(FM19) Worldwide Journeyman

--- Where to begin? Hi everyone, my name is Adam and I've been bouncing around FM forums since FM12 or thereabouts, usually forgetting my username/password so posting from different accounts over that time. When I was a more frequent poster I was more often than not managing my beloved Swansea City, however over the past few years I found time hard to come by to start a career thread due to Uni and other commitments. However, I'm currently on a placement year abroad so I thought why not start posting again. So then, let's see what SI has in store for what should hopefully be my only save of the year! ---





These are the leagues loaded as I begin my expedition to the top, starting as an unknown in the world of football. Who knows if I'll end up anywhere soon, if at all!

- Finding a Job!

Always love a journeyman! Europe is a tough place to manage as well! Good luck wherever you start...

Best of luck @AdamRK! Journeyman saves are always fun.

@tongey hopefully not too tough, I guess time will tell

@r96Skinner I've got some good memories of previous Jouneyman saves so hopefully this will live up to them!

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I decided that my first foray into management should come outside of England in order to learn from a different football culture and the ups and downs that come with this learning process. After seeing my name rejected from numerous jobs across the continent it was looking like the journey would come to an end before it had even started. It wasn't until Thisted Fodbold Club chairman Allan Skov saw something in an unemployed, unexperienced twenty-something year-old that the journey could really begin. After mulling over the offer for a few weeks, I decided it was time to take the first step on the ladder to the top and book my flight to Denmark!





Located in the north of Denmark, Thisted FC find themselves plying their trade in the Nordicbet Liga. Established in 1989, the club traditionally play in a Blue and White home kit and play their home games at the Sparekassen Thy Arena, a ground with a capacity of 3000.





With 19 games played and 14 left to go, we find ourselves rock bottom of the league but only 3 points adrift of safety. The club were predicted to finish 8th and I'm sure that with the right additions to the team and the right tactic that the team can push on to do exactly that. Teams play each other 3 times and the league takes a break from December to March so there is plenty of time to get faces through the door, build match fitness and gain familiarity with whatever we decide to play going forwards. Or at least I think there should be enough time...





*DISCLAIMER* Apologies for not having the squad sorted by position; I've only just noticed myself. I've inherited a squad that seems capable of a mid-table finish at first glance, with a seemingly good core albeit little depth in key areas. There certainly seems to be more good players than bad at first glance, as well as having some players who are clearly dead wood and if all goes according to plan, shouldn't be with us once the winter break comes to an end.



Sakari Tukiainen - 27, ST

The man to be given the job of scoring the goals to keep us in the league. Admittedly a big-earner, but at the peak of his abilities I'm hoping that his good finishing and excellent mentals for this level should be enough to see him score goals, or at least get himself in the positions to do so. Not overly blessed with pace, but I'm not aiming to rely on him to blitz past defenders.



Mads Vang - 20, MR

More comfortable on the right side of midfield than the left, Mads Vang possess all the right attributes to really cause some damage to opposition defences. Fast, a good dribbler and a decent crosser Mads still has room to develop and could be a very important player for us in the back-end of the season.



Asger Bust Sorensen - 22, DM/CM

A physically gifted player to play in the heart of the engine room, a lot of the running in midfield will fall on the shoulders of Sorensen. A good presence aerially, he may find himself positioned slightly deeper with the goal of patrolling the pitch before winning the ball and moving it on quickly. Room to develop too is always nice.



Glenn Rask - 28, DR, RWB, RM

I never thought that my first venture into management would be in Denmark, and if you told me I'd be managing a player called Glenn I'd have called you crazy. Glenn. Glenn should be working in an office, or selling used cars. My first thought is to deploy him as a wingback due to his good pace and ok physical stats but time will tell. Glenn.



Jeppe Mehl - 32, Midfield

Another high earner, but making up for it with an experienced head. The team is blessed with good options on the right-side, however with his legs starting to leave him, I think Jeppe could find plenty of use in the middle of the park due to his good mentals and all-round ability.

These are only a few of the players who seem to stand out in the squad upon first glance, but over the course of the season the squad will have a chance to shine, and they'll need to in order to aid our cause and climb to safety.





Currently in the black, though heading slowly into the red the finances are generally ok. Operating within our budgets and with contracts to move on too as well as prizemoney (maybe) based on league position there could be room to put together a competitive squad either in the winter break or after the season's end if we remain in the job.

I think this covers just about the basics of my new life in management. Tactically I have a few ideas in mind but nothing certain yet hence why I've not posted any news. If there's anything you want to see by all means ask.

- End of the Winter Break and (hopefully) Transfers!

Good luck Adam, thats a lot of leagues loaded but gives you a varying path to go down thats for sure!

YES! Another journeyman save to join the rest of us! Can't wait to see how this pans out for you, with that many leagues loaded am sure this should take you all over Europe.

Denmark is as good a place as any to start. Whats your overall plans for the save?

@Dan plenty of options for sure, can almost guarantee it isn't going to be an easy ride!

@bigmattb28 I'm hoping to manage in as many countries that I haven't managed in before! I did a similar career last year which took me all over so I'm hoping to replicate some of the fun!

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The players highlighted in red are all players that have joined the club under my regime, with three players having their contracts terminated since my arrival too. This freed up some room the budgets to get players through the door, although a majority of the players who have joined to help us stay in the league have done so on amateur contracts. Of the twelve new faces brought into the club, eight ere handled by myself whilst another three were signed by the HOYD. Razak Adebayo was signed, only for his Work Permit to get lost in the post and upon realising this his contract was immediately torn up.






Jonathan Plagborg Christensen - 19, MR, AMC

A young, creative midfielder with plenty of room to develop. Taking a step down from the FC Midtjylland youth set-up to join us Jonathan will predominantly be a squad player and provide good rotational cover when needed.



Sebastian Broder Nielsen - 19, DL

One of the main problems with the squad I inherited was the lack of left-sided players. One solution to this problem is Sebastian BN, a talented player despite his lack of experience playing at a professional level. At just 19 he will fill into the left-side of our defence as first-choice. Initially asking for an amateur contract I was quick to offer him a part-time deal with more money to gain his signature amidst a host of other interested clubs. Delighted to have him signed, I'm expecting big things from him.



Alexander Tved Hansen - 20, DM/CM

A lack of good cover and depth in the centre of the park led me to sign two young central midfielders over the winter break, with the more talented of the duo being Tved Hansen. Not quite a starter, his chances to impress will likely come off of the bench. An all-round midfielder, seemingly a jack of all trades, master of none. A major upside is the fact that he's happy to play for free, which when added to his two-and-a-half star CA made the transfer make sense to me.



Nick Andersen - 33, DC

An experienced head to add to the back-line, Nick joins having played over one-hundred and fifty games in and around this level of football. Maybe not an immediate starter, but providing excellent cover in an area of the pitch that it was lacking. Another player happy to pay for nothing, I was all too happy myself to bring him to the club.



Oliver Larsen - 27, DC

Good in the air and possessing stats all above ten in key areas for defending, Oliver Larsen joins the club on a free. Despite my assistant rating him as average, I'm willing to look past this in favour of the aforementioned defensive abilities. Not a technically gifted centre-back, his main use will come at the heart of the back-line, although being comfortable at both left-back and right-back is another tick against his name.



Dalian Maatsen - 25, DR, DC

A quality right-back joins the club in the form of Dalian Maatsen. Undoubtedly a gifted player for our level, this allows for the option of pushing Glenn Rask further up the pitch, or adding extra width to the side should we decide to play a system with wing-backs. A player just reaching the peak of his abilities, Dalian draws a wage that reflects this, but despite this I'm delighted to have him sign for us to tighten up the back-line as we strive for safety.



Mathias Thrane - 25, AMR/AMC

Yet another player joining the club as he looks to reach the apex of his career. I was drawn to Mathias due to his versatility in attacking-midfield and the fact that he holds some attributes that could make him useful cover in the centre of midfield due to his good technical abilities. Additionally, he offers something else in these positions due to his aerial presence. Capable of throwing the ball too, Mathias certainly has a lot more redeeming qualities than questionable ones.



Paul Iakob - 22, GK

The last notable incoming player is twenty-two year-old Romanian GK Paul Iakob. Capable of challenging for the starting spot or at the very least offering some good competition in this area. Bringing him in may also allow me to cancel the loan of our previous second-choice goalie, freeing up more room in the budgets which is never a bad thing.

All in all I'm happy with the additions to the squad whilst also releasing some of the deadwood and bringing the total outlay down slightly. Time will tell if the right areas have been strengthened or if the time and resources would have been better spent on other areas of the squad. My main goal was to add some depth to the squad and sure up the left-side of the team. With the additions that been made I'm content with the squad at my disposal and happy to have met my objectives for the window. Now, the focus is on getting off of the foot of the table and cutting my teeth in this management lark!


Nordicbet Liga action!

Fantastic.

Good to see another "new" story writer to follow, welcome back to the fold of football forum posters

Best of luck with this, can't believe the amount of leagues you've loaded!

Never heard of this team or seen them in a career before, so an interesting start for me already

@Suffolk Seasider thank you, and it's good to be back! Glad to have you along for the ride!

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MATCHDAY 20



So this was it, my first game as a manager, in a league I knew next to nothing about in a country where I didn't speak a word of the native language. What could go wrong. For the best part of seventy minutes seemingly nothing could go wrong. At home to second placed Lyngby (one of the few sides in the division I actually had heard of before) we found ourselves two goals up and playing some good football. This of course all changed when the defence all began to walk off down the tunnel for full time... or rather they may as well have because they had certainly stopped playing. Lyngby took full advantage and duly scored three goals in almost as many minutes. Furiously, I barked a set of instructions to the players and pushed the team up and it paid dividends when Olesen scored what I thought would be a dramatic late equaliser for us, only for the defence to fall asleep in the very last minute to concede a fourth goal in twenty-five minutes. Not the start I'd hoped for but I could take solace in knowing that there are goals in this team. Generally speaking though, absolutely fuming.

MATCHDAY 21



Another of the league's better sides travelled to the Sparekassen Thy Arena the following matchday as we looked to put the last game behind us. Falling behind before the hour mark was obviously not in the script I had planned, but we fought back with some excellent football of our own and a quickfire double saw us take the lead against Viborg. We looked set for all three points until we conceded yet another goal in injury time to ensure the visitors left with a point. It seems that seeing games out until the end may be a real problem for us and may be an indicator as to why we sit bottom of the league. Not a game we were predicted to win, yet a game we came so close to doing just that in. Positives to be taken for sure, but there's plenty of scope for improvement.

MATCHDAY 22



Our first away game as Thisted manager saw us travel south of Copenhagen to play HB Koge, another of the few teams I'd heard of before taking this job. As the stats show, it was a real backs against the wall type game for us and a game in which, truth be told, we were completely dominated in from the off. HB Koge kept two-thirds of the possession and took a staggering twenty-seven shots, but yet again it was our failure to see out a half that came to haunt us yet again. The opposition found the breakthrough on the stroke of half-time before sealing the game in second-half injury time. Admittedly we never looked like getting back into the game, but I can't help but wonder that if we had held on to end of each half we could have at least came away with a point. But ultimately it just wasn't in the cards for us. One point from our opening three games, things are looking bleak.

MATCHDAY 23



For whatever reason things just hadn't been going our way in recent matches. Opposition scoring late goals, goals that deflect off of one of our own and goals where the ball fires around our box like a pinball before falling to an opposition striker. Not an ideal start to my career in management. So, things needed to change. Personnel were swapped, roles were changed and key defender Sebastian Broder Nielsen was now fit enough to claim a starting berth. Twenty-six minutes in and Tukiainen got ahead of his marker to tap in at the near-post, whilst Asger BS got on the end of a deep Tved Hansen free-kick to head past the FC Fredericia goalie. Lets not get carried away however, we were again on the back foot for the majority of the game however the defence stood strong and played for their place in the league, blocking most shots that came at them and clearing the ball with equal efficiency. Could this be the catalyst we need to push on?

MATCHDAY 24



Following on from our win on our own patch, we travelled to Hvidovre looking to gain some momentum and push on in the league with results around us going in our favour. A bore draw is what we were met with however. On the plus side however the defence has tightened up with Maatsen and Broder Nielsen locking down their spots as starters. However, its becoming painstakingly obvious that we need to not only create more chances, but take them when we get them. Or at most, create higher quality chances.





Yep you guessed it, we still sit bottom of the league, however the gap between us Fremad Amager has been cut down to two points, whilst the gap to safety has been cut down to four points. Speaking optimistically, I think we have it in us to survive (although surely that's it jinxed now) with our run in being more favourable than those around us, with three of the top five teams played this month and our performance against a lesser side like Fredericia proving hope. For now though all we can do is focus on the next match and make every point count.







On a lighter note we had our Youth Intake day this month with two players having stand-out potential in this year's crop. Fifteen year-old striker Jesper Mortensen and fellow local lad Jes Gade certainly possess the potential to be first team players this year, and if we can secure safety with games remaining then they will certainly get a cameo at the back-end of the season.

Wow, I'd be furious after conceding that many late goals. Promising signs though since you were within moments of taking 4 points off two of the top five! I have a slightly vested interest in your success as a previous manager of Nykobing FC, so I hope you draw with them and beat everyone else . Nothing would make me happier to see you relegate the cursed Fremad Amager in particular. Will be following closely, keep up the good work!

We see why your team is bottom with concentration levels like that, conceding at the end of halves and late on! Or maybe it is their fitness?

However, some positives to take for sure. Your players seem clinical in taking their chances!

I have faith!

You've got a lot of high-potential players. Anyways, I'm sure you can stay in the league.

Just need a couple of wins and a bit of luck to turn your fortunes around. Those late goals are a killer though!

Heartbreaking stuff when you concede late on, but 1 decent result could turn your confidence around and go on a run. Fingers crossed it all works out for you soon mate!

@jameo_94 the late goals were particularly infuriating I'll admit! An ex-Nykobing manager, eh? Small world Who knows, maybe your wish will come true this update...

@Suffolk Seasider I think its a mix of concentration and the fact that the board won't let me hire any backroom staff due to an empty promise I made in the interview process. This has however left me without any coaches or replacements for my HoYD and Assistant Manager who have both left this month.

@Looch I'd have to agree, there is plenty of room to develop into good players for this league, that is of course, providing we can stay in the league!

@tongey the late goals don't do a great deal for the morale of the players and manager alike!

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MATCHDAY 25



FC Helsingor were our hosts as we looked to kick on and secure safety at the back-end of the season. If my tenue in Denmark has taught me one thing so far its that games are never over until the final whistle blows. Truth be told we never really started playing, I questioned whether or not we even travelled for the game, let alone got off of the bus. To the surprise of nobody, the hosts scored late on in the game as it looked like we might have been stealing a point until goalie Mathias Rosenorn punched a cross when he could've caught it, with the ball falling to a Helsingor attacker to tap home. However, it was finally our turn to score an injury time goal, when the opposing goalie spilt a cross himself, allowing Pedersen to score an equaliser. But things were not over. Helsingor played a fast cross into the box, one deflection and one failed clearance later and Hvidt was all too happy to stab home in the last minute of the game. A late goal conceded, points dropped, are we at all surprised?

MATCHDAY 26



Nykobing came to our place looking to take three points, but with a change away from our 4-1-2-3 formation to a more creative 4-2-3-1 due to a lack of chances created in recent games, were they going to be successful? The change of formation and the change of personnel saw us create more chances, more shots to test the opposition goalkeeper. But nothing to show for it. We looked promising with our wing-play, plenty of balls around the back or over the top, but yet again losing the battle in the middle of the park. As entertaining a nil-nil as we could've had and a point on the table too. Onwards and upwards.

MATCHDAY 27



What a game this was by the way. Can we play with ten men every week? FC Roskilde came into this came comfortably mid-table, whilst we remained rooted to the foot of the table. Seven minutes in and the hosts found themselves ahead after Larsen was left free at the far post to head home. It was at this point that I realised something. Against the teams higher up in the league we will conceded goals, and on the rare occasions that we don't concede, we will fail to break them down. For the remainder of the game we pushed everyone forward to score as many goals as possible. This paid dividends when Finnish marksman Tukiainen got himself free in the box to score the equaliser. Straight from kick-off and the hosts played the ball down the left-hand channel only for Broder Nielsen to clothes-line his man on the edge of the box. No complaints from me, he had to go. On came Glenn to fill the void at the back. Roskilde took advantage of our attacking nature and man disadvantage to easily re-take the lead just four minutes later. Four minutes later and Glenn picked the ball up just over the hald-way line and played a deep cross to the back stick for Mads Vang who got ahead of his man before calmly beating the 'keeper. Tukiainen then decided to put the team on his back and scored twice more in the first half after two more pinpoint passes from Glenn. Whilst the second half was still young Roskilde found themselves one goal short after Alexander Tved Hansen got his goal-line clearance all wrong and instead slammed the ball further into his own goal. Tukiainen wasn't finished however, as mid-way through the second half he raced clear of the home-sides defence to loft a good finish into the far corner. If ever there was a game to kick-start our season it would be this. If ever there was a game to summarise our "you score three, we score four" mantra it was this. WHAT. A. RESULT.

MATCHDAY 28



Days after the scenes of the last game, fellow strugglers Fremad Amager came to town after surely hearing of Tukiainen's heroics. And it was Tukiainen who opened the scoring, latching on to a delightful ball over the top to caress a first-time volley into the far corner without even breaking stride. Half an hour later and Mads Vang picked the ball up from a throw-in before drilling the ball along the ground at pace where fellow winger Olesen duly applied the finish. Inevitably however, we would concede, and inevitably it would be in the later stages of the game. Brajanac got the better of on-loan goalie Ottesen, who has found himself in the starting XI of late, to give me a headache late on. But for once we saw the game out to claim all three points. You could argue this to be an even more important win than the last.





After picking up seven points from twelve this month we find ourselves safe of the drop for now. Beating Fremad Amager could prove to be huge and we'll need another performance against Naestved to give ourselves some breathing space. What a month this has been for the boys in blue, with Sakari Tukiainen already becoming a favourite of mine two-months in. Let's not get carrier away too soon as we still have to play some of the bigger and better teams in the league, but with momentum starting to build who knows how the season could end!





May's fixtures and results!

A goal and a red card in the same minute, talk about an adrenaline rush!

Glad to see results are turning and you're out of the relegation zone!

Two huge results to end April! Incredibly tight at the bottom, hoping you can stay up.

Those two results at the end of the month really could of saved you here!

@Suffolk Seasider a lot of action for just one game that’s for sure, would’ve been happy with a dull 1-0 win!

@r96Skinner it’s got to be one the tightest relegation scraps I’ve seen let alone be a part of!

Fingers crossed @Dan!

So then, I’ve just finished off playing the season and I find myself in need of a walk to get some fresh air! Make of that what you will...

The biggest month of my career in charge of Thisted, this isn't hard mind you I've only been here for three months but if things don't go to plan I won't last another month past this.

MATCHDAY 29



The month started with a huge game away to fellow strugglers Naestved. Winning this game after beating Fremad Amager would be a huge sign of our desire to stay afloat in the Nordicbet Liga. Both teams went for it, though it became evident for all to see why both teams had fallen upon tough times with neither team creating any chances of quality. The game could have been much different however had midfield anchor Asger Bust Sorensen converted from the spot but he was denied by a fine save from the opposition 'keeper. Just how much would we come to rue that miss? Just how much would we regret not putting clear daylight between ourselves and the drop-zone?



Hours after the draw to Naestved I was presented with this piece of news. Four clubs who could all mathematically occupy the two relegation places, two sets of fans would be relieved come the end of the month whilst the other sets of fans gear up for life in the third-tier. Clearly, we find ourselves in the toughest position. We quite literally could not have a tougher run-in of games. For me in my first job in management, with no qualifications or past experience it would take a miracle to overcome the odds and finish with the team still in the league. We have it all to do that much is for sure.

MATCHDAY 30



League leaders Silkeborg IF made there way to our place as they looked to secure the league-title whilst we aimed to avoid defeat. Ten minutes in and we found ourselves back at the spot, and this time Bust Sorensen stroked the ball into the far corner to send the goalie the wrong way. A minute later and second-striker Essaisi raced through on goal with the angle against him, but he drilled the ball along the floor with some pace to keep the 'keeper unawares at his near post. This is exactly the performance we needed. The opposition offered little to nothing in the first half and their ears must still have been ringing when the whistle blew for the second half and they wasted no time in restoring parity between the two sides. From offering nothing to looking much the better team all in the space of seven minutes. Changes needed to be made and fresh legs, fresh ideas were needed in midfield. Thankfully this paid off after some neat build-up play led to Tukiainen tapping in at the near post after latching on to a low cross. Though not shown on the review, goal-scored Bust Sorensen would go on to pick up a second yellow card with some twenty minutes to go. We put everything we could into stopping their advances with substitute Olesen acting as a lone striker and the only player given the license to attack. To his credit, he held the ball well, chased down the opposition and was duly rewarded when Mads Vang crossed from deep for Olesen to plant a header in past the 'keeper to secure a massive win! Strangely enough, this result was enough for Silkeborg to win the title.

MATCHDAY 31



Second placed Lyngby were our hosts as we looked to build from our impressive home result last weekend. They gave us a masterclass not only in creating chances, but in scoring them too. This is not to discredit our own performance however as the five shots on target we had were high-quality chances, either being met with a good save or a timely block but on another day we could have given them a run for their money. Truly, they got everything right whilst we could not match their quality.

MATCHDAY 32



We found ourselves equal on points with Naestved going into this one, with the missed penalty still clear as day in our minds. HB Koge were the next obstacle in our way and what a test they proved to be. Superb at the back and in midfield they suffocated our lads from the off, making it hard for us to create chances and get a good amount of touches on the ball. It was no surprise then, when Mohamed Daramy gave the hosts the lead. As the stats showed, we were heavily under the cosh and had our backs against the wall. The wolves were well and truly at the door, or so it seemed. Just before the half and we found ourselves on level terms when Tukiainen put the ball into the back of the net against the run of play. From here on out we offered very little in the game, with Ottesen in goal having to make a number of saves and the defence in general throwing their bodies in front of oncoming shots. Definitely one point gained. Naestved meanwhile lost their game, giving us a one-point gap going into the final game-week of the season.

MATCHDAY 33



An away game to play-off chasing Viborg FF who we had previously drawn against. Elsewhere in the league 11th placed Naestved faced 12th placed Fremad Amager with all three teams still in the mix for relegation. Nerves were high and this is exactly why I got into management. Games like this define a manager's credentials and all of this was in my mind when the referee blew the whistle for kick-off. We got off to the worst possible start after three minutes when the hosts took the lead after we failed to clear our lines and deal with successive crosses. Would you believe it, but in injury time of the first half we conceded another late goal, with Moses heading into the far corner (and not parting our defence like the red sea as you may imagine). Two down, forty-five minutes remaining with other games in play. It all came down to this. One last roll of the dice. We changed away from the 4-1-2-3 again to a 4-3-3 with Tukiainen, Essaisi and Olesen spearheading our attack. This looked to pay off for us when Tukiainen scored yet again the put us within one-goal of a point. But it was not meant to be. We fell to a 2-1 defeat against Viborg. It all came down to how the Naestved vs Fremad game played out, we left it out of our hands and we could live to regret this. We got into the dressing room and checked the scores around the leagues...





A draw between the two bottom sides meant that we managed to stay in the league by the skin of our teeth and a better head-to-head record than Naestved. Relief. We have a lot of work to do over the summer and a lot of work to do tactically. Maybe now the board will let me hire staff, we lack an Assistant, we lack Coaches, we lack Fitness Coaches, truly this has been a lonely job so far. What I have seen since coming in to the club has been a great deal of inconsistency on the pitch. Some games we will look bereft of confidence playing a lesser side, other games we will face a top side and put four or five past them in some instances. Tukiainen will score a hat-trick one game and then fluff his lines for the next two, despite finishing as the second top goalscorer in the league. We still have no set formation and we've been rotating between a 4-1-2-3, a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-4-2 for some time now. All areas need addressing, but for now we can relax for a day or two knowing we did enough.





We played our first game in charge at home to Lyngby at the beginning of March and since then have gone on to record seventeen points from fourteen games this amounts to just over half of the points for the season whilst also picking up four of the seven wins for the year. I believe that if given a full season we would certainly do better than this, especially when you consider the fact that of our fourteen games in charge, a majority of these games have seen last minute equalisers conceded or last minute winners conceded at such a high rate that I believe they should iron themselves out and become a thing of the past. Generally, the form did improve its their in the numbers although a number of factors did seemingly go against us. Good work I'd say, for a manager in his first job with no coaching experience.

Right then, pub anyone?



End of Season Awards and Plans for Next Season.

Wow! Thats got to be the closest save made to avoid relegation! Phenomenal that! time to build on hopefully a more successful upcoming season.

Oh my days! Drinks should be on your fans after that final day miracle!

Time to use the off season to build and hopefully you'll have a more successful season next time round!!

Thanks @Dan, I'll be hoping to avoid the same again next year! It can't be good for the heart!

If they've got Spoons in Denmark @tongey, mine will be a Dark Fruits from the fans I think definitely time to build!

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What a year we had on a personal level. Getting our first job and steering a team rooted to the bottom of the table to safety if only by head-to-head results! Having managed fourteen games now I feel as if I have a better feeling as to who the better players are in the team and who to keep in the side going forward next year, but more on that later. Similarly, I feel as if I have a better understanding of the set-up required to get players firing on all cylinders. This year we cycled between three systems but I think that for the foreseeable future we'll channel our inner Mike Bassett (albeit his Danish counterpart) and play a 4-4-2. My decision for doing so is based on three factors. Firstly, it provides us with enough structural stability at the back and in midfield to not have any glaring holes in the team. Secondly, it allows us to play two strikers in an attempt to overcome the lack of goals we faced at times this season, or at the least it allows us to take the pressure of Tukiainen to some extent. Lastly, as you'll see from our Team of the Season, we played our apparent best football in a 4-4-2.



Awards-wise it comes as no surprise to me that Tukiainen was the runaway Player of the Year, although I am somewhat shocked that veteran Jeppe Mehl came in second place, with his physicals fropping off due to his age it may shock fans to know that his spot in the squad next season is not a guarantee. Alexander Tved Hansen picked up the Signing of the Season and in all honesty it could have been a toss up between him and Broder Nielsen as a lot of our signings in the winter either failed to perform or we only ever brought in to provide depth. Right-midfielder Mads Vang picked up the Young Player of the Year award after putting in some impressive displays since we took over. He's one player who will have locked down their position in the team for next year and a player who I am all too happy to have in the squad.





Overall this season has to go down as a disappointing one. Dumped out of the cup before I had even arrived and only securing our status in the league on the last day. Having been predicted to achieve mid-table safety this is a sign that there is quality in the squad greater than what has been shown this year and should act as a platform for us to gauge our predictions for next season from. Undoubtedly the best and worst performances came within a number of days against Silkeborg and Lyngby at the back-end of the season. Shockingly however we had an average attendance figure of only 9% our capacity. This is obviously in part due to our poor performances but may suggest an underlying problem at the club. Abysmal yet equally interesting too.



On the Job Security front it seems the board are yet to really make up their mind about my position and hold a generally indifferent view on my reign so far. Notably they are less pleased with the tactics used (perhaps in part due to the changing of system regularly) whilst the Dressing Room Atmosphere was already poor when I took over, saw a slight renaissance at the end of April-early May before recent performances have dropped it down slightly. The dressing room and dynamics in general may all be subject to change this summer depending on how our window goes, which leads nicely on to the next topic...



This is the squad we have here at Thisted at the end of the season. All the players highlighted are ones which I am open to either releasing or selling them on due make room in the budgets and free up some squad space. On first glance this seems to be about half of the current playing squad and so I am sure that not all players will be moved on as there are some who only just make the list. Supplement this with the promotion of players from Thisted II and from the Under-18's there are players already in the club capable of replacing some of these squad players. Additionally too there will be some incomings, with some deals already edging over the line. Loan deals will end, whilst the players not even on the bench never really played under me and some of the winter transfers just sadly didn't pan out.



What's next for Thisted FC I hear you ask? Well, some contracts will be renewed and the hunt for players will begin immediately. Over the season we've developed a growing shortlist with players who could become available this window or who are deemed to need experience via the loan system. Tactically, we will need to play a full preseason under our preferred 4-4-2, though a back up plan will be drafted up in the event this doesn't work out for us. For me, I am quite looking forward to a full season in the NordicBet Liga developing my skills as a manager and studying for our qualifications. Past this, if a team do come knocking over the foreseeable future then why not entertain it?



Summer Deals and Pre-Season!

Kept your head above water in the end mate. Hopefully this season sees you stay clear of relegation as early sa possible. Fingers crossed it all works out for you in Denmark.

Imagine being a fan of Næstved and going down like that!

Well done though, the board can't have too many qualms with you as you came in to keep them up and that you did. As a fellow fan of Strongbow Dark Fruits, I have a can in the fridge - I'll post it over to Thisted in the morning

Interested to see how you do now you can (hopefully) build a proper team, backroom staff and all.

Incredible scenes there mate! Done an excellent job keeping them up, and sending Fremad Amager down in the process at the same time, can't ask for better than that!

Hopefully with some control over signings and backroom staff you can push on next season and consolidate in mid-table (or survive with a little more breathing room at least!)

Thanks @bigmattb28, pre-season is all out of the way and I've got to say I'm feeling optimistic so far.

Ahhhh @Suffolk Seasider a man of good taste and culture - a connoisseur of a DF. Now the summer is out of the way I can say that I've built the best team I could for the coming year AND I've managed to sort out an Assistant and a Coach. Go big or go home mentality.

@jameo_94 Scenes indeed, and sending Fremad down was my pleasure!

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We got straight into action this preseason. Identifying players to bring to the club as soon as the curtain came down on last year's competition. No less than twelve players came into the club with five leaving for another club, with more players leaving on a free with no club in mind. Of those twelve incomings, two go straight into the Under-18s having been released by top teams on the continent, whilst experienced goalie Vavilin was released when I realised there was better options available.







Nicolas Madsen - 19, DM/MC - the first of four signings from parent club FC Midtjylland, Nicolas will be a player to mostly make an impact off of the bench, whilst also deepening our options in the middle of the park. No monthly fee or wages to be paid for the robust midfielder is a major plus against his name too.



Nicolas Dyhr - 18, MR - the second player to come from our parent club and the second Nicolas too. You'd be forgiven for thinking we were going to sign a team of all Nicolas' this year based on these dealings so far. Brought in to provide competition for Mads Vang on the right side of midfield, Nicolas possess all the right qualities to stake a starting berth for us. Versatile enough to play further up the pitch or even in the middle should the 4-4-2 not work out, I look forward to seeing what he brings to the team.



Mattaeus Andersen - 18, DM/MC/DC - the third of our quartet brought in from Midtjylland, Mattaeus is a very similar type of player to Nicolas Madsen. Blessed with good physicals and pace, with good defensive capabilities too. Able to play up the spine of the team he should add some good quality depth to the team and may even find himself getting a good amount of minutes from the bench.



Lukas Giessing - 20, DR - the fourth player to arrive from our parent club, Lukas' transfer comes with some bad news. We've lost Glenn. He's gone, but he served a noble cause of freeing up wages and transfer budget space. Truly a modern martyr. Back to Lukas and I feel like we've secured a starting quality right-back, allowing Olsen to drop to the bench. A quick and technically gifted defender, Lukas adds some real quality to our new-look backline!



Mathias Ross - 18, DC - compared to what we had available last year in the centre-back position, Mathias is a whole level above. Standing at six-foot-three, Mathias possess excellent aerial ability and has a good amount of pace to boot. The first natural Central Defender in the squad he forms a brand new partnership at the back and could prove to be an excellent acquisition should we survive this season.





Mads Schafer Bak - 29, MC/AMC - capable of playing a wealth of positions, Mads was plying his trade in the Third Division until this point. An all-round midfielder who, when compared to our options from last year (i.e. Tved Hansen) is absolutely leagues above. Natural in attacking midfield, Mads will find himself predominantly playing in the centre of the park as a Deep Lying Midfielder, though truth be told I'd be happy playing him in any role in the middle. A real coup for the club, I'm very excited to see what he can bring to the table this year.



Viljormur Davidsen - 28, DL - a clear starter at this level if ever I had seen one, Vilj had previously been playing in the top division however had found minutes hard to come by. His signing paved the way for Broder Nielsen to turn his back on the club and leave for free but when a player as good as Vilj is in the team these things tend to be less of a worry. Attribute-wise, Vilj is quick and physical, whilst also possessing great mentals and defensive abilities too. As with most of our signings this year he is a real step up in quality compared to last year and a player who could be massively important too.



Yaw Amankwah - 31, DC - turning our for Hobro IK last year as they were relegated, Yaw joins the club for free after not renewing his contract. I'd been following his situation for a number of weeks and once he was available I offered him a bumper deal to fend off competition from clubs dotted around Europe. Undoubtedly the best centre-back the club has seen since my arrival, Yaw is big, strong, quick and maybe, just maybe, too good for this level in all seriousness. Partnering Ross at the back this year, I feel like we have one of the best centre-back partnerships in the league. What a coup!!!



Frederik Due - 27, GK - it was midway into my tenue last season that I realised two things. The first was that then first choice 'keeper Rosenorn wasn't a stand-out player for this league (though that didn't stop Arsenal, yes Arsenal, from snapping him up once listed). Secondly, our other goalie last season was on loan and so we were left without a quality player in that area of the park on a permanent basis. Frederik has amassed over one-hundred appearances across his career, which although not the best for a player entering his late twenties, it is enough for me to decide to sign him up. Again fitting a trend of players who are huge improvements on last year, he should be our number one for years to come.



Confirmation then of Rosenorn's strange move to Arsenal. Listed to free up room in the squad for Due, as well as acting as a straight swap in terms of wages, I'm still not too sure why the north London club plumped to sign him but these things happen. Best of luck to the lad, however I think he'll find minutes hard to come by.



I'm very happy with how this window went for us. Players left that needed to, whilst deals to take other players way from the club are still in the works. The club entrusted me with a budget and I decided to make full use of this to sign good quality players and pay them money to reflect this. In essence, we were given money to spend so why not spend it. Saying this, I feel as if the contracts given out aren't extortionate either, as player demands were initially higher. In terms of the quality brought in to the club, its there to see how good some of these players are compared to others in the squad. The first XI has improved drastically however this may affect performance to begin with as players learn to gel with each other. I couldn't be happier with the signings made and there may yet be one or two additions to come.

MATCHDAY 1



Viborg were the last team we faced last year and so it was only fitting for them to be the first team we played this year. In both of my encounters with them we failed to register a win, with the hosts almost relegating us last term lest we forget. So we know they have quality and will be right up there, or thereabouts, come the end of the season. Immediately we seemed a different beast, passes were pinging about the pitch and players were striding forward with a new confidence. We had a great spell of dominance in the first half an hour which resulted in who else but Tukiainen getting across his man at the near post to turn a Dyhr cross past the Viborg 'keeper after Schafer Bak set the young winger free with a looping header. But would you believe me if I told you we conceded late in the first half? Frustrating yes, but whereas heads would have dropped last season, the players seemed unnerved and in the second half maintained a good, positive style of play. Just after the hour mark, debutant Davidsen saw an opportunity to release substitute Essaisi with a long-ball over the top. The young striker raced on to the ball and prodded home over the onrushing goalkeeper to secure all three points. A stark contrast to last season, and a performance to be proud of. I can't wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for us!



August's Fixtures and Results!

Some excellent signings there - Mathias Ross in particular looks like an absolute beast, and only 18 as well. Alongside Amankwah (how did you get him by the way?!?!) that is an immense defensive partnership. Arsenal clearly were lacking a 5th choice keeper, I mean come on, the deal makes total sense............

I take back my previous comment though, with signings like that and a great start against a strong Viborg side away from home, you could be talking playoffs - fingers crossed anyway.

@jameo_94 Ross and Amankwah could be the partnership of dreams if all goes well! Still not a clue how or why Anankwah was convinced to join but as soon as Insaw he was available I offered him as much as I could and good signing on and agent fees to boot! Let’s not jinx anything it’s still early doors, just know now that failure to make the playoffs falls on your shoulders!!!