[FM20] A journey through Sweden

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - 2025 Youth Intake

A golden generation!

One new nationality, with a player from Libya.

But let's just get to 25a Isaac Brikell. He's already made an impression on the first-team after all.

5.0 star CA immediately, more than anyone else in the senior squad has. He looks great. We use players in the ALM spot rather than LM so I'll start re-training him there.

I just hope that we get to keep him for a while. He's clearly too good for us, inevitably there'll be interest sooner rather than later.

Spoiler

 

[Deisler26]

Well. I don't think I've ever seen a 5* CA prospect! He'll do wonders for you!

[DaneBramage]

20 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

Well. I don't think I've ever seen a 5* CA prospect! He'll do wonders for you!

I know! Was super chuffed when I saw the 5.0 stars, then even more so when I opened his profile and it wasn't a false alarm.

Three games into the new season and he really is doing wonders already.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - April 2026

2026 already? Wow. Racing through the years with so few league games to pay through. 

A few academy graduates left over the winter. One of them was a centre-back I was just about to promote to the senior squad, so that was annoying, but being on non-contract terms once the youth contracts end doesn't give me much security in keeping them. Left winger/striker Ayanle Ismael was also released. I'd had enough of him after just 14 goals in six seasons.

We couldn't get any upgrades approved during the off-season. Lower top-half is expected this year.

---------------------------------------------

Hahahahaha.

What a month for 25a Isaac Brikell. 

An opening day hat-trick, then a pair of braces. He did miss a penalty against Assyriska IF i Norrköping, but then collected the rebound and passed to a team-mate. He was then fouled, giving us a second penalty in 60 seconds, and 25a Isaac Brikell buried it this time.

The opening week of the season tends to be the only time we have a midweek game. A rotated side laboured to a bore draw.

We're top of the table after the opening fixtures.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - May 2026

The FM Gods saw my last post and did not like it one bit.

We've suddenly lost the ability to score goals, though at least we're not conceding them either.

Valur Reykjavik boss Fernando Morientes had come to a couple of games to watch 25a Isaac Brikell, but the anonymous performances this month have caused him to lose interest.

After the first month it may have looked like we were going to cruise to promotion this year, instead we've fallen to 5th place.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - June 2026

A mixed month. It felt like things were turning back in our favour with the big win over Enskede IK, but then a fifth goalless draw of the season killed that pretty quickly.

A trip to Arameisk-Syrianska IF saw us put in a really poor performance, and out of frustration I went strikerless against Värmbols FC, lining up four players in the attacking midfield strata instead. It worked for now, but I don't feel like it's a long-term solution. I really need a proper striker to come through in a youth intake.

Although we're only a few points off the top two teams it doesn't feel like we're in contention at the moment. 

After the hot start to the season 25a Isaac Brikell only has one goal in the last nine games, and the rest of the squad aren't picking up the slack. The next highest contributor is 22d Giovanni Toninato, with two goals and two assists.

And 25a Isaac Brikell will miss most of July, as he's been called up to the Sweden squad for the Under 19 European Championships.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - July 2026

During his time away 25a Isaac Brikell made his debut for Sweden Under 19s, and made a total of three appearances as they got knocked out of the group stage of the European Championships. He was a little out of his depth, the rest of the squad being made up of players from Allsvenskan clubs (and one from the German fourth tier).

On his return to us he picked up an assist in the win over Trosa-Vagnhärad SK.

The strikerless formation seems to be going well, and I'm pleased that players from all around the team are finding the back of the net now. Our eight goals this month came from seven different scorers.

We've risen to 3rd in the table.

Spoiler

It's been a while, but I've been invited to another interview with a top tier club.

Allsvenskan - Östersunds (14th)

Edited August 15, 2023 by DaneBramage

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - August 2026

25a Isaac Brikell is back and showing of, with four goals and five assists this month.

Results haven't been great though, with seven dropped points. To point out the obvious, we're conceding too many. It's now seven games since we last kept a clean sheet.

It's still all to play for going into the final month. It's a shame we couldn't have gotten better results against IK Sleipner or Södertälje FK, in retrospect those could turn out to be the deciding factors.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - September 2026

We were one of three teams going into the final day of the season on 47 points, all aiming for 2nd place and the play-off spot.

And then we lost without putting up much of a fight.

The only consolation is that even a victory wouldn't have been enough, we'd have lost out on goal difference.

We dropped a lot of points over August and September, but I don't think I can say that that was the main problem. 

It was the five 0-0 draws in the opening months. Just two more goals in those and it could have been an entirely better outcome.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - 2026 Season Review

We finished in the same spot as last year, though it feels like a missed opportunity. With the talent of 25a Isaac Brikell we probably should have got a top two finish.

With 47 points we equalled our highest total, and with 46 goals scored more than any other season to date.

For the first time in years our bank balance is in the red, no doubt due to the running costs of the junior coaching. Though that has already paid dividends with one star coming through, so hopefully there'll be another on the way soon.

---------------------------------------------

25a Isaac Brikell was incredible, obviously. Top scorer in the division, second most assists, highest average rating, and most MotM awards. Massively above the standards of everyone else.

I'll give a shoutout to Eric Källander too, for being the only other regular with a green average rating.

---------------------------------------------

Three academy graduates made their debuts this year.

22d Giovanni Toninato continues to be effective, but it's obviously 25a Isaac Brikell who has come smashing into this list, and will surely keep rising assuming I can keep him.

---------------------------------------------

The Reserves won their second tier group, but can't get promoted.

The Under 19s finished 4th in their second tier group.

---------------------------------------------

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - 2026 Youth Intake

No outstanding individuals like last year, but one at 2.5 star CA and a few more at 2.0 suggests an overall improvement.

Although he's quite far down the list, 26i Oscar Flensborg was the player singled out in the news story. He stood out to me as well, at roughly 6ft 8in he's a bit of a giant. Tempted to throw him straight in.

Three new nationalities this year.

Spoiler

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - May 2027

A couple of bench warmers were released at the end of their contracts, and youth players were bumped up to replace them.

Our Reserve squad was looking rather bloated, so I also gave that a bit of a clear out getting rid of some of the no-hopers that are never going to make it here.

The media think we'll end up 6th, the board just want a top-half finish again.

---------------------------------------------

It was all looking so rosy for the first five days. Then we went four games without a win, including three blanks, and I was just about ready to write off the whole season already.

I kept with my strikerless formation, but changed the mentality to make it more attacking. We responded with two big home wins, as well as an away draw, to turn it around and make it five games unbeaten.

25a Isaac Brikell picked up an assist in each of the first two games, then scored twice and grabbed another assist in the final three games of this period. In between, nothing. When he performs, we stand a good chance of getting a result. When he's quiet, we don't offer much.

With just over a third of the season completed we sit in 5th, five points off top spot (and four points off the play-off place).

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - June 2027

Two good home wins, both with clean sheets.

But our away form is terrible. We haven't won away since the opening day, and it would have been even worse if not for a superhuman effort from 25a Isaac Brikell, winning a penalty, scoring it, then adding a screamer to pull us back from 2-0 down against Västerhaninge IF.

We stay in 5th place, but the gap to the top two has grown.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - August 2027

I moaned last update about being terrible away - we went on to win three away games this month!

But when the FM Gods give with one hand, they take with the other - we failed to win any of our last three home games.

25h Mohamed Al-Lafi has popped up with goals in the last two matches. He's not good by any means, but in our ongoing efforts to find a halfway competent striker he's probably the best of a bad bunch at the moment.

Four games left, and we're four points off of the play-off place.

None of the three teams in contention are in good form, and none of us will be playing each other in this final month, so it could go any way.

[withnail316]

I enjoyed discovering this thread last night. Hopefully this is your year, mate!

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - September 2027

We did well over the first three games of September. We managed two good wins at home, and grabbed a point away with a stoppage-time equaliser.

We went into the final day in 2nd place, two points behind Enskede IK and equal with Assyriska FF.

On the final day Enskede IK lost.

And Assyriska FF lost.

A win would be enough to put us into the play-offs...

...

...

...

We lost. Of course we lost. Just missed out, again.

[DaneBramage]

24 minutes ago, withnail316 said:

I enjoyed discovering this thread last night. Hopefully this is your year, mate!

Thanks!

Although at this point it's starting to look like it will never be our year.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - 2027 Season Review

How are we going to look at this?

On one hand, 3rd place in our best finish in five years. On the other, we've just missed out on the play-offs yet again. And 43 points wasn't anything special, we've beaten that plenty of times before.

This is turning into quite the succession of failures.

---------------------------------------------

25a Isaac Brikell was far ahead of everyone else again, though his numbers were down on last season. Even so, he was again the league's top scorer and had the highest average rating for a second year in a row.

With six clean sheets 26j Mohamed Sahraoui was voted the league's goalkeeper of the year, a good showing for his first season in the team.

I think four players with a green average rating is the most we've had. 

There are also some notable players who won't have their contracts extended, namely Kevin Salomonsson and Joel Embring. On paper they should be two of our best players, but I'm fed up of the constant underperformance. They're also the two highest paid, so getting rid should save just over £10k a year. Which could be very useful, given our ropey financial state.

---------------------------------------------

Four academy players made their debuts this year. This included 26j Mohamed Sahraoui and 24b Janne Käck, who both became first-team starters. 

22d Giovanni Toninato has become the first player to reach 100 appearances, while 25a Isaac Brikell continues to provide nearly a goal or assist every game.

It's at the point now where my first choice line-up includes eight graduates, and only three original squad members.

---------------------------------------------

The Reserves finished 6th in their second tier group.

The Under 19s finished 5th in their second tier group.

---------------------------------------------

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - 2027 Youth Intake

A golden generation!

I was pretty excited when I saw 27h Hannes Johansson with 3.0 star CA. But a casual personality and determination attribute of 4 was enough to quickly kill the mood.

Not much else to shout about. 

Just the one new nationality this year, Cape Verde.

Spoiler

Edited August 17, 2023 by DaneBramage

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - May 2028

A few long-term members of the senior squad were released during the off-season. All had seen their effectiveness dwindle in recent seasons, so it was time to get rid, but they did have roughly 600 games combined for the club.

---------------------------------------------

For some reason, the board now think we're favourites for promotion and want that to happen this season. I'm not happy with this turn of events, I'm sure when I signed a new contract at the end of last season top-half is all they requested.

The media think we'll finish 2nd, so it seems there is definitely increased expectations all round. Hopefully there's something behind this new-found optimism, otherwise I could find myself out of a job.

---------------------------------------------

There's a lot of green in this picture, and a lot to be pleased about. I've amended our formation to a 4-5-1, and basically instructed everything to go through 25a Isaac Brikell on the left-wing. He's responded with four goals and four assists, and this has also provided space for Philip Karlsson on the opposite wing to grab six goals of his own.

The Nynäshamns IF manager must have been annoyed after we beat them 3-0, with all our goals coming in added time.

However, this is also a downside to this period. The only games we haven't won were when 25a Isaac Brikell was unavailable. We lost to FC Gute when he picked up a knock in the prior match, but against Nyköping BIS he was injured by a strong challenge, and will miss at least the next month.

Spoiler

We're going well at the top, but Grödinge SK are matching us.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - June 2028

This month was very close to being a disaster, but we turned it around.

Against Trosa-Vagnhärad SK we missed a penalty, 24b Janne Käck broke his leg, and we let them score with their only two shots on target.

At Enskede IK we had two players sent-off.

We had to draft in a few players from the Reserves and Under 19s against Assyriska FF and Gröding SK due to the injuries and suspensions. Also, striker 25h Mohamed Al-Lafi was dropped, after zero goals in 10 games.

And the Under 19 players used stepped up. 26d Amir Ahmed scored his first goal, and the player I'd had mixed thoughts about in the 2027 youth intake, 27h Hannes Johansson, made me eat my words with a goal on his debut, and then another winning goal a week later.

The win over Grödinge SK was a vital one as it stopped them building a gap ahead of us at the top. 

We can't only look upwards though, as FC Gute are just a point behind us.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - July 2028

25a Isaac Brikell returned to action with a couple of assists and a goal, while 27h Hannes Johansson extended his hot streak to four games.

Momentum died away a bit at the end of the month, with poor draws against two sides struggling near the bottom. 

Grödinge SK have collapsed. Assyriska FF have taken their place as our main opposition, but when we dropped points they failed to capitalise by losing their last game.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - August 2028

Football Manager is a stupid game and I hate it.

Our squad of perennial losers and failures is doing their utmost best to lose and fail yet again.

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - September 2028

Right, I've had my sulk. Now it's time to finish off the season. Can we finally do it, or will it be a ninth year without success?

2nd September 2028

Yes lads! This is what I want to see, just keep doing this!

Assyriska FF and Nyköpings BIS both won though, so the situation hasn't changed at the top. We stay 2nd.

9th September 2028

We had 22 shots, but only six on target. Their keeper ended with a rating of 6.7, so it's not like we even worked him very hard. Disappointing.

Both of our competitors won, so Nyköpings BIS overtook us and we fell to 3rd.

16th September 2028

1st v 3rd. Two points between the teams. This could make or break our season.

Or it could make no difference at all. An even game produced a draw.

Nyköpings BIS won and moved to the top, but we stayed where we were. We need a win on the final day to stand a chance, and we have to hope that at least one of them screws up.

  

23rd September 2028

I've generally been playing 22d Giovanni Toninato as a midfielder. But last game he was subbed on as a striker, and scored. So this time I put him up front as the left-sided striker. Lo and behold, he scored again. The assist came from his strike partner 27h Hannes Johansson, who also scored himself. He's been a revelation since being promoted to the senior squad.

So we've done our part. Will other results go in our favour?

Assyriska FF won. 

Nyköpings BIS lost!

But only by one goal. We would've needed a five goal swing to get ahead of them, it's not enough.

Edited August 19, 2023 by DaneBramage

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - 2028 Season Review

49 points was our highest tally so far, but it still wasn't enough to reach the top two. We finished in 3rd again.

At the end of July though we had a five point lead at the top, this should have been our season. But the awful August lost that advantage. Even in the final month we still could have clinched a play-off place, or even automatic promotion, but a pair of draws meant we dropped more points than our rivals and lost out.

At the start of the season the board changed expectations out of nowhere, wanting to win the league and get promoted. There hasn't been any talk of me getting fired, but I don't like the look of this.

---------------------------------------------

26j Mohamed Sahraoui had a good year between the sticks, conceding less than a goal per game and keeping 10 clean sheets.

Eric Källander is a rarity in this squad, in that he's one of the few players to end with an average rating of over 7.00, and he's achieved this three years in a row.

25a Isaac Brikell had the highest average rating in the league, but his numbers are well down on the last couple of years. His season was disrupted by injury, but even though, this was a big disappointment and we need better from him.

I think I owe 27h Hannes Johansson an apology. From the 2027 youth intake:

On 17/08/2023 at 19:20, DaneBramage said:

I was pretty excited when I saw 27h Hannes Johansson with 3.0 star CA. But a casual personality and determination attribute of 4 was enough to quickly kill the mood.

Despite only playing half the season he finished as our top scorer.

Five of his seven goals came in games we won by just a single goal margin, so he really was a difference maker. Especially when you consider before he moved in the starting line-up we were using 25h Mohamed Al-Lafi, who managed zero goals in his 14 appearances.

---------------------------------------------

Three new graduates made their debuts this year.

---------------------------------------------

The Reserves finished 2nd in their second tier group.

The Under 19s finished 6th in their second tier group.

---------------------------------------------

[DaneBramage]

Tyresö FF - 2028 Youth Intake

I wanted a new striker, I'm not sure if I've got anyone who can immediately come into the first-team, but then I didn't think that either and was surprised, so who knows?

One new nationality, Montenegro.

[Jimbokav1971]

I think you are doing brilliantly, (despite what the board say). 

I love Brikell, (or whatever his name is). Looks amazing. 

My advice, (for what it;s worth), is to stop worrying about your finances as long as you are within your own budgets. Anything else is the responsibility of the Scandi El Presidente. 

Just keep asking and asking and asking and asking some more for both Youth Facility and Junior Coaching upgrades. I absolutely 100% guarantee you that they will more than pay for themselves. 

Some more advice, (not that you need it), is don't always pick your best team based on your best players in terms of how good they are now. Let me give you an example. 

Looking at your DL position, you appear to have 3 players rotating. 

24b is showing as having the best CA now, but I suspect that Embring had the best CA at the beginning of the season. 
22b is similar to both of them and also potentially has the highest PA, (although possibly not), but almost certainly better than Embring. 

I would have started the season with (22b) and (24B) as 1st and 2nd choice, (or vice versa), even if Embring was better than them. Youth Only is a long game and you need to almost forget about CA and start thinking only in terms of PA. If you think about CA then the players will never reach their PA. 

Now it's possible you're doing that and Embring has only played because (22b) is injured, (but I don't think so). Also, even if his starts have largely come after the injury, he has a whopping 16 sub appearances and these are appearances that could and should have been made by a younger player with higher PA. 

The other thing is of course, if you can offload Embring and rely on (22b) and (24b) the you also save yourself £3,120 per year. Do this in a couple of positions, (particularly the position in which your best PA youngster comes through the intake so you are forced to play him), really does work in the long-run. 

Anyway, really enjoying your thread and particularly like the way you're hiding some pictures to make it easier for readers to skim through, but also has the info there for those who wish to delve deeper.  Well done. 

[DaneBramage]

On 19/08/2023 at 12:55, Jimbokav1971 said:

I think you are doing brilliantly, (despite what the board say). 

I appreciate it, thanks. Your threads are some of the best on here, so I've taken plenty of inspiration from them.

I was going to reply to a couple of the additional points made, but it doesn't seem worth it now...

[DaneBramage]

October 2028

I mentioned the injury problems, with 25a Isaac Brikell being ruled out for a while, then 24b Janne Käck breaking his leg. The left flank was arguing the strongest part of our team, and this disruption was a major part of why we stumbled.

They weren't buying it, and that's the end of my time at Tyresö FF.

[DaneBramage]

October 2028

[DaneBramage]

Now it is decision time.

Do I add a new manager at Tyresö FF, and continue the youth only approach there?

Do I stick with the same manager, and take the youth only approach to new job?

Do I stick with the same manager, and pivot to a Scandi journeyman career?

Not a rhetorical question, by the way. Opinions are welcome.

Edited August 20, 2023 by DaneBramage

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, DaneBramage said:

Now it is decision time.

Do I add a new manager at Tyresö FF, and continue the youth only approach there?

Do I stick with the same manager, and take the youth only approach to new job?

Do I stick with the same manager, and pivot to a Scandi journeyman career?

Not a rhetorical question, by the way. Opinions are welcome.

I think it's easy to just add a new manager and have another go at them, (and I have certainly done that in the dim and distant past), but for me I would move on, hold a grudge and try to prove them wrong somewhere else. 

I would deffo stick with your Youth Only mantra, but it can be something between a Journeyman and a one club only save. Ideally you want to stay at the same club and take them to the top and win everything and become a legend, but life, (and FM), doesn't really work like that and so you have to roll with the punches. 

I would say have a look at what clubs are available, pay particular attention to what their facilities are like, (in terms of Youth Development), and make your decision based on that. If you want to have another go at Tryeso FF then go for it, but I would suggest that you move on to pastures new. 

Shocking decision by the way. 

[Deisler26]

I’d go elsewhere, but stay youth only.

Lower-league France is a lot of fun

[DaneBramage]

July 2029

I went on holiday for a few months, to assess the situation before finding a job to jump back into.

I did apply at KPV Kokkola in the Finnish Ykkönen, and while I was invited to an interview, they didn't offer me the job (the fanbase laughing at my application probably didn't help).

There were plenty of roles available back in the Swedish fourth tier, but I didn't necessarily want to go into a relegation struggle, or to a side with the absolute worst facilities.

I holidayed a little further, and decided the ideal job wasn't going to come along, I'd have to make the best of what was available. After checking the facilities of the available jobs, I put in one application to the club that looked strongest, was invited to an interview, and was hired shortly after.

Back to Sweden then. Rynninge IK are currently 6th in the Division 2 Norrland. The previous manager was given the boot after five games without a win. While managerless this run went on to seven games, until rallying with two wins in the last three. 

The facilities are a little bit of a mixed bag. Training facilities are below average and youth facilities are basic, so better than I was used to at Tyresö FF. Junior coaching is adequate though, and youth recruitment is basic, so both a level below.

Rynninge IK have spent the duration of this save in the fourth tier. Between 2021 and 2024 they flirted with promotion, but never quite making it. Over the last few years though they're settled into the midtable places.

This season is going the same way, so my aim is to finish strong to give us momentum for next year, and to ask for whatever improvements we can over the winter.

I'll be sticking to the youth only policy, with one caveat - I can sign my previous youth players. So if the opportunity comes to punish Tyresö FF by stealing 25a Isaac Brikell from them, I will take it. I did put in an early query, and while they would have let him go for free, he wasn't interested in talking at this stage.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - August 2029

Can't ask for a better start than that! An away win with a hat-trick from my false nine Alexander Larsson, you love to see it.

Spoiler

We nearly repeated the same scoreline a week later, this time the hat-trick coming from right-winger Adam Jönsson. But after the hour mark we collapsed, giving up a three goal lead and taking just a point.

Spoiler

Another away win followed, before a really disappointing home loss. No matter who I manage, it seems there will always be games that we dominate, have 20+ shots, but just can't put the ball in the net.

We remain in 6th place, and we're already coming towards the end of the season with just five games remaining. We're not in contention at the top, realistically we'll end anywhere between 4th and 7th.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - 2029 Youth Intake

I'm going to start including this when it comes up, instead of waiting until the end of season to add it. No real reason, other than just making sure it doesn't drop out of the free Gyazo last 10 captures.

My first at the new club, and it's a golden generation!

This is the first time I've seen a 17 player intake, and that's because we have a player poached from a Kosovan club. 29g Agron Hasani has joined our youth set-up from Gjilani.

Spoiler

There's a fair bit of PA at the top, though this is offset by the low determination/unambitious personality combination. That being said, at this level they may still make it into the senior squad.

There are also a few players with decent starting CA, including 29f Fredrik Karlsson. He may well be fast-tracked into the first-team.

Spoiler

I know it's a comparison over different clubs now, but there are five new nationalities in this group. This includes 29o Renaldo Erskine, who (I think) is the first not to even have Swedish as a second nationality.

[DaneBramage]

Poached Players

Just now, DaneBramage said:

This is the first time I've seen a 17 player intake, and that's because we have a player poached from a Kosovan club. 29g Agron Hasani has joined our youth set-up from Gjilani.

Playing in the lower leagues a lot, I've seen plenty of notifications about my own players being poached away by larger academies. But this is the first time I recall my own club doing the poaching.

And it appears that this isn't the first time they've done it.

Bigger Badiashile came through in the 2026 intake, having been poached from Kabasha in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

5% of any transfer fees will be owed to their original clubs. It's unlikely that we'll be selling either of them, and even if we could it would be for such minimal amounts that the 5% would amount to very little, but it's something to look out for in future intakes.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - September 2029

The home form was good, with a pair of wins followed by a draw. Maybe it could have been slightly better, but with very little to play for on the final day I gave three players from the youth intake their debuts. Unfortunately, one of them did give away a penalty within five minutes.

The away games were tough, against the sides that finally finished 2nd and 3rd. No complaints about the loss to Friska Viljor FC, but the loss to Kvarnsvedens IK, yikes. Four players were fined, including the goalie losing two weeks wages.

We finished the season one place above where I joined the team, so I'll take that as a decent start.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - 2029 Season Review

Nine games in charge, four wins, two draws, three losses.

We won more than we lost, but didn't ever win successive games. So a somewhat positive beginning, but still plenty to be done.

---------------------------------------------

Not a huge amount to say as I was only in charge for the last nine games.

Alexander Larsson is in my good books for scoring eight goals in this time.

William Wiklund-Anderberg is in my bad books for scoring no goals, and picking up three fines for ratings of 6.3 or below. He's getting released.

My main concern now is looking at the contracts that expire at the end of November, and deciding which to renew.

---------------------------------------------

[DaneBramage]

Previous Clubs

Tyresö FF (Division 2 Södra Svealand) were top nearly all year, then bottled it during August and dropped into 2nd place. Still better than I ever did, maybe I was the problem?

Luckily for me though, they didn't clinch promotion. After making it through the first post-season stage, they then lost 2-1 on aggregate to IK Oddevold.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - April 2030

The board agreed to improve youth recruitment to fairly basic.

But then they downgraded the investment in junior coaching to fairly basic, without even a notification. I requested that this go back up, and they agreed to do so at the end of the season, on the proviso that I give young players a good amount of time throughout the year. Obviously I'll do that, but I'm not impressed.

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The media are predicting that we'll finish 4th, the board want us to place in the top-half.

We've had a sideways move, going from Division 2 Norrland to Division 2 Norra Götaland.

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There wasn't a huge amount of change to the squad, but the goalkeeper who conceded seven goals in one game was released, as well as a few others who hadn't seen much gametime under me.

We did bring in one addition, T20b Magnus Ternstedt after he was let go by Tyresö FF. He previously had 11 goals and 6 assists in 83 games under my management.

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Oh my, this is certainly better than I could have anticipated.

A hot start to the season by pretty much everyone, with Alexander Larsson filling his boots.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - May 2030

Amazing.

I think Alexander Larsson invested in some magic boots over the winter. And even when they didn't work for him against Melleruds IF, Engin Kara stepped in with a hat-trick instead.

We've won seven penalties so far this season (in eight games), and scored all but one of them. 

29f Fredrik Karlsson and 29d Axel Lundh both have their first goals for the club.

Beautiful. Shame there's still 18 games to go.

Our defence was a bit leaky this month, but while we're scoring so many we're getting away with it.

I'm no tactical whizz, but I did change the mentality this year from very narrow to wide, and asked the groundsman to make the pitch as big as possible. Alternatively, it could be that while we're still at the same level, the opposition was just stronger in Division 2 Norrland. Or just luck, no doubt due to run out soon.

Spoiler

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - June 2030

Two positive posts in a row was enough to get the attention of the FM Gods, and their vengeance was swift. Despite being by far the superior team against Vårgårda IK, we somehow managed to lose heavily to a side in the relegation places at the time. Just one of those days.

We bounced back with a pair of wins, including over FC Linköping City who had replaced us at the top, but then messed it up at IK Tord. 29d Axel Lundh got sent off just before half-time, and we nearly held on, before conceding twice in the final few minutes.

29c Ibrahim Koroma replaced him for the next game and scored, but the rest of the team didn't have their shooting boots with them and we again failed to win a game we dominated.

Our winning streak and unbeaten run has come to an end, and with that so has our time at the top of the table.

We still sit in the play-off spot, but need to get back in the winning habit quickly.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - July 2030

There was one misstep against Eskilstuna City, which was a pretty tight game but they managed to take a chance while we didn't, but otherwise this was a good month.

Engin Kara was the man of the month with four goals, while Alexander Larsson managed to end a five game slump with a double against IFK Åmål.

We lost one game - FC Linköping City lost one and drew one. The gap has been reduced to just one point, and we've also pulled away from the chasing pack.

I'm still concerned that we're conceding too many, but we actually have one of the best defences in the division so shouldn't complain too much.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - August 2030

Have I mentioned we're conceding too many goals? I'm hesitant to change a formation that has us doing so well, but when you need to score at least three to win you're making life hard for yourself.

We did win the first three games of the month, but then struggled with successive away games. We came back from 2-0 down against Lidköpings FK to steal an important point. Two late goals against Vårgårda FK should have seen us get the win, but we then conceded in the 92nd minute.

When FC Linköping City lost their two games we overtook them and built up a five point lead, but the two draws to end the month allowed them to pull it back to just the one.

The pair of us are now guaranteed to make up the top two, the only question is which way round. We play each other next, a real six-pointer.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - 2030 Youth Intake

A golden generation!

There's not really much too noteworthy about this intake, nothing that's really caught my attention.

A variety of different nationalities, but that's about it.

Hmm. I've just giving out contracts to everyone, and I can't actually sign the top fella, 30a Savas Sen, as he's non-EU. Seems a bit pointless him being listed then. Why even show him as an option?

Edited August 24, 2023 by DaneBramage

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - September 2030

7th September 2030

We grabbed a 95th minute equaliser to rescue a result. Pretty vital as they would have overtaken us otherwise.

Difficult to be happy about it though. Three draws in a row, and the fourth time in succession that we've conceded twice. If we don't tighten up we're going to be punished, I really don't want to end up in the play-offs.

  

14th September 2030

Oh yes! We were clinical with our chances, scoring three times from eight shots (five on target). T20b Magnus Ternstedt was the set-piece master, with two assists from free-kicks.

And we finally got another clean sheet.

More good news was to follow with FC Linköping City only managing a goalless draw.

  

21st September 2030

A missed opportunity. We could have wrapped it up with a win, instead it's all going down to the final day.

There's a lot of draws in recent games, both teams jogging rather than sprinting towards the finish line.

  

28th September 2030

A win will send us up. Any less and it's up in the air, depending on how FC Linköping City do.

FC Linköping City won with ease.

And we...

...

...

... completely bottled it. Three players were fined a week's wages.

 Play-offs it is then. Not happy at all. What a pathetic end to the season, just seven points from the final six matches. Hope we sent FC Linköping City a nice card to go with the promotion we gifted them.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - October 2030

All momentum and confidence was gone, we didn't stand a chance.

[DaneBramage]

Rynninge IK - 2030 Season Review

The board are cretins. At the start of the season I mentioned that they'd decreased the funding for junior coaching from adequate to fairly basic. When I asked for this to go back, they said they'd improve it at the end of the season if I played enough young players.

I did so, then the message came in - your job is safe and the board have decided to keep you. WHAT!? That wasn't the agreement! Morons.

I complained again and they did agree to increase the junior coaching, but it's still below where it was. And in fairness, they did also agree to improve youth recruitment. Twice, I think. But still, cretins.

2nd place is my highest finish yet, and we had our first crack at the play-offs, but given how much of the time we led the way, the dreadful end to the season that undid all the hard work prior is a pretty bitter pill to swallow.

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I'm not giving the defensive parts of the team any credit, as they conceded way too many goals. 

Pretty much everything good came from Alexander Larsson (advanced forward) and Engin Kara (right inside forward) as they scored 40 goals between them. They were also the top two scorers in the division, as well as the players with the 1st and 3rd highest average ratings.

Most of the older players with few appearances will be released over the winter.

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I was surprised that no academy players made their debuts this year, but then I remembered I threw them in for the final game of last season. There was also T20b Magnus Ternstedt from the Tyresö FF academy though.

The top three were all generally part of our starting line-up.

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The Reserves won their second tier group. Based on when this happened at my previous job though I assume they can't get promoted while the senior side is still at this level.

The Under 19s came 4th in the initial stage of the U19 Premier Division, and after the split finished 12th in the Championship Stage.

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Edited August 24, 2023 by DaneBramage

[DaneBramage]

Previous Clubs

Tyresö FF (Division 2 Södra Svealand) had a very similar season to us, finishing 2nd in the league then failing to win a game in the play-offs.

With regard to my previous players, 22d Giovanni Toninato and 27h Hannes Johansson are thriving with 26 goals between them.

Meanwhile, 25a Isaac Brikell is providing very little, his contributions seemingly decreasing each year.