[FM17] Football, fire and ice: The inside story of Iceland's remarkable rise.

[Jimbokav1971]

Wonderkid alert. Jan 2043.

We've had players who have left us and gone on to become Wonderkids elsewhere, but this is the 1st Wonderkid I have seen while still at our club. He needs a few PPM's, but other than that things are coming along nicely. He's been tutored twice by Model Pro tutors but ideally I would like another one. 

[ManUtd1]

On 6/7/2017 at 10:41, Jimbokav1971 said:

It should be interesting trying to win a league game without that little lot. 

If you can't win without your top 45 players, then you're not trying.

Sheesh.

[Jimbokav1971]

1 minute ago, ManUtd1 said:

If you can't win without your top 45 players, then you're not trying.

Sheesh.

Haha.

We played 2 games without those players, (and there were 6 more called up afterwards too). 

We drew the 1st game 2-2.

We won the 2nd game 3-0.

It was the difference between an unbeaten season and not. 

[Benjoe]

I am saddened that the Rosenhøj link was terminated, and that you gave little to no care.

[Jimbokav1971]

Comeback. Feb 2043.

I don't usually post info on individual results but get the swear in there! We lost the 1st leg 5-1 and I obviously thought we were gone, but a 4-0 win with only 39% of the ball is great stuff. 

[Edit]

We also hit the woodwork not once, not twice, but 3 times. 

Edited June 9, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[ManUtd1]

Epic comeback! 

[Jimbokav1971]

GK to the rescue. Mar 2043.

After progressing past AZ in the 1st Knockout Round of the Europe League, we were drawn against Monaco in the 2nd Knockout Round. We drew 0-0 at home in a game that we edged but certainly didn't dominate, and this was the only goal in the 2nd leg, (9 minutes from time), to send us into the last 16 of a European competition for the 1st time. 

 

Edited June 9, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Europa League Quarter Final draw. Mar 2043.

[Jimbokav1971]

7 hours ago, Benjoe said:

I am saddened that the Rosenhøj link was terminated, and that you gave little to no care.

Haha. I did care, (because I love getting foreigners and even 2nd Nationalities through the intake), but the fact remains that the quality of what they were producing was at best not great.

If I get someone better then it will have been a result. If I don't get a replacement then it will have been a slight disaster. 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, ManUtd1 said:

Epic comeback! 

Thanks. The fact that I posted about it confirms that I was quite chuffed about it myself. I was resigned to losing so when I saw the result I was..... 

[Jimbokav1971]

All 18 members of the current Senior (ISL) National Team Squad are products of our Academy. Mar 2043.

Just look at those personalities. 

Model Pro x6.
Pro x11.
Resolute x3.
F.Pro x3.

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Europa League Quarter Final Leg 2. Apr 2043.

We were oh so close to making the Semi's. 

We scored 4 goals with 39% possession in the last round and went 1 better in the Quarters with 5 goals from 38% possession.

The Italians were too good though and with our main striker missing for this whole campaign we did well to progress as far as we did. 

I think we have showed that we can compete at this level now, although I am worried about a lack of central midfielders on the conveyor belt. 

(40b) Andri Már (M.Pro) scored a hat-trick and is still only 18, so there is certainly reason for optimism

 

[Jimbokav1971]

2042/43 European Campaign. Apr 2043.

I know that qualifying is all about..... qualifying, but despite that, both performances and results were more than a little lacklustre. We got there ok, but we were behind after the 1st leg at home to Viktoria Plzen, and had to go and beat them in Czech to qualify for the Group Stage.

2 wins and 2 drawn from 6 games doesn't sound great, but had we won against Villarreal in the last game rather than drawn, then we would have gone through to the Champions League Knockout Round in 2nd, rather than the Europe League Knockout Round. 

We were 4th seeds this time round, (last year we were 3rd seeds with a poorer coefficient), so it was always going to be stretching to qualify, but we almost did it in any case I am very happy with 3rd and some progress in the Europe League, (even though I think it's a ridiculous rule/system). 

The Europe League Knockout Round was tough. We sneaked past AZ on away goals after a disaster in the 1st round and a storming performance in the 2nd, and we then went on to vanquish Monaco who we also beat last season in the 1st Knockout Round. The Quarter Final was a new 1st for us and while I was still hopeful after the 1st leg, it ultimately proved too much for us as although we son the 2nd leg, we still crashed out on away goals. 

All in all it was a huge success and you will notice the absence of (36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * as a regular goal-scorer. He didn't play at all in qualifying, scored just 2 goals in the Champions League Group stage, and was then injured for the whole of the Europe League campaign, His are big boots to fill, and I think it realistic that we might have gone all the way with him available. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Goal-scoring GK watch. Apr 2043.

I keep forgetting to update you as to the goal-scoring GK's so I've decided that I'm going to do it every time a GK scores a goal that is a multiple of 10. 

(39b) Vaz (POR) (F.Pro) * 10 has just scored his 10th career goal, (a penalty), so here we are. 

The number at the end of each nickname indicates how many career goals each player is on. (It's easy to keep track of it that way).

I expected (35b) Rafn Andri (Pro) 21 to be our 1st choice GK for ages, but then the HoYD went and gave us (39b) Vaz (POR) (F.Pro) * 10. It's a shame that he's not Icelandic, but knowing my luck we will get another one come along soon anyway when we really don't need one. 

I've just started to give (39b) Vaz (POR) (F.Pro) * 10 the nod over (35b) Rafn Andri (Pro) 21 this season. Until now he has always played second fiddle and the only League games he has played were either when (35b) Rafn Andri (Pro) 21 was unavailable or as a result of rotation.

[Jimbokav1971]

2043 U20 World Cup. 

It's being held in Turkey, the holders are Portugal and we are in it. (Not sure how exactly). The squad has just been announced and we have 1 player in the squad....

One player. 

Yes. One player. 

Yes really. Just one player. 

U20 (ISL) Squad.

The young lad from Spurs looks quite good and could be a star in the future, but even if we ignore every (ISL) player that is already in the Senior, U21 or U19 squad, then I still have the following players available for this U20 squad who have not been selected. 

19 year old AMR (40a) Knútur (Pro) (2040) * is my 1st Wonderkid. He isn't in any of the (ISL) squads at the moment, (although he has been called up by the Senior (ISL) squad in the past but not gained his 1st Cap. 

17 year old DL (42b) Steinar (F.Sport) has been called up by the (ISL) U19's without getting on and is not currently in any (ISL) squad. I quite like him. So much in fact that he started a league game at the end of last season just weeks after coming through the Academy. 

19 year old GK (40c) Vilhjálmur (F.Pro) has been called up by (ISL) U20's in the past but not used. He is not in any (ISL) squad at the moment and looks reasonable to me. I would be astounded if he wasn't better than the 3 GK's in the squad. He is valued at £18,500 for example and the 3 players in the squad are valued at no more than £1,100.

I could go on and on. There are loads. I could populate that whole squad with better players than it currently contains without digging in to any of the other (ISL) squads at all. 

I don't know what the hell is going on. There actually isn't a Manager of the U20's. 

[Jimbokav1971]

New contract offered. May 2043.

The club are offering me a new contract, (unsure of terms as yet), but I am using it to try and shoe-horn in a new affiliate relationship.

The next one on the list from the previous conversation was the bottom one here, so let's give it a go. 

Not really many options here. I basically shut up or play proper hard-ball. Let's just have a look at how long I have left on my contract and I also need to remember that this is a new board and a new relationship, (although I have just won the Micky-Mouse Cup and I think we are playing in the Charity Shield either today or tomorrow. It's a shame I didn't have a cheeky little double in my pocket before this conversation.

I've just checked and I have just 6 months left on my contract. I'm not feeling very brave I'm afraid so I think I will let this slide. 

I think I made the right decision. They only offered me a 1 year contract. 

[Slipky]

How does your personalities got so good? Tutoring? Staff personalities?

Still a great fun to read this man. Good luck!

[Jimbokav1971]

1 minute ago, Slipky said:

How does your personalities got so good? Tutoring? Staff personalities?

Still a great fun to read this man. Good luck!

I just tutor and tutor and tutor some more. 

If you are interested there is a far bit about it all the way through the thread. 

I started off with 0 Model Pro's so I signed 2 non-playing M.Pro Tutors and it snow-balled from there. 

I currently have 27 Model Pros at the club and.... 15 more who should pop to M.Pro when they reach 23. 

[Carninho]

Are you not even slightly tempted to take full control of the match days for a season? 

If you did and went further in Europe it might boost the rankings and give you that elusive 4th reputation star?

Also what do you think of work rate? I place it up there with determination, but you dont ever seem to mention it

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Carninho said:

Are you not even slightly tempted to take full control of the match days for a season? 

If you did and went further in Europe it might boost the rankings and give you that elusive 4th reputation star?

Also what do you think of work rate? I place it up there with determination, but you dont ever seem to mention it

I'm honestly not tempted to take control because I haven't suddenly decided to play like this. It has been a slow evolution that has led me to this. Quite simply though, yes, I absolutely agree that performances would be increased, but I can probably progress 5 seasons playing this way in the time that it would take me to play just 1 season taking control of matches. I would FAR prefer to progress forwards 5 years than have 1 super-season. Yes, what you are describing might indeed give me a boost in the rankings that would unlock the 4.0 rep, but by the same token it might not, and instead this might be unlocked by 5 seasons playing "my way". There is no right or wrong in this, there is just what is. I'm actually really enjoying this way because it allows me to focus on the parts of the game that others don't get an opportunity to see without getting bogged down in the minutiae of individual results. I don't want this save to be defined by a single event like winning something that can easily be replicated by winning 1 trophy that can be done by any who reloads enough times. I want to try and do something that others can't do because it's too hard or takes too much effort. Yes I could theoretically go and edit all the player personalities to whatever I want, but where is the fun in that? You would soon get bored. In the back of my mind I want to eventually work out how to create a Model Citizen from another type of player. I just have to first identify the player within which it will be possible, and then make the right decisions.

Where as other saves are about winning this or winning that, I can promise you that once you have won the Champions League with San Marino club side and the World Cup with San Marino National side, these individual accomplishments don't seem quite so challenging. 

If you look at every single Youth Intake I have done, (I think right from the beginning of the save), you will see 2 columns to the right hand side of the page. One of these is Determination and the other is workrate. It's not that I don't value them and more that I don't value them for the purposes of specifically developing Youth Players. Of course I am aware of the effectiveness of both workrate and determination within a game situation, but that's not what this save is about.  

Within any save there are obviously goals that you set that you want to achieve before the end of this save. Quite often this will be to get a cub to a certain level, or to win a particular trophy or something like that. As I have mentioned already, I haven't really been driven by that since my San Marino save. (Been there seen it and done it), so now I have other goals within a save like this that challenge me. Let me list some of them. 

• Not concede a single goal in a domestic league season. (Not achieved). I think the least I have conceded is 4 off the top of my head, although I haven't really concentrated very much at all on this. 
• Earn as many Steam achievements as possible.
• Generate a son in the game. (Not achieved).
• Win the domestic quadruple. (Achieved). 
• Beat the individual player all time record for goals in the (ISL) Premier League. (Achieved).
• Beat the individual player all time record for appearances in the (ISL) Premier League. (Not Achieved).
• Create such a successful Academy that every player in an AI selected (ISL) Senior National Team squad is a a product of our Academy. (Achieved). 
• Have a product of our Academy shortlisted for the Ballon d'or. (Not Achieved).
• Have a product of our Academy win the Ballon d'or. (Not Achieved). This single action here is probably the ultimate goal for the whole save. 
• Have a product of our Academy named in the World Team of the Year. (Not Achieved).
• Have a product of our Academy named in the World Team of the Year while still playing at the club. (Not Achieved).
• Have a product of our Academy win the World Player of the Year award. (Not Achieved).
• Have a product of our Academy win the World Player of the Year award while still playing at the club. (Not Achieved).
• Have a GK score more goals than whatever my previous record is, (without using the editor). (Not Achieved). This is not going to be achieved in this save because we simply don't pay enough games. 
• Produce a player that is classed as a Wonderkid at another club. (Achieved).
• Produce a player that is classed as a Wonderkid while still at our club. (Achieved).
• Produce a player that is classed as Worldclass at another club. (Not Achieved).
• Produce a player that is classed as Worldclass while still at our club. (Not Achieved).
• Develop a player to Model Pro from something else. (Achieved).
• Develop 10 players to Model Pro from something else. (Achieved).
• Have all Senior players, (over 23 years old), to be either Model Pro or Resolute. (Not Achieved).
• Have a Model Pro player come through the Academy. (Not Achieved).
• Find a Model Citizen Newgen elsewhere in the game and study the circumstances in which he was generated. (Not Achieved).
• Develop a Model Citizen. (Not Achieved).
• Get to the Group Stages of the Europa League. (Achieved).
• Get to the Knockout Stages of the Europa League. (Achieved).
• Win the Europa League. (Not Achieved).
• Get to the Group Stages of the Champions League. (Achieved).
• Get to the Knockout Stages of the Champions League. (Achieved).
• Win the Champions League. (Not Achieved).
• Have (ISL) win something while managed by the AI. (Not Achieved).
• Win the U19 World Cup with (ISL). (Not Achieved).
• With the U20 World Cup with (ISL). (Not Achieved).
• WIn the U21 EURO's with (ISL). (Not Achieved).
• Qualify for the Olympics with (ISL). (Not Achieved).
• Win the Olympics with (ISL). (Not Achieved).
• Win the World Cup with (ISL). (Not Achieved).
• With the Confederations Cup with (ISL). (Not Achieved).
• Score 20 goals in a season with a player. (Achieved).
• Score 20 league goals in a season with a player. (Achieved).
• Score 30 goals in a season with a player. (Achieved).
• Score 30 league goals in a season with a player. (Not Achieved). 
• Score 40 league goals in a season with a player. (Achieved).
• Score 40 league goals in a season with a player. (Not Achieved).
• Score 50 goals in a season with a player. (Not Achieved).
• Score 50 league goals in a season with a player. (Not Achieved).
• Have a new stadium built. (Achieved).
• Have a new stadium named after me. (Not Achieved).
• Remain unbeaten for a full league campaign. (Achieved).

The reality is the the goals within the save are constantly changing as I think of them and I'm sure I have missed loads off the above list. The main and ultimate goal is for a product of our Academy to with the Ballon d'or. In a nutshell that's what this save is all about. I don't know of anyone who has seen a player come through their own Academy and then gone on to be the best player in the World without cheating. It might well have been done, but I don't remember reading about it. There is no amount of winning games and re-loading games again and again, (as is common-place nowadays in certain circles), that is going to let you achieve what I am hoping to achieve. There are no shortcuts without the use of the editor, (and I hope that the way I structure the save removes any suspicion of me doing so). By completely taking away the results of individual games I am sort of disengaging from the win at all cost mentality that a lot of people seem to get caught up in. I play this game because I enjoy it and because I find it a wonderful way to relax. I didn't used to find it quite so relaxing when stupid GK errors used to cause me to lose this competition or that trophy. I just take all the stress and strain away from the game and make it..... a journey. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Goal-scoring GK watch. Jun 2043.

I don't bother to show you penalties, but free-kicks need to be shared and enjoyed, (even if they just get blasted through the wall). 

That's his 11th career goal in only his appearance. 

That equates to a goal every 5.18 games or 466 minutes. (I've had strikers who don't score that regularly). 

[Edit]

If you are wondering how I keep 2 GK's happy then it's easy. If they concede a goal of any type then they are dropped. 

Edited June 9, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Rankings. Jun 2043.

The Icelandic Premier League has risen 2 more places and we are at last on the 1st page of rankings. 

The Premier League now has a reputation of 3.5 and we are similarly ranked with 6 other leagues. We are not yet at the top table with the big 5 leagues, but we are at least at the 2nd table. 

A 5 place progression is pleasing, but not exactly a surprise after our recent exploits in Europe. 

Although we lose a good value of 16.299 for the 38/39 season next year, if we look at those above us, Monaco, Atletico, Lyon Liverpool and Roma all lose coefficients from the 38/39 season higher than ours, (as well as Fenerbache just below us), so this should cement our position still further. We should jump Monaco at least, but then there's a fairly sizeable gap between ourselves and the likes of Porto and Galatasaray. 

Wow. 

Make no mistake. This is a significant achievement/accomplishment/whatever you want to call it.

Not only does Iceland now get 2 entrants into the Champions League, but as winners, (assuming we wing the league), we will qualify automatically for the Group stage. It's weird, but my 1st reaction when writing this was that if I were to throw the league and finish 2nd, then whoever wins the league would auto-qualify for the Champions League Group stage and then we would expect to qualify anyway. The cash for the Group stage is approx £11M even ignoring gate receipts and prize money, and that is obviously an awful lot of money for Icelandic clubs. I would expect (ISL) clubs to really kick on from here and it might make the league much harder.  

OMG!  I've also just noticed that we get a club auto-qualified for the Group Stage of the Europa League. This is really going to hit us in terms of competition. Don't get me wrong, it's brilliant for Iceland, (and that's the goal remember), but bloomin hell our domestic rivals are going to get a boost from this. 

We are going to lose 1.100 more than Greece next season, so it's unlikely that we will be challenging them for 11th. Denmark and Ukraine lose more than us though so we should at least be safe from dropping back down again. What will be important is any coefficient points that our domestic rivals can chip in with. 

I'm really pleased with this. I knew it was on the horizon for the next few years as a target, but I'm a little surprised we jumped so quickly. When I looked at this before, I don't think I noticed that the 3rd (ISL) club would auto-qualify for the Group Stage of the Europa League. That really is a significant development. Interestingly, we are now ranked the top Scandi Team as we jump ahead of Denmark.

It will be interesting to see how our domestic rivals do in Europa and I will have to keep an eye on that. It's going to be interesting seeing how this develops. It's going to really crank the pressure on us domestically and while this is great news for Iceland, it's worrying times for us as a club.  

[john1]

Brilliant to see you are in the mix in the ranking table with big clubs  

[Keano16]

Starting to make exciting progress now!

[Jimbokav1971]

GK Development. Jun 2043.

(39b) Vaz (POR) (F.Pro) * 10 is the young (POR) keeper and (35b) Rafn Andri (Pro) 22 is the current #1 (ISL) Keeper. Both are plenty good for my purposes right now, but the suggestion is that (39b) Vaz (POR) (F.Pro) * 10 might have significant room for development. 

The reason for this post however is the rating that has been given to youngster (41j) Þór Þorbjarnar (F.Pro). My Ass Man has ranked him more highly than (35b) Rafn Andri (Pro) 22 in terms of PA, and I think that's unlikely if I'm honest, (although it's certainly possible). His prefix is "j" indicating that he was just the 10th best player to come through the 2041 intake, and for him to now to be rated at this sort of level is..... surprising to say the least. I will have to monitor him and make sure that he doesn't get ignored, but he is really never going to get a look-in because he is going to be on International Duty when the other 2 are. The only chance might be if (ISL) and (POR) both qualify for a World Cup or European Championships or something. Wow. I hadn't really thought of that. If and when that happens we are going to be absolutely decimated. 

[Jimbokav1971]

6 minutes ago, john1 said:

Brilliant to see you are in the mix in the ranking table with big clubs  

It's great, but the thing is I actually like the early rounds of Champions League Qualifying. 

2 minutes ago, Keano16 said:

Starting to make exciting progress now!

Yes we are, but I'm a little concerned that we might be a victim of our own success. Let's hope our domestic rivals spend the cash wisely, (but not too wisely).

[Jimbokav1971]

Goal-scoring GK watch. Jun 2043.

You just don't save these.

 

Edited June 9, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[BoxToBox]

Two keepers wouldn't have stopped it.

[Jimbokav1971]

Happy? Jul 2043.

I've mentioned previously about not caring about whether players are happy in this save. It's simply a by-product of keeping my better players at the club longer than they would like, (I can't sign replacements so I can't let them go), and also fringe/back-up players who also can't be allowed to release because they are needed for tutoring purposes. 

Thinking about my FM18 save for a moment, I know we are going to be fine tutoring from the Reserves, (which would make my life much easier), but I also wonder how it will work in terms of a B Team? I've only ever really dabbled at clubs with B Teams, and I'm aware that even if I don't start off with a B Team in France, I'm likely to be given one at some points as the save progresses. My thinking is that there is no issue with sending Tutors to to a B Team, just so long as there are players there who I need them to Tutor. 

We don't have the luxury of a B Team here in Iceland though, so if players are going to be kept at the club, then we need to accept that there is going to be a certain amount of unhappiness that we are going to have to accept. 

At the moment, these are the least happy of the players currently at the club and not out on loan or injured.

This obviously isn't good, and when you look at our form, it would seem that it's actually not very easy to resolve "en-masse".

There comes a point in these situations where you just have to accept that they are unhappy, know that there is little you can do about it and just let them get on with being unhappy. That's not to say that you don't try resolve issues where it is possible, but if a player is complaining that he wants to play, and you just don't want to play him, then your options are either to play him, (which I don't want to do), release him, (which I don't want to do), or accept his unhappiness, (which I am quite prepared to do. 

I don't care how unhappy players are as long as they train ok so they develop, and as long as we continue to get positive results. 

[BoxToBox]

If I remember correctly, and it's a pretty big if, senior team players can tutor B team players without moving them about.

[BoxToBox]

I took a quick test of this, and in Germany at least, I could have senior squad players tutor players in the B team, and even had a B team player who could tutor senior squad players or u-19s, seems shuffling the squads around was no issue, That said, I can't say if it would be the same in France or Spain.

[Sir_Liam]

11 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Thinking about my FM18 save for a moment, I know we are going to be fine tutoring from the Reserves, (which would make my life much easier), but I also wonder how it will work in terms of a B Team? I've only ever really dabbled at clubs with B Teams, and I'm aware that even if I don't start off with a B Team in France, I'm likely to be given one at some points as the save progresses. My thinking is that there is no issue with sending Tutors to to a B Team, just so long as there are players there who I need them to Tutor. 

We don't have the luxury of a B Team here in Iceland though, so if players are going to be kept at the club, then we need to accept that there is going to be a certain amount of unhappiness that we are going to have to accept. 

 

When you managed Partizan last year were you able to tutor between Partizan and Teleoptik?  If you could do that then I'm sure you'd have no problems in France as Teleoptik are a permanent feeder club with free movement between the squads.

[Jimbokav1971]

22 minutes ago, Sir_Liam said:

When you managed Partizan last year were you able to tutor between Partizan and Teleoptik?  If you could do that then I'm sure you'd have no problems in France as Teleoptik are a permanent feeder club with free movement between the squads.

Teleoptik were in a non-Playable League in my Serbian save. I think, (but not sure), that they got relegated out of a playable league the 1st season and then never returned. Because they were in a non playable league, I didn't really make much use of them at all. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Day 2043.

I have a lot of different things to mention with regards to this intake so let me do this one 1st so I don't forget. 

• @CarninhoIf you look to the right hand side you will see 2 columns that I have highlighted. The 1st is determination and the 2nd is workrate. The workrate especially seems high in comparison to previous years, but the determination also looks decent too. Certainly significantly better than last season which I distinctly remember being poor. In case I rambled off-topic in my previous post, you are completely correct that both determination and workrate are valuable attributes on pitch, but both over little/nothing in terms of player development. This save is 99% player development and 1% everything else, so it's really not worth more than a passing mention in here, (and is the main reason why you have not seen me go into too much detail about how anything tactically). 
• I know it's probably just a coincidence, but if you look at the determination column, isn't it striking how 5 of the 6 players with double figure determination are at the top of the list? Unusual but excellent. 
• I'm still astonished by that workrate column too. I don't think I have ever had a workrate column like that. Ever! 
• This is a great intake in terms of Nationalities. First of all we have a really good Swede, (again). It's not shown on your screenshot, but I have added height to the page now and the reason that he's 6'6" and I had to go and look because it's probably the only position where I care in the slightest how big a player is. Then we have a San Marino player, (who I of course thought was my son for a split second when I saw the Nationality). Then we have 2 Chinese who are pretty rubbish. If this was a different save I might consider negotiating the affiliation to not include the Chinese club, but as it is I just love getting foreigners through so they are staying. In terms of Nationalities, 4 non (ISL) players is great, and the only thing missing is probably a 2nd Nationality. 
• Professionalism is something I often talk about, but of the 4 players with a Professional personality, isn't it interesting that 3 of them sit atop the pile? Maybe another coincidence?
• In terms of PA, (or PPA as is more accurate), there are no 5.0's this time, but the 2x 4.0's at the top could still be decent and we will have to wait and see about the 2.5's. We could do with some more MC's,  but we probably need greater quality than is on offer here. 
• In terms of CA, (or PCA again), (43b) Holmberg (F.Pro) is the one that stands out, and it will be interesting to keep an eye on him as well as (43a) Sólon (Pro) (2043).
• This is the 1st Youth Intake under (25g) Ragnar Tjörvi (Pro) HoYD and you might notice straight away that we only had 1 SC come through this year, (and he wasn't very good). Compare that to recent intakes under the old HoYD and there is a marked difference. It might be worth reminding you that the new HoYD has a coaching style of "defending" with a "very cautious" playing mentality compared to the old HoYD who had an attacking coaching style and an attacking mentality.
• The positions most suited to the 2 best players are AM(C) and D(C). I personally think that the DC will turn out to be a better player in terms of ability and I think this is because I can already see myself giving him senior opportunities, however the AMC plays in such a pivotal role, (and is so far from the level required), that he simply might never make the grade because he is behind so many decent players. 

"Kriss" (43a) Sólon (Pro) (2043).

6'6" (43b) Holmberg (F.Pro).

[Jimbokav1971]

Perceived Player Ability/Potential. Aug 2043.

Something that I think a lot of us struggle with is whether a player is any good or not. We have the PA ratings of players and the CA ratings of players, but because they are not absolute ratings and just the personal opinion of 1 single member of staff, (who is FAR from infallible), in my head at least I have long since used the abbreviations PPA and PCA which adds the word "perceived" in front of PA and CA. Just because your Ass Man says that a player has 5.0 PA doesn't mean that he actually does have that much potential and contrastingly, just because he says he is only a 2.0 PA player doesn't mean he should be ignored.

I have been looking for extra info to use in this respect and something which I have found can be helpful is the player valuation on the day that they sign their 1st Youth contract. Of course you can't transfer values across leagues, but certainly within the same save, a £20k player this season is likely to be better than a £20k player next season. 

I'm pretty sure I have mentioned this elsewhere if not in this thread before, but not in great detail.

If we list players according to they initial PA, (according to the Ass Man remember), then what we should find is that the valuations also follow suit of the PA is correct. Any valuation that is not in sync should jump out and indicate that the player has either more or less PA than initially suggested. The only issue with this is that you need all the other Youth players to have signed their Youth contract to act as a comparison so you might have to wait a few days. 

So the following picture has all the players listed in order of the initial PPA that my Ass Man gave them on Youth Day. The nicknames have already been given, so even if the Ass Man subsequently changes his opinion, (or I realise that his opinion might not have been very accurate), then the nicknames will stay. I just have to remember that certain players may be more/less likely to develop than the original opinion. 

How the graphic should work if the Ass Man is doing a good job, is that the highest valuations should be at the top and the lowest valuations at the bottom. Anything outside of this might suggest that the Ass Man made an error of judgement. As he made these snap judgements on Day 1 after just meeting the players, (and remembering that his JPA attribute is only.... 14, (wow, he's improved), I would expect his initial opinions to be too accurate. 

 

• The first thing to note, (at least for me), is that the best player isn't actually (43a) Sólon (Pro) (2043) at all but (43b) Holmberg (F.Pro). I had actually realised that (43b) Holmberg (F.Pro) was good and that's why I also posted his profile pic on Youth Day rather than just that of the "Kriss". You might also notice that I was already so confidant about this that (43b) Holmberg (F.Pro) is already starting in a league game, 5 days after the Intake. 
• You probably also need to be aware that we still have 1 player who has not signed a Youth contract, (43n) Tang Qiang (CHN) (Bal), and it could be that I have forgotten to offer it to him or that he is just slow in signing. (Actually I had forgotten to offer him a contract but as he is Chinese I don't expect him to be great and if anything, slightly less valuable than the initial assessment.
• So the better players are valued at £41,000, £14,750, £5,250, £3,500, £1,400 & £1,300. These 6 players are all valued at higher than £1,000 and I would expect them to be better than the others, (all things being equal). You have to remember though that this is as subjective as his initial assessment. Someone at your club has set these player valuations for you and there is nothing to suggest that this valuation is correct. All this does is give you more information with which to base your decisions on. If you had decided that of the 16 players in the Intake, you could afford to sign 5 of them, in this instance you would obviously sign the top 2, (ranked at the top in 2 different lists), and then you would have to make a judgement with regards to the other players. 
• You also have to think about what other things are impacting on the valuation of the player. At this stage they are all being paid the same, and by and large the length of the contract will also be the same, so what else might be having an impact. Let's have another look at the Youth Intake report, only this time after they have signed contracts.

• The first thing that jumps out at me here is right at the top in that (43a) Sólon (Pro) (2043) has gained another 0.5 PA star in the 1st 5 days since the Intake. 
• The next thing that jumps out at me is that of the 6 players who's valuation was listed above £1,000, 4 of them also already have a CA that warrants rating against senior players, (gold stars), rather than youth players, (silver stars). This would seem to fit in with the valuations in that they will be higher because the player is a better player right now rather than based on any PA level.If you had a player who was all CA rather than PA, then while the valuation might be high, this player might be a suitable candidate for being sold.

There are absolutely no certainties in this, but with all the info available to me, it would suggest that the 4 best players to keep an eye on are the 2 at the top, (43a) Sólon (Pro) (2043) and (43b) Holmberg (F.Pro), together with slightly more left-field choices (43f) Kjartan (Bal) and (43g) Hrafnkell (Unamb). If I had to pick a 5th player then I would opt for (43c) Sveinn (M.Pro) and a 6th at a push I would go for (43e) Ellert Ólaf (F.Det). It remains to be seen whether these choices re good or bad, and only time will tell. 

Something to keep in mind at this stage is supply and demand. Because of the particular nature of this save, I can't go and buy players so with that in mind and thinking about the system I play, (4231), there are going to be some positions with a greater demand than others, (like centre-back for example), where I always need 2 on the pitch at any one time and a 3rd player on the bench. Centre-mid is also similar in that I have 2 on the pitch, (with 2 on the bench), but there can be more variation here and some cross-over with the AP(a) role. Compare that to GK for example which has just 1 starting spot and 0 slots available on the bench, or SC which has just 1 starting spot with 1 on the bench, and you will see that the demand for depth in the GK and SC area is significantly less important than depth in the DC or MC areas.

[BoxToBox]

I find another way that helps is contracts. Now it's variable due to ambition, but say at my current Man Utd save, a lad that's asking for 6k a week right off the intake is probably going to be a lot more special than the one asking for 700 pound.

The players seem to usually have a very good bead on exactly how good they could become.

[Jimbokav1971]

Double-figures hit. Aug 2043.

I played a slightly weakened team after winning the home leg 2-0 and we stuck 10 past the Israeli International keeper who has 66 Caps. 

2 players scored hat-tricks, & we scored 2/2 penalties, (1 scored by a GK). The 2nd penalty wasn't scored by a GK because it was a hat-trick goal. (I hate hat-trick penalties!).

10 goals from 13 shots on target against an International GK is a bit of a surprise.

[Jimbokav1971]

42 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

I find another way that helps is contracts. Now it's variable due to ambition, but say at my current Man Utd save, a lad that's asking for 6k a week right off the intake is probably going to be a lot more special than the one asking for 700 pound.

The players seem to usually have a very good bead on exactly how good they could become.

True. Players tend to be more realistic with regards to contract offers. When agents get involved it tends to muddy the waters.

[Jimbokav1971]

(ISL) U20's International Management. Oct 2043. 

Watching England U20's this morning has really whetted my appetite for International Management. Not for the Senior Team, but for the aged group levels of (ISL). 

I was already a bit peeved that whoever had been in charge of the (ISL) U20's in game recently had chosen to call-up just 2 of my players to the recent squad before I saw England triumph, and now I am more keen than ever. I obviously managed San Marino aged group teams in FM's gone past, but haven't done so for a few issues of the game. For some reason we didn't have a single U20 fixture until 2027, when we played in the French Youth Invitational for the 1st time, (and won it). 

We lost in the Final of the French Youth Invitational the following year. 

We just played friendlies in 2030.

Just friendlies in 2032.

We finished 4th in the 2034 French Youth Invitational.

In 2035 we had a bit of a disaster and failed to get out of the Group Stage for the 1st time. 

In 2036 we finished Runners up to hosts France in the French Youth Invitational.

In 2037 we entered the U20 World Cup for the 1st time and lost at the Quarter Final stage to our nemesis at this level France.

I'm actually not sure what triggers the entry into the U20 World Cup, but I would guess that it's related to U19 or U21 performances so I will have to check up on that. 

You can tell I wasn't managing this team because the penalty was scored by a midfielder rather than a GK. 

2038 was all about friendlies again.

2039 saw us play just 1 friendly. 

2040 saw just a couple of friendlies, (including the obligatory defeat to France). 

2042 saw us just play 2 friendlies. 

2043 saw us feature in the U20 World Cup for the 2nd time, where we lost in the 2nd Round to Brazil.

Summary. When you consider that a lot of the better players seem to be left out of these squads and left in either the U21 or U19 squads, the relative success, (managed by the AI remember), has actually been quite remarkable. I still don't know how/why we gained an invitation to the 2037 & 2043 U20 World Cups, and I also don't understand why we are no longer being invited to the French Youth Invitational. 

In 2036 the U19's got to the Semi Finals of the U19 Euro's, (where we of course lost to France), and I would guess we did well in the 2042 U19 Euro's Tournament too...... No actually. We didn't get out of the Group Stage in 2041, (in a group with Italy & Portugal & Ukraine, but after not getting out of the Group we played a Playoff against Holland for some reason, (which we won), and then there were no more games. I'm guessing that the Playoff was simply to decide who was going to qualify for the U20 World Cup. It seems a bit convoluted but what do I know?

Yes, that's exactly what it is. (Oh yeah. anyone with similar interests might want to take note that you can have 3 subs from 7, but you also get an additional extra time sub. 

Managing this side certainly appeals to me, but I've got to admit I'd like to start at the bottom with the U19's squad first. I will probably see what becomes available first.  

 

[Sir_Liam]

In terms of your players valuations, I think Holmberg will have a higher valuation because he's made his first team debut.  I've noticed that once a player from your youth team makes his first team debut, his value increases sharply.

I'd also add that players tend to be valued higher or lower depending on their position.  I.e. A striker will be valued more than an identical CA/PA/reputation defender.

Edited June 11, 2017 by Sir_Liam

[Jimbokav1971]

7 hours ago, Sir_Liam said:

In terms of your players valuations, I think Holmberg will have a higher valuation because he's made his first team debut.  I've noticed that once a player from your youth team makes his first team debut, his value increases sharply.

 (43b) Holmberg (F.Pro) hadn't actually made his debut when I took the above screenshot with the valuations, (although he was selected in the next team to play). He has since made 3 appearances and his valuation has risen from £41,000 to £56,000, but I think a more significant impact on his valuation is the fact that he is now a 4.5 PA player rather than a 4.0 PA player. 

[Jimbokav1971]

7 hours ago, Sir_Liam said:

I'd also add that players tend to be valued higher or lower depending on their position.  I.e. A striker will be valued more than an identical CA/PA/reputation defender.

That certainly used to be the case, you're right, but I'm not so sure that it's still like that. I'll have to keep an eye on that one I think. Good shout. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Moving from playing to non-playing career. Nov 2043.

With me keeping players at the club long after their playing careers are over so that they can act as Tutors means that I have FAR more players retiring while at the club than would normally be the case in a normal save. What I have noticed though is that I'm not really getting much of an opportunity to influence players as to whether they might want to stay in the game and of so, in what capacity. 

So the above pic shows the players at the club who are on the wrong side of 30. Three of them have announced that they are retiring and certainly there are 2 of them I would like to keep on in some capacity. 

(25b) Kristján (M.Pro) * is an ex-International, a Model Pro and was one of the more influential members of the squad to this point in the save. He hasn't got a staff profile and there has never been an opportunity to suggest a particular staff role. It looks like he is just going to retire and do nothing in the game after he retires. 

(25a) Páll (F.Pro) (2025) * is another ex-International and another who has been pivotal to the development of the club and although he is only a (F.Pro) personality, there is also a certain amount emotional attachment to him because he is a the 2025 "Kriss".

I've been keen to encourage these 2 to stay on but there has never been an option to. I know that I can talk to players by the interaction option, but the "suggest future role", or whatever it's called has never been activated for either of these.  I'm not overly bothered about (24e) Baldur Runólf (Res), but the situation is the same with him. I have never had the option to suggest a post-playing role.

(26e) Rúnar Baldvin (M.Pro) is the next on the list, although he has not announced is retirement yet, and again I am keen to keep him on in some capacity because of his personality. Again though, there has been no options to discuss/encourage this. 

(26d) Adam Sigurðar (Res) * is the one that really rankles at the moment though. He is the club captain at the moment so this has activated additional interaction options, but none of them are what I want. I know that we are getting players turn into staff because I have loads of them that have come through the academy, but I just wondered if anyone knows of a way to encourage the progression to a staff role that I have missed? 

I'm guessing that I should be looking for this part of their profile for hints, but not 100% sure. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Academy Products. Life after playing. Nov 2043.

This next pic shows staff at the club who were home-produced by our Academy. Some of them are better than other, but it's something I would love to persist with and hopefully follow the mantra of Ajax in that all the stars return to the club to give something back, even if they then move on and further their own post-playing careers elsewhere. 

There are also others who have become staff. 

(17a) Baldur (F.Pro) (2017) * is an average coach and I might try and find room for him instead of a non-HG coach.

(18c) Óskar (F.Amb) * is a really good coach for this level but he doesn't like me so no chance of signing him.

(19d) Ívar Örn (Pro) * is a decent GK coach who I will try top poach from FH at some point. 

(19h) Andri Geir (Sport) is my old left back, (I think), and has really started well as a Manager. 

2038 He finished 10th in First Division with Sindri.
2039 He finished 9th in Premier Division with Leiknir.R.
2040 He finished 7th in Premier Division with Leiknir.R.
2041 Runners Up in Premier Division with Leiknir.R. (It obviously helped that he loaned 4 players from us this season).
2042 He finished 9th in Premier Division with Leiknir.R.
2043 He finished 7th in Premier Division with Leiknir.R. 

I will probably sign (22c) Davíð Snorr (F.Amb) * as a GK coach even though he is very average and just replace someone non Homegrown.

(23b) Jón Haukur (F.Sport) * is more suited to a Fitness coach than a Manager and I'm going to try and poach him in a minute. 

(23d) Aron Baldvin (M.Pro) was an AMC for me I think who rarely featured but who never moved elsewhere because of his tutoring ability. He has just been signed by Fjolnir as Manager and they were relegated under their previous Manager so he will be in the First Division next season. The only thing of note he has done is to sign (24c) Guðni Snær (F.Pro) as his Ass Man which seems a very shrewd move. 

(23l) Djordje Svan (Bal) has been offered a scouting role.

(24c) Guðni Snær (F.Pro) is the Ass Man who has teamed up at Fjolnir with (23d) Aron Baldvin (M.Pro).

If I can get (24f) Sigurð Bjarn (Pro) to accept a coaching role then I will, but I don't want him as a Manager. 

(24h) Hörður Krist (Amb) has been offered a job as Youth Fitness coach. 

The only thing I use a DoF for is for signing staff, but as I am doing that myself I don't even need the bloke I have. I might give (25c) Björgvin (F.Pro) * his job though and just get him on media duties, (which I delegate to my Ass Man).

(25d) Hlynur Atli (F.Pro) has been offered a scouting role. 

(25m) Karl Björn (F.Pro) has been offered a role as Youth Coach.

(25o) Gunnar Gunnar (F.Pro) is a poor HoYD.

(25p) Einar Helga (F.Pro) is a Manager rather than a coach and I just don't need one at the moment.

(26b) Páll Stefán (F.Pro) * is still a player at Man City and is one of the best players we have ever produced. I will be doing whatever I can to sign him up. 

(26c) Eiður Úlfar (F.Pro) is still a player at Norwich, and doesn't have a great staff profile at the moment. I might just keep an eye on him and see how he progresses. 

(26g) Ómar Eggert (F.Pro) is another Manager and I don't need him.

I think (27h) Guð Breiðdal (F.Pro) is going to be a scout my the looks of his profile. I will see if I can swap him for one of our non-HG scouts if that proves to be fghe case once he hangs up his boots. 

(28k) Hrannar (F.Pro) is another Manager.

(28l) Sigurður Þór (F.Pro) is another Manager.

(28o) Sigurður Þór (F.Pro) is a rubbish scout and I can't believe I had 2 players from the same intake with identical names. I'm guessing that one of them was a different personality initially or I would have noticed this. 

(29h) Haukur Þráin (Pro) is an Ass Man or a Coach and looks decent. He's still only 31 so lots of time to improve. Will have to keep an eye on him.

I've got to admit that's FAR more than I was anticipating and some of them are decent already in their new careers.

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Icelandic Manager appointed to N.Ireland Manager. Nov 2043.

This is a little strange. He has never played in N.Ireland, never managed in N.Ireland, doesn't have a 2nd Nationality and hasn't done an awful lot in his club management career so far. 

Where has he managed I hear you ask?

Has he won anything at these clubs? (Actually, he has done pretty well considering we hoover up a lot of the competition wins).

 

That's not too shabby at all considering who he has been managing and the fact that he has to play against us.

It's a shame you can't do the past meetings comparisons with Managers as well as clubs.

[Jimbokav1971]

Model Pro OCD watch.

We are now up to 31 Model Pro' s at the club.

We also have 49 Pro's, 8 Resolute's and 29 F.Pro's.

[Jimbokav1971]

Goal-scoring GK watch. Feb 2044. 

27th career goal for (35b) Rafn Andri (Pro) 27.

 

[Benjoe]

I'm certain you've either talked about it or been asked about it before - or maybe both - but why is it, you're not manager of Iceland's NT? 

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, Benjoe said:

I'm certain you've either talked about it or been asked about it before - or maybe both - but why is it, you're not manager of Iceland's NT? 

Well my plan is that if I have time before FM18 comes out, then I will. What i don't want to do however is take the job before I have reached a level where we can win things in Europe with the club side. If I take the International job too early then what will happen is that it will just slow down the progress of the save, (which already isn't that quick). 

I am getting more interested in an (ISL) International role, but at the moment I don't want the main job and instead just want to manage either the U19's or U20's, before eventually progressing to the U21's and then then Senior Squad. 

The priority is the development of players at the club and then the club itself and then any International success either comes under the control of the AI, or after club success has been achieved. 

[Benjoe]

12 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Well my plan is that if I have time before FM18 comes out, then I will. What i don't want to do however is take the job before I have reached a level where we can win things in Europe with the club side. If I take the International job too early then what will happen is that it will just slow down the progress of the save, (which already isn't that quick). 

I am getting more interested in an (ISL) International role, but at the moment I don't want the main job and instead just want to manage either the U19's or U20's, before eventually progressing to the U21's and then then Senior Squad. 

The priority is the development of players at the club and then the club itself and then any International success either comes under the control of the AI, or after club success has been achieved. 

That's a good answer, Jimbo. 

I get the point you're making. Slowing down the save for something that isn't your primary focus at this point would be silly. Hopefully it'll happen before FM18 comes out!