I Believe in [FC] Santa Claus (FM 15)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

One evening not long ago, I was browsing through a list of clubs in the Football Manager database when I discovered one that made me smile.

FC Santa Claus Arctic Circle is from the city of Rovaniemi, Finland. Rovaniemi, a city of about 55,000 people, is the capital of Lapland, the northernmost region of Finland. It's located about six miles south of the Arctic Circle, and it bills itself as "The Official Hometown of Santa Claus."

FC Santa Claus is a small club; it plays in the Kolmonen, the fourth level in the Finnish football pyramid. I discovered that the out-of-the-box Football Manager database didn't include that many Finnish leagues, but after several tries, I located an edited database that extends the Finnish pyramid down to FIVE levels. I loaded it up, and I'm now managing Santa Claus.

Santa, as the club is sometimes called, play their home matches here, at Rovaniemen keskuskenttä. (I believe "keskuskenttä" is the Finnish word for "multipurpose stadium.") There is snow on the ground for almost half the year in Rovaniemi, so the league programme won't begin until April--when league play in countries like England is drawing to a close.

Football Manager purists will perhaps be aghast at the fact that, this time, I created my managerial alter ego with a reputation and a set of credentials that would usually qualify him for a gig with a bigger club. He's a Rovaniemi lad, a full Finland international with 64 caps to his credit and a Continental A coaching badge. I'm trying to give myself a chance at a good, long run up in Lapland.

And, unlike many of my Football Manager saves, in which I'm open to the possibility of taking my talents anywhere in the world, this time I'm going to stick with Santa wherever he leads me. I won't apply for other jobs, or accept invitations to interview for other positions. If I'm sacked, the story will end.

And, with that, the story will begin.

Do you believe in Santa Claus?

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Meet the Team

When I take over a club in FM, I have a tendency to immediately begin signing a whole slew of new players. What's more, I never seem to leave well enough alone. Throughout the season, my usual responses to bad runs of form include shopping for yet more new men.

This time, I'm going to try being more patient, giving my players a chance to gel before I start changing the squad.

So far, I've been fairly restrained, signing five new players and bringing one in on loan. Three of them were absolute necessities, because I had only two strikers in the club and nobody who was a natural on the left wing. And, I'm still working with a senior team of 18 players and an U19 squad of 15, while staying about €250 under my wage budget.

Goalkeepers


Rantala has all the skills, except his handling isn't great. Perälä is a very good understudy, and there's a very promising young 'keeper in the youth team.


Defenders


Niemi, who is probably our best outfield player, is comfortable at either left or right back--and in a variety of other positions, too. His protege, Ahonen, will play a lot at left back, while the ultra-versatile Peltonen can slot in on the right. Pakarinen and Tuomi are solid at center half, and Heikkilä, who is primarily a midfielder, can play in the back, too. So can Kinnunen, who is also better suited for duty elsewhere.


Midfielders


My favorite formation, a 4-4-2, uses wingers on the right and left, flanking an advanced playmaker and a holding central midfielder. Heikkilä is the best fit for the advanced playmaker role, with Pelttari as the holding player. Tommi Mäkelä can deputize fairly well at either central midfield spot, while Kiistala is better suited for the holding role. Kinnunen, one of the new men, is a skillful, two-footed veteran who will usually start on the left. On the other flank, I can use Heiskanen, another new signing; Peltonen, my super-utility player; Riikonen, a promising teenager in on loan from our parent club, Rovaniemen Palloseura; or Kallio, another young player with a future.


Strikers


Jani Mäkelä and Kekki will be the usual front men. Both are most comfortable as advanced forwards; they lack the vision and passing ability to fill the deep-lying forward role well. I chose Kekki to wear the captain's armband. Weckström has promise, and will be a nifty reserve. I'm still looking for another striker, ideally one who can play slightly deeper than his partner.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

22 January 2015

I probably won't write up the results of each match we play, but since our first contest was a First Round tie in the Suomen Cup competition, I thought it was worth some commentary.

The Finnish word for Finland is Suomi, so it makes sense that the Suomen Cup is the equivalent of England's FA Cup: a knockout competition that includes clubs that range from tiny amateur sides from the Nelonen to powerhouses from the Veikkausliiga, the top Finnish league. Our board don't expect anything more than a competitive presence in the Suomen Cup but, since we have nothing but friendlies on our schedule until April, I fielded a full-strength side tonight. I wanted to begin my career at Santa with a victory.

Here's how we lined up:

4-4-2
GK: Rantala
D: Niemi, Tuomi, Pakarinen, Peltonen
M: Kinnunen, Peltari, T. Mäkelä, Heiskanen
ST: Weckström, Kekki

That's just about as good a side as I can put on the pitch. Antti Heikkilä and Jani Mäkelä were struggling with minor fitness issues, so I started Tomi Mäkelä and Mathias Weckström instead.

Our opponent, Malmin Palloseura, were a team from the same league (Kolmonen Group B) as ours. They were content to sit back and play defensively, and I've always been challenged by opponents who take this approach. The match was scoreless through 90 minutes, so on to extra time we went.

Ten minutes in, Kekki was clattered in the box, and the penalty was given...a tough call if you're MPS. Juhani Heiskanen's spot kick was true, and we took the lead.

MPS quickly leveled, and I had almost resigned myself to a shootout when Jari Kekki took a short pass from Weckström and slotted it home. 2-1 to the home side, and we're through to the Second Round.

I'm happy with the victory, but I see that I still need a lot of work when it comes to recognizing what my opponents are doing and making the necessary adjustments. I probably need to watch some entire matches in the 2-D view in order to improve in this area; I only watch key highlights in 3-D right now.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

2 February 2015

In the days immediately following our Suomen Cup match, a number of clubs approached my assistant manager, Pauli Korhonen, with offers to join them as their manager. Pauli's 64, so his chances to run his own club might be limited, and as much as I wanted to keep him on board, it was very difficult to stand in the man's way. He's talented, and I told him how much I would like to continue working with him, but he ended up taking the offer from Kolarin Kontio, an amateur club who play in Kolmonen Group D. I wish him well, unless we face him somewhere along the line.

After looking at the potential candidates to fill Pauli's position, I decided to offer coach Sami Tuovinen a promotion to the Assistant Manager position. Sami is young (39) and talented, and he's good with young players. That makes him a good fit, as I convinced the board to go along with my philosophy of emphasizing youth. He was capped twice for Finland, too.

Tuovinen took the job, and today I learned that Joona Korhonen accepted our offer to join us as a coach. He's 49, holds a Continental C license, and is particularly good at coaching goalkeepers. Joona is a tough disciplinarian, and young players respond to him positively.

Incidentally, Korhonen is the most common surname in Finland, so the fact that I replaced one staff member by that name with another isn't all that odd.

[path12]

I'm visiting my wife's relatives in Norway over Christmas this year and was reading a book about Scandinavia where the author took a trip to Rovaniemi and Santa's workshop:

The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia: Michael Booth: 9780224089623: Amazon.com: Books

Cool idea for a dynasty. Go Santa!

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by path12

I'm visiting my wife's relatives in Norway over Christmas this year and was reading a book about Scandinavia where the author took a trip to Rovaniemi and Santa's workshop:

The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia: Michael Booth: 9780224089623: Amazon.com: Books

Cool idea for a dynasty. Go Santa!

Thanks for following, and thanks, especially, for the link to the book you're reading. I am an avid reader, and it looks like something I would enjoy.

I have some Finnish ancestry on my mother's side of the family, so I've often thought I might enjoy managing a Finnish club in FM. It's been a lot of fun so far, and my kids are already big fans.

[Young Drachma]

Fun story.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 March 2015

The next month was a busy one at FC Santa Claus. Our preseason moved into the next phase, as we played four friendlies. We also continued play in the Suomen Cup, and the results could have hardly turned out better.

Our Cup tie took us away to Tervarit, a club from the city of Oulu. We saw them off, 2-1, the second goal coming from Santa's newest player.

Nine days earlier, we signed a striker whom Sami Tuovinen recommended: 22-year-old free agent Joona Kalermo. My staff disagrees about his ability to some extent; coach Joona Korhonen thinks he's the best striker in the team now, while youth development guy Juha-Pekka Rinne isn't impressed. I like his technical skill and his flair, and even if he's never more than a rotation option, I'll be happy.

The board accepted my suggestion that we establish an affiliation with a smaller club that might take some of our young players on loan. Now we're affiliated with Töölön Vesa, an amateur club in the Nelonen. We'll see if some of our U19s will end up getting some first team football there.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

Fun story.

Thanks very much! I hope you keep reading along.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

19 April 2015

Things are about to get even more real in Lapland, as our league season begins today.

During March and the first half of April, we continued to play friendly matches, including some contests with Swedish teams and a derby game against our senior affiliate, Rovaniemen Palloseura. We also continued our surprising run in the Suomen Cup until it was ended by one of Finland's bigger clubs.



Yes, we've played 16 matches before our league programme begins.

We gave SJK a run for their money in the Fifth Round of the Suomen Cup. I thought we played very well against a much larger opponent, and one of their goals came on a somewhat dubious penalty.

Our new arrangement with Töölön Vesa isn't working out well. None of our Under 19s will agree to go on loan there! A few of the young lads are starting to aggravate me; they whine about their training levels being too hard (even after I coddle them and cut them back), and pout when they're asked to go to Vesa and get some first team football.

I hired a Director of Football, a savvy gentleman named Juuso Koski, partially because I'd like him to spend some time trying to line up opportunities for players to go on loan. So far, that hasn't worked out either. However, Koski has already made his first contribution to Santa's success, as you will read later.

I always enjoy Trial Days. Young free agents who are trying to find clubs to play for audition for managers who might want to sign them. Finland Trial Day was 21 March, and our Head Scout, Mattias Henriksson, recommended a handful of trialists for closer observation.

One of them, Juho-Matti Aaltonen, impressed me enough that I signed him to a contract. Aaltonen is 23, and he has some degree of proficiency at every position on the pitch besides central defense and goalkeeper. He'll probably feature most often at right back, but he's apt to be on the team sheet every match, filling in wherever we need him. I love having guys like Juho-Matti in my team, and this time I have several of them.

There was one remaining "hole" in the Santa Claus team, and that was the lack of a player who was truly comfortable playing AM(C). I like having at least one man who can fill that role, allowing me an extra measure of tactical flexibility. If he can also play other positions, making himself useful when I'm not using an AM(C), all the better.

Last week, Juuso Koski found just the player: 22-year-old Ari Ruuskanen. His mental attributes are very good for our level, and he has pace and creativity. He can play any position in the offensive 'half' of the pitch. I assigned Janne Kallio to the U19s, where he'll get more playing time than he will with the senior team right now.

We've battled some injuries lately. Striker Joona Kalermo is just returning to action after straining a groin muscle in mid-March. Midfielder Antti Heikkilä twisted a knee last week, and he'll be out for another three weeks or so. That's one reason why I like having so many versatile players in the club.

There are 123 clubs in Suomen Kolmonen, divided into eight groups; each group contains 15 or 16 teams. It looks like the winner of each group is promoted to Suomen Kakkonen, the third level of the pyramid. We're in Group B, and the media has tipped us to win. That's what the board expects, too, so my work is cut out for me.

Speaking of the board, the chairman is currently in discussions regarding a possible takeover of the club. That might not be a good thing...we'll have to see.

[bbgunn]

I'm following!

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

I'm following!

Thanks, it's great to have you along!

April hasn't been very kind to us. I'm facing my usual dilemma with FM: how much adjustment should I make?

The teams we've faced have been good ones. Oulo, RoPS, and SJK are all in the first two divisions. Assi is in the Swedish Third Division, and they looked like they were about as good as we are. I wanted a better outcome from that match, but we were playing them away, and I'm wondering if that's an even more daunting task for a smaller club playing in a foreign country.

It could be the case that our struggles are simply the result of playing good teams, rather than a flaw in my tactics or a weakness in our squad. I'm leaning toward sticking with the system and the players, and trusting that we'll fare better in the league. After all, we're rated as one of the stronger sides in that competition.

[path12]

Sometimes the hardest thing for me to do in FM, especially early on, is just to leave stuff alone and let my team gel in the system I've put together.

Been awhile since I played a smaller team like this -- is simple still better at low levels?

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by path12

Sometimes the hardest thing for me to do in FM, especially early on, is just to leave stuff alone and let my team gel in the system I've put together.

Been awhile since I played a smaller team like this -- is simple still better at low levels?

I'm trying to do just that: give the team time to gel. Still, I am thinking I need to make a change, because the attitude of one of my first team players is starting to annoy me, and I don't have a good replacement in the team right now. More on that later.

I almost always play at the lower levels. I've been converted to a "minimalist" school of team management. I used to use eight or ten different team instructions and give players two or three individual instructions, too. Then I'd give several opposition instructions before a match began.

Now, I might not give any team instructions at all and, if I do, I stick with one or two; I can always add or take away from those if the circumstances of the match call for a change. I almost never give any opposition instructions, unless the other team has a danger man who can win a match by himself. Otherwise, I'd rather have my team keep its defensive shape.

I figure if I have only a few variables at work in my tactics, it's easier to identify any problems that might exist and fix them.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

13 May 2015



About thirty minutes from time in tonight's match, something happened that cast a gloomy shadow over an otherwise successful month for Santa Claus.

We're tipped to win Kolmonen Group B, so seeing us on top of the table isn't a surprise. I don't chalk it up to my management prowess when I have a club that's predicted to win the league, doing what they're expected to do. The fact that we're conceding so few goals and scoring a fair few ourselves is very promising, though.

The only club to take a point from us so far is HDS Mondial, who are bottom of the league. They gave us fits when we played them.

A handful of our players aren't handling success as well as I'd like, becoming complacent or disinterested even when a match is still up for grabs. The worst offender has been center back Roope Tuomi, who combined a lackadaisical attitude with sloppy play to the point that I began looking for an upgrade. In his next match, Tuomi tweaked his knee, making the upgrade a much more pressing need.

We signed free agent Jesse Lappalainen, a strapping lad of 24, who brings good size and pace to our back line. I'm a little concerned with his lack of determination (it's not terrible, just not as good as I like), but otherwise, he's a very good fit for our club. Even after Tuomi returns from his injury, Lappalainen will be first choice at center back, paired with Kai Pakarinen.

Jesse's salary basically replaces that of Toni Kiistala, who left us to sign for Ekenäs IF (one level higher) earlier in the month.

The other slacker is striker Jani Mäkelä, who is either scoring when he wants or going through the motions. If Jani's head isn't in the game, I shout at him once to try to get him to concentrate or show some passion, and if he doesn't respond, out he goes. I've been able to handle Jani that way because I always have a good alternative on the bench.

Mathias Weckström emerged as our most effective scorer this month. He netted in each of our first five league fixtures, and had a brace in our Suomen Regions Cup tie. Tonight against FC KOMU, he struck twice, on 9' and on 50'.

About ten minutes after his second goal, he went down in a heap after a tough challenge from KOMU midfielder Tooka Korhunen. One of Korhunen's teammates immediately put the ball into touch, which is never a good sign. Something was definitely wrong.

Korhunen doesn't seem like a goon, and he wasn't even whistled for a foul on the play, so it looks like a freak injury.

Weckström was stretchered off with a badly broken lower leg that will end his season. In fact, if he can do anything related to football before the New Year, he'll be lucky.

I'm looking for a place-filler now; I doubt I'll find a true "replacement."

[Greyfriars Bobby]

24 May 2015

As it turns out, my best intentions to avoid bringing in a raft of new players and let the ones I have bed in are beginning to fall by the wayside. Circumstances aren't letting me stick with the plan too well.

On the 16th, we traveled away to Tuusula to meet TuPS. They're just above the relegation places, so even at their grounds, I'd expect us to be able to control the game. Instead, we struggle to beat them 1-0, not scoring until 15 minutes from time. Meanwhile, our moody striker, Jani Mäkelä, sleepwalked through the match, alternating between complacency and disinterest.

The next day, I called Jani out for his performance--his sparkling 5.4 match rating was a full point lower than anyone else in the team. He had the gall to sass me, and next thing we knew, he was asking for a transfer that I was only too happy to try to make happen. Within three days, we had an offer from FC Hämeenlinna (one level higher); I negotiated the price up to €200 (don't laugh, it's a small league) and Jani and his attitude were someone else's to deal with.

I wish him well; he's talented, and when he chooses to play hard, good things can happen.

Now I really needed a forward, and fortunately I now had Mäkelä's salary to play with. So...I brought in not one, but two players.

Kristian Nurkkala, 21, was a free agent I'd looked at before. He's a quick little (5'5", 132 lbs) striker with a good finishing touch and solid mental attributes. He's good enough to be a rotation option, not merely a backup.

For a while, I'd been trying to lure Jussi Nevalainen to Rovaniemen keskuskenttä. He's a local boy, trained in Rovaniemen Palloseura's youth system before being released, and he'd been on an amateur contract with Rollon Pojat.

He's best at AM(R), which isn't a position I usually employ, but ever since our scouts uncovered him, I've wanted to add him to the club. He's nothing special as an athlete--our goalkeepers have more pace--but he's a footballer. He can do all kinds of useful things with the ball, he knows the game like a man twice his age (18), and he's the polar opposite of Jani Mäkelä, personality-wise. He's under contract for two years, and I'll find a place for him to play more often than not.

Both new men were on the team sheet for tonight's match, at home against mid-table side Sibbo Vargana. Tonight's hero was a familiar name, however: skipper Jari Kekki, who struck for a hat trick in our 3-1 victory.

I find that I'm more involved in a project like this when I write more often, so I'm going to begin writing up each match. I hope those of you who are reading along won't think that's too much.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 June 2015

My week began with some contract negotiations. In Finland, player contracts expire at the end of November, so I've begun making plans for next year's squad. Several players have already shown me enough to merit a new contract offer, and all of them have agreed to terms:

Antti Niemi
Juhani Heiskanen
Sami Rantala
Jari Kekki

Niemi will earn €90/week, while the other three will pull in €80/week.

I'm still waiting to hear back from Mathias Weckström, our injured striker. I really like Weckström, who's rehabbing his broken leg. It's a mutual thing; Mathias likes the club and our style of play, and he lists me as Favoured Personnel. He is very eager to get back on the pitch. Weckström is currently on a non-contract deal, and I've offered him €70/week, beginning next season. I'm willing to go a little higher if that's what it takes to keep him.

This week, we faced Hyvinkään Palloseura in the Third Round of the Regions' Cup. ("Palloseura" seems to be the Finnish translation of "football club," with "PS" the equivalent of "FC.") We were favored to beat HyPS, even though we were playing on their ground.

Here's the team sheet:

4-4-2
GK: Rantala
D: Niemi, Pakarinen, Lappalainen, Aaltonen
M: Heiskanen, Pelttari, Mäkelä, Nevalainen
ST: Kekki, Kalermo


From the opening minutes, it felt like it would be "one of those matches." Joona Kalermo put Jari Kekki through and, with an open goal, the captain hit the bar. We were generating chances, but we couldn't convert them. And, as we usually do when we play well, we were allowing HyPS plenty of shots, but most of them were unthreatening ones from long range.

We went in at halftime down 0-1, but Heiskanen converted from the spot to put us level. The match went into stoppage time, and it looked like we'd be playing another half hour of football...until Jesse Lappalainen fouled one of their men in the area and conceded a penalty.

Fortunately for us (and especially for Jesse), Kristian Nurkkala, who had come on for Kekki, equalized in the final seconds. Neither team could score in extra time, so it was on to the shootout.

Sami Rantala, he of the newly signed contract, saved HyPS' fifth penalty attempt, and Tommi Mäkelä calmly slotted his home to win the match for us.

It wasn't pretty and, as I told the club after the match, we'll have to play better against stronger sides. Still, a win is a win, and this one produced a decent story.

****

Side note: I learned that "Mäkelä," a common Finnish surname, roughly translates to "hill" or "from the hill." The -la suffix sometimes means "from the" or "of the." It might have been attached to the word for a physical feature, or even the name of a farm, to create a surname.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Jaakkos of All Trades

I always like having at least one extremely versatile player in my squad. I'm not talking about a defender who can play across the back line, or a striker who is also comfortable as an AM(C). I mean a player whose position diagram is full of colored dots. I will seek these guys out upon taking over any team in Football Manager, and I'm sure I pay too much for them on many occasions.

When I took the reins of Santa's football sleigh, I was delighted to find a couple of these lads in the team already. If you'll forgive me one more festive figure of speech, it felt a lot like Christmas morning. Of course, I then tracked down other multi-positional players and added them to the team. Now I have five players who can play at least 9 of the 14 outfield "positions" on the pitch.


Ari Ruuskanen


Ruuskanen is more of an attacker than the other four players featured here; his natural position is AM(C), but he can play all over the attacking spectrum. He is also the most one-footed player in the group.


Ville Pelttari


Pelttari is at least competent at all 10 positions he plays. He's often a starter at M(C), but I'd be comfortable playing him in many other spots.


Tapio Peltonen


I've used Peltonen as the starter at right back, but he's also played D(L) and D(C), and he's been a sub at M(R) twice. His well-rounded set of attributes makes him useful at all these positions.


Pekka Kinnunen


This two-footed veteran can play 12 positions. He's the first choice at M(L), but when he hasn't started, he's come on as a sub at M(C), D(C), and D(L). He's a fine choice at any of these spots.


Juho-Matti Aaltonen


Competent or better at nine positions and possessing at least some proficiency at three more, Aaltonen wins the Most Versatile Player prize for Santa Claus FC. Since his arrival, he's started every match at D(R), which reminds me that I really should give Peltonen a little more time there. That will, of course, free Juho-Matti to exhibit his versatility off the bench.


The presence of players like these in the team allows me to keep my squad size at a manageable level without leaving myself uncovered at key positions. I hate having to play overmatched teenagers, bewildered, out-of-position reserves, or Grey Guys ("imaginary," generic players who fill out teams that aren't otherwise complete), and these versatile lads prevent that from happening.

I can also tweak a formation in the middle of a match more easily. For example, I can switch from a D(R) to a WB(R), or pull an AM(L) back to an M(L) without using players who are unfamiliar with those positions.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

8 June 2015

In last night's Kolmonen Group B fixture, we were at home to 9th place side Helsingin Palloseura (HPS). I changed the team a little bit, to give a couple of our U19s their senior bows.

4-4-2
GK: Perälä
D: Niemi, Pakarinen, Halonen, Peltonen
M: Heiskanen, Pelttari, Mäkelä, Aaltonen
ST: Nurkkala, Kekki


Risto Perälä, who hadn't played a minute between the posts for the senior team, got the number one shirt tonight. In front of him was another debutant, Marko Halonen, at center back. Both new men acquitted themselves well.

HPS did what a lot of clubs have done against us lately: sit back, play narrow, and try to limit our chances. I've been responding by playing a defensive mentality, too, rather than rush at their defense and risk conceding a goal on the break.

Tonight, if an overly aggressive HPS center back hadn't clattered Heiskanen, we might have ended up with a goal-less draw. Juhani scored the penalty, however, and Perälä and Company completed their clean sheet. Three points to St. Nick, and we're at least six points clear in Group B.

This week, Mathias Weckström agreed to the contract terms we offered, so he'll be back in a Santa shirt for 2015/16. Get well soon, Mathias.

Random story: Earlier in the season, a headline featuring a manager with an interesting name caught my eye. A Brazilian fellow called Aleluia has apparently made his way to Finland, where he's establishing his managerial credentials. In January, Aleluia hacked off his club's board by showing too much interest in another job, and within a week he had consummated the affair by signing with FC Åland. Aleluia is managing at the same level I have, but we haven't crossed paths yet. He thinks we could become friends, though.

He's not the first Brazilian I've encountered in Finland, however. There's a veteran midfielder called Roosevelt playing for FC HIK, one of our divisional rivals. I used the term "midfielder" to describe him, but since he plays every position on the pitch except sweeper and goalkeeper, he's really more than that.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

14 June 2015

This one wasn't pretty. We were away to KajHa, in the town of Kajaani. They're a good side, third in the table, so we knew it wouldn't be easy.

4-4-2
GK: Rantala
D: Niemi, Lappalainen, Pakarinen, Aaltonen
M: Heiskanen, Heikkilä, Mäkelä, Nevalainen
ST: Kalermo, Kekki


Jussi Nevalainen was swaggering around in warmups like a superstar, which was not a good sign. As it turned out, he didn't play that badly. A few of his teammates did.

We were outclassed in every phase of the game. KajHa outshot us, 23-7. We lost the possession contest, 56%-44%. And, where it matters most--on the scoreboard--the final was KajHa 2, Santa Claus 0.

The lowlight of the game was a straight red card to Kai Pakarinen for a professional foul in the first few minutes of the second half. At the time, we were down 0-1, and playing with ten men didn't help our chances of getting back into the game.

I'm not sure an eleventh player would have mattered tonight, however. We just weren't good.

This team responds well when I call them out for a poor performance, and their reaction to my team talk was very positive. We're back on the pitch in three days, so we won't have long before we can try to put things right again.

I hadn't wanted to say anything for fear of a jinx (which is silly), but tonight's loss ended a run of 10 straight victories.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

17 June 2015

We returned home to face Salpausselän Reipas at Keskuskenttä, hoping to get back on the front foot. SalRepais were bottom of the table, winless in league play, so this was a very good opportunity for three points and a chance to wash the taste of the KajHa match out of our mouths.

I made a few changes to the lineup, one of which was necessary due to Pakarinen's suspension.

4-4-2
GK: Rantala
D: Niemi, Tuomi, Lappalainen, Aaltonen
M: Kinnunen, Pelttari, Mäkelä, Heiskanen
ST: Nurkkala, Kekki

Still, nothing drastic; they're all names you've seen before. Mostly, the changes were due to playing twice in four days.

The match wasn't two minutes old before Jari Kekki set the tone for the night, running onto Kristian Nurkkala's through ball and driving it home. That forceful statement from the man wearing the captain's arm band was exactly what the players, the home supporters, and I wanted to see.

By the time the referee blew the whistle for the half, we were up 6-0. Nurkkala scored. Juhani Heiskanen scored from the penalty spot. Anti Niemi scored his first goal of the season, a cracking half-volley of Heiskanen's cross. And, in the space of two minutes, Pekka Kinnunen had a brace.

Heiskanen was the Man of the Match, as he set up two goals in addition to the one he scored, and "covered every blade of the pitch." Kinnunen and Nurkkala matched his 9.4 match rating.

Here's how the league table looks now:



JoPS, whom we play on 4 July, are a very solid side. I'm not sure whether the winner from each of the eight groups in the Kolmonen promotes, or if only ONE team from the entire level will move up. Either way, I think it will be a tough fight to the finish.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

20 June 2015

For several weeks now, the board chairman has been in discussions regarding a possible takeover. Nothing has happened on that front; I'd almost forgotten about it completely.

I placed an advert for an Under 19s manager. The board will allow it, and there's room in the wage budget, so I figure it can't hurt to have another staff member shaping the next generation of Santa Claus standouts.

Tonight's Fourth Round tie in the Regions' Cup saw us away to SAPA. They're located in the capital, Helsinki, and they play in a cozy little ground that holds 100 spectators. Therefore, we played before our first sellout crowd, and the atmosphere was really somewhat exciting.

4-4-2
GK: Rantala
D: Niemi, Pakarinen, Lappalainen, Peltonen
M: Kinnunen, Heiskanen, Ruuskanen, Aaltonen
ST: Nevalainen, Kekki

We were comfortable favorites, and we took care of business early on. Pekka Kinnunen brought his scoring boots again tonight, getting our first goal on 8', and Jussi Nevalainen celebrated his first opportunity to play up front with a goal of his own.

Tapio Peltonen (7.7) was Man of the Match, with a solid performance at right back. Again, he's giving me every reason to play him more often.

The fixture congestion continues, as we return to action on the 24th, away to Kiffen for a Group B fixture.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

27 June 2015

Yesterday I learned that Santa Claus FC has a new chairman. Jussi Johansen is out, and the new director is Juhani Grahn. Grahn isn't planning to invest any money into the club right now, but he arranged for a €190,000 loan from the bank which clears up our pre-existing debt and leaves us with about €30,000 in the kitty.

Chairman Grahn wasn't among the 25 footy-mad Finns who showed up at FC PaSa's grounds on a sweltering summer afternoon to watch us face the home team, a scrappy team in the top half of the table.

4-4-2
GK: Rantala
D: Niemi, Lappalainen, Pekarinen, Peltonen
M: Kinnunen, Mäkelä, Heiskanen, Aaltonen
ST: Kalermo, Kekki


FC PaSa's front man is Juho Hiltunen, whose 11 goals in league play make him one of Kolmonen's top scorers. I departed from my usual avoidance of opposition instructions to assign a man to mark Hiltunen tightly. He got a goal anyway; pacey, slick strikers will do that sometimes.

Joona Kalermo and--once again--Pekka Kinnunen netted for us, and we drew, 2-2. The only PaSa player whose average position was ahead of the midline was Hiltunen, which gives you an idea of PaSa's strategy: park a big, huge bus and dare us to get around it.

According to spokesman Jari Forsström, the fans were "devastated" by the result. Chill, Jari. We're still top of the league, two points clear of JoPS.

Jari and his friends should concentrate on preparing themselves to chant, sing, and do everything else within their power to help us next Saturday (4 July) when none other than JoPS visit Keskuskenttä.

We'll have to make do without Tommi Mäkelä, who wrenched his knee tonight and will be out for three or four weeks.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

4 July 2015

I got one response for my advert for a U19 Manager, and I offered him the job. Welcome to FC Santa Claus, Antti Karpanen. He's rated highly for working with young players, which is the reason why I hired him. Otherwise, he's a fairly generic coach for this level.

Our Director of Football took it upon himself to locate a player for us. I wouldn't have been interested in pursuing the lead any farther if the player hadn't fit a role our team wasn't filling very well.

We've lacked the dominant force in the middle of the park, especially when we're in possession. The closest we have to that kind of player are Antti Heikkilä and Tommi Mäkelä; they both struggle with injuries and lack the skill to truly boss the game when they're healthy. What's more, Heikkilä is on an amateur contract and won't talk to us about tying his future to the club.

Simo Laaksonen looks like he has the requisite ability to play that role for a top Kolmonen side. In a perfect world, he'd be younger than 30, but since pace isn't a key component of his game, he should be fine for a while. He knows the game, and his determined nature adds even more mental strength to our team.

Tonight we hosted JoPS, with first place in Kolmonen Group B at stake. Here's how we lined up:

4-4-2
GK: Rantala
D: Niemi, Lappalainen, Pakarinen, Aaltonen
M: Heiskanen, Pelttari, Laaksonen, Nevalainen
ST: Nurkkala, Kekki

JoPS simply does not concede goals. I thought about coming out with all guns blazing, which might give the supporters a thrill, but I decided against it. As the match wore on, it became more evident that one goal would probably make the difference. At the risk of disappointing the fans, I played it conservatively the rest of the way and accepted the 0-0 draw that keeps us top of the league.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

12 July 2015

The Kolmonen season is at its halfway point now, and the Group B table is sorting itself out in an interesting way.

At the top are a group of teams that almost never lose. All the teams have played 15 matches now, and six clubs have lost three or fewer. Santa are in this tier, with a 10-4-1 record.

Next are a cluster of five clubs with six losses each, and below them are a group of five more teams that either rarely win or rarely draw. I've noticed that two of these teams are the B sides of larger clubs.

Tonight we faced one of those B squads, TPV 2, away. One of our backup tactics seemed like it might work well against them: a 4-1-2-2-1 with an asymmetric midfield.

GK: Rantala
D: Ahonen, Lappalainen, Pekarinen, Aaltonen
DM: Niemi
M: Heiskanen, Laaksonen
AM: Ruuskanen, Nevalainen
ST: Kekki

Heiskanen lined up as an M(L), with Laaksonen on the right side of the central midfield. Ruuskanen was positioned at AMC, slightly left, with Nevalainen at AMR.

All the scoring came in a ten-minute period around the half hour mark, when we struck three times: through Kai Pakarinen (powerful header off a cross), Antti Niemi (tap-in after a scramble in the area), and Juhari Heiskanen (penalty, which he drew himself).

There were a few problems with players getting complacent during the match, which I wish I could solve. As long as it doesn't start affecting their results, I won't consider it a huge issue.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Let's take a look at Santa's stats, at the halfway point of the season. Included are stats from both league and cup competitions.



Heiskanen has been our Player of the First Half of the Year. He is our penalty taker, and four of his nine goals have come from the spot, but he's still had a hand in 13 scores from open play--the most in the team.

Weckström was fantastic before his broken leg brought his season to a close. Kalermo and Nurkkala are picking up the slack very nicely. We're also getting goals from Kekki, the captain, but Jari's most important contributions come in his role as the leader of our club. He's been a model captain.

Props to Niemi and Pekarinen for their solid, reliable contributions on defense, and to Aaltonen for his ability to make a difference wherever I play him.




Rantala has been very good in goal. I should give Perälä a few more starts in the second half of the season, especially if the championship race opens up a little. The one time I called on him, he did the job.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

I don't know why it's been so difficult for me to find the right playing/posting rhythm for this story. Game-by-game reports aren't doing it for me, either; I feel like I'm completing an assignment when I write, and yesterday felt like a massive post-flood.

What I think I'll do is post monthly reports again. Those might happen once or twice a day. To any of you who are reading, I apologize for the inconsistencies as I find my groove.

12 August 2015



An excellent month in the Kolmonen leaves us eight points clear with 11 matches to play.

Ekenäs IF Akademi is, as the name suggests, the second team of a larger club. I'm a little surprised they scored two against us, honestly. You might remember HDS Mondial as the relegation candidate who drew with us at their ground in the league opener; we took care of business at Keskuskenttä this time around.

HPS and EBK are mid-table sides, and while we looked a little sloppy defensively, we scored enough to compensate for those lapses, and then some.

PEPO bounced us from the Regions' Cup, beating us 5-4 on penalties after Kristian Nurkkala's dramatic equalizer late in extra time. The board don't seem to care much about the Regions' Cup, but I'd like to take a real shot at winning it next season.

Juhani Heiskanen is in superb form, playing like a boss wherever I put him, scoring goals and setting up his teammates. I'm patting myself on the back for my foresight in signing him for next year, too.

Today was Youth Intake Day, which is one of my favorite days of the footballing year! Here are the lads who are hoping to graduate from our youth program:



Assistant Sami Tuovinen sang the praises of Janne Niskanen, "whom he feels has the potential to be one of the most gifted players to come through the youth ranks at Santa Claus in recent years." I took one look at Niskanen and immediately understood why Tuovinen is so high on him. I've already offered him a youth contract, even before I watch him and the other candidates play our U19s tomorrow.

I'm likely to offer contracts to most of these kids. If my assistant's judgment is correct, the worst of them is as good as at least 10 of our current U19 players.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 September 2015

I watched the Youth Candidates beat the U19s, 2-1 and decided, with my assistant's support, to offer contracts to all 16 of the youngbloods. They've all signed, and the future of Santa Claus FC just got considerably brighter. In contrast, ten youth players' deals will expire in November, and I'll probably try to sign one to a pro contract.



One teenager I'd already signed to a pro deal is center back Toni Aaltonen, and I gave him his senior debut against FC HIK. He played well, with a 6.9 match rating that was best among our defenders, and we won 1-0. The absence of Roosevelt, nursing an injury, didn't help HIK's cause.

Incidentally, HIK has two Brazilians and a Cape Verdean in their team. That is very rare for a Kolmonen club, where almost everyone else is a Finn.

Next was a wild one, away to FC KOMU. We were down 3-1 on the half hour, as league-leading scorer Aleksi Leppänen struck twice within five minutes. We roared back to win 5-3, and Antti Niemi told the press that my fiery team talk inspired the players. I've never had that happen in FM; that's pretty cool.

We never looked like losing at home to TuPS, running out 3-1 winners. I let another of our promising young players take his first senior steps: striker Anti-Pekki Paavolainen. APP is only 16, and he has some serious wheels. I noticed that in the youth game, and he still looks fast playing with the big boys. He played in Jari Kekki for one of our goals tonight.

There's some on-going drama with defender Roope Tuomi. You might remember him; he was once a first teamer, but his blaah play and his tendency to become complacent and disinterested unless the match is tied cost him his spot on the team sheet. He wants first team football, and is just fine with being sold in order to get it. I offered him up for free. No takers. He's now pouting and complaining to teammates, but none of them seem willing to take his side.

In an unrelated development, I reached terms with a player who will join us when the transfer window reopens in February. Johan Karjalainen is an 18-year-old left back with HauPa. Our scouts give him four gold stars and a black one for potential. He's athletic, and his mental attributes are very good for a youth. Johan even has an agent, which will make him unique among Santa's players. I screwed up and didn't see the agent's fee when I was negotiating the deal, and now the club is stuck with a bill for €130, which will come from our (nonexistent) transfer budget. No big; I can move a few hundred euros into the transfer kitty without screwing up the wage bill.

Speaking of contracts, I haven't been offered one for next year. That's starting to make me nervous.

Still, we're 11 points clear with eight matches left to play.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 October 2015

We entered our match--away to Sibbo Vargama--on 4 September needing 14 points to clinch the Kolmonen Group B championship. It was a comfortable enough situation to give another promising Santa youth his debut: recent signee Janne Niskanen. He scored on his debut, taking a pretty pass from Kristian Nurkkala and slotting it home. We played attractive football and won, 3-1.

By the time we returned to the pitch on the 12th, we learned about the first club to be relegated from Kolmonen. Lowly VJS from Group C had won once in 21 matches, amassing only seven points all season. That night we got a brace from skipper Jari Kekki to defeat Kiffen, 2-1. The match winner was a dramatic one; Kekki lost his marker, ran onto a long through ball, and calmly put it past the Kiffen 'keeper.

Our next fixture was away to HPS, where the pitch was in such bad shape that their manager literally apologized for its condition. Before the match, one of the pundits said Juhani Heiskanen was in with a shout for Kolmonen Player of the Year. He did nothing to dispel that notion against HPS, creating an easy goal when he nodded Juho-Matti Aaltonen's cross from the byline onto the foot of Kekki for a tap-in. Final score: Santa 3, HPS 1, with a brace from Kurkkala.

With a win in our next match, we could clinch the Kolmonen Group B championship. Our opponent would be KajHa, a very good team who was third in the table. And KajHa was the only team to beat us in Kolmonen play, sending us off at their ground back in June. Since then, they'd added a shifty striker called Ari Varis, who'd netted five times in six games, so they were better than they were back in the summer.

We'd have liked to secure the title against KajHa and gain a measure of revenge in the bargain, but the best we could do was draw, 2-2. We'll try again, away to SalReipas, on the 4th. They're bottom of the league but one, so I think we've got a good shot at finishing it out.

This month I've been negotiating contracts with the players I'd like to bring back to the team next year. These men all signed new deals that will take effect at the end of the season:

Kai Pakarinen
Joona Kalermo
Tapio Peltonen
Risto Perälä
Kristian Nurkkala
Ari Ruuskanen
Toni Aaltonen

This group, added to those who were already under contract for next year, gives us 16 senior players lined up for 2015/16. Two more, Dan Lundberg (the best of the older U19s) and pacey striker Anti-Pekka Paavolainen (who turned 17 this month), signed professional forms this month.

Perhaps the best of all, however, was the sight of Mathias Weckström back at the training ground. He can only train very lightly, but it's the first time he's touched a football with purpose since May.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

25 November 2015

Our draw against KajHa at Keskuskenttä kept us one victory away from the Kolmonen Group B championship. It would have been wonderful to win it in front of our supporters, but I didn't want to wait another week. For one thing, I had the idea my contract situation might depend on winning the championship; after all, the board expected nothing less than that from the first day of the season.

The day before the match at SalReipas, I decided to take another shot at convincing the board to offer me a new contract. To my delight, they agreed with my argument, and I'm now signed through the end of the 2016/17 season. I got a raise, to £250/week.

I put the best side I could assemble onto the pitch at SalReipas, and at the final whistle, they were 3-1 winners. Appropriately, the men who have been our biggest stars all year long--Jari Kekki and Juhani Heiskanen--got the goals (Kekki scored twice).

Honestly, I'm not taking a ton of credit for this victory. I simply took a side that was tipped to win the league and kept it from underachieving. Still, it's a good feeling--only my second league championship in Football Manager.

With promotion secured, I let the kids and reserves play against FC PaSa, and they acquitted themselves well. Antti-Pekka Paavolainen scored his first senior goal. I hope it's the first of many.

I fielded a stronger side away to JoPS, the second place club, and to their credit, they saw us off, 2-1. I would have gone back to the kids for the last match of the season, but it had implications for the relegation battle. Consequently, our first XI took the pitch and beat TPV2, which ended up saving HDS Mondial from the drop.

Here's the final Group B table:



I'll have more on our 2014/15 season in my next post.

Note: If you thought you saw a pound symbol rather than a euro symbol up there, you're right. I have two other saves going on Football Manager now, and both of those are set in the UK. I'd rather not keep switching the currency every time I change games.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Here are the final stats for the players who saw the most action for Santa Claus FC this season. League and cup matches are included.



Promising youngsters Antti-Pekka Paavolainen (2 appearances, 1 goal) and Janne Niskanen (3 appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist) didn't play enough to appear on this table. Nor did Mathias Weckström (10 appearances, 7 goals).

Here are the goalkeepers' stats:







No surprise, this. Heiskanen was a boss all year long.

Here's who the supporters picked for their Best Eleven:



I would have picked Simo Laaksonen at one of the M(C) positions, but I guess he wasn't at the club quite long enough. Incidentally, Mäkelä has no interest in talking about a new contract. See ya, Tommi.

This is the Third Division Team of the Year, which includes players from all eight divisions of Kolmonen.



How 'bout that?

Jussi Nevalainen arrived in May, and was an absolutely huge addition to the team. Heiskanen was runner up in the Third Division Player of the Year balloting.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

21 December 2015

The team returned from holiday two weeks ago, preparing for our first season in Kakkonen. The picture of Santa Claus Village at Christmas depicts a typical December day in Lapland, so it's safe to say the lads won't be doing much outdoor training for a while.

Santa Claus FC will play in Kakkonen Pohjoinen (Second Division North) in 2015/16. Earning promotion from Kakkonen is a daunting task. There are four groups in the division. The four group winners advance to a one-round Promotion Playoff, with the winners of each match moving up to Ykkonen next season. A good side could find itself in Kakkonen for a while.

Here's the Kakkonen Pohjoinen table for 2014/15.



FC YPA lost in the Promotion Playoff, so they're back again this year. The other new club in Kakkonen Pohjoinen is ÅIFK...who lost the OTHER Promotion Playoff match! So, instead of having a fellow Kolmonen winner moving up with us, we're up against TWO Kakkonen group winners. This season will definitely present us with a tougher test.

As the preseason begins, the squad list looks a lot like last year's. The only important players who didn't return are veteran Pekka Kinnunen, who wanted more first team football than I was willing to give him, and Tommi Mäkelä, who wouldn't discuss a contract for this season and left on a free transfer at the end of last month.

It's hard to say at this point if our team is strong enough to meet the board's expectation of a mid-table finish. I might have to bring in a few more good players. The board raised our wage budget to £2350/week, so I've got a little more than £800/week to work with.

I combed the list of players who were released from their clubs on 30 November, but it didn't prove to be very fruitful. The players whom our scouts think are good enough to help us aren't interested in joining our club. We've got cash to spend, if I find the right player to drop it on.

I did sign one free agent already: Joni Lindroos, an extremely versatile player who knows Kakkonen Pohjoinen already, having spent four months at KPV last season. He's now our highest paid player; Antti Niemi is on £75/week. Expect to see Lindroos featuring regularly, probably somewhere on the right side of the pitch.



Lindroos will be a dangerous weapon on set pieces, too.

I have a handful of other transfer deals in the works, which I'll announce when (if?) they become official in mid-February.

Merry Christmas, from Santa Claus FC.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

14 February 2016

A loving couple in Rovaniemi can celebrate Valentine's Day at the SnowHotel which, as the name suggests, is built from snow and ice. I think it's safe to assume the bedding isn't frozen, however.

February means the start of preseason fixtures for Santa Claus FC.

The transfer period also began on 12 February and, that very day, five new players arrived at Keskuskenttä.

Ville Venäläinen starred last season for a very good FJK side that finished second in Kolmonen Group H. He's a seasoned center back with solid skills, and he'll immediately compete for a place in the first team. He's especially skilled at anticipating what the opposition might do, and he has the ability to do something about it.

According to my staff, I'm taking a real chance on former Gnistan man Pekka Kyllönen. He's 33, and he might be the slowest midfielder I've ever seen. However, Pekka knows how to play the game, with technical skills as polished as anyone in the team. He can fill all the roles I require of my midfielders. And, he ought to make an excellent tutor for younger players. Expect him to appear on the team sheet for most matches, even if he's not in the first eleven.

Teenage left back Johan Karjalainen won't be expected to see the senior team anytime soon. In fact, unless Johan complains too much, he'll spend the vast majority of the season with the U19s. According to my staff, his potential is off the charts, and that's why I acquired him from HauPa. The thought of him lining up beside Toni Aaltonen one day makes me smile.

The presence of stalwart custodian Sami Rantala hid the fact that we lacked depth in goal. The once-promising teenage 'keeper we had last year turned out to be a whiner who slacked off in training, so he's gone. The new hope for the future is Sami Kohlemainen. Formerly with new league rival OLS, SK's path to the number one jersey was blocked by another talented teenager. He'll get a fair few starts this year; last year's backup goalie, Risto Perälä, would only sign a non-contract deal that would pay him £60 per appearance. Risto is also coveted by three other teams, so he might not be around anyway.

I signed Juha-Pekka Luokkala to give the team a better option at AM(C), or as an M(C) who can fill the hole behind the forwards. JPL has the full range of ball skills needed for that position, and the fact that he's almost useless as a defender won't necessarily be a problem. I won't be asking him to play a holding role. We're his first club; that's surprising to me.

We began our preseason by hosting two clubs from Denmark's Superliga: AaB and FC Midtjylland. Almost 1500 fans came out to the AaB match, shattering the club's attendance record, and another 1400-plus turned out to watch us play FC Midtjylland. The board certainly don't mind cashing in those gate receipts.

As expected, AaB ran us off the park, 0-4, but we hung in there with Midtjylland--conceding twice in the first eight minutes, pulling one back just before the half, and losing 1-2. Both clubs are considerably stronger than any we'll face in Kakkonen this year.

[path12]

Curious to see how a mid as slow as Kyllonen does. Congrats on the promotion!

[Greyfriars Bobby]

14 April 2016

Although we've already played two matches in the Suomen Cup tournament, I think today marks the beginning of our regular season. We play another Suomen Cup tie tonight, and then the Kakkonen Pohjoinen season commences.



I delegate the scheduling of friendlies to my assistant manager, and Sami Tuovinen came up with an interesting slate of games. Several big clubs came to Keskuskenttä--the Danish clubs I mentioned in the last post, plus HJK, the champion of Finland, and Molde, the champion of Norway. Crowds of over 2,000 came out to see us play HJK and Molde.
.
I wish we'd given them a better show, but the difference in quality between us and them was simply too much to overcome. HJK, for example, is worth over three times as much as any other club in Finland: £9.75 million. Molde is even bigger, with an estimated value of £21 million. Santa Claus FC is worth about £1.3 million, which isn't bad a third division club in Finland.

With the exception of the surprise defeat away to ORPa, a Kolmonen side, we handled the smaller clubs who filled out our schedule without much problem.

Young striker Antti-Pekka Paavolainen enjoyed a fine preseason. He took his chance very well in the OTP match, and he's scored in buckets for the U19s. If he continues to develop, he'll be pushing for a spot in the senior team before long.

We're in fairly good shape, injury-wise, right now. Kristian Nurkkala will be out another two or three weeks with strained ligaments in his knee, and a dead leg will keep midfielder Simo Laaksonen out of action for another week or so.

Originally Posted by path12

Curious to see how a mid as slow as Kyllonen does. Congrats on the promotion!

Thank you very much! We were the big dog in the pack back in the Kolmonen. Most of the clubs we played were amateur clubs, and we probably had the biggest wage bill in the whole division. In Kakkonen, we're going to face clubs that are much more like us.

The media has us tipped for the middle of the table. The odds of our winning the league are 50-1; FC YPA are the favorites at 7-4. I'm prepared to spend a few years in Kakkonen, and hopefully the board will be OK with that.

Pekka Kyllönen is, honestly, an inexpensive experiment. I discovered him when I searched the players we had scouted, looking for those with the best attributes for an Advanced Playmaker. Pekka was, by far, the best fit for that particular role.

I did some research, and (not surprisingly) Pekka is among the slowest outfield players in the four divisions of Kakkonen. Four center backs have 4 for Pace, like Pekka does. One other midfielder is equally slow and, like Pekka, he compensates with very good technical and mental skills.

Kyllönen had a hand in two goals against Vesa. He converted a penalty, and he hit an inch-perfect corner kick that Kai Pakarinen headed in.

[Young Drachma]

Congrats on the promotion!

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

Congrats on the promotion!

Thanks very much! I wouldn't be surprised if I'm at this level for a while, though.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

I'm having loads of problems with my FM 15 game. If I can't sort out what's wrong, I might have to pull the plug on this story, long before I want to.

If I do, there's a possibility I could start another career with FC Santa Claus on Football Manager 14. I've enjoyed managing at the Arctic Circle, and would much rather have the story end on my terms.