Greyfriars Bobby Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 A few weeks ago, I was trying to decide which of several ideas for an FMCU thread I wanted to pursue. I settled on my Bishop Auckland career on FM 14, which I'm enjoying very much, and which I'm certainly planning to continue. The longer I thought about it, however, the more I found myself intrigued by one of my other ideas. My mother's family is Finnish; she's a second-generation American whose ancestors came to northern Michigan from Finland in the late 1800s. For that reason, I think it might be fun to manage in Finland. When I looked a list of Finnish clubs, one name jumped out at me. FC Santa Claus Arctic Circle plays in the city of Rovaniemi, Finland. Rovaniemi, a city of about 55,000 people, is the capital of Lapland, the northernmost region of Finland. It's located about six miles south of the Arctic Circle, and it bills itself as "The Official Hometown of Santa Claus." I discovered that the out-of-the-box FM 15 database didn't include the league in which Santa Claus play. They're in the Kolmonen, the fourth level of the Finnish league system. I located an edited database that extends the Finnish pyramid down to five levels. I loaded it up, and I'm now managing Santa Claus. Santa, as the club is sometimes called, play their home matches here, at Rovaniemen keskuskenttä. (I believe "keskuskenttä" is the Finnish word for "multipurpose stadium.") There is snow on the ground for almost half the year in Rovaniemi, so the league programme won't begin until April--when league play in countries like England is drawing to a close. I've adjusted my Chris Keohane character to give him a shot at a good, long run in Lapland. I've made him a local lad, born in Rovaniemi, the son of English expatriates. Purists might turn up their noses at the fact that I've made him a Finland international, with 83 caps and 12 goals scored in a Finland shirt. By Finnish standards, Santa Claus has a decent reputation, especially for a Kolmonen club. I think it would be fun to see how players react to a manager with Keohane's credentials. Finland is the only nation I've loaded. I'm going to stick with Santa wherever he leads me. I won't apply for other jobs, or accept invitations to interview for other positions. If I'm sacked, the story will end. And, with that, the story will begin. Do you believe in Santa Claus? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneronaldo Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I knew the Finns could be abit barmy after a few pints, but that is still truly a brilliant club name:applause: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dllu Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Sounds like my kind of save, so definitely following! Do the jerseys look like elf costumes...? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 I knew the Finns could be abit barmy after a few pints, but that is still truly a brilliant club name:applause: There's been some great names in Finland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Jyv%C3%A4skyl%C3%A4_Blackbird https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Jazz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneronaldo Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 There's been some great names in Finland.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Jyv%C3%A4skyl%C3%A4_Blackbird https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Jazz Alcoholic beverages must be a very popular barnstorming drink:lol: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyfriars Bobby Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 You're right about the club names in Finland. I've spotted a few others, such as SC Riverball, NoStars Kokkola, and SexyPöxyt, which translates to Sexy Pants. Sounds like my kind of save, so definitely following! Do the jerseys look like elf costumes...? The shirts actually look good. Here's what they look like: I appreciate the early interest in the story. I hope I can retain it. Please feel free to comment whenever the mood strikes you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyfriars Bobby Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share Posted October 25, 2015 Preseason 2015 The staff I inherited from the previous regime at Keskuskenttä looked decent for our level, so I decided to keep them around. The board let me hire an additional coach, so I brought in Oskari Leino, twice capped by Finland. He's 39, holds a Continental C badge, and is especially talented at working with youngsters and coaching offensive football. Two weeks after I took the job, my assistant, Jani Harju, left to manage Rollon Pojat, a small team in Nelonen, the league below ours. They are a rival club from our town, so I'm thinking I'll run across Jani on the pitch in a derby match sometime. After scanning the possible candidates to replace him, I decided to offer Oskari a promotion, and he accepted. Then I brought in Ville Leino, a solid, well-balanced coach with a National A licence. Pre-season is very long in Finland, it seems. Our first league match is in mid-April, which means the squad will be training and playing friendlies for almost three months. I'm guessing a lot of that training will happen indoors, since we're almost literally in the Arctic region, and there's probably almost no daylight this time of year. Here's the squad we're taking into our pre-season friendlies. Goalkeepers I’m very happy with the situation in goal. Salminen is the club’s highest earner, on €100/week, and he’s worth every bit of it. If his hands were slightly surer, he’d be snatched up quickly by a bigger club. I would have complete confidence with Aaltonen between the posts in a big match, too. Defenders One of the best things about our squad is the versatility of many of our players. I’ll mention each of them with the position group I envision them with most of the time. Even at age 31, Rönkkö can still show his heels to almost any player in our league. He will be our first choice at left back. Salonen lacks the size I’d prefer to see in a center back, but he is athletic and keeps his head in the game. Our staff doesn’t think as highly of his partner, Kivimaki, but I like him a lot. He’s big, physical, and good with the ball at his feet. Neither is a big star, but I think they’ll both be fine. We have an affiliation with the larger club in our city, Rovaniemen Palloseura. They’re loaning us Hilska, a very good right back. He lacks pace, but he has everything else he needs to succeed at our level, including the ability to move up and join the attack. Mäkelä provides good cover on the left side, as the verstatile Nieminen does on the right. Koskinen is a solid reserve center half. Midfielders We have myriad options in the middle of the park. I am using a 4-4-2 with Santa, with wingers on the right and left side flanking two central midfielders. Lund will be a regular there; his wide range of skills makes him suitable as a holding midfielder or an advanced playmaker. Levänen can run all day, and plays with an edge. He’s also capable of playing on the wings. Veteran Mattsson, a recent signing, can literally play almost anywhere. Central midfield is a possibility, but so are either wing position, or anywhere on the back line. Kaplas is crazy fast, and he commands the respect of his teammates. I named him vice-captain of the club. I can also use Koskinen as a defensive midfielder, especially when we want to preserve a lead. Kilpinen will man the left wing, offering pace and delivering well-placed crosses. He is also lethal on free kicks and corners. Kanerva, Mattson, or Nieminen could all see action on the right side. Each is a well-rounded footballer with a symmetrical “attribute polygon.” Forwards All of our four strikers will get plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their abilities. In our 4-4-2, I use a deep-lying forward playing behind an advanced striker. Johansson, the club captain, is a hard-working, pacey striker with a scorer’s mentality. He'll be used to lead the line. Suomalainen is best as a deep-lying forward. I envision him pressuring nervous defenders into coughing up the ball in dangerous areas. He’s the only one of the four who doesn’t feature better-than-average pace. Laaksonen features very good technique and provides a strong aerial presence. Leino is the least polished of the forwards, but his sprinter speed makes him dangerous. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyfriars Bobby Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share Posted October 25, 2015 I meant to mention that I had made several signings since I took over at FC Santa Claus. I am resisting the temptation to search for players my scout, Jari Kaplas, hasn't discovered, or who haven't been suggested by my Assistant Manager, Oskari Leino. Jari found midfielder Juho Lund and striker Mikko Laaksonen, both of whom were free agents. When I asked Oskari to come up with the names of some right wingers, he suggested I check out Hannu Mattsson. We brought Hannu in on a free transfer from Haukiputaan Pallo, a Kolmonen club in the city of Haukipudas, which is in west-central Finland, not far from the bigger city of Oulu. I'm already learning quite a bit about the geography of Finland as a result of beginning this save. Here's a map of the country, with Rovaniemi's location circled. One other thing: I'm using fictional names, as I often do in my saves/threads. I enjoy creating my own football "world," with its own characters whom I can bring to life myself. I know it's not everyone's thing, and I hope it won't make following the story any less enjoyable for you readers. I'll try to make it as interesting as I can, and maybe you'll discover yourself rooting for some of the fictional lads who play in the land of the Aurora Borealis. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dllu Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Really enjoying the read so far! I think fake names are just fine, and none of us would probably know the real Santa Claus players anyway. How are you finding this "restricted" transfer policy you're employing? In my save, I'm letting the DOF handle everything, and it can be really frustrating at times because he's crap at it... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadManager Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 The player names are unpronouncable, and the club names are awesome. Thread looks full of win, and hopefully full of eins. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneronaldo Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Player names - unpronouncable Places names - unpronouncable Club names - questionable I'm loving this thread already:D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyfriars Bobby Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share Posted October 25, 2015 Really enjoying the read so far!I think fake names are just fine, and none of us would probably know the real Santa Claus players anyway. How are you finding this "restricted" transfer policy you're employing? In my save, I'm letting the DOF handle everything, and it can be really frustrating at times because he's crap at it... You have a good point about most people not knowing the real players. I'm sure there are Finns who read the forum, however, and they might recognize a name or two. So far, my transfer policy seems to work fairly well. I was able to find players who suited the club's needs, at least on paper. I'll know more after the season is truly underway, and I see how they do on the pitch. The player names are unpronouncable, and the club names are awesome. Thread looks full of win, and hopefully full of eins. Thanks, Bad. You're right about the names, and I hope you're also right about the wins. Most of the clubs have abbreviated names that appear on the league tables, etc.: PaPa, PoPo, RoPa, etc. The latter is the abbreviation for the big club in Rovaniemi, in fact. Player names - unpronouncablePlaces names - unpronouncable Club names - questionable I'm loving this thread already:D Glad to hear it, OR. I'm actually learning to pronounce a few of them, which is kind of cool. I'm glad you're all having fun with the thread so far. I am, too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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