The Esbjerg adventure
Before buying CM 99/00, I decided to have a go at the Danish competition.
Esbjerg looked a nice name to me, playing first division, the middle of the three Danish divisions.
Bought the game, installed the game, created a new game, first surprise!
Esbjerg were in the Premier Division, they got themselves promoted last season.
Prove of my ignorance on Danish football.
So farewell to the idea of a quiet start, the board wanted me to fight bravely against relegation.
Well, as a consolation there was some money available, but the squad worried me a bit.
Got some additional staff, played some friendly matches and made me a defensive tactic (a kind of 4-1-3-2) playing long ball.
I almost immediately ran into some new features.
I rejected a bid on my free-kick specialist (Karkov) and he immediately got unhappy.
OK, one lesson learned, always negotiate the bid for 3 to 5 times the value of the player.
Less chance of the bidder accepting it and more chance of a happy player.
Next a player did not show up on training, with the classic question ‘to fine or not to fine’.
I decided to play the nice man and did not fine him, though he did not play in the next match.
During the season the player, Martin Jensen, appeared to be the spoiled brat of the squad, so I was glad he went away on a Bosman.
By the way, almost every footballer in Denmark is called either Jensen or Nielsen, so you’re in for a lot of confusion.
Handy thing, that nickname option, it’s really necessary there.
From the start it was clear that Esbjerg was low-rated.
My scouts gave almost everyone who could kick a ball a five-star rating, so I obtained a really long ‘short’-list with probably worthless players.
Every player who got three consecutive 8-ratings wanted to move to a bigger club.
When negociating bids, clubs easily accepted 3 to 5 times the player value, so this strategy lead to a number of good players leaving.
Some nice things as well, the gate receipts were always more then salaries + bonuses, so I had a steady income.
Unfortunately it was quite difficult to get good players.
The competition started unexpectedly good.
After 6 matches I was somewhere in the middle and we had a unlucky penalty shoot-out against Brondby in the Danish Cup.
From then on things started to detoriate quite quickly and half-season we were 11th, the highest relegation place (Danish Premier Division has 12 teams, playing each other 3 times, 11-12 relegate).
After a long winter stop (could not organize a tournament, but I could play friendlies, strange thing) I radically changed from long ball to short, which was an improvement.
We had difficulty scoring, went last, so I bought a striker from leaders Silkeborg (Tømrer) who wanted to play first team football.
The best decision of the season.
After 3 games he started banging goals in and we beat almost every team in Denmark, home, away, top, bottom and fought back a twelve-point gap to number 10, OB (Odense).
Herfølge would relegate without any real chance (in real life they are the league-leaders!).
Last match day, we have a one point lead over OB (but OB have a better goal-average).
They play Brondby away, we play already-champion Silkeborg at home.
The match starts, after ten minutes the goalkeeper (Mikkel Andreasen, a real talent by the way) brings someone down in the area.
Red card and penalty.
Damn, I change a defensive midfielder for a new goalkeeper (Gall, also very good, but to leave on a Bosman).
The penalty is taken… and stopped! Briljant.
The match continues, 20th minute: Gall brings someone down in the area.
Oh no not again… Penalty and a … … yellow card. Phew!
The penalty is taken… and stopped again.
I’m dancing on my chair now.
This we are going to win, I feel it.
35th minute: Silkeborg score. Damn, damn.
Half time, Brondby - OB 0-0, good for them, Brondby has difficulty scoring the whole season.
I switch to a very attacking formation, and yes in the 47th minute there is a goal… 2-0 for Silkeborg.
Great, this means First Division football next year.
And then the unbelievable happens.
Brondby scores in the 69th minute, 1-0 to them.
Thank you Kim Rasmussen, we love you!!!
The rest of the minutes I look more to the scoreline in the Brondby-OB match than to my own.
The scores stay the same and the impossible has happened: Esbjerg stay in the Premier Division!!!
I then carefully saved the game and did not play the rest of the evening. I was exhausted!
After a narrow escape from relegation last season it was clear we needed some reinforcements in midfield.
I just had not enough money for Anders Nielsen (AA Gent), so I asked the board for more transfer money.
I have a fine board, no complaints, but they thought I had enough.
Luckily I could delay the transfer long enough until I got money from season cards.
Next, the board announces Martin Jeppessen (bought previous season) is an invaluable member of the squad.
Invaluable, hmm… can I release him then or should I make him indispensable?
The english dictionary clarifies: He’s going from squad rotation to indispensable.
After the season update we have turned professional!
That’s a surprise. No message or what, I just accidently looked at it.
Is this because we stayed in the Premier Division against all odds?
Haven’t got a clue what the consequences will be.
One thing however is clear, all player values have increased significantly (sometimes even doubled).
The pre-season is great, winning our own Cup tournament beating Velje 5-1. Inspiring.
Before the season really starts I have to fix one problem.
Hot prospect Indridi Sigurdsson is unhappy because he can’t get adjusted to life in Denmark.
Doesn’t he speak basic Danish? What do they speak in Iceland then? Ah,… Icelandic, could have known.
Might as well look for an Icelandic mate then. This appears to be quite difficult.
They are either worthless players or won’t come. Well, let’s hope he can get out of his home-sickness all by himself.
The season starts great, we’re in the top half, while the board wants me to fight bravely against relegation.
Heroics take place however in the Danish Cup.
We start in the fourth round against relegated Herfolge, away because lower divisions always play at home in the Cup I guess.
Last season we had no problems against them, but this is not running well.
After 50 minutes we go down 1-0 and nothing changes in 30 minutes.
Damn, everything was going marvellous and now we fail against lousy Herfolge.
We play all out attack and then Kenni Sommer (Club player of the year, another nice addition) gets in the mood: 83rd minute 1-1.
Good, that means extra time, I happily lean backwards in my chair and then 87th minutes Kenni does the trick again, 2-1 and we’re through.
Fifth round B 1913, again First Division.
Most Danish clubs have either abbreviated names (AGF, OB, AB, AaB) or numbers (B 93), so you easily mix them up.
Not an easy match again.
After 50 minutes we lead 1-0, but B1913 starts playing football, scores 1-1 and thanks to my brilliant goalkeeper we hold on until extra time.
2nd minute extra time, our striker Tomrer is brought down: penalty. ‘That looked a bit harsh’, well not to me! Thank you ref!
We finally win 3-1 and we’re in the quarter finals.
Quarter finals, we have a lucky draw: Vejen, again First Division.
50th minute, you guessed it, 1-0 for them.
We take over the match, have a late equalizer and win in the extra time.
Lucky again.
In the Danish league we go steadily down because I can’t play the first team regularly as they are all tired after each cup match.
Ah well, there is still a large gap left with the relegation candidates.
After the winter break we play the two-leg semi finals against fellow premier side AGF.
They are doing well, so this is going to be a hard one.
First away, we are being sieged and only Mikkel Andreassen, our goalkeeper hero, keeps them on 0-0.
Then 87th minute, Tomrer skips past one, then another, what’s he doing?… and scores: 1-0 to us!
Ah, sorry AGF guys, unlucky for you, he he he he he.
One week later we’re in Esbjerg and we dominate the match, without scoring.
AGF starts attacking the last minutes and we then play men behind ball, with an extra defender.
The post finally denies AGF extra time and we’re in the final!
In the final we meet Silkeborg, the great Danish club in my game.
They are on their way to a second championship and barely missed out on the secound group stage in the Champions League.
This can be short, two matches before the final we start losing in the competition and we have in the last ten matches one goalless draw and no wins!
We finish 10th again, but with quite a gap between us and the relegators.
And the final, well, eh… 2-0 to Silkeborg was not unfair, we did not stand a chance.
The board was right, Martin Jeppesen was invaluable, being the topscorer.
And reaching the Danish Cup final that’s good, getting beating by the champion.
The champion? But wait a minute? That means we qualify for the UEFA cup?
Or not? Let me think, …, yes! ESBJERG GOES EUROPE!!!
Oops…
After a surprise qualification for the UEFA cup in the previous season it was clear I had to extend my squad.
I did not expect to last long in Europe, but in the beginning of the season everything comes together in Denmark: competition, European Cup and Danish Cup.
Going into Europe raises your reputation however dramatically.
I easily could get players interested that were not interested before.
During the season one of them, goalkeeper Christiaan Kempf, revealed he was delighted to have agreed terms, because he wanted to play in the European Cup.
A pity for him, because I had already submitted the squad for the first rounds.
Must have had 1 for Intelligence, or 20 for Optimism!!!
I got me Tomason, playing for the national Iceland squad and fully used to the Danish lifestyle.
This almost immediately solved the unhappiness of another young Icelandic player which had bothered me the previous season.
The board wants to stay away from relegation, that’s an improvement on having to fight against it, but they might be a bit optimistic.
Pre-season is short this time, as last competition finished in the beginning of June and the next one starts halfway July.
This way, it is a short disaster, we finally loose at home to an obscure Second Division team (Vejen).
Competition however starts great, we’re doing well, top 5 regulars.
But the important thing is the UEFA cup of course.
First surprise, we are seated. We European newbies seated! Might be because we qualified through the Danish Cup.
The tension is high when the draw is made for the first real round of the UEFA Cup.
This is really a nice new feature, to have the draw live on your screen: … Juventus (no, don’t want them) - Ferencvaros (phew), Hamrun Spartans (yes, yes, please, Esbjerg…) - Feyenoord (lucky bastards), …., Sevilla (no, thank you) - Esbjerg fB.
Ah no, life is mean, why such a strong opponent?
Well, maybe not that strong, let’s view their squad.
What! Van der Sar as goalkeeper! Couldn’t he have stayed with Juventus?
Or gone back to Ajax, as is usual in the game?
Ah well, let’s have a nice trip to Sevilla, enjoy the scenery, have a drink, relax and see what happens.
First match, I try not to play too defensive as I will probably be butchered then.
We survive the first 15 minutes and then… some Sevilla player starts headbanging: red card!
I awake from my misery and think about changing to an attacking formation.
No, better not do it.
We can take the initiative sometimes and thanks to my briljant goalkeeper we don’t get any goals against us.
Unfortunately Van der Sar is doing impossible things as well, so the final result is 0-0.
Not bad for Danish amateurs, eh … well, we’re professional now.
Two weeks later Sevilla comes to a quite crowded Idreatspark (that’s where we play).
It will be difficult, one goal against and it’s probably all over.
But playing defensive won’t help us come through either.
The match starts, 6th minute, Jeppesen gets to the byline, crosses, Tomrer shoots hard… goal!!!
We’ve beaten Van der Sar! The rest of the match we hang on, getting lots of shots on our goal, but no goals.
We get chances too, but Van der Sar is doing too well.
The last minutes… the final whistle … yes!, it’s there… we’re through!!!
We’ve beaten Sevilla too! I imagine a great party in the town of Esbjerg, a long night, the event of the year!
Then the Danish Cup, fourth round no problem, fifth round OB (First Division) away.
We get behind 1-0, and we can’t recover as in the previous Cup run.
Nothing happens, we’re out.
In the league we are losing contact with the leaders and we are drifting to the middle.
The draw for the UEFA Cup second round. Suspense…: Atletico Madrid - Esbjerg fB.
Unfortunately Atletico is doing better in my game then in real life, so this will be hard.
But we’ve beaten Sevilla, so why not Atletico? Again we’re enjoying the Spanish sun etc..
The first match, 20th minutes, Correa scores 1-0 for them. Correa? Never heard of.
Ah, he’s Argentinian, so probably overrated. 23rd minute, Correa again, this is not going well.
Second half we get a third one to finish 3-0. A cold shower in the Spanish sun, not a nice homecoming.
The second match we play very attacking, but can’t get a goal: 0-0.
That’s it then, the end of the European adventure.
The rest of the competition is like skiing: all going downhill.
It’s like last season, we somehow seem to lack stamina for a whole competition.
After losing the last match to Frem we end up 9th.
That’s still a new record for us, and we have not seen the relegation line the whole season, so the board is satisfied.
Nice thing is that FC Kobenhavn got in the UEFA Cup Semi Finals by beating Atletico Madrid amongst others and finally went out against Real Santander.
Bloody Spaniards!