Vasteras: Start of Round Two [2025]

So it was time to build for the next season. The board wanted a top half finish and the media though that 4th might be manageable. I would of course be gunning for 1st place.

In terms of building I didn't think we needed a great deal. I wanted a few options up front. Some cover in midfield and defence and ideally a new keeper.

My keeper Max was getting on and was now just average for this level. He got the most clean sheets last year so I wanted him to stay on but not at the wages he was demanding. He wanted too much and I let him go, pinning my hopes a youth Keeper called Patrik Sloth who had been released by Angleholm.

Things didn't quite work out though. Sloth wouldn't agree terms, neither would any other released keeper so I ended up offering a contract to the now released Max, at higher wages than I'd wanted. I had to completely eat humble pie.

Elsewhere though things were a little more promising.

In attack and potentially midfield we managed to recruit Wallgren and Alexandersson.

Wallgren played for promoted Falkenberg and was the top goal scorer in the First Division South. I managed to get him before the season ended and Falkenberg gained promotion so I feel a little sorry for him. But he looks amazing and he's got a good record. I was tracking him for sometime.

Alexandersson looks like he's cut from the same mold and has top flight experience after time with Orgyte.


In midfield I only really brought in one player, Karlsson. A defensive minded midfielder who would cover both the BWM and DLP roles.

In defence a few more were added, Yilmaz, Gashi and (after a few games into the season) my favourite Wallinder!

Yilmaz looked physically up for the role in the back 3 and because of his ML role might even be worth a try in the WBL role.

Gashi was a bit of a long shot but the scouts were convinced he had potential.


Wallinder has now played for me 3 times, for 3 different clubs. He can cover the wingback positions and can do so well from past experience. He'd provide cover I could rotate in and competition to keep my current wingbacks on their toes. Oddly Wallinder will now be back up for Asberg, when previously at Degerfors it was the other way round!

The Cup

Normally wouldn't mention the Cup but we did really well. We got out of the group and took AIK into extra time. And even then they only won because of an OG that was completely against the run of play. We went up against 3 top flight sides and although we only beat one we more than matched each one of them on the pitch. A good sign for the new season?

The Kit

Inspire after reading Shwrenaldo's blog, and seeing the kit he had made, I downloaded the shirt designer and made a couple of new ones for Vasteras! I wish I could work out how to insert them as the kit you see during the match.

Home

Away

Now Vasteras actually play with hoops rather than stripes as far as I'm aware but it's 2025 in my game and I though maybe they'd change things slightly.

I'm pretty sure they're not sponsored by either Puma or Koppaberg but they seemed fitting. I loved  making the kits. Adds another level of immersion into the game for me. Which is why I'm desperate to have them in the match engine - but I don't think my skills are up to it.

Valiant Vasteras [2024]

As the second half of the season progessed we hit a really good run of form. The team were happy with the tactic, they were settled and fit and confidence was a high. A good combination. The team seemed relaxed as well. With fairly low expectations so long as we finished above 8th place we could chalk the season up as a success.

I wanted more though and as we played more games we started to edge closer and closer to the top 4. Then gradually it looked like we might challenge for a spot in the top 2. At one point we were only 2 points adrift.

Nerves kicked in though and the bigger squads told on our fairly small and young squad. Towards the end of the fixture list we had to play 1st place Degerfors and 2nd place ??? and we lost both games. So not only did we miss the chance to close the gap but in true 6-pointer style they extended the gap and with 2 games to go 3rd was the best we could hope for. We just had to hold on. Which I was worried might be difficult, especially considering our lost to (in my mind) rivals Degerfors.

The team rallied well and....we did. 3rd place was ours.

The more things change the more they stay the same. Over the course of the career I've played 4 seasons or so in the First Division North. I've finished 3rd twice.

The first time was with 'Tuna City, and the following season I built on it and got promotion.

The second time obviously with Degerfors. I didn't get a chance to build because of the sacking but I considered it a good omen that they also then finished 1st the following season. If we follow the tradition then 1st place should be going to Vasteras in 2025!


And I'm fairly confident. We did really well the season. Exceeded expectations  and ended up, briefly, in the promotion tussle rather than mid-table. The team is pretty strong and the players have progressed. With one or two recruits I think we should do well next season. The only thing I'm worried about is how hard it is to get out of the division generally. One automatic spot with the title and then one play off place. We'd have to play well from the off.

Again though I'm fairly confident we can do that. The tactic won't be new and I know how the players work. Some of them have come on a great deal.


Player(s) of the Season

Very difficult to chose so I didn't bother and just went for 4. In no particular order, Broberg, Al-Azhar, Khalaf and Hammenskog.

Broberg gradually became first choice striker and got a reasonable 10 goals in his first season. He needed rotating because he always seemed knackered after playing a game. At first I thought it was a combination of being young and having low natural fitness. In actual fact I'd forgotten that I'd also said he could play the full 90 for the reserves...and he had been. Broberg played over 50 games this season! Whoops.

Al-Azhar was a monster in midfield. I actually played him in the IF role and he was dribble through the defence like Messi at times. He was always a danger.

Khalaf was in the DLP position and he controlled the game really well. He'd pop up with a goal threat at times but usually he was just out passing the other side and creating space.

Next to him was Hammenskog in the BWM role. He was sat just behind Al-Azhar and would win the ball back from the opposition and either A) run with it and take a pop himself or B) run, open space and lay it on for Broberg or Al-Azhar. He would also pop up in the box at odd times and make a real nusance.

I could have added my wingbacks to the list as well. Jeppsson and Asberg shuttled up and down the wings like mad. Defending, passing and attacking. Often they would end up on the end of the move, appearing out of nowhere.

Next Season

We just need a few players I think. A striker with real goal threat to compete/rotate with Broberg would be good. Some more support for the wingbacks would be nice (though I have a Mexican left back from my youth intake who'll be stepping up too) and maybe a replacement keeper as Max is getting on.

Aside from that I don't think we need to do much. We don't have a vast amount in the bank or left in the wage budget but I think there'll be enough for a few players. Stability and gradual improvement will do!

Slow Start [2024]

We had a bit of a slow start. Points dropped here and there.

We were still on target, above it even. The board's and media's that is. I was content but not blown away by our league position. Mainly because I knew we could and should do better. From watching the game we were putting together some really good moves. We were outplaying a lot of teams. We just stuttered a lot. Partly because we were still getting used to the tactics, and partly because of bans and injuries. The midfield ended up rotating quite a bit.

As you can see the goals weren't coming from the striker much either. But that was something that could be improved next season, or by rotating the strikers until one of them actually started doing the job. That said so long as someone was scoring I wouldn't care too much. If the striker was bringing in the midfield and they were putting them in that would do me.

On the transfer front there was a little bit of activity as I brought in this fellow...

Who I had brought in at, you guessed it, Degerfors. He had experience at this level and at playing the tactic. And I needed a little more cover in midfield. He cost a full £500. Big money.

From the squad overview you might be able to see that I was training a lot of PPM's. I've been trying to shape the way my players...well play. For this tactic I need clever passing and clever movement, or clever dribbling at the very least. I've tried to shape some of the players so they do that...killer balls, dictating temp, one two's etc.



Grudge Match Part 1: 'The Why Did You Sack Me' Derby Game

We were at home and it was one of the final games of the the first 'half' of the fixture list.

The score line was kind...to them. We completely controlled the match and made them look ordinary. At this point they were topping the table and in a good run of form but we put a stop to it. I was very proud of the team. We did it on a fraction of the wage and transfer budget, and my replacement paid for dismantling my team.

Without giving the game away too much the loss also put a dent in their confidence and Degerfors started to drop points...

Even if they went up, or finished ahead of us, at least I'd won this round.

Time to plan revenge [2024]

I was fuming after the sacking. I still am really. Not fuming in a "THE GAME IS BUGGED" way but just in a why would the board do that to me way? I didn't get promotion but I was all set for the next season. My young players had a season of experience under their collective belts. I had another 5 coming in to strengthen the weaker areas of the squad, and the board had just agreed to improve the junior coaching. Things were looking good.

I also had players there I liked. I'd gotten complete immersed in the game their and was irritated that I wouldn't get to see Stahl, Sundberg and the like progress under my guidance.

I was so mad that I actually wanted to stay in the division. Teams in Denmark and Norway were flattered by my apparent interest, as were teams in the Swedish Elite division but I help on for a team in the First Division North. Not very logical but potentially deeply satisfying.

And an offer came in...

I'd played against them a lot as 'Tuna City and I remember always looking at their youth intake for players to poach. More importantly though they were in the same division. I'd get to try and exact some revenge on the club that had, I feel, unfairly sacked me (something I stressed with expletives in the Vasteras SK press conference!).


How were they set?

Not too bad. They didn't have the same capital or wage budget as Degerfors though and had finished much lower.

Resources were scarcer, expectations were lower and the squad much smaller.


All that meant though was that I'd be able to build without as much pressure.


Tactically I decided that I would go with the same tactic as the one I'd used with Degerfors. I'd shown it could work, I'd tweaked it and it seem well suited for this level. Plus I wanted to do well with it to show them what they were missing. My replacement would undoubtedly be much more conservative tactically than I.

Recruitment

What did I need? Well wingbacks and plenty of midfielders. I actually recruited around 15 players but I'm just briefly covering the key ones.

Defence

Asberg and Jeppsson would sort out my wingback issues, and my youth and reserve players would provide back up. Jeppsson looked solid, though nothing special, and Asberg had been my youth backup at Degerfors. I had rotated him in occasionally and although he wasn't yet as good as the likes of Wallinder or Engstrom he did do well enough.

I did try and get Wallinder. My replacement shipped a lot of players out. I missed out though as despite offering Wallinder as much as I possibly could to join me for a 3rd time he decided to go to a Swedish Premier side. Understandable.

I also added Rahmanovic and Dalla Valle. My scouts thought reasonably highly of them and they would at the very least bolster my defence.

In an odd buggy glitchy twist I also tried to sign Blomme from Degerfors as a player/coach. He accepted and appeared on my squad screen....but when I clicked on him he was still down as as Degerfors player. I couldn't play him in any of my games and later in the season when he got fined by Degerfors I got asked about it. Weird and annoying but not a game breaker.

Midfield

Vasteras already had some promising midfielders. Not quite Stahl but in a similar mold. But they needed more. If you have a formation with 4 midfielders then you really need at least 8 in the team to provide cover and rotation. So I started signing.

Hamdi Al-Sheikh Al-Azhar had an amazing name and the scouts rated him. I imagined him being Stahl 2.0. Ali Khalaf was a bit of gamble but if he did well I had a feeling he would do really really well. A less risky singing was Hammenskog who would slot straight into that ball winning role. Bjorklund was then there for the Treq role and emergency cover upfront if things ever got dire.

Attack

We already had one player who looked half decent up front, and with only one striker in the squad I didn't need to recruit too heavily. Broberg was a player I'd almost signed for Degerfors. Biladama had experience at a higher level and would hopefully rotate.


The Season/Expectations

The board want mid table. The media think 8th. I'm of course hoping for more but I don't think things will be as smooth as last season. Anything above 6th I'll be happy with, above 3rd I'll be over the moon. Or alternatively finishing above Degerfors would do me, even if we both ended up relegated.

It's not enough that I succeed, they must fail also.

Surprise... [2023]

Surprise Sacking that is.

I'm livid. Yes I missed out on promotion but I was building a team. A most unfair sacking.

I want revenge.

Nothing quite like a last game collapse [2023]

A teeth gnashing, hair rending, end to the season. We dropped some points. Look at that. A streak of draws, a loss to Akropolis and then the final game defeat.

All culminating in 3rd place. No title, no promotion, no playoff.


Before the final game we were in 3rd and all we had to do was win. A draw would probably have done it provided Akropolis didn't go on a goal frenzy. We lost. And why? Well my keeper being in international duty didn't help. All of the goals we conceded in that final game were rubbish ones. A scramble, a poor clearance and a weak dive to stop a routine shot.

In actuality we lost it earlier but we just didn't realise it. Those 3 draws cost us 6 points. Converting one to a win would have meant 2nd place. Converting all 3 would have meant challenging for the title.

That lost against Akroplis? A draw against them would have actually meant we would have got 2nd place over them.


The board are a little disappointed. They wanted promotion, the media thought 3rd place was fair. So my job is a little insecure. I'm fairly confident that they'll keep me on though. We're in a good position for next year.

Ah well...

End of Season Review

How'd the team do?

Well they pulled together pretty well. Almost all the signings played their part. Apart from maybe Citaku who will be put on the unwanted list.

Stahl was the stand out player. My player of the year. Look at him. He's a beast.

He scored, provided and ran at the defense time and time again.

Wallinder and Engstrom did really well too. And even the two AMC's I got as youth gambles and cover, Goransson and Kallgren, did really well.

There are some problems though.

1) Depth - We still had a pretty small squad. Injuries, bans and international call ups cost us at times. Our 3-0 loss to Akropolis came after we had to go to extra time in the cup against Qviding. They were knackered.

Whenever I had to rest key players like Fredriksson or Bajric there was a knock on effect.

Up front although Pode bagged a tidy 14 goals when he was playing badly, tired or was on his mid season dry spell we just didn't have the options on the bench to maintain the goal threat. Citaku wasn't up to it and playing Stahl there meant changing the midfield.

So we need more players. I've got two coming in, a DM and a AMC. I think I need a striker and then a few youth players as back up in midfield and up front. Then I can rotate them in.


2) Age? - I'm a bit doubtful but the squad average age is pretty young, 22 years old. The youngest team in the league has an average of 21. Did this mean we were more likely to crack under pressure? I'm not convinced but it's documented to have an effect. I think in part with another seasons experience this will improve and there'll be less of an impact. I'm just worried though that if we lose say Fredriksson, the old man of the team, the core of midfield, that'll we'll suffer.

I don't want to bring in older players for the sake of it though. I want to keep the faith with the younger players. I just need to talk to them more using the player interaction options, and keep an eye on my team talks. They'll need more hand holding.

Right, time to recruit during the long cold Swedish off season.

Halfway in and time to think [2023]

Not time to panic yet but we've not been as ruthless as we'd like.

Consider we have a very young squad I'm okay with 2nd, especially seeing as 1st place hasn't gotten away from us. The tactic seems to be working quite nicely as well but as you can tell from the squad details we don't have many goal outlets.

I had started to notice in the match engine that we were taking quite a few long shots. We were putting together some amazing passing moves but quite often we would then pull the trigger outside the area. I had a look at various post match analyses and confirmed my gut feeling. We liked to shoot outside the box.

You could also see the problem in the passing to an extent. Plenty of passing everywhere but in the box. The ball was coming to the attackers outside the area and the shot was coming from there. I looked at the heat map and things started to click. I needed to move the defensive line. I needed to push up so that when we started a move we started it on the halfway line, not in our half, so that more breaks would be made into the box rather than just outside.

So I changed it. Another thing I'm considering changing, although not yet is long shots. I might tone it down. The problem is whilst we are wasteful Stahl and Bajric actually get a few and as they develop and get better they're getting closer and closer. So I'm leaving that change till later.

Overall I'm happy with things. I like the club, I like the league, I like the country.

Sweden for Definite...Degefors I mean. [2023]

And back to where things started really. I was holidaying and waiting for offers. I wasn't getting great ones. Rotheram....Walsall. It wasn't the teams that put me off them it was just I couldn't see myself staying and taking them to the top. I didn't want to take a job that I was bound to tire of.

So I held on and got an offer from Degerfors. A team in the Swedish First Division Elite...for one more game. They had already been relegated and would be playing next season in the First Division North.

It didn't take me long to decide. I liked playing in Sweden before, I had been successful, I still had things to win, I had a connection there, and the club had money spare and there was potential to become a big fish and in a small to medium pond.


So I took it.

I had one game to play which gave me a brief chance to look at the team. I wanted to try something different tactically and I needed to be flexible. From looking at the original team I had a lot of central defenders that were decent, some good attacking midfielders, and not much else bar a singe decent striker. After having read this article on possession football I decided that I would build a new tactic (for me) based on similar principles.

I was going to play 3 central defenders, two wingbacks, two central midfielders, two attacking midfielders and one striker. A bit narrow but the wingbacks would add depth and the roles of the AMC's would change the shape a little.

Here it is:

I'll go through the players in a bit. The first thing that might strike you is that some of the players are not in the right position. Basically they are good enough for those positions and are being trained in them. The stats, training and match experience will see them through.

The three central defenders should keep things solid at the back. One DC is a limited defender and his job is just to clear the danger, he's the last gasp no nonsense player.

The wing backs provide some defensive cover but also the width and supply.

The ball winning MC provides some stopping power and defensive cover, hopefully increasing our chances of winning back possession. The deep lying midfield should partner them and start moves, all without running into the space of the AMC's ahead. The DLP and BWM can also work with the wing backs, almost giving us a bank of 3 and then 4 defensively.

In AMC I have an inside forward and a Treq. The IF should carry a direct goal threat, working off the shoulder of the striker and attacking from slightly deeper. I'm expecting a fair few goals to come from there. The Treq is there to be creative and create space as well as chances. In theory the IF and Treq could push up when attacking to give me 3 up front. Again in theory my team shape could under certain conditions be closer to a 433.

The striker at the moment is playing as complete forward but this I might tweak to a Defensive Forward or Targetman. They should be a threat on their own, the point of the attack, but also they should be able to bring in other players, ideally the IF and Treq behind them. This role I think will change depending on who is playing it.

So there we go. There's also room to evolve the tactic. As well as changing the striker role and I can see the limited defender role changing to a libero as we move up the leagues and get the players for it. The AMC roles could change too.

I played it in my first game and the teams final game of the season and we held a title pushing side to a creditable away draw. We created chances and frankly only drew because we gave away a goal in a bit of a scramble. All this without most of the players you see above, they were recruited afterwards.

Players

I needed to bring in a few but I had the core of the defense, and midfield present. Luckily the team had a lot of money for this level and I was able to get quite a few good youth players in. I favoured youth but also brought in a few older, more seasoned, players too.

Defense

Wingback was the key bit to strengthen here. I had a few players I could train into the positions already at the club but I needed a couple more.

Axel played for me at 'Tuna and I remember him being great at pushing forwards. I got him for the WBL position but also for cover on the right.

Engstrom is a U19's starlet, cost about 18k, and isn't a natural WBR. But I think he'll grow into it.

Sandberg provides cover across the back and in defensive midfield. He also had a season of experience in the Elite Division. He was a another U19 team mate of Engstrom.

Midfield

I recruited quite a lot here just to make sure I had cover and flexibiliy.

Nordin was another U19 star and cost quite a bit. I see great potential there and I think he'll slot into either MC role, though DLP more.

Stahl was bought to be the ultimate utility man but I think he's going to go straight into the IF role. He doesn't have AMC as one of his positions but if he can play MC and play ST then IF isn't beyond him.

Svahn was brought in as cover, ideally in the AMC position. Getting on a bit but it doesn't hurt to have a bit of experience. Also for the first division he should be fine.

Goransson and Kallgren were on the young side but again they were there as AMC cover. I think at least one of them should grow into the role well enough.

Attack

I brought in Citaku to rotate with Pode. Both should be good enough for the Elite division.

I also brought in Ohlsson on loan. Hopefully he'll just be attacking as cover. With the players I have and only one out and out striker role I can afford to be light up front.


So far

I've played lots of friendlies and the group stage of the Swedish Cup. We lost unfairly 5-0 to Premier side Hammarby (we outplayed them for most of the match but just couldn't break through), lost 2-1 to Premier side Elfsborg (lucky goal from them), and then beat Elite side Qviding 3-1.

The tactic seemed to be working very nicely. We held onto a lot of possession against the big sides and created chances. They were a little further out than I would have liked, very few against the top sides were in the area but I think initially that can be put down to the quality of their defence. First Division North sides should suffer.

Against Qviding Stahl got a brace from the IF position and the attacking moves were beautiful. I don't want to jinx the season by saying I have a good feeling about things but....I have a good feeling about things.

I'm going to make use of the analysis tab this season as well so hopefully I can be better tactically.