DaneBramage

Rynninge IK - 2024 Squad Analysis We have 88 players over our senior, reserve, and under 19 squads, and it's too many really. The senior squad only has 30 league games, with few midweek matches (the first month of the season only), so it's not like we need a strong back-up 11 most of the time. But having so many in the reserve and under 19 squads means that they don't all play enough, meaning when we need to dip in and grab someone for the first-team, often they're not fully fit. So could definitely do with trimming them a bit. Could also do a better job of making sure the reserves and under 19s have friendlies set up in weeks when they don't have matches scheduled. Going to set a monthly note to check this actually. Goalkeepers 29j Mathias Tillman has been our starting goalie for three years, and I don't see any reason to change that. He's been reliable, and there's not really anyone coming through to challenge him. This is definitely a position where we could use a potential star in the next intake. Right backs Adam Borg has been our starting right-back for the last few years, and has been a good player. A creative force in the most recent year too. But as one of the few original players remaining, it's time to start looking towards the future. I won't bin him off, as he's on non-contract terms there's no expense to keeping him around, but I'll be moving 31i Sebastian Svensson up into the first-team. Left backs This is a position where I had two original players, with Dimitris Dimitriadis as first choice and Bigger Badiashile as the rotation option. That's a wasted opportunity really, preventing any youngsters from playing. The former is contracted and the latter is not, so it's pretty obvious who's being kept on and who's being released. They won't be staying as first choice though, it's time for 31c Carl Hallstensson to get a shot. Centre backs 29d Axel Lundh and 29c Ibrahim Koroma have formed a good partnership together, and that will stay the same. A lot of decent options behind them, though the two who can also play up front are more likely to find themselves as bench players due to their versatility. Central midfielders This is another position where I'll be sticking with the same partnership, but this decision is less straightforward. The CA of Daniel Augustsson speaks for itself, but the stars for T20b Magnus Ternstedt are well down. Yet the last three seasons have been the best of his career. At this point, other than the 2029 season, we've spent our entire careers at the same club, so there is some loyalty there too. There are plenty of suitable back-up options behind this two, so it will be a case of making sure that they get enough gametime throughout the season. Daniel Augustsson is expensive, roughly £10k per annum, so we need to build someone up to replace him, likely by the end of the upcoming season. Right wingers Adam Jönsson is clearly above everyone else, and has contributed over 40 goals or assists over the last three seasons. He's another one who is expensive though, so I want to give 33a Zoran Stojiljkovic plenty of appearances this season (hopefully to the point I don't have to check the spelling of his name each time). Left wingers Not a position of huge strength. 30b Thomas Svensson and 29f Fredrik Karlsson have been playing in this role, without contributing huge amounts. Though to be fair, both were teenagers for the majority of this time. Strikers I'm making a big change here, as our starting striker for the last four years, Alexander Larsson, has been set for release. His performances have been on the wane, going from 22 goals, to 13 and 10, then just five last year. The amount of goals we've scored has been on a bit of a downward trend over the last four years (66, 53, 47, 48), so something needs to change (admittedly, the last two seasons have been in a higher division). There's a lot of potential here, so I guess I need to sort out roles to fit everyone better. 31b Anders Aronsson and 30k Anders Persson-Engwall will likely start as my first choice partnership up front, but there are a bunch of players ready to come in and challenge if they don't start well.

Previous Clubs Tyresö FF (Division 2 Södra Svealand) won their first six games of the season to take an early lead. They went through a bit of a blip during June and early July, dropping off of top spot for one week, but when they got going again they regained 1st place and stayed there until the end of the season, clinching promotion with one game to go.

Rynninge IK - 2033 Season Review A comfortable season in Division 1. After taking so long to get there (albeit with two clubs), once at this level we've had no issues at all. Financially however, it's a different matter. The jump from last year's balance to this year's looks huge because of the discrepancy in the date when the figures were taken, but even so we're obviously losing money each year. I don't care, it's not my problem, but it will make requesting upgrades a long shot. --------------------------------------------- Adam Jönsson ended the season with 10 goals, a solid amount from the right wing. Seven of these came in a six game run though between August and September, so he didn't contribute much through the rest of the campaign. Adam Borg was top creator from right-back, with eight assists. T20b Magnus Ternstedt was our fans' player of the season, and had the highest average rating at 7.28. My starting strikers managed a total of 12 goals between them, I really need to re-think this before next season starts. --------------------------------------------- T20b Magnus Ternstedt only has a 2.0 CA rating, but he's still playing strongly at 29 years old. 29d Axel Lundh is one of my best players, and has formed a partnership in central defence with 29c Ibrahim Koroma. 29j Mathias Tillman had his best season so far with 10 clean sheets. 10 academy players made their debuts in 2033. --------------------------------------------- The Reserves won their second tier group for a fourth year in a row but can't get promoted. The Under 19s came 9th in the initial stage of the U19 Premier Division, then 3rd in the relegation stage to ensure safety. ---------------------------------------------

Having three strikers with 20+ goals makes things a lot of fun. I'd kill for just one. Great run in Europe, even if the group stage is a silly system. For my money, I think the most fun stage of saves is possibly when you get into Europe for the first few times and have to go through the qualifying rounds. Plenty of gametime against easyish for the second string to keep them happy, and normally plenty of goals too.

Rynninge IK - October 2033 A mixed end to the season. The two wins over IK Brage and FBK Karlstad extended our winning run to four games, but then the consecutive losses put a dampener on things. We recovered to beat managerless Vasalunds IF well, and 30k Anders Persson-Engwall made a big impression to suggest he should be involved more (despite his technical attributes being horrible). But then we got absolutely battered on the final day. To be fair, Nyköpings BIS had a lot more to play for - the win put them into the play-off spot. The game against BK Forward saw us break our attendance record, with 604 people turning up. We don't get those kind of numbers often, the averages over the last few years were 139, 172, 161, and 219 this year. 6th place, I'm happy with this. An almost identical record to last season, as we turned one loss into a draw to earn one more point. We also scored one more goal than last season, and conceded ten fewer.

Rynninge IK - 2033 Youth Intake A golden generation! @Jimbokav1971 Of course it's happened again. Guy at the top of the rankings has poor determination. I think 33a Zoran Stojiljkovic looks quite good, so he's certainly worth giving a chance. Right-wing doesn't feel like a position where we're particularly well-stocked, the first choice is still an original player, so there's definitely an opportunity for him. I might do a depth chart at the end of the season, assess which positions we're strongest and where there are gaps. Elsewhere, I like the look of 33e Mikael Ekwall. The other striker rated highly, 33d Daniel Mattson, also has 1.0 CA and 4.5 PA, but the former is very tall and a better finisher. Slow though.

Rynninge IK - August 2033 Being invited back into Svenska Cupen was a nice treat. Our opening game was against a fifth tier side, and a young rotated side made it through relatively easily, though it did take extra-time to really make our class show. In the next round we faced Allsvenskan side Mjällby AIF, and predictably lost. In the league we played well, bar one abomination. We were terrible against IFK Stocksund and were soundly beaten, but the rest of the month we looked good, earning three wins all with clean sheets. Adam Jönsson went through a purple patch scoring a total of five goals over these four games, and he is now our leading scorer this season with seven. We need just one point from the final six point to avoid relegation, I think we're safe. I'd be annoyed if we finished any lower than 7th.

Rynninge IK - July 2033 After a couple of dodgy results I made a few slight adjustments to the roles for my left-sided striker, and each of the midfielders. Clearly tactical genius at work, as we then went on a three game winning run, including beating the leaders Sandvikens IF. T20b Magnus Ternstedt thrived in his new attacking playmaker role, with three goals and two assists. Solidly midtable.

Rynninge IK - June 2033 A mixed bag with a home win, home loss, away win, and an away loss. In each win we pummeled the other team, while each loss was a closer affair. So the two defeats were disappointing, but on another day we would have gotten something from those games. The real kick in the teeth was conceding to Nyköpings BIS in the 92nd minute to lose that one. The problem is probably that most players aren't contributing enough goals. The two mentioned in my last post are top scoring with six each, but no one else has more than two. No change, solidly midtable at the halfway point.

Rynninge IK - May 2033 We made a bit of a dodgy start to the season as we're not equipped yet to cope with midweek games. Our starting XI is pretty competitive, but the rotation side is nowhere near the same level and struggles to get points. Once we settled into one game a week (and barring invitation to Svenska Cupen, there are no more midweek games scheduled) we started performing better and picking up consecutive good results. With five goals 31b Ander Aronsson (ST) has already matched last year's tally, while the four goals from 29d Axel Lundh (DC) has equalled his career total to date. Solidly midtable. Just noticed that FBK Karlstad are bottom of the table, which makes our most recent result look worse. Of course it's us they got a point against after losing six in a row.

Rynninge IK - 2033 Season Preview The board wouldn't improve any of our facilities over the window due to the lack of money. But at least they did try and rectify this, creating a link with Örebro SK (Allsvenskan). They're paying us £25k per annum, and we also got another £10k from hosting a friendly. They can send us players on loan, though I wouldn't be able to use them (other than one of my ex-Tyresö FF players, but he wasn't interested anyway). --------------------------------------------- As expected T26i Oscar Flensborg left the club at the end of his contract. He said he wanted to join a higher calibre club, and then took a paycut to sign for IK Oddevold instead, who have just been promoted into the same division as us. I'd put him on my enemies list, other than the fact I'd take him back in a heartbeat. --------------------------------------------- For the first time one of youth players has been poached away before coming through. I'll keep an eye out for him in a future Östersunds FK (Superettan) intake, but the 3.0 PA silver stars possibly indicate he won't be up to much. --------------------------------------------- For the first time in this career we've had an offer with payment for one of our players, £1.1k (+20%) for Daniel Augustsson, from Ängelholms FF (Superettan). With the amount we're in the red this is just pennies, so was rejected as it would us no good, and he's one of our best players. Immediate strop from him, boycotting the next friendly and earning a week's fine, and a mini-revolt from half the squad who believe he should be allowed to leave. Perfect. --------------------------------------------- The media think we'll finish 14th and be relegated. The board want us to avoid relegation. ---------------------------------------------

Four of the top six have determination attributes at 6 or below. Pretty quick way to kill the excitement for an intake. I know when this first came up I thought 32a could be okay, with a bit of mentoring in order to bump up his determination stat 2 or 3 points. It's not like his determination is much better than the other three, it's just the influence of 1.5 CA and fairly sporting, rather than 0.5 CA and casual, low determination, or unambitious.

Previous Clubs + Players Tyresö FF (Division 2 Södra Svealand) spent pretty much all season in 2nd place, finishing just two points off top spot, and 20 points clear of 3rd place. In the play-off group round they won one and lost one, and didn't advance to the next stage. 25a Isaac Brikell moved for £28k to AFC Eskilstuna in the Allsvenskan, but only made six appearances as they were relegated.

Rynninge IK - 2032 Season Review We had a great first season at this level. After a bit of a slow start we came on strong to finish in the top half. We weren't even in the conversation for relegation after the first couple of months, and even could have finished as high as 3rd. Junior coaching and youth recruitment were both improved, though the former is just back to its original status now. The season goes on a month longer than Division 2, so the bank balance was checked a month later. We definitely didn't make a profit, but fundraising and sponsorship monies had come in at this stage. Annoying that it was just a one-off appearance in Svenska Cupen last year and we weren't invited back this time. --------------------------------------------- The average ratings might not reflect it, but I think there were a lot of good performances this year. Alexander Larsson top scored with 10 goals, while T20b Magnus Ternstedt was top creator with 10 assists. Adam Jönsson and Daniel Augustsson also contributed nicely. There are two contracts here with expiry dates at the end of the month. Daniel Augustsson has agreed to an extension as our top paid player on £190 per week, but T26i Oscar Flensborg won't even talk, he wants to move on to a higher level. The only interested club currently is from the Icelandic top tier. --------------------------------------------- Four academy players made their debuts this year. There wasn't too much change to the first-team. After T27h Hannes Johansson left 31b Anders Aronsson took his place in the starting line-up, but found himself benched by the end of the year. 29f Fredrik Karlsson has been replaced by 30b Thomas Svensson. --------------------------------------------- The Reserves won their second tier group for a third year in a row but can't get promoted. The Under 19s came 12th in the initial stage of the U19 Premier Division, then 5th in the relegation stage to ensure safety. ---------------------------------------------

Rynninge IK - October 2032 A good end to the season, even if the final day was a bit of a damp squib. In my last update I mentioned 31b Anders Aronsson was going through a drought, the FM Gods were gracious enough to let him score a stoppage-time winning goal the next time out. A win on the final day would have seen us clinch 3rd place, which would have been unthinkable at the start of the year, but I'm super happy with 5th. We had the third best attack in the division, but also the joint second worst defence. 12 losses is a lot, more than any team outside the bottom six, we just need to turn a few of those into draws.

Rynninge IK - September 2032 Two home wins, both with clean sheets. Two away losses, including a bit of a tonking from leaders Husqvarna FF. In July I mentioned a change regarding which striker position 31b Anders Aronsson was playing in, and he then scored three games in a row. Of course, he hasn't scored since and is now on an 11 hour dry spell. Survival has been confirmed, and we will be seeing a second year of football at this level. Now it's just about finishing as strongly as we can, and making sure we get a good midtable position.

Rynninge IK - 2032 Youth Intake A golden generation! Not a huge amount to comment on here - I guess as we improve the intakes will look less good compared to the current squad, so it gets more difficult to spot potential stars. Even those with the 1.5 CA don't look anything special at the moment. Not much of interest in terms of new nationalities either, and there are plenty of poor personalities towards the top end of this list.

Rynninge IK - August 2032 We made it five consecutive wins with a big victory Lunds BK. Our six goals came from only six shots on target. Both of our central midfielders grabbed two assists, and both wingers scored twice. Not that that really means anything, but it was aesthetically pleasing. The rest of the month was a bit rockier and results were inconsistent, but we were still able to add a few more points to our total. With eight games remaining, we're 12 points clear of the bottom four. At this point it's probably okay to suggest we're safe and won't get relegated. This is the second time this lot have invited me for an interview, though the last was six years ago. Still a mad option. Östersunds FK - Allsvenskan (15th)

Rynninge IK - July 2032 What a month! We put together a few friendlies to stay fresh during the break, and it worked out very nicely. None of the other teams did, so we had fitness and momentum on our side. I hadn't noticed until now that this was four straight away games, so that makes winning all of them even more impressive. T20b Magnus Ternstedt was of course the star man with a hat-trick against IFK Stocksund, but 31b Anders Aronsson also shone with a goal in each of the next three games. He'd been struggling so far this year, but we adjusted our line-up slightly, just switching around which striker played in which role, and he really fit into the new position. We're just past the halfway point now, and we're the form team in the league. We've got a nice 10 point buffer now over the bottom four, it's too early to say we're safe but we've certainly put ourselves in a good position. Two more interview offers this month. At least now with a promotion in the bag I've done something to earn this, but I still feel unqualified. Brommapojkarna IF - Superettan (8th) Östers IF - Superettan (7th)

Rynninge IK - June 2032 Just the one game this month, as the league now has a four week break for some reason. As we've gone four matches without a win I put the AssMan in charge of picking the team. He came up trumps, we completely dominated Arameisk-Syrianska IF and the scoreline should have been higher, None of the teams around us won, so we've risen to 12 place.

Rynninge IK - May 2032 Two excellent games when everything went our way, but then we just stopped scoring goals again. At least we earned a first clean sheet of the season to halt the losing streak. Scoring a goal a game while conceding almost twice as many isn't ideal. But it's enough to have three teams below us, which is what we need. In a perfect world it would be four, but 13th place would at least leave our fate in our own hands,

Rynninge IK - April 2032 After promotion was confirmed I asked for a couple of upgrades. Junior coaching and youth recruitment were both improved to an adequate standard. --------------------------------------------- I would have liked to keep T27h Hannes Johansson, but I chose to not re-sign the others when contracts ran out. I'm a little bit worried about leaving the first-team squad a little thin now, but it'll give the younger players a chance to step up. There are more teams in Division 1, so we'll have 30 games instead of 26. It looks like the additional games are all in the first few weeks with four midweek games, so we'll see at that point who sinks and who swims. --------------------------------------------- 13th place goes into a relegation play-off. 14th-16th go down automatically. The media are predicting that we'll finish 13th. The board want us to avoid relegation. --------------------------------------------- Performances haven't been quite as bad as the results would suggest, but we are definitely being outclassed a bit. We can put up a good fight and make it a competitive game, but actually putting the ball in the net has been a problem. And no clean sheets either. So issues at both ends of the pitch really. The home games were played by the first-team, and the away teams by the rotation team. Our only win did come from a game the second-string started, but it was only when Alexander Larsson came on and changed things with a magic five minutes late on. With 20% of the season gone already we sit in 13th place.

Previous Clubs + Players Tyresö FF (Division 2 Södra Svealand) suffered a slow start to the season, only picking up two points from the first five games. They came on strong throughout the rest of the year, but the damage had already been done. They eventually finished in 5th place, three points off the top two. 25a Isaac Brikell played in every game for Jonköpings Södra, only contributing two assists, as they narrowly avoided relegation from the Superettan (12th place) on the final day.

Rynninge IK - 2031 Season Review Very happy with this year. We did our best at the top of the table, couldn't quite end the season as champions, but made it into the play-offs and completed the job in style. We received £40k for the promotion, though that just reduced the money we owe to the bank. Our youth set-up cost £30k extra this year so that's a big part of why our balance has dropped, as well as an additional £8k in wages (largely due to the two signings). Hopefully there'll be some more money on offer in Division 1. --------------------------------------------- A lot of heroes in this squad, finally achieving the promotion that has eluded me for so long. 29j Mathis Tillman joined up with the senior squad for the first time and immediately made himself first-choice in goal. He was helped by the new partnership ahead of him, 29d Axel Lundh and key signing T26i Oscar Flensborg. T20b Magnus Ternstedt was our player of the season, weighing in with seven goals and seven assists, the most productive season of his career. And three players hit double figures - 10 goals from Adam Jönsson, 12 from T27h Hannes Johansson, and 13 from Alexander Larsson. Unfortunately it's unlikely that T27h Hannes Johansson will be staying with us, he got upset about being fined a while back and won't talk about a new contract. The rest of the contracts expiring this year also probably won't be renewed. --------------------------------------------- 11 academy players made their debuts this year, though most were in the cup game when I hadn't rotated and rested the senior players properly, so it was out of necessity rather than choice. Of those who were used significantly in the first-team, 29j Mathias Tillman claimed the number one shirt as his own, conceding just a goal a game and keeping eight clean sheets. 31b Anders Aronsson was the standout of this year's intake, and he's already made an impression in the team. Two more players from my time at Tyresö FF were brought in as well and made their second debuts for me. All three signings from them have been a success and improved us, but I don't think there will be any more. --------------------------------------------- The Reserves won their second tier group in a repeat of last year's success. They couldn't get promoted previously because of the level of the senior side, it's not clear yet whether out promotion will also allow them to do the same. The Under 19s came 10th in the initial stage of the U19 Premier Division, then 4th in the relegation stage to ensure safety. ---------------------------------------------

And now there won't be any updates for a few days, as I'm off to London to celebrate. (or to Wembley for the wrestling, but I will be regaling my brother with every single detail, whether he cares or not).