CameronFM

A comfortable first season in charge! A huge summer ahead of the VNL next year

It will be interesting to see if the GK coaches are Torino will be able to push him in the right direction in terms of distribution - aerial is a tough one though, but Vanja is a man mountain in his own right!

Think Keller is a great replacement for Vanja, certainly in the long run for sure!

For anything Rosenborg based, I’m using FM Stag’s data views and exporting out from FM and then using what I want on Flourish (Looker scares me ). For the graphics used against the league, I used FM’s player stats for the league and manually typed those out!

Rosenborg - Season 2 Well, that was surprising! Bodø's form decided to fall off a cliff as we reached the final 10 games, which opened the door of opportunity for ourselves and Molde to swoop in. We did have enough in the tank to get the job over the line, but we should never have been in with a shout in the first instance! Some key things to take from this season is being the league's top scorers, but we are lacking defensively. We are the 6th best side in the league for keeping goals out, but Egil Selvik was tied for second for clean sheets - perhaps some work to be done in front of the Norwegian keeper. Injuries are down from last season, which has been massive in keeping continuity throughout the squad as we hit the business end of the season. Our expected goals tally does need to be worked on going into next season, but for a change, I was happy at how clinical we were at taking the lower output chances - since changing to a positive mindset on matchday 16, we averaged an xG of 1.65, it was 1.76 prior. Goals were spread across positions, with 4 players hitting double figures: Broholm 14, Sadiku 11 and Botheim & Henriksen 10. A pleasant change from last season where Holm was our only real source of goals and they eventually dried up also! I did find it pleasant to see our younger stars mix it with the league's more experienced players: But it wasn't just our league performance that improved. No, our cup performances also improved (in a sense) as we reached the final of the Norwegian Cup: I did feel it was disappointing to go the distance with Bryne and Hødd, and perhaps lady luck was on our side in both those games. On the back of a mighty league effort, I felt we had one more push in us as we squared off with Bodø/Glimt - eager to impress following their league collapse: The game itself lacked any quality of sort, and it was Filip Piszczek who grabbed the winning goal right at the death. From a Bodø/Glimt goal kick, Amudsen flicked on a header to an unmarked Piszczek on the halfway line - Børkeeiet decided to leave the goalscorer to contest with Amudsen, a header he was never going to win. With desperation in the Rosenborg defensive ranks, they all chased back to no avail as the Pole lifted the ball over Selvik into an empty net. Devastating. The players are now off for some deserved R&R as I look to work on the squad for the 2025 campaign. Jayden Nelson, Ísak Snær Þorvaldsson, Santeri Väänänen, Rasmus Sandberg, Adrian Pereira & Leo Cornic have all been told they can find new clubs during the winter window - this should bring in a sizeable amount of money to bolster our current transfer budget of £7.57M. Sjøeng is the only player we are actively chasing right now; I am still reviewing our scouting reports to build the rest of the shortlist up. It appears a deal worth £3.4M over 3 years could be enough to tempt the Vålerenga number one to Trondheim - fingers crossed.

Tall, fast, Dutch - a menace at that level!

Something oddly satisfying with you being the second most clinical side, and the second most sturdiest side, whilst being top! Le Fée is an absolute dream in this side; has any teams come sniffing around him yet?

Happy with Sadiku’s form during the second season, I don’t think he is going to become a key player for Rosenborg, but if he is happy to remain a squad player over the next few years then I am happy! Väänänen is a funny one, not really sure what his best position is, and when he does come into the side it seems to come into play. I may look into the Finnish market - at the moment I have drafted up quite the shopping list! I like Pereira a lot, but more will come out about in the next update - I just don’t think his style of play is going to suit going forward unless I tweak another area or two. Thanks for the comment on the squad review. I feel it’s important to give a bit of understanding behind my thoughts before going into a window and completely change the squad.

Cedric Main is a baller! Great to see you continue with the fine form

An absolute sucker for an Italian save! Can’t wait to follow this one along. At least you can say that the board at optimistic, could always work in your favour at a later date. Intrigued to see how you get on with the lone striker - an area I have struggled with in recent weeks.

A promising start, minus the rocky away form! Qualifying for the FA Cup could be massive early on, I suppose at your level, any club from the EFL away is a good revenue booster?

With Aga looking like he could be returning to the club on a permanent basis, it actually gives me the option to change to 3 strikers and lose the wide men - if we struggle to recruit well enough in those areas! A bit excited to see what he can do. Nypan is a sore one indeed, but the finances are good enough - I feel we could have got more from it. I’m hoping with the recruitment of Grundt and Tangen that we will cope when he does ultimately leave - Broholm can also cover in this area which is a bonus!

As I near the end of season 2024, I figured now was a good time to reflect on the club and the culture I wanted to impose going forward. I have been lucky and blessed that we have younger talents such as Nypan and Broholm who have been ever-present, but I need to start incorporating more and more youth into the team as the games fly by. The first task? Opening up the next season's squad planner view and working my way through the options available. There are some areas for concern in terms of numbers and quality, I hope the below will portray my logic and plans. Goalkeeper - Sweeper Keeper Since the arrival of Egil Selvik, we have looked a bit more comfortable in this area, but there remains room for improvement. Sander Tangvik, 22, is seemingly happy to be our cup goalkeeper for the time being, but his unfamiliarity with the sweeper-keeper role is leaving me with some cause for concern. Likewise, Rasmus Sandberg is in a similar position, but I have to be ruthless when organising this squad. With that in mind, Sandberg will be offered out to clubs during the off-season as we look to free up some wages, and the goal is going to be to recruit a young goalkeeper who can come in and learn under the experience of Selvik and Tangvik. As you will note, and it is rather unfortunate, we will be looking for a young GK to sign. We haven't been able to bring through a youth prospect of our own, although our second youth intake will be in February 2025, just a few short months away. Things could change by this point, but I would like to take charge of the club's fate here and get the scouts out looking. Henrik Jamne and Blessings Mkyombwe both have not developed in the direction I would have hoped and will leave the club following the expiration of their contracts. Right Back - Wing-Back The key this off-season is to keep Erlend Dahl Reitan at the club. He was sought after towards the end of the summer window, but the player himself was not keen on a move away from Trondheim - lucky us! You may notice that there is a new name within the squad, Warren Kamanzi, and we did make a move for him on deadline day, anticipating a battle to keep ahold of EDR. Kamanzi appeared on my radar through my "Former Rosenborg" focus, and I felt that he was a good player to bring in to play second fiddle to EDR. £1.3M upfront, along with an additional million and 15% of a future sale was enough to prize him away from Toulouse, and we strengthened our defensive and attacking options down the right. Leo Cormic has done a solid job when called upon (6.81 average rating from 19 appearances) but his lack of attacking output is what hinders him in this position. His 2 goal contributions are nothing in comparison to EDR's 12, whilst Kamanzi could deem himself unfortunate given his chances created have not been taken. Cormic will be moved on during the off-season, he is complaining about minutes which isn't going to come, and with that in mind, we can afford to have a youngster ready to fill the gap. As things stand, Jørgen Sønstebø is that youngster from within the club, but his attacking qualities are not up to scratch. In all honesty, I will be hoping for a superior RB in February's intake, otherwise, we may need to look to recruit externally to fill a void here. Regardless, the priority is going to be a player aged 15-17 or 18, depending on market availability. Central Defenders An area of the park where we are well-covered. We have ample options in terms of a right-footed central defender, and with Børkeeiet showing some solid performances at the heart of the defence, I am happy to call him my number-one CB. At the age of 19, Røsten has proven that he can be a key player for the club. With 16 appearances for the season, the youngster did average a 6.91 across the board, looking impressive in Europe. Southampton are tracking the young defender, but I am keen we can bring him more into the fold next season and strive to become a shoo-in for our defence. New boy Tobias Guddal was signed from Bryne for £900K and was loaned back out to his former side. Whilst I don't believe he is going to be a Rosenborg starter, he could be a handy player to have around the squad in times of injury crises, but is he going to accept that? We will look at loaning him back out next season, ideally at a lower-end Premier side, but I suspect we will be trying to flip him on and recover some of the £900K we parted with. Not one of my finest signings. Håkon Singsdal Volden was earmarked early on in my posts and is ready to make the step up to senior football. His season ended early due to a damaged achilles tendon, but I don't believe that will slow down his development during the off-season. With the right game management, we could have a serious player on our hands here - the expectation is that Volden will be present in cup games next season. Reinforcements are needed on the left-hand side of this defensive line, and that is going to be a major focus during the off-season. Another young player, who is ready to come in and be back up to Jenssen is not going to be cheap, but it is going to be necessary. Left Back - Full-Back Self-explanatory here really, Augustinsson has been ever-present since his return from injury, but the options behind him are a bit lacking. Pereira has featured throughout the 2024 season, but with this side of the defence being more secure, it is wasting his talents. With a year left on his deal, it could be a smart decision to move him on now and cash in whilst we can. Moving away from the two main starters, we don't have ample quality to come in and cover should anything drastically happen. Our hopes would then fall onto the shoulders of Elias Hovdhal Sandrød & Erkan Türkmen: Neither of the players looks senior squad-ready, but very little separates both players. With quality lacking, I will be looking to add to this area of the park, particularly should Pereira leave the club. Defensive Midfielder - Half-Back I am content with this area of the park, especially with the signing of Sola Lerheim Olsen from Songdal. Songdal is due two further instalments of £250K in August 2025 & 2026 after receiving £1.3M upfront for the youngster: At the age of 19, Olsen looks very well-rounded for the DM position and allows us to change his role into one of a playmaker from the defensive third. However, for the short-term, the half-back is to recycle possession quickly, and his passing ability is just perfect for the job. Santeri Väänänen will be transfer-listed also. A player that I can't quite find the game-time for, nor the role, it makes no sense to pay these wages and have him rotting in the stands. The idea was to let him leave during the summer, but with Olsen returning to Songdal on loan, I wanted to keep the Finnish midfielder around as the worst-case scenario. Central Midfield - Ball Winner In another area of the park where we lack, it could be tempting to deploy Olsen one forward, but either way, it will leave one of these two roles a bit short. Recruitments are needed within this area of the park and I am open to either youth or experienced. Central Midfielder - Advanced Playmaker Where we lack in one role, we are stacked in another. The hunting for Nypan's replacement has begun, even though we have him back on loan from Manchester United. Three signings coming into the side in the shape of Grundt (Free), Tangen (£1M) and Lotsberg (£325K), and it will be Lotsberg who goes out on loan next season. I think the trait combinations between Grundt and Tangen are fantastic for the role of Advanced Playmaker or Mezalla, and we should reap the benefits shortly. Lotsberg will be up for consideration along with Isak Jønvik Holmen & Morten Sørensen Schei - and I am still wondering what the staff see in him to class him as a striker instead of a creative midfielder. Right Attacking Midfield - Inside Forward An area where we aren't lacking numbers, but a left-footed player to fit the bill. Broholm is the only player operating on the right who is left-footed, and we need to look at alternatives should injuries occur. Granted, we can then switch our formation around - winger on the right and inside forward on the left - but to do so, we need to have options on both sides. Usman Shahid is a new face after signing for free from Skeid, and he could be the option in switching the roles around. Intrigued by his skill set, I am hoping he could be a rising star for us in the coming years. Left Attacking Midfielder - Winger The arrival of Jeppe Kjær is going to be massive for squad depth, as Pawel Chrupałła will be leaving the club at the end of the year. The Polish youngster did show flashes when Sørli was injured/rested, but the lack of consistency hampered his chances at a new deal. Striker - Complete Forward A role that is normally associated with hugely experienced players, I know that youth talent will be a million miles away from performing consistently in this role. I would look to switch roles to an Advanced Forward when Botheim is due his rest, and we do have options here. Agon Sadiku is still around at the club after the disastrous first season in charge and has chipped in with his fair share this season. 11 goals and an assist in 25 appearances is good going, especially when he has 3 in 3 in Europe. A player that I can expect to be around the club next season. Oscar Aga has spent the last two seasons on loan at Fredrikstad in the First Division and bagged 20 goals and 7 assists in 43 league games over the two years. However, Fredrikstad do have an option to buy the Norwegian, but it has yet to be announced what their plans are. Finally, my bright sparks. Santa Suárez and Holte both spent a season on loan at Skeid (First Division) and Størdals-Bink (Third Division) respectively. Holte was the more prolific of the two (11 goals in 28), but this was at a lower level - Santa Suárez grabbed just 6 goals in 23. Both players will be returning on loan next season, and a close eye will be on them as they fight over a contract.

Can’t wait to follow this one along, had no idea of the turmoil Darlington had gone through so it has suckered me in!

Yet another terrific season and that squad profiling chart is tremendous! I'm intrigued to see how the expansion into Africa goes; some wonderful talents waiting to be unearthed there, be interesting to see if your scouts can find them!

A couple of bids did come in as a result of Arsenal's interest; Spurs were keen and offered a mere £2.1M upfront with the rest in clauses, Man United then offered £4.2M upfront, £4.5M over 3 years, £1.1M after 10 league appearances for the club and £1.1M for an international appearance. We also have a friendly with them and 30% of profit, and a free loan back. It's not fantastic, but there's enough compensation to soften the blow. End of August 2024 Transfers In: I spoke about that all-important number 9, and I pushed the boat out there with this deal. Smashing club and league record for a signing, Botheim is back at Rosenborg and I am excited to have him around the team. This could be the missing piece of the jigsaw for the club going forward. Usman Shahid was another player that was appearing in reports and I had to take the gamble on him. Signing from Skeid on a free transfer, he moves into the U19s so we can keep an eye on his development and look to loan him out next season. Some areas for improvement, but he does look good enough to flip for a healthy profit. Rosenborg 2023 - Played 20 / Won 12 / Drew 5 / Lost 3 Rosenborg 2024 - Played 20 / Won 11 / Drew 4 / Lost 5 Two stalements and defeats in our next 10 games, followed up with 6 wins bring us right back into contention at the top end of the table. I still firmly believe that Bodø/Glimt are about a season ahead of us at this moment in time, but the pieces are falling into place. This run of 10 games also falls into the same as last season - 6 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats, We are finding consistency a bit more often now, but there is still room for improvement. For once, we are over-performing our expected outputs, not drastically like Lillestrøm last season, however. We need to ensure that shock performances like the one against Strømgodest do not occur often. Moving away from the shock performances, I was curious to see how our team was performing post-mentality tweaks. I elected to drop the mentality down to positive - this keeps our attacking threat but makes the players more mindful of the counterattack. The first game was our 5-2 victory over Haugesund, and whilst goals against us continued, it looks to have balanced out. Our expected goals remain on the low side, but as long as we are converting chances, I am significantly happier. Our positive mentality was introduced on matchday 15, and excusing a blip of two games, we have brought our moving average up compared to the opening 14 games. We average 43% of our shots on target now, up 4% from before the change, which equates to on average 5 shots on target compared to the four from the 14 games before. We are the league's top-scoring team and convert the most (17%), but also one of the worst when it comes to defending - something I will need to keep my eye on. One step forward, one step back it seems, but it is looking more promising! UEFA Europa Conference League Last season, we fell just short of qualifying for the final tournament as FC Midtjylland punished us and emerged victorious 5-4 on aggregate. With the pain of last season still looming, I was keen to take the club to the final tournament: Rounds 2 and 3 were during our spell of being indecisive and poor on the ball - some may say we were fortunate over these four games to be on the brink of qualification. But it was a mammoth performance in Serbia that ensured Crevna Zvezda had it all to do in Norway, but they were no match for us. An edgy game where we rode our luck, we did take the all-important chance on 56, before sealing the deal in extra time. Some tricky games lie in wait, but I am excited to represent Rosenborg on the European stage!

That dreaded email you get from your DoF. We did manage to get him back on loan for the rest of the year. The hunt for Nypan 2.0 commences.

Yeah, when researching about the save, I've never known a country to celebrate another team winning the title so much when their run ended! Nypan is progressing along well enough actually, he had a torrid time with injuries in the first season but still brings eyes from Liverpool and Arsenal every odd month - just praying we can keep him for another few seasons! I have been tweaking team instructions recently, but the mentality is an interesting point. Perhaps my issue is forcing the attacking philosophy? Going to look at dropping it down to positive to combat the counter-attack but remain present in the opposition half... Sørli was the smart deal at the time, perhaps paid a bit more than I wanted to but such is life when dealing with a direct rival!

An International Plot Twist I for one, never really planned for this sort of thing when deciding upon this save. The save was primarily a Rosenborg rebuild, but at the same time, there could be a job to do with the national team. Last qualified for a major tournament in 2000 (FM Norway did qualify for EURO 2024, but finished with a sole point so we won't count this one) Once 2nd in the world rankings My saves throughout this FM instalment include Rangers, AC Virtus & San Marino and most recently Servette. None of which are exactly big clubs with star players. This could be my only time at having the luxury of Martin Ødegaard and some chap by the name of Erling Haaland - Manchester City have him classed as Not for Sale, must be a good player or something. Interesting...

Intrigued by this - especially with the collapse from us! It did make me wonder what could have been had Brendan not dealt with the squad blows over the summer!

The decision to bring in Grenoble is a fantastic idea - the historical places graphic on TransferMarkt suggests they are a Ligue 2 side (granted anything can change on FM) so it should give you a good few years of developing talent at a good enough level! Race for the UCL is getting exciting, a big 5 games coming up!

Finding the Right Path or Continuing to Miss? It is now 10 league games into the 2024 season with Rosenborg, and it feels like as good a place as any to review the progress made over the summer. Transfers In The main signing over the winter period was Sørli from rivals Bodø/Glimt. Whilst he did not play often enough, just 7 full games, I was particularly impressed with his attacking outputs. With the change in formation introducing a winger, I needed that natural winger for the side and I feel he could fit the bill. An upfront fee of £1M, with an additional £1M to be paid over January 2025 & 2026, was enough to bring him to Trondheim. With the winger being introduced, I would require some reinforcements in this area. Jeppe Kjær on loan to Fredrikstad from Bodø/Glimt, caught my eye. Unfortunately, his pizza chart was not accurate enough due to an injury, but the basis of his ability certainly excites me for the future. He has signed a contract and will join the club in January 2025 after fulfilling his loan deal with Fredrikstad. £1.5M fee to Bodø/Glimt for his services. Sweeper-keepers did not exist within my current crop of players, and after trying to determine the issue of our goals conceded, we needed someone to play higher and help the defence out. Egil Selvik stood out to me during January as a potential signing, and whilst I could not find any other options, I elected to make my move early. Haugesund were hardballing the finances behind the deal, but we eventually agreed on a deal that would then see Sandberg go out on loan as their number one. £1.3M upfront fee to Haugesund, with £750 to be paid over January 2025 & 2026. Transfers out The big dealings out of the club was the departures of Andersson, Sæter and Frederiksen, with the remainder being youth or fringe players securing first-team football on loan. Andersson was a tough one to deal with, his profile around the squad was significantly high and any inconvenience would spread amongst others. He demanded a new contract, but after reviewing his performances in the previous season, I felt it was best to hold off on talks. Discontent was rumbling away, and we were keen to accept a £750K bid from Las Palmas for him - at least it doesn't strengthen an opposition. Another one was Ole Sæter. A horrific season in front of goal for us left me with no choice but to move him on. Norwegian clubs were circling him like vultures, but I did not want this transfer decision to haunt me, so when Slovan Bratislava offered £200K less than our rivals, I was happy to bring him in. Emil Frederiksen was one that I couldn't see getting minutes. With Broholm being the natural inside forward on the right, his minutes were slashed across the board. No point in keeping a future unhappy player around. Net Spend - £300,000. Pure profit on those sold. The big stickler for me this window was not signing a natural goalscorer. Unfortunately, our only target (Lasse Nordås) had no interest in joining Rosenborg due to the rivalry with Tromsø. Despite our best efforts, locating a new number 9 was proving futile. Thankfully, we weren't short in this department with Holm and Sadiku remaining at the club. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rosenborg 2023 - Played 10 / Won 6 / Drew 3 / Lost 1 Rosenborg 2024 - Played 10 / Won 5 / Drew 2 / Lost 3 The worrying sign is that we are worse off from this point last season already by 4 points, but thankfully we are not falling behind the leaders. We still have a lot to do to ensure we finish in the top 3 as expected once again, but I am content knowing that we are only a third of the way through the season and have plenty of time to change our fortunes. The big one for me is going to be the summer window post EUROs 2024, as we are certainly going back into the market to improve the squad. For once, it is refreshing looking at an xG table and performing as we are expected to perform. The small over-performance from Brann stinks of Lillestrøm from last season, and after falling to a 2-1 defeat to them earlier in the season, the reverse fixture will be massive. But what about the striker issue? Well, the positive is that we have goals coming from the wings and midfield (Nypan). Our penalty woes from last season look to have been squashed with Henriksen scoring 4 from 4. Sadiku does have four goals to his tally, but only one of those goals was in the league. Holm looks to have picked up from Sæter this season with an underperformance on his xG output - I'm hoping that this is due to sharpness following an injury, but it is concerning already. Broholm leads our charts with 6 league goals, and this has him tied with Andy Delort of Bodø/Glimt - a great achievement for the youngster coming in off the right, but it does not bode well for our actual strikers. My biggest concern is the impending moving average of our xG - something has to change so that we remain on top and take our chances. A natural number 9 would probably help with these worries, but I need a short-term solution to avoid falling further behind in the European race.

I thought it may have been. I was curious about your own goal given the league table standings as of now. It seems to be a straight shootout for the top four (judging by last season's table), and given your significantly better GD, I wasn't sure if the expectation had been ramped up.

Can you teach me the art of doing nothing?! I attempted this with Sæter, but the performances just glided all the way through the period of nothingness! A great start regardless, and it’s good having the main man back in action. Whilst you are rotating prior to a UCL game, what’s the end goal for this season? Are you looking to just secure European football - at any level - or is the push towards 2nd a real expectation?

When work hands you awful jobs, make lemonade! Not quite, but I’ve taken some time out today to catch up on this save and just wow! Excited for your next adventure - wherever that may be!