Frysk bloed tsjoch op! | sc Heerenveen Career Mode (FIFA 16)

[mockme]

Game: FIFA 16
Board Difficulty: Moderate
Sliders: OS Community Sliders with Matt's edits
First transfer window disabled!

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Hey guys!

I'm finally getting my FIFA 16 Manager Mode started here. I kind of decided against doing one on OS this year, since I rarely can keep the updates going and just end up playing the game, but after seeing all of your fantastic Manager Modes and even one from the Eredivisie I decided to give it a go. As an sc Heerenveen fan I decided to go with them. There's just something special in playing with your favorite team that other careers (which can be tremendous fun) are not able to match.

I thought that a good way to start would be telling you guys just how much this team means to me. I was born in Finland and have always been living here, with very few visits to the Netherlands, and just one to Friesland, which is where my grandfather was born and where he lived before he came to Finland all those years ago when he met my grandmother. I have always been extremely proud of my heritage and my Frisian family name, even if it is extremely difficult for Finns to write and pronounce. Heerenveen and the Dutch national team represent two of the things that connect me to Friesland and the Netherlands in general. They are not important to me just as sports teams, but as things that have defined who I am and who I have become over the years.

Heerenveen are currently a mid-table side in the Eredivisie. The latest trophy we have won was the KNVB Beker (the Dutch FA Cup) in the 2008-09 season. We have never won the league. That's what my objective is: make the team capable of challenging for the Eredivisie title, and bring Dutch club football back to the European map as well. The PSV team of the early 2000s was the last "great Dutch side" (though the current one is doing special things as well) and we mean to become the next one.

As per usual with Dutch clubs, I expect most of our transfer activity to be selling our players to other teams. The youth academy needs to be our main source for new players, and that's why I invested in a 5 star scout straight away.

Here is a link to Heerenveen's Wikipedia article. You can read up on our history and rivalries (which I will elaborate more on once we come across the teams) if you're interested. I also took a few screenshots to acquaint you with our current key players and our starting formation and lineup.



That's our starting formation. A traditional Dutch 4-3-3. You can see the alternatives as well. A defensive 4-1-4-1 and a more possession oriented 4-2-3-1 which also gives us added creativity on offense if the 4-3-3 can't create enough chances.



Jerry St. Juste is someone we definitely want to keep hold of for as long as possible. He is extremely talented and could become a really good central defender. Teams like Manchester United have been interested in him recently.



Simon Thern is our best offensive-minded midfielder. His passing and vision set him above the rest of the pack when it comes to unlocking the opposition defense. He is also a decent dribbler with a good shot. Also works hard.



The definite star of our team. Sam Larsson is incredibly skillful and tricky. He prefers to play on the left so he can cut inside to his right to either slide through that killer ball or take the shot himself. I've seen him make complete fools out of opposition defenders and expect him to have a tremendous season. Larsson is also someone who bigger clubs than Heerenveen have an interest in, and losing him at some point might be inevitable.

So there you have it, the groundwork for my Career Mode. Our first game will be against Excelsior. I will have Youtube highlights along with a couple of screenshots and a quick recap of the game. For now the Youtube videos will have no commentary from me, but that could change once I get a decent headset.

Oh, there might also be times when I won't update this for a few days or weeks, and then there might be days when I post multiple games. I'm doing my BA thesis (reactions to and the effects of violations of privacy in Superior Spider-Man) right now so sometimes I have to prioritize that.

Hope you enjoy!

[mockme]

A tough match to open the season. We nearly fell behind right from the start but Erwin Mulder's superb save kept the game tied. Arber Zeneli had a superb debut as he provided the cross from which Simon Thern headed in the opener and also scored the equalizer in the second half.

There were chances to grab all three points, but in the end a draw is a decent result. We're still looking for the right combinations and tactics. Also, Excelsior scored a couple of nice goals, so they deserved to get something out of the game.

[mockme]

We went into this game hoping to get all three points, but would have been happy with a point as well. NEC are a better team than they are given credit for and playing away to them is not easy.

After Bart Buysse's red card gave us the man advantage I thought that the game was in the bag, but missed chances and a nice goal by Navarone Foor which finished a lethal counter attack by the hosts meant that the three points stayed in Nijmegen.

After two games we are looking for our first win of the season. Next we will be hosting PEC Zwolle.

[mockme]

I have a headset now! First time attempting commentary and clearly a bit awkward and can be improved upon. Suggestions and feedback are appreciated! Didn't have the chance to do 'live commentary' while playing the game since these were recorded before I bought the headset, but I think I might move to that later on since I'd imagine it would be easier to get some more emotion into my commentating.

[mockme]

New episode! This time we face our fierce rivals FC Groningen and I try live commentary for the first time as we play De Graafschap. Once again, feedback is appreciated. Hope you enjoy!