Asunto: World Cup Qualification

Line-up against Turkey:

Olgeir Guðgeirsson
Finn Sjøberg
Atli Már Thomasson
Even Dybdal
Þórir Þráinnsson
Gustav Sveinbjörnsson
Halfdan Ludvigsen
Viðar Sæmundsson
Kristinn Sturlaugsson
Jon Bjelland
Jón Ingi Emilsson
Veigar Sigursteinnsson
Jónharður Kristófersson
Ingimar Ómarsson
Ívan Runólfsson
Bent Thorsen

Tomorrow or on Sunday I will make a conclusion about this season.
If any Island manager plans to run in the elections, then let me know. Just interested.

NT news:
Bergþór Dagbjartsson is removed from NT. His owner is gone from the game, so it means he isn`t being trained. Secondly he wasn´t good enough anyway.
(editado)

Finally the first point. We deserved it and it is a good way to end this awful season in this tough group. Soon I will make the conclusion about this season.

Good job Vilpu :)

Go Ísland! :D

There are only friendly matches for Island in new season. Therefore there will be created two cups -unofficial U21 World Cup and The new countries cup. I think the best choice for Island would be the New countries cup, because we would get useful ranking points.
Better ranking in the world would give us a chance to get more easier World Cup group.

The season conclusion is only half done.
As I have told previously I have no time in the Summer, only work, work and did I mention work already?
This is the only reason I won´t run for this job again. Maybe I´ll try again after next season.

On Saturday morning Island will play a away friendly against Australia. We will use our U21 squad, Aussies on the other hand gonna use their "seasonal competition" line-up. We have played them once in past. Then we drawed 1:1. Bent Thorsen scored a goal back then.

I am going to use a new tactics. Already can`t wait to see how it works. There are many players with very low stamina playing tomorrow, therefore I am going
to take a risk a will make all three substitutions after first half. I hope to draw at least. Losing against them would be bit disappointing.


U-21 squad
Viðar Sæmundsson
Kristinn Sturlaugsson
Gerður Petersson
Jón Ingi Emilsson
Olgeir Guðgeirsson
Bjarki Friðþjófsson
Hjalti Ævarsson
Ívan Runólfsson
Bent Thorsen
Veigar Sigursteinnsson
Finn Sjøberg
Atli Már Thomasson
Even Dybdal
Gustav Sveinbjörnsson
Jónharður Kristófersson
Hlöðver Ásþórsson

Yesterday we got decent draw against Australia. This was our second friendly against them and they haven`t won us yet. Island played very well, because during the second half we were in minority. Firstly Petersson got injured and 20 minutes later Sturlaugsson got a red card. New tactics was pretty ok. Our high wingers were very good, especially Sturlaugsson, who in many occasions just dribbled through Aussies defence. He was surely the man of the match.

Next time I won´t make all three substitutions right at the beginning of second half. I got a tough lesson yesterday.

In 6 days we will play a another U21friendly against Hrvatska (Croatia).

PS! Tomorrow will start the elections!

One of our strikers on TL.

End of bidding: 29.06.2007 09:11

Jón Ingi Emilsson, age: 21
value: 2 972 000 kr, wage: 30 000 kr
club: KKS PODWODNIAKI, country: Ísland
solid form, very good tactical discipline

adequate stamina, hopeless keeper
excellent pace, adequate defender
formidable technique, adequate playmaker
hopeless passing, very good striker
(editado)

Wow. He's quite good actually. I didn't know that Iceland had such quality players. In a few seasons he will be quite a machine.

pff, Mark Armannsson and Birkir Hilmarsson are much better ;)

Then Island's future should be quite good.

Nah, just joking ;)

But they will be much better though :)

Saturday - will you play with the same squad? I dunno, but friday they will all get older, and 21 year olds will turn 22 then...

Thanks for reminding me

Tomorrow we have a U21 match against Hrvatska. I have just set up
the tactics and our line-up and what I see - Our U21 is much weaker, than last season.
Several our star players are now 22, therefore I hope the new NT manager won`t
participate in U21 WC. The most important is to collect ranking points.
Why are we weaker? First of all the biggest weakness is our midfield - only one decent
player there, Sturlaugsson. Up front we have only Bjelland and Thorsen, if they would
have max stamina, then it wouldn´t be a problem. Defense is pretty good. Dybdal,
Thomasson, Þráinnsson, Kristófersson are only 21y old, and Sveiny is 20.
Keepers are also good, Sigursteinnsson will be soon our first keeper.

Line up against Hrvatska
Veigar Sigursteinnsson
Even Dybdal
Atli Már Thomasson
Jónharður Kristófersson
Gustav Sveinbjörnsson
Hjalti Ævarsson
Þórir Þráinnsson
Hlöðver Ásþórsson
Eyjölfur Elvarsson
Bent Thorsen
Jon Bjelland
Olgeir Guðgeirsson
Atli Már Johnsson
Bjarki Friðþjófsson
Valtýr Guðbjartsson
Mark Ármannsson
(editado)
(editado)

Today we lost the U-21 friendly against Hrvatska (croatia) 0:4.
I wouldn`t say there were much better, just had more luck, than we had. Really sad the Thorsen didn´t use his super chance in the first half. We could have taken the lead.

If anyone checked the ages of our players today, then you saw, that strikers weren`t the best ones, I mean the subs - Valtýr Guðbjartsson and Mark Ármannsson are only 18 and 19 years old. In midfield we are very weak - our best U-21 mid Strurlaugsson were out due to red card. Other MIDs are not the worst ones, but they all have one problem - too damn slow. Defense is our strongest side.

Next week we`ll play against Israel U21 squad.
I haven`t decided which line-up to use.
I´ll probably use our back-up players to give some motivation to their owners.
I did the same thing a season ago aswell.
This is the right thing to do.
(editado)