Road To Glory

Season 1

I started out unemployed and came in to Grebbestad mid season with the team being in spot for relegation with ten games to go.

A big overhaul in the squad, with multiple players leaving immediately and a lot of new players joining on non-contracts.

The team went on a great run with seven wins, two draws and one loss in the final ten games of the season and jumped up in to 6th in the table.

Season 2

The new season started with a big clear out of the squad, both in players and staff, with nine new players in before the first game and eleven leaving for other teams.
Another four players would join during the season, but none of them really breaking in to the starting 11.

In staff signings it was notable that Sargon Cicek came in as new Assistant manager after Viktor Olsson left.

The season was a walk in the park with 23 wins and 3 draws in 26 league games, making us unbeaten and pulling the perfect season.
Victor Edvardsson was crowned the Fans Player of the Year, scoring 8 and also getting 8 assists.
Andrew Palumbo became the top goalscorer of the season with 15 goals from the right winger position.

Players in:
Hamse Nuur - Loan from Hudiksvall FF
Oliver Svensson Applewhaite - Loan from Lunds BK
Isaaq Raghe Johansson - Free transfer
Lucas Bresmar - Free transfer
David Andersson - Free transfer
Liam Munther - Free transfer
Jesse Ahonen - Free transfer
Igor Bator - Free transfer
Mikael Lundgren -  Free transfer
Mathias Sanchez - Free transfer
Arvid Bergman - Loan from IK Gauthiod
Henrik Wendel Meister - Free transfer
Wilhelm Fischer - Free transfer

Players out:
Arseni Beqirllari - FOC Farsta for free
David Olsson - Arameisk-Syrianska IF for free
Daniel Lundquist - Högsby IK for free
Oscar Billman - Nosaby IF for free
Leo Cariboni Killander - Umeå FC Akademi for free
Edwin Bergslätt - Loan to Högsby IK
Mark Kwarteng - Loan to Högsby IK
Felipe Lazcano Fernandez - Loan to Tölö IF
Amel Licina - Loan to IFK Uppsala
Shad Omar - Loan to IFK Uppsala
Patrik Adamczyk - Loan to Íþróttafélagið Völsungur

Season 3

With a newly promoted team, we were looking to strengthen the team and get ready for the new season.
Seven players contracts ran out and we let them go as free agents, including our topscorer from last season in Andrew Palumbo.

No less than fourteen(!) new players arrived in the team before the start of the season, with the biggest and most important signing was gonna be striker Emil Portén joining from Nordvärmlands FF for 5,5t kr. Which would make it the first signing of our career where we actually spent a transfer fee to get the player.
Another six players would joing during the season, with most notable players being Linus Tornblad, Milos Andelkovic and Florent Sopi.

We went through the season and shocked not only the league, but ourselfs and reached a 2nd place in the league and promotion in our first season in First Division North!
Victor Edvardsson, once again, was crowned the Fans Player of the Year scoring 2 and getting 11 assist.
Emil Portén proved himself as an important signing scoring 18 and becoming the top goalscorer.

Players in:
Hampus Svensson - Free transfer
Adnan Mohammad - Free transfer
Alvin Holmgren - Free transfer
Oscar Blixt - Free transfer
Alex Jacobsson - Free transfer
Axel Karlsson - Free transfer
Navid Rahman - 1812 FC Barrie for free
Stefan Stojilkovic - Young Boys FD for free
Ramez Matti - Free transfer
Filip Kalmertun - Free transfer
Marko Cubrilo - Free transfer
Emil Portén - Nordvärmlands FF for 5,5t kr
Philip Olsson - Free transfer
Marcus Jönsson - Free transfer
Mirza Halvadzic - Free transfer
Linus Tornblad - Free transfer
Daniel Johnsson - Free transfer
Måns Ekvall - Free transfer
Milos Andelkovic - GAIS for 36t kr
Florent Sopi - Hässleholms IF 14t kr
Sebastian Ludzik - Free transfer

Players out:
Jesse Ahonen - Released
Patrik Adamczyk - Released
Andrew Palumbo - Released
Felipe Lazcano Fernandez - Released
Jesper Mattsson - Released
Edwin Bergslätt - Released
David Rosén - Released
Mark Kwarteng - Agropoli 1921 for free
Shad Omar - Höganäs BK for free
Amel Licina - Strömtorps IK for free
Oscar Landgren - Loan to Assyriska BK
Philip Hällgren - Loan to Sävedalens IF
Igor Bator - Loan to Huddinge IF
Mikael Lindgren - Loan to FC Rosengård
William Andersson - Loan to IFK Stocksund
Hugo Moldin - Loan to Räppe GoIF
Saban Ertürk - Nordvärmlands FF for free
Ylber Maloku - Motala AIF for 15t kr
David Andersson - Loan to FC Linköping City

Season 4

We are starting to realise we are growing as a club a little too fast for our economy. We are spending money under the salary budget and doing what we can, but the numbers are always in the red.
On the pitch we keep on performing though!

And with a newly promoted team, again. We are looking to improve the squad for the season both on the pitch and in the staff.
Linus Tornblad joined during the last season and left when his contract expired and also retired only 31 years old.
In the meantime Sargon Cicek decided to not sign a new contract as Assistant manager. Instead Linus Tornblad rejoined the club as Assistant manager.

A big clearout of the squad saw most of the team leave and a totally new one form in front of our eyes. Twelve new players in before the season started and one more during the run of the season.

We started to feel like maybe we've reached our ceiling on how far we could take this club. The economic muscles was very weak and we signed players more fit for the division bellow us.
But we kept fighting and showed that football is played on the pitch and not on paper. Everyone in media and the board of the team thought we where gonna fight for relegation. They couldn't have been more wrong.

When the dust settled we where top of the league and gaining promotion for the third season in a row. We found ourself in a reality where the Swedish Premier Division was next in line for us to take on.
Victor Edvardsson once again won Fans Player of the Year, getting an amazing 21(!) assist in 32 games. Crushing all assist records for both the team and the league.
Emil Portén showed that he could keep scoring on this level as well with 14 goals.

With promotion we've reached the top tier in Swedish football and a few players was playing for us the entire time.
Victor Edvardsson, Jacob Hermansson, Liam Munther and Lukas Berntsson was a part of the team the whole climb from the bottom to the top.

Players in:
Patrik Karlsson-Lagemyr - Free transfer
Vincent Sundberg - Free transfer
Daniel Burubwa - Free transfer
Adhavan Rajamohan - Free transfer
Tim Skoglund - Free transfer
Viktor Ljungberg - Free transfer
Rasmus Forsell - Örebro Syrianska IF for 10t kr
Alexander Fesshaie Beraki - Free transfer
Elias Ziani - Free transfer
Hadi Noori - Free transfer
Niklas Martvall Kakoseos - Free transfer
Frej Ersa Engberg - Free transfer
Zeng Junjie - Free transfer

Players out:
Anton Friberg - Released
Adnan Mohammad - Released
Alex Jacobsson - Released
Filip Kalmertun - Released
Mathias Sanchez - Released
Isaaq Raghe Johansson - Released
Marko Cubrilo - Released
Linus Tornblad - Released (Re-signed as Assistant manager)
Sebastian Ludzik - Released
Mirza Halvadzic - Released
Daniel Johnsson - Released
William Andersson - Released
Marcus Jönsson - Released
Philip Hällgren - Released
Hugo Moldin - Released
Oscar Landgren - Released
Wilhelm Fischer - Hvetlanda GIF for free
Navid Rahman - CS Lanaudière-Nord for free
Alvin Holmgren - Loan to Vasalunds IF
Ian Pettersson - IF Elfsborg for 12t kr
Viktor Ljungberg - Loan to FK Karlskrona
Philip Olsson - Loan to IFK Haninge
Hampus Svensson - AC Horsens for free
Tim Skoglund - Loan to Täby FK
Måns Ekvall - Loan to IFK Malmö

Season 5

Season started with Grebbestad and defying the odds and actually keeping the club floating. After 13 games we had won five games and drawn one, putting us in 10th in the league. Pretty good for a team predicted to finish dead last.
But some players started to get upset about their play time and a few wanted to leave already. We started to try to get players out on loan and even selling some of them. Board started to get annoyed over stuff as well.
And after we tried to unload Afonso Caetano for free, when he wanted to leave, everything fell apart.
The board stopped the transfer from happening, resulting in a heated discussion. When the dust settled we had resigned from Grebbestads IF.

We now found ourself unemployed and started to look around for a new job. Looking through most of Europe and not really finding anything that was catching our eyes.
Until a job popped up that was to perfect to say no to.

GIF Sundsvall, in the Swedish Premier Division was looking for a new manager. They where dead last in the league, with only one win the entire season so far.
A spark lit in our eyes. We could take over a team that was competing with Grebbestad and show our old employer they messed up.

We landed in Sundsvall and our first game was gonna be against…. Yes, Grebbestad. It was just too perfect.
After going through the team and setting it up, game day arrived. And we went in with full force.
We crushed Grebbestad with 4-1 and the story was already written.

We went on from that to go on an absolute crazy run, winning 14 out of 15 games in the remaining games of the season flying up to 9th in the league.
At the same time Grebbestad was falling through the table and ended up getting relegated in the end.

We did it. We showed them.

After the season we started looking to improve the squad and getting ready to keep improving and challenging for higher positions.

Players in (Sundsvall):
Gustav Lillienberg - IFK Göteborg for 1,86mn kr
Jesper Ceesay - AIK for 2,25mn kr
Niclas Bergmark - Malmö FF for 4,25mn kr
Melker Ellborg - Malmö FF for 77,5t kr
Yahya Kalley - BK Häcken for 1,4mn kr

Players out (Sundsvall):
Oscar Jonsson - Rosenborg for free
Isak Dybvik Määtää - Skeid for 200t kr
Luka Petrovic - Sogndal for free
Björn Bendrik - Varbergs BoIS for free
Viktor Mattsson - Loan to IK Oddevold
Anders Sundqvist - Loan to Skellefteå FF
Anton Mossnelid - Loan to FC Stockholm
Viktor Ljungberg - Loan to Sandvikens IF
Otto Gustafsson - Loan to IK Oddevold
Niklas Dahlström - GKS Tychy for 730t kr
Prince Isaac Kouamé - SO Armée for 275t kr