The Rise of a Nation - Finnish Funk

Justice: Before releasing the next update I must say it seems that HJK will be easily taking the title this season. The Finnish footballing system has taken a toll on my players playing well in Europe and we just can't be consistent enough.

AaronHJFT96: Glad you're enjoying the story! And yes, getting into the QF's this early in my save was beyond my imagination!

"I’m always looking to learn new things." - Mr. Shroom

It is not uncommon for manager Shroom to take on a secondary job in management. Looking at his objectives in life it would be natural to be managing Finland but that won’t be possible for quite a while with the Finnish FA blindly believing in manager Mixu Paatelainen. Where did he go then?


"The job became available over 4 months ago when the Ghanian FA decided to release Eric Agyemang from his responsibilities. I’m glad that the FA has put their trust in me and I’m sure that I will be able to split my time between club and nation." - Mr. Shroom

It’s late in the season. HJK are on the run and no one can catch them, or so it seems. A 15-point-lead for the most successful club in Finland with 10 games to go. Looks like JJK will have to settle for second place this time.


"We are finally finding some form but it’s clearly too late for that now. There is no way we can catch HJK with a lead like that. And I must take full responsibility for this season." - Mr. Shroom

In other news!

JJK announce link with FC Jazz! JJK have announced an affiliation with Finnish First Division side FC Jazz. JJK will pay Jazz a yearly fee of just over 40 000€ and will be able to send player on loan to a competitive environment.

"We are happy to inform you about this contract. This will improve both teams significantly and we have already sent young center back Jarkko Koikkalainen (20) to join the FC Jazz organization on loan until the end of the season." - Assistant Manager, Roni Lindroos

We all know how JJK have been doing in the league this season, enough said about that. But how about the Finnish Cup? And more importantly, how about the Champions League Qualifying rounds?



"We’ve been doing decently in the Finnish Cup and have finally managed to reach the final. We will be facing IFK Mariehamn in the final so it should be an interesting game, they have been kind a tough opponent for us in the past!" - Mr. Shroom


JJK have had a great run of results in the Champions League qualifying rounds and have managed to make it all the way to the group stage! What an effort!


"This is what we have been waiting for! Last seasons success in the Europa League gave us hope and we have now made our dreams a reality! It’s also a huge load of cash in the bank to further improve our club." - Mr. Shroom

JJK given 8,6 million. This has more than doubled the clubs bank account making it possible to do whatever they want. The club has also announced the project to build a new stadium straight away, something to look forward to!

The money is flowing nicely but what a Champions League group!

That is the group of death but certainly three teams who you can enjoy playing against, knowing they are Europe's elite

Justice : It will be tough, but hopefully we can manage a win an a couple of draws at home. CSKA should be beatable.

27 years after someone had the brilliant idea to form a club, a club named JJK. 27 years later they have finally reached the Finnish Cup Final for the first time ever. It’s going to be a glorious occasion as over 7000 supporters are awaited to arrive at Sonera Stadium in Helsinki where the match will be played.

"We have been in excellent form recently so I believe that the guys can get away with the trophy we all crave. There is a glimmer of hope for IFK though as we will be forced to play without Lucas Lingman and our first choice goalie as they are both cup tied having played for HJK and Jaro respectively this season." - Mr. Shroom

Match report

The match begins!
3’ IFKs Valentin Lavigne hits the upright!
13’ IFK’s Lavigne hits the upright again! Unlucky lad!
45’ A.Lappalainen (JJK)

HT! Possession 62% for JJK. Shots (on target) JJK 6(2), IFK 4(1).

86’ Get out! IFKs A.Jakupi heading for an early shower!
90+3’ GOOOOOAL! EMMANUEL DIESERUVWE! That must seal it!
FT! JJK have done it in their first ever Cup Final!
Possession 54% for JJK. Shots (on target) JJK 11(6), IFK 10(2).

"I am ecstatic! This was the only competition we could win this season and we have done it by the narrowest of margins. The team can be extremely proud of this achievement!" - Mr. Shroom

The Finnish PL season is over and there are not too many JJK supporters looking back on it with pride. The first half of the season was disasterous and the title was practically already lost at halfway.

"We had a season of two halves. The first half was bad, but the second half, accompanied with success in the Champions League and the Finnish Cup was a lot brighter. There was nothing we could do regarding HJKs march to victory but we are hopeful that we will improve again next season and recapture the title." - Mr. Shroom



"We easily finished second which is only a small consolation though. There is still a small chance that we will be qualifying for the Champions League next season if UEFA decide to give Finland an extra spot due to our good performances in Europe so far. Let’s hope for the best" - Mr. Shroom

JJK players clean the table at the Finnish PL awards ceremony!

Top Goalscorer: Aleksis Lehtonen (19)
Top Assists: Lucas Lingman (12)
Best Avg. Rating: Francois Roudaut (7.50)
Rookie of the Year: Francois Roudaut
PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNER: Lucas Lingman, 9 goals, 12 assists, avg. rating of 7.34

It was a tough group in the Champions League with JJK facing PSG, Atletico and CSKA Moscow. Not many people gave the Finnish minnows a chance, maybe even including the fans themselves.

"It’s a tough group of teams, real giants in their countries. We gave it our best effort." - Mr. Shroom

---

CSKA Moscow – JJK 2-0
none

---

JJK - PSG 1-2
Rafael Henrique (80’)

---

JJK - Atlético 2-2
Lucas Lingman (65’, pen 68’)

---

Atlético – JJK 4-2
Lucas Lingman (9’), Aleksis Lehtonen (pen 28’)

---

There was a glimmer of hope that JJK could actually qualify from this group when they went 2-0 up away at Madrid but it was not meant to be. One point from 4 games so far is pretty much expected and nothing to be ashamed of. With CSKA at home and PSG away left in the group it is still possible to qualify for Europa League but I wouldn’t be my money on it.

The goup stage is finished with the last two games against CSKA and PSG. Not much to tell but I'll tell you anyway!

"We did what we could and I think that there were performances that the supporters and players can be proud of." - Mr. Shroom

---

JJK - CSKA Moscow 1-1
Emmanuel Dieseruvwe (1')

---

PSG - JJK 1-0
none

---

Decent performances against strong sided, so nothing to be ashamed of. CSKA take the second qualification spot a bit surprisingly ahead of Atlético.

There has been a lot of movement especially into the JJK squad. JJK are clearly looking to strenghten their team and try to recapture that title from triumphant HJK.

"I feel we did a decent job in this transfer window strenghtening our squad and at the same time weakening the one that HJK has at their disposal." - Mr. Shroom

---

With Lassas and Diaz expected to become key members of the first team JJK will be hoping to push for the title this season, and succeed. Heikkilä menwhile was a quick desicion signing to create cover on the defensive department.

"We did well. Lassas will be a vital part of our Finnish core while Tapio will bring much needed stability and experience. We will havo to wait and see how Claudio will fit into the squad, but hopefully he will be a great asset." - Mr. Shroom


Only one notable transfer in this window, and it's a huge one as long time servant Evandro leaves the club.


With a total spent equaling to 310 000€ while total sales are 2,11 million JJK have done extremely well in terms of finances. It remains to be seen just how much the departure of Evandro will affect the defensine line of the Finnish Cup winners.

Lassas looks great and that is a superb financial plus in selling Evandro for so much! If you keep improving the finances as much as you are, you'll soon have a foundation strong enough to become a true European force.

Justice : We actually already have a transfer budget of over 10 million so if I wanted a could splah the cash. Maybe in the next transfer window if the right players are available, simply to strengten our squad for Europe Or buy the whole HJK if they are threatening to take the title again!

2015-02-27 18:34#209239 sieninen : Justice : We actually already have a transfer budget of over 10 million so if I wanted a could splah the cash. Maybe in the next transfer window if the right players are available, simply to strengten our squad for Europe Or buy the whole HJK if they are threatening to take the title again!

How to win the league: buy out every other team

The League cup is underway! Can JJK finally grab the title?

"We have been going after the League Cup for quite a while now. Hopefully this is our year." - Mr. Shroom


Quarter Final
JJK - FC Lahti 4-1
Aleksis Lehtonen (9, 22, 32), Lucas Lingman (26)

---

Semi Final
HJK - JJK 0-1
Aleksis Lehtonen (pen 90+2)

---

JJK have reached the final! It's the secont time the former Finnish Champions have been in the Finnish League Cup final previously losing against KuPS. Will secont time be the charm? JJK will be playing against FF Jaro in the Grand Finale. Jaro are fierce rivals from the 2018 season as JJK were competing with them until the very end for the title.

The Final - Reported

Only a wee bit over 1000 supporters are expected to arrive at Sonera Stadium for the League Cup Final. It should be a heated event as rivals JJK and Jaro will be looking to secure the first trophy of the season.

The match begins!

HT - JJK have been dominating possession but Jaro are holding a tight defensive line. This should be interesting!

52’ Dafaa (Jaro)
57’ Roudaut (JJK)
63’ GOOOOOAL! Aleksis Lehtonen with the finish!
69’ Goal! Soukouna makes it 1-1. Unlucky!

FT! We are going into a penalty shootout!
JJK:

Jaro:

JJK HAVE WON ON PENALTIES! The new signing Tapio Heikkilä seals the deal with his experience!

"Well it's about time! This was our second Finnish League Cup Final and this time we were by far the better team. Jaro were lucky to take it to penalties but fortunately we managed to get the deserved win!" - Mr. Shroom