bigmattb28 - Comments

Any team that can win 31 out of 38 deserve to be champions no questions asked! Maybe one day you'll get your hands on that CWC.

Yeah I remember that! I couldn't find the thread to link to though.

Been a good stint in Finland so far

Thanks man! Some form over the year

With the signings we’ve made this is how we’re lining up heading into the first part of the season in Finland



We kicked off in the cup with a win over FC Ives to put us in to the quarter final against Finland biggest team HJK





Our league campaign started with a big win over AC Oulu, which preceded out first home game of the season, a win over KP. 1 more win the league over TP away before we thumped HJK 5-2 in the cup to pus in to the semi final







A side note here, last season at UF we lost in the Quarter final of the league cup on 18/04/24, and from then til now in competitive games, I've not lost, as well as going unbeaten in this clubs friendly games.





We’re drawn in the semi final of the cup against TP (who we’ve just beat)



We continued our good form with a 7-0 win at home to OP which gave the following news message



I’m sure I’ll have had a perfect 10.0 rating in all the time I’ve played CM/FM (been playing since CM99/00), but the thing to notice here is that Ahonen played 31 league games last year and scored a grand total of eight goals, but in this 1 game he’s scored 4!

2 more wins followed, 2-0 away to FC Lahiti and 5-2 at home to FC Ives before we cam crashing down away to HJK 2-0



This clubs fierce rivals are FC Jaro who we played next, and it wasn’t even a contest all things considered.



We followed that up with a thrilling 3 all draw at home to IFK, before rounding out May 2025 with a win over SJ and a loss to KP which leaves us still top after 11 played





Veering off track slightly, in England it is the final game of the season, and Liverpool were promoted last season and found themselves 17th on 38 points going into the final day game at home to Newcastle (my team IRL).





1 of Hull, Liverpool, Palace or Watford could find themselves going down, and they’re all relying on not only their own result but the results of the other teams around them to survive.



June saw us beat AC Oulu again, as well as KP, TP and FC Ives to give us a perfect month of 4 played and 4 won.





That perfect month gave me the manager of the month award.



July saw our good form carry on, with a 5-0 away win over OP, a 4-1 home win over HJK before losing out 3-2 to our rivals FC Jaro. We made amends though by beating SJ 3-1, drawing 0-0 with KP before finishing July 2025 off with a 4-1 win over IFK.





As you can see, we’ve played 21 of 33 games and we’ve got a very healthy 15 point lead over second placed TPS, who do have 2 games in hand. Even if they win those, we’re still going to be 9 points in front heading into the last third of the season.

Thanks for reading. Next update will be those final 11 games and how we ended the season.

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Career progress:
2016 | FC Hollviken (Sweden) Finished 10th Division 1 Sodra
2017 | FC Hollviken (Sweden) Sacked whilst 12th Division 1 Sodra
2018 | IK Oddevold (Sweden) Lost in play off final Division 1 Sodra
2019 | IK Oddevold (Sweden) Sacked whilst 12th in Division 1 Sodra
2020 | IF Huginn (Iceland) Finished 3rd in1 deild karla
2021 | IF Huginn (Iceland) Finished 1st in 1 deild karla
2022 | IF Huginn (Iceland) Finished 7th in Pepsi-deildin
2023 | IF Huginn (Iceland) Sacked whilst 8th in Pepsi-deildin
2024 | UF (Iceland) Winners Pepsi-deildin & FA Cup winners
2025 | VPS (Finland) Veikkausliga - in progress

Cheers man, hopefully be a good stint here

So with Iceland ticked off this challenge, I can focus on getting another job. I’m sure with a title winning season under my belt, I’m going to get a semi-big club job next?

Cast your mind back to when I got sacked by Huginn, FC Inter Turku in Finland rejected me in favour of someone else, now though he’s left so I do actually declare my interest in that job and get interviewed.









UF wasted no time in replacing me



Of all the jobs available right now, only the VPS job in Finland appeals to me, so I declare my interest







I’m invited to, and attend the interview.



2 days later, my bags are packed, and it’s off to Finland I go.





Jiri can get stuffed.

Vassan Pallseura, commonly known as VPS are a Veikkausliga (Finnish Premier League) side based in Vassa. As a Geordie and Newcastle fan, I like their home kit





Top 5 finishes in the last 5 seasons, 4th last year, 3rd the year before, this team is definitely expected to be up there

With the way the season starts, I’m only here a day before our first game, A Suomen cup game against AC Oulu.



I let my assistant manager pick the team, opposition instructions and team talk, and we came away with a 5-1 victory.

If this is anything to go by, we’re in for a good season.

Our next game 2 days alter was again in the cup, and we got a 3 all draw against MP

It’s at this time I look to sign some players. The squad isn’t full and we need some quality in. First up is RM Luiz Roberto from recently relegated side HIFK. 67K for a player of this quality, well quality for this league is an absolute steal.





I also sign his team mate Gabriel Novaes





2 quality players, am hoping though they got relegated last season they can help us this season.

1 out of left field signing now, as we sign Nick Pope from Burnley. I think this is an absolutely fantastic signing for us, and I'm surprised we’ve managed to get him





The cup games continued as we beat FC Vikingit 4-1 and Ekenas 4-0 to qualify for the second round, where we’re drawn against FC Ives.







Pre season odds sees us finishing 5th. Am happy with that and I'm hopeful of a strong showing in my first season in Finland.



So we're at the start of a new chapter here in Finland. As noted on a previous post, I will try and wiz through the next couple of updates so I can catch up with where I am in game.

Next update will be the first few months of the season in Finland and any other business.

Thanks for reading.

As a Geordie and Newcastle fan, this still upsets me





Good luck in Chy-na

Tight at the top. Keep it up and you'll be promoted

Good league Finland. Good luck.

Sometimes you get that where no matter what you do the game has it in for you. No doubt China will prove a safe haven for you to rebuild your rep, but those Super League teams have some mad budgets.

You winning games with England is just a formality at this point isn't it? Apart from the Turkey blip, you're not breaking a sweat. Keep it up.

Thanks, I'd not actually clicked on we've been unbeaten until we'd won the league, I'd just blasted through this season.

This isn’t a long post, but I just wanted to share my starting 11 that won me the league with UF. I’ve stuck to 4-2-3-1 all season.

Goalkeeper Alberto Acuna, signed before I got here from the MLS, has played in every game this season



Right full back Tim Bjorkstrom



Mr versatile Magnus Rasmussen, he has been our starting left full back for most of the games, whilst slotting into midfield here and there



Center halves Marjan Jovanovic, who has agreed a free transfer back to Serbia, and Christopher Routis who is a natural CM but has played DF all season





Center mids Vito Mistrati and Viktor Einarsson





Player of the year and all round great guy, AMC Paul Willis who joined me from Huginn. He can play anywhere in midfield, but his stats this season, 10 goals and 5 assists in 20 games from AMC have been great



Right winger Mads Vang who had rotated with Vignir Bjarnsson before he left for Belguim.



Left winger Axel Prohouly who played as an inside forward for most of title run



Deep lying forward Adrai Lopez, signed from IBK. We do have Simonsen that is a natural CF, but Lopez just seemed to play better every time he was on the pitch



End of season stuff now



Told you in an earlier post that Willis was good, despite the fans not liking this signing.



Manager of the year was never going to be in doubt was it



Don’t know why this is showing 4-4-2, maybe because that’s my favoured formation? Either way, we definitely set up 4-2-3-1 all season and Simonsen came off the bench in every appearance he made and Buzuku hardly started many games either.







Now I was torn on what to do from here. Do I stay and play the Champions League games, and try to repeat winning the league?

After some deliberation, I decide to leave on a high, and let the next manager come in and try and see what they can do with this squad.



Ungmennafelagio Fjolnir, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Whilst this is a challenge, I think at some point down the road in this career I’ll be back in Iceland.

Until we meet again.

I'm not on the game at the minute, but I'm sure it's the second qualifying round Icelandic teams go in at.

Good intro. Following.

If there’s a better way to win a semi final than on penalties, I'm yet to see to it. An absolutely thrilling game as we both tried to get to the final,penalties was probably the best outcome all things considered, and I’m happy we’ve managed to pull through.





We’re playing KR in the final of the FA Cup.

Our good form continued on as we beat my former team again 1-0, as well as beating IV 3-2 leading up to the cup final which takes place during the league season.





It’s cup final day, and I’m confident of a win here.









We set up to attack, and attack we did. 5 minutes in the ball is in the back of the net










Back to league action now, as we continued winning points with a 2-0 away win over FH, which set a team record of 47 points in a season which set up a game against IR. A game if we win, we’re Pepsi-deidin winners



Going into the game, we’re top of the league with 47 points, 17 in front of second placed FH.







Attack is the name of the game. 53 seconds in.



No looking back.

23 minutes in.



It’s happening.



Full time.



Before we crack on with those games though, KRC Genk have made an offer for Bjarnason, and I reluctantly accept as he wants to speak to them.





He’s off no doubt about it. We only think of ourselves now however as we record a 6-0 away win over KA, a 1 all draw at home to BU, a 4-0 win over KR and a final day draw with Valur, to record not only a league and cup double, but an unbeaten season to boot!! My former team Huginn also found themselves relegated this season.













Closing out this update is confirmation I am now an icon at UF and rightly so I think.



Next update will be me sharing my title winning squad, the off season and any other business.

Thanks for reading.

-----------------------------------------------
Career progress:
2016 | FC Hollviken (Sweden) Finished 10th Division 1 Sodra
2017 | FC Hollviken (Sweden) Sacked whilst 12th Division 1 Sodra
2018 | IK Oddevold (Sweden) Lost in play off final Division 1 Sodra
2019 | IK Oddevold (Sweden) Sacked whilst 12th in Division 1 Sodra
2020 | IF Huginn (Iceland) Finished 3rd in1 deild karla
2021 | IF Huginn (Iceland) Finished 1st in 1 deild karla
2022 | IF Huginn (Iceland) Finished 7th in Pepsi-deildin
2023 | IF Huginn (Iceland) Sacked whilst 8th in Pepsi-deildin
2024 | UF (Iceland) Winners Pepsi-deildin & FA Cup winners

Could be the next step after Iceland....

It was always going to happen eventually wasn't it!

I’m going to try just whizzing through these next couple of updates, so I can get caught up with myself on where I actually am in game, as I've had a bit of time on my hands I've played quite a bit of this save.

So we kicked off the next chapter of the career at UF, and in the Upper League Cup, which I have won the last 2 times

The first 5 games of the cup were against lower league Vestri (3-0), a loss to BU(0-2), a win over Vikingur (1-0), before my 200th game of the career against KF (1-0) before a 0-0 with Sindri preceded a pretty important game for me



I come face to face with the club that has given me the best success I have had in the career so far IF Huginn. I loved my time there but I've moved on so have they.



It takes until the 45th minute of the game before a goal is scored, and this time lat season I would’ve been happy, Huginn take the lead through a new signing for them Bjorgolfsson.



My team talk is aggressive, route one style and take more chances. We were poor in the second half, it’s almost like UF don’t want to help their new manager get on over
his former club. We do get a stroke of luck however as we’re given a penalty in the 80th. This is it, I can feel it. Up steps Prohouly…





Keeper is beaten


We round out the group stage with a 2 all draw Leiknir to qualify for the next round in 2nd place



3 of Huginn’s 5 points came against me

We’ve got Fylkir in the next round, and if you read 1 of my last posts, I said I've never lost to them



Before we kick off in our league campaign, Liverpool righted last seasons wrong by winning the Championship. Will be interesting to see how they get on in the Premier League next season.



A third place finish is expected of us, which makes a massive change from me and Huginn expected to finish bottom the last 2 seasons.



We had 4 games in May, and we won all 4. 2-0 over Vikingyur, 2-1 over Stjarnan and 5-1 over IBK in the league, and a 2-0 win over lower league side Komakur in the FA Cup.



We’re also drawn against Huginn of all teams in the cup. Let’s hope we win this one.



We got a massive 6-2 win over FH in the league, before our first league game with Huginn,.





We followed that draw up with a win over IV & IR in the league, before getting some redemption by beating Huginn 1-0 in the cup. We got a 120th minute winner, better late than never.





We’ve been draw against KF in the quarter final of the cup.



2 hard fought wins over KA (3-2) & KR (3-1) rounded out June 2024 with us sitting proudly atop the league.





July saw us win again in the cup, 3-0 over KE and drawn against my favoured team Leiknir.



The good league form continued with a 2-0 win over VR, 1-0 over KV, a 1 all draw away to BU, an end to end game with IK finished 4-2 in our favour, and a 1-0 away win over Stjarnan.



That brings us to the start of August 2024, and the eagle eyed among you will noticed we’ve so far gone unbeaten since getting knocked out of the Upper League Cup. We’ve got Leiknir in the FA Cup next.



Before we get there though, and to round out this update, the 2024 Euro’s happened and the winners were France, beating England in the final.



I said to myself I would load the nation up as playable whoever won the Euro’s, so if / when I conquer the 5 Nordic leagues, France is now playable so I may end up there.

That’s it for this update. Next update will the second half of our league season and any other business. Thanks for reading.

Well in the incoming update we play Huginn early on....

Yep But UF are in a much better place at the minute. Thanks for your support

I don’t know who you’re going to get in that’s better then me. Me by the way who not only ensured survival in Huginn’s first season in the 1 deild, but then won the league, as well as winning back to back Upper League Cups and survived in the Pepsi deildin last season, and who is looking to survive this year as well!










With the remaining 7 games of the Icelandic season going to an end, it was my favoured team Leiknir that went down, and my former team Huginn managed to stay up, winning 1 of their last 7 games to survive by the skin of their teeth.







My assistant manager losing his 3 games in interim charge, and the new manager winning 1 and losing his other 3.

It’s at this time that the manager of Fjolnir in Iceland leaves his post. They finished 4th in the Pepsideildin. I apply.



They come back quickly and interview me, which I accept the offer without hesitation.











Decent sized club in this league, decent facilities to boot, runners up in the league 3 seasons ago, they won the FA Cup in 2022 and the champions cup (Icelands version of the Charity / Community Shield) last season. As well as that a top 5 finish in each of the last 2 seasons.

A quick look at the squad and this guy is the best RM they have. Look at that pace and acceleration



A little bit of squad building here, the squad is clearly good enough for a top 4 at worst finish, but we sign midfielder Mistrati, my main man Willis from Hugginn, not really sure why the fans at my new club aren’t happy with Willis signing, player of the year for me 2 of the last 3 seasons, am sure he will prove an inspired signing.









Complementing those 2 is midfielder Routis.





Just like that I'm at the start of a new season, this time with Ungmennafelagio Fjolnir, from here on I'm just going to refer to my new team as UF!



Thanks for reading, next update will be the start of the new season which is the Upper League Cup, a cup I’ve won twice in a row now.

Great update as usual man, disappointing not to win the CWC, but you're doing well in every other competition

Gutted for you on another relegation man. Hopefully a good stint awaits in China.

If I had an in game editor I would make him a Man U legend



Next update is on it's way too

What happens to a cup winning squad that overachieved last year and strengthened in every position and is looking to improve? They lose their star striker of course!



Only silver lining is this deal goes through when his contract ends in November.

Season preview has us finishing bottom again. Again despite winning the cup for a second time



We kicked off our season with another win over my favoured team Leikinir, Pukki grabbing the winner on the stroke of half time.



Our next game was a home tie against Vikingur, and we had a man sent off on 50 minutes, with left back (and all around drainer) Gunnarson getting himself sent off. Before this game he was moaning for a new contract, despite playing second fiddle and coming off the bench. Anyway it didn’t matter as we got a goal on the break through Guldbrandsen. We then went defensive and somehow, remarkably held on for an impressive 1-0 win!



We managed a 0-0 draw with IR before beating KF in the cup to round out the first month of the new season and siting in 4th place







Before we continued our own season, in England the Championship play off happened, and Liverpool got beat by Hull







Judging by the shots on goal and possession, 1-0 flattered Liverpool, nothing better then seeing an 89th minute going in. Lol.

Once again we beat Fylkir ( sorry @r96Skinner ) I don’t think I've lost to them yet, with Pukki grabbing a hat trick and showing that we’re probably, most definitely going to miss him come November.



During the off season in England, Bury (RIP IRL) offered me an interview as they sacked their manager





Bottom of league 1, this would be a great move to make, but as I can only go to Scandinavian clubs for now, it’s a no.

A win over Stjarnan confirmed we’ve gone 18 games unbeaten stretching back to September, a nice little record to have made.





Of course after getting a notification of an unbeaten run, we lose our next game to FH, but redeemed ourselves in the cup with a win over lower league side IF





A 2-0 win over IV and a 1 all draw with KA saw out June





3 poor results followed, as we went down to UF, a 2 all draw away to IK and a 3-0 loss to IV in the cup to knock us out in the quarters.









The downfall continued, as we went down 4-0 at home to KR and 1-0 away to Vikingur.





More losses now, as we lost to my favourite team Lekinir 2-1, and 5-0 to IR which then brought criticism for my tactics.







A slight tactical tweak now as we got 4-1-2-3 in our next game



Which pays off as we win 1-0 away to Stjarnan





Here comes the end of this update, as I am invited to an interview with Finnish side KUPS.







10th in the league, and in a higher rep league, I don’t hesitate to attend

The media asked me about it, and I just side it’s nice to see my name linked to big jobs.

Then the next day, in the same division, FC Inter Turku offered me an interview.







So I attend. Either of these jobs is a step in the right direction, and again the media ask me about it and I say the same thing.

Then the board at my current club want a word.



They’re saying I declared my interest in those jobs, but I didn’t really, I just answered the questions posed to me, I definitely didn't press the declare interest option on either club. But we'll see what comes of the meeting.

That’s it for this update. Next update will be the outcome of my meeting with the board, the next set of games and any other business.

Thanks for reading.

Decent move to Grimsby, just hope you don't go down, am sure you can stay up!

My second team Celtic. Good luck, love a good homegrown player save.

Cheers man, I am surprised we won the cup again, just hope that form carries over into the league