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I am using Championship Manager 01/02 version 3.9.68 with an update applied so the transfers are up to date to March 2006.
I have the following leagues selected:
Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden and Turkey.
The database is on Maximum, Attribute Masking is off and I am using real player names.
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10th March 2002
I had been enjoying my holiday in the south of France when the call came. I had been out of football management for two years, since leading Ipswich Town to UEFA Cup success. I had been with the English club for seven years, and after finally seeing my group of players achieve the success I knew they could, I felt I had achieved everything, and resigned. I planned to put my feet up and enjoy my hard-earned retirement.
That was then. Now, I was bored. I had spent two years at home, gardening and going on holidays with the family. I had enjoyed the thought of a life of leisure but I was bored. I needed a challenge. I had made my mind up to try and get back into football management, but as I was lying on that sunny beach in France, I had told no-one.
The call was from my old friend of eighteen years, Kjetil Siem. He was my room mate during my two years at a Norwegian university back when we were both twenty. I had kept in constant touch with him, and we both found our way into football. I spent my years doing coaching badges and courses, and working my way up the management ladder, while Kjetil had turned professional and played for several decent Norwegian sides.
He was a good, if unspectacular player, but his biggest attribute was his business mind, and it was this mind that enabled him to work his way up the ladder behind the scenes at several clubs, until finally, he was appointed chairman of Norwegian Premiership side Valerenga – the youngest chairman in Norwegian football history.
He had used his good business sense, and deep pockets to finance several attempts at the Premier Division title, but had never quite got there. Valerenga had been Norwegian champions back in 1984, and 3rd the year after but had never featured in the top 5 since.
The Norwegian title had been dominated by Rosenborg, who had won it last year, and for the previous nine years before that. 10 titles in a row and the only real challengers in that time had been Molde or Brann, but Rosenborg were miles ahead of the rest.
I knew quite a bit about Norwegian football, and listened with interest as Kjetil moaned about yet another barren season, led by hopeless managers and players playing below their abilities. He, as chairman, had financed a squad of highly paid, expensive players and the results didn’t match. Valerenga had lost 5-0 last time they played Rosenborg, and it was an embarrassment.
He also mentioned that he had sacked the manager two weeks ago, and wondered if I could recommend anyone. My recommendation services had been used by several of my friends in management since I had retired so the question was nothing new. I had a few good friends who were managers and a few names sprung to mind immediately. I rattled a few off, and he listened, and at the end, he said “well, what about you – you ever thought about making a return into management?”.
That one phone call brought about a change in my life. Within a week, I had spoken to the family, we had packed, put our house on the market and had purchased a nice little house in Norway. I had friends in Oslo, and we had often talked about moving over there and the job offer was the final push I needed to finally do something about it. It was a quick decision, probably prompted by my desire to get back into management, and perhaps, if I would have stopped to think about it, I may not have been so keen.
14th March 2002
5 days later, we were settled. Oslo is a beautiful city in the south-east of Norway, and Kjetil joined us for our house warming.
Over drinks, he made his job offer official and for the first time, I heard a bit more of the details behind the club. Also for the first time, it dawned on me how big a challenge it was going to be to compete with some of the bigger names in Norwegian football.
Kjetil laid it out to me – there was roughly £1.5m in the football clubs bank, and due to budgeting, he was offering me around £700,000 to spend on transfers and sorting out the playing staff. Valerenga had a large squad already, about 39 players, but in Kjetil’s own words “many of them need a serious kick up the backside”.
So, a large but poor squad and less than a million to spend – I had jumped back into management the hard way, that was for sure.
On the up side, there was the great attraction of the 30,000 all seater Ulleval Stadion, which I promised would generate some much needed money during the season, although the chairman did make a comment in passing that sometimes it can be hard to fill it.
15th March 2002
My formal introduction to the players ahead of the press conference later in the day. Kjetil had business to attend to elsewhere in Oslo, so the coaches Lars Bohinen and Per Oyvind Ystaas showed me around. I was impressed with the facilities and the stadium, and began to feel a bit more relaxed. Then came the players meeting and a training session, where I got my first look at the skills we possessed. The first impressions weren’t bad, but I reserved total judgement until the end of the week!
04-06-2006, 03:35 PM
Competing with Rosenborg's Domination (CM Story) Post #2
17th March 2002
Spent the last two days solidly watching my players and writing reports. As Kjetil had suggested, some of the players needed serious work but some gave me room for optimism.
I was able to summarise the players so I can see more easily what formation we should play and where the shortfalls were.
Goalkeepers
Arni Gautur Arason
29 year old Icelandic keeper, who had played for Rosenborg the season before, and indeed, had been there since 1998. A talented keeper who would probably start as number one.
Oyvind Andre Bolthof
28 year old Norwegian, who had been at Valerenga since his professional debut in 1995. Experienced keeper with good reflexes, and an adequate number two.
Magnus Hjulstad
21 year old Norwegian, who looked fairly hopeless in training. He seemed determined to impress and did show some good reflexes and bravery but his handling from crosses seemed poor, and he didn't seem a big enough presence to command such an important position. Still, he's only 21, I can use him in our reserves and see if he improves.
Erlend Johansen
19 year old Norwegian, who possessed good strength and agility, and he seemed aggressive and loud, something that is good in a goalkeeper, since controlling the back four can be a tricky job. I liked him, but his performances in training were erratic and he definitely needs time in the reserves to calm down and start being consistent.
I was pleased with our goalkeepers. Arason looked really good, and although Bolthof wasn't brilliant, he would do for now as a number two, until I had enough spare money to look for further reinforcements. Our reserve goalkeepers didn't seem up to much at the moment, but they were young and they could still improve.
Defenders
Mbulelo Mabizela D R/C
24 year old South African, who was our only current international. An excellent defender, with a lot of pace, tackling ability and he possessed a hugely powerful and accurate long shot. He was loud and in control during training, and seemed to possess a lot of influence. Looks one of our better defenders. A decision would need making whether to play him as right back or centre half.
David Brocken D/DM R
34 year old Belgian, who had played for Standard Liege for the last three years, and before them, had a spell with Belgian champions Anderlecht. An experienced defender, but perhaps past his best. Still possessed good strength, and experience can normally mask physical problems, but he definitely looked in trouble in training keeping up with other players.
Dejan Skrbic D RC
23 year old Norwegian, who looked competent. Good tackler, good stamina and strength and his marking ability was excellent. Looked sure of himself and I was impressed.
Kjetil Waehler D RC
29 year old Norwegian, who had been purchased last year from English side MK Dons. Good marking ability and had come with a huge reputation, but I wasn't convinced. He didn't seem to demonstrate any talents that justified his huge wage bill.
Rune Fossum D RC
21 year old Norwegian, who was still learning the game. Looked lost and seemed to panic a lot. Quite a determined player but he would be another in the reserves and hope an improvement is quick and big.
Ronny Johnson D C
35 year old Norwegian, he was the captain of the team, and the prize jewel in our defense. A former Manchester United player, and a former Champions League winner, Ronny still possessed terrific pace, tackling ability, agility and influence and would be a certain starter. It would be difficult to choose who to play alongside him out of Mabizela and Skrbic.
Amund Skiri D C
29 year old Norwegian, who we had poached from fellow Premier Division side Aalesund last year. A decent defender who took up clever positions, who hid his lack of pace. He seemed good at delivering good set pieces into the box and had an admirable work rate. I liked him, but worried about his prospects behind our other excellent defenders.
Dobriza Sokanovic D C
22 year old Norwegian who looked very poor. He would be demoted immediately to the reserves, but at 22, I worried about his potential to develop further.
Steven Larsen D C
22 year old Norwegian, who was almost the replica of Sokanovic. Had slightly better passing range but looked slower and his ability to take up clever defending positions was non-existant. I will team him up with Sokanovic in our reserve central defence and hope both of them make an improvement.
Kenneth Gundersen Hoff D LC
22 year old Norwegian, who had an excellent jump, but unfortunately, was poor at heading the ball. His pace was poor and his crossing was shocking, so the reserves seems the likely destination, although again, at 22, he would need to improve quickly.
Stian Skille Berger D L
22 year old Norwegian with tremendous stamina, but unfortunately, no real defending talent. One admirable quality is his bravery but he needs to develop quickly to be considered for the first team.
Eirik Huseby Saeter D L
20 year old Norwegian, Eirik was one of two Huseby Saeter brothers at the club. Eirik possessed a good turn of pace, and was an agile player but at 20, he needs one or two years developing in the reserves. A good prospect, but nowhere near first team ready.
I had some issues with my defence. On one hand, I felt we were covered well at right back. Either Mabizela would play with Brocken as backup, or Mabizela would partner Johnsen in the centre while Skrbic played right back. I didn't see a problem there, although I may look in future to replace the aging Brocken with a younger backup.
In the centre, Johnsen was a certain starter, and the choice of Mabizela or Skrbic to partner him was a nice choice to have. Having Skiri as backup was nice, although the difference in quality between the first choice players and him was large. I may look to add more depth to the central defence area soon.
My main problems were at left back. I toyed with the idea of playing a formation which had only 3 at the back, but as a new manager in this country, I felt having 4 at the back would be safer. However, I literally had no-one at left back that was able to play well. Skille Berger seemed the best option, but he would definitely be the weak link if I was to start with him. Significant transfer dealings at left back would be needed - I would perhaps need two new players in that position, and fast.
At first glance, I had a first team squad of defenders of Mabizela, Brocken, Skrbic, Waehler, Johnsen, Skiri and Skille Berger. Not bad but could be a lot better. I had doubts about Brocken's and Waehler's long term future as well, and selling them would leave me very short. I would need to go scouting tomorrow for some serious reinforcements.
04-06-2006, 03:37 PM
Competing with Rosenborg's Domination (CM Story) Post #3
Tom Honning Hovi DM/M LC
33 year old Norwegian who seemed industrial in training. Good workrate and teamwork talents and a nice turn of pace to beat players. Slight disappointment on the final balls, but a nice tidy player. Might be useful as a defensive midfielder.
Daniel Myhre Cuello M LC
22 year old Norwegian with extremely poor passing abilities and almost no vision. He had good stamina but didn't look comfortable with the ball at all. Relegated to reserves but a serious doubt about his future at the club.
Freddy Dos Santos DM/M R
28 year old Norwegian who had joined from fellow Premier Division club Molde last summer. A good player with lots of stamina, good passing, and a determined manner. Perhaps not clever enough to start but a good player to close a game out and make important tackles.
Christian Grindheim M RC
21 year old Norwegian, who was a current Under 21 international player and looked sharp and full of energy in training. Very fast and aggressive with a good long shot, he seemed the ideal player to drive the club forward from midfield. However, his tackling was very poor and he nearly crippled two players in training. A large talent, full of potential, but some serious problems casts doubts in my mind about his ability to start.
Stian Skaug DM RC
21 year old Norwegian, who is quite creative and clever with the ball and works very hard without out. Another good potential, but his range of passing is limited and bad decision making lets him down. A year or two in the reserves could result in a really good player.
Ragnar Klavan M RC
19 year old Estonian with good physical attributes like pace, strength, stamina and determination, with some decent dribbing skills from time to time, but struggles with the ball, and his choice of passing is poor. His lack of vision stops him creating chances for his team-mates. A couple of years in the reserves to play alongside Skaug may develop him further.
Ardian Gashi AM C
23 year old Norwegian, who was a former international player before losing his place a few years ago. Another former Molde player, he had joined us in a joint deal which brought Dos Santos to the club. A terrifically talented player, his career had stalled at Molde, who played him out of position, and his international career stopped as a result. Possessed great passing range, can create something out of nothing and has good pace and stamina. A definite starter. Slight question mark about his defensive work, but perhaps partnering him with Hovi or Dos Santos in central midfield could see a good balance.
Thomas Holm M C
24 year old Norwegian, who had moved from Dutch side Heerenveen last year, after spending 3 years in Holland. Pacey and creative, with decent tackling skills, he is a very tidy player. Not as creative or attacking as Gashi, but perhaps an option to use if playing a very offensive opposition, as he can provide more defensive cover.
Thomas Huseby Saeter M C
20 year old Norwegian, Thomas has pace and agility like his brother, but unfortunately, is also as under developed. He will need to sit with his brother in the reserves for a while until he is ready for first team action.
Steve Kawandami M C
21 year old Norwegian, who is very aggressive, but without the neccessary control. Very determined but no real quality or presence shown by players such as Gashi or Holm. A while in the reserves may calm him down, although I personally doubted it.
Amir Sharif M C
23 year old Norwegian, who has been with us since 1997. Good team player and has moments of creativity but consistency is lacking at the moment. Needs to develop passing range and tackling abilities, and the reserves may help him do that, although his age worries me.
Oyvind Rijord M C
22 year old Norwegian, who possesses a good long shot but little else. No imagination on his passes and without pace, he finds it difficult to track opposition back or make surging runs forward. Another old player for the reserves so it may be the transfer list for him and Sharif if they can't develop and mature quickly.
Daniel Fredheim Holm AM RLC
19 year old Norwegian under 21 international, Daniel seemed an excellent attacking midfielder. Pacey, good balance, a great shot and gave his all for the team. I would have liked to see better control on his dribbles and his creativity wasn't particularly good, but he definitely looked a handful for any opposition. He was right footed, but said he didn't mind playing on the left, so a decision would have to be made on that score.
Morten Berre AM LC
29 year old Norwegian, who was a former international but had lost his place nine months ago. Showed terrific pace and dribbling skills and was techniquely great. Had a lot of experience in this division as well, after playing for Viking for 3 years. The only slight note of caution was the poor passing range and the tackling back, but I'm sure we can sort that out over the next few weeks.
Bernt Nikolai Hulsker AM/F LC
27 year old Norwegian, who had previously played for Molde before being released on a free transfer. He showed good controlled aggression, was pacey and showed a degree of flair, but he lacks the vision to penetrate defences with through balls, and has a tendancy to be selfish with the ball.
Sezan Ismailovski AM RL
21 year old Norwegian, who had decent agility and balance but unfortunately, no real skill in beating his opposition. He could run all day, so perhaps a time in the reserves would help him develop the skills to match his physical attributes.
Faizal Sharif AM L
20 year old Norwegian, who seems to possess no real talent at all. He is decent at heading the ball, but needs a long time in the reserves if he is to develop into any sort of competent footballer at all.
Stefan Ishizaki AM RC
22 year old Swede, who had experience with AIK in Sweden for the last 4 years. Excellent passer of the ball, a great long shot and a good creative touch makes him look like a certain starter.
Jonas Hansen Krogstad AM/F RC
22 year old Norwegian, he possessed decent pace and a good long shot, but his poor passing and crossing ability means he will probably struggle to make the first team.
Julien Madsen AM R
21 year old Norwegian, he was another pacey player with good balance and dribbling skills, so his talents may be useful in a tight game, but he possessed no real skills in other areas of the game, so he may need a time in the reserves to learn further.
I could immediately see that I had a lot of midfielders. I wasn't sure of the formation I was going to play yet (apart from having a back 4), so it was going to be difficult to see which midfielders we needed and which we didn't.
After some thought, I decided that for our first couple of games, we would play it tight and play with 2 defensive midfielders, one central midfielder, and 2 attacking midfielders supporting a lone striker. The formation would be very narrow, and although this was a problem, I felt we containted enough quality to cope.
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> GKDR DC DC DL DM RC DM LC MC AM RC AM LC FC</pre>
That would be the basic formation I would use. I had achieved success with it for Ipswich, and felt that our current crop of midfielders would adapt to it well. Most of the midfielders were proficient in the centre, and no-one possessed very good crossing skills, so this formation would help them play to their strengths of long shots and short passing.
Now, which midfielders to start with.
In the DM RC position, we had a few candidates. Dos Santos looked the most likely player to start, since Grindheim needed a while to develop further skills in the reserves. I also had a thought about playing the defender Brocken in that position, as he had good passing, but I think Dos Santos will most likely start. Reinforcements are probably needed here though.
In the DM LC position, we had a ready-made player in the shape of Hovi. Cuello could also play there, but he was miles away from being ready. I was happy with Hovi, but again, reinforcements will be needed to provide depth.
The MC position sorted itself out. I was thinking of playing Gashi and Holm together in a central midfielder duo, but since there was only one position available, I would start with either one depending on the opposition and use the other as backup. I was happy with the quality here.
The AM RC position filled itself as well. Ishizaki had looked great in training and he would fill the central role brilliantly. Krogstad could provide backup, although I had doubts about his effectiveness. Perhaps I would look to bring in further depth in this area.
The AM LC position was more difficult. I had ideally wanted to play Fredheim Holm on the right, but both him and Ishizaki were too good to be a backup. Fredheim Holm will probably start as first choice AM LC, and the talented Berre can be his backup.
Overall, I was happy with the quality shown in midfield. We can good central midfielders and creative attacking midfielders. It was just the defensive side of things that I had a slight concern about.
04-06-2006, 03:37 PM
Competing with Rosenborg's Domination (CM Story) Post #4
Steffan Iversen
28 year old Norwegian, he was a former international and had scored a lot of goals. He had come to the club from English side Tottenham Hotspur last year, after spending seven years in England. An excellent striker, with good strength, stamina, heading and jumping ability, he seemed the ideal talent to play the lone striker role.
Daniel Gimenez
23 year old Norwegian, who possessed good dribbling skills and was strong, so he could hold the front line up well, and will probably be Iversen's backup.
Tommy Edvardsen
20 year old Norwegian, who looked strong but had poor finishing skills and poor heading attributes, so he will spend some time in the reserves.
Just the three strikers at my disposal, but I could always play players like Fredheim Holm or Ishizaki up front in an emergency. Edvardsen looked miles away from being ready, but the other two looked decent enough. Gimenez would be the backup to Iversen, although I would keep my eye out for further reinforcements in this area.
04-06-2006, 03:38 PM
Competing with Rosenborg's Domination (CM Story) Post #5
It was a large squad and I could immediately see that some players would have to leave. I was overall quite happy with the talents of the first team though.
I called a meeting with our three scouts, Andre Hansen, Espen Bjornevik and Magne Spjelkavik, and detailed to them what I wanted to find. Defenders was high on our list of priorities, as was a decent DM LC, perhaps a good AM LC to play as backup, and a forward or two to provide depth. They were told to report back in a few days with their findings.
Meanwhile, I got to work on our current squad. In the system I wanted to play, there would be no room for players unable to play well in the centre, so the attacking midfielder Ismailovski was put on the transfer list. He wasn't worth much, about £65,000, but I knew he would never play.
Almost immediately, we received a bid from fellow Premier Division side IK Start for £50,000. I didn't think this was quite high enough, but I didn't really want to fight over a few thousand pounds, but I was interested in one of Start's central defenders who had recently been put on the transfer list. William Aliga was a 21 year old with terrific tackling and heading skills, and valued at £50,000, he seemed a bargain.
I negotiated a trade of Ismailovski for Aliga plus £10,000 and would hear back from Start in a few days.
18th March 2002
I received word back from one my scouts, Hansen, today about four players he had found in the Norwegian non-league and amateur sides. I wasn't originally very impressed with that idea but took a look at some of the videos.
Eddy Kjaer looked an excellent player. He was 26 and the report said he could play in the DM RC position, and would push Dos Santos for a starting place. He was currently playing for non league side Falk and was valued at £80,000. It was a fairly high amount for a non league player, so I faxed off a bid of £60,000 and we'll see what happens.
Tor Orjan Gabrielsen was another decent talent. He was only 22 and was playing for amateur side Kirkenes. The report said he could fill the backup spot at DM LC behind Hovi and he possessed good creativity. The asking price was £75,000, and I faxed off a bid for £50,000.
Sondre Brathen was a 30 year old left back, playing for amateur side Kjelsas. With no left backs at all in the first team squad, Brathen was a neccessary acquisition. The asking price was £80,000, and I faxed off a bid for £50,000.
Sturla Grotta Grav was a 22 year old left back with astounding skills. His tackling, marking, pace and crossing were all excellent and he looked a top class defender. He was playing for non league side Traeff, where he had been since the age of 17. I was certain that he had developed nicely there and it was time to bring him into the top flight of Norwegian football. The only stumbling block was the hefty price tag. Traeff knew they had a great player and had put a massive £300,000 price tag on his head. I only had £700,000 available to spend and had lots of areas that needed work, but the left back area was vital, so I sent off a bid of £180,000 and hoped it would be enough.
While these four transfer hopefuls were being dealt with, I heard from my scout Bjornevik, who had been sent to Sweden. He had found a useful defender who could play right back and centre half playing for Swedish Premier Division side Hacken, and was attracting the interest of fellow Premier Division sides Molde and Lillestrom. I watched a few videos of Daniel Forsell and immediately instructed my scount to pass on a bid of £30,000. This was accepted within a few hours, and just six hours later, personal terms had been agreed, and Forsell flew out to join us in Oslo. I felt happy at securing a quality defender who could provide backup to Mabizela at right back.
19th March 2002
Our £60,000 bid for Falk's Eddy Kjaer was responded to today, and they had negotiated a price of £100,000. This was above their valuation of £80,000, and they said that they didn't really want to lose a player of his quality. After some thought, and realising that we only had Dos Santos in a DM RC role, I sent a bid back of £90,000 - a compromise. The bid was higher than I had originally planned but it was accepted, and after some short personal term talks, Kjaer joined us and became our second transfer signing.
20th March 2002
My other scout, Spjelkavik, was instructed to look at the free transfers across Norway and Europe, and report back with any promising talent in any area. His first two finds were big names that I thought we had no hope of signing. The first was a 24 year old Italian Elpys Jose Espinal who had Serie A experience, and had excellent pace and crossing ability. However, some large European sides were also after him, and I presented personal terms to him, not expecting much.
The other free transfer was the former Roma player Gianni Guigou. He was a 30 year old former Uruguay international, who had an Italian passport. Gianni possessed terrific pace and passing skills and his decision making was still first class. He had rather lost his way over the last few years, which had led to his release from Roma, and as a result, not many teams were interested. However, I felt he could still do a job and submitted my personal terms for his consideration.
Both players would provide competition in the vital AM positions.
21st March 2002
Peruvian club Alianza Lima made a bid for Espinal today, as did Chilean club Deportivo Colo Colo. Italian side Spal also reported making an attractive bid, and Argentine club Chacarita Juniors said they would be making an offer shortly. The competition for his signature that I expected has come true.
In better news, I secured four new players today.
Left sided midfielder Tor Orjan Gabrielsen joined, after some negotiation for £65,000, and we paid the same price for left back Sondre Brathen.
The biggest signing of the day came in the shape of Sturla Grotta Grav who joined for a huge £210,000. I was extremely happy with his capture, and our left backs of Grav and Brathen looked strong and very competent. Brathen would probably start the season as backup.
The fourth capture also saw our first transfer out. Our dealings with fellow Premier Division side IK Start finally resulted in the sale of Sezan Ismailovski for £4,000 plus William Aliga. I was pleased to collect some money as well as a terrific central defender. Aliga would provide more than adequate competition to Ronny Johnson and Dejan Skrbic.
I was starting to become very pleased with my defence. I wanted two quality players in every position across the back four, and so far, it was looking good:
DL - Sturla Grotta Grav, Sondre Brathen
DC - Ronny Johnson, William Aliga, Dejan Skrbic and Daniel Forsell
DR - Mbulelo Mabizela
I think I will probably start with Forsell as a central defender backup, because even though he's a good right back, his marking skills are slightly better than his crossing skills, so I may look for a new right back to complete my defence.
22nd March 2002
I had originally been happy with my central midfield of Gashi and a backup of Holm, but today, a midfielder became available that was first class, and an offer had to be made. Eirik Bertheussen, who was playing for First Division side Pors Grenland was a Norwegian Under 21 international, and had been impressing in recent international matches. He had attracted the attention of Rosenborg, Molde, Stabaek, Viking and Bodo/Glimt, so we had to swoop fast. His asking price was £120,000, but I was taking no chances. I made an offer of £160,000, and waited for their response.
I signed two new coaches today as well. The 57 year old Belarussian Valentin Domashevich joined from Belarussian side Dinamo-Yuni for £12,000, while the 55 year old Pole Ryszard Karalus joined from Polish Second Division side Jagiellonia for £40,000. Both coaches had excellent talents working with youngsters, and I hope to bring in several young Norwegian players into the club over the next few months and develop them.
My third coach target, the 59 year old Dane Jorgen Tidemand rejected my contract and asked for nearly double the wages I was prepared to offer. We won't be chasing up his services.
The first job that Domashevich had to do upon joining was inform me that our midfielder Ishizaki will be out for 2 weeks with a bruised shin. Our physio also mentioned that he could suffer from ankle problems in future. I'll have to keep an eye on that.
23rd March 2002
Another free transfer came to my attention today - the right sided defender Trond Inge Haugland. He was a 29 year old Norwegian, with good strength, and an excellent positional sense. He will make a good backup to Mabizela, allowing Forsell to become the backup in central defence. A quick presentation of reasonable terms and Haugland is added to our ever-increasing list of impressive defenders.
04-06-2006, 03:43 PM
Competing with Rosenborg's Domination (CM Story) Post #6
24th March 2002
Our upcoming league match with Aaleslund has been moved to April 20th for TV Coverage. Hopefully I'll have got my side sorted by then, and playing well so we can give a good account of ourselves on television.
Gianni Guigou responded today and we had talks for a few hours. I was optimistic that he could sign for us the following day and recapture some of his old form.
With my defence more or less sorted, and Kjaer and Gabrielsen providing backup for the DM positions, and Gashi and Holm in the MC position with the prospect of talking to Bertheussen, it was time to concentrate on our AM and FC positions.
I instructed my scouts to focus attention on those positions, but before I could do, I received a report about Trond Kindervag. He was a 28 year old Norwegian defender who was playing close to us, for amateur side Ullern. The report stated that Kindervag could play anywhere in defence and his flexibility appealed to me. The price tag was only £14,000, and even though he may not start games, it is useful to have a utility player such as that, so a deal was quickly concluded.
24th March 2002
Excellent news today. Gianni Guigou accepted our personal terms and becomes the first Uruguayan to play for Valerenga. His experience will help players such as Ishizaki and Fredheim Holm to develop further.
Within a few hours of Guigou's capture, he was singing the praises of a international team-mate, the 28 year old striker Federico Magallanes. According to Guigou, Magallanes was available on a free transfer, and possessed excellent pace and a terrific finish.
I issued a scout to track down Magallanes and we called him in for a trial. He seemed happy to accept.
In other transfer news, our Premier Division rivals Stabaek tried a triple swoop on us. They offered a total of £1m for our players Skiri, Waehler and Gimenez. All three were players that didn't fit into my system, and although Gimenez was a good player, we felt that Iversen and Magallanes would provide all our goals.
Within a few hours of accepting the triple deal, Molde offered us the same deal - £1m for the three players. I accepted their deal as well.
Before leaving for the day, I received a third transfer fax, this time from Tromso, offering us £140,000 for Skiri. I accepted this, and let the players in question choose where they wanted to move to.
26th March 2002
A busy transfer day for us today.
Kjetil Waehler moved to Stabaek for an excellent price of £550,000.
Daniel Gimenez decided to join Molde for £300,000.
Amund Skiri joined Tromso for £140,000.
We also signed Federico Magallanes permanently after being impressed in training. His experience of playing for huge European sides such as Venezia, Racing Santander, Mallorca and Real Madrid will surely benefit our younger players.
In slightly disappointing, but expected news, our transfer target Espinal moved to Italian side Spal.
Our more realistic target of Eirik Bertheussen was subject to bids from Viking, Stabaek and Bodo/Glimt. It would be tricky to capture his signature.
30th March 2002
A fairly quiet week by our standards ended on a very high note.
Bertheussen agreed personal terms with us and joins for £160,000. An excellent player, he will probably be a starter, with Gashi or Holm being backup. We probably don't need three midfielders in the same position, so I will have to look at them all over the next few weeks and see who isn't up to the job.
Also today, we received a bid of £120,000 from First Division side Bryne for the midfielder Bernt Nikolai Hulsker - a bid that we accepted.
1st April 2002
Hulsker agreed terms today and left for £120,000. It was a decent amount for a player that would not have got a game with us.
5th April 2002
The Belgian First Division club Beveren made an offer today for £220,000 for David Brocken. The 34 year old didn't feature in my first team squad detailed above, so it was an excellent deal for the club.
I had decided to add the final touches to the squad by looking into getting a new goalkeeper. Arason was a terrific talent but I had my doubts about Bolthof, and after meeting with my scouts, I made a £130,000 bid for the 26 year old Norwegian goalkeeper Per Stensrud of First Division Sandefjord, and another £180,000 bid for the 23 year old Norwegian Per Morten Kristiansen of First Division Moss. I would hopefully be signing one of these excellent goalkeepers - I will await the responses from the clubs.
Meanwhile, I prepared for the first league match of the campaign, a tricky tie against Molde.
7th April 2002
Today was my first league match as manager of Valerenga, and I had to make a few decisions about who would play.
I decided to play Arason in goal, with a back four of Grotta Grav, Johnsen, Aliga and Mabizela, a defensive midfield duo of Hovi and Kjaer, with Bertheussen in central midfield. My attacking midfielders were Fredheim Holm and Guigou with Magallanes leading the line.
My substitutes were Bolthof, Forsell, Brothen, Dos Santos, Gashi, Ishizaki, and Iversen.
Valerenga 3-1 Molde Att. 9,699
We got off to an excellent start in this match, Bertheussen picking up a loose ball in midfield, and chipping the ball into the danger area for Fredheim Holm to head in a 7th minute goal. We controlled the game from that point on, and could have added a second just 5 minutes later - Magallanes hitting the post from close range.
We did add a second in the 26th minute, after a stunning run and cross from Grotta Grav found the head of Bertheussen, unmarked in the centre of the penalty area. Molde simply couldn't contain the 5-man central midfield we effectively created, and by moving their wide midfielders in to cope with the problem, it provided space for Grotta Grav and Mabizela to burst forward and create chances.
We added a third just before half time and killed the game off - a corner was headed out by the Molde defenders, but fell to Bertheussen, who struck from 25 yards with a lovely piledriver.
3-0 at half time was an excellent score against top quality opposition, and Molde had no real answer to us. We allowed them back into the game after making three substitutions in the 75th minute - replacing Mabizela for Forsell, Kjaer for Dos Santos and Guigou for Ishizaki, and the changes allowed Kai Roberg to sneak in and score in the 82nd minute, but it was too little too late.
Man of the Match - Eirik Bertheuseen - 1 assist, 2 goals
04-06-2006, 05:36 PM
Competing with Rosenborg's Domination (CM Story) Post #8
10th April 2002
After the terrific performance against Molde, we travelled to Bodo/Glimt for our first away match of the season. Bodo/Glimt would be a team with aspirations to challenging Rosenborg this year so it would be a tricky tie, especially away from home.
I decided to start with the same team and formation, hoping for a similiar result.
Bodo/Glimt 2-3 Valerenga
An extraordinary game, which started very evenly. My players didn't get into their stride, and they struggled against the experienced Bodo/Glimt midfielders. As the half wore on, it looked like being a bit of a stalemate, but Bodo/Glimt struck a hammer blow, Tom Hogli smashing in a 45th minute goal from 20 yards, after a slip by Aliga.
1-0 down at half time, with most of our attacking players not firing wasn't the best of situations. I had to make some changes. I brought off the ineffective Magallanes and replaced him for Iversen, and brought off Kjaer who was looking lost in midfield, and brought on the hard tackling Dos Santos.
Almost immediately, we looked a brighter side. Dos Santos went close 3 minutes into the second half, and Iversen hit a post. At the other end, Hogli looked dangerous again, and Stig Johansen hit the crossbar.
Then, in the 64th minute, a long ball by Dos Santos found Fredheim Holm, who headed it down for Bertheussen to strike it into the top corner. A lovely move and a well-deserved equaliser.
The goal deflated Bodo/Glimt and we were able to attack them without reply for the next 10 minutes. We notched our second after some great play between Grotta Grav and Guigou, which resulted in a Guigou through ball to Bertheussen, whose shot was parried only as far as Iversen, and the former Tottenham player scored.
We could only hold the lead for 7 minutes, after another mix up between Aliga and Johnsen allowed Stig Johansen to thrash home the equaliser, just 6 minutes from time.
The game looked like ending up a draw, until a bursting run by Iversen led to him being tackled by the Bodo/Glimt goalkeeper and captain Ole Langnes, who received a straight red card, and awarded us a 88th minute penalty, which our defender Grotta Grav converted.
With Bodo/Glimt down to 10 men, we held on easily, but it was a tough game and I felt rather fortunate to leave with all 3 points.
Man of the Match - Eirik Bertheussen - 1 assist, 1 goal.
04-06-2006, 06:08 PM
Competing with Rosenborg's Domination (CM Story) Post #9
After the match, we travelled back to our stadium, where we learned that we had drawn the non league side Bangsund in the First Round of the Norwegian Cup. A pretty good draw.
Odd Grenland were attempting to throw a spanner in the works by placing a £130,000 bid for Per Stensrud. We would have to hope that our personal terms are more attractive.
11th April 2002
Good news today, as Stensrud agrees to join us from First Division side Sandefjord for £130,000. He will provide terrific backup for Arason. We place Bolthof on the transfer list, valued at £300,000, and Brann immediately declare an interest. It would be terrific business to make a £170,000 profit if we could sell Bolthof.
13th April 2002
We welcome Fredrikstad to the Ulleval Stadion today, and I'm expecting a slightly easier match than our first two. Fredrikstad look like they'll be fighting relegation this season, so they are one of the teams we should be beating.
Just before the match, our midfielder Ardian Gashi complains that his contract is due to expire in 9 months time and he wants it improved. I offer him a 3-year deal with a £1,000 a week rise. He says he will consider it.
My plans for Fredrikstad take a hit as our two best players so far, Bertheussen and Fredheim Holm pull out with small injuries. I replace Fredheim Holm with Berre and give Gashi the chance in central midfield. Hopefully the faith I have put in him with a new contract will spur him on to a good performance.
I make several other changes. Magallanes has looked industrial but not very dangerous in front of goal, so he is replaced by Iversen, who should be full of confidence after last week's goal.
Gianni Guigou is also left out, replaced by Ishizaki. Guigou has looked a little tired in training and Ishizaki deserves a chance.
Valerenga 4-0 Fredrikstad Att. 12,436
This was an excellent performance, especially missing two big players. Berre played wonderfully well, and it was his 7th minute cross that found Iversen, and his powerful header gave us the lead.
We controlled the game, and played it at our own pace, but couldn't find another goal until the 36th minute, when a chip forward by Gashi found Iversen, whose chest down and volley was inspired and it found the top corner. A beautiful goal which gave us the breathing space.
2-0 at half time didn't quite show how dominant we were. I made no changes at half time, but stressed how we had to keep the tempo up.
We started the second half slowly, with Ishizaki especially looking tired. Kjaer, who had played fairly poorly in the first two games, and had been substituted in both, seemed to be on his game this week, and it was his through ball that found Berre unmarked, and he capped a great performance with a low shot past the goalkeeper for 3-0.
With 20 minutes to go, I replaced Ishizaki with Guigou, and Brathen came on to replace Grotta Grav. Grotta Grav had not performed poorly, but the game was won, and Brathen would benefit from a run out.
Just two minutes after the substitutions, Hovi played the ball forward to Guigou, who beat his man and curled a low shot into the far right hand corner. It was a terrific way to open his goalscoring account with the club.
After that, we took our foot off the gas, and celebrated a comfortable 4-0 victory, in front of a bigger crowd than the opening day game. I was a little disappointed with a crowd of just under 10,000, but this week, that had increased to 12,500 - a modest increase.
Man of the Match - Steffan Iversen - 2 goals
Notable performance came from Morten Berre, who had I doubts about before the game but performed magnificently.
04-06-2006, 06:13 PM
Competing with Rosenborg's Domination (CM Story) Post #10
Competing with Rosenborg's Domination (CM Story) 
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