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

[Jimbokav1971]

49 players called up for International Duty. Aug 2045.

I can't remember what the current record for players called up for International duty is, but I think 49 is a new record. 

Iceland U19's. 6 players.
Iceland U20's. 5 players.
Iceland U21's. 11 players. 
Iceland. 17 players. 

Belgium U21's. 1 player. 

Brazil U20's. 1 player.

China. 1 player. 

San Marino. 2 players. 

Portugal. 1 player.

Sweden U21's. 2 players.
Sweden. 2 players.  

There are quite a few players who have played at Senior International level in the past and are no longer being called up. 

(26d) Adam Sigurðar (Res) * is a 35yo MC with 122 (ISL) Caps and 7 (ISL) goals. 
(30b) Egill Gunn (Pro) * is a 31yo DC with 88 (ISL) Caps and 6 (ISL) goals.
(26b) Páll Stefán (F.Pro) * is a 35yo AMR with 75 (ISL) Caps and 8 (ISL) goals. 
(28a) Magnús (Pro) (2028) * is a 33yo MC with 56 (ISL) Caps.
(32b) Veigar Páll (Res) is a 29yo MC with 53 (ISL) Caps and 1 (ISL) goal. 
(24b) Ben Óli (Amb) 60 * is a 37o GK with 18 (ISL) Caps. (Yes, the 60 indicates that he scored 60 career goals for is in his 1st stint at the club).
(33a) Björn Berg M.Pro (2033)* is a 28yo DR with 9 (ISL) Caps.
(36i) Jón Reyr (M.Pro) is a 25yo MC on loan at Rapid Vienna with 8 Caps.
(39c) Arnór Halldór (M.Pro) is a 22yo DL with 5 (ISL) Caps.
(35f) Eiríkur (F.Pro) is a 26yo DR with 4 (ISL) Caps.
(40h) Emil Schram (Res) is a 21yo MC with 2 (ISL) Caps.
(38e) Orri Sveinn (Pro) is a 24yo AML with 2 (ISL) Caps.
(38b) Gunnar Gís (M.Pro) is a 23yo on loan at Hertha Berlin with 2 (ISL) Caps.. 
(37a) Reynir (M.Pro) (2037) * is a 24yo SC on loan at Austria Vienna with 1 (ISL) Cap. 
(30c) Kristóf Skúl (M.Pro) is a 31yo DC with 1 (ISL) Cap.

The above players have all received at least 1 Senior (ISL) Cap and are not currently in an (ISL) squad of any sort, (some of them are still eligible for (ISL) aged group selection. Most of these players are still in contention for selection and especially looking at the top 7 players on the list, the reason for them not being called up us less to do with their ability and more to do with my rotation policy. 

Edited August 1, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

The more things change, the more they remain the same. Aug 2045.

That's his 7th of the season and there are 2 other GK's who have scored goals this season bringing the tally of GK goals this season to 9.

 

Edited August 1, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

I've just re-signed this bloke on a free. Jan 2046.

Although he doesn't have a staff profile yet, there was an option to send him on a coaching course, which the board turned down because they said he wasn't interested, so I immediately suggested via private conversation with him that I thought he might make a good coach once he retires. We will see how that develops. 

He's had a more than decent career already. 

He started with us and scored 22 league goals in 24(4) league appearances but actually a total of 41 total goals in 51(11) appearances.

He then moved to Spurs for £6.5M in 2031.

He was never the main man at Spurs but you also have to remember that this league wasn't active.

He scored 1 league goal in 7 league games while on loan at Ajax, and this included just 1 goal in a total of 13 appearances.

He scored 54 league goals in 51(81) league appearances and a total of 70 goals in 67(130) appearances, (so a lot of time sitting on the bench).

I tried to get him back when he left Spurs, but he just wanted too much cash so instead he went to Al-Shabab in UAE for £1.5M, (where wages are obviously not a problem).

He scored 52 league goals in 60(8) league appearances at Al-Shabab, and scored a total of 67 goals in 80(8) appearances. 

At International level he has scored 46 goals for the Senior Icelandic side in 88(28) appearances, (which I have checked and double-checked and even triple-checked as accurate), but this makes 116 appearances and he only has 108 Caps so there is something wrong somewhere here. 

He also scored 16 U21 goals in 14 U21 appearances.

The All Time (ISL) top scorer is actually someone else, (Kjartan Kristinsson), who scored 58 International goals for Iceland. 

(36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * currently has 38 goals from 67 International appearances at the age of 26, but the (ISL) National Team is being poorly managed at the moment, although he should break the record even without me taking over. 

[Jimbokav1971]

A BIG(ish) Trophy? May 2046.

I'm personally a big fan of this trophy, especially in a save like this where you have to produce your own youngsters and can't buy them in from elsewhere to cover inadequacies in the squad. 

Unfortunately, it doesn't even get a mention. 

Maybe there is an U19 honours board that I haven't found. 

[Jimbokav1971]

A hat-trick of penalties, (awarded). July 2046.

(39b) Vaz (POR) (Pro) * 19 scored his 18th &19th career goals, but his 25th minute missed penalty, (saved penalty to be more precise), meant that he missed out on a hat-trick of penalties, (also known as a Josh Wright). 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Day 2046.

I've hardly played in a week despite getting to Youth Day last weekend. I really just don't have time for FM when the weather is like this.

The initial page of the intake looks interesting in that we have no less than 5 players coming through from feeder affiliation clubs. That might sound great, especially when you consider that some of our best players have been Swedish, but when you delve deeper and find that 2 of the 5 are Cypriot, and the Swede looks particularly poor..... well things don't look quite so great. That being said, I do love a different Nationality in the Youth Intake. 

This page doesn't exactly fill me with optimism either. (Note the 3 foreigners near the bottom of the pile ranked by PA). The Dane looks good though and if the Cypriot striker is as good as this suggests then he could be a significant player for the National Team.

"Kriss" (46a) Guð Kaldal (F.Pro)(2046).

This is the bloke that sits atop the pile, (ranked by PA), and while he is going to be decent and doesn't look awful, I am struck, (after being away from the game for another week), that we are in 2046 and this is still the best we can produce???? It's a little bit meh! if you ask me, but then again, if I wanted to be producing Superstars, then maybe I shouldn't be managing in Iceland. I actually think he will be very good, but what he won't be is a Ballon d'or winner and as the save starts to come to a close, (not finished yet but FM18 is looming large on the horizon), we don't have too many intakes between us and the first of FM18. I really hoped that we would have managed to produce 1 youngster who was a bit special, but alas it would seem this was not to be. 

That being said, if I was to pick my own player to watch, then it would probably be this bloke. 

(46c) Anton Ingi (Pro).

The attribute balance looks good and I think I am more likely to be able to get more from this player than the actual "Kriss" from this season's intake. Concentration is an issue at the moment, but it's early days yet. The nuts and bolts of his make-up seem to be pretty good with that 1 exception, and that's obviously an area I will look to work on, (after stamina).

If I look at the whole club, (ranked by PA), then this is what I get. 

The more observant among you will notice the Trn indicator beside the 2nd player on the list. (40a) Knútur (Pro) (2040) * is leaving on a free when his contract expires at the end of November 2046, (so his time with us is nearly at an end). I did get him to sign a contract extension, but I have had a few game crashes and when I re-loaded it just didn't happen which is a bit gutting. That being said, we do have another good AMR, (who has 4 more years on his contract), so it's not the complete disaster it might have been

(45a) Hafþór (M.Pro) stands out at the top as the only player at the club with 5.0 PA, (which is actually pretty realistic as we now have some pretty good players for an Icelandic club. He was the best player from last years intake, (jeez that seems a long time ago now), and he has made 7 appearances in that time, (including scoring his 1st goal and making his U21 debut). I don't know if there is enough time yet to get him to his potential, but I'm obviously going to try. A 17 yearb old Icelandic player home-produced in Iceland and valued at £675,000 is pretty decent isn't it? (I think so). 

If I look at the club as a whole, (ranked by CA), then this is what I get. 

That's a decent amount of top-end quality, (especially for a save like this), but you might notice the fact that we have 3 foreign Nationals in the top 5 players, (ranked by CA), although (39b) Vaz (POR) (Pro) * 20 has expressed an interest in appearing for Iceland. He has been called up by the Senior National Portugese side on no less than 20 occasions, but the 23yo has still not made his debut. I would love him to play for Iceland now even though it will mean that he and (35b) Rafn Andri (Pro) 36 probably share the gloves. 

(36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * is the best player  have ever produced. Better than a goal a game in domestic football, (where I often play a weakened side), but also 38 goals in 67 International appearances for Iceland, (managed by the AI remember), is not to be sniffed at. Would he be World-class if he was playing in a big league? I'm not sure. I think he still falls a little short. I think he's close, but I think he's not proper "top end". I recently extended his contact until October 2049, (with the obligatory option of 3 more years in there too), so I think he will still be here when I call it a day. A youth product of an Icelandic club valued at £6.25M while still playing in Iceland..... That's decent isn't it?  

 

[BoxToBox]

Twenty call ups without a single minute played, at what point do you tell them to get bent?

[Jimbokav1971]

It's all getting a tad feisty in Iceland. Sep 2046.

7 sending offs in 5 games on the same day. (2 of them products of our Youth Academy).

[Toffle]

Hi Jim!

I haven't had time to catch up on your thread until now.. I'm glad you kept going for that long!

If you have some questions regarding your next challenge in France I would be glad to help

[Jimbokav1971]

On 04/09/2017 at 10:41, Toffle said:

Hi Jim!

I haven't had time to catch up on your thread until now.. I'm glad you kept going for that long!

If you have some questions regarding your next challenge in France I would be glad to help

I'm still half-heartedly plodding along when I get the chance. I'm just not getting much of a chance at the moment. 

I've actually had a change of heart with regards to FM18. I don't think I have managed the club I support since....... I'm really not sure. I think it was the CM days rather than FM anyway, so..... I think I am going to play FM18 as a Youth Only save managing the club I support in real life. We have quite a batch of youngsters at the moment and there is certainly a focus on Youth, so I think a Youth Only save will be really interesting. 

I'm still keen on doing a France save one day, just keener to do this one.

[Pompeyboyz]

On 04/08/2017 at 16:15, Jimbokav1971 said:

 

At International level he has scored 46 goals for the Senior Icelandic side in 88(28) appearances, (which I have checked and double-checked and even triple-checked as accurate), but this makes 116 appearances and he only has 108 Caps so there is something wrong somewhere here. 

 

Might have an answer for this mystery.

I believe there is a FIFA rule that states if more than a set number of substitutions are made during a "Friendly" match, then the match is not counted as an "official" ratified international and caps do not count
 

Not sure if that is implemented in FM though

[Golan]

On 9/8/2017 at 15:52, Jimbokav1971 said:

I'm still half-heartedly plodding along when I get the chance. I'm just not getting much of a chance at the moment. 

I've actually had a change of heart with regards to FM18. I don't think I have managed the club I support since....... I'm really not sure. I think it was the CM days rather than FM anyway, so..... I think I am going to play FM18 as a Youth Only save managing the club I support in real life. We have quite a batch of youngsters at the moment and there is certainly a focus on Youth, so I think a Youth Only save will be really interesting. 

I'm still keen on doing a France save one day, just keener to do this one.

Which is the club you support? Interested in your fm18 save if you are leaving this one

[Jimbokav1971]

On 19/09/2017 at 15:50, Golan said:

Which is the club you support? Interested in your fm18 save if you are leaving this one

I'm a Barnet FC fan. They play in League 2 in England. 

[Jimbokav1971]

New(ish) signing. Dec 2046.

He was signed on a free, but then I went and paid £120,000 to sign him immediately. 

As well as us, (previously obviously), he has also played for Arsenal, Zenit St. Petersburg, Fiorentina, Dortmund, Mainz and Celtic. 

He's not amazing, but he's had a good career and I wonder why he hasn't received more International call-ups? 

He should have well over 100 Caps by now. 

[The_Gato_In_Goal]

He's surprisingly good for a 35 year old, also glad to see this back

[Jimbokav1971]

2 minutes ago, The_Gato_In_Goal said:

He's surprisingly good for a 35 year old, also glad to see this back

There was a new addition this season which meant that players who played a lot of senior games early in their career might take a hit in terms of physical decline in later years.

(27d) Snær Jakob (F.Pro) * might be benefiting now from playing fewer games earlier in his career. Having said that, as always, just looking at league games doesn't always tell the full story in Iceland. Although he only played 5(1), 8(4), 5(1), and 7(1)n league games for us 1st time around, when you add in Cup games and European games, then the figures rise to 8(2), 16(10), 18(6) & 19(9). Either way, yes, he is in remarkably decent nick for a winger. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Knockout stages of the Champions League? (Or Thursday nights instead). Dec 2046.

I've been away from the save for a while so I'm not entirely sure, but I have a feeling that we might not have got out of the Group Stages of the Champions League before. (I will go back and check in a minute).

We were in a Group with Chelsea (tough), Leverkusen (tough), and CSKA Moscow, (not so tough). 3rd place and Thursday nights should be a done deal, but have we progressed enough to play with the big boys in Europe after the New Year?

Well the answer unfortunately is no, (but it was damn close). 

Unbeaten at home, and only losing once away, we were unlucky in some ways not to qualify. Our problem was that we didn't score enough goals and that is largely because our talismanic striker (36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * missed both games against Chelsea, (which both ended 0-0). With him on the pitch I have no doubt we would have done enough to win one of those games, and that would have been enough to see us progress at their expense. (So near but yet so far). Still, we got the the Semi's of the Thursday night Abomination, so who's to say that we might not have another run this time around! 

*It would seem that Juve beat us in the 1st Knockout Round of the Champions League in 2041 (4-5 on aggregate), and Man Utd beat us 4-10 on aggregate in 2039, but that's as far as we have got, (although we got as far as the Semi-Final of the Europa League in 2045, (where Spurs smashed us 1-6 on aggregate). 

[Jimbokav1971]

A significant retiree. Dec 2046.

(27e) Rób Örn Pál (Pro) * was one of the best players we have ever produced, but frustratingly he left the club quite early and although he spent a long time at Spurs, he never managed to become a 1st choice striker.

He re-joined for a 2nd spell at the club in his twilight years, but it was borne more out of sentimentality than appreciation for his now waning skills, and he rarely featured and never scored. After 108 Caps and 46 goals I expected him to be Iceland's top goal-scorer at International level, but actually that record is held by someone else, (not one of ours), with 58. As (36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * has 41 goals from 73 Caps at the age of 27, I think he certainly has a chance to overhaul the existing record. He probably just needs to stay fit. 

(27e) Rób Örn Pál (Pro) * is staying in the game, but rather than a coach or an Ass Man, he has opted, (surprisingly), to become a HoYD. I have tried and failed to get him on-board as a coach, so I will just have to see how he gets on from afar. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Upper League Cup success. (Again). Apr 2047.

I haven't really been reporting on this competitions because it's really just a bunch of pre-season friendlies grouped together to make a min-league and then some of the fitter/better teams continue into a Cup section before we are given the trophy again. Anyway, so although we won it again, I'm not sure we have won it in quite this manner before. 

So we have won it loads of timed before, (this makes it 22 and 8 in a row now), but the real thing of interest here is a new tactic and new style that we have adopted, (or are still adapting is probably more accurate). We didn't concede a single goal in the 10 games this term, (I've just checked and we have never done that before), but even bigger than that we are hardly even given the opposition any chances never mind about any goals. In those 10 games we conceded just 4 shots on target. 

Now it hasn't all been plain sailing. 2 of the shots against on target were conceded to Fram in the 2nd game, and we drew against both Fram and Haukar before some fine-tuning saw us better at the back and importantly better going forward too. It's still a work in progress though as we had to go to Extra-Time in both the Semi and the Final, (but if we aren't conceding then that's fine right?)

I'm still being rather conservative with the wing-backs, (well let's be honest, the players being asked to play there are bery much still defenders first and foremost, but I have 3 decent wingers who I think I might unleash on someone from the wingback slot before too long and I really need to ask more of them than what is currently being asked, (not very much is what's being asked so far).

I've already gone from a central player sitting in front of the back 3/5 to a flat 3 in the middle and now I've got a 2 in the middle with an AP(s) ahead of them, The midfield and striker options are still being tweaked and the wingbacks too, (but it's a decent start).

[Jimbokav1971]

Champions League retained, (well, the U19 version at least). Apr 2047.

It seems a long long long long time again, (it was a long time ago in real life I think), but we won the U19 Champions League in 2046 for the 1st time, (still using the IR button), but we have just retained it, (much to mu surprise). 

The above 1st set of results was played ages ago and with my old tactic. Any win against Chelsea is a good one and the 2-0 win away in Moscow was memorable because our GK scored both our goals in a 2-0 win.

The new tactic, (I ask the Youth Team to play the same tactic that the Senior squad use), came in to play just before the Real Madrid game. PSH missed a penalty and we sneaked past both them and Sporting on penalties. We are nowhere near as good this season as we were last year at this level and as much as I was delighted to win it the first time round, I am astonished to have won it again. 

It's hard to remember everything that has happened in this save, but it would appear that before winning the U19 Champions League last season for the 1st time, we were actually beaten in the final by Borussia Monchengladbach in 2044.

One more win and we get to keep the trophy. Right? 

[Jimbokav1971]

Goal-scoring GK watch. Jun 2047. 

My GK (39b) Vaz (POR) (Pro) * 24 has just scored in 4 consecutive games. Believe it or not e actually also missed penalties in 2 of these games. 6 goals in 4 games is a bit much even for one of my GK's. Unfortunately he conceded a goal in the 4th game in that sequence so was dropped and we drew the next game 0-0. It's a sad state of affairs when you need your GK to get you goals. 

Edited September 27, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Day 2047. 

No 5.0 players is not exactly a surprise, but I have been doing this long enough now to take these initial ratings with a big bag-full of salt. (Not to say that I don't instantly get excited when I see a 5.0 player of course). 

We have a couple of foreigners, (which I love), including what I think is our 1st Japanese National from a relatively new (JPN) feeder called Okayama FC. 

In terms of the positions at the top of the list, (don't forget that we could have some potential stars hiding further down), I quite like the fact that most of the players high up on the list are central based. We have just this season decide to go to 3 at the back with wing-backs providing our width, so wingers are going to have to be re-trained to play up front, in the hole, or at wing-back. Central midfield is probably our weakest area at the moment and I am often wheeling out some golden oldies in some of our lesser games in this area. The big striker at 6'7" obviously stands out, (in more than 1 way), and as I already have 2 of these with varying ability, editing the role one of the strikers when they are on the pitch seems to offer us a slightly different dynamic within the tactic, (but more about that in another post I think). 

There is quite a lot of Professionalism running through the intake, (as you would expect), but even just looking at the named personalities doesn't tell you the full story, (although 3 Pro's and 5 F.Pro's is obviously brilliant on it's own). Remember that you can't be a M.Pro until you are 23 years old now.

The Det levels are probably better than reasonable if not spectacular, and the workrate levels and if anything slightly better. 

"Kriss" (47a) Halldór (F.Pro) (2047).

Without going too much into the new tactical set-up, (I'm not tactical mastermind so it's really not worth going into too much depth), I like an AP in a side and it's currently an AP(s) although I'm less happy with how it is working with 3 at the back than I was previously, (where wide attackers would create more central space for the AP to exploit). 

I'm also playing with a 2nd playmaker at the moment and not really sure how this is working. I like the positions he seems to be taking up when I have had a look, (not often), and the position fits in with my defensive style and the fact that I want to break from back to front quicker rather than building slowly. 

With 2 central playmakers in the side I obviously need something a little more conservative with them and at the moment that's a CM(s). Again, I'm not 100% convinced about the fit, but it's not an abomination defensively and that's a decent starting point for me. I would rather go from stable to something better, than fiddle about with something where the goals are flying in at both ends, (but more about our defensive prowess in a later post).

 

The thing about (47a) Halldór (F.Pro) (2047) is that that he is very much a DM rather than a MC, and I don't want/need a DM with 3 at the back, (that is probably more 5 than 3 if I'm honest). He's not at all an AP(s) and is probably more a CM(s) than a DLP(s), but I actually like more defensive players in the right hand role and then I look at his PPM and it seems to fit quite well. If I could improve his passing, (please let's just ignore his lack of vision for a moment), then maybe he could be a real force in that deeper role? 

Anyway, it's still the 1st season with this tactic so it is very much early days even though the save is nearing it's forced end. I will just have to see how it evolves. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Domestic Season update. Oct 2047.

We completed a clean sweep quadruple of domestic trophies. We should be doing this more regularly, but far to often we see ourselves lose one of the domestic Cups. 

League Fixtures.

My plan was to see if I could set a new record for least goals conceded in a league season, and in the back of my mind I was wondering if it was possible to go a whole season without conceding at all. Although we only conceded 1 goal in the opening 10 games, our defensive form seemed to trail of later in the season. The 1st 2 goals we conceded were both penalties, which meant that we only conceded 5 goals from open play. While we remained unbeaten domestically in all competitions, we still didn't even equal our own best defensive record. 

In 2030, we conceded just 6 goals in a League campaign, and this is the standard that remains to be beaten. 

This season, despite not losing, we won fewer games, drew more games, scored fewer goals and conceded more goals, with a significantly poorer goal difference as a result. I can't remember back to what I was doing in 2030, but I would suggest that the rest of Iceland was still pretty poor and we had taken a bit of a head-start over everyone else. This is now no longer the case. 

Having said that, I still think that not conceding in a league season is a possibility, I'm just not sure that it's a possibility while also trying, (and failing probably), to progress in the Champions League.
 

Champions Cup (aka Charity Shield). 

Upper League Cup.

Icelandic Cup.

Last season's European campaign.

We are still in Europe this year at this stage, but here is a re-cap of how we got on last season, (using the old tactic remember). 

We qualified easily enough for the Group Stages of the Champions League, (as you would expect), but (36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * missed a number of games and we struggled without him. Although we lost only 1 game, we needed more 3-point-hauls to get past either of Chelsea and Leverkusen and as a result missed out on qualification to the Knockout stages of the Champions League. 

Instead we dropped into the Knockout Stages of the Europa League and faced what was surely an easy tie against Dinamo Zagreb.......

Despite a goal in each leg from the now returned (36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * we somehow didn't win either leg and instead crashed out completely on penalties. If someone could explain how my GK did NOT take a penalty despite being my preferred penalty taker in every game, then I would be really appreciative. To rub additional salt into the already gaping wound, their GK obviously took a penalty, (their 2nd), and obviously scored. Answers on a postcard please to PenaltiesAreBroke@SITowers.com 

Summary. We didn't concede many goals, but I would like to concede even fewer, even if it impacts negatively on results, just to see if we can stop conceding domestically completely. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Tactical waffle. Oct 2047.

I'm a bit of a tactical caveman if I'm honest, (albeit not one that is attached to 442), so please don't anyone try to make too much sense out of my wafflings here, but please feel free to offer suggestions if you think I have got something wrong. 

In the past I have favoured 4 at the back 3 of some sort in the middle 2 out wide and one up front, (and with a GK makes 11). It has often morphed and re-morphed as each save progresses, but it has stayed largely within the above limitations. This last season I have thrown caution to the wind, (well actually I have done quite the opposite but let's not get too bogged down by that), and adopted a 3 at the back, wingbacks, and 2 up front formation. I like the 3 at the back, I like the wing-backs, albeit that I am still waiting for my players to become fully adapted to the role, and I like 2 up front. I like that we don't concede many goals, but I don't like that we now score fewer than we did previously. With the strikers I have, we should be absolutely obliterating teams, but for whatever reason we aren't. I've already had a tweak in central midfield to try and tighten things up further at the back, I don't feel I can unleash the wingbacks fully yet, so that leaves me with my striker and possibly an AP(s) in behind them that I can play with. 

This is what I'm thinking about at the moment. I like the AP(s), and I can't remember the last time I unleashed a P(a) on anyone, and (36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * is a beast who is scoring a goal every 2 games at International level, (managed by the AI), so he should be able to fill his boots domestically. He's more suited to the AF(a) role, (because that's the way I have developed him), but he has played all of this season as a DLF. I think the freedom of the CF(s) role might be just what we need to get the most out of him. 

[turnip]

9 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Despite a goal in each leg from the now returned (36a) Úlfar (M.Pro) (2036) * we somehow didn't win either leg and instead crashed out completely on penalties. If someone could explain how my GK did NOT take a penalty despite being my preferred penalty taker in every game, then I would be really appreciative. To rub additional salt into the already gaping wound, their GK obviously took a penalty, (their 2nd), and obviously scored. Answers on a postcard please to PenaltiesAreBroke@SITowers.com 

I was going to ask whether Dinamo had a player sent off, but I realise that's a different issue.

If you IR'd the game, I have a feeling that the game auto-generates a list of penalty-takers according to some very opaque criteria. If your GK doesn't meet those criteria, he'd be down the list.

 

Which isn't to say that penalties are utterly borked, but still.

[David Corperial]

Have finally caught up on this thread.

[Jimbokav1971]

On 03/10/2017 at 16:38, David Corperial said:

Have finally caught up on this thread.

Thanks. Hope you are enjoying. 

Still plodding along and about to start the 2048 season. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Concerned. May 2048. 

Despite the fact that we have already completed parts 1 and 2 of an expected quadruple, I am a little concerned with my tactical tweaking. 

Upper League Cup. 

It was the 1st competitive game of the season, so a little bit of rustiness is to be expected, but Vigingur.R also played the last 15 minutes of the game with 10 men and we still didn't score. I think this may have been down to a carry-over of last year and my infatuation with seeing if we could go a whole season without conceding, (we couldn't). We only conceded in the Final and sneaked it on penalties, so all in all the campaign looks pretty reasonable. Even though we won it without conceding last season, if we had won the opening game 2-0 or 3-0, then I wouldn't be worrying about winning the Qtr-final on pens after a 1-1 draw, or needing extra-time in the Semi. I guess we will just have to take it on the chin and call it a bad day at the office. 

 

Champions Cup, (aka Charity Shield).

This is a rubbish trophy. What I mean is that it really doesn't matter if we win it, but it's nice to win it all the same. We won on pens, but only after conceding from an attacking free-kick after my GK delivered poorly from a very wide position and we were countered. It turns out that I had actually set my GK's as corner takers and it was a corner set-up that was used rather than a free-kick one. 

 

First 2 Premier League games.

We were unbeaten in the league last season and now we have lost after just 2 games this season. That's not what I was expecting at all. The 1st goal was a shot that my GK should have turned round the post, but instead only managed to palm into the corner of the net. Although it was a god strike, it was a goal as a result of a mistake rather than good play. The 2nd was a direct free-kick where we opted to only have a 1-man wall and the taker simply stuck it in the corner away from the GK. I know that's down to how I set up, (I think), but we don't concede direct free-kicks often so not worth looking at yet again. Instead I need to say good goal. 

The reason for this post is the fact that we are conceding and I think we are conceding because I have adapted the tactic too quickly and now don't know what is working and what isn't working, and can't remember exactly what the tactic was like last season. I will have to pay attention this season, (not a strength at the moment), and see if I can fix it as we go. In the back of my mind I know that we crashed out of the Europa League poorly last season and we also conceded some goals towards the end of the domestic season when we seemed water-tight early on. 

Where as I only played full-backs at wing-back last season, I have at least thrown caution to the wind a little this season in that I am now also playing proper attacking wingers as wing-backs on occasion. Is this going to make us poorer defensively? Yes, of course it is, but once they are fully au fait with the position it should also make us better going forward. At the moment I'm not really seeing that. 

I don't really feel completely in control for the first time in this save. I have let the tactic get away from me and feel I need to completely start again. 

[Edit]

Meh. Played quite a good session last night watching games on extended highlights, (yes I know I said I wasn;t going to actually watch games but the lack of control in the tactic was killing me), and I thought things were moving in the right direction but had a crash and have to go back to just after the Champions Cup and just before the 1st Premier Division game. 

In one of the games I watched I saw my GK have 8 shots at goal, (all off target). 

Edited October 9, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

International call-ups. May 2048.

I wondered what was going on when I saw that only 20 players had been called up for INT duty, until that is I realised that it was for the European Championship squads. 

16 of the 30 man (ISL) squad are still at our club and 24 of the squad are products of our Academy, (which is significantly lower than recent years when we were down to just 2 players not produced by us). It could be that there are more players not produced by us because it's a bigger squad than normal, (and more will be culled), but either wait it was a surprise to see that many players in an ISL squad that we didn't produce. 

With 1 from (BEL), 2 from (SWE) and Keeper (39b) Vaz (POR) (Pro) * 28 has now been an unused sub for (POR) on 20 occasions and rising. He has dual Nationality citizenship now and I'm hoping he gets fed up and opts to play for Iceland, but that's not going to happen while he is still in the (POR) squad I think.

[Jimbokav1971]

Record bid received. Jul 2048.

Dortmund have just made a bid for our best centre-back (43b) Holmberg (M.Pro) *. It's £19.25M at the outset, possibly rising to £27M. Not a bad fee for a home-produced 21 year old. We're not selling though as he has 4 years left on his contract, with an option for 3 more after that. He's going nowhere anytime soon.

 

[kidthekid]

He's really really good

[Jimbokav1971]

7 hours ago, kidthekid said:

He's really really good

Marking and positioning could do with a boost. Hopefully that will happen over the next couple of years with the aid of some individual training. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2048 Youth Intake. 

It doesn't look a good intake in terms of depth, but the "Kriss" of the intake at least looks decent. 

Kriss. (48a) Smári (Bal) (2048) *.

The star system of rating players is really nothing more than an indication and it's dangerous to rely too much on it. This bloke has 4.5 PA so let's see what he actually looks like to start judging on whether he might be worth investing some time in....

Wow!  Ok. He looks brilliant. I don't mean pretty good, or not bad. I mean ******* brilliant! Typical. I have just 1 month left before FM18 comes out and I get a player through like this. 

[Jimbokav1971]

The National Team job. Sep 2048.

After 16 games undefeated, the old Manager retired and I didn't notice. He was replaced by a Manager called (23d) Aron Baldvin (M.Pro) who played 19 league games for me in 21 seasons after coming through 4th in the 2023 intake. He has since managed Fjolnir and IA, but after the start he had I added Mr Holiday Manager to the game, got him sacked and then resigned Mr Holiday Manager. 

We reached our peak about 4 years ago, but since then we have been under-achieving.

I don't have much time to do anything here, but let's give it a bash and see what happens anyway. 

I think I know some of these guys. 

[Edit]

 

Edited October 15, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Reggiana]

So at what point did the old manager retire? After the tournament?

[Jimbokav1971]

10 hours ago, Reggiana said:

So at what point did the old manager retire? After the tournament?

He retired after the England game and I didn't notice. 

[Toffle]

What an exciting regen Smari is! I hope you'll have enough time to develop him before FM18 gets released.

[Jimbokav1971]

International Update. Oct 2048.

Well we at least stopped the run of losses with a draw against Norway, but we then went and lost a tight game against the Serbs. I would have been happy with 2 draws to start with, but a draw and a loss, not so much. 

We are now out of the Top 50

We had dropped down as low as 62nd in 2046 and spent 3 months ranked 68th in 2043, and although we are still ahead of where we start in the game, we shouldn't really be outside the Top 50. Yes, it would seem that both Switzerland and Poland are also under-achieving, (let's ignore Scotland shall we), but any way you look at it, being ranked behind Burkina Faso and Lebanon, and just ahead of El Salvador and Cape Verde, is not where we want to be.  

[Jimbokav1971]

International Update. Nov 2048.

I rotated the squad for the Croatia friendly, but played our strongest team against Norway. A win would have seen us draw level with Norway and I would like to say that the rules mean that we would have finished above them or below them, but as we didn't win I haven't even bothered checking so who cares.

The result of course means relegation. In hindsight I should have waited until the previous bloke got them relegated and then took over, but FM18 is out in less than a week so it's largely irrelevant. 

As I mentioned we fielded a weakened team against Croatia. 

Poland and Scotland seem to be doing particularly poorly. Sweden & Switzerland also somehow ranked behind Burkina Faso, (as are we). 

[Jimbokav1971]

Facilities downgraded. Dec 2048.

It's ok though, they immediately agreed to upgrade them again.

I've still never had a stadium named after me in any FM, (complete and utter ********), and this is unlikely to change between now and Friday. 

I am the only other legend at the club though so surely it would have been only a matter of time, (Just need to play quicker or...... get a better laptop). 

We have a nice little kitty to spend on a new one too. 

Edited October 21, 2017 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Record bid received. Jan 2049. 

£22M rising to £31M from Bayern beats the previous high bid of £19.25M rising to £27M from Dortmund for the same player. 

With FM18 just round the corner, he's going nowhere. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Europa League. 1st Knockout Round. 1st Leg. 

When we drew Juve in the 1st Knockout round, (after romping the group), I assumed that this would be the end of my last full season in Europe, (I don't think I will get this far into the next season by the end of the week), however after scoring 2 away goals and drawing the 1st leg, we must have at least a sniff of getting a result at home. 

I know stats lie, but they do suggest that there is some reason for optimism. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Europa League. 1st Knockout Round. 2nd Leg. Feb 2049.

Well after the 1st Leg we obviously had a chance, but this is still a big surprise. Hopefully we will get an easier tie in the next round, but that's probably not the way my last season of FM17 will go. 

To be honest, we were worthy winners in the end and the margin of victory could and should have been greater. 

[Sheriff7]

True your team was the better,so now you beat Juve (easily) i dont think EL have many better teams from them with a little luck you can make it until the final..P.S I've just show it in an old post(1st August) you have (or had) 2 players from San Marino??

[Jimbokav1971]

Europa League. 2nd Knockout Round draw. Feb 2049.

I'm not sure who we should want here. Anderlecht possibly, but I have a feeling that they beat us comfortably the last time we played them. Braga possibly? We won 2-0 at home and lost 2-1 away the last time we were in a Group with AC Milan, (2043). Are we stronger than we were then? Yes, probably. 

We drew Gelsenkirchen, (who are actually Schalke). Not sure how I feel about that. (We have never played them). 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 minutes ago, Sheriff7 said:

True your team was the better,so now you beat Juve (easily) i dont think EL have many better teams from them with a little luck you can make it until the final..P.S I've just show it in an old post(1st August) you have (or had) 2 players from San Marino??

There are some good teams left in. The furthest we have got before is the Semi, and I think we will do well to get that far this time. 

Yes I have had a few players from San Marino. My Nationality is San Marino or Serbian when I play FM since I managed San Marino in FM14 and had a really enjoyable Partizan save in FM16.

None of the Sammarinese players are any good, although some have been capped. 

I've just realised that I have just 2 Sammarinese players left at the club. Frustratingly, they are both right backs. 

(43h) Nanni (SMR) (M.Pro) is 22 years old and has 34 Senior Caps.

(44p) Lorenzo (SMR) (F.Pro). is 20 and has 23 Senior Caps. 

I should have binned off the 2nd one and Nanni would now have 50+ Caps at the age of 22. 

I have a 23yo Chinese player with 59 Senior Caps. It's a shame that I will never see how many he will get.

[Jimbokav1971]

Europa Cup. 2nd Knockout Round. 1st Leg. Mar 2049.

I was hoping for more than this before the game. but a 1-1 or a 2-2 or better in the 2nd Leg sees us progress and that isn't a complete disaster. 

Schalke probably edged it if I'm honest and my only hope is that they will be more adventurous in the 2nd leg and it will open up opportunities for us at the other end. We've got what I would say is a reasonable chance to progress, but I certainly wouldn't say I'm confidant.

 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Europa Cup. 2nd Knockout Round. 2nd Leg. Mar 2049.

Well that's that then. 

3-0 sounds pretty convincing, but the stats suggest that we missed a decent opportunity to progress. They scored 2 direct free-kicks and we missed some good opportunities. 

Ah well. That's that then.