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

[DazRTaylor]

What is your plan career wise for FM17 Jimbo?

[Jimbokav1971]

22 hours ago, DazRTaylor said:

What is your plan career wise for FM17 Jimbo?

A Youth only save at a small club on the South coast of France. 

At the moment I'm leaning towards Consolat who are in Marseille I think but are NOT the Marseille B Team. The only issue at the moment is that they are actually an Amateur non-League Team who have done well so been promoted to the 3rd tier, but who are unlikely to have the facilities to be conducive to a successful Youth Only save. The positive side of it is that they actually finished 4th last season, so the squad must be decent, but that league looks a nightmare in that it's hugely competitive and the winners last season only finished with a goal difference of +8 after 34 games. 

I'm probably going to crank up a French save at some point before FM18 comes out just to holiday a few seasons and see what level of Youth we get through the intake, because I don't want to to something that isn't realistic from the outset. I'm determined it will be somewhere in France though, and would prefer the South coast in that sort of area.

[Muttley84]

Yeah, Consolat are awful. But so are other teams from the french riviera like Breziers, Frejus or Toulon.

[DazRTaylor]

A youth only save in France sounds exciting - will you document it on here?

[Jimbokav1971]

2 minutes ago, DazRTaylor said:

A youth only save in France sounds exciting - will you document it on here?

Yes.

Youth Only in a big Country is more demanding, (as I found to my cost in the Regensburg disaster), but if It can cope with the early seasons then it should offer significant opportunities. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Goal-scoring GK watch. Apr 2044.

(39b) Vaz (POR) (F.Pro) * 12 with his 12th career goal in his 77th career game at a rate of a goal every 6.42 games.

 

Edited June 17, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[DazRTaylor]

14 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Yes.

Youth Only in a big Country is more demanding, (as I found to my cost in the Regensburg disaster), but if It can cope with the early seasons then it should offer significant opportunities. 

Agree entirely, so really looking forward to it.  

I like your writing style and have enjoyed this save immensely.

[Jimbokav1971]

Decent start to the 2044 League campaign. May 2044.

Yes, the opposition GK was (30i) Eirík Halldór (F.Pro) who is obviously a product of our academy, but he completely refutes any allegations of favouritism towards his 1st club. A match rating of 2.3 suggests otherwise. 

(36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * on the other hand was in imperious form and finished the match with a rating of 10.0 after contributing 4 goals and 3 assist. 

[Edit]

I've also just noticed that all 10 goals were scored in the 1st half, (which is obviously ridiculous). 

Edited June 17, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, DazRTaylor said:

Agree entirely, so really looking forward to it.  

I like your writing style and have enjoyed this save immensely.

Thanks. 

I know my updates are a bit haphazard sometimes and not to everyone's liking.

[mark1985]

4 hours ago, Muttley84 said:

Yeah, Consolat are awful. But so are other teams from the french riviera like Breziers, Frejus or Toulon.

Isn't there a team called Endoume in Marseilles as well?

[Jimbokav1971]

7 minutes ago, mark1985 said:

Isn't there a team called Endoume in Marseilles as well?

I've had a look and yes, it appears so. 

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_sportive_Marseille_Endoume_Catalans

It looks like they play in the 6th tier and only tiers 1-3 are playable within the game, (although I think the CFA is in the game and can be activated via the editor. 

[mark1985]

3 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I've had a look and yes, it appears so. 

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_sportive_Marseille_Endoume_Catalans

It looks like they play in the 6th tier and only tiers 1-3 are playable within the game, (although I think the CFA is in the game and can be activated via the editor. 

I have the 'rough guide to European football' book from about 20 years ago and they're mentioned in there. I started a French save once and wanted to start in the 4th tier, but you can't choose to manage a team from there. You can only manage there if your team gets relegated there and you keep your job (I think...), or you have a fiddle with the editor...

[BoxToBox]

I remember have some mighty battles with Consolat in my French save. They're a very interesting side.

[Jimbokav1971]

Expansion. May 2044.

We now have a 2nd tier on all 4 sides of the ground, however only 1 corner has been developed so still significant scope for expansion. 

The capacity is now 15,100 and the capacity in our 1st game after re-development was.... 15,100.

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Something interesting in Youth Team. May 2044.

I'm putting a little bit of extra focus into the Youth Team at the moment, (in terms of squad selection with a view to results at least. I'm still not playing any matches). 

What I have just noticed is that I have a few grey players, (10 to be precise). I haven't noticed if this has always been the case and the only reason I noticed it on this occasion is because 1 player is actually Brazilian, (with Icelandic as a 2nd Nationality), and after noticing that I also noticed that we had an Australian, (the flag uses similar colours so doesn't really stand out), (with Icelandic as a 2nd Nationality).

I know that the chances are that any grey players are HUGELY likely to have very low CA's and PA's not that much higher, but what the hell anyway, I am going to offer then a youth contract. They are certainly products of our academy, so this seems to fit in well within the ethos of the save. 

Halldór Jón (Aus) (Bal) would seem to have some scope potential for development.

Bragi Geir (BRA) (Bal) doesn't seem to have much potential at all.  

[Jimbokav1971]

This is the reason I was concentrating on the Youth Team more than normal. 

Gutted. 

Our 2 best players at this level both missed penalties.

[Jimbokav1971]

Trouble Ahead? May 2044.

We have 18 players away on International duty at the 2044 European Championships being held in Poland in the middle of our domestic season. 16 players are with the (ISL) Squad, 1 is with Portugal and the last is with Sweden. 

22 of the 23 man (ISL) squad are products of our academy and the only player who isn't plays in our problem AML position. 

We have at least 8 league games and 1 domestic Cup games while the players are away. There is every chance that (ISL) could progress past the Group stage as they are joined by Serbia, Austria & Ukraine. If that's the case, these players will miss more games. We are going to be in serious danger of not retaining the league title I think. The only up-side is that as mentioned previously, we will still qualify for the Champions League because we now get 2 spots.  

[Edit]

We've scored 17 goals without reply in the opening 3 league games of the season, but I think that sort of form is well and truly behind us now. The only saving grace is that the U19 Champions League is finished or we would just be spread way too thin.

[Edit2]

On the plus side, this save is all about Youth Development and what this situation does give us is an opportunity to really show some, (lots actually), kids into the 1st team early.  

Edited June 17, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Over-heating in the sun. 

I lost about a months worth of game progress yesterday. It was just too hot for my laptop to cope with and the fan just couldn't keep up. Although it makes me feel a bit dirty, it means that we still have the U19 Champions League Final to play again, (against BMB). I don't really want to win it this way, (if I do), but how I operate is that when I have to re-play stages, (which happens a fair bit if), I just take whatever the new result is, whether good or bad). On the plus side, we might win this trophy, but on the negative side we had played 6 domestic league and cup games I think, (certainly 5 anyway), during the period where we had 18 players away at the EURO's, and we had drawn 1 and won the others. While we have the opportunity to change the U19 result, (still not playing the game mind), we also have the opportunity to lose a domestic game). 

[Jimbokav1971]

2nd chance at the U19's title.

I had already saved the say before this game on the basis that if we won at the 2nd time of asking, I would re-load util we lost. It's ok accepting a new result for a domestic game when we are really dominant, and possibly I would have accepted a win if we had won this competition before, but I couldn't bring myself to win it this way after a re-load. Especially when this trophy means a lot to me despite it's relative insignificance. Anyway, we lost so no issues there. 

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

 

7

[Edit]

No idea what is going on with the spoilers. Nothing to see there. 

Edited June 18, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad selection during 2044 EURO's.

Despite having my best 18 players unavailable, I still have to rotate because the game we are about to play comes just 3 games after the previous game and in my experience you are better off fielding poorer but fresher players rather than playing better players who are fatigued. 

In any case, this is what I have available. 

GK. There are 3 GK's left at the club, (all teenagers). An 18yo is my 1st choice and will start all the games injury-permitting.

DL. I am currently rotating 2 18yo's here but if one of them is unavailable there is a 22yo and a 23yo who could do a job at a push.

DR. This is actually still an area of strength as I have a 25yo and a 27yo available who have both been capped by the Senior (ISL) team. 

DC. This is tougher as our 3 best centre-backs are all absent. I am rotating between 5, (1 on bench remember), and they are 11, 17, 19, 18 & 20 years old. I have other make-weights who could come in, bit if everyone is available, these will be my guys. 

MC. This is still an area of strength and I find myself left with players with 122 & 56 Caps, as well as an exciting 19yo who will benefit from the experience. I have other players who can also come in and support around these 3 main players, 

AMC. The biggest benefit here is that the best player from the (2043) intake is an AMC and he will get some valuable exposure. Supporting him I have a better, (but ageing), player who has 13 Senior Caps and a Serbian who although not capped at senior level, has 34 U21 Caps. 

AML. This is the weakest area of the squad in terms of quality, but we actually have a little depth of average quality. Importantly, top of the pile now is a 17yo Belgian who was the best of the (2042) intake. Again, it will be good to give him some much-needed game-time to advance his development. He will be supported by 3 experienced wide-men, 2 of whom are capped at senior level. 

AMR. My 20yo Wonderkid was surprisingly left out of the National Squad for the EURO's, (possibly as a result of my rotation policy), but their loss is my gain and he will be an important player for us during this period. He will be supported by a 29yo player with an excellent attribute balance for his role, and an ex star with 75 Caps who's best days are behind him now but who can still turn a game when needed.

SC. The best 5 strikers left at the club are all aged 20 or under, but I will mainly using just 2 of these and the 6th best striker who is 26 and capped at Senior level. 

I make it sound like we have lost loads of players but we are really not in too bad a position at all. GK isn't great, and left back is pretty raw, but elsewhere we should be fine.

[BoxToBox]

Never a bad thing to give the youth a crack, but still have a few experienced heads to guide them.

[Jimbokav1971]

Laptop had anther meltdown. It hates this weather. Think the circuitry is melting. 

[BoxToBox]

Oh bugger!

[Jimbokav1971]

Nah. It's ok. Too hot to play. Only lost 2 games this time I think. I saved just before the U19 Champions League Final.

Have re-loaded now and as long as I lose will just keep going and keep saving regularly. 

[Benjoe]

Is there no way to keep that pc from dying? Some way to cool it down?

It's an awful shame that it happens now and then.

[kidthekid]

I bought a laptop fan that I put my laptop on when I play FM. I don't know if that is what made the difference, but my computer does not overheat anymore. At the same time because I have some deadlines coming up, I don't play for as long as I used to, so the effect of the laptop fan may not be as pronounced as I believe.

Edited June 18, 2017 by kidthekid

[Golan]

Fantastic save! Excited to see what will happen

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Benjoe said:

Is there no way to keep that pc from dying? Some way to cool it down?

It's an awful shame that it happens now and then.

 

36 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

I bought a laptop fan that I put my laptop on when I play FM. I don't know if that is what made the difference, but my computer does not overheat anymore. At the same time because I have some deadlines coming up, I don't play for as long as I used to, so the effect of the laptop fan may not be as pronounced as I believe.

I think a lot of the laptop "issues" are caused by me literally using it as a laptop rather than sitting it on a standing surface. HP CoolSense doesn't seem to like my laptop held at an angle and if I am lying on my bed or on the sofa, (where I am most comfortable), then the HP CoolSense doesn't like this. It's meant to understand the angle and negate the effects, but in my experience it is actually detrimental to the cooling of the laptop and I am considering turning it off. Having said that, it's been soooooo stupidly hot this weekend that I think all bets are off. I have only really been interested in playing when it's been too hot to be outside. 

I had a problem with m,y battery recently that I thought was over-heating related initially, but a new battery later, (a cheap new battery it must be said), and my laptop is doing fine. It's coping better with the heat than I am is all I can say. 

I really don't think it's an issue at all.  

[Jimbokav1971]

29 minutes ago, Golan said:

Fantastic save! Excited to see what will happen

Thanks very much. 

I don't think I have seen you comment before. Glad you are enjoying it. If you don't mind me asking, what in particular do you like about the save and my posting style and what do you not particularly like?

[Golan]

I really like your in depth analysis of the inner workings of the game in general and of youth development in particular (bear in mind that I am reading this as I was starting to get interested in a youth only save, so that's where the focus lies); having read it in the last two days I don't feel problems like consistency of updpates or the like, if there are any, and I find the style engaging overall.

I really like the fact that you alternate season updates with in-depth analysis posts on selected topics.

All in all, I really think it is a fantastic save and it really is 'pumping me up'- so keep up the good work!

Ps: IT is like my seventh post in general on this forums, as I am new here; just started following

[Golan]

I really like your in depth analysis of the inner workings of the game in general and of youth development in particular (bear in mind that I am reading this as I was starting to get interested in a youth only save, so that's where the focus lies); having read it in the last two days I don't feel problems like consistency of updpates or the like, if there are any, and I find the style engaging overall.

I really like the fact that you alternate season updates with in-depth analysis posts on selected topics.

All in all, I really think it is a fantastic save and it really is 'pumping me up'- so keep up the good work!

Ps: IT is like my seventh post in general on this forums, as I am new here; just started following

10 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Thanks very much. 

I don't think I have seen you comment before. Glad you are enjoying it. If you don't mind me asking, what in particular do you like about the save and my posting style and what do you not particularly like?

 

Should have quoted the post the first time

Edited June 18, 2017 by Golan

[Jimbokav1971]

@GolanNo worries mate. Yes. I noticed you hadn't posted much so I thought I would ask you what you liked and didn't like. Thanks for the response. 

If you have liked this, perhaps I might give you a nudge in the direction of some other saves you might like. Some will be mine and some won't, but don't worry too much about who us writing. They will all be of interest to you I think. Glad you are enjoying it. 

In no particular order....

I must admit that this next thread has somehow passed me by, (unless it has been renamed), but I know @SRL88and this is going to be worth a read and I wil be catching up on it. 

 

 

 

 

My therapist says that he's really impressed I am able to post the next link, (through gritted teeth). 

 

Read this next thread first. I had forgotten about this thread. 

Enjoy. 

[Golan]

10 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

@GolanNo worries mate. Yes. I noticed you hadn't posted much so I thought I would ask you what you liked and didn't like. Thanks for the response. 

If you have liked this, perhaps I might give you a nudge in the direction of some other saves you might like. Some will be mine and some won't, but don't worry too much about who us writing. They will all be of interest to you I think. Glad you are enjoying it. 

In no particular order....

I must admit that this next thread has somehow passed me by, (unless it has been renamed), but I know @SRL88and this is going to be worth a read and I wil be catching up on it. 

 

 

 

 

My therapist says that he's really impressed I am able to post the next link, (through gritted teeth). 

 

Read this next thread first. I had forgotten about this thread. 

Enjoy. 

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have already read the fm17 version of the San Marino challenge by jupjamie, do you think it would still be interesting to read his fm16?

All the other seem interesting, and I actually had my sights on your partizan save since it was referenced here.

Your therapist should be proud of you! (and now I am kinda looking forward to seeing what happened)

[Golan]

I don't remember if you explicitly said that somewhere, but apart from medium database have you set the other scandinavian nations as view only?

[Jimbokav1971]

6 hours ago, Golan said:

I don't remember if you explicitly said that somewhere, but apart from medium database have you set the other scandinavian nations as view only?

I'm just running the Icelandic structure. It's all I care about. 

It makes the save easier in some ways, (European opposition don't have the same depth), but harder in other ways, (my players are much more in demand than they would be with a larger database or other Nations activates. It's swings and roundabouts.

[Golan]

19 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I'm just running the Icelandic structure. It's all I care about. 

It makes the save easier in some ways, (European opposition don't have the same depth), but harder in other ways, (my players are much more in demand than they would be with a larger database or other Nations activates. It's swings and roundabouts.

 Thanks!

[Sir_Liam]

On 6/17/2017 at 14:56, Jimbokav1971 said:

 

Halldór Jón (Aus) (Bal) would seem to have some scope potential for development.

Bragi Geir (BRA) (Bal) doesn't seem to have much potential at all.  

I've never seen a player with only silver star potential before.  Normally all players have atleast half a gold star.

Interestingly they have Icelandic names too.

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Sir_Liam said:

I've never seen a player with only silver star potential before.  Normally all players have atleast half a gold star.

Interestingly they have Icelandic names too.

I had a crash after I offered them contracts so I can't check again now I'm afraid. I think that the Brazilian's PA improved, but not by an awful lot. I think these types of players often/usually have very low PA and CA and I only signed them initially because of the 2nd Nationalities. I think it's less common to see proper Youth players who come through the academy this rubbish, but with "grey" players it's quit common. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Goal-scoring GK watch. Jul 2044.

We've just re-signed (24b) Ben Óli (Amb) 26 * on a free transfer after he was released by Nice in France after 6 seasons as their 1st choice GK. 

(24b) Ben Óli (Amb) 26 * has actually scored 60 goals in 361 appearances so I am immediately naming him (24b) Ben Óli (Amb) 60 *. While there was a certain amount of sentimentality in me re-signing him, the other consideration was that he is no longer in the (ISL) National squad. That will strengthen us during INT call-ups and I am of course keen to encourage him to take up a non-playing role after retirement.

[Jimbokav1971]

Record League goal-scorer. Aug 2044.

I know 100 league goals is pretty paltry in the grand scheme of things, but when there are only 22 league games every season it's better than it might be. Additionally there is the fact that they are often all jammed together so with poorer quality players, (with similarly poor fitness), it's often impossible to get players to play all games that they are available for. Add in our better players being required to play in Europe and and it means that our best players often play in even fewer league games. For example, (36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * has only started 9 of the 15 league games so far this season and he's our best player and I have been trying to get him to play in more League games so that he can beat the record.

I think that 100 career (ISL) Premier League goals is also an (ISL) Premier League record, but there frustratingly doesn't seem to be a media event triggered for this which is a bit of a let-down. 

[Jimbokav1971]

I hate hat-trick penalties. Aug 2044.

Just give it to the bloomin GK! 

[Benjoe]

It's so frustrating, that it's not possible to have the players follow instructions rather than over-ruling instructions due to a potential hat-trick...

[Jimbokav1971]

2044 Youth Day.

This is a pretty poor intake at 1st glance, but does have the benefit of the "Kriss" being Brazilian, and also having a Swede and a Sammarinese/Italian in the ranks. The Pro levels look excellent if I'm honest and we've got 5 x Pro's, (some of whom might actually be (M.Pro already), 2x (F.Pro) and a (Res). 8 from 16 is pretty good. 

The main negative is that as mentioned the overall quality is pretty low, but we have to remember that there could be a significant difference between the PPA (perceived PA) and APA, (actual PA). 

If we want to test how often the Ass Man is wrong in terms ofhow good players are then it's actually quite easy to take a snapshot. If we toggle all players at the club and tyen rank them by PA, then what we should find is lots of A's and B's with a few C's and hopefully not many D's. 

That's exactly what we've got. 

abaabababadabebc

Of the players with the highest PPA at the club, 13 of the 16 were either designated a or b as the 1st or 2nd best player to come through the intake and we have 3 who were rated as 3rd, 4th and 5th best. That brief snap-shot suggests that the Ass Man is reasonably on the money. 

"Kriss" (44a) Diego (BRA) (Pro) (2044).

Call me old-fashioned, but if I want to get a (BRA) through the ranks then I want him to be an striker, or at the very least an attacking midfielder. At a push I might even have accepted a rampaging full-back, but a centre-half.... Really?  On the plus side, at least he has't got David Luiz hair.

He actually looks pretty good in terms of attribute balance and I would expect that even though he might only be a 3.0 player, he still might be god enough to make an impact. It will be interesting to see how his stars change over the 1st 12 months. I'm obviously hoping that he is better than 3.0  

 

[LPQR]

just caught up with the progress here, fantastic work @Jimbokav1971 

[Jimbokav1971]

International call-ups. Aug 2044.

42 players being called-up is not a record, but 19 players called up for the Senior (ISL) squad is. 3 of the 19 are out on loan, but still our players. The whole squad of 23 players are still products of our academy, and I actually think that if I were to rotate less than more of our own players would be called up. 

An example of this might be the fact that we often only have 1 or 2 players in the Premier League team of the year on average each year.

I keep thinking to myself that what I will do is play a 2nd choice XI in all league games, (prioritising all domestic Cup and European games), with the idea that we will still romp the league and these starting XI will dominate the Premier League Team of the Year en masse, but I just can't do it. International call-ups keep throwing a spanner in the works and the games just come too quick and fast. With each player often playing only 2nd game, other players playing more games but at a significantly reduced level instead receive recognition, both 

[Jimbokav1971]

International call-ups discussion. Aug 2044.

It's all a bit strange really. We had call-ups, (as mentioned above), for 42 players and that's fine, but then we also had call-ups for 7 more, (making 49 in total), and that is a record I think. I don't really understand why they are not all called up together. 

[Bedese]

On 19/06/2017 at 08:08, Golan said:

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have already read the fm17 version of the San Marino challenge by jupjamie, do you think it would still be interesting to read his fm16?

 

I'd say so  

[Jimbokav1971]

On 2017-6-23 at 01:11, Jimbokav1971 said:

Goal-scoring GK watch. Jul 2044.

We've just re-signed (24b) Ben Óli (Amb) 26 * on a free transfer after he was released by Nice in France after 6 seasons as their 1st choice GK. 

(24b) Ben Óli (Amb) 26 * has actually scored 60 goals in 361 appearances so I am immediately naming him (24b) Ben Óli (Amb) 60 *. While there was a certain amount of sentimentality in me re-signing him, the other consideration was that he is no longer in the (ISL) National squad. That will strengthen us during INT call-ups and I am of course keen to encourage him to take up a non-playing role after retirement.

I know a lot of you look at the way I play and think, (even if you are often too polite to write it), "why the bloomin hell has he got so many players?" Well this next graphic sort of proves my thinking, even if it always isn't quite this severe in all positions. 

I have 8 GK's contracted to the club and 2 of them are out on loan, (leaving 6 to select from). 

(39b) Vaz (POR) (F.Pro) * 13 may only be 21 years old, but he is now a regular in the (POR) Senior squad and although he hasn't made his debit, has been sat on the bench for the last 8 games. The 1st choice (POR) GK is 27 years old and the other GK in the squad is also 21 years old, so I would expect him to be in the (POR) Senior squad basically for the rest of his career. He's going to miss a LOT of games as a result. 

(35b) Rafn Andri (Pro) 27 is now 25 but has already amassed 43 Senior (ISL) Caps and again is unlikely to be usurped in the (ISL) Squad unless we can produce 3 GK's better than him, (which seems unlikely as we are probably not due another good GK for a few years now). 

(41j) Þór Þorbjarnar (F.Pro) is 19 years old and has come in and done a job for us in the past, but I don't see him quite up to the job if we want to set records for going undefeated and not conceding goals. He scored a free-kick this season in the Premier League, (but it was frustratingly lost after a crash), although he made that up with a goal in the U19's Cup Final, (again a free-kick). I may need to keep him as (24b) Ben Óli (Amb) 60 * is 36 now and I'm not sure how long he will continue playing for as he is just a stand-in during Internationals now. 

(42f) Jónas Sigurð (F.Pro) is only 18 years old and has only made 1 appearance for us, (conceding 2 goals). He's in the U19 (ISL) squad at the moment, but I expect him to progress to the U21 (ISL) squad, so expect him to be on regular International duty for 4 more years. I will probably look to sell/release him after he is no longer of benefit to (ISL) U21's, (if not before), because I'm not sure I like him too much. 

(43i) Davíðsson (L.Det) is only 17 and by far the poorest of the bunch. While I would play the other 2 youngsters without too much worry in the absence of a senior player, I would be having kittens if I had to play this bloke. He's really not up to scratch and I don't think he ever will be. That being said, it's likely that this bloke will still be called up to U19/U21 squads before too long so even he won't be available and I will have to rely on whoever the next GK is who comes through.

(24b) Ben Óli (Amb) 60 * is 36 years old, and although he hasn't retired from International football, is unlikely to get called up because we have a few good GK's knocking about now, (that we have produced of course). It's perfect to have him at the club and come in for these games. 

I'm obviously keen on re-signing players towards the end of their careers, (especially those who have moved on to big clubs abroad), with a view to encouraging them to take up a non-playing role after their retirement. Filling this "International" gap has also started to become more prominent in my thinking. To that end I'm already aware that (24b) Ben Óli (Amb) 60 * is 36 and I have to find the next one for when he retires.

(31e) Orri Hansson (F.Pro) only ever played 1 game for us and is certainly not a player I would consider a favourite, but he is certainly a player who I would ask to return to provide this sort of cover. He will probably be willing to too as he only actually spent a total of 3 and a but seasons at the club as a youngster before I loaned him out regularly and then flogged him to Spain for £40,000 in 2039. 

(32c) Joe (USA) (F.Pro) * 27 certainly is a favourite and I would much prefer to have him back.

Even (36b) Pétur (F.Pro) 1 might be worth bringing back if the 1st 2 aren't interested. Not sure I would bother with any of the others though. 

This isn't just an issue with GK's though.

Left-back is even more problematic at the moment where I have 6 players in International squads, (basically 2 each in the Senior, U21 and U19 squads), and then 3 more out on loan. It means that for this next game, we are down to our 10th choice left back, and he has a club with a loan bid in for him right now too. I might be down to the 11th best by the time we get to the game in 4 days. 

Right-back isn't a problem because we have 3 players who rotate and only 2 of them ever get called up to the senior (ISL) squad at the same time, so I just play the one who is left and he's plenty good enough whoever it is. 

Centre-Half is quite simply an absolute disaster. We have 13 DC's on International duty right now. 3 in the Senior (ISL) squad, 4 in the U21 (ISL) squad, 2 more in the (SWE) U21 squad and then we have players in both the (ISL) U19's and (ISL) U20's squad. (What exactly is the U20 squad? Is it just for the U20 World Cup?) Add to that that we have 5 more out on loan and I think I will be starting our 10th and 16th best centre-backs in the next league game, and I think I have mentioned before that they both have the same name, obviously play in the same position and I think that the only reason that the rubbish one is still here is because for a long time I thought they were both the same player and the rubbish one was better than he actually is. (30c) Kristóf Skúl (M.Pro) and (35i) Kristófer Skúli (M.Pro) take a bow. 

Centre-mid makes none too pleasant viewing either. We have 9 away on International duty, 5 of them in a senior squad. 

(28a) Magnús (Pro) (2028) * is only 32 but has retired from International duty after collecting 56 Caps. 

(31a) Berg (M.Pro) (2031) has somehow never been capped, (which is astounding! ), as he is still better even now than some of the younger players the (ISL) Manager has called up. Anyway, I'm not complaining because these 2 are plenty good enough. Without them I would have to go down to.... 13th and 16th best centre-mids. 

Attacking mid-centre is a key position for us as I think I have mentioned before but again we are struggling in this area with our best 6 players available. The best available player is actually 26 year old (34f) Theódór (M.Pro) who is the 16th best centre-mid mentioned above. Unfortunately that does NOT mean that he is a lot better AMC than he is a MC. 

Left wing, (which has recently converted to a wide advanced playmaker in recent seasons), is not great, but for different reasons. We just haven't produced many decent wide players at all in the save and that was the reason why until recently there was a product of another Academy in the senior (ISL) squad. We have since usurped him, but it was largely due to his physical failings, (old age), rather than any great ability from our players. Strangely, we also have loads of foreigners who can play AML. A Belgian, 4 Danes and 2 Chinese to be precise. Obviously this increases the chances of all these players being called up for International duty. The (ISL) has sought to get around this by playing a diamond formation, (which was obviously why he left out our AMR wonderkid from the recent European Championships, and also probably why he didn't get out of the group stage. He would be better of playing a "righty" there, or a striker or an AMC or even a 2nd left back. He's an idiot!

Right wing is a huge area of strength compared to the left, but obviously this means that they are more likely to be on International duty. As "luck" would have it, I have re-signed 34 year old (26b) Páll Stefán (F.Pro) *, (who already has a staff profile), and although he has not retired from International football, is unlikely to add to his 75 (ISL) Caps. (That reminds me. I must set him as a playmaker rather than a winger when he plays). 

Up front we have 9 of our 10 best strikers unavailable through either International call-ups or loans. Part of me thinks that "it's fine, I'll just play the best kid who can't get into the whatever age group", but it's really not that easy. We only play 1 up front so that makes things easier, and I have 26 year old (34d) Eiður (M.Pro) who earned the most recent of his 3 Senior (ISL) Caps in 2042/43 while on loan at Coruna in Spain, but I have just agreed to flog him to Belgium and I think he will likely be gone before the next game. With him also likely absent that brings us down to the 12th best striker, (a 17 year old who can't even get into the (ISL) U19 squad), and has never even managed a game for our club U19 side!) and our 13th best striker, (a 20 year old who has only ever made 1 sub appearance for us, obviously not scoring in the process). I've got a couple of really useless Model Pro tutors after that, but basically we are really struggling up front. If I didn't consider it a form of cheating, (yes it's cheating about as much as having my GK's score), then I would play strikerless, but I do so I'm not! 

Not quite up to our usual standards I think you would agree.   

 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

4 players made their debuts in that last game while everyone was away. Needless to say, we lost, (1-0).

[Jimbokav1971]

On 2017-5-30 at 21:21, Jimbokav1971 said:

"Kriss" (41a) Eirík (F.Pro) (2041).

His lack of pace, (and acceleration), is going to be a little issue for me and I am going to have to get it to a level so it's not a weight around his neck. Longer term though I think I'm going to have to look to use him in a slightly different way. I know it suggests that he is ideally suited to an Advanced Forward role, but I'm not so sure that a slow Advanced Forward is something that would work well, (and even assuming I can get him to 10+ pace and acceleration, I would still class that as slow). The Plays One-Two's is an interesting PPM, but as he is only 5'5" and slow to boot, I'm worried that his physical deficiencies will be just too much to cope with. Still, as this save is all about player development it would be remiss of me to try not to eke the absolute most out of him.

I'm not very au fait with some of the more withdrawn forward roles, but the lack of physique and the interesting PPM suggests that there might be some value in having (41a) Eirík (F.Pro) (2041) attack from deeper. The problem there however is that his first touch, technique and passing are not up to a playmaker role and I'm not really sure where he might fit in. 

• A Deep Lying Forward doesn't seem to play to his strengths. 
• He hasn't got the legs to be a poacher. 
• I don't like him at all as a Defensive Forward so I'm not even considering that. 
• Playing him as a Treq is interesting. It's very interesting and is something that could teach me something new about the game because I very little about that role. 
• I don't see him as a False 9. I think there is too much of a playmaker role in that and it's just not him. 
• Shadow Striker is something that I'm curious about, (even though it's even more withdrawn). The suggestion is that this role works best in conjunction with a Deep Lying Forward, and again that's something new to me so it might indeed be something that I look at in a new tactic.
• Oh! I didn't realise that you could be a Treq in the SC slot and also a Treq in the AMC slot. That's given me some food for thought.... I think I'm leaning more towards a Treq role in the SC slot rather than the AMC slot. 
• I don't think any of the other roles are even worth of consideration. 

Feel free to comment on the above by the way. While I might be decent at some aspects of this game, tactical innovation outside my established set-up is not one of my strengths. 

 

I've been working hard at this bloke but was waiting until he was either the finished article or something significant happened to warrant further comment/discussion.

Well he has just been Capped by (ISL) aged 19, (managed by the AI remember), so that's the trigger for a mini-update. 

I've already tutored him enough that I think he will auto-pop to (M.Pro) when he hits 23.

I've added a "shoots with power" PPM.

He is currently attempting to learn the "dribbles more often, (or whatever it is called). PPM.

2041. He didn't get any games in the first part-season simply because he physically wasn't up to it. There is just no point when the player lacks physicality. They can do ok if they lack technique or mental strength, but they just can't cope without the physical ability.

2042.

2043. Je really wasn't great this season and I was starting to have doubts that he would ever really make it to the required level, (which might have been a contributing factor in the loan that didn't happen next season which you are about to see). 

2043/44. I can't remember if this was a change of heart in terms of him being loaned out, or I had just set accept all loan offers in error. Either eway, it was cancelled as soon as it went through and he was never really there. 

2044. This season has been great and we still have 6 Champions League Group stages to play, along with 3 more league games. He will probably start some of the league games so that (36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * is fresh for Europe. I've been pleased. Not just with his goal-scoring, (which has been ok), but also with his all-round game which has been excellent, topped off nicely by his 1st cap, (hence this post).  

[Edit]

I think I've done significantly better with him than I was expecting. He's not yet finished his 3rd full season, is still a teenager and looks pretty decent, (even if I do say so myself). Of course he could be quicker, and his octagon says he is weaker mentally than I would like, (although I don't see it when looking at his attributes), but then again that's what the octagon is for isn't it?

Much as I certainly screwed some good players up in the past, (I think it was my Partizan save where I had a bit of a mare on occasion), I'm happy with how this is going at this stage.

Edited June 24, 2017 by Jimbokav1971