This is the continuation of the SPL FM2010 draft I hosted two years ago, but with an upgraded and expanded format. The goal is to have 16 competitive teams that are dominating world football for the better part of our eight seasons!
It will start when we've gotten close to fill the league, so it might be next week or at a later stage.
I will place our picks into the Swedish clubs on 10 + year contracts at 1 k GBP/week with a twilight of the career transfer arranged in advance. That way your world-class players will be happy with a normal workers' weekly wage throughout their time at the club!
I've reinstated two relegated clubs from the 2008 season to create more regional variation (Sundsvall) and historical relevance (Norrköping) in place of their fourth Stockholm and Gothenburg teams that have very few fans in attendance anyway.
We will draft 22 players per team, but importantly, if you feel that the second XI is too much work you can outsource your final picks, so have no worries about it
The rules are:
You choose an eligible club of the 16 top-flight clubs from the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Draft order is a combination of city size and 2008 club performances.
You will be given the chosen team's formation later today once I have time to check the teams out at home but assume 4-4-2 upon signup since that dominated the league at the time.
Two circles of 11 picks to be completed in a snake draft. First and backup XI.
Five players must either be born in the 1990s or Swedish nationals to fill the HG quota where max 17 players can be trained outside a nation. Please no more or no fewer to save the limited pool of 90s-born players for other drafters.
The teams are simulated in Football Manager 2010 with my manager profile on vacation for eight editions of domestic football and seven seasons of continental one. It runs from the start of pre-season around Christmas 2008 to the final game of the Club World Cup in December 2016.
Point system will be dependent on 16 teams signing up but I intend to go with 25-20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0 for the league similar to motorcycle racing's point system with 1 point per each stage in the Champions League and the Swedish Cup. Will publish all of it later.
Teams:
1. Gothenburg (EL)
2. AIK
3. Malmö, PoetryInMotion
4. Hammarby
5. Djurgården
6. GAIS
7. Örgryte
8. Kalmar (CL)
9. Elfsborg (EL)
10. Helsingborg (EL)
11. Halmstad
12. Trelleborg
13. Gefle
14. Sundsvall
15. Norrköping
16. Örebro, Linudden
Club info:
Spoiler
Gothenburg, Blue and white stripes, blue shorts, blue socks
The only Swedish club to win not just one, but two, European trophies, lifting the 1982 and 1987 UEFA Cups in the club's dominant 80s-90s era which also saw a penalty shootout loss to Barcelona in the 1986 European Cup semi finals and winning its 1994 Champions League group over Man United and Barcelona. The blue-whites are the largest club in the port city of Gothenburg on the country's west coast. This is Sweden's second largest city and has a sizeable rivalry with Stockholm. It was also the club of Glenn Hysén some years before he arrived at Anfield.
AIK, Black shirts, white shorts, black socks with yellow trimmed shirts and socks
The main club of Northern Stockholm with a 1999 Champions League group stage appearance and a 1997 Cup Winners' Cup quarter final as the biggest moments outside of Sweden. They have some of the largest attendances in Nordic football and are widely known as a club people are very seldom neutral about. Either people support them or despise them.
Malmö FF, Sky blue shirts, white shorts, sky blue socks
The only club in Sweden or the Nordics to have reached the European Cup final, Malmö appeared in 1979 final against Nottingham Forest, losing 1-0. After Forest's declination of the inviation, the club also got to represent Europe in the Intercontinental Cup that same year, again losing out in the final. In recent decades Malmö have been reviving themselves as the sporting and financial powerhouse of Swedish football, with three Champions League group stage appearances since 2014.
Hammarby, Green-white stripes, green shorts, white socks
The traditional workers' club of South Stockholm, Hammarby have been a perennial underachiever throughout the club's history save for a memorable 2001 title where the manager got sacked after breaking the near-century drought! Hammarby are more famous for the supporters' culture than the performances on the pitch, although they had a strong title challenge in 2019 that ultimately fell short. Nowadays, Hammarby are also notable for Zlatan Ibrahimovic owning 22 % of the club.
Djurgården, Sky blue-navy blue stripes, navy blue shorts, navy blue socks
The traditional upper-class east side Stockholm club have diversified its support base a lot in recent decades and are now more similar to AIK and Hammarby in that sense. Often vying with AIK for top spot among the capital clubs, Djurgården had a very successful 00s with three league titles in four seasons before enduring a 14-year drought. This ended in 2019 and since a couple of years back, Djurgården have been a powerful force again.
GAIS, Green-black stripes, white shorts, white socks
This working class Gothenburg club has never won the domestic league but had a few good years in the top flight around the turn of the 2010s. Known for their very distinct green and black stripes, they used to be a rather competitive club back in the day before slipping into obscurity. Either way, as far as cult teams go, GAIS are very high on any Sweden-specific list.
Örgryte, Red shirt, navy blue shorts, white socks
Coming from the well-off namesake neighbourhood, Örgryte dominated the early proceedings of Swedish football in the pre World War I-era and as a result racked up a lot of domestic titles before it became a national sport. The only title in the past century came in 1985 and since the 2009 relegation Örgryte have languished in the second and third tiers in spite of having a solid support base within Gothenburg. In modern times, the club is best remembered for introducing Afonso Alves to Swedish football and finishing third back in 2002.
Häcken, Yellow-black stripes, black shorts, black socks
Häcken or 'the wasps' is a neighbourhood club in Northwestern Gothenburg that grew to prominence thanks to hosting the youth tournament Gothia Cup which brought in vast sums of revenue to a club with very little support. Still to this day, Häcken remains the fourth club in Gothenburg in terms of support but has regardless of that won the Swedish Cup, finished as runners-up in Allsvenskan and played some in Europe during the 2010s and 2020s.
Kalmar, Red shirt, white shorts, red socks
Kalmar is a picturesque medieval port town of about 40,000 people in south-east Sweden which is the gateway to the island of Öland, one of the most important summer destinations in the Nordics. The town's red-white KFF team managed to win the 2008 Allsvenskan and as a result will give you the headstart of entering the Champions League qualifiers. Enjoying a passionate small-town following, Kalmar FF is a good choice for any adventurous drafting location.
Elfsborg, Yellow shirt, black shorts, yellow socks
The city of Borås receives more precipitation than any large English city due to its higher position near the west coast. The yellow-blacks have a passionate following and regularly get close to fill the 18,000-seat stadium in spite of the city being in the high five-figure range for inhabitants. Being second in 2008, choosing Elfsborg will give you a chance to test your skills in the Europa League and also to resume a fierce West Sweden rivalry with the Gothenburg clubs.
Helsingborg, Red shirt, blue shorts, red socks
Being the closest point in Sweden to Denmark, Helsingborg has always been an important port city. Their football team has often punched above the weight of a city with slightly fewer than 100,000 people in it. In 2000, Helsingborg became one of just four Swedish clubs who have participated in the Champions League group stages after knocking Inter out after a famous penalty save by 'San Siro Sven' Andersson from Álvaro Recoba. In recent times, Helsingborg have failed to live up to those heights but broke through and won the 2011 title in between the chaotic periods. The team were in the Europa League for the 2009 season so you'll be among four teams playing in Europe if you select them.
Halmstad, Blue shirt, black shorts, blue socks
A town of 60 k-ish people on the beaches of the Kattegatt branch of the North Atlantic, Halmstad is prone to some drastic weather swings and so has the fortunes of its main football team been. Playing at the ancient Örjans Vall, the side developed the infamous methods of Roy Hodgson in the 1970s and then grew to be a proper giant killer in Swedish football and occasionally shocking sides in Europe as well. With Fredrik Ljungberg as the star on the wing, the 1997 title was won and it was repeated without him in 2000. Four years later the last hurrah was had when the side pushed Malmö to the final round. While reality has caught up, Halmstad is still a classic club in a rather nice town and a good choice in many respects.
Trelleborg, Blue shirt, white shorts, white socks
Trelleborg is a windy small town with about 30,000 people in it on the south coast of Sweden. Merely 50 miles from Germany, Trelleborg is a major ferry and cargo port with a strong industrial heritage. The football team have done some remarkable things for a small town, especially back in the 1990s when the would-be Premier League winners Blackburn bit the dust against Trelleborg in the UEFA Cup. In recent decades, not even a strong football club and a close relationship to Malmö for young loanees has helped the TFF to stay in the top flight for most of the time, but if you like sunny weather and feel at home closer to Liverpool's latitude, Trelleborg are a team for you.
Gefle, Sky blue shirt, white shorts, sky blue socks
Back in 2009 the board of Gefle pulled a Vincent Tan on their fans and changed their colours from sky blue to Spurs over the winter to the rage of their supporters. I've not had that so I've changed their colours back. Nowadays in real life they play in Argentina stripes after a compromise was reached. Gefle are the northernmost team in the top flight at the time of this draft and have winters cold enough for permanent snow cover most of the time. The club does not have great tradition, but the town itself has the RAWK favourite Gävle Goat so if you like to follow that one I'm sure Gefle are a good team for you!
Sundsvall, Blue shirt, white shorts, blue socks
The northernmost team to feature in this draft selection some 350 miles north of Stockholm, the GIF Sundsvall first entered the top flight in 2000 and became the first club in the northern regions to spend multiple consecutive seasons in the top division. Set on some high hills on the coastline, the climate of Sundsvall isn't as cold as people would think with summers being 22 degrees and winter highs being about -2. Regardless, as far as an adventure goes, this club definitely has what it takes. I've removed the fourth Gothenburg club Häcken for them because no-one would miss Häcken if they got demoted!
Norrköping, White shirt, blue shorts, white socks
The closest team to where I live, my large municipality ends 15 miles from the urban area. It was the dominant club in Sweden in the post-war era, with both Nils Liedholm and Gunnar Nordahl obliterating defences before moving to Milan. There have only been two titles since the 1960s, although the latest came in 2015. Back during the game though, Norrköping were mired in the second tier but I decided to replace pointless Brommapojkarna with them because 13 national championships don't lie. It's also better to have a bit more geographical diversity and reflect the current shape of the top flight better. Norrköping are a constant top five club nowadays, punching well above the weight for a city of about 90,000 inhabitants. If you want a truly iconic club from a smaller place, this is the one for you!
Örebro, White shirt, black shorts, white socks
My university town and second home. There's no way I'm letting anyone else have Örebro even though they're not my preferred Swedish team. The largest club without a national title in Sweden, Örebro came agonizingly close to ending the drought in 1994. Since then the club has been peak-and-valley and are currently set to head down to the second tier for the 2022 season.
I hope as many of you as possible sign up, if we can't fill the full 16, I will draft the remaining teams
after the 22 players have been picked for each side in order to further damage the top European clubs
We need at least 12 teams though to go ahead.
