I Still Believe in (FC) Santa Claus (FM 14)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

I was having a lot of fun managing FC Santa Claus Arctic Circle, a small Finnish club located in snowy northern Lapland. Then, some kind of problem arose that kept me from loading up Football Manager 15.

Rather than taking the time to try to figure out why my laptop and FM 15 aren't getting along, I've decided to go back to good ol' FM 14. There happens to be a database that extends the Finnish football pyramid enough to include Santa, so I'm back in the sleigh--but the clock's been turned back to 2013. If Santa Claus can't play tricks with time, who can?

FC Santa Claus plays in the city of Rovaniemi, which bills itself as the home of Santa himself. Santa will once again be playing in the Third Division (Nelonen in Finnish), which was the division we had just won in my previous Santa career. Hopefully we'll be able to do it again this time around.

Santa play their home matches here, at Rovaniemen keskuskenttä, which basically means "Rovaniemi Multipurpose Stadium." It's called Keskuskenttä for short. There is snow on the ground for almost half the year in Rovaniemi, so the league programme won't begin until May--when league play in countries like England is drawing to a close.

Again, I won't be looking for, nor will I accept, a job offer with any other club. If Santa sacks me, the story ends.

Don't stop believing...

[Greyfriars Bobby]

15 May 2013

I took the job at FC Santa Claus on New Years' Eve, a full four and a half months before the Third League programme began. Still, there was much to do around Keskuskenttä. I had a backroom staff and a squad of players to evaluate, and the Finnish Cup competition began in January.

January football in Finland means frigid weather and snowy pitches. Here's an image from our Cup match away to Ekenäs Sports Club on 23 January.

Snow is a natural element for Santa Claus, so it's not surprising that we won this match, 2-1.

I had decided to leave my staff in place, but I had to develop a Plan B in late January. Assistant manager Samu Hartikainen was being courted by three teams who wanted him to coach their goalkeepers. I spoke to him, letting him know I enjoyed working with him and that I hoped he'd stick around. Samu told me I wasn't going to influence his decision. Fine, pal. He 's now the goalkeeping coach for a First Division club, making £5 less a week than he was with Santa. I'd have sacked him if he hadn't left on his own.

I promoted coach Aleksi Leinonen, twice capped by Finland and a better coach than Samu, to the Assistant Manager job and hired a new coach, Jere Kinnunen. They, plus head physio Tom Lundberg, make up the entire first team staff. Sami Immonen is our Head of Youth Development, and coach Ville-Valteri Niemi works with our Under 19s. I have a fireball of a scout called Kalle Mattila, who has been scouring Finland for players we could use.

Our preseason went about as well as I could have hoped. A goal from Paavo Mäkelä on the stroke of time gave us a victory in the Second Round of the Finnish Cup, but we exited the competition at the hands of Zulmanit in the next round.

Our big win over PS Kemi, a bigger club, was the highlight of the preseason friendly programme. We held our own with Rovaniemi Palloseura, our parent club, and took care of business in most of our other matches.

The Third Division is divided into nine groups of 14 teams each; Santa Claus play in Group D. The winner of each group is promoted to the Second Division, while the bottom two teams are relegated. Since the Third Division is the lowest level in this particular database, if we go down, we're basically in oblivion...

Honestly, I'd be surprised if that happens. Apparently Santa was relegated from the Second Division in 2012/13, so we're among the favorites to go back up again. In terms of reputation, it looks like we're one of the three or four biggest clubs in all of the Third Division, and the other big clubs are in other groups.

The board expects a mid-table finish from us, and hopefully I can deliver more than that.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

15 May 2013

Let's meet the senior team for FC Santa Claus Arctic Circle, 2013/14.

Goalkeepers



Malm gets the number one shirt. He's a smart, athletic 'keeper, and he had a good pre-season, with the sole exception of the Zulmanit match in the Finnish Cup. Unfortunately, Roope is "considering his options," which usually means he'll be on his way out of town when his contract expires. Probably a one-and-done between the posts for us. Youngster Uusitalo is likely to be a career backup.


Defenders



This area of the team needed work when I arrived. There was no natural right back in the team, and only two players who could be trusted for first team duty at center back.

Nilsson is probably the team's best player. He'll line up at left back, left wing, or in the middle of the park, and play well anywhere we put him. When the Swede is not on defense, Vuontelo gets the nod at left back. I like him a lot. Lumbering Lamminen holds down one spot at center half, with quick little Roope Heikkinen at the other.

I signed Laine, a very versatile player, who can play anywhere along either flank. I also brought in Mustonen, a loanee from RoPS who can flat-out fly. He and Laine will both feature at right back.

Miettinen and Vidgren are more useful to us as midfielders, so I'll profile them there. Känsäkoski is a decent reserve. Kuusela and Virta are to be used in emergency situations only. Kuusela is pouting because he's not the captain.


Midfielders



I'll begin on the right wing with Hautajärvi, an exciting young player with a bright future. Laine is effective there, too, especially when I want to tighten things up defensively. Oksala is a good playmaker, lacking only the extra bit of creativity that a great playmaker possesses.

Miettinen is another of the new players I signed this winter. He's a very good all-round midfielder, with a strong character. Another newcomer, Vidgren, is a versatile, experienced player who will play a lot on the left wing, but might feature at a number of other positions. Plus, his name is Magnus, which is really cool.

Helmeri Syväjärvi has lots of promise, but he's not ready for the first team yet. I need him for depth, however.


Strikers



Mäkelä is Santa's captain, and he scored a big, big goal in the Finnish Cup. He's shifty, flashy, and quick. Topias Heikkinen's attributes are nothing special, but he demonstrated a knack for finding the net during the preseason. My last signee of the winter was Alexsi Syväjärvi, who immediately made his presence felt with a four-goal debut. All three of these forwards will feature, with Syväjärvi almost always on the team sheet.

Juntunen scored four times in friendlies this winter, which was enough to earn him a spot as the fourth striker on the roster.


Our wage budget is just about maxed out, so any changes I might have to make would come through the loan market.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 June 2013

I'll try updating this story on a monthly basis, rather than match-by-match. I'm still figuring out which of those formats I like better, and if any of you readers have a preference, please let me know.

Things couldn't be going much better for us right now. The only grey cloud in our sky is an injury Andreas Nilsson suffered in tonight's match. He strained his neck going up for a header, and our physio tells me he'll be out for two or three weeks. Even that news is good, compared to what it could have been. Nilsson is an outstanding player, but we have good cover at his usual position in Joni Vuontelo, and Andreas won't be out of action too long.

Eight different players have scored in league play, and only Topias Heikkinen has netted more than once. It's good to see that we have so many players who know how to knock one in.

I brought in Harri Tanska, 20, on a year-long loan from AC Oulu of the First Division. Harri can play all across the midfield and higher up the pitch, he has decent pace, and he's a weapon on set pieces. His ability to deliver long throws has already resulted in a goal--against TKT, he released a bullet that Kai Lamminen took on one bounce and volleyed past the 'keeper. Oulu are fine with us using him as a rotation player.

Since we're out of the Finnish Cup, we have only the 22 remaining games on our league programme. The season ends in early October, however, which means we'll have a decent amount of fixture congestion to deal with.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

5 June 2013

Turun Toverit v. Santa Claus
Urheilupuiston Yläkenttä, Turku

I've decided to bring this story back, and now I'll report on a game-by-game basis. I've found that keeps me more engaged in the story.

We traveled down to Turku to face TuTo this week, and they ended our unbeaten streak with a well-taken goal by veteran wide man Timo Liesirova. That was our only slip, in an otherwise well-played game by our side.

A loss might not be a bad thing for us right now. In warmups, a couple of the lads were a bit cocky, especially Olli Oksala, whom I subbed off at the hour mark.

Toni Mustonen was solid in place of the injured Andreas Nilsson.

Our setback cost us the league lead, as Littoisten Työväen movet to the top. We're third on goal differential now.

Turun Toverit 1 (Liesirova 55)
Santa Claus 0

Santa Lineup: Malm, Mustonen, Lamminen, R. Heikkinen, Vuontelo, Laine, Oksala (Tanska), Miettinen, Syväjärvi, Makela (T. Heikkinen)
Booked: R. Heikkinen.

Attendance: 216