[FM13]'Let me start at the (IK) Start and then take it away...'

[withnail316]

5 hours ago, kidthekid said:

I hope you can make it to the Europa league. The prize money should help a lot.

It would, you're right, but I'm in two minds. If we get knocked out, we could go on and win the league, which I don't think we can do with extra European games. 

[withnail316]

UEFA Europa League 3rd qualifying round

1st Leg: IK Start 4-0 FC Vaduz
Another outstanding first leg in front of our own fans puts us on the brink of the play off round. Petter Saugestad was magnificent in the first half and grabbed a double by half time, and Ruben Karlsen thumped in a third just after the break. A wonderful Leon Sørensen header late on was the icing on the cake of a perfect team display. 

2nd Leg: FC Vaduz 0-2 IK Start
Saugestad continued his fine run of form by bagging his 15th of the season here (he's only started 16 games) to ease any nerves, and Leon Sørensen secured our progress with a rocket late on. We'll meet another Swiss club, the mighty FC Basel, in the play offs. 

[withnail316]

UEFA Europa League Play Offs

1st Leg: FC Basel 2-0 IK Start
Our European dream is hanging by a thread after this first leg performance. We fell behind after just 7 minutes, and after an hour we were down to 10 minutes, when full back Runar Ubbe picked up a second yellow. We couldn't hang on despite parking the bus, and a second goal 10 minutes from time puts the Swiss in a commanding lead. 

2nd Leg: IK Start 2-1 FC Basel
Eurgh, so close and yet so far in front of a capacity crowd. We should have been in front after three minutes, when Eirik Mills was sent tumbling inside the box, but Dan Roger Wildenvey missed from the spot. Petter Saugestad did have us in front after 22 minutes, rifling home from 15 yards after a scramble in the box. Dan Roger Wildenvey made up for his penalty miss after half an hour, smashing home to level the tie, and put us in control - or so I thought. We couldn't maintain our performance though, and a defensive slip-up after 65 minutes provided the Swiss with a chance to win the tie, which was duly taken. 

[withnail316]

August

I thought we'd have trouble maintaining our consistency in the league when the European games came around, and that's been the case. Defeat against Aalesund was disappointing, as was the draw against Brann, but with 10 games to go and no cup/European ties, we have a chance of overturning that four point gap. 

[deltablue]

Basel humbug! 

[withnail316]

September

Five games to go, and things are looking very interesting. We look guaranteed for European football next year, but in which competition is the question...

I expect Strømsgodset to catch us, they're unbeaten in 7 games and have won their last five, but it's looking like an interesting finale to the season. 

Another new arrival for the winter, this time for €275,000. I expect to get some stick from the fans as he comes in from rivals Viking, but he looks to be an excellent addition. 

[kidthekid]

Paulsen looks really solid. He's only 21 so I assume his anticipation would shoot up

[withnail316]

12 hours ago, kidthekid said:

Paulsen looks really solid. He's only 21 so I assume his anticipation would shoot up

He's an improvement on my back-up left back and he's homegrown, which was the basis of the deal, really. Hopefully he continues to improve with game time. 

[withnail316]

Youth intake

Not a great deal to write home about again. Hopefully the board will agree to my repeated requests for more investment in our youths soon. 

[withnail316]

October & November

CHAMPIONS! But what a final few weeks. 

Strømsgodset won their game in hand to move two points clear with five to play, then lost against Molde the same week as we beat Vålerenga with an 82nd minute winner. They went top again after our defeat to Odd, and looked to be staying there, but Anders Warholm's 90th minute winner against Viking while Strømsgodset lost at Sandefjord swung things our way again. On the final day the lead swung their way twice - they scored early on against Lillestrøm in a 5-0 win - but Eddie Wood's 44th minute header ultimately was enough to secure the title. 

[withnail316]

IK Start
2013 season summary

League (Tippeligaen)

Media prediction: 12th (out of 16)
Finished: 1st (champions)

Cups

Norwegian Cup: 4th round
Europa League: play-off round

Top scorers

Petter Saugestad: 17 goals in 32 games (10 in the league)

Positives

I can't quite believe we've managed to win the league in our first year back in the top flight. Rosenborg have completely fallen apart this season, but I expect them to come back with a vengeance next year. Defensively we've been magnificent, hence only conceding 19 goals in the league campaign, and the squad is really starting to come together. We also have a decent pot of money in the bank (nearly €3m) which should allow us to invest in the squad again for next year. All in all, lots to be happy about. 

Concerns

Nothing immediate, other than the board's reticence to invest in our youth facilities, youth coaching, and youth network. I want the club to start producing our own talent, so I hope this changes soon. 

Ambitions

I'm stunned we won the title this year, and while I'm not convinced we can win it again (especially if we manage to qualify for a European group stage and the extra games that come with it) I'll be targeting a top four finish and a deeper cup run next time. 

Player of the season

Manager's choice: A toss-up between Makhtar Sow and Petter Saugestad. Sow finished with 12 assists and six goals in his debut season, while Saugestad - who started the season as a back-up, managed 17 goals in just 23 starts. 

Fan;s choice: TBC

Attendances

Lowest attendance: 8,311 (v Sandnes Ulf in the cup)
Highest attendance: 14,300 - sell-out (v Basel & Viking)
Average attendance: 11,553 (11,291 in the league - 5th highest in the league)

Finances

€2.9m in credit

[withnail316]

Just thinking to myself, I loved the way we won the league, with momentum shifting back and forth, but I'm a little disappointed we did it in my first year in the top flight.

Still, I'm really enjoying the save.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Well done winning the league 

[withnail316]

1 hour ago, Dexter_Morgan said:

Well done winning the league 

Thanks DM. I normally end up on the wrong end of those tight races, and I'm not ashamed to admit I cheered the 90th minute winner against Viking!

[kidthekid]

Great job, curious to see how you fare in Europe

[withnail316]

SEVENTEEN players on frees... mental. 

[withnail316]

38 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

Great job, curious to see how you fare in Europe

Cheers, chief. Hoping we'll be better prepared this year for Europe. 

[withnail316]

January 1st, and the fans aren't happy. Not only have we signed Magnus Paulsen from rivals Viking, we've also signed one of his team mates. 

They were relegated via the play offs, which meant their best player, a Norwegian U21 international centre back, had his €450,000 release fee activated. They'll come around...

[deltablue]

Marvellous title winning season.

[withnail316]

4 hours ago, deltablue said:

Marvellous title winning season.

It was decent, wasn't it... hoping we can compete in multiple competitions next year. 

[withnail316]

IK Start
Tippeligaen 2014

Media expectation: 3rd (of 16)
Board expectation: qualify for the Europa League

Transfer budget (remaining): €650,000
Wage budget: €63,000p/w (€23,000p/w under budget)

Another active winter window, although as I write this, we're still at the end of January, so there is plenty of time for more changes yet. Once again we have an extremely generous budget to work with for the season ahead of us, and although I'm not anticipating spending any more on transfers, I think a couple of players are due a pay rise. The board are obviously expecting a great deal more from us than their "escape relegation" demands last year, but I think Europa League football is a more than reasonable expectation for the new campaign. However, once again they have denied my request for investment in our youth facilities, and those refusals are beginning to frustrate me. 

I've made a request for a feeder club this winter, as while our current relationship with second tier Vindbjart is useful, we could really do with a professional club to send our youth prospects to for increased coaching. I currently have five or six youngsters who need game time, but they aren't quite ready to play top flight football. I had recommended Bryne FK to the board, but they've turned semi-pro this winter after over-spending on their stadium. Hopefully the board can find an adequate replacement in the coming weeks. 

Speaking of replacements, I've had a January of retirements, so I have had to find a few myself. A goalkeeping coach and youth coach both decided it was time to quit, and three players decided to hang up their boots. Record-appearance holder Ole Ragnar Eriksen, who is two months off his 39th birthday, decided to call it a day after 225 league appearances for the club, and will instead take his place as a backroom member, as will goalkeeper Roope Holopainen, while Eirik Mills leaves the club and the game at the relatively tender age of 32. 

 

Transfers

I've been a little busier than planned over the course of the window, but that isn't a huge surprise these days! I'm delighted with some of the fees we've brought in, with one deal in particular standing out. That was for Danish defender Toni Heskjaer, who you may recall signed for just €10,000 last winter. After an excellent 12 months, he's on his travels again, this time to AIK in Sweden for a cool €1m + 50%. Also heading to Sweden was midfielder Ousmane Mendy and left back Kjetil Holm, both to Helsingborg, for €500,000 and €875,000 respectively. The only other player to leave for a fee was right back Thomas Barrera, who joins Bodø/Glimt for €75,000. 

We've reinvested around €1m of that back in the squad, but again I'm convinced we're stronger than we were last year, at least in terms of the overall strength of our squad. That should come in handy when the European games come around. I've also been able to keep our non-homegrown contingent down to five (remember we can have 9 out of 25) and one of those five will actually become homegrown this season, so there is plenty of room for later years. 

The big arrivals have been in defence (some of whom you've seen already):

Magnus Paulsen and Sverre Nevstad both come in from rivals Viking for €275,000 and €450,000 respectively. The fans are unhappy about both arrivals, but both could be important parts of our back four for years to come, and Nevstad was the highest rated defender in the league last year. Christian Svendby returns to the club from Tromsø after I sold him for €210,000 last year, as I believed Barrera was a capable option at right back, and Svendby's 'unambitious' personality put me off him a little. Barrera toiled however, while Svendby had a marvellous season. He comes back for €220,000 - although we get half of that back thanks to the 50% clause agreed in his sale. Finally, Finnish international Börje Myllynen was transfer-listed at BATE, and for €80,000, he looks to be a steal. 

A big contrast between these two free transfers - Hamar is likely to play every week when he's fit, and at 27, is the second-oldest member of the first team squad. Sid meanwhile will be a back-up, but I'm fairly confident he'll be a decent deputy to Ivorian international Karim Wawa. 

Unless, I have a major change of heart or an injury crisis, that's our business for the winter done. On with some friendlies now. 

[withnail316]

About that 'my transfer activity is done'...

I don't even play with an attacking midfielder, but on a free, how could I refuse?! He had just been released by Al-Shabab Al-Arabi Club in the UAE. 

[withnail316]

Thinking about this, it could be my Kevin Keegan/ Tino Asprillia moment. I'll have to alter my 4-3-3 (DM) to a 4-2-3-1 at least to start with, and it messes my balance of current midfielders up a little - but look at him! 

What I forgot to mention in my end of season review was the fans were complaining about our style of play at the end of last year, even as we won the title for the first time since 1980. This lad should certainly help with that...

[kidthekid]

fans complaining about style of play? Never seen that. Why?

Also, Trondsen can be good anywhere in midfield or attack. Surprised he only has 5 caps for Norway

[withnail316]

36 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

fans complaining about style of play? Never seen that. Why?

Also, Trondsen can be good anywhere in midfield or attack. Surprised he only has 5 caps for Norway

They were complaining we were 'less than exciting'. They had a point, tbh.

I'm retraining Trondsen as a winger, but I suspect he'll play as an AM. 

[withnail316]

Afternoon. 

There's an update coming this afternoon, but I just thought I'd add another element to the save. I've no intention of leaving Start, but I've decided the only way I'll leave by own accord is if either of the Milan clubs come calling. Obviously, I'm miles off that now, but it's something to think about in future, so I'll add the Italian leagues this summer. 

[withnail316]

March

A solid if not spectacular opening month of the new campaign. We didn't play at all well at Sandefjord, but a late equaliser showed that this team has something about them. 

[withnail316]

A very nice offer (sorry) but I'm not ready to go just yet...

[henryzz]

I can't remember whether this is possible back in FM13 but is it possible for the Assistant Manager's CA and PA stars to be shown on the player profiles? Another thing that may be due to the old FM version: At least in recent versions it is possible to show a red, yellow or green circle on the fixtures list. Could you turn this on if it is available. Thanks,

I am enjoying your exploits although you do seem to be finding it a bit easy. I think that is partly due to the old version of football manager although FM13 was harder than previous I think. You might enjoy upgrading at some point

[withnail316]

4 hours ago, henryzz said:

I can't remember whether this is possible back in FM13 but is it possible for the Assistant Manager's CA and PA stars to be shown on the player profiles? Another thing that may be due to the old FM version: At least in recent versions it is possible to show a red, yellow or green circle on the fixtures list. Could you turn this on if it is available. Thanks,

I am enjoying your exploits although you do seem to be finding it a bit easy. I think that is partly due to the old version of football manager although FM13 was harder than previous I think. You might enjoy upgrading at some point

Cheers for following, fella.

Sadly the CA/PA can only be seen in the assistant or scout report, it's just the PA on the top screen. Happy enough to change the scores graphic though, if people prefer.

It is a bit easier domestically than I had hoped admittedly, but considering I'm aiming to become the biggest club in Europe, I have a long hill to climb yet. I'd also like to overthrow Rosenborg as the country's most successful club, and that target is also a long way off...

I'd love to move on to a newer FM too, but while my laptop lives, I'll have to stick with 13.

[henryzz]

2 hours ago, withnail316 said:

Cheers for following, fella.

Sadly the CA/PA can only be seen in the assistant or scout report, it's just the PA on the top screen. Happy enough to change the scores graphic though, if people prefer.

It is a bit easier domestically than I had hoped admittedly, but considering I'm aiming to become the biggest club in Europe, I have a long hill to climb yet. I'd also like to overthrow Rosenborg as the country's most successful club, and that target is also a long way off...

I'd love to move on to a newer FM too, but while my laptop lives, I'll have to stick with 13.

I had a feeling it might be a more recent feature. In more recent versions the stars can be visible all over the place. 

Old laptops can be a pain. Around a year ago I upgraded my pc from a 2007 era quad core cpu. FM16 ran ok and was perfectly playable but my new modern pc is a welcome speedup. I have tried on an underpowered laptop. The main issue was the laptop would get to hot. At least until FM17 memory shouldn't be an issue as it was still 32-bit limiting it to 2GB. I should try an older version of FM on my laptop. 

[withnail316]

59 minutes ago, henryzz said:

I had a feeling it might be a more recent feature. In more recent versions the stars can be visible all over the place. 

Old laptops can be a pain. Around a year ago I upgraded my pc from a 2007 era quad core cpu. FM16 ran ok and was perfectly playable but my new modern pc is a welcome speedup. I have tried on an underpowered laptop. The main issue was the laptop would get to hot. At least until FM17 memory shouldn't be an issue as it was still 32-bit limiting it to 2GB. I should try an older version of FM on my laptop. 

I gave FM15 a try on this when it came out but I just couldn't cope with the waiting times, even when I only had the Nordic region loaded. It'll be 6 years I've had this laptop soon and it does everything else I need it to bar run newer FMs, so I'll just keep plodding on. Tbh, I can't really justify £500-£600 on a new one when I don't really need to, especially not with a 3 year old kid and another due in the next few weeks. 

When it does go, I won't even bother with a brand new FM. 15 will be a whole new world to me, especially as I only managed to play it for about 2 hours before I sacked it off...

[withnail316]

April

Two outstanding performances at home, and two scrappy, scruffy away wins and we're really gathering some momentum at the top. 

It's not all good though. Young midfielder Hans Erik Gran has thrown his toys out the pram and demanded a transfer. I'd tried to loan him out, but he refused every offer, and despite telling him I expected him to play a key part next year, he didn't accept that. He's off to Lillestrøm for €500,000 (plus 50+, natch) in July. 

[withnail316]

May

A busy month, and things have largely gone to plan for us, bar the horrendous defeat north of the Arctic Circle against my old rivals. Still, I'd have taken being five points clear after 11 games if it had been offered to me at the start of the season. 

A proud achievement for the club this month too, as defender Eddie Wood has been called up by the USA to play for them at the World Cup. There won't be too many Norway-based players making the trip, although I'm a bit gutted for Makhtar Sow, who made Senegal's preliminary squad, but not the final 23. 

Also, since our shape has changed from using a DM in a 4-3-3 to an AM in a 4-2-3-1 (largely thanks to the signing of Erik Trondsen), I have been chasing some cover in the AM role. I've got that filled now with the signing of Latvian Kaspars Kopca on a free, who had been released by Jiangsu in China. 

[King Costly]

Great job so far, seems you've had a lot more success in Norway than I have ever achieved on FM! 

[withnail316]

1 hour ago, King Costly said:

Great job so far, seems you've had a lot more success in Norway than I have ever achieved on FM! 

Cheers

Yeah, life outside of the top 2 divisions is pretty rough. Almost impossible to build a squad. It's fun in the pro leagues though.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Strong start to the season there keep it up

[withnail316]

45 minutes ago, Dexter_Morgan said:

Strong start to the season there keep it up

Fingers crossed we can, DM.

[withnail316]

A new arrival for July. Not bad for €100,000...

[withnail316]

[withnail316]

Not as quick or strong as I'd like a lone striker to be, but I suspect he can do a job for us. Not bad on a free, after his release from PSG.

[kidthekid]

wow, 22 places

[withnail316]

UEFA Champions League
2nd qualifying round

1st leg: IK Start 5-0 FK Ekranas
I always fancied us against the Lithuanian champions, but we simply tore them to shreds in this first leg. Petter Saugestad is back in form and he bagged two here, the second a rocket from the edge of the box, while Per Lillebekk grabbed a scintillating hat-trick. 

2nd leg: FK Ekranas 1-0 IK Start 
A defeat in the second leg, but it doesn't tell the real story. We had three - THREE - disallowed goals, and conceded a stinker of a penalty late on in the game to condemn us to defeat. Not to worry, we progress safely enough. 

[withnail316]

June & July

June was a long month with just the one game, but we've got ourselves a nice little gap at the top of the league going in to the hectic European qualifiers. I'm also quite happy with the depth of the squad this year too, so hopefully even if we do end up qualifying for either group stage, we shouldn't see too much of a drop-off in our league performances. 

We've also broken both of our transfer records this month, too. Finnish international defender Börje Myllynen had several clubs chasing him, and in the end he asked for a move to a "bigger club". What he probably didn't anticipate was that only Lillestrøm would offer us an acceptable fee, but he has agreed to move for €1.3m. In response, we signed this lad for €750,000 from Rosenborg. 

[Dexter_Morgan]

Strong start to the season, hopefully you can make either European group as it looks like the country is in need of a team doing well now

[withnail316]

2 hours ago, Dexter_Morgan said:

Strong start to the season, hopefully you can make either European group as it looks like the country is in need of a team doing well now

It's looking good on that front, DM...

[withnail316]

UEFA Champions League
3rd qualifying round

1st leg: Sparta Prague 0-1 IK Start
Pretty much a perfect away display. We kept the game tight, kept the home fans quiet, and on one of our rare ventures forward, we converted a chance. Sverre Nevstad continues to justify his transfer fee with a bullet header after half an hour. A beast of a defender.

2nd leg: IK Start 3-1 Sparta Prague
Nevstad opened the scoring here too, powering home his 9th of the season from a corner, and Jorgen Hamar as good as sealed the tie with our second goal just after half time. Markku Harma smashed a rocket home with 15 to play, before we conceded a late consolation. 

Before the draw was made, I'd have been happy with the Europa... but now I'll be gutted if we aren't in the Champions League. 

[withnail316]

UEFA Champions League
Play offs

1st leg: IK Start 3-0 Wisła Kraków
A great performance in front of a 14,300 sell-out crowd puts one foot into the group stage. Per Lillebekk crashed home our opening goal after just 9 minutes, and an OG just after half time really put us on our way. Markku Harma sealed the victory with 15 minutes left to play, and despite a late scare, we head to Poland with a commanding lead. 

2nd leg: Wisła Kraków 2-1 IK Start
Another defeat away from home, but ultimately I don't care. Harma once again found the back of the net, this time after just 11 minutes, and the tie was as good as over from there on in. 

A tough group, and although I suspect even 3rd is a big ask, I'm hopeful we can pick up a point or two along the way. 

The board have also agreed to invest €3.2m on our training facilities, as well as another €3m on the youth facilities, which is a huge boost to the club. I'd like to see the stadium expanded to the full 18,000 too, although I suspect we can't quite afford that just yet. 

[withnail316]

August

Things are looking excellent domestically now, I hope that a 14 point gap is insurmountable, which will give me the freedom to rotate the squad around our European games. Now I just need to hope we finally see some quality come through in the youth intake, otherwise I'll be firing the HoYD at the end of the season. 

[withnail316]

No way this can last....

He's OFFSIDE!!

YESSS!!!!!!!