Written by member: Big B 1970
The Fantasy League is back and after losing the play-offs last season, I find myself in the unfamiliar surroundings of Division 3. I've been here before, but its been a while. This division is home to real stalwarts of Absolute Gaming, those who like to play the game like real football, without all the skill moves and spamming of the close dribbling and fake shots. This might be the lowest division, but not one of these teams can be expected to be a pushover.
My new franchise has moved my squad to the north of Norway, well inside the Arctic Circle, to Tromsø, the home of the most northerly professional football club in the world. We play on an artificial pitch at the Romssa Arena, which has a capacity of 6,691 and thankfully has underfloor heating! My first job was to buy a new managers coat and a few wooly hats, it can get a bit chilly up here, and that's an understatement!
Once the new ratings for FC25 had been revealed and the matchday payments had been set at 9 million scudo, it became apparent I'd become a victim of my own success at squad building. Thanks to the majority of my squad getting ratings upgrades, my wages had gone up significantly, to the point where I'd be losing over 5 million per matchday. I didn't want the pressure of having to attend loads of events to just be able to cover matchday payments, so a big rebuild of the squad was needed to cut overheads. I looked at the key players I needed to keep, and saw they were either from the Nordic countries, Germany or Scotland. Ideal nationalities for coping with the harsh climate up here, players who need to put gloves and tights on because it drops below 20C are no good to me!
My new franchise has moved my squad to the north of Norway, well inside the Arctic Circle, to Tromsø, the home of the most northerly professional football club in the world. We play on an artificial pitch at the Romssa Arena, which has a capacity of 6,691 and thankfully has underfloor heating! My first job was to buy a new managers coat and a few wooly hats, it can get a bit chilly up here, and that's an understatement!
Once the new ratings for FC25 had been revealed and the matchday payments had been set at 9 million scudo, it became apparent I'd become a victim of my own success at squad building. Thanks to the majority of my squad getting ratings upgrades, my wages had gone up significantly, to the point where I'd be losing over 5 million per matchday. I didn't want the pressure of having to attend loads of events to just be able to cover matchday payments, so a big rebuild of the squad was needed to cut overheads. I looked at the key players I needed to keep, and saw they were either from the Nordic countries, Germany or Scotland. Ideal nationalities for coping with the harsh climate up here, players who need to put gloves and tights on because it drops below 20C are no good to me!
First to go was Brahian Aleman, who didn't appear on the new game, and we've heard rumours its because he's gone to play part time in the Chilean 2nd division while opening an alpaca sanctuary. Coming in to replace him was the experienced Swede, Viktor Claessen, who'll provide great cover in midfield. As I put players up for sale that didn't fit my new squad theme, it was sad to see a couple of them go, but as they say theres no place in football management for sentimentality. My right back Abdulhamid had been an absolute beast in the last game, but didn't seem as effective in this game so aaronc333 will have the pleasure of him bombing up and down the wing this season. The core of my attack hasn't changed much, but the upgrade of Alexander Sørloth to 82 has made him the focal point, backed up with the pacy strikers Garcia and Beier. Its been tricky finding a formation that can fit in all three of them effectively, without neglecting my best midfielders Ferguson and Beste. Its still very much a work in progress. Thanks to bringing in 9 new players in pre-season, I've managed to slash the wage bill to a manageable level, and I'll have to hope its not made my squad weaker.
I've seen from the pre-season predictions that a lot of people have tipped me to win Division 3, or at least get promoted back up at the first attempt, but I'm not so confident. There are some very good players down here, and I know I'll find it tough. My opening game is against Wizzfox who i think will have a much more successful season than last time, especially if he gets the best out of his dangerous striker Omar Marmoush, who is a good bet for the Golden Boot. Things won't get any easier in the following fixture when I'm up against Red Rhinoceros, another promotion favourite. I'll be delighted if i have 6 points after these games, and then we can build from there. Enjoy the season everyone!
I've seen from the pre-season predictions that a lot of people have tipped me to win Division 3, or at least get promoted back up at the first attempt, but I'm not so confident. There are some very good players down here, and I know I'll find it tough. My opening game is against Wizzfox who i think will have a much more successful season than last time, especially if he gets the best out of his dangerous striker Omar Marmoush, who is a good bet for the Golden Boot. Things won't get any easier in the following fixture when I'm up against Red Rhinoceros, another promotion favourite. I'll be delighted if i have 6 points after these games, and then we can build from there. Enjoy the season everyone!