I did a thing — FM24 Scandi Domination
Yeah, I jumped.
OK, ok, ok. I have my reasons.
I could easily have stayed at Helsingborgs for another season and built a team who could push for promotion, but this was not the time.
Finland is the lowest ranked of the leagues on this journey and I felt there was a risk of pushing on in Sweden and then having to step back down further along the road.
When the Inter Turku job came up, knowing they were one of the bigger clubs, it was a no brainer to apply.
They had obviously seen enough from my exploits at IFK Mariehamn to think I could take them from ninth and push them towards HJK.
BRING ON THE BRAZILIANS
In this save, I will continue my preference of not searching for players via the attributes and characteritics. I feel it can become too easy to ask for a striker with 10 for this, 12 for that and find success.
I prefer to rely on the staff. Have scouts bring you who they find. Work with the Director of Football. It feels more realistic and more matched to modern day football.
One of my favourites is asking the DoF to suggest targets, especially loan signings.
It makes no sense, because Stefan Andreasson has never played in Brazil, or shows any knowledge of the leagues, but he found us some proper gems.
The amazingly named Thierry Henry was first through the doot. Size, physicals, an incredible first touch and heading ability. Only 18 years old, but he could light up this league.
As soon as I saw the name, I knew it was meant to be. Not Riquelme, Riquelmy. Passing, tackling, positioning, vision and good physicals. This 19-year-old is the all action midfielder we’d been hoping for.
Struggling for outside threats, the one position we needed was on the left. Ryan Felipe ticks all the boxes. Quick, good on the ball, good movement, the Brazilian will cut inside and terrorise defenders.
SYSTEM
Keeping the shape we used to some success at Helsingborgs made the most sense. Henry as the target man looking to get the ball to South African striker Darren Smith.
Riquelmy would start as the playmaker in the middle, although these two roles would change so much. Even today, looking back, I’m still unsure what works best.
Felipe will be asked to stay high, link up with his compatriots. Get down the wing, or cut inside. Just do what he does best, with Legbo bursting down the left flank.
Playing preseason, the Liigacup is a great barometer, and although we made the final, it didn’t start fantastically when we needed a 89th minute equaliser from Henry to gain a point.
The quarters and the semi went much better, FC Honka’s 89th min goal made the 3–2 win not feel as dominant, but the boys were flying.
We couldn’t win this cup with Mariehamn, beaten in the final, so we were relishing the final against newly promoted Ekenas.
Heavy favourites to lift our first piece of silverware.
NOPE
Just two shots on target, and an xG of 0.90. As a team we didn’t turn up.
We were panicking, not yet, that was left for after the first game of the season when we lost 3–0 away at KTP.
The early season previews had us finishing just behind HJK. Slow starts are not what you want when you are trying to take down a much bigger side.
This is always a good sign. Showing you have recruited well and we have the skill players to impress. Big opening day defeats are worrying.
But hey, at least HJK were struggling too
Then we took on my first club and there would be no pleasantries, and it would be the game which would spark our season into life.
Three nil up in 16 mins, and it was 4–0 when Smith bagged in the 32nd minute. Putting IFKM to the sword. They would score late on, but the damage was done and Inter Turku were rolling.
We’ll ignore the awful cup defeat to HIFK, but we rested everyone for the away trip to HJK — in which we were 3–0 up and threw away.
From there on in, the title race was on.
Seven games to go and things are looking good and the Brazilians are smashing it. What could possibly go wrong…
We lost our centre mid Matias Ojala for two months, and then, after just 20 seconds, Ryan Felipe was handed a straight red in the massive home game against HJK.
Falling 2–0 to our title challengers hurt, but not as much as the next match.
Fighting from 2–0 down to draw level Ilves through a Henry double, I thought we had salvaged something. Santeri Haarala had other ideas, finishing on the break from outside the box.
Henry then had two disallowed for offside. The wheels were falling off. HJK piled on the misery with two very very late goals of their own.
After 22 games, the league splits in half, leaving you five games against hte toughest opponents. This was going to go down to the wire.
To spice things up even more, the fixture genies placed our home fixture against HJK as the final day of the season.
If we are going to win this league title, we are going to do things the hard way.
Henry rescued all three points against Ekenas, a towering injury-time winning header. Against Honka it was the other way round, as they grabbed a 95th-min equaliser.
KuPS put the biggest spanner in the works with an 89th min equaliser, letting HJK go top of the league.
P A I N
It comes down to the final game of the season.
We took the lead when Thierry Henry scored one of his trademark headers from a corner, but it only lasted 10 mins before Bojan Radulovic equalised from the spot.
The second half started at a blistering pace when Ryan Felipe pounced on a loose ball to set up Darren Smith inside the box. Bedlam in the stands and we had one hand on the title.
Nine minutes to go and we won a free-kick on the edge of the box. Step forward Riquelmy.
3–1. Yes, Radulovic pulled one back with five minutes to go, which led to a squeaky, panicky few minutes but the lads held on.
INTER TURKU — CHAMPIONS OF FINLAND
I did not think we were going to get over the line. It felt like the signs were against us, but winning on the final day over our title rivals with goals and assists from my three Brazilians.
Doesn’t get sweater.
Now, do we stay to attack the cup, or is it time to move on up?
