On the Banks of the River Glomma

[fmamerican]

On the banks of the river Glomma sits the city of Fredrikstad and it's population of 81,000.  It is also home to Fredrikstad FK who have won the Eliteserien nine times but the last time was almost sixty years ago in 1961.  Fredrikstad FK prided itself in staying as close to amateur roots of the game but this pride saw them fall further and further behind.  First, they became a mainstay of Obos Ligaen and now have fallen down into the 3rd tier.  They have been passed, stature-wise, by Sarpsborg 08 which embraced professional football faster than Fredrikstad.  Sarpsborg is the smaller of the two towns but it is the town where top flight football is played.  The goal here is simple make Fredrikstad the gold standard for the region dubbed "The Borg."  The long-term goal is get Fredrikstad back into European football.  Fredrikstad was the first Norwegian club to play in the Champions League back in 1960 and upset Ajax, 4-3, in the preliminary round before falling to Danish side AGF in the 1st round.

[fmamerican]

Fredrikstad 2019 Friendly Season

It was a tough friendly season for Fredrikstad.  Just one goal in our first five friendlies.  The upside is the defense only allowed four goals.  Then, our offense exploded in the last friendly before our tough 1st round cup match against Eliteserien side, Kristiansund.

Right now, this formation is set to minimize one of the "perceived" weaknesses in the match engine which is the long ball over the top behind the back four.  The two center backs are set to cover with a defending sweeper keeper behind them.  The weakness of the formation is the space behind the two supporting wingbacks but that has always been the problem with this tactic.  I try to counter it with fast center backs who can come out and pressure the ball as the defense recovers.  The two center backs are further supported in the middle with a half back creating a defensive diamond.  

In possession, the supporting wingbacks and half back create three supporting midfielders behind the attacking five.  The box to box midfielder adds an additional layer of support.  The attack is set narrow with two inside forwards cutting in behind a target man.  An advanced playmaker will come into attack as well so at times the box will be crowded with four players.  But, the flanks are wide open for the wingbacks to send in crosses or recycle possession from one side to the other and make the defense move from side to side.  At the top of the formation is an attacking target man.






We lost the first round cup match 1-0 which was way short of the board's expectation of a fourth round exit but they were okay with losing to an Eliteserien team.  The five-year plan is very ambitious with a return to the Eliteserien at the end of the five years.  Will I be able to match these high expectations for the club?

[ttgb]

Will enjoy reading this. I had a cracking save with them last year

[shrewnaldo]

I know it has nothing to do with FM but I'm intrigued by the complete lack of a bridge in the photo.

[dalenichol]

Dec 7, 2019 22:03:28 GMT shrewnaldo said:

I know it has nothing to do with FM but I'm intrigued by the complete lack of a bridge in the photo.

I'm really glad it wasn't just me!

[Reiver]

Google to the rescue!

[fmamerican]

Dec 7, 2019 22:03:28 GMT shrewnaldo said:

I know it has nothing to do with FM but I'm intrigued by the complete lack of a bridge in the photo.

Looks like the town has only one major bridge.

The Fredrikstad Bridge is an arch bridge in the Norwegian city of Fredrikstad. It crosses the river Glomma, and connects the western and eastern parts of the city. The bridge is 824 metres long, with a main span of 196 metres. The sailing height is 39,5 metres. The bridge was opened August 18, 1957, by the then crown prince Olav.

If this one bridge town is true, it's much like where I live in Albany.  There's only two bridges which connects the areas north of the city of Albany to Albany and points south.  But Albany has four or five times the population of Fredrikstad.

[shrewnaldo]

I assume that bit at the bottom of the latest picture is the site of an old castle or something? Apologies for turning your thread into a Q&A on Norwegian geography

[fmamerican]

Dec 7, 2019 23:36:05 GMT shrewnaldo said:

I assume that bit at the bottom of the latest picture is the site of an old castle or something? Apologies for turning your thread into a Q&A on Norwegian geography

The thing with the star-like moat?  I would assume it's an old castle too.

A quick google search uncovers that it is The Gamlebyen/Fredrikstad Fortress.


link

[fmamerican]

Not quite as exciting as bridges and fortress, we have won the league with five games remaining.

[fmamerican]

Fredrikstad 2019 Season Review

Table -- Fixtures 1 -- Fixtures 2 -- Team Stats -- Finances

The season was an easy one.  We lost the first game and rattled off 20 games unbeaten.  During this time, we clinched the league with five games remaining.  We were far and away the class of the league and most of players are suited for the OBOS-Ligaen that we are moving into.  The only negative on the season was the large amount of money that we lost.  This caused us not to keep everybody with the senior team.  We had to let some of them go to higher reputation league clubs on big contracts.  With the move to the OBOS-Ligaen, the board has given me a new five-year plan.



They expect us to be a playoff team right away.  Playoffs is a top-six finish out of the 16-team league.  In two seasons, they expect promotion into the Eliteserien.  This board is ambitious.  I just hope I can meet their ambition.

Defender of the Year

SPOILER: Click to show

goblue1996.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/football-manager-2020-12_8_2019-7_14_54-pm.png?w=670&zoom=2

It was toss-up between Begby and our right-sided wing back.  Begby got the nod because of one more assist and he was less injury-prone than our right back.

Midfielder of the Year

SPOILER: Click to show

goblue1996.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/football-manager-2020-12_8_2019-7_17_52-pm.png?w=670&zoom=2

Nicolay Solberg, our right forward, was second on the team with 13 goals and tied for the team lead with nine assists.  A solid player in support of our target man up top.

Forward & Player of the Year

SPOILER: Click to show

goblue1996.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/football-manager-2020-12_8_2019-7_18_11-pm.png?w=670&zoom=2

Riki Alba led the team with 23 goals in all competitions and those 23 goals led the league by nine goals.  Just a dominant forward for this level of play.

[chaodck]

Good start fmamerican, good to see teams from not that played leagues over here. What are your plans for this save, besides local domination and getting them back to Europe? Any chance of converting into a C&C?
Cheers!