[FM17] "Oh is that the new one? Guess I'll see you at Christmas!"

[gibbo11]

What better way than to start of with a quote from my other half. Had to re-arrange annual leave earlier in the year and the Gods looked down on me as I managed to pick the day FM17 was released. Up until the start of this week, I had the day planned, get up early, get snacks and drinks, get lost in a new career. Wednesday comes along and lo-and-behold, the missus has told me she has the day off too. 

"What are we doing today?"

"Playing Football Manager"

"Oh is that the new one? Guess I'll see you at Christmas then!"

"To be fair, I did say this was my plan last week! You can be my assistant if you want."

"No, you're alright."

"Good."

She lasted 3 hours before deciding to go shopping, by which time I've managed to get some graphics in order, look around the database and carry out some speed tests. In the last hour, it's started. My career that I'll be posting here is underway.

Who am I?

I'm Steve Gibson, born in London, currently residing in Kent. I have quite modest stats to start off with more of a focus on mental and motivating. I have semi-professional experience and have given myself a Continental C Licence. I'm only fluent in English and have no other language skills.

What are my intentions?

I aim to do a journeyman save, pick up as much experience as possible, all whilst counting my mileage to see how far flung I can get. I won't limit myself to a set number of years at a particular club, I'll see how I feel at the time and what vacancies/good stories can be told at any given moment. 

What leagues have I loaded and what is my start date?

All of them. I didn't have any clue where to start looking so added all countries (including Gibraltar) down to their lowest playable league. The start date is July 2016, so some leagues have already progressed through. I will remove some once I find a job but I expect the first few months or even season to go relatively slow until I have narrowed the field down. From there, we will add/remove as we go along.

 

[gibbo11]

Career Summary

Season     Team          League                        Position    Cup      Achievements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016       Morön BK    	 Division 2 Norrland (SWE)     11th        N/A	    N/A
2017	   Morön BK      Division 2 Norrland (SWE)     4th         N/A      N/A

 

[Deisler26]

In fairness, having been born in Kent, FM is the best way to while away time there haha!

[dafuge]

Nice title

Maybe you could go on and manage L'Hospitalet?

[deltablue]

16 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

In fairness, having been born in Kent, FM is the best way to while away time there haha!

Hey, that's my home county you're talking about (though I was actually born in London)

[gibbo11]

The Job Search

Quite a number of leagues were already in progress. Some in Asia, some in South America and some in Europe. Therefore within days of starting my inbox was starting to flood with vacancies appearing all over the globe. There were one or two jobs in England but not jobs I felt I would have any chance of getting, plus, having spent most of my time in England on the last installment of FM, I started to apply for some of those in my inbox. It was clear if I was to get any of the jobs I was after, the first managerial position would be a challenge. Most clubs, if not all, found themselves languishing near the bottom of the table. 

My first couple of applications were laughed off, understandably so, as they were for reputable clubs in Peru. I also knew for a fact I wouldn't stand a chance in replacing Manuel Pellegrini who had just been sacked from Hebei China Fortune but I was hopeful of at least experiencing the Chinese Super League at some point during my career. These experiences left me going back to my initial thoughts when thinking about this save a few days ago... Scandinavia. A popular region so far on the FMCU forum but mine would be a twist - the season would be some way through and by the looks of it, my role would be to come in and save a club from relegation.

The Interviews

I got myself three interviews despite considerably more applications. The first came way before the other two and was a job in Norway, in the PostNord-ligaen Avdeling 1, the third tier. The club in question were Follo FK who found themselves 11th out of 14, on 14 points, 12 from safety. With 11 games to go and the bottom 7 to be relegated, the challenge was great and something I was actually hoping to take part in.

The remaining two interviews were clubs in the Swedish 4th tier. Skoftebyns IF sat 12th of 14 in Division 2 Östra Götaland and Nybro IF in Division 2 Södra Götaland, who were 13th of 14, again, 12 points from safety. Skoftebyns were only 3 points from mid-table so there was less risk if I were to be given the job.

The Offers

Well, the only job that was available in Norway that I stood a chance of getting was snatched away from me, despite what I felt was a solid interview but I did have some success with the two Swedish clubs.

     

I decided that for me to join a club, a £400p/w wage and a contract until November 2017 was key. Skoftebyns had an extra demand in that they wished for the current Director of Football Roger Sandersson to be kept at the club. I delayed both offers to which both accepted as I had an interview at another Swedish fourth tier club, from which I received an offer.

Aptly named Morön BK came in. A big decision needed to be made.

 

[gibbo11]

37 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

In fairness, having been born in Kent, FM is the best way to while away time there haha!

 you're not wrong!

37 minutes ago, dafuge said:

Nice title

Maybe you could go on and manage L'Hospitalet?

I'll put it down as one of my intended stop-offs along the way

[Deisler26]

43 minutes ago, deltablue said:

Hey, that's my home county you're talking about (though I was actually born in London)

And mine. That's WHY I can talk about it haha!

[deltablue]

'Proper' Kent or 'London' Kent?

[Deisler26]

1 minute ago, deltablue said:

'Proper' Kent or 'London' Kent?

Medway Towns 

[gibbo11]

2 minutes ago, deltablue said:

'Proper' Kent or 'London' Kent?

 

1 minute ago, Deisler26 said:

Medway Towns 

That makes two of us 

[deltablue]

Proper Kent then. Barely

[Deisler26]

Just now, gibbo11 said:

 

That makes two of us 

No way! Where???

[Deisler26]

3 minutes ago, deltablue said:

Proper Kent then. Barely

You can't get much more Kent!!

[deltablue]

East Kent is where it's at

[gibbo11]

Morön BK
Total miles: 1,493

I decided to take up the position at Morön BK, a team situated in Skellefteå in Västerbotten County, Sweden. Founded in 1935, Morön BK have spent the majority of their history floundering in the middle divisions of the Swedish football league system. As of the 2016 season, the team found itself back in the fourth tier of Sweden, in Division 2 Norrland, following a successful season in Division 3 Norra Norrland, finishing 1st. Since the re-structure of the Swedish leagues in 2006, the highest finish the club has seen was 7th in Division 2 Norrland which was in 2012.

Going into the season as a newly promoted side, the media predictions were against Morön BK - a 13th place finish were what many journalists foresaw, a position which would see them back into the fifth tier. 

Schedule | League Table

The predictions were being proved right. By the time April had been and gone, not a single win was picked up in the five games by Fredrik Asplund's men. The only positive was that there was only one loss, things could have been much worse. They entered May with a win, strikers Alexander Bolin and Andreas Marklund both doubling their goal tallies for the season. but it was a run of 6 winless games before they picked up their second victory of the season, on 2nd of July 2016. Stuck in the bottom two, pressure was on Asplund to improve. A draw and a defeat left the club needing victory in their final game of July to keep in touch of the teams in 10th and 11th. A win it was, 3-1 against Anundsjö IF with striker Hannes Vikberg getting a double. The positivity was short lived, and a defeat in their next game on the 6th August against Strömsbergs IF meant time was up for Fredrik Asplund.

I take over then with the club in 12th position, currently a relegation playoff spot, 4 points from safety. There are 7 games left, meaning 21 points to play for. Ånge IF are currently 13th occupying one of two automatic relegation spots. I'd need to work fast to ensure we can get out of the situation safely and not become involved in a nerve-wracking dogfight.

Club Details | Finances | Facilities
Squad | Squad Depth | Staff

The board are expecting me to avoid automatic relegation, so sitting 12th was meeting expectations, provided if I finish where I am, I had to win the relegation playoff. The club were running in the red and it was projected to get worse in 2017 so quite rightly there is no transfer budget though I am allowed to retain a modest 15% of transfer revenue - not much. We did have some wiggle room with wages however which was pleasing. I had around £600 p/w to use for new players which, considering the transfer window is coming up in two days time, may well be spent and possibly, not wisely.

The squad I inherited was quite average and whilst we had depth in numbers for most positions, the quality of said depth was lacking. Our average age was 23, below the league average, so my first couple of signings, providing I can get some in, would be some experienced individuals. Our two best players featured in attacking positions. Mathias Hedmark-Dackenberg, the 22 year old right winger, has spent his career at the club and was by far the team's best performer thus far. Striker Andreas Marklund, 23, was joint top scorer but found himself injured upon my arrival - thankfully, his lay-off would only be a game or two. Our central midfield duo of Ludwig Marklund and Nils Lundmark had been decent but not spectacular and I would be looking to the young duo to help provide some much needed creativity to the side. It was clear we struggled in defence and with no out-and-out left back, signing one would be one of my first things to do before deadline day.

In terms of staff, aside from me, we only have one other person at the club - Stefan Ekström, a goalkeeping coach. Job adverts for an Assistant Manager, Coach, Scout and Physio have all gone in straight away. That wage budget will come in handy here.

Plans for August

Pick up some points and fast. I'm aiming for 4 points and I think it can be done. We face two teams in the top half, one of which is our fierce city rivals, Skellefteå FF. It would be my first game in charge so I'm thankful it's at home at the Skogsvallen IP which can be seen in these pictures below.

       

My other aims are to get a couple of players in before the deadline in two days and to get some backroom staff to try and help the players between now and the end of September.

[gibbo11]

1 hour ago, Deisler26 said:

No way! Where???

Well, it's Swale actually - Sittingbourne but got quite a few mates in Rainham and Gillingham.

[Deisler26]

My stomping ground. Although I used to have mates in the housing development in Kemsley, near the Asda

[gibbo11]

7 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

My stomping ground. Although I used to have mates in the housing development in Kemsley, near the Asda

Small world, my house is literally up the road from there near the park in Milton!

[Deisler26]

1 minute ago, gibbo11 said:

Small world, my house is literally up the road from there near the park in Milton!

Haha. Crazy when that happens.

[gibbo11]

Morön BK

August 2016

Transfers

Before my first game came the end of the transfer window so I moved quickly to bring in two players. Erik Malmqvist came in to help cover the left back spot since we had no out-out-left back, especially not one with a left foot. At 31, Malmqvist has experience and previously spent some time at this level with Rynninge IK. Our second signing, Hadi Nasirian, was a free transfer from Örebro Syrianska IF in Division 2 Östra Götaland. At 28, Nasirian will bring some much needed quality and depth in the middle of the park. He has already picked up 8 assists in his 15 previous games this season but found himself on the transfer list. The fans were positive regarding Nasirian but less so about Malmqvist. With no scouts and the time we had to get some players in, both players have deals until the end of November in case things don't work out.

Results

What. A. Start. I was left wondering how the hell the squad find themselves battling relegation. I needn't have worried that my best striker Andreas Marklund was out injured as Hannes Vikberg struck with a 10 minute hat-trick. He got his 4th 5 minutes later and we went into the break 4 goals to the good. A brilliant 5th, from 25 yards, sealed a 5-0 victory against our main rival Skellefteå FF, breaking a league records for most goals in a match by a player. The fans comments after the game were something a debutant Manager would have dreamt about.

I was buzzing, if we could perform like that against most likely our hardest game then we should be able to get out of this mess quite quickly. Oh how wrong I was. We went into the game against Härnösands FF complacently, going 2-0 down quite early on, both goals through defensive errors. The first was a 25 yard own goal, with keeper Erik Lundgren completely missing the ball on its way past him, whilst poor marking left us wide open for their second. Mostafa Heydari got a goal back in a much improved second half and we were unlucky to not snatch a draw - final score 2-1. Our final game in August saw us come up against Söderhamns FF, and whilst we went 1-0 up after 60 minutes through an own goal, we were pulled back with ten minutes remaining. And in a bitter blow, deep into injury time, Söderhamns FF managed to get the winner and make it 2-1. Disappointing to come so close to getting a point to achieve my target for August.

League Table

We remain four points from safety, now with only 4 games left to go. IFK Timrå picked up 8 points from 12 which meant we were hunting down teams that were originally above them. We built up a bigger gap from 13th placed Ånge IF, however with Bodens BK and IFK Timrå in our next two games, it will be hugely important to get 6 points. We end the season away to Valbo FF and Friska Viljor FC, the latter chasing the promotion playoff spot. 30 points is the marker to be safe from relegation in this league, which means 3 out of 4 remaining games need to be wins.

Plans for September

Those 9 points. We can obviously review after each game but it is vital we beat Bodens BK at least. IFK Timrå are on a good run so to stop them will be great but they are out of the relegation picture now. I still hope to get some staff in early on to give us a final push whilst contract renewal talks with the squad will be decided at the end of the month. Our best players want out whilst the rest want to see if we can survive before deciding.

[gibbo11]

Morön BK

September 2016

Staff Signings

Well, at the end of August I signed my first staff member, scout Pontus Rendin. It will be Rendin's first venture into football scouting. I also picked up two members of staff in key positions, Assistant Manager Mikael Boman who has knowledge of the whole Scandinavian region. Boman was the best of a bad bunch that were after the position following making it known I was after one. I also signed 29 year old physio, Fredrik Strömberg. 

Results

I wanted 9 points, I got 10! The escape was complete and completed in style but we were made to work for it despite what the results suggest. Away to Bodens BK, we found ourselves 2 goals down within the first 10 minutes - surprising since they were the first goals Bodens had scored since mid-July. I made a few tactical tweaks, as well as shouting some aggressive touchline shouts and striker Andreas Marklund's double ensured we made it into the break on level terms. Bodens were shocked at the response from my players and we pushed on in the second half for the win, not settling for just the one point. Marklund got his hat-trick within 7 minutes of the restart and got his fourth in the last quarter of the game, to make the final score 4-2. We faced IFK Timrå in our final home game in what needed to be 3 points. A win here and if results went our way in other games, we could be jumping up to 10th in the table. We made a fantastic start as straight from the kick-off, the ball found its way through to Mathias Hedmark-Dackenberg, who slotted home in 14 seconds - the league's fastest of the season. We hung on in the second half where we were second best, but IFK Timrå's lack of clinical finishing meant we escaped with a 1-0 victory, giving our fans something to cheer about going into the final two games of the season. The result did see us move into 10th, and give us the upper-hand in the relegation playoff battle. We picked up a point away to Valbo FF, despite taking the lead through Andreas Marklund. Another poor mistake from goalkeeper Erik Lundgren meant that we were unable to keep the winning run going. The 1-1 draw meant we fell to 11th place and provided we didn't lose in our final game, we would be safe as Bodens BK and Gällivare Malmbergets FF faced each other on the final day. We faced Friska Viljor FC who were mid-table with nothing to play for and their early play showed. They allowed us to play through the middle of the park too easily, and central midfielder Ludwig Marklund struck from 20 yards to give us a 1-0 victory and keep us safe from the relegation playoff - a fantastic month and a job well done.

League Table

We achieved target and avoided automatic relegation and went one further by avoiding the relegation playoff altogether. An 11th place finish was what I was hoping for and it could have been better had we picked up 3 points again Valbo FF but not many complaints from me about that.

Player Contracts

I've managed to sign most of my first teamers to a new deal, as well as key youngsters who may develop into someone useful. Two big issues hanging over my head though surround our best players Mathias Hedmark-Dackenberg and Andreas Marklund, both of whom wish to move on to bigger and better things. I'm resigned to losing both as there seems no way of convincing either to stay.

Plans for Post-Season

I'm currently on the look-out for some new players to fill some voids we have in the squad, particularly as I seek to get rid of some backup players. I've begun a search to pick up some freebies so I will hope to fill out the squad whilst the playoffs are underway. As much as it was a good achievement to keep the club in Division 2 Norrland, much will depend on if I can replace MHD. With no capable back-up currently available to me, I fear our task will be that much harder next year without him and could put some doubts in my mind on whether to continue at Morön BK.

[gibbo11]

Morön BK

End of Season Review

We finished 11th, which is better than expected from both the board and the media. As the team ended July in the bottom three, four points adrift, you could probably forgive anyone thinking the worst but I've managed to end the season with 4 wins from 7 and kept the club in the league without the need of a playoff. The team spent most of the season in the bottom three, managing a season high of 8th quite early on. My first match in charge goes down as the Match of the Season. The 5-0 defeat of our most fierce of rivals Skellefteå FF gave the players confidence that we can do better than what they had shown in the 19 games previous. July's 3-0 loss against Sandvikens IF, who missed out on promotion following heartbreak in the promotion playoffs, proved to be the worst game of the season, one of the final nails in the coffin for previous Fredrik Asplund. As for the Team of the Season, it was my preferred tactic and first XI so no surprises there since they picked up majority of the wins.

End of Season Awards and Stats

  

In terms of the End of Season Awards, young winger Mathias Hedmark-Dackenberg picked up the Fans' Player of the Season with a whopping 65% of the vote. He also picked up the Young Player of the Season following achieving the highest rating in the squad and finishing joint top on the Most Assists table with midfielder Nils Lundmark. Top scorer Andreas Marklund won Goal of the Season for his superb solo effort in the game against Vallo FF in the penultimate game of the season. John Eriksson had the best pass completion and it's great to see we failed to pick up a single red card in the season. Disciplined.

Manager's Review

From my seven game reign, I feel had I been in charge for longer, we could have had a chance of finishing mid-table. I believe I was quite lucky in that there were really no sufficient injuries to key players during the latter stages of the season. A. Marklund and Vikberg both picked up short-term knocks and whilst one was out, the other was firing 4 or 5 goals in a game. With all that said, had there been a few injuries or suspensions, the depth we have is particularly poor and I thankfully didn't get to experience how we would have coped. Hedmark-Dackenberg is a quality player and despite being a supporter of our club, he does want to leave for a bigger club. No-one has come in for him as of yet and I remain slightly hopeful that we can strike a deal if and when there are no offers when his contract expires. A. Marklund's also advised he wants to leave but I am less concerned with this news. Good player indeed, but Vikberg and to a lesser extent, Bolin, have proved capable of being the main man at different times in the season. I will try but it's not the end of the world if he doesn't commit.

I've been impressed with our full-backs Noak Tjärnkvist and William Ögren, the latter of which is being asked to play left back despite preferring the right side as well as our central midfield duo Ludwig Marklund and Nils Lundmark, with the latter chipping in with 7 assists despite playing fewer games than his CM partner. And the last positive I believe from my short reign so far was to see an up-turn in performance from left winger Mostafa Heydari. He improved his passing completion % from 56% to 69%, got a goal and a further assist during my 7 games in charge. He will need to prove he has what it takes to make that position his as I prepare to look for another left winger to bring in, and he will need to drop his concerns regarding training.

The negatives. Keeper Erik Lundgren made a few mistakes which cost us points. I do have two youngsters with potential but a new keeper may be on the list for potential signings. Beyond Christoffer Tegelind and Samuel Pont-Laisfeldt, we have no-one really to bring in at centre back. I've set the back-ups for release so this will be one of my main focuses in the transfer window. At the age of 31, John Eriksson has performed below par, despite winning the pass completion award, after introducing him into my squad after he was frozen out by Asplund. As my tactic requires an attacking midfielder, his experience was key in getting us over the line but I will be looking to introduce 18 year old Kalle Eriksson during pre-season.

Season Summary

Season     Team          League                        Position    Cup      Achievements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016       Morön BK    	 Division 2 Norrland (SWE)     11th        N/A	    N/A

 

[gibbo11]

What could have been?

Follo FK | Nybro IF | Skoftebyns IF

So the Norwegian league has come to an end and I decided to have a look to see if Follo FK managed the great escape from PostNord-ligaen Avdeling 1. With 11 games to go, and 12 points from safety, going into the last game they had 31 points and sat in 8th place, the final relegation spot. They had to win and hope that the team above in 7th, Kjelsås IL lost or drew. Kjelsås IL lost 1-0 but Follo FK could only managed a draw. The final league table was so tight, that both Goal Difference and Goals Scored couldn't separate the teams, both on 32 points. It went down to Games Against Each Other, which Kjelsås IL edged ahead. Fair play to Stig Krohn Haaland who almost managed the great escape. I'll be keen to see what happens to them now.

Skoftebyns IF finished 12th out of 14 in Division 2 Östra Götaland, losing ground on the teams above them. They did however manage to come through both playoff games to ensure their safety. The same fate couldn't be said for Nybro IF whose 12 point deficit proved too much and they were automatically relegated in 13th place in Division 2 Södra Götaland, 15 points from safety.

It seems like the Follo FK job was entirely possible so it has made me even more disappointed I wasn't offered the job. The Nybro IF job seemed like a lost cause anyway and I would have found myself out of work quite quickly. The Skoftebyns IF job was the least risk but they still found themselves in a precarious position, I may try for a friendly against them to see how my side compares to them and if the job would have been done better by myself.

[Deisler26]

Well done in avoiding relegation.

Love the "I'm so happy to be a Moron" tweet 

How are Kristiansund BK getting on?

[gibbo11]

9 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

Well done in avoiding relegation.

Love the "I'm so happy to be a Moron" tweet 

How are Kristiansund BK getting on?

Thanks mate. Yeah that tweet made me laugh - some of yours have been outrageous though 

Kristiansund BK

Table | Results | Squad

Kristiansund BK have been promoted from OBOS-ligaen, finishing 2nd - quite comfortable in the end. Went out in the Norgesmesterskapet i fotball Cupen 3rd round after losing 1-0 to FK Bodø/Glimt

[gibbo11]

Morön BK

Season 2017 - Pre-season

Club Details | Finances | Facilities
Squad | Transfers | Staff

My pre-season got off to a great start following a news item from my board, notifying me that we had formed a relationship with Allsvenskan side BK Häcken. We had no loan players last season so it would be something I'd be keen on doing. Having looked through their squad I was able to pick a few up on loans. They were part of a huge incoming of players during the pre-season period. A total of 22 players come in, with 11 outgoings, of which both Mathias Hedmark-Dackenberg and Andreas Marklund, with the former deciding to stay at tier 4 with Arameiska-Syrianska Botkyrka IF and Marklund trying his luck at tier 3 with IFK Luleå.

Of those that arrived at the club Robin Nilsson, Sebastian Sandberg, Morgan Fehrling and Gordon Jardell came with plenty of ability, whilst Atosh Elmi and Alinoti Swedi both have plenty of potential in the attacking areas. I do feel I signed a few more players than I should have which is reflected in our wage budget for the season, which is a couple of hundred pounds over. I'll look at offloading some more players once the transfer window opens again in July.

The board elections took place and we have a new Chairman in Pontus Östlind, who brings with him Kristoffer Holm as Director. In other staff movements, Marcus Andersson hung his boots up following an unsuccessful season at league rivals Valbo FF, to join us as our under 19's Manager. He looks like a potential 1st team Manager so I may do some shuffling with my backroom staff and promote him to Assistant Manager at some point. We brought in Kristoffer Gunnarsson to replace Pontus Rendin who joined Division 1 Norra side Umeå FC as Chief Scout.

Results

Overall it was quite a disappointing pre-season campaign. Even though many of the teams we played had a much bigger reputation and better squads, we didn't really offer much in terms of attacking threat. Losing two quality players and not replacing them with the same quality will most likely hurt us in the coming season, but we need to ensure we increase our reputation to be able to help get these players in.

Expectations

Board: Top-half finish
Media: 3rd
Personal: Mid-table

I realistically think we will make mid-table but it might be a struggle to hit the top-half. We've lost two really good players and despite efforts in the transfer market, I have been unable to replace them with the same quality. We have improved other areas, so I'm not expecting a relegation battle but I do feel the expectations are a little high considering the clubs position last season.

[gibbo11]

Morön BK

Season 2017 - Half-way Point

Results

We carried our pre-season performance into the 2017 season. Defeat against IFK Timrå and two draws against IK Sleipner and Team TG FF, who both suffered relegation last season, didn't give us an encouraging start. Granted, the team would have to gel and I was still trying to find my best XI. I was also losing confidence in goalkeeper Erik Lundgren, who scored two own goals in the first two matches and then made an awful mistake in the third game. I was unable to find a decent goalkeeper to come in and replace him but I had my scouts on assignment to find a replacement. FInally, we ended April with two wins, firstly against Valbo FF where midfielder Robin Nilsson put in a sensational performance, then we put another 5 goals past our rivals Skellefteå FF, this time at their ground. Even if we didn't win again, the fans would hold fond memories of me for my team's performance in those two rivalry matches. Nilsson and Hannes Vikberg were on a good run of form but I believe I found the cog that kept us turning. These two games were the first for defender Morgan Fehrling who had not long left AIK. He came into the centre of defence with fellow signing Sebastian Sandberg and we seemed much stronger and more confident. Typical then that Fehrling got injured in training not long after the Skellefteå FF game.

May was another extremely poor month, but we faced 3 of the sides chasing promotion. The poorest result was against Kiruna FF, who we needed 3 points against, especially at home, but we failed to hold on to the lead. A good 2-0 win against Bodens BK stopped the slide with Sandberg getting his first for the club. Our next game against bottom of the table Gällivare Malmbergets FF showed our defensive struggles without Ferhling, where we lost 2-1 - a late fightback was not enough to come away with a draw. Two defeats in two soon came, following a 1-0 defeat against Friska Voljor FC. We ended the month on a high again, a superb 4-0 victory over promotion chasing Eskilsminne IF where Vikberg was instrumental.

Table

At the mid-way point, we currently sit 8th just outside of the top-half. We have had an average start as reflected by the table, some good results - great ones at that, mixed in with some disappointing performances against teams we should have beaten. The gap is 5 points between the top and bottom half, but we have got a good goal difference should we make up the points. We are just two points away from the number of points the team had when I took over with 7 games to go last season, so I am confident we'll pass last seasons points total. Team TG FF are in danger of back to back relegations whilst it looks to be a battle between Assyriska IF i Norrköping and IFK Hässleholm in who gets that automatic promotion spot.

Key Players so far

Squad Stats

Vikberg | Nilsson | Sandberg | Fehrling | Kuhi

Robin Nilsson has been my player of the season so far, and definitely signing of the season. Even when we have played below par, Nilsson hasn't. He is often the player we look to to break up play and get our attack in motion. Hannes Vikberg has done well to fill the void we have had since Andreas Marklund left, scoring 6 goals in 13 games. It's been clear that our team performs better with both Sebastian Sandberg and Morgan Fehrling in the heart of our defence. Sadly, they've only had four games together. And finally, Dana Kuhi, who was a free signing from Örebro Syrianska IF, has notched 3 goals and got 4 assists during his 12 games so far this season. He is showing glimpses of why then Superettan side IK Brage signed him in 2012.

Plans for the rest of the season

We need to find some consistency in our performances and make sure we don't become complacent against sides below us. Having played everyone once, the games we have drawn we've been unlucky to not hold on, whereas our defeats have only been by one goal margins. Better luck would have seen us pick up more points, so hopefully we can change that before the end of September.

[gibbo11]

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Is something surprising on the horizon...?

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Morön BK

Season 2017 - 2nd Half of Season

Results

Wow. I got the consistency I asked for. We picked up 22 points from a possible 27 during July and August putting us into 2nd place going into our final 4 games. Highlights during this run included another win over rivals Skellefteå FF, with youngster Kevin Roberts scoring his first goal and our winner in the 73rd minute. We left it until the second half to perform in the following match against Härnösands FF, one of our fellow promotion rivals.  We completed a 6 match winning run by beating both Kiruna FF and IFK Hässleholm, winning 2-0 and 3-2 respectively, as Dana Kuhi stepped up to score 3 goals. Pontus Hesselheim was also out to prove he should get a run of starts by notching late on. Our promotion bid hit a dent when we could only manage a goalless draw against league leaders Assyriska IF i Norrköping. We deserved the win but at the time we were still 2nd, with a win in our next game surely putting us as firm favourites to get that playoff place. Unfortunately, our great run came to an end with a loss against Bodens BK. We bounced back with a convincing 3-0 win over Gällivare Malmbergets FF with arguably our three best performers all on the scoresheet. Another goalless draw against Eskilsminne IF distinguished our hopes for the playoff spot as IK Sleipner put themselves out of touch. We ended the season with another 3-0 win, this time over Friska Viljor FC, with Hannes Vikberg notching a hat-tick on his 110th appearance for the club, a record high.

Table

After just 13 games, I was struggling to see above fighting around mid-table, especially after our defeat to IK Sleipner but our 6 game winning run put us right into contention for promotion. A draw against eventual league winners Assyriska IF i Norrköping followed by defeat to Bodens BK meant that we fell a few places. A 4th place finish was better than my expectations but it seems the media were onto something when they predicted us to finish 3rd. IFK Hässleholm, who were joint top after 13 games, only picked up 13 points in their final 13 games and finished 7th, whilst IK Sleipner picked up the final playoff place. Unfortunately for them, they were not promoted after defeat in the playoffs. Team TG FF suffered back to back relegations with Kiruna FF joining them in Division 3. Gällivare Malmbergets FF once again had to battle it out in the relegation playoffs and once again survived, so we'll face them once again next year.

Contracts

Thankfully this year I didn't experience any issues with renewing players' contracts like last year and we've managed to keep hold of our best players. I've set for release some deadwood so I won't be looking for too many incoming transfers. Another bit of contract news was that the board offered me a chance to extend my stay beyond this season, to which I accepted.

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Morön BK

End of Season Review

We finished 4th which was better than expected. Our best match was voted as expected, with the 5-1 victory away from home over rivals Skellefteå FF. The moment to forget was our 1-0 loss to Friska Viljor FC but personally I would have said the 1-0 loss to Bodens BK, which effectively ended our promotion hopes. Our average attendance was 150, 30% of our capacity and we used the 2nd most players in the league, 25. 

End of Season Awards

It was a much tighter affair at the end of season player awards, with midfielder Robin Nilsson picking up our Player of the Season. Hannes Vikberg and Sebastian Sandberg finished 2nd and 3rd. I'd presume Morgan Fehrling wasn't too far behind those three. Nilsson also picked up Young Player of the Season with his central midfield partner Kevin Roberts winning Signing of the Season. Left winger Dana Kuhi picked up Goal of the Season, with his effort against IFK Timrå in the opening game of the season. No complaints with our best XI as it goes down as our best side on paper.

Overall Best XI | Squad Stats

Hannes Vikberg finished as Top Scorer with 14 goals, only Dana Kuhi and Robin Nilsson coming anywhere near with 7 and 6 respectively. Atosh Elmi assisted 6 times to pick up Most Assists, closely followed by Nils Lundmark who assisted an impressive 5 goals in 13 appearances, proving that he is a more than capable replacement for those in the centre of the park, should they get injured or suspended. Elmi completed 88% of his passes and proved to be the players with the most passes at the end of the season. 

Manager Review

A great season but ultimately I'm left a little disappointed that we were unable to beat Bodens BK in what was a really winnable match. Had we won, I'm confident we could have reached the playoffs at least. With that said, 4th position was much better than expected even after 13 games completed. I went for a machine gun approach in terms of player recruitment in pre-season, leaving me with a bulging wage expenditure and players I'd not need to use throughout the season. This approach did find some really good finds, not least with Robin Nilsson and Sebastian Sandberg, but with Morgan Fehrling, Dana Kuhi and Atosh Elmi. As well as this, Gordon Jordell and Stefan Grönlund provided some consistency at full back and Kevin Roberts and Daniel Larsson were dependable in midfield. Hannes VIkberg, despite a slow start, got firing throughout the middle stages of the season, ending on a high - a new record holder with the most appearances ever for the club. And throughout the club it seems like we have a good future. We have one of the youngest squads in the league but our youngsters made us proud in the under 19's cup, reaching the final but falling at the final hurdle, with a 3-1 loss to Kalmar FF Under 19s.

It's tough to point out any negatives following such a good second half to the season. Erik Lundgren cut out the mistakes and performed much better following a stern talking to. His position is still under threat so I will be trying out new keeper Charlie Hornby during pre-season. Right wing is still a problematic area as Daniel Larsson, although dependable, didn't put in the headline-grabbing performances that I had hoped. I will be looking, also, to bring back in Jakob Sellhed as he proved to be a more than capable back-up to left winger Dana Kuhi, but it will be tough if he leaves BK Häcken as expected, as he will be looking for a better permanent club.

 

Season Summary

Season     Team          League                        Position    Cup      Achievements
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2017	   Morön BK      Division 2 Norrland (SWE)     4th         N/A      N/A