The Return of the Vikings: An Icelandic Adventure

[Mercurial66]

Hi everyone. Long-term servant/sufferer of FM here, but this is the first story I've done, so if there are any tips or ways to improve it please let me know!

After a recent holiday to Iceland, I decided it would be fun to move back there more permanently, and try to develop one of their weakest clubs into European contenders. As such, I managed to secure myself a job at a team just promoted to the second tier.

​

View attachment 139944

Huginn FC will be playing in the Icelandic First Division for the first time in their history, and decided that the best way to approach the challenge would be to appoint a young Englishman with no managerial experience whatsoever...

So here I am,
View attachment 139970ready to try and build a legacy at a small club based in the wilderness of the east of Iceland.
​

View attachment 139936

​

View attachment 139935

On the plus side, there are some rather nice views from the pitch I will now be calling home!​

 

[fairwarrior]

Looking forward to seeing what you can do! Best of luck!

 

[Godfish93]

Never saw this one coming....

Seriously though, wrap up warm, you'll need it up there.

 

[Mercurial66]

Huginn Who?

Having found myself a new home, it was time to settle in and find out some more about my new club, and the task that would be facing me.

View attachment 139928
View attachment 139923
Well then, it looks like I really will be building the club up from scratch. With extremely basic facilities, and a ground that's so small it probably can't even be called a stadium, there is a lot of work to be done before I'll even be able to think about taking on Europe!

View attachment 139916
As a newly promoted club, I was expecting a difficult season ahead - I hadn't anticipated quite how much of a challenge the bookmakers thought it would be, however! With two relegation spots needing to be avoided, this is clearly going to be a very tough year.

Being the new kid on the block, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself to the rest of the backroom staff, but no-one turned up to the meeting I organised...

View attachment 139912
It seems I might be the only non-player living in the town! Apart from my new chairman, of course, although he was also apparently the manager who managed to get the club promoted last season!!

Clearly, this is going to be a huge challenge for someone with no coaching experience, and who doesn't speak the language. I'm hopeful that there will at least be a couple of good players I can build a team around, however, especially as I have a total wage budget of less than £800 per week, giving me very little to play with.​

 

[Mercurial66]

Looking forward to seeing what you can do! Best of luck!

Thanks, I'm going to need it!

Seriously though, wrap up warm, you'll need it up there.

I'd imagine the pressure of trying to get results with this team will turn the heat up enough that I'll be fine...

---

February

---

After looking through the squad, it seems my earlier hopes were severely misplaced. It doesn't make good viewing, with only a handful of players at the required level for this league.

So I'll crack on with the start of the season. I had 3 friendlies, all against lower league opposition, so losing the first one isn't particularly encouraging.

View attachment 139738
The competitive fixtures start with the Icelandic Upper League Cup, in which teams from the top two divisions are split into 3 groups of 8. The top 2 from each group and the 2 best 3rd place teams qualify for the knockout stages, but I think it's safe to say there's little chance of me getting there!

The first game is against Fram, a fellow First Division side, and it's not the best start. Fairly even game overall, but hopefully the lack of cutting edge in front of goal isn't a sign of things to come.

View attachment 139737
Next up, much harder opposition in the form of Premier Division side Stjarnan - you may know them for their fantastic celebrations over the last few years. We set up to defend in the hope of pinching a point, and that's exactly what we did in a superb defensive performance, even holding the lead for a short time!

View attachment 139735
It's been a mixed start to the cup, but really I'm just looking for the team to try and get used to my tactics, ready for the league kicking off in a couple of months. The next month features 2 games against teams from my league, so I'll be targetting those as the best chance of getting points, as well as gauging how the league might go.

View attachment 139725​

 

[Mercurial66]

---

March
​

---

We start this month with another fantastic rearguard performance against a team from the Premier Division, somehow managing to bring back 3 points. It seems the LVG approach of keeping the ball with little interest in moving forward is working out alright so far.

View attachment 139383
View attachment 139381
The tactic doesn't seem to work so well against Breiðablik, with the difference in class really showing as we rarely trouble the team from the league above on this occasion. Still, with the next two games both against First Division sides there should be more chances to get some points...

View attachment 139379
Or not... they might be one of the favourites for the title in my league, but if we repeat that kind of performance in the league then it's going to be a long, hard season.

And it doesn't get any better against Keflavik, with another resounding 3-0 defeat. We were never really in the game, and they made sure to punish us, turning March into a pretty awful month.

View attachment 139377
There's just the one game to look forward to next month, as the Upper League Cup group stage ends, but it's against another Prem team, so I don't hold much hope for getting a result here.

View attachment 139372​

 

[Mercurial66]

---

April

---

We began April with what the final game of what had turned into a pretty disastrous Upper League Cup campaign, that only really served to show how much of a challenge I'd let myself in for. As it turned out, it was a very respectable result against a Premier Division team, as the boys somehow managed to salvage a draw. Admittedly, our job was made a lot easier thanks to having an extra man for almost the entire match, but I'll take any small bonuses at this point!

View attachment 139276
So how did that leave the final standings in the group? Well, we somehow managed to avoid the wooden spoon, which I'm definitely going to take as a success, despite some poor results! In scoring only 3 goals in 7 games, however, it demonstrates just how much work still needs to be done if I'm going to survive my first season in management without being relegated.

View attachment 139275
Given that there's a month break before the league season kicks off, I scheduled a few more friendlies to keep the fitness levels up, including what turned out to be a second victory over lower league Einherji, and two more friendlies against rivals for the coming season. Needless to say, those more "even" matches didn't really go too well...

View attachment 139274
So a considerable improvement is required before the league season kicks off next month, starting with my first game in the Icelandic Cup, coming in at the 2nd round. My opponents haven't been decided yet, but ideally I'd like a nice easy tie to get the team into some good form for the start of the league.

View attachment 139273
​

 

[JasonZante]

Although I am a strong support of Breidablik, your team has my support as well because you chose to play on the Icelandic league

[hipster mode on] I did it before it was cool [hipster mode off]

 

[Mercurial66]

Although I am a strong support of Breidablik, your team has my support as well because you chose to play on the Icelandic league

[hipster mode on] I did it before it was cool [hipster mode off]

Awesome! Hopefully I can get to the Premier Division and start playing them more regularly, I think that will take a while though.
​

---

May​

---

View attachment 138385
To start the month off, we found out our opponents in the Icelandic Cup - a trip to lower league opposition should provide a nice easy win to boost confidence before the league kicks off, right?

View attachment 138384
Apparently not. If this match is anything to go by, this season is going to be even harder than I imagined! Scraping to a pretty undeserved victory on penalties is not how I saw this match going, but at least we're through to the next round, to face another lower league team.

View attachment 138383
Moving on to the league, we start the campaign with a tough match against Thor. Somehow we managed to control the game, dominating possession and even having more shots, but like their namesake they dealt us a huge hammer blow and took home all 3 points.

View attachment 138381
We followed that up with another good performance, managing to secure the first point of the season against HK in a fairly boring match.

View attachment 138382
Next up is a tough trip to the league favourites, Keflavik. And perhaps unsurprisingly, we come back empty-handed, but I'll take just a one goal defeat, especially with them having so many shots!

View attachment 138374
After scraping through the 2nd round, I was hoping for a much easier time in the next cup game, but once again we made extremely hard work of it against supposedly much weaker opposition. We dominated possession again, but hardly created any chances, having to rely on an extra time goal from Arnason to squeeze us through just before penalties this time.

View attachment 138359
The reward for that late win was a very tough fixture against a team flying high in the Premier Division.

View attachment 138358
After struggling to beat Throttur in the cup, we returned to league action with a very similar performance. Once again we followed the van Gaal tactic of keeping the ball but not creating any chances, and somehow it worked as Arnason grabbed a very early goal to help secure the first 3 points of the season.

View attachment 138356
That victory dragged us out of the relegation zone, up to the lofty heights of 8th place! Admittedly we've played a game more than the teams below us, but with the players at my disposal just being safe at this stage is a great achievement.

View attachment 138354
​

 

[Mercurial66]

---

June
​

---

June was another very busy month, with 6 league games and the next round of the cup. It turned out to be very mixed, with some much better performances, and some good results. Strangely, these often didn't happen at the same time, however.

View attachment 137263
To come away with no points, after one of the best performances of my short reign in terms of creating chances was very disappointing, and my strikers will definitely be called back for extra shooting training this week!

View attachment 137262
It seems the extra practice really worked, as we smashed 4 past a team expected to be challenging for the title! A hat-trick of close-range goals from Ingolfur Arnason led the team to victory here.

View attachment 137261
There was a disappointing step back in performance in the next match, but against strong opposition we were still delighted to return home with all 3 points. An early goal from Magnussen set us up nicely for a strong defensive showing to secure the result.

View attachment 137260
On the back of 2 consecutive wins, we came into the cup game with hopes of pulling off an upset against a team flying high in the Premier Division. The gulf in class really showed, however, as they dumped us out of the competition with some clinical finishing. After an even game, the 3-0 scoreline is disappointing, but given I wasn't expecting much from the cup we can enjoy the run to this stage and get back to concentrating on the league.

View attachment 137254
Luckily the cup disappointment doesn't affect us too badly, as we quickly return to winning ways with a crucial victory over our relegation rivals, Leiknir Faskrudsfirdi.

View attachment 137251
With the team in the heady heights of 5th place, we really came up short against a team we were expected to beat. It seems our supply of goals was all used up in the previous league games, as our finishing really let us down again.

View attachment 137250
It wasn't just the strikers who let the team down in this match, as we were comprehensively outplayed from the moment we took an early lead. However, with just under half of the season gone and 13 points already on the board, we are well on the way to meeting the 25 point mark that is apparently usually enough for survival.

View attachment 137248
If we can keep picking up points against teams near the bottom of the league I'm confident my Icelandic adventure with Huginn will continue beyond a first season, and this won't have been a wasted trip up north!


​

 

[Mercurial66]

---

July

---

On the back of a largely successful June, July was a much quieter month, with just 4 league games to prepare for. Having lost the last 2 games, however, it was important to get back to winning ways soon and avoid morale dropping too low. We started the month at home to KA, who were just above us in the league.

View attachment 137110
Not the most convincing performance from the boys, but a first half goal from my CB secured a crucial 3 points before a visit from Thor, who snatched a victory against us on the opening day.

View attachment 137108
Having scored the goal that won the last game, Olafsson had an absolute shocker here, with mistakes leading to both of their goals. Despite Magnusson drawing us level for a short time, we were never really in this game, with the keep-ball plan not really creating enough chances.

View attachment 137107
The favourites for the league were up next, and we managed to keep them at bay for an hour before 2 quick-fire goals saw Keflavik to a comfortable victory. This was undoubtedly one of the hardest matches we'll face this season, however, so I'm not too disappointed, especially with a trip to relegation candidates HK giving us an immediate chance to get some more points on the board.

View attachment 137106
It didn't really go to plan, though, as a boring game saw only 1 shot on target. A win here would have really helped in the bid for survival, but every point counts!

A very disappointing end to the month was improved slightly when I received news that I'd finally got my first coaching badge, in the form of the National C Licence. And despite only picking up 1 win from 4 games, we still lie outside the relegation zone, with a 3 point cushion and a better goal difference.

View attachment 137105
With just over a third of the season left, I've somehow managed to defy the odds and lead the team to a position where we've got a great chance of staying up. It's far from over, but I'm hopeful that we can pick up the points required over the next 8 games.​

 

[Mercurial66]

---

Youth Intake

---

As we moved into August, the first major event was the intake of my first set of youth players in Iceland. Given the status of the club, I wasn't expecting much, but it was actually surprisingly good!

View attachment 136883
Ok, there are a lot of terrible players in there, and even the best ones probably won't be that great if we ever get promoted, but certainly there are a couple who might be good prospects.

View attachment 136881
Andri Thor Kristinsson looks like he could provide some good cover in a number of positions, but the best player from the intake is already in my first team squad.

View attachment 136878
Kristofer Orn Solbergsson has some great attributes for a youngster coming through in the lower leagues of Iceland, and if my first choice CBs continue to make mistakes he may well get some gametime very early on. The chance of him getting an opportunity increased almost immediately, with an injury to my backup CB, putting him out of action for 2 months.

View attachment 136868​

 

[Mercurial66]

---

August

---

With the excitement of actually getting some impressive youngsters to try and introduce to the first team over, we went straight into another busy month of league games. I was looking to try and win enough points in the 6 games in August that safety would be secured without the pressure of the final 2 matches next month.

View attachment 136874
The month gets off to a pretty dreadful start, with 2 early goals helping top of the table Grindavik to a comfortable victory. Once again, we controlled possession, but just didn't create enough chances and failed to take most of them anyway.

View attachment 136853
That was followed up with another poor performance at home to mid-table opposition, causing us to drop into the relegation zone for the first time in a couple of months. It seems that luck has run out on us just at the wrong time, as poor form increases worries of a quick journey back home to England for me.

View attachment 136852
Just as things looked to be going against us, the team finally puts in a good performance, dominating possession and actually creating plenty of chances at the same time. A ridiculous long ranger that went in off the bar prevents us from taking all 3 points, but at least the run of defeats is over!

View attachment 136851
After beating Fram 4-0 earlier in the season, this looked to be a great chance to secure a crucial victory. For a long time, a boring game looked like it would be heading to a disappointing draw, before new youth player Kristinsson came off the bench to quickly make himself a fan favourite by grabbing a last-gasp winner.

View attachment 136850
The resurgence continued against bottom of the table Leiknir Faskrudsfirdi, with a comfortable but slightly lucky 4-1 win, moving us 5 points clear of relegation with 3 games to play.

View attachment 136849
Against the team lying just below us in the league, we managed to create a lot of chances but once again our finishing let us down. It turns out that a win here would have secured survival, but we now have to go to the last 2 games next month with the pressure building as we try to claim the 2 points needed.

View attachment 136847
On the face of it, 7 points from 6 games doesn't make a great month, but with other teams around us also struggling to win matches I go into September feeling confident that I'll still be in a job heading into next season. Further good news arrived during August, as the board announced plans to buy the stadium.​

 

[Mercurial66]

---

September

---

So we head into September needing just 2 points from 2 games to make this a very successful first season. First up, a home game against Haukar, who are up in 4th.

View attachment 136025
Well, the match didn't exactly go to plan, as we were comprehensively outplayed. Despite central midfielder Thorhallson giving us the lead in the second half, their dominance showed through as 3 late goals gave them the victory they deserved. However, with the teams below us also losing, survival was ensured with a game to spare!

The board rewarded me with a new 1-year contract, before we visited KA for the final game of the season.

View attachment 136024
It seems the lads may have partied a little too hard after staying up, as we got absolutely thumped. Somehow they only managed to score 2 goals in the last 3 minutes, but realistically it should have been a lot more.

So it wasn't the greatest end to the season with 3 defeats in a row, but the main priority for my first year in Iceland was to try and keep the minnows up, and somehow that's exactly what I managed to do. It was probably more through luck than anything else, but hey, I'll take it!

View attachment 136023
Annoyingly, those late goals meant that we dropped a place to 10th, but the lack of prize money in the league means it didn't make a huge difference.

On to the end of season awards then, and on a very rowdy night the team of the year was announced, along with some other prizes.

View attachment 136022
Unfortunately, the evening was soured somewhat by the news that the club captain, and best LB/LM, Nikolic, will be leaving when his contract runs out in a couple of months. The indication is that he doesn't feel the squad is good enough for him, and whilst he may be right it is a huge blow after a mostly positive season.

View attachment 136021
Needless to say, the cups didn't really produce many memorable moments, but the focus was always going to be on the league, and luckily a great middle part of the season meant that a poor run near the end still allows me to class the year as a success. The main highlight was that incredible 4-0 win against pre-season promotion candidates Fram, who somehow ended up getting relegated!

View attachment 136020
One final piece of good news came from the boardroom, with the announcement that we would no longer need to pay rent on the stadium, as the club had managed to buy it off the council.​