The Mídas Touch

For 10 years, I think it was. Ten years? No, a little less, perhaps. Either way I had worked with Sena for a long time. They produce music, movies, and some other types of media. I don't really remember exactly what I did, because each week, each month, a new project would come along. Then I left, and had a project of my own. I wanted to write a newspaper, a tabloid, for the people of Reykjavik. But after just a few months I realised it wasn't going to work. So I found work with Dagsbrún, another media company. But the hours were less, and I got bored a little, and not to mention a little poorer. But then I spotted an advert in the paper that could just put an end to my boredom.

Mídas Reykjavik

Mídas are a new club. I don't really know much about them and really, no one does because there isn't a lot to know. They were formed in 2010, as part of a youth club.* These days they play in the 4. deild karla, the 5th tier of Icelandic football, which is split into 3 groups - A, B, and C, which Mídas play in. They wear blue, with orange or yellow, and currently play at the Sveitarfélagavöllur in Reykjavik. The only other things I know about them is that the chairman is Sveinn Elíásson and their manager is Sverrir Friðfinnson - me.

The Story

For this story I will be using Bayern America's Iceland database. I've edited the database a little so that the team has a stadium of it's own, mentioned above, and I decided to use the fake players option in the game. The Icelandic season begins in May and ends in September. We would play 18 games in the season, twice against each of the other 9 teams in the 4. deild karla C. And it just so happened that the media expected us to come 8th.

This story will be written in a bit of an odd way. It will feature 1st person diary reports, but not from the manager. Each update will be written from a different player's point of view, meaning that you can find out more about each one and their personalities.

Index

Update 1: Sverrir Friðfinnsson
Update 2: Jón Örvar Jóhannsson
Update 3: Helgi Gíslason
Update 4: Unnar Elí Axelsson
Update 5: Hartmann Heimisson
Update 6: Júlíus Traustason

*They aren't really a youth club, I just need a reason as to why all my players are 15/16!

Good luck Louis! Long time with no story from you

Good luck!

Good Luck Louis

5th tier of Icelandic is full on deep! Good luck

Nice start and thanks for the plug

Jón Örvar Jóhannsson
GK 
DOB: 20/8/1998

I've finally gotten into the first time at Mídas and I love it! I've been here since I was a really young kid and now I'm playing properly, if the team is amateur. At the moment I'm still in school, but in a few years I'll probably leave for higher education rather and still play for Mídas here in Reykjavik. For now though, I'm having a good time here.

We got a new manager recently, called Sverrir Friðfinnsson. He's taken charge for a couple friendlies now and he's played me in most of them which is great. He put the other keeper, Valur Jónsson, in for one match against Ármann who beat us after he spilled a cross, so I think my position is secure for now.

Our first match was against Ísbjörnin and we drew 1-1, though I made a bit of a mistake for their goal with an underhit goal kick. Our next match was just between us and Elliði who are in the same league as us, and we won that 1-0 and I played OK. Then we organised a tournament called Knattspyrnufélagið Bolli. We played 3 matches in a league format, and sadly we lost our first against Afrika which was 1-0, but then we won against Kóngarnir with a goal from a free kick. Sadly we lost our last match, which was the game against Ármann, where Valur dropped theh ball at the feet of the forward. Then came the highlight of the pre season - we were to play Stjarnan, one of Iceland's biggest teams, at their stadium, and until the 81st minute we had kept them out. I even saved a penalty after an hour, but then with 10 minutes left Magnússon beat me at the near post, and then their winger miscued a cross into the corner, before they got their 3rd from a corner. We had played well, though, and we were proud of ourselves. Next month the season will begin against Vatnaliljur and then in June we'll play Ísbjörnin and Elliði again, for the league. I just hope I will be keeping my place in the team.


We've had some really interesting ideas brought in by the new boss too. Obviously I'm not a master tactician so I'm not altogether too sure how well it work, but he's been teaching us 3 systems that we'll be using. The first one was a possession based 4-5-1 where we'd keep the ball in the middle of the park and try to control the game. The other two were less offensive, and both involve 5 defenders - so I'll have a lot of protection! We have a 5-3-2 which is good for counter attacks with 2 forwards and we have a lot of men in the middle. The other one is the best for me, a 5-4-1 with a very direct "route one" style and that was the formation we played against Stjarnan, which worked very well.

Until the season starts, I'll be eagerly anticipating any new signings and of course the start. And the manager's told me he's thinking of making me the captain of the team...

I have been to Iceland, and loved it, so I will follow this closely! Good luck!

Love this style, keep it up Louis. Very unique country which is great

Good luck Louis, nice to see you back!

Helgi Gíslason
DC
DOB: 18/11/1980 

Our season has begun and for me it has begun well! We've played just one home match so far, but our small fanbase has really got behind us even though it isn't the best of starts possible and many of them didn't travel to our first away game - too far, really.

We opened the season well, from a defensive perspective, and from my perspective too. It was a home match on the 17th of May against Vatnaliljur. We were probably the favourites to win the game and we did deserve to, I thought, as we dominated possession and had more shots but sadly none on target. I was pleased with my own performance, too. This was my first game for Mídas so I was keen to impress and I think I did well, making 3 tackles, winning 5 headers, and intercepting 2 passes. Then, after the match, the official assessors nominated me as man of the match which I was really pleased about. I am 33 years old but never before have I made a debut like that - and I have played for a lot of clubs, having left Ármann just last year to join Mídas.

Sadly we dropped points against a weaker side again in the next match in front of just 18 people at Ísbjörninn. We weren't as solid this time out though, which wasn't good. I'd say we deserved to win though, as once again we were the better side even though they took the lead. I took the blame for the first goal but fortunately the manager didn't feel it was anyone's fault in particular. Their winger escaped and I came across to tackle, but he rounded me and crossed for his teammate to score. There was a little controversy earlier in the game too as I pulled someone back when he was clean through but the referee only gave me a yellow card, and Ísbjörnin's English manager Andrew Thompson was furious - he's very much your typical English manager! At least we came back to draw as Magnus Jónsson found the net after an hour, and that was a good goal too; I was pleased for him, because I think he's a player that can make something out of nothing.

Sadly we got our first defeat in the 3rd match and it was a really bad game for us. My fellow centre back and friend Arnar Freyr Ƥorsteinsson had to go off injured. He's a big player for us, too, as he's only 23, but he has played for some bigger clubs before and is a really good leader. We lost that game 4-1, to Elliði, who are one of the better sides in the league. The first goal was disappointing as the defence had a bit of a mix up, but I was subbed just after half time, and it went downhill from there. Magnus Ómarsson was sent off for elbowing an opponent off the ball and received a one match ban, and then they scored from a poorly defended corner. Then the defence fell asleep again and they got a 3rd, so when Ingvi Arason handballed a free kick in the box, and we conceded the penalty, it was all over, though we got a consolation goal late in stoppage time from a Daði Sӕvarsson rocketed in a volley.

I'm not sure if my position in the team is as secure as it was anymore after I was subbed, but I think the performance after that was worse even if it was with just 10 men, so the manager is probably thinking the same thing. This month we'll play Hvíti Riddarinn and Ymir, at home, then Léttir away, which will be almost a local derby. I hope I can play in all of those games, and play well too. We've got to get our first win soon!

unlucky at the start of the season, loving the style

Unnar Elí Axelsson
ST
DOB: 14/12/1998

How obvious was it that that was going to happen? I play in the first league game for Mídas this year, and we draw. Then I'm dropped, we draw again, then we lose 4-1, we play two more draws and I come on as a sub in the last minute in the second, and then I come back to the starting lineup, score, and get Mídas the first win of the campaign! What did they expect me to do?

Obviously, I'm only 15, but I know that I have the talent to succeed at this level and I know I can be, and in fact, already am, better than the other strikers in the team. This is just the 3rd goal the team has scored in 6 games! We aren't very good going forward and the manager knows it, but he kind of employs bulldozer logic - why use your player most likely to score when you're unlikely to score? What, did he learn his tactics in Italy or something?

Anyway, at least if he did then the Italians would be proud, because since the 4-1 loss to Elliði not even 1 goal has gone in. Perhaps there is other factors, as we also got some new keeper, Ƥorgrímur Röðulsson, who actually came just before the start of the season but already had a 3 game ban from his last club, Berserkir, so he couldn't play.

The first match after the loss was against Hvíti riddarinn, who were top having won all of their games until then. That was Röðulsson's debut, and he did alright in that, I reckon. They had 10 shots and even though not many were on target, he did save a penalty that was given for a push in the box. It was quite a good save, mind, even if it was straight down the middle. That was something else quite frustrating for me, and for the other teams - Mídas don't care about fouls, they'll just dive straight in. 16 fouls against Hvíti! They used whatever means to frustrate the opposition and there's been 3 penalties given away already.

Röðdulsson played again for the next match, also at home, against Ymir, who are one of the worse teams in the league. Mídas were expected to win and should win, against teams like Ymir, but again, it was 0-0, and again more fouls committed than the opponents. In fact, Mídas' approach was so defensive again that we only got 1 shot away, from me, after I came on as a substitute, and obviously it was on target. Barely anything else happened in the whole match though.

In the other match, we were to play Léttir who are also from Reykjavik, and they were 3rd then and fortunately they weren't a match for us. Jón Örvar Jóhannsson started the match in goal but soon had to go off injured to be replaced by Röðulsson, and then just a couple minutes after that, Hartmann Heimisson, our centre midfielder, got on the end of Magnus Jónsson's pass, and tapped the ball past a defender, at which point the ball fell to me, and I brilliantly rounded the keeper and slotted in. Then we held out and won the whole thing! See, I knew I would score, and I can only imagine the manager didn't because he seemed surprised when I got it.

Even after a win, we're second bottom with 7 points, but Isbjörninn in last have only two points, and we're only 3 points behind 2nd placed Elliði and they've played one more game. So if the manager continues to play me, things should work out.

Hartmann Heimisson
AMC
DOB: 2/1/1998 

Well, who saw that coming? The 2014 World Cup is now over and Uruguay are the winners, with a 2-1 victory in the Maracana! Perhaps fortunately, the opponent was the Netherlands, but Uruguay knocked out Brazil in the Round of 16, where Spain were knocked out by England, who made it to the semi finals and almost took Uruguay to extra time before a last minute goal from Robert Ortíz (if you recall, I'm using fake players - he's Suarez) .

Meanwhile, we've had our second defeat here at Mídas, but also, we've had our second win. So far this season I've played every Mídas game, and merely got one assist to my name. I was still impressing the manager though, who really seems to rate me. So, I played poorly in our first of our two most recent matches, and promised to make up for it in the second.

It wasn't just me who had been poor in the first match though. The game was against Einherji who were above us in the table and were one of the better sides in the league. But after just 5 minutes our game plan was ruined when they scored directly from a corner, and a few minutes later they made it 2-0. We couldn't get ourselves back into the game, but we tried to, and towards the end it seemed like we could salvage a point but we didn't manage to even bag one goal.

Then our next match was to be against Ármann. We knew Ármann well, we had played them in our pre season tournament and lost, but the manager didn't really know his best side or the best system so we lost 1-0. But for this game, we weren't playing either of our usual captains. So the manager entrusted me with the armband. I told him he would not regret it. Unfortunately for us, Dofri Hannesson, our right back, went off injured just a few minutes in, and had to be replaced by Ingvi Arason, meaning Guðmundur Gústafsson moved to the right. Just a few minutes later, Bjorn Hafsteinsson passed to me in the box and I volleyed the ball over the keeper, and the ball bounced into the net for 1-0. Then, ten minutes from time, Bjorn threaded a ball through again and I latched onto the end of it and fired it past the goalkeeper from close range to score my second goal of the game! Talk about captain fantastic! I got the man of the match award for my efforts, and I was really pleased with my performance because obviously I scored both goals and personally, I don't score too often so it was a nice bonus.

Our next game is in a few days against Vatnallijur. Before that game, our new left back, Júliús Traustason, will have joined the team and probably will make his debut. We've moved up to 5th in the table too, just 2 points off Einherji in 2nd!

Louis story. Nice.