited May 1 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) Sunday 20th April 2031 Viking (8th) v Sandnes Ulf (9th) Eliteserien -- -- -- -- I'm frustrated more than anything else after the defeat to Sandnes Ulf. We dominated the game and, had we taken our chances, then this post-match interview would be considerably different. Oscar Aga did have the ball in the back of the net for what would've been an equaliser for 1-1 but, for the second game running, his effort was chalked off for offside. But I need to hold my hands up and accept some responsibility for the loss. I made quite a few changes to the team, including going with a young, relatively inexperienced centre-back pairing, and we were 0-2 down after just over half an hour. I made three changes during the break and went with an Attacking mentality. We were better in the second half, much better, but we still struggled to break Sandnes Ulf down. Then the referee gave a soft penalty for a push by Aleksander Liland and we were 0-3 down. We did pull a goal back late on through Jesper Robertsen and both Lasse Nordås and Anders Hartveit Ryste had good chances but we'd left ourselves too much to do. Fair play to Sandnes Ulf, they were much more clinical in front of goal than we were today. -- Edited May 1 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) Preview -- -- -- This away game against Molde is our game-in-hand so, by the final whistle, everyone will have played three Eliteserien matches. Like us, Molde have won one and lost one so that means there's more resting on this one than normal as neither of us want to lose two on the spin. We've trained well and, hopefully, we can put in a much better performance as we weren't good enough at home to Sandnes Ulf last time out. Martin Palumbo remains our only injured player but he's working his way back and should be back in training later this week. Oscar Aga hasn't scored for some considerable time so I've had a word with him and I've made him available for the 2nd Team. Hopefully, he'll start scoring goals again and grow in confidence. In the meantime, that'll allow me to name Sean Nilsen-Modebe on the bench and, hopefully, give him some playing time. -- Expected Line-up Edited May 1 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Wednesday 23rd April 2031 Molde (9th) v Viking (10th) Eliteserien -- -- -- I don't think the changes contributed to the defeat today. Overall, I thought we played well, there was nothing between Molde and us, but we didn't get the breaks. We started the game well, looked comfortable, and Lasse Nordås headed an Oscar Bobb cross against the post after 20 minutes. Four minutes later, Molde counter-attack and take the lead. After that, it became a different game because Molde had something to hold onto and it's always more difficult when you are behind in a game. We made some changes at half time and started the second half well. On 48 minutes, Lasse Nordås beats the goalkeeper but his shot hits the inside of the post, rolls along the goal line, hits the other post, comes back along the goal line into their goalkeepers grasp. And that's the rub of the green because on 74 minutes, Molde doubled their lead when Hugo Vetlesen's shot hit the inside of the post and went in. In the closing stages the referee gave Molde a penalty after a challenge by Isak Amundsen that we thought was a good tackle. VAR reviewed it and overruled the referee. No penalty. I don't think we deserved to lose this game but lose it we did. It might be that almost two years of playing football without a break is starting to catch up with our squad. -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Preview -- -- This won't be an easy game, not least because we've lost our last two on the spin against Sandnes Ulf and Molde. We don't like losing and we need to get back to winning ways against Tromsø today. Their fans inside the Romssa Arena will be sensing blood so it's going to be very difficult but we know what we need to do. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Sunday 27th April 2031 Tromsø (12th) v Viking (10th) Eliteserien -- -- -- -- That was more like the Viking we know and love. Although we only won 2-0 we were always comfortable in the game I thought. Lasse Nordås bagged a brace and it could've been more as Jakob Napoleon Romsaas hit the post from a direct free-kick. We restricted Tromsø to just two attempts on goal which, in their Romssa Arena was very satisfying. The officials eventually made the correct decision for our second goal, but the referee initially disallowed it after the assistant referee's flag went up, but VAR reviewed it and overruled the on-field decision. -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) Episode 110 - 8th in Eliteserien | 2nd May 2031 "Viking - First Team Squad" -- -- Appearances -- Reports -- Loans Out Edited May 1 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Episode 110 - 8th in Eliteserien | 2nd May 2031 "Monthly Review" -- Results -- Board Confidence -- Supporter Confidence -- Finances Dynamics Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Friday 2nd May 2031 Until Next Time... ... when our Eliteserien season continues with four fixtures, including two difficult ones at home to Bodø/Glimt and away to Brann, plus... ... our Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) First Round tie at home to Sandnes Ulf. -- May's Fixtures -- Thoughts, comments, general feedback appreciated. Any questions, just ask and I'll answer them if I can. Thank you for reading and following. Until next time... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Preview -- -- After three straight defeats, one against Arsenal in the Champions League and two against Sandnes Ulf and Molde in Eliteserien, we weren't panicking or in crisis but it was a relief to get the win against Tromsø last time out. Now we want to make it two wins on the spin away at Skeid. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Sunday 4th May 2031 Skeid (5th) v Viking (8th) Eliteserien -- -- -- I'm very happy with our performance today. We had 73% possession, created lots of chances, tested their goalkeeper throughout, and scored three good goals through David Brekalo, Lasse Nordås and Jakob Napoleon Romsaas, plus David Brekalo also hit the post. That's two wins on the spin now and, now we're back to one game a week, hopefully we can keep the run going. -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) Preview -- -- Last time out at home in Eliteserien we were disappointing and lost 1-3 to Sandnes Ulf. We really want to give our de mørkeblå supporters something to cheer about today in our SR-Bank Arena but we know it's not going to be easy against Bodø/Glimt. Bodø/Glimt are two points ahead of us so we have the incentive of knowing we'll go above them with a win. Our schedule allowed us to give the players a couple of days off after the Skeid match and they've looked sharp after returning to training. We only have one fitness issue and, hopefully, Martin Palumbo will be capable of playing 90 minutes in the not too distant future. -- Expected Line-up Edited May 1 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 Saturday 10th May 2031 Viking (6th) v Bodø/Glimt (4th) Eliteserien -- -- -- -- We wanted to put on a good performance in front of the Viking supporters in the SR-Bank Arena but in my wildest dreams I never imagined we'd beat Bodø/Glimt 5-0. The players were absolutely magnificent and our de mørkeblå fans were so loud. The SR-Bank Arena was rocking. What can I say. Jasper Torkildsen has been superb since joining us from Bodø/Glimt. But it's not just our goalkeeper, our back-four were excellent as well. -- 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) Monday 12th May 2031 Austbø Unhappy With Playing Time -- Spoiler -- -- -- -- -- -- Being honest, I don't want to lose Edvin Austbø but if anybody does bid £8M then I'll let him go. Edited May 1 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 Top teams seem to be doing well. You need to build up depth so you can play your Second Side in the League and get results while you are still in Champions League play. That is what I am doing in my current save with AS Trencin. Playing the Starting XI in the preliminary games of the UECL to makes sure we get to the competition proper and the payday and playing the Squad Players in the League that starts in July in Slovakia. Once I make the UECL proper I play the Second XI in the competition and the Starting XI in the League. This is because making Europe through the league is important as we build and plot our way to overthrow Slovan Bratislava's dominance. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 (edited) 20 minutes ago, Hootieleece said: Top teams seem to be doing well. Indeed, @Hootieleece they most certainly are. We lost 0-2 at Molde and beat Bodø/Glimt 5-0 at home. We haven't played any of the three teams above us yet, although Brann away are next up in the Best i vest derby. Lillestrøm are over-achieving currently but, otherwise, the predicted top six are all there-or-thereabouts. 20 minutes ago, Hootieleece said: You need to build up depth so you can play your Second Side in the League and get results while you are still in Champions League play. Yes, that's what I'm trying to do. I thought I'd improved the strength in depth of the squad in the last transfer window but the defeat to Sandnes Ulf suggests we're not there yet. 20 minutes ago, Hootieleece said: That is what I am doing in my current save with AS Trencin. Playing the Starting XI in the preliminary games of the UECL to makes sure we get to the competition proper and the payday and playing the Squad Players in the League that starts in July in Slovakia. Once I make the UECL proper I play the Second XI in the competition and the Starting XI in the League. This is because making Europe through the league is important as we build and plot our way to overthrow Slovan Bratislava's dominance. Thanks for the advice. How do you keep your squad players happy, @Hootieleece ? As you can see, my number three striker Edvin Austbø is unhappy and I'm expecting Anders Hartveit Ryste to become unhappy very soon as I'm not planning on sacking any of my First Team Coaching Staff and we're at capacity so I can't bring any more in. Edited May 1 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 Preview -- -- We're starting to get our Eliteserien season back on track after three straight wins against Tromsø, Skeid and Bodø/Glimt. We really want to keep that going in the Best i vest derby away at Brann, not only for our amazing supporters but also for ourselves as Brann currently sit two points above us. If we can go to Brann Stadion and win, we know it won't be easy but that's what we're trying to do, then if we can we know we'll go above them into the top three. We have a great group of players here at Viking and I'd never question their character and commitment. To be honest with you, Edvin Austbø isn't upset about our results, he wants to be starting more games. I can understand that, but his form currently doesn't merit him being a regular starter. I'm happy to have Edvin as part of the squad but he needs to do more to grab a shirt off either Lasse Nordås or Anders Hartveit Ryste. For the first time in what seems like forever, our medical team can put their feet up as they've given the squad a clean bill of health. We don't even have any fitness issues. Oscar Aga will be back on the bench today as the 2nd Team don't have a match this weekend. Oscar's made three appearances for the 2nd Team and has scored one goal so we'll bring him back into the fold today. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 (edited) Friday 16th May 2031 Brann (3rd) v Viking (4th) Eliteserien -- -- -- Yayah Kallon scored both Brann's goals and he was a handful all game. We started the match well and Lasse Nordås had a good chance, heading just over the bar. Kallon scored his first after 13 minutes and it was always difficult for us then, chasing the game with Brann's home crowd behind them. We made some changes at half time and went more Attacking. After 58 minutes we changed our shape and got an immediate response with Jakob Napoleon Romsaas scoring direct from a long-range free-kick. But Kallon scored his and Brann's second goal on 70 minutes and we were very unhappy about that. In the build-up, Aleksander Liland went down in our penalty area after a heavy challenge which we thought was a clear and obvious foul but the referee gave nothing, waved play on, and thirty seconds later with Aleksander lying on the grass, in agony inside our penalty area, Kallon ran into what would've been Aleksander's zone and swept a low cross into the net. The character in this Viking squad though is incredible and we kept plugging away, when it would've been all too easy to feel sorry for ourselves, and Runar Norheim rescued the draw and a point for us in added-on time. Honestly, I thought we were the better team. We shaded possession, we created more chances than Brann, but we didn't work their goalkeeper enough and that, plus an unbelievable decision by the referee, is probably what cost us the win I felt we deserved. -- Edited May 2 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 (edited) 10 hours ago, Stuniverse said: Thanks for the advice. How do you keep your squad players happy, @Hootieleece ? I give them games in the league against the relegation fodder and watch what I promise in contract negotiations. I also lessen expectation using the "happiness" button/screen to lessen playing time expectations if necessary. Generally, everyone gets at least 15 starts (between UECL and League) and at least 25 appearances which keeps most players happy if they have squad contracts. It is important to play "Star or important players" in as many games as possible even coming off the bench. (I try to have never more than two Stars and three important players not counting the GK.) Because there are only 5 substitutes allowed. So those players are ALWAYS in the team unless injured. (even if coming off the bench) Edited May 2 by Hootieleece added words I forgot 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BML Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 10 hours ago, Stuniverse said: Thanks for the advice. How do you keep your squad players happy, @Hootieleece ? I have been doing the same as Hootie with my second XI playing in the League Phase of Europe once qualified, as winning the league (and qualifying for Europe) was more important - I've only just made the switch to first XI in Europe as my 2nds are more than good enough for the league now. In order to keep squad players happy I'm always conscious of their agreed playing time (I've got nobody above Regular Starter right now) and tend to lean towards the 'you're more of a squad player' conversation option if they do kick off - most are happy to accept. Those that don't I'll try to play more, but make sure I don't officially promise anything as this can come back to bite you. When you consider I have a 32 game league season, European games (starting from 2nd qualifying round), an FA Cup, a League Cup AND a Scottish Challenge cup to play in, I manage to give nearly all players 15-20 starts a year across all comps, which seems to keep them all happy at 'Regular Starter' levels. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 12 minutes ago, Hootieleece said: I give them games in the league against the relegation fodder and watch what I promise in contract negotiations. I also lessen expectation using the "happiness" button/screen to lessen playing time expectations if necessary. Generally, everyone gets at least 15 starts (between UECL and League) and at least 25 appearances which keeps most players happy if they have squad contracts. It is important to play "Star or important players" in as many games as possible even coming off the bench. (I try to have never more than two Stars and three important players not counting the GK.) Because there are only 5 substitutes allowed. So those players are ALWAYS in the team unless injured. (even if coming off the bench) 7 minutes ago, BML said: I have been doing the same as Hootie with my second XI playing in the League Phase of Europe once qualified, as winning the league (and qualifying for Europe) was more important - I've only just made the switch to first XI in Europe as my 2nds are more than good enough for the league now. In order to keep squad players happy I'm always conscious of their agreed playing time (I've got nobody above Regular Starter right now) and tend to lean towards the 'you're more of a squad player' conversation option if they do kick off - most are happy to accept. Those that don't I'll try to play more, but make sure I don't officially promise anything as this can come back to bite you. When you consider I have a 32 game league season, European games (starting from 2nd qualifying round), an FA Cup, a League Cup AND a Scottish Challenge cup to play in, I manage to give nearly all players 15-20 starts a year across all comps, which seems to keep them all happy at 'Regular Starter' levels. Thanks @Hootieleece and @BML for the advice. I'll keep that in mind, although I do have a few players with Important Player status in my squad right now and I'm wary of how Anders Hartveit Ryste will react once he realises I haven't improved the first team coaching staff. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 Preview -- -- We've been disappointed with our Cupen performances in the last couple of seasons after lifting the Norgesmesterskapet i fotball trophy in my first season here at Viking. We're determined to do better in Cupen this season. We have no injury concerns and will name a strong team for this Cupen First Round tie as Sandnes Ulf have already beaten us once this season in our SR-Bank Arena. Today, we're going to do our best to set the record straight and progress to the second round. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 (edited) Wednesday 21st May 2031 Viking (Tier 1) v Sandnes Ulf (Tier 1) Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) First Round -- -- -- I think we showed what the real Viking are all about today. It was a comfortable win in the end and we're into the Second Round. We created plenty of chances early on but hadn't really got enough attempts on target, which has been an issue for a few games now, so we tried to Work The Ball Into The Box after half an hour and we started to test their goalkeeper much more. There's a real togetherness in this group of players. We're unbeaten in our last five matches, in all competitions, and confidence is growing. -- Edited May 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 Thursday 22nd May 2031 Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Second Round draw -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 (edited) Preview -- -- -- We'll look to play our normal game against Odds Ballklubb and, hopefully, we'll do well. One injury to report as Eivind Helland felt his hamstring in training. Eivind should be ok, but we probably won't risk him today. I think we'll stick with Work The Ball Into The Box, which we changed to after half an hour against Sandnes Ulf last time out, and see how we get on. Oscar Aga will be on the bench again after scoring two goals in four 2nd Team appearances. -- Expected Line-up Edited May 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 (edited) Monday 26th May 2031 Viking (6th) v Odds Ballklubb (10th) Eliteserien -- -- -- -- -- After a nervous start, I thought we were outstanding today and Lasse Nordås more than played his part today. He was tripped for the penalty for our first goal and provided the assist for our third. Lasse was a thorn in Odd's side all match. Odd started the game very well and after 10 minutes they'd had three good attempts on target, David Møller Wolfe had to head the ball off the line to deny them, and we hadn't tested their goalkeeper once. We stopped trying to Work The Ball Into The Box, went back to how we normally play, and took control of the game from then on. A superb hat-trick from Anders Hartveit Ryste, plus a goal from Oscar Bobb put us firmly in control. Lasse Nordås also had a shot cleared off the line. David Brekalo has been brilliant from the first moment we walked in the door at Viking. David is our captain, he's an inspirational leader and a very good football player. -- Edited May 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 Preview -- -- -- We won't be under-estimating KIL/Hemne but this Cupen-tie offers us a great opportunity to progress to the Third Round. David Monkan will have his KIL/Hemne team fired up for this one and their fans will be excited. It's up to us to deal with the occasion and get the job done. There will be some rotation, for sure, but I'll pick a team capable of winning the match. Eivind Helland has a sports hernia which is a real shame for him as Eivind would almost certainly have played a part against KIL/Hemne. -- Expected Line-up 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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