[FM22] Against the elements - a Sson's only save

[OlivierL]

Intro

Unfortunately, my Head Coach Challenge in the Balkans did not last long, could not get used to certain things and was as always attracted back to the Youth Only Challenge and i wanted to start again in the beautiful country of Iceland. I want to try one more adventure on FM22 in my beloved Iceland with Njarðvík FC.

After previous short attempts on this fm with Haukar, last year Njarðvík and some FMs ago with Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur (quite long save) I'm back for another attempt in this country with fast leagues and wonderful clubs and places. I am currently reading a book about Icelandic football called Against the Elements (a must read for every Icelandic football fanatic!). A lot of credits to @Koetzerwho did a brilliant job in Iceland & this team ! 

 Rules & objectives

- I can't sign any players.

- Apart from the existing senior players, I completely depend on incoming academy graduates through youth intakes.

- Objective 1 is to win all the domestic leagues/cups in Iceland.

- Objective 2 is to become the biggest club in Iceland.

Spoiler

 

- Objective 3 is to become the biggest club in the Nordic Region.

Spoiler

 

- Objective 4 is to reach the group stage of any European Cup.

- Objective 5 is to reach the group stage of the Champions League.

- Objective 6 is to win the Champions League with only academy graduates.

Club info

Njarðvík FC, commonly known as Njarðvík or UMFN, is the men's football department of Ungmennafélag Njarðvíkur multi-sport club, based in the town of Reykjanesbær in Iceland. It currently plays in the Icelandic football league system third-tier 2. deild karla. Of course after a holiday they promoted to the 2nd tier (Lengju Deildin) . They never played at the highest level in their 77-year history. They are known for good training and youth facilities.

The original uniform colours of the club where blue and white. In late 1973 the basketball department was in need of new uniforms and due to lack of funds they decided to select a colour that no other team was using, so they wouldn't have to buy two sets of uniforms. There where three colours to choose from but as the three selectors where all Boston Celtics fans they decided to choose green uniforms. The green colour has been in use since then.

Region & Facilities

We are located in Reykjanesbaer. a 30 miles drive to the capital Reykjavik.

 Reykjanesbær is made up of the towns Keflavík, Njarðvík and the village of Hafnir.  Reykjanesbær population is +-18920 . Njarðvík have a population around +-4400. Greater Reykjavik has a population of +-233000. Since 2009, Njarðvík has accommodated the Viking world museum, opened on the Icelandic Nation day.

Edited September 7, 2022 by OlivierL

[OlivierL]

 

Njarðvik FC - Iceland - 2th tier - 1.deild Karla - Intro - 2022

Database | Manager| Wikipedia| Club vision | Finances

Squad

20 potential senior players and with Ólafur Bjarni Hákonarson we'll lose one of the key players . He'll join a first tier team on a free transfer. We lack quality on the wings (fullbacks & wingers).

Key Players

  

Einarsson is our star midfielder with a lot of first tier experience. Mcausland is our experience and best defender and almost could have been a brother with that last name. I lost him quite fast on the previous FM , so i hope i can keep the St. Mirren legend for a few years. With Błąkała we have a very good goalkeeper from Poland.

Spoiler

Database note: The only thing i don't like about this country are those crazy affiliated teams and also Njarðvík had one together with Grindavik. I deleted this team and link in the editor because i hate it. I gave Grindavik a U19 team (since they lost the affiliated one) and upgraded our U19 team to the U19b youth league instead of the affiliated team. so didn't change a lot.

Edited September 7, 2022 by OlivierL

[Winski]

Good luck mate! Will follow this for sure, as I’m currently playing with IR Reykjavik myself. And ofcourse a youth only save as well. 
 

[OlivierL]

January - April 2022

A mixed pre-season with some good final games in League cup. One of the disadvantages in iceland, a very long break/pre-season (untill we reach the final stages in European competitions). We finished 3rd in our League cup group.

This is my first eleven with an average age of 27.36 (old) and attribute average rating of 44.21.

Nothing changes and this seems to be a yearly elections , so we'll get a lot of messages like this.

Edited June 26, 2022 by OlivierL

[karanhsingh]

Youth only or nothing for you eh!

[OlivierL]

Youth Intake Preview - 2022

I need players everywhere so i'm really happy with this preview. Only using 17 players at the moment and since i'm allowed to use 5 subs in iceland, i would love to have more options.

[OlivierL]

May - June 2022

We had a very good start in the 1.deild and i hope we can fight for the top two positions.

In the Bikarkeppni we beated first tier FH after changing our system with a 0 1 disadvantage in the 70th minute . FH are the current leader in the first tier. In the Fourt round we beated another first tier KA. We'll face Valur in the quarter-final , the favourite to become champion in the first tier.

 

Edited June 27, 2022 by OlivierL

[Perre8]

Good luck in Iceland! Good start

[Perre8]

4 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Youth only or nothing for you eh!

It is like an addiction haha! No more playing FM the normal way

[OlivierL]

On 26/06/2022 at 16:22, karanhsingh said:

Youth only or nothing for you eh!

 

21 hours ago, Perre8 said:

Good luck in Iceland! Good start

 

21 hours ago, Perre8 said:

It is like an addiction haha! No more playing FM the normal way

Thanks ! yes Youth academy only is a way of life (playing i mean).

Edited June 27, 2022 by OlivierL

[OlivierL]

July 2022

Another very solid month in the 1.deild with a big win at home against Grindavik. We are clearly still a big contender for promotion.

 

And we continued our great form in the Bikarkeppni by winning in the quarterfinals against the favourite to become champions at the highest tier , Valur. There was only one top division team left in the semi-final draw and that was Fram. We had to fight them in Laugardalsvöllur, Iceland's national stadium. In front of 3031 fans (of which 1031 were ours), we were able to beat Fram . I had to handle this match with two key players on minor injury and without our experienced DMC suspended. 

So a final in our very first season against another second division club Afturelding, currently ranked only 10th over there. If we can win our first trophy, we will also immediately qualify for European football (first preliminary round of the europa conference league).

 

Edited June 27, 2022 by OlivierL

[OlivierL]

Iceland Tracker - August 2022

I'll try to update this list every few years !

Edited June 28, 2022 by OlivierL

[OlivierL]

August 2022

We have been on top for almost the entire season, so I could finish it sooner or later. After a mistake at Þór I was able to finish it off with a home win three matches before the end. We are sure of promotion ! not sure of the championship yet .

Bikarkeppni Final 

I knew that this was already a huge achievement but since our opponent Afturelding was ranked very low in the 2nd division, I know we could and should win. But I didn't expect that we would win the cup by halftime. Diouck's performance was brilliant with 4 goals and a 10.0 rating. We are already going to Europe!

Edited June 27, 2022 by OlivierL

[OlivierL]

Njarðvik FC - Youth intake Season 1 - 2022

Youth intake preview

This looks like a great intake and it is! An average of 38.58 (see calculation in spoiler) is great, I only had this in the tenth season at Africanos in Portugal. And one player has an average of 46.49, again I only had this in season 13 at Africanos.  I am extremely satisfied and can promote five of them to the senior squad immediately.

Spoiler

    1

Birnisson 22A can go into the first eleven , right now ! Steinsson 22B is a very good option for the midfield , as is Guðmundsson 22i.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by OlivierL

[ucdark]

Nice, I love this stories, good luck!!

[Perre8]

Great intake! Now into Europe!

[OlivierL]

Njarðvik FC - Review Season 1 - 2022

1.Deild: What a great season! We gained not only promotion but also became champion. This is a huge revenge from FM21 when I finished only 7th in my first year with a better squad at Njarðvík.

Bikarkeppni: We beated first tier teams FH and KA before winning in the quarterfinals against the favourite to become champions at the highest tier , Valur. There was only one top division team left in the semi-final draw and that was Fram. We had to fight them in Laugardalsvöllur, Iceland's national stadium. In front of 3031 fans (of which 1031 were ours), we were able to beat Fram . I had to handle this match with two key players on minor injury and without our experienced DMC suspended. But we won and we reached our first final. We won the final with 0-6 against Afturelding!

Lengjubikarinn: Finished 3rd in the league cup group.

U19: Finished 3rd in U19b - Won the Reykjavik Unglingabikar again.

Squad

We had to do it with a very small squad, but luckily I rarely had injuries or suspensions. All the players are staying and I have been able to give the better ones a longer contract with an option to extend.

    

Five Key players this season with McAusland as a rock in the defence. Hogg (First division player of the year) and Diouck were a great combination up front scoring 22 and 20 goals.  Assist king Matthíasson played very good at the left back. Hermannsson was really good in the midfield.

Transfers: We lost Hákonarson and Ágústsson in the pre-season on a free transfer. The first one is playing in the first tier so could have been useful, the second one could have been a good sub up frunt.

Youth Intake 2022: Great intake with 5 candidates for the senior squad.

Finances & Upgrades

Finances: Balance is ok but we could use some Europa Conference league money so i can start requesting some upgrades.

Searching for site: planned capacity is 5584 seats.

So we'll play in the stadium from Keflavik for 19k per year.

Club & Season Facts

Next Season
It should be possible to reach the mid-table with this squad, especially if you look at our cup campaign. A lot will depend on how many players from the first intake can already play, so that I have more options

Edited September 7, 2022 by OlivierL

[Perre8]

New stadium, always very nice message i think. Hopefully it doesn't deplete your bankaccount to much.

What a season with promotion and cup succes!

[OlivierL]

First Iceland U18 call-up

 

[Koetzer]

Amazing progress so far, and this youth intake is great too  Good full-backs are a treasure in the youth challenge, FM usually can't generate them properly.

[OlivierL]

New Kits - Season 2 - 2023

After our promotion and upcoming first taste of Europe, we were able to attract a new sponsor. The Norwegian company Power is coming to Iceland. It is known for the sale of electronics.

Edited June 28, 2022 by OlivierL

[karanhsingh]

Great stuff so far, some quick progress!

[OlivierL]

January - April 2023

A long pre-season with a good performance in the Lengjubikarinn cup. We finished 3rd in our League cup group like in the first season but we came close of winning the group.

Only one change this season, Birnisson 22A from our very first youth intake , starts at the DR position.

 This team has an average age of 28 and attribute average rating of 43.38.

Edited June 29, 2022 by OlivierL

[OlivierL]

Youth Intake Preview - 2023

We need strikers and wingers, but everything else is welcome.

[OlivierL]

May 2023

Started very good in our first season ever at the highest level. Only conceded the 2-2 in our last game in the final minutes.

We won the Supercup called Meistarakeppni after penalties (7-6) against the current champion. This is our third trophy (second tier, Cup and Supercup).

In the Bikarkeppni we won after extra time against first tier IBV.

[OlivierL]

June 2023

We continue our good form and had a great game against Valur, one of the biggest clubs.

In the Bikarkeppni we won after our youngster Steinsson 22B scored his first goal.

Can't wait ! Against Europa FC  from the Rock (Gibraltar).

[OlivierL]

July 2023

A few draws but are still competitive in a very busy schedule.

1-1000 odd.. don't think we will make it because our first team is really tired and we don't have many subs. but what a season !

We reach the quarter final in the Bikarkeppni after beating KA.

Our first European adventure went very good against Europa FC from Gibraltar. St.Gallen from Switzerland dominated us but only scored one. We have a very small chance in the return leg.

 

[OlivierL]

August 2023

Mixed results but we keep gaining points in a very busy schedule.

Exciting final games are on their way. I would settle for top four, but when you are in first position for so long... you want more.

We beated Fjölnir in the Bikarkeppni but the semi-final was our final stage this season , we lost after penalties against Valur.

In our very first Europa Confere League adventure , it ended in the second qualifying round , We never had any chance against St.Gallen. We gained 450k prize money from this european adventure so i'm happy.

 

 

[OlivierL]

Njarðvik FC - Youth intake Season 2 - 2023

Youth intake preview

A very good intake again with a very good average determination and some good players with high CA already.  And we welcome the first intake player with a second nationality.

Spoiler

   

We got a great option for the leftback in Haraldsson 23C , a really needed striker in Gissurarson 23B and a good midfieler in Matthíasson 23G. Gunnlaugsson 23A has the highest PA and a good personality.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by OlivierL

[Perre8]

looks like a good intake 

[OlivierL]

 

Njarðvik FC - Review Season 2- 2023

New kits for our first season in the first tier and Europe.

Three match days before the end, we had not lost and we were eight points in advance. First we lost against already relegated Fjölir, not unexpectedly because the form of many players has been gone for a while. But then we lost at home after getting a red card in minute 12. at the end it was 1-1 , when veteran McAusland smashed the ball onto the crossbar, but on the counter-attack Fram scored the 1-2 and we got zero out of six. points.. The lead on FH was still 2 points, a win at nr.7 IA was needed. 

We lost again but...

FH couldn't win against relegated Fjölin .. so we are champions after three losses in a row !

 

Pepsi Max Deildin : A very good first season at the highest tier ! But we made it unnecessarily stressful. Still very proud of our first title at the highest level in a very tough season with a small squad

Meistarakeppni: We won our first supercup against IA with penalties.

Bikarkeppni: We beated IBV , KA and Fjölin then lost against Valur on penalties in the semi-final.

Lengjubikarinn: Again finished 3rd in the league cup group.

Europe: We beated Europa FC in the first qualifying round but then left the Europa Conference League in the second QF after St.Gallen was too strong.

U19: They won the U19b league and go to the U19A division.

Squad

We had more options this season but still a very thin squad & bench. Not sure if Diouck and veteran Mcausland will sign a new contract, at the moment they won't.

   

Smárason is again our number one and had a very good season with 9 clean sheets. McAusland was again the rock in our defence while Hermannsson was our machine in the midfield position.  Matthíasson provided again 10 assists and i'm going to put him in the AML position (now he played DL most of the time).

Transfers: We lost Błąkała on a free transfer so that is why i changed him with Smárason

Youth Intake 2023: Great intake with 3 or 4 first team candidates. 

Finances & Upgrades

Finances: we are in a very good position after our first European adventure.

Very good new, after our next season we will move to our new stadion with a 7846 capacity. This will be the biggest stadium in Iceland after the National stadium (15182 capacity).  We have to pay 44k every month so we need to qualify a few times more for Europa. 

Club & Season Facts

Next Season

 I hope to bring in three more youth players from the last intake and a lot will depend on whether I can extend McAusland and Diouck. Our poor form at the end of the season does worry me so I need to look at this further. Competing for the top four again is something I would sign up for.

Edited September 7, 2022 by OlivierL

[Koetzer]

Great job, attendances rise quickly in Iceland, so this new stadium can become too small again  

[OlivierL]

19 hours ago, Koetzer said:

Great job, attendances rise quickly in Iceland, so this new stadium can become too small again  

Would be a good sign  ,  means we have kept growing.

[OlivierL]

McAusland contract situation

McAusland , our best defender , is staying for one year + option. He will be a player/coach. I need him because i have no academy player capable of replacing him yet.

 

 

[OlivierL]

Key players - Contract situation

Both key players extended their contracts for a very long period.

 

 

[OlivierL]

New HOYD - November 2023

This was our current HOYD , he gave us two good intakes but his preferred formation and personality/determination isn't that good.

Replaced him with Arnþórsson , his JPA and JPP are lower but his determination and personalty are better. His Pref.formation suits my current first tactic. I hope he can deliver some wingers/strikers.

[OlivierL]

International Duty - March 22

Waiting for the first U21 or senior Call but three of the four above are currently in the senior squad, with two in the starting eleven.

[OlivierL]

January - April 2024

A good pre-season with a good performance in the Lengjubikarinn, we finished second in our group, and didn't qualify because of goal difference. 

We played our second Meistarakeppi (supercup) and won it again with a goal from Gissurarson 23B, our new striker from the last intake, he came from the bench in minute 77 and scored in the 79th minute.

 

Two changes this season. Haraldsson 23C starts as leftback , former DL Matthiasson starts as AML and Steinsson 22B starts as BWM.

 This team has an average age of 25.27 and attribute average rating of 42.21

We were able to extend the contracts of some important players. McAusland is going to be a player/coach , Diouck signed a long term deal and also Hermannsson did the same.

[OlivierL]

Youth Intake Preview - 2024

We need wingers and a striker so this could be very good !

[OlivierL]

May 2024

A perfect start in the league and we beated non league Vikingur in the Bikarkeppni.

[OlivierL]

June 2024

A very good run in the league with a few draws and a big win against Leiknir R. in the Bikarkeppni we beated second division team KV. Diouck is scoring for fun again.

This seems to become a two horse race this season with Valur. They have a very good squad this season.

In our first ever Champions League game we will face Suduva from Lithuania. They are a pro team but we should be able to beat them.

Edited July 5, 2022 by OlivierL

[OlivierL]

July 2024

We are still unbeaten in the league after a 96th minute freekick goal in our last game of the month. In the Bikarkeppni we managed to reach the semi-final again for a third time in a row.

In Europe we lost in the second leg after exta time , a lot of goals in those last minutes of the game against Suduva . So we were out of the Champions League, now we will try our luck in the Conference League. We have to beat Vardar from North Macedonia to reach another round.

Edited July 5, 2022 by OlivierL

[Perre8]

good start of the season. hopefully you can beat Skopje!

[OlivierL]

   

Njarðvik FC - Youth intake Season 3 - 2024

Youth intake preview

Not a great intake but we needed options up front and we received them. Average attributes and determination wise, this is the worst class that graduated.

Spoiler

     

Three new option up front, we really needed that ! With Gissurarson 24D we got a new winger and we received two strikers with Þórðarson 24G and Sigursveinsson 24J

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by OlivierL

[Perre8]

that's a decent intake for you i think

[OlivierL]

August 2024

We lost our first game at IA but with a full rotated squad because of Europe. We won the most important one against Valur.

 

We did it ! beated Vardar from North Macedonia, had some difficulties with HB from Faroer Islands. The most important game was played at home against Vojvodina from Serbia. They have a much higher reputation but we managed to beat them at home (we played our last two ECL home games in the national stadium from Iceland). So we hit the jackpot with our first ever groupstage in Europe !

A group with three nice clubs. Can't wait to gain experience and maybe some money/points.

[OlivierL]

Club Status - 2024

After reaching the ECL groupstage, i knew that i had a good chance of getting a status change from Semi-pro to Professional !  We are only the second team in iceland with a pro status at the moment, together with Valur.

Edited July 6, 2022 by OlivierL

[OlivierL]

Njarðvik FC - Review Season 3 - 2024

In a very busy month we had to play two importans games against KA. We couldn't win them and Valur didn't stop winning. So we couldn't win the competition back to back.

Pepsi Max Deildin : Again a very good season but our squad wasn't big enough and our 14/15 players were very tired at the end. Valur deserves to win this !

Meistarakeppni: We won our second supercup against Valur, with a first goal for our new striker Gissurarson 23B

Bikarkeppni: We won our second Cup in three seasons with two goals from Diouck in extra time against FH

Lengjubikarinn: This team finished 2nd on goal difference. First time we get this close to get to the next round! The only domestic cup we couldn't win yet.

U19: They won the U19A for the first time in their very first season at the highest level !

Champions League: lost against Suduva from Lithuania in the first qualifying round. 

Europa Conference League: Survived three qualifying rounds against Vardar (North Macedonia), HB (Faroer) and Vojvodina (Serbia). Our first group stage ever !

This is were we stand.. it is harsh but we'll improve in the future.

Squad

Our squad get's bigger but at the end of this season our two icons McAusland and Matthiasson did retire. They aren't on the squad list anymore. McAusland will stay as a coach.

   

Smárason is our number one and had a very good season with 18clean sheets. Steinsson 22B had a very good season as our main BWM. Diouck scored for fun with 24 goals and Hermannsson is becoming our best midfielder and player.

Transfers: nothing special.

Youth Intake 2024: Great intake with 3 or 4 first team candidates. 

Finances & Upgrades

Finances: We are 'rich' after our first group stage in Europe. 

A very important next step !

We managed to get our first affiliate , a small team from Iceland, region Fljótsdalshérað (other side of the island). 

I Changed our Hoyd again at the end of this season. I had to pay 33k for it but it is an improvement. Arnþórsson out, Fairly Det. Borgþórsson in .

Club & Season Facts

Next Season

Very pleased with our first real European experience in a group stage. This gave us a lot of money and experience. I am also looking forward to turning pro and to our new stadium.
Next season try to reach a group stage in europe again and become champions again. I might be able to keep everyone apart from the two icons who are retiring and will bring three youth players through.

Edited September 7, 2022 by OlivierL

[janvanbulck]

Great work, you deserve a "huh"

[OlivierL]

Retrain

I need central defenders and i'm going to retrain this DR (we already have two good young DR's in the squad) . If he works on his Heading, he should be fine !