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[FM13] The Scandinavian Shankly: smashing the status quo


withnail316

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Berisha.png


A lovely boost to the bank balance. It means we made €850,000 for the Berisha deal in the end.



I've also just turned down the Tromsø IL job. After all my time at FK Bodø/Glimt, there's no way I could take over their rivals...

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So that's every post edited so my images work again. Makes me happy that this is a new thread, as I don't fancy having to do that on the old one!

 

Hoping to get a little update in later, but we shall see what happens.

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Just a brief update. As I've mentioned several times already, a lack of cash has been a big problem for us, so I've at times had to sell players I would rather have kept. However, sometimes offers come your way which you just can't refuse. That was the case this summer, with star midfielder Mohammed Saied. €1.7m and a 50% sell on absolutely smashes our previous transfer record of €500,000, and for a non homegrown player, I simply couldn't refuse it. 

 

I've also smashed our other transfer record, spending €250,000 on his replacement. Allansson arrives in August, which means we need to try and navigate the tie against Vålerenga without him. 

 

 

Saied sold on.png

Joel Allansson.png

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Europa League 2nd Qualifying Round

 

1st Leg:  Örebro 1-0 Vålerenga

A really tight first leg, but an 89th minute header from Kalle Holmberg was enough for us to take a very slender advantage to Oslo next week. It wasn't all good news though, as we lost left back Ruben Lima to injury, which will see him miss the next two months of the season. 

 

2nd leg: Vålerenga 2-1 Örebro

A tough second leg was made even harder by a 6th minute red card for midfielder Emil Berger, yet we just about managed to come through the tie. Par Ericsson put us in front after 26 minutes, turning home a near post Rekish cross, but we rode our luck in the second half. Vålerenga scored twice in the final 20 minutes, but we managed to hang on and take our place in the third qualifying round. 

 

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39 minutes ago, bestbrother said:

Doing well with Orebro. Must be tough watching Elfsborg continue to run riot and lead the way, even though you are unbeaten!

 

The return matchup with them should be a thriller. Hopefully Europe wont hinder your domestic chances.

Cheers.

 

Elfsborg are relentless this year though, and without European football to hinder them, I can't see them falling away. I'll keep my fingers crossed, though. 

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July

July 15 results.png

July 15 table.png

A decent month, but I think any lingering ambition I had of winning the title this year is now over. Elfsborg are just relentless, and a 10 point gap feels too large for us to bridge. We've played some decent football this month, but we were dismal at Helsingborg, and we also have something of an injury crisis building up. My target now is to try and hold Malmo off and keep 2nd, but we shall see how things go. 

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Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round

 

1st Leg:  Örebro 2-1  Dinamo Moscow

A tough first leg against the Russians, but we managed to come away with a victory which gives us a chance next week. Pär Ericsson slotted us in front after 20 minutes, and although we conceded a soft leveller just before half time, Ericsson found space 10 minutes from time and buried a far-post header for his - and our - second. 

2nd Leg: Dinamo Moscow 1-2 Örebro

This was quite possibly the best performance of my tenure. Despite falling behind after 8 minutes, once again it was Pär Ericsson who was the hero. He levelled after 25 minutes, playing a 1-2 with Holmberg and slotting home, before grabbing a brilliant winner right on half time. He smashed home a rocket from 25 yards, and we shut up shop in the second half. A job well done. 

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August

AS: Djurgårdens IF 1-0 Örebro SK

A second successive defeat, which just about finished off any lingering title ambition we may have had. We were probably the better side, but we just couldn't take our chances and were punished on the break. 

AS: Örebro SK 2-0 IFK Göteborg

This fixture brought about a change in tactics, moving away from my 4-3-3 (counter) to a 4-4-2 (control) with immediate results. Two former IFK players did the damage, with Joel Allansson drilling home after 15 minutes on his home debut, and Pär Ericsson slotted home a second just after the hour. 

Svenska Cupen 2nd round: Frej 0-6 Örebro SK

We carried on with the 4-4-2 here and were rewarded with the biggest win of my time at the club. Tim Väyrynen had his best game in a white shirt, bagging four brilliant goals, while Riki Cakic scored his first for the club and Emil Berger rounded things off with a rocket from range. 

AS: Örebro SK 2-1 AIK

This game fell in between the two play off ties, but even with a changed side we had enough to secure the points. Pär Ericsson's header just after half time put us in front, and defender Idir Abdelli grabbed a second 10 minutes from time. AIK pulled one back in stoppage time, but we managed to hang on. 

AS: Östers IF 0-1 Örebro SK

We were a long way from our best, but Dzmitry Rekish's first half strike was enough to seal all three points for us. A good way to finish a testing month. 

August 15 table.png

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Europa League Play Off

 

1st Leg:  Örebro SK 4-1 BATE Borisov

An outstanding first leg display gives us one foot in the group stage. Pär Ericsson slotted us in front after 20 minutes, and although we immediately conceded two minutes later, Fredrik Jensen smashed home from range to ensure we went in to the break with our noses in front. Ericsson grabbed his second with a thumping header after 54 minutes, and Rekish sealed the victory with a strike from 18 yards with 10 minutes to play. 

2nd Leg: BATE Borisov 1-0 Örebro SK

BATE were much better in the second leg and deserved their win, but I didn't feel troubled by them too much. We're into the group stage, and what a group we have:

EL_groupdraw_1516.png

The board were very pleased with our progress, and even agreed to invest most of the cash in our youth facilities. 

Youth facilities 15.png

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On 21 Jul 2016 at 01:45, withnail316 said:

Ah, the language barrier messages in Nordic countries always get on my nerves. My new Finnish striker is apparently struggling to communicate as he doesn't speak Swedish, yet my entire squad speak English... so where's the problem?

Well that is very weird. As it is mandatory for all Finnish kids to learn Swedish for 7 years at school. He should definitely be able to understand his Swedish colleagues at least.

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2 minutes ago, Mikey2904 said:

Well that is very weird. As it is mandatory for all Finnish kids to learn Swedish for 7 years at school. He should definitely be able to understand his Swedish colleagues at least.

All seemed very odd to me Mikey, but even more so as they can all speak English anyway. Welcome to the board anyway, fella. :thup:

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18 minutes ago, deltablue said:

Good win over Dinamo

It really was, especially the away game. Pretty happy with the BATE win too, although I was surprised to see we're spending more on wages than they are. With their domestic dominance and regular CL football, I thought they would have a substantial budget.

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September

AS: Elfsborg 3-2 Örebro SK

A real battle with the leaders, but in the end they just edged us. The hosts raced into a two goal lead after 20 minutes, but Kalle Holmberg got us back into it after 30 minutes. Ericsson levelled after 89 minutes, but I knew a point wasn't enough and asked the players to continue to press, and Elfsborg took advantage of our gung-ho approach. A shame, but we had to have a go. 

EL Group I: Örebro SK 1-3 AS Roma

I decided to try and keep things tight for the visit of Roma, and it was us who made the stronger start. Denis Abdulahi smashed us in front after 4 minutes, but we couldn't hang on. Still, we didn't disgrace ourselves. 

AS: Örebro SK 1-0 Ängelholms FF

Not the best of performances, but we got the victory. Tim Väyrynen smashed in the winner after an hour, and although we never looked like adding to our lead, one was enough for the win. 

AS: BK Häcken 2-4 Örebro SK

I had to give the lads a rocket at half time when we were 2-1 down, but we responded brilliantly. Tim Väyrynen had another outstanding game, and he grabbed a hat-trick in the second half. Riki Cakic grabbed the other. 

September%2015%20table.png

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Forgive the half-update, but the season is just beginning to get really interesting. 

October (1)

First, a bit of transfer news. Since I have changed our system from playing with one central striker to my favoured 4-4-2, I've been on the look out for a bit of a boost up top to help out Ericsson and Väyrynen. I believe I have found that in the shape of Serbian international Andrija Kaludjerovic:

Andrija%20Kaludjerovic.png

 

EL Group I: Sporting CP 1-0 Örebro SK

This was a really good effort from the lads, but we just didn't quite have the quality on the day. No complaints from me, but if we put in a similar display at home I'm hopeful we'll get a result. 

AS: Örebro SK 3-0 GAIS

Another solid home performance, and once again Tim Väyrynen was the star. He bagged two goals to take him to 19 for the season, while sub William Atashkadeh drilled home the third. 

AS: Örebro SK 4-0 Åtvidabergs

This is where things got interesting. This comprehensive victory saw us pounce on an Elfsborg slip to open up the title race, albeit we're still outsiders. Ericsson bagged a hat-trick, while Allansson scored the other. 

Table%20October%2015_1.png

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October (2)

EL Group I: Örebro SK 2-2 Werder Bremen

A really good display, and yet I was gutted we didn't take all three points. Tim Väyrynen put us in front after just four minutes only for the Germans to level soon after, but when Väyrynen grabbed his and our second after EIGHTY NINE minutes, I was sure we'd won it. It was not to be, but a greatly encouraging performance. 

AS: Hammarby IF 1-1 Örebro SK

Gah. Any chance of us winning the title was perhaps lost with this game, but at least we walked away with a point. It took an 89th minute leveller from Emil Berger to do so, but it ensured we still have an outside chance of glory. 

AS: Örebro SK 4-1 Hammarby IF

Slightly odd to play the same side twice in three days, but the follow-up meeting really was must-win. We were simply outstanding, with Pär Ericsson grabbing his 33rd and 34th goals of the season - and as good as secure the golden boot with 23 league goals - the star. Kalle Holmberg and Tim Väyrynen got the others. 

That meant that going in to the final day of the season, things looked like this:

2015%20table%20last%20day.png

Final day fixtures

2015%20last-day%20fixtures.png

Our job was simple - win. We'd have to hope that Elfsborg would lose at already-relegated GAIS. I would be extremely interested in the performance of Christian Kouakou, who we had loaned to GAIS at the start of the year. The teenager was the Gothenburg club's top scorer, and I had vowed to give him a substantial pay-rise if he managed to bag the winner...

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20 minutes ago, Mikey2904 said:

Thank you for the welcome, been a long time lurker. Used to be a local researcher for FM back in 2005/2006-ish, lower league Norway actually.

Good career man, keep going.

Cheers fella. I'm really enjoying it. 

Had lots of fun in Norway on my last save, although I didn't venture below the 2nd tier.

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I'm expecting to have a decision to make over Tim Väyrynen this winter. He's had an outstanding season, more than 20 goals despite being our 2nd choice for much of the season (at least until we went to 4-4-2) but now he's being tracked by German and Spanish clubs, as well as Rosenborg and FC København. 

I don't want to sell him, but as he isn't homegrown, he does have his price. Anything north of the €1.7m record fee we got for Saeid, and I'll have to take it.

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2 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

I find those the hardest decisions to make in FM, hate to let a quality player go.

It depends on where I'm managing. At this club I know bringing in a big fee can help us invest in facilities as well as transfers, and there are only so many non-homegrown players I can use anyway. Logically I know it makes sense to let him go... but we shall see what happens. 

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Europa League Group I

Werder Bremen 2-2 Örebro SK

Another good result against the German side, and I was especially pleased with it being away from home. Once again Tim Väyrynen was the stand-out player, bagging both goals. 

AS Roma 6-1 Örebro SK

Ouch, my pride. Roma are a fine side, but this was a humiliation. Still, I won't dwell on it. Väyrynen again on target. 

Örebro SK 3-0 Sporting CP

We'd bowed out of Europe after the debacle in Italy, but this was a refreshing performance from the lads. Väyrynen and Ericsson (2) with the goals in our final game of a long 2015 season. 

EL Group I final table 2015.png

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Örebro SK - 2015 season summary



League (Allsvenskan)

Media prediction: 6th (of 16)
Finished: 2nd (qualified for the Europa League)

Cups

Svenska Cupen: Winners

Europa League: Qualifed for the group stage

Top scorers

Par Ericsson: 35 goals in 39 appearances (24 in the league - golden boot winner)
Tim Väyrynen: 25 goals in 38 appearances (14 in the league)

Positives

There's a great deal to be happy about after a season like that. Although we lost the league title on the last day for the second year in a row, we've been magnificent, especially in the second half of the year. The 69 points we amassed would have won the league in any other year (both ourselves and Elfsborg broke Malmo's previous record) and we also picked up the first major trophy of the club's history. When you add us qualifying for the group stage of the Europa League too, there really is a lot to be happy about. 

Concerns

I have very few concerns this winter, although I am expecting a very busy transfer window. We have too many players at the club at the moment, and so I shall need to move several on if I can. I am still pondering Väyrynen's future too, especially as I have found a possible replacement for him for under €100,000 too. 

Ambitions

I've got to aim for European football again next year - but my eye is very much on the title. I'm intending on sticking to my more adventurous 4-4-2 this season, and so hopefully fortune will favour the brave!

Player of the season

Manager's choice - Par Ericsson
Fans' choice - Par Ericsson

Attendances

Lowest attendance: 4,688 v Brage in the Svenska Cupen
Highest attendance: 11,000 (all-seater sell out) v Vålerenga in the Europa League
Average attendance: 7,879

Finances

€3,874,000 in credit

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Had to sleep on a very interesting offer for Tim Väyrynen last night. It wasn't quite a record fee (short by €100,000) but it was 10 times what we paid for him a year ago. 

Another huge factor was his replacement, who I had lined up for €50,000. Stats-wise he looks as good or better than Väyrynen, although he is Russian and so may take a while to settle.

I know it is a case of one or the other, we don't have space in the squad to have three non-homegrown first team strikers, but it seems to be a simple decision. I hope the fans don't hate me too much!

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Caught up. Brilliant job so far tbh, this has been an enjoyable thread to read - clearly on the path to very big things, but with just that little hint of difficulty to keep things interesting. The narrow title losses will be particulary memorable once you're dominating Sweden, which I don't think will take long: no pressure. :D

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10 minutes ago, noikeee said:

Caught up. Brilliant job so far tbh, this has been an enjoyable thread to read - clearly on the path to very big things, but with just that little hint of difficulty to keep things interesting. The narrow title losses will be particulary memorable once you're dominating Sweden, which I don't think will take long: no pressure. :D

Cheers man, glad you've enjoyed reading the thread. You're right about the title losses, although I'm not quite sure we're ready to dominate Sweden just yet. I'm having lots of fun with this save at the moment, it feels like the early days at Bodø/Glimt, especially with the money problems we've had in the past. We're improving year on year, so fingers crossed we can get involved in the title picture again next year.  

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1 hour ago, Deisler26 said:

Great work last season. I don't think you disgraced yourself in the Europa either. Let's kick on and win the title this season!

Cheers, man. I was quite happy with how we did in Europe, yeah. The trip to Roma was a bit of an eye-opener, but those three sides could all be Champions League teams, really. Hopefully the draw will be a bit kinder if we qualify again...

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618px-Örebro_SK_Logo.png
Örebro SK
Season preview - 2016



Media expectation: 4th (of 16)
Board expectation: qualify for the Europa League

Transfer budget (remaining): €1m
Wage budget: €74,000p/w (€14,000p/w under budget)

It's been an extremely busy few weeks as we prepare for the new campaign. The players had a much shorter holiday this year after our Europa League exploits (they were only away for about five weeks) but while they lounged about on far-away beaches, I was busy trying to trim away at some of the fat in the squad, and ensure we are in a stronger position next time around. Last season I was a bit taken aback the board expected European football once again, but this time I'm just grateful they haven't demanded a title challenge. I'm confident we're good enough to break into the top four, so I think the expectations are reasonable. 

Our finances are looking much better this year, which was obviously helped by our European exploits last year, as well as our transfer dealings. I was delighted to see that the board agreed to improve both our youth and training facilities this winter, and both should be complete by early June, costing us about €1.8m. If we qualify for the Europa League again this year, I'll be asking the board to develop the youth facilities again. It might be too soon, but we shall see. Long-term I'll also be looking at a new stadium, which is a necessity as we don't own the ground so I can't ever see it being expanded beyond the current 14,400, but of course that is a long way into the future. 

Onto transfers then. I mentioned I'd be busy, but I've even surprised myself just how busy we've been. Firstly, the players leaving the club permanently.

Tim Väyrynen's departure will have caught the headlines, especially as it was just a year ago he arrived from FC Honka for €160,000. Still, I can't complain at getting €1.6m (plus 10% of his next fee) from Rosenborg. We also made a tidy profit on winger Christopher Telo, who had complained he wasn't first choice after his €150,000 last year. He joined FC København for €600,000 (plus 50% of his next fee). Ruben Lima struggled for consistency last year, so I was happy to accept €475,000 (plus 50% of his next fee) from Tromso, who also took Sal Jobarteh for €60,000 (plus 50%). American centre back Tony Pettis couldn't break into my first team, so he left for €250,000 (plus 50% of his next fee) and Laurent Collin went for €85,000. Finally, midfielder Tobias Nilsson knew he had no future with us, so he demanded a move and brought in €55,000. Mathias Fredriksen also left the club in a part-exchange deal, joining Kalmar FF. All in all, we brought in just over €3m in transfers this winter. Not bad at all. 

There were no fewer than seven players leaving the club on loan deals too, and I may not be done there. The stand out players to leave on loan were striker Christian Kouakou, who will play at second tier Syrianska, while injury-plagued winger Marcus Astvald goes to BK Häcken on a season-long loan, although there is also an agreed fee of €85,000 if he succeeds.

Onto new arrivals, then. After signing three players on Bosman deals, I wasn't looking at signing too many players. In the end I decided to sign three more, although with plenty of money in the bank, I may have a look overseas at players aged 18 and under to sign a future prospect. Although we didn't break our record with the sale of Väyrynen, we did break our own record fee with the €375,000 acquisition of defender Emil Bergstrom from Djurgården. We also spent €250,000 plus Mathias Fredriksen for winger Melker Hallberg from Kalmar FF, while the deal of the winter was the €50,000 spent on Dinamo Moscow's Igor Kiselev. His contract was just about to expire, but even so, it looks to be one of the best deals I've done in a long time. Our total spend then was €675,000

Right, on with some friendlies. 

 

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16 minutes ago, EvilDave said:

Kiselev looks brilliant, you've done well to grab him so cheaply. Looks like you're running a much tighter ship this coming year - fingers crossed you can stay up there.

Yeah I'm delighted with him. He has a buy-out clause of €2.2m in his contract, so if he is a success we should make a very tidy profit when/if he moves on! 

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The friendlies are all over (and the Sporting result is showing too thanks to the league's reset date) and as you can see, I kept things pretty straightforward this winter. While I'm not a fan of the cup format, it does at least allow us three additional games to tune up into the season, before the really important stuff gets going.

Friendlies%20winter%202016.png

There is also one little bit of transfer news to tell you about. While I've had my scouts scouring Europe looking for young players, they've not been able to identify anybody I've been willing to spend any money on. We do have a little bit of a deficiency on the left of midfield though (which could become a huge problem next year as Rekish isn't willing to sign a new contract and he only has 2 years left on his current deal) which I've looked to solve with a Bosman deal. I'll still be looking for either a homegrown player or an 18 year old who can become homegrown, but for now, we'll have to make do with two non-homegrown players for that position. Still, this is some deal:

Ozan%20ipek.png

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7 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Looks like a hell of a find too, and with high natural fitness his age shouldn't be any worry.

No concerns about his age at all, although I did try and avoid giving him such a long deal. Still, if he settles it means we have bags of quality on both wings now.

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Kiselec and Ozan look great for the Allsvenskan, withnail!  Glad to see you're doing well, and I can all but guarantee that Elfsborg will struggle with juggling a domestic and European campaign next year...not that that is any consolation to you now...

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