A Fountain of Youth - An FC Nordsjaelland Story

[WeArePalace]

Hello and welcome to my Football Manager 2019 FC Nordsjaelland story. In light of a number of lesser known leagues being taken up by other users which I have enjoyed reading so much, I have decided to follow suit and produce one of my own. I feel like it's the kind of save which I need to re spark my interest into the game. Therefore I've chosen FC Nordsjaelland, one of the slightly higher ranked Danish sides. The aim of the save is to not only make FC Nordsjaelland a footballing powerhouse but improve the reputation of the Danish Superliga. The squad is stacked full of potential and young prospects, with most of our Starting XI U-20. I personally think that's absolutely crazy but it fills me with excitement as I could use this team for years to come. Already clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea are showing interest in some of our players such as Andreas Skov Olsen, Victor Nelsson, Magnus Kofod and Karlo Bartolec. We also have the prospect of Europa League football this season, but will have to get through some difficult qualifying fixtures.

KEY PLAYERS

1) Mads Pedersen is a very promising young LB and already a vital part of our team. However, one of the main problems with the young talent is that they'll likely want to move on to bigger clubs. Hopefully I can keep them as long as possible though. Regardless, Pedersen looks great for his age and the league and already has around 60 appearances for the first team as well. Really looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the table.

2) Victor Nelsson is the heart of our midfield and has a massive role in defining the way we play. I've put a lot of faith into this young lads hands so here's hoping he can deliver. Once again, though, he looks like a wonderful prospect already and is one of our best players. Will be a must keep for us.

3) And, finally, a slightly older team member is Godsway Donyoh. I'm also placing a lot of pressure on him because I'll be playing him a ST role where we lack a lot of able players. I'll try and strengthen the area in the window but we've got just over 1 million to spend so hopefully he can fill that role well. No pressure.

TRANSFER MARKET

I've already made one deal already and it's possibly for one of the best players in the league. I've somehow managed to pry away 20 year old attacking midfielder Evander from FC Midtjylland for next to nothing for a player of his ability. I couldn't believe my eyes when they decided to accept 2.35 million for the player. It's most of the transfer budget but who cares for this level a player. Absolutely buzzing with this! Feel slightly sorry for 17 year old Mohammed Kudus who is a really bright young prospect for the CAM role, but he'll certainly act as a super sub for the club no doubt.

 

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Coming into pre-season I was so happy with the squad already, but coming out of it and I'm ecstatic. Not only was pre-season perfect, but our signings were immense despite only changing a Starting XI spot in three places. The first of those was, as you already know, Evander coming in for the CAM role. It wasn't a role which needed replacing but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to sign such a great player for so little (thanks to my scouts).

Second was the one area where I had a little concern over, the GK spot. Nicolai Larsen was an older member at 27 in the team and at 2.5 star ability with no potential growth, I managed to offload him to AaB. The Danish clubs seem to accept weird deals as they accepted a straight swap plus 200k for their starting GK Jacob Rinne, who is much better in my opinion. Another bargain and I'll certainly take it.

Then came 3 solid deals for around 1m with a new Starting CB in Jores Okore, Back-up GK in Markus Schubert and Rotational LW Emmanuel Oti-Essigba. Another great set of deals here and real bargains. Some very good deals here and all of the players can grow and be quite effective in their work.

In came two smart loans for rotational players in Alex Centelles who will play back-up to Mads Pedersen and Jamie Shackleton who will be a very solid midfield back-up player. Shackleton's deal also includes an optional future fee of just over 6m and should he do well I should have enough cash to afford that.

Our final signing was a free transfer in back-up ST Oliver Drost. He will be a decent enough back-up for the time being and was really all I could afford for the time being. Mikkel Rygaard could still depart in the remaining section of the window which would raise some funds but I would likely save it for January.

Our squad depth is now wonderful and we have a top level back-up for every single position on the pitch.

Our perfect pre-season rounded up a great start with nothing but comfortable wins to show me that the depth really counts as heavy rotation continued to provide positive results. Overall, this couldn't have gone too much better if you ask me, some great signings and the results to match - let's just hope it continues.

 

[WeArePalace]

Prior to this update, please note that deals for Jacob Rinne, Jamie Shackleton and Alex Centelles weren't scheduled to go through until the 3rd and 9th of July 2018. Therefore, Nicolai Larsen remains the keeper and some of the squads may differ slightly until then. This is due to slight postponement in deals resulted in a slightly cheaper transfer fee. This will apply to the first couple of matches in the next update as well. Please like and comment on the story as well it would be appreciated. Thanks.
JULY 2018

My managerial career got off to the perfect start in the Europa League 1st Knockout Round with a routine win over minnows Luftetari. Should we qualify for the group stage, though, we'll need to go through 4 gruelling ties with opposition clubs, so this will be a real test. Hopefully the luck of the draw is on our side. Braces from Donyoh and Damsgaard did the major damage here as pretty much everyone played well in the team.

Our first league game was against Esbjerg in the Preliminary Phase. In case any of you are familiar with the Belgian Pro League, the format is similar as the top 6 in the league get divided from the bottom half and then split into two further divisions. With regards to the match, I was disappointed that we failed to dispatch a number of solid chances but a debut point isn't the worst.

And the away league of the Europa League tie wasn't difficult despite being 1-0 down at the break. Thankfully, the lads prevented a bit of embarrassment, rallied and delivered a comfortable victory in the end. A great beginning and we'll need it to continue it if we're to make it all of the way to the group stage.

It looked like the league would be starting pretty poorly when we went 2-0 down and the half-time whistle sounded against AGF. Thankfully, I was able to rally the lads out there and they gave a spirited performance. Godsway Donyoh showed his class and we came back to get another point. Not a win yet but still undefeated. I'll take it.

This was the first real disappointing result as Beitar Jerusalem are a side we should be easily beating. Instead we required an 88th penalty from substitute Oliver Drost to rescue only a point in the game. While we dominated the match, our finishing touch got away from us and we'll need to improve in the second leg for sure.

A first league win!!! And as comfortable as you'd like it to be as well! We were cruising at 2-0 in 20 minutes and while we didn't score again, we were never at threat of conceding at all. Kudus is currently doing his best and succeeding in keeping out Evander for the time being. Kudos to him I guess!

ROUND-UP

So, overall, a positive beginning to my competitive career. Nothing set yet, but Europa League progression and a solid start to the league means I'm currently satisfied with the way things are going. A big focus on the Europa League next month as we will know if we'll surprise people by qualifying for the group stage or not.

Our best player was Godsway Donyoh. He's playing slightly out of position but doing a brilliant job of it, bagging a number of vital goals, notably saving us against AGF and scraping a draw. I put a lot of weight on his shoulders by not signing a striker but he's delivering wonderfully at the moment.

 

[WeArePalace]

This month sees our focus turn heavily to the Europa League knockout rounds. After a disappointing 1st leg against Beitar Jerusalem where we only gained a draw, we need to perform better to progress. In the league, a number of games which we should hopefully be able to get positive results against, as no one is extremely difficult for us.

YESS! What a turnaround here! We were the bigger side, but when they equalised and we had Mads Pedersen sent off, I was getting really worried. But the lads rallied with 10 men and scored 3 goals to lift us over comfortably. A couple of late goals made the result look a lot easier than what it was despite the statistics as well.

Another league draw here and this time against Brondby IF. It's not the worst result and we're two similar sides so all in all I'll probably take this. Donyoh continuing to score the goals for us as well which is very nice to see. The new signings came in here as well and no one was too bad on debut.

In the 3rd knockout round we were up against a similar level of opponent in Rijeka. Unfortunately after taking the lead we succumbed to a 2-1 defeat which leaves us with a decent sized task to perform in the second leg though. Luckily though, we have an away goal which could prove vital.

Back to the league and we required a last minute penalty from Godsway Donyoh to prevent us from another frustrating draw. I'm so pleased with Donyoh so far - he's doing a fantastic job up top for me. Credit also goes though to our best player on the night, Ulrik Jenssen, who bent in a wonderful free kick to put us in front.

Our journey in the Europa League continues! Once they got their away goal back I was almost ready to accept elimination but decided to go all out and push the lads up the pitch. The high press worked wonders as we constantly worked the ball into the box and in the end set pieces saw us turn around the match. Great stuff!

Up against one of the lesser sides in the league in Vejle, I was hoping for a comfortable win and it was looking good as we went into the break leading 3-1. However, a sending off in the first half only took affect in the second as they exploited our lack of cover in midfield and striker Allan Sousa netted a double including a very late penalty to get a point. Disappointing.

Well that was downright awful. I'm absolutely fuming. We came into this game as the slightly lesser team to SK Rapid Vienna but with 15 minutes to go I had a massive smile on my face as we performed so well and above expectations. So naturally what happens is that we add another in the remaining time but also manage to concede 4 away goals. FOUR...in 15 minutes. They turned it round and made it 2-3, but we went straight up the other end and Donyoh got us level. Even then I was upset, but a draw wasn't a bad result. And then we conceded in the 95th minute as they managed a huge comeback with little time remaining.

We actually kept a clean sheet here in a routine win over AC Horsens. It had been a while waiting for this type of result to come but finally it does as we breeze past our opponents 3-0. Karlo Bartolec was injured but he's already back as it was only for the shortest amount of time. Overall, likely our best win yet.

OH MY GOD YESSSS!!! WE'RE THROUGH!!! Another turnaround as the lads just won't lie down in this knockout fixtures. I came into the match and realised that Andreas Skov Olsen (sorry mate) actually existed so threw him on and he delivered the winner of the bench. Magnus Kofod was brilliant throughout and we're going to the group stage.

ROUND-UP

So, overall, some ups and some downs and some turnarounds. A good month. So much drama contained in it though and I know this team can disappoint but it can also produce the unexpected. I'm not expecting to progress from the group stage but I know will give it a try. The league is also going very well.

There were also some deadline day deals as Mikkel Rygaard and Benjamin Hansen both left for a combined 1.1m. They're off to OB and Vejle respectively. This allowed us to sign Jonas Wind from FC Kobenhavn. Oliver Drost is doing fine but I wanted someone else and the 19 year old young prospect fits in perfectly. Another great signing in my opinion.

The league table has us sitting nicely so despite a couple of disappointing result we're doing superbly so far. The player of the month is probably Donyoh again but no one was really consistently amazing so there won't be one for this month. Despite that though it was still a great month and more of a team effort.

 

[WeArePalace]

This month is likely our most difficult yet although after the gruel of the last one I could easily be wrong. With the league's stacked fixtures though each month is difficult on a fitness front as well. However, this month will test us on several levels as we face Copenhagen in the league and also begin our Europa League group stage with a tough fixture against Basel. Ideally, I'd like to remain in the top four of the league and avoiding defeat in the mentioned games would be great if possible.

We start off with a draw against Odense Boldklub. Considering they're 2nd, it's not a bad result. Considering we were 2-0 up with 12 minutes to go, it's not a good result. Jenssen's sending off was even after we'd already conceded two goals in three minutes so I even started to worry about defeat. At least we got a point.

Then a win against minnows Bronshoj in the Danish Cup. We rotated slightly but probably should have done better than the end result, however I was happy for Mohamed Kudus who put in a very solid performance and scored both goals to get us the win. We did dominate however and despite them drawing level, we never looked like losing the game.

Then came the big day. After the excitement and drama of the play-offs I wasn't sure what to expect as we ran out to face Basel. I got a very good performance from the lads today. We may not have won, but we kept a clean sheet and dominated the match completely. I'm happy with it, especially the way we played. Maybe we could've won but it's a good result. I'm certainly not complaining.

And then came the big match in the league. What is with us and absolutely throwing away good leads. In the space of 11 minutes we raced into a 2-0 lead and they had a key player, Zeca, sent off. But it only spurred them on, even when we were 3-1 up with 15 minutes to go and I thought we were almost safe, we threw it all away. I know it's a good result but constantly choking matches is not what I want. Step up the defence lads!!!

And we end the month on a positive note with a league win. Despite no defeats we have been on the back end of numerous draws and as a result we're sitting around 4th in the table. It could and would be higher if we didn't keep throwing away results. However, we're doing pretty alright at the moment so hopefully we just perform slightly better and then all will be great.

ROUND-UP

The month wasn't bad at all, but at the same time not amazing. A number of draws but against some of the bigger sides. Frustration continued as we cannot hold onto leads very well.

Our best player this month was actually Mohammed Kudus. While he didn't play in each game, he was very promising in the ones which he did. He also did carry us through to the next round of the Danish Cup single handedly with a brace. Overall, a very good sign from a promising youngster. Another one of the many in our ranks.

 

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Probably one of our easier months despite games against Rennes in the Europa League and FC Midtjylland as well. However, it looks like a month where we can achieve a number of positive results in the Europa League and Superliga, with some of the lesser teams pitted against us. Staying in the top 4 in the league and keeping in touch with the Europa League group are my aims this month.

We begin, however, with a slightly disappointing result as we gain only a point at home to SonderjyskE. When Godsway Donyoh put us in front with around 10 minutes to go I breathed a sigh of relief expecting to see out the match, however just moments later they nicked an equaliser against the run of play.

This result was also very disappointing in terms of the Europa League as if we're to have any chance of progressing we really have to be beating APOEL, the side in our group who I feel we should really be competing with. I continue to give Drost a chance here because he's doing well and he scored our leveller. They got a red card but we couldn't push on and get the win.

But this is the worst of all and October is starting off absolutely dreadfully. We've not only lost our first league game here, but it's also to the team predicted to finish last in the entire division. An absolutely terrible result and despite a little rotation I would've at least expected this scoreline to go the other way. Very upsetting.

A very good win finally as we battle to a hard fought victory against Top 4 rivals FC Midtjylland. To be completely honest, I haven't said it yet because we usually play well, but they probably deserved to win here. We only had a few shots less but they were also long distance wayward efforts whereas they had some very decent chances. We only had 2 chances but I was happy to see us win and defending well to get us the win here.

The month is getting better as it goes on now as this is a very solid draw to the best team in our group. We scored early in a rare start for Andreas Skov Olsen, who repaid me instantly with the goal. They levelled early in the second half to reflect probably a fair result despite some of the stats suggesting otherwise. Jonas Wind hasn't started very well but given his young age, he'll need a little time to adapt and I'm confident he'll find his feet soon.

However we end on a disappointing note in what I think was our worst performance despite a better result than that against Hobro IK. This wasn't our worst result by any means but we were majorly outplayed and if it wasn't for their wastefulness in front of goal, notably a missed penalty, we very easily could've lost this game by 2 or 3. When our GK is the best player you know you haven't played to well, but full credit to Jacob Rinne, he was excellent and single handedly kept us in this game.

ROUND-UP

This has been a poor month. After the success of the last one I had entertained high hopes for this one as it was easier, but it went the complete opposite way and included our first defeat - to the worst team in the league!!! Improvement needed and I've held a team meeting with the lads so they know how much they need to improve.

Our best and most consistent player this month was our goalkeeper Jacob Rinne. He kept our heads above water in some of the games with some fabulous saves, notably against AC Horsens. I was tempted to give it to Mads Pedersen, but he was very up and down, however I was so pleased when he dropped his ongoing transfer request.

 

[WeArePalace]

A little more difficult here than the last month we played out. We have 2 Europa League games which we'll need to do well in should we want a chance of progressing. Then the difficult domestic task is facing OB in the Danish Cup and then facing them again in the league. They're 2nd so this is a chance forus to make up some ground and it's currently very tight between us two.

We start off with a solid victory at home to AaB. Both Jacob Rinne and Jores Okore came in from AaB and my GK earlier in the save Nicolai Larsen was pitted against me here. Thankfully we managed to get the victory thanks to a first half winner from Godsway Donyoh. Jonas Wind also got his first club goal, and was our player of the match in doing so.

A solid draw here to Rennes. Once again we broke them down within 5 minutes like we did in our last game, but they again managed to pull level. I'll take a draw but 4 draws from 4 games means that we could be facing an exit. Luckily we still have APOEL to play after Basel and we should win that game after the disappointment of the last meeting.

Our solid league form continues to pick up but just about in a narrow win against Randers. They looked set for the win as they were getting the better of us and dominating, but our counter attack plan worked to perfection late in the day and Godsway Donyoh won us the three points yet again.

Heading into the Danish Cup match against OB and I was feeling pretty decent if we stuck to our game plan. Then, just prior to the match I notice that 4 first team players and the bulk of my substitutes were on international duty! It filled me with rage and worry, because I now faced the prospect of a disappointing Danish Cup elimination.

But the lads produced a win somehow!!! Sure we didn't play well, especially after the goal, but it doesn't matter because we collected a win here against the odds considering the two team sheets. We got one over on our former player Mikkel Rygaard as well, and I also completely forgot to make any subs but it doesn't matter because we've won.

So of course our full first team can only nick a point against them in the league. But I'm being much to harsh as they are considered the better team and I think that just goes to show how much of an achievement winning that cup tie against them with a weakened team was, it really turned my anger into sheer thrill!

YESSS!!! GET IN LADS!!! We're set on to go through as we just need a point against APOEL due to goal difference being in our favour and Basel being up against Rennes. What a performance and Jonathan Amon truly could've gotten a perfect score for he ran their defence ragged but at times just lacked a final pass or move on the ball. Him and Donyoh did the damage here and I couldn't be happier with it.

ROUND-UP

Well after the disappointment of last month we couldn't have responded any better. Not only did we win in the Danish Cup with a severely weaker side than usual, but we also managed to put ourselves in a great position to progress from the Europa League via a 2-0 victory against Basel. Overall, brilliant.

This man!!! Godsway Donyoh is our player of the month here for netting three match winners to see us to some vital wins. I cannot stress how well he has done playing just out of position up top. Him and Wind seem to be beginning to form a great partnership and I also saw what Wind is capable of - now he just needs a touch of consistency.

I just realised I'd completely forgotten about putting in league tables. My apologies and here is the current one which looks pretty good for us.

And we can practically reach out and touch the Europa League knockout rounds. I just need to make sure we don't bottle it against APOEL. We only really need a point, but we should be winning so I'd be pretty upset if we somehow didn't end up going through. Rennes are also still favoured to beat Basel so things look very good.

 

[WeArePalace]

This month is thankfully slightly more relaxed as after the 15th we've got a massive break all the way up until the 10th of February. This is the break period and in between we have the transfer window and a number of friendly matches to play through as well. As far as the window goes, I don't think I'll be doing any business as of the moment.

A good victory here but certainly not as easy as it looks because we required 2 late goals in the space of 2 minutes to get the victory here. I don't use him as often as I should, but when Mohammed Kudus does come on he tends to have a very good impact, often contributing to the scoresheet.

Another 2-0 here and it was never really in doubt against AGF. They didn't have any major chances and we capitalised in the first half to see us through to a comfortable win in the end. Jacob Rinne kept his 6th consecutive clean sheet here as well, and after a slightly shaky start, he's been brilliant recently.

Coming into this game just needing a point for qualification but the lads delivered an absolute thumping instead! They weren't to let the nerves get to them and this makes for our biggest win so far. Basel did beat Rennes but even if we only drew we still would've had too good a goal difference for the Swiss side to qualify.

Gutted. I was really hoping to continue on and make progress in the Europa League but we've been pitted against Italian giants AC Milan. I've certainly not given up, on our day we can beat almost any team. It's a very tough draw and representing, along with us, FC Midtjylland represent Denmark in any European competition.

And the month ends perfectly here with a win against the side just below us, Esbjerg fB. Godsway Donyoh was at the centre of the action as he got the goal but also missed a penalty. That decision was my bad as he had a slight injury but I still let him take it. Thankfully though, it hasn't come back to haunt us.

ROUND-UP

A 100% record for this month, qualification from the Europa League group and several league wins. I cannot complain - perfect!

Our best player was the ever consistent Mads Pedersen, who put in a wonderful shift this month. He may not have grabbed the headlines but his role is crucial and his capabilities down the left hand side have been shown to full effect this month.

The league table remains very positive for us here. Copenhagen finally seem to have grabbed hold to the league and look like they'll end up running away with it. Their main man, Robert Skov, is practically nailed on for player of the year.

Confirmation of the fact that we are through to the knockout stage of the Europa League! Here's the final table.

 

[WeArePalace]

This month is more relaxed. We've only got friendlies to play and it doesn't look likely that we'll do much business in the window either. Hopefully we just retain our match sharpness and then we can prepare for some massive fixtures as the league is almost at the Championship phase, we have the Danish Cup and also the Europa League tie.

It was awards night in the league and we had one name mentioned, with goalkeeper Jacob Rinne finishing 2nd in the running for Goalkeeper of the Year. I was slightly disappointed not to be in the running for manager of the year, but I suppose I've only been doing slightly better than expected. Copenhagen sweeped the player of the year awards, and the winner Robert Skov has been absolutely insane for them.

Results wise things were pretty good. We didn't concede and we gave some of the lesser used lads a run out as well. Ultimately, though, not too much can be concluded from the final results of the games. We've got one more friendly coming at the beginning of February.

Then came the big moment of January, I received a huge offer for Victor Nelsson and as a result he's off to Borussia Dortmund for 10m, rising to 12m over time. It's a difficult goodbye to our young captain at the heart of our midfield, but one thing that persuaded me to make such a decision was the fact that he wasn't amazing for us meaning that he can be replaced.

And we'll be putting our faith into an even younger player, with Ryan Gravenberch coming in from Ajax for 6.25m. He'll be a big player for us for some time and can become a world class player. He has big shoes to fill and hopefully he can live up to those hefty expectations placed on his shoulders.

I then loaned out the young Mikkel Damsgaard as he just wasn't getting as much game time as he should've for us so he moves to Brondby IF where he should get first team football. While he's good enough to play for us, he just couldn't get into the team and as a result he's been loaned out. Hopefully he does well.

We conclude a loan deal of our own, with Mijat Gacinovic coming in from Frankfurt. Mathias Rasmussen hasn't impressed as much as I'd hoped so as a result we make this deal and Gacinovic should do well in a division lesser than the Bundesliga. He didn't play too much there but the experience will help him out here.

 

[WeArePalace]

Hello everyone,
As you may or may not now I've recently been having issue trying to install a facepack into the game.
Now I've managed to get it sorted but it did come at the cost of having to restart the game and as result all of my saves have been wiped out.
I plan to now turn to my yearly Crystal Palace save which I'd forgotten about and seems like the best option.
Thanks