Casual Calcio | #1 | A New Challenge

Welcome (back) to the story of Jens Richter that was previously known as “The Nordic Journey” and which has now been renamed to “Casual Calcio”.
In this episode, you’ll find out where exactly Jens ended up following his resignation as manager of IFK Värnamo in Sweden at the end of 2027. A brief summary of the first season at his new club is also included.

The Nordic Journey | #7 | Time To Say Goodbye

Welcome back to episode number seven of “The Nordic Journey”!
In this episode, you’ll find out whether Jens Richter decided to stay at IFK Värnamo for another season or not and how the 2027 season unfolded. Towards the end of this blog, some further changes to this series going forwards will also be introduced.

The Nordic Journey | #6 | Third Time Lucky?

Welcome back to “The Nordic Journey”!
Following a second top three Allsvenskan finish in only his second season at IFK Värnamo, Jens Richter was looking to go one step further with his team by winning their first piece of major silverware. In this episode, you’ll find out whether Richter and his team were actually able to do that in the 2026 season or not.

The Nordic Journey | #5 | A Rollercoaster Ride

Welcome back to “The Nordic Journey”!
During his first season at IFK Värnamo, Jens Richter took his new side to 2nd place in the Allsvenskan against all odds and ensured the club’s first participation in an European competition, even though it was “just” the second qualifying round of the European Conference League. In this post, you’ll find out if Richter managed to keep up this kind of form in the 2025 season and how his side did in their first European campaign.

The Nordic Journey | #4 | Expect The Unexpected

Welcome back to my FM22 save “The Nordic Journey”!
Last time we met, Jens Richter had just gotten Torslanda IK promoted to the Ettan Södra, the Swedish 3rd division, at the end of the 2023 season. A lot has happened in the twelve months that have passed since, so let’s get through it!

The Nordic Journey | #3 | Onwards and Upwards

Welcome back to the third part of “The Nordic Journey”!
Last time we met, Jens Richter got the job as manager of Torlsanda IK, a club in the Division 2 Västra Götaland, one of Sweden’s regional 4th tiers. An impressive first season at the club – especially compared to his short time at IFK Kumla – saw Richter and his team in a promotion battle. In the end, it wasn’t to be, but Richter still performed well above expectations. In this blog, you’ll find out whether it was enough to earn him a contract extension at Torslanda or not, and how the 2023 season went from his point of view.

The Nordic Journey | #2 | The Second First Step

Welcome back!
In the previous episode of “The Nordic Journey”, Jens Richter made his first, rather disappointing, step in football management. An intensive relegation battle ended in his team getting relegated from the Swedish 4th tier, which consequently saw him sacked. Whilst it was a far from ideal start, he was determined to prove his worth elsewhere in the footballing world. In this episode, you’ll find out where Jens Richter ended up next and whether he managed to stay in charge of his new team beyond the final match of his first season with them.

The Nordic Journey | #1 | The First Step

Welcome (back)! Following the prologue, this is the first proper episode of “The Nordic Journey”. It summarizes Jens Richter’s first season as an inexperienced football manager in the nordic countries, during which he was involved in a very intense relegation battle. Has his team come out on top of this battle or has he added a first relegation to his managerial CV? Read on to find that out yourself!

The Nordic Journey | #0 | Prologue

It was about two and a half or three years ago that I – Oaky – first stumbled across FM Athlete’s journeyman blogs. I was hooked to the concept immediately and thought of starting a journeyman myself ahead of each of the three Football Manager versions that have since been released. Whilst I ended up mainly managing in the Netherlands on FM20 and in France on FM21, the idea of a journeyman never disappeared, hence why I ended up moving across a couple of leagues towards the end of each of these saves. For FM22, I considered a wide variety of saves, ranging from managing in the Indonesian 2nd division to participating in the ‘dafuge’-challenge to a “building a nation” in Iceland. For a variety of reasons, most of these saves didn’t materialise. The only idea that stuck around through it all was the idea of a journeyman. In this post, I’ll be introducing the journey’s main protagonist, his (eventual) destinations and aims, as well as the save’s technical background.