Norwegian Tippeligaen Review 2010

You just didn’t know if you wanted to laugh, cry, or go to sleep: the Tippeliga season 2010 was, quite simply, tranquilizingly unexciting. Having gone the whole campaign unbeaten, Rosenborg won their 22nd league title, and their 19th since 1985. They did, however, miss out on the chance of competing for their tenth Cup triumph (and seventh Double), having sensationally been beaten at the semi-final stage – in what was arguably the game of the season – by the pink-clad part-timers of Follo, a club which will start next season at the Third level: having avoided relegation from the Adeccoliga by a single point, they were, heartbreakingly and bizarrely, demoted for having failed to meet the deadline for a professional lisence application. There was to be no consolation in the Cup Final, either, Strømsgodset winning an uninspiring encounter 2-0 following first half headers from Ola Kamara and Glenn Andersen, to bring the Kongepokal (King’s Cup) back to Drammen for the fifth time.

Laudably, the Federation has taken action to encourage (or force) clubs to run financially responsible operations: this summer, bankrupt former champions Lyn were demoted to the Fifth division, their results in the first half of the Adeccoliga season being declared null and void, while recently five clubs – Brann and Strømsgodset of the Tippeliga and Bodø/Glimt, Løv/Ham and relegated Moss of the Adeccoliga – received formal letters of warning regarding their financial conduct, and may start next season with a points deduction in case of continued failure to comply with League regulations. Even the mighty Rosenborg – impossibly wealthy by Norwegian standards – recorded a deficit of 44 million kroner (approx. £4 million) in the last financial year, and have been told in no uncertain terms that they need to put their house in order. “We want a strong Rosenborg which can be competitive in Europe”, said Federation President Yngve Hallén, “but the club must also balance its books”.

Alas, chances are it will be some time before Rosenborg or any other Norwegian club can be competitive in Europe. Performances have been woeful for several seasons now but, then again, why should the clubs take European competition seriously when their fans clearly do not? For their first Europa League qualifying home games, Stabæk and Molde managed to attract 1134 and 2343 spectators respectively, which – even allowing for the slightly mitigating circumstance that the games in question took place during most people’s summer holidays – was nothing short of pathetic.

The truth is fans are voting with their feet. Since the record year of 2007, when Tippeliga games attracted an average of 10 473 spectators, attendances have been in steady decline, and no wonder. Several theories have been put forward to explain the current predicament – after-effects of the global finance crisis, over-saturation in the media, the 2009 expansion from fourteen to sixteen clubs – yet while all these factors no doubt play their part, the bottom line is surely that people can’t be bothered because the quality of competition really isn’t very good? Well before the season started, everyone knew who would win the title, the idendity of the relegated teams came as no surprise, and only Rosenborg, runners-up Vålerenga, Cup-winners Strømsgodset and promoted Haugesund could be accused of playing entertaining football on a regular basis. The good news is that the latter three all have young teams, and should be capable of improving further if (and, particularly in the case of Strømsgodset, that’s a big if) they can keep their best players.

To the surprise of all and delight of many, the Second Coming took place Molde last week, as Ole Gunnar Solskjær returned to the club where he started his professional career as a 21-year-old in 1994. I’ve previously expressed my reservations about Solskjær the manager, however it can’t be denied that he’s got media presence: Molde, who finished 11th this term, are already being trumpeted as potential title winners next season. If that happens, I’ll eat a 1999 vintage Manchester United replica shirt with salt and vinegar on it but, for all my hardened scepticism, I can’t help but feel ever-so-slightly intrigued by what’s afoot in the City of Roses. Inevitably, there’s been speculation that Molde will now become an official Old Trafford feeder club, and although Solskjær has been hesitant to confirm any such arrangement, he hasn’t denied it either, and it’s not exactly a well-kept secret that he wants to take United’s Norwegian academy players Joshua King and Magnus Wolff-Eikrem on loan in the upcoming transfer window.

Elsewhere, Brann and Stabæk – League winners in 2007 and 2008 respectively – endured miserable campaigns, and can console themselves only by the knowledge that next year will probably be even worse. Stabæk have already lost coach Jan Jönsson to Rosenborg, while Brann will lose virtually all their remaining decent players: veteran captain Eirik Bakke is going home to the fjords to join Adeccoliga winners Sogndal, fellow midfielders Jan Gunnar Solli and Petter Vaagan Moen have opted for metropolitan life, moving to New York and London to join the Red Bulls and QPR, while local hero Erik Huseklepp will also surely take his lanky frame and sublime ball skills elsewhere. Although it would be false to claim that either side at any point threatened to entertain anyone except their most committed fans, Odd Grenland and Start will be quietly satisfied with the results obtained this season, while traditional powerhouses Lillestrøm and Viking day-dream about former glories in a futile and increasingly desperate attempt at ignoring a pitiful present.

Having sold star midfielder Eirik Mjelde to Brann before the season, everyone predicted the whalers from Sandefjord would go down without a fight, and so it proved: they even managed to create history in the process, going 23 games without a win to beat one of Norwegian football’s oldest records. (It should be noted, however, that back in 1975 there were only twelve teams in the First division, which means poor Os actually went an entire season without winning. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they haven’t been back in the top-flight since.) Kongsvinger also went down, but their fans will be pleased by the very fact that the club still exists, having been hours from liquidation at more than one point during the season. (Mysteriously, however, they are not among the clubs which have received official warnings regarding their financial conduct from the Federation.) Sarpsborg 08 were promoted alongside Sogndal, while Hønefoss and Fredrikstad will contest a relegation/promotion-play off this coming weekend.

And that, at long last, is that. The season is over, and it’s fair to say it hasn’t been a vintage one. Still, there are those who did reasonably well, and so the time has come for your humble correspondent to honour the great and the good of the Norwegian game by naming my

TEAM OF THE SEASON* (4-1-3-2 “Wingless Wonders” formation):

Goalkeeper:

Anders Lindegaard (Aalesund). Tall, blond, arrogant and Danish: no wonder Manchester United (allegedly) want to sign him. His consistency was arguably the single most important reason for AaFK’s impressive fourth-place finish, and he also won recognition at international level, Denmark coach Morten Olsen handing him his first cap in the Euro qualifier v Iceland.

(Honorary mention: Adam Larsen Kwarasey (Strømsgodset). Agile, ever-improving youngster who enjoyed an excellent season. Dreams of representing fatherland Ghana at the next World Cup.)

Left-back:

Mikael Dorsin (Rosenborg). Ever-present captain of the undefeated champions. An enthusiastic overlapper who contributes greatly to the fluidity of Rosenborg’s system. Has won league titles in Norway and Romania as well as his native Sweden.

(Honorary mention: Joakim Våge Nilsen (Haugesund). Shy off the pitch, remarkably confident on it, the teenager and his thunderbolt left-foot were key components in the fine performances of promoted surprise package Haugesund, who were unbeaten at home until the penultimate round of the season, and finished a creditable sixth.)

Centre-back:

Miika Koppinen (Tromsø). Perhaps most famous internationally for having scored the goal which brought down Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge back in 2007, the Finnish veteran has been imperious in his second spell with Gutan (the Boys in the local accent). Strong in the air and absolutely ruthless on the ground.

(Honorary mention: Frode Kippe (Lillestrøm). The former Liverpool defender continues to lead by example in his tenth season with the Canaries: no particularly subtle operator, but tough and tenacious and also weighs in with his fair share of goals.)

Centre-back:

Vadim Demidov (Rosenborg). The son of a former Russian international handball player, he capped a fine club season with an exceptional performance in Norway’s Euro qualifying defeat of Portugal in September. Due to join Real Sociedad in Spain in the upcoming transfer window.

(Honorary mention: André Muri (Vålerenga). Rarely steals any headlines, but played every minute of every league game without collecting a single booking, and for that achievement deservedly collected the Federation’s Fair Play award.)

Right-back:

Mikal Lustig (Rosenborg). Tall, fast and technically skilled, he’s arguably the only player in the Tippeliga adept at crossing the ball (!) Rumour had it he was on his way to Serie A in the summer transfer window, which provoked veteran coach Nils Arne Eggen into a trademark eccentric rant, bewilderingly condemning the “drunken and violent behaviour” of Lecce players and officials at La Manga a decade ago. (Eggen, it later transpired, had misheard a question from a local journalist, and thought the club in question was Leicester.)

(Honorary mention: Tom Høgli (Tromsø). “Who?” Thus spoke newly-appointed France coach Laurent Blanc ahead of the August friendly at Ullevaal. For your information, Laurent, Høgli was in fact joint top scorer at the 2006 VIVA World Cup, as Sapmi finished winners ahead of Monaco, Occitannia and Southern Cameroon. Fast and extremely disciplined, he’s now Norway’s undisputed first-choice right-back, finally providing a solution to what has been a problem position since time immemorial for the national side.)

Defensive midfielder (and Player of the Season):

Anthony Annan (Rosenborg). No stranger to controversy – he (allegedly) bit Aalesund forward Thor Hogne Aarøy in the chest (!) and gave André Muri the full Vinnie Jones treatment – but also by far the most accomplished player in the League, a truly exceptional ball-winner of tremendous stamina and spirit. Excelled for Ghana at the World Cup, too, and it is frankly a complete mystery that he’s still at Lerkendal.

(Honorary mention: Serigne Kara Mbodj (Tromsø). As elsewhere in Europe, Africans rule in the holding position. Tall and born in Senegal, it should come as no surprise that the 21-year-old has been linked with a move to a certain club in North London. Started his career with the Diambars Academy, established by former France internationals Bernard Lama and, yes, Patrick Vieira.)

Midfielder (centre-left):

Petter Vaagan Moen (Brann). “Mjøsa’s Beckham” somehow managed to excel in what was otherwise a truly miserable campaign for the 2007 Tippeliga champions. Deployed centrally for much of the season, rather than in his usual position on the left, the baby-faced dead-ball expert scored a career-high fourteen goals and won a recall to the national team. Will join QPR in the January transfer window.

(Honorary mention: Ruben Yttergård Jenssen (Tromsø). At 22, a key man for his hometown club. Mobile, technically gifted and adept at linking defence with attack, he made his international bow in the June friendly v Montenegro.)

Midfielder (centre):

Harmeet Singh. (Vålerenga). Top assist-maker of the season at eleven, and kingpin of the league’s most consistently attractive side. Egil Olsen recently stated he’s looking for more creativity in midfield, so why he’s yet to summon Singh for international duty is anyone’s guess, although the playmaker probably didn’t endear himself to anyone within the national team setup by declaring that “playing for Norway looks very boring”.

(Honorary mention: Johan Arneng (Aalesund). Swedish one-man engine room and captain of a side which, while rarely enjoyable to watch, was always fiercely competitive. Capped twice in 2004, he’s available on a Bosman free and, although there is talk he might be joining Lillestrøm, seems keen to play out his career in his homeland, where he enjoyed title success with Djurgården both in 2003 and 2005.)

Midfielder (centre-right) (and Newcomer of the Season):

Markus Henriksen (Rosenborg). From virtual unknown to full international recognition in less than six months: Henriksen’s first full season has arguably been the finest of any Tippeliga player since John Carew’s breakthrough at Vålerenga back in 1997. Week in, week out, the 18-year-old showed remarkable skill, physical strength, composure and tactical maturity, and while he might lack the pace required at the very highest level, he remains an immensely exciting prospect for club and country alike.

(Honorary mention: Umaru Bangura (Hønefoss). The Sierra Leone midfielder, who played at the 2003 U-17 World Cup in Finland and later had a spell at Watford, may have found working conditions difficult during his club’s first ever season in the top flight, but nonetheless proved himself one of the finest passers in Norway. Rumoured to be on the wish-list of Rosenborg, who tend to get their man.)

Striker:

Baye Djiby Fall (Molde). So good they named him after a season, a religious doctrine, an Albert Camus novel and a Manchester post-punk band. The Tippeliga may be home to more elegant forwards, but certainly none more effective. The physically-imposing Senegalese, who, despite being only 25, has already played in France, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates and Russia as well as Norway, scored sixteen goals to finish league top-scorer and save his struggling side from relegation. On loan this season from Lokomotiv Moscow and, for reasons best known to themselves, Molde haven‘t exercised their option to buy. Even so, Fall should have little problem finding gainful employment elsewhere.

(Honorary mention: Ole Martin Årst (Start). Having battled persistent injury for two years, the only man to have been top goalscorer both in Norway (Tromsø 2005) and Belgium (Gent 2000), decided to retire from the game last October. Come March, however, the thirtysix-year-old had changed his mind, signed a new contract at the Sør Arena and was richly and deservedly rewarded for his persistence, scoring twelve league goals in a remarkable swansong season.)

Striker:

Nikola Djurdic (Haugesund). Maverick Serb whose partnership with Tomas Sørum was one of the most attractive sights of the season, inducing panic in many an opposition defence with their understanding and constant movement. With respect to Sørum, however, Djurdic was clearly the brain behind the duo’s success, time and again creating space where none seemed to exist thanks to his vision and fine ball skills.

(Honorary mention: Luton Shelton (Vålerenga). Jamaican speed-merchant who’s been a man reformed since returning from a loan spell with Aalborg in the Danish Superliga. Initially deployed as a central striker and derided by fans for his inability to translate his obvious talent into goals, he found a new lease of life drifting in from the left, scoring a dozen goals and constantly stretching defences thanks to his incredible acceleration.)

Coach:

Ronny Deila (Strømsgodset). Former central defender who’s been a revelation in his first post as head coach. Encourages attacking football, puts a premium on discipline and fair play, and never makes cheap excuses: his young and exuberant Strømsgodset side have been brilliant at times on home (plastic) turf at Marienlyst, but frequently struggle on their travels. Still, Deila comes across as a genuinely lovely man as well as a highly talented coach, and it’s no surprise that there’s been talk linking him with more prestigious clubs. Strømsgodset sporting director Jostein Flo, however, has been dismissive of such speculation. “I have an agreement with Ronny”, said the notorious former Norway forward following the triumph in the Cup Final. “He will remain in Drammen for several seasons yet.” Here’s hoping.

(Honorary mention: Jostein Grindhaug (Haugesund). The South-Western port of Haugesund is (allegedly) the birthplace of Marilyn Monroe’s paternal grandfather and hosts an annual film festival, but there is, truth be told, little glamour about the team that Jostein built. Rather, it’s a cohesive and craftily constructed unit, built upon solid team-work and the mobility of their striking duo. In any case Grindhaug deserves high praise for leading a club of limited resources to safety and a sixth-place finish in their comeback season in the top flight.)

*Please note that I’ve only considered for inclusion individuals who played the full League season in Norway. (Hence the absence of, for example, Vålerenga/Hannover’s Moa.)

Remember how earlier I was raving about the Red Bulls and defending champions, Real Salt Lake, and how both of them would be likely candidates to go deep into the playoffs, maybe even winning it?

Well, about that…

New York was knocked out by San Jose (who feature Geovanni, once of Hull City and Barcelona), despite winning the first leg in San Jose. They only won, though, 1-0, due to Jon Busch, the San Jose goalkeeper who made several fantastic saves in the first and second legs. San Jose started quickly, and Bobby Convey finished after 6 minutes, after a cross and knock down. It was a deserved lead, as San Jose had been pressing for the first 6 minutes.

New York came back into the game, but several fantastic saves from Busch prevented an equaliser. San Jose scored again in the 76th minute, with that many Convey, who was playing left back, scoring, completing a lovely move that he started. New York got a goal back, with 17 year old Juan Agudelo (just called up for the US National team), replacing Theirry Henry, who had been injured, crossing for Juan Pablo Angel to nod home, scoring his last goal for the Red Bulls. With no away goal rule, extra time was looking necessary until top scorer Chris Wondolowski scored a lovely header to seal the tie for San Jose. It’s been a great year for Wondolowski, having scored 18 goals in 26 matches, and surely a call up to the national team isn’t far away.

Meanwhile, my other pick to reach the final, Real Salt Lake, crashed out against FC Dallas. They only lost 2-1 away, and then Dallas went to Salt Lake, got the first goal, and FC Dallas defended extremely well, with the goalkeeper making crucial saves. Robbie Findley would score in the 79th minute, but it was too late for Real.

In other results, Los Angeles completely outplayed Seattle, and will now face FC Dallas, while Colorado, who beat Columbus, will play San Jose. My predictions so far have been bad, but I think Los Angeles and San Jose will go through, and give a Californian feel to the final, which is in Toronto.

Norway: The next generation

As the international transfer window slams shut, relatively few players will have left the Tippeliga to seek pastures new. Vålerenga striker Mohammed ”Moa” Abdellaoue joined Hannover 96 for a fee of about £1million, Molde’s left wing-back Knut Olav Rindarøy has moved to Deportivo La Coruña on a season-long loan, while Rosenborg centre-back Vadim Demidov has signed a pre-contract with Real Sociedad and will join the Basque outfit in January on a Bosman free.

Elsewhere, another Rosenborg player, namely Swedish right-back Mikal Lustig, has been linked to a move to Serie A with Lecce, while a formerly hot transfer target such as Brann forward Erik Huseklepp has shown little or nothing domestically this season to attract potential new employers abroad (although he may have set their pulses racing with his brace against France in the recent friendly). Even the league’s by far most accomplished player, Ghanaian World Cup hero Anthony Annan, remains marooned in Trondheim, the move to France or Italy which seemed inevitable a month ago so far having failed to materialise.

A notable development of recent transfer windows has been the lack of interest shown in Tippeliga players from English clubs. (Fulham were among Moa’s suitors, but never tabled a formal offer, and apart from that it’s been quiet.) The truth is that the last successful transfer directly from Norway to the Premier League was Morten Gamst Pedersen’s to Blackburn in 2004. Brede Hangeland arrived in London via Copenhagen, Daniel Braathen was an abject failure at Bolton (although he’s now doing well in France) and Hangeland’s club-mate Bjørn Helge Riise is on the substitute’s bench at best. Although England remains the dream destination for most Norwegians, the young prospects listed in the talent guide below may have to learn to harbour more flexible ambitions.

Last time, I gave a fairly thorough presentation of Vålerenga midfielder Harmeet Singh: today I’ll profile nine more Tippeliga youngsters who may have an impact on European football over the next decade. The players have been chosen by the following criteria: they must be born in 1987 or later, they must be eligible to play for the Norwegian national team and they must presently be playing club football in Norway. That’s it. Here goes:

Jo Inge Berget

• Born: September 11th 1990
• Club: Strømsgodset
• Position: attacking midfielder/striker

During his first spell as national team coach in the 1990s, Egil Olsen made the oft-ridiculed remark that his ambition for Norway was to become ”the best side in the world without the ball”. Well, don’t expect Godset schemer Berget to ever be selected for any side coached by Olsen. Currently on loan from Udinese, he is as close to a classical no10 as you’ll find in the Norwegian game: when the ball is not at his feet, the game does not exist. Such is his ability on the ball, however, that club boss Ronny Deila is more than happy to turn a blind eye to the youngster’s defensive deficiencies (or indifference). Started the season in brilliant fashion, but has since sustained an ankle injury which limited his impact throughout the summer. Due to return to Udinese in January, and while the Friulian club possess one of the best scouting networks in European football and have an abundance of talent on their books, Berget may well have what it takes to make the grade.

Mikkel ”Mix” Diskerud

• Born: October 2nd 1990
• Club: Stabæk
• Position: central midfielder

Having received his nickname as a kid because his Arizona-born mother found his energy levels comparable to those of a mixmaster, this perpetual-motion midfielder had his breakthrough season last term, earning a reputation as a super-sub after scoring a late equaliser on his league debut v Brann. Equipped with a rather lanky appearance and looks so boyish they’re almost girlish, he’s neither particularly strong or fast, but still knows how to look after himself when going on his trademark late runs into the penalty-box. A reliable decision-maker with a precise right-foot shot, he played for Norway at U-18 level but now seems to have changed his allegiance to the USA (although he’s still technically eligible to represent either nation).

Mohammed Fellah

• Born: May 24th 1989
• Club: Vålerenga
• Position: attacking midfielder/second striker

Born in Oslo to Moroccan parents, the diminutive left-footed playmaker was hailed as a potential superstar from an early age, however a horrendous injury sustained in August 2007 meant he missed the better part of two seasons, and many feared the consequent lack of development would prevent him from ever fulfilling his potential. On evidence of the current season, the naysayers were very wrong indeed. Having predictably acquired a reputation for showing off, he’s nonetheless been one of Vålerenga’s most consistent and effective performers in an uplifting season for the club. Still says he plays mainly to entertain, and in Martin Andresen has a manager who’s happy to let him off his leash. Potential future bosses in foreign lands may not be so permissive.

Vegard Forren

• Born: February 16th 1988
• Club: Molde
• Position: Centre-back

Left-footed, great passer, positionally confident: Vegard Forren is not the kind of defender usually produced in Norway. Rather, he’s from the Frank de Boer/Sinisa Mihajlovic continental school of centre-backs, and that is his greatest strength as well as his only real weakness. Last year, he was brilliant as Molde finished second, and even relinquished the opportunity to join Lazio because he’d rather wait for Premier League clubs to come calling. This writer thought that unwise then, and has had no reason to change his opinion since: the offers from England never came, this season opponents have found ways to exploit his relative lack of pace, and player and club have consequently endured a miserable campaign. However, I wouldn’t write him off just yet. His skills are rare for his position and difficult to harness, and if he can learn to deal with a certain vulnerability in one-on-one situations, he’ll have new chances to go abroad, although he might have to settle for a slightly less glamorous destination.

Markus Henriksen

• Born: July 25th 1992
• Club: Rosenborg
• Position: central/attacking midfielder

Although he looks like Marek Hamsik’s friendlier younger brother, in reality he’s the son of former Rosenborg defender (and current assistant coach) Trond Henriksen, a renowned hardman who, according to ex-club-mate Mini Jacobsen, ”would tackle even when he had the ball”. The son is a much more subtle operator, generally starting on the left of a three-man midfield, showing exceptional physical capabilites as well as tactical maturity which belies his tender age. Seemingly completely at ease as a first-team regular in the country’s best side, he’s already a Tippeliga champion and also the youngest Norwegian to have scored in the UEFA Champions League. He recently signed a new contract which ties him to Rosenborg until January 2014.

Ruben Yttergård Jenssen

• Born: May 4th 1988
• Club: Tromsø
• Playing position: Left/central midfielder

Another youngster likely to surpass the achievements of his father, Truls Jenssen, who played in midfield for the Tromsø side that won the Cup in 1986. Back then, the entire squad was drawn from the vast but sparingly populated area of Northern Norway: now, they count among their numbers men not only from neighbouring Sweden and Finland, but also distant nations such as Australia, Brazil and Senegal, but the most talented player is nonetheless the local lad. Jenssen, who three years ago turned down a move to Belgian giants Standard Liege, is technically highly skilled, an incisive and accurate passer, and possessing of an admirable work-rate: he does admit, however, that he should score more goals. He made his senior international bow in a friendly with Montenegro this May, and is one of very few youngsters who seem to feature prominently in Egil Olsen’s plans.

Adam Larsen Kwarasey

• Born: December 12th 1987
• Club: Strømsgodset
• Playing position: goalkeeper

The son of a Ghanaian father and Norwegian mother, this physically imposing 22-year-old has enjoyed a major breakthrough in the Godset goal this season, his agility and reflexes saving many a point for a young and sometimes over-exuberant side. Significantly better on his line than off it, his decision-making can be found wanting, and he will have to improve this part of his game if he is to fulfill his ultimate ambition: he’s played for Norway at U-21 level, but says he’s been dreaming of representing Ghana ever since visiting his fatherland and playing football on the streets there as a child. If his development continues at its current pace, this writer wouldn’t bet against him keeping goal for the Black Stars in Brazil in four years time.

Jonathan Parr

• Born: October 21st 1988
• Club: Aalesund
• Playing position: left-back/winger

He started out as a striker, and still prefers to play as a winger, but it is at full-back the former Lyn youngster has really come into his own. Owes his international debut to Bjørn Helge Riise’s wedding, which meant big brother John Arne, the undisputed first-choice left-back, had to withdraw from the May friendly v Montenegro. Tall, fast and adept at getting past his man, his crossing can be erratic – although to his credit he never stops trying – and he also needs to work on his positional play. Club coach Kjetil Rekdal backs him to claim a regular international berth, however, with Roma man Riise seemingly set to carry on for another decade, Parr’s exceptional stamina will stand him in good stead.

Marcus Pedersen

• Born: June 8th 1990
• Club: Strømsgodset
• Playing position: Striker

If Marcus Pedersen had a penny for every time he’s been referred to as ”the Norwegian Wayne Rooney” over the past two years, he’d probably be even wealthier than the Manchester United star. In truth, however, the cap doesn’t fit quite as well as the media would have you believe. While there are clear similarities between the two in terms of work-rate and utter fearlessness, Pedersen is more of an out-and-out striker: the penalty-box is his comfort zone, his predatory instincts are second to none of his Tippeliga peers, and he shows truly remarkable composure in front of goal. Reportedly on the wish-list of several English clubs – including Liverpool, Bolton and Blackburn – he still needs to develop tactically and improve his first-touch before moving abroad. However, he overcame persistent injury and a bad-boy reputation to get where he is today: you wouldn’t bet against him ascending to any level.

Everyone knows how poor the French were in South Africa. They approached the tournament in poor form including a 1-0 defeat against China. Results like this lead to low expectations from fans and pundits alike but how did they return home embarrassed despite such relatively low expectations?

• Had the players lost interest in representing their country?
• Was the class divide too much for team morale?
• Did Domenech’s decision making and poor man management skills become too much of a problem?

There has been alot of finger pointing during and after the tournament resulting in a few lengthy bans, a few swift retirements and a few red faces.

New management has arrived in the shape of Laurent Blanc who has bravely started with a completely different squad to the one that failed in South Africa. Unfortunately for Les Bleus results haven’t changed as the latest squad recently lost 2-1 away to a resurgent Norwegian team.

The question is that around 5o players have been called up to the French squad over the last few months. With a tricky European qualifying campaign coming up who would you pick and in what position? The players picked in the last two squads were as follows:

Goalkeepers:

Cédric Carrasso, Hugo Lloris, Mickaël Landreau, Nicolas Douchez, Stéphane Ruffier, Steve Mandanda.

Defenders:

Adil Rami, Aly Cissokho, Anthony Réveillère, Bacary Sagna, Benoît Trémoulinas, Éric Abidal, Gaël Clichy, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Julien Escudé, Mamadou Sakho, Marc Planus, Mathieu Debuchy, Michaël Ciani, Patrice Evra, Philippe Mexès, Rod Fanni, Sébastien Squillaci, William Gallas.

Midfielders:

Abou Diaby, Alou Diarra, Benoît Cheyrou, Blaise Matuidi, Charles N’Zogbia, Florent Malouda, Franck Ribéry, Jérémy Toulalan, Lassana Diarra, Mathieu Valbuena, Moussa Sissoko, Samir Nasri, Yann M’Vila, Yoann Gourcuff, Yohan Cabaye.

Forwards:

André-Pierre Gignac, Bafétimbi Gomis, Djibril Cissé, Guillaume Hoarau, Hatem Ben Arfa, Jérémy Menez, Jimmy Briand, Karim Benzema, Loïc Rémy, Louis Saha, Sidney Govou.

The team that I would like to see against Belarus is below:

How would your team differ?

* If you are interested in creating a team like above check out the excellent resource http://this11.com/

Real Salt Lake might be the most surprising MLS Cup winner in the MLS’ short history. They finished 8th overall last season, just making the playoffs on goal difference. In the first round, they beat the best overall team, the Columbus Crew. In their next round, the second place team in the Eastern Conference were beaten. Finally, they beat the heavily fancied Los Angeles Galaxy on penalties (Landon Donovan missed a penalty) to become champions.

This season, they have become better. After beating the East’s first place Columbus, Real Salt Lake lie second in the Western Conference and second overall, behind the Galaxy by 4 points. They’ve conceded the second least amount of goals, and have scored the most, lead by their talisman, Javier Morales. Real play a diamond 4-4-2, mainly because they do not have a couple of wingers, but they do have a solid defensive midfielder in Kyle Beckerman and the playmaker in Javier Morales. Up front, Robbie Findley offers pace, while Alvaro Saborio and Fabian Espndola have scored the most of the goals, along with Morales and Findley.

Real Salt Lake, as you might have noticed, have no Designated Players and have noone paid over $250,000. They have a new stadium which is on average about 82% full. If you want a model for how to run a club on a budget and win, look at Real Salt Lake.

Meanwhile…While I was out
In the week or so I was gone, a few things happened in the MLS. New York got their first win with Thierry Henry in the midweek, beating Toronto 1-0 after Joel Lindpere scored from a wonderful clipped ball from Seth Stamler. New York then lost their high profile fixture against the LA Galaxy 1-0, at home. New York did create some chances, with Juan Pablo Angel hitting the bar, but Los Angeles deserved to win, with a good defensive performance, and was unlucky not to get a second.

FC Dallas continued their quiet playoff run, beating the abject DC United 3-1. With a 1-0 win over Kansas City, San Jose climbed into the last playoff spot, while New England, with a 1-0 win over Houston, moved to within 5 points of the playoffs, but then lost away to Chicago 2-1, with Chicago moving to just 3 points behind a playoff spot.

Meanwhile, I made a few enquiries into some MLS rules. First of all, as reader Jose pointed out, there are territorial rights that would prevent a second team in New York. Second of all, clubs that lose players overseas receive allocation money. Allocation money is received for being bad or for selling players, and can be used to make a team’s salary cap bigger or to pay above the salary maximum. I will try and find out more about contracts, and hope to report that information in the coming weeks.

Standings
Western Conference

Standings
Eastern Conference

Savicevic’s league and overall golden boot predictions for 2010/2011:

• English Premier League – Manchester City
• Spanish La Liga- Barcelona
  
• German Bundesliga – Bayern Munich
  
• Italian Serie A – Roma
  
• French Ligue 1 – Lyon
• Greek Super League* – Panathinaikos
• Ukrainian Premier League – Shakhtar Donetsk
• Portuguese Liga – Benfica
  
• Turkish Super Lig – Fenerbahce
  
• Dutch Eredivisie – Ajax

Golden Boot winner – David Villa

The leagues above were chosen via the Uefa league coefficient (read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient)

*Russia have been replaced by Greece (who are 11th) as the Russian season is already halfway through and as ILay has already mentioned Zenit are odd’s on winners!

Make your predictions below and I will make a specific page that we can check at the end of the season.

P.s Apologies to Mole – The Norwegian Tippeligaen is in 22nd place…

Last week I spoke of one of the MLS’ imports, Thierry Henry, and how big he could be for the MLS. However, there are some younger players who can also be big for the MLS, even if they leave. Two of these players are Macoumba Kandji and Andy Najar.

First, a bit of clarification over transfers in the MLS: As the league owns alls contracts, there are no inter club transfers. Rather there are trades, where players are traded for draft picks or other players. When a player, like Clint Dempsey or Jozy Altidore, transfers out of the league, the club buying has to agree with the league. The league gets the money and then pays out to all the clubs, effectively.

Getting back to Kandji and Najar for a moment: Both came to the US; Kandji when he was 18, Najar when he was 13. Both are eligible for more than one country. Kandji is eligible for the Gambia, Senegal, and hopes to play for the US. Najar is the subject of a tug of war between Honduras and the US. Finally, both have been linked with Premier League clubs.

Kandji is 25, and is an attacking player, either up front or on the wing. He is pretty physical, being 6’4 (1.93M) and 215 lbs (97.5 kg), and has fairly good feet (the old cliché, ‘he has a great touch for a big man’). After impressing against Tottenham and Manchester City for the New York Red Bulls in the New York Football Challenge (don’t ask, I don’t know why it has to be called that), Harry Redknapp, Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Thierry Henry were all complimentary about him, saying he could play in the Premier League, with Henry mentioning he is easy to play with. According to his agent, Blackpool, Bolton, Palace, Marseille and PSG have all expressed interest in signing Kandji. If he did leave, he would not only gain money for the MLS, but he would join a number of players who have left the MLS for Europe, and shown that the MLS is capable of developing decent players.

The same goes for Andy Najar, if he left. Najar is a 17-year-old midfielder, who plays for DC United. He’s been the lone bright spot for DC in an awful season. Najar burst onto the scene here, and has attracted interest from Arsenal, with a 3-week trial deal being reported. DC United, however, are loathe to let him go, with the President, Kevin Payne threatening legal action if Arsenal don’t talk to DC United first. Obviously, it is too early to tell whether he will become a very good player, or just a one-time sensation (Freddy Adu, anyone?), but Najar and Kandji are two examples of the MLS successfully developing players to the point where top teams in Europe are interested in them. One thing that may be interesting about both of them is that neither are American, so neither came up through the gruelling travel team, where the focus is to win, not to develop players.

Weekend Roundup
Thierry Henry’s first game with the Red Bulls ended in a 2-2 draw away to Houston. Despite leading twice, and with Houston being down to 10 men after a very questionable red card, the Red Bulls did not defend well enough, and could’ve even lost as Houston missed a penalty. On the positive side though, Henry had 2 assists for Juan Pablo Angel, and new signing Rafa Marquez should will help shore up defensive frailties.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Fire shocked the LA Galaxy at home, winning 3-2, after going ahead 3-0 after just 19 minutes. 2  Landon Donovan penalties (goals number 100 and 101 in the MLS) weren’t enough for the league leading LA Galaxy, as the Fire jumped into the 8th playoff spot, ahead of Houston by goal difference.

Other results
Philadelphia Union 1-1 New England Revolution
Colorado Rapids 1-1 FC Dallas
Kansas City Wizards 1-0 Toronto FC
Real Salt Lake 3-0 DC United
San Jose Earthquakes 0-1 Seattle Sounders
Chivas USA 3-1 Columbus Crew

Standings
Western Conference

Standings
Eastern Conference

Vålerenga – Start 8-1: It should be a no-brainer, really: would you rather belong to the world’s largest democracy, an emerging superpower in the fields of technology, finance, and politics, or do you prefer a cold and remote Northern European kingdom with an ageing population of less than five million people, and whose only natural source of wealth, namely its oil and gas reserves, is rapidly disappearing?

In reality, however, it’s not that simple, for Harmeet Singh (19) is no aspiring bankier, politician or computer wizard, but a box-to-box midfielder whose talent is such that his manager, former national team captain Martin Andresen, decided to retire at the end of last season because he no longer felt he could justify selecting himself ahead of the youngster.

Although he himself is Oslo-born-and-bred, Singh’s family hails from Punjab, and though it sounds remarkable it may well be no exaggeration to claim he’s the most talented player ever to come out of India. Unlike so many other talented young Europeans of a stereo-cultural background, however, the Vålerenga man is under next to no pressure to represent the land of his forebears. So far, he’s played for Norway at every age-level up to U-19, and if he can maintain his current form it’s surely only a matter of time before he’s fast-tracked into the senior side.

Two-footed, fast, intelligent, blessed with great vision and lungs the size of tractor tyres, Singh really does seem to have it all. During last night’s demolition of Start at Ullevål, he was at the heart of everything Vålerenga did well and, although striker Mohammed ”Moa” Abdellaoue – a rumoured transfer target for Fulham – scored a hat-trick and carried off the official Man of the Match award, the midfielder would arguably have been an even more deserving choice.

One couldn’t accuse Start of not trying: in fact, they took the lead through a cracking long-range shot from former Manchester United triallist Solomon Owello – the Nigerian’s first league goal for the club. However, Vålerenga were then hit by a curiously lucky piece of misfortune: midfield terrier Kristoffer Hæstad had to withdraw through an injury, which caused a reshuffle from passionate bridge player Andresen, bringing on striker Bengt Sæternes – a highly experienced battering-ram who equalised almost immediately. Start goalkeeper Kenneth Høie didn’t cover himself in glory on that occasion, and neither did he shortly before half-time when he failed to collect a cross from the right, providing Serb midfielder Bojan Sajic with a perfect opportunity to give the home side a half-time lead.

Coincidentally, Vålerenga are also Norway’s most successful ice hockey club, and for most of the second half the game resembled what’s in that sport known as power play, with Singh directing operations from midfield and Sæternes and Moa combining up front to devastating effect. Vålerenga’s fans – known to friends and enemies alike as Klanen (the Clan) – are renowned for craving entertaining football, and on this occasion they certainly got everything they could possibly ask for and more.

Defender André Muri got 3-1 from a corner, then Moa struck twice with his weaker right foot, before it was Sæternes’ turn again: soon after that the latter set up the former for a left-footed completion of his hat-trick, and then, finally, in injury-time, Jamaican speed merchant Luton Shelton was brought down in the area. Singh, who scored a penalty in the recent friendly with Barcelona, stepped up and made no mistake, a fitting finale to one of the best performances of the season. Vålerenga are now second, six points off the pace.

*

Elsewhere, the Curse of the Mole nearly struck again, as Rosenborg were 3-2 down at half-time to a spirited Haugesund. (Those with elephantine memories – or the ability to scroll – will know that a few days ago I made a point of the Trondheim side being undefeated.) The Tippeliga leaders prevailed in the end, courtesy of two second-half goals from veteran striker Steffen Iversen (somewhat controversially left out of Egil Olsen’s squad for the upcoming friendly with France): they’ll have to be significantly more focused, however, are they to beat AIK in Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier.

Molde coach Kjell Jonevret gained himself quite a few enemies by questioning Brann’s right to play the song Nystemten (known as ”Bergen’s national anthem”) as a warm-up before games. According to the Swede, it’s a hostile tradition, and a distraction for visiting sides. He can brace himself for hate-mail in the coming days and weeks. Poor man.

Stabæk like Swedes: they have announced that current Sweden U-21 coach Jörgen Lennartsson will replace outgoing (and equally Swedish) boss Jan Jönsson, who’s joining Rosenborg in January.

Would you like your club to sign a goalkeeper? Strømsgodset’s Adam Larsen Kwarasey (22) is a rather good one, and could be available on a free in the next transfer window.

Finally, let’s hear it for a true oldtimer: twelve years ago, former Wolves and Werder Bremen forward Håvard Flo equalised for Norway v Scotland in Nantes. This weekend, the 41-year-old was on the score-sheet again, netting for first club Sogndal v Strømmen as the club maintained its position at the summit of the Adeccoliga table. Flo made his top-flight debut in 1990 and was voted sexiest member of Norway’s 1998 World Cup squad.

That’s it from me this week. Comments are (as always) extremely welcome.

Results: Lillestrøm – Kongsvinger 2-2. Tromsø – Stabæk 3-0. Hønefoss – Odd Grenland 2-1. Rosenborg – Haugesund 4-3. Viking – Sandefjord 0-0 (When asked if he could draw any positives from an excruciatingly dull first half, Viking’s assistant coach Svein Fjælberg replied: ”The fans have been great. None of them are asleep yet.” The second half wasn’t much better.) Strømsgodset – Aalesund 3-1. Brann – Molde 1-1. Vålerenga – Start 8-1.

The countdown to kick off in the Championship is almost over, and optimism is the order of the day. Pre-season is something to savour for fans of lower league clubs, as everyone can harbour dreams of a title challenge or a playoff trip to Wembley. Almost every supporter in England’s second tier could make a case for their side gloriously steamrolling the rest of the division.

This is such a unique feeling because within a month, the vast majority of fans will be in despair as everything starts to fall apart. Any number of disasters can befall us, ranging from embarrassing opening day defeats, to selling your best player to Blackpool 20p and a Curly Wurly, to being the ones who panic on deadline day and sign Francis Jeffers. Being a Championship fan is a stressful experience, and 2010/11 will be no different.

Quality wise, the league is weaker than last time out, the heavyweights of Newcastle and West Brom have been replaced by the comedy roadshow that is Portsmouth, as well as Hull City and Burnley, so even more teams are eyeing up a spot in the top 6. Picking a favourite for promotion is never easy (even last year, more than a few observers were predicting everyone’s favourite Geordies to finish in the bottom half. We’ll pretend yours truly wasn’t one of them) but this season it’s more like picking a name out of hat than ever.

As I’ve mentioned, a number of teams can be considered realistic candidates for an automatic promotion spot, so without wanting to spark outrage amongst followers of teams not included, here’s a brief outline of the title challengers:

Middlesbrough – All jokes about the SPL aside, anyone spending upwards of £5m in the Championship should get promoted, and that is clearly the aim of Gordon Strachan’s men. Last season was a bit of a disappointment given how well the two teams who came down with them did, but now is their time to shine. The only obvious weakness is in goal, one of Brad Jones or Danny Coyne needs to have a good season, but how well Scott McDonald and Kris Boyd work together will be the key, if that partnership blossoms they’ll fire ‘Boro up.

Nottingham Forest – 3rd last year, they should be looking at the top 2 this time. Billy Davies knows how to get teams out of this division, so that combined with a couple of additions to their squad should see them challenge. Their success may depend on whether Davies can keep his mouth shut long enough to stay in a job all season, as rumours have persisted all summer about him falling out with the board and being on his ‘final warning’. If he keeps it together, then Forest definitely have enough quality to go up, they just have to be much more consistent.

Reading - After succeeding Brendan Rodgers in December, Brian McDermott has done a fantastic job at the Madjeski, so much so that had he been in charge from the beginning they may well have been challengers last year. If they can recreate that sort of run again then Reading must be spoken about in the same breath as the automatic spots, particularly if Jimmy Kebe also carries his late-season form over from the last campaign. The main problem could be scoring, since neither Shane Long nor Simon Church are prolific up front – they only managed 12 between them in the league last term. If they could get that each then you’d have to really fancy the Royals.

Burnley – The only one of the relegated teams who can really be looking at bouncing straight back, not just because they’ve only lost Steven Fletcher (at a considerable profit) and Robbie Blake from last season‘s squad, but also because Brian Laws is nowhere near as bad a manager as has been made out. The Clarets seem to be doing some very sensible business, epitomised by the signings of Ross Wallace and Chris Iwelumo, who are solid players at this level. They’ll probably need Martin Patterson to play as well as he did in their promotion season to make it, as goals could be a problem for them too.

Bristol City – Definitely the dark horses, but anyone with Steve Coppell in charge must be considered, and even more so now thanks to the signing of David James. The league will be very tight, so the number of points a top quality goalkeeper can save could be the difference between going up and the crushing disappointment of falling just short. James aside, they’ve made a few other astute signings which makes their team look very strong. They are yet another team who could struggle for goals, but Nicky Maynard is a class act, and he’ll be the one to shoulder that particular burden.

Article by James Knight

Signing Thierry Henry could be a big step in the right direction for the MLS in their effort to improve grassroots football in America, and to catch some of the World Cup fever from the relative success of the United States.  So far, attendance for the MLS per game is up by 8.5% from 2009, and is at a 3 year high.

The average attendance is on pace to be the third highest in league history, and the second highest since the first year of 1996. The success of the United States in the Confederations Cup and World Cup has brought new interest to football in the United States, and despite European leagues still having a strong backing, domestic football in the US might be at it’s best standing since the formation of the league in 1996.

One reason has been the opening of new franchises, like in Philadelphia, and new stadiums, like Red Bull Arena in New York. Red Bull Arena replaces Giants Stadium, and has gained a reputation of being possibly the best football stadium in the United States. With a capacity of just over 25,000 it has a better atmosphere than the three-quarters empty Giants Stadium that the New York Red Bulls used to play in. So far, the new stadium has worked, with the Red Bulls experiencing a 43% increase in attendance from last year, when they finished bottom, winning just 5 games. For the team that had been in the playoff final the year before, it was a huge drop, and attendance suffered. For the MLS, it was a problem; for the league to become successful and sustainable, there needed to be a successful franchise in New York, which for those who remember, carried the old NASL at times back in the 1970s.

However, this season, things are looking brighter for the Red Bulls and MLS; a new stadium, and a team that has turned things around to be second in the Eastern Conference under the tutelage of Hans Backe. The question is whether it will be possible for the Red Bulls to sustain this performance.

That’s where Thierry Henry comes in. Despite being 32 and spending the last 12 months sitting on the bench for France and Barcelona he still has the quality and speed to be a major impact for the Red Bulls. He’ll be better for the Red Bulls than David Beckham has been for the LA Galaxy; unlike Beckham, Henry will not clash with more affluent team members like Beckham did with Landon Donovan. Furthermore, unlike Beckham, Henry has decided to not pursue an international career, and so will not need to spend parts of the season playing in Europe.  All in all, Henry will be better for the MLS than Beckham did; he is arguably a better player at 32 than David Beckham was, and will be a more team driven player than Beckham was. And with the Red Bulls signing another former Barcelona player, Rafa Marquez, their future looks quite bright, as does the MLS’s future.

Weekend Preview
The MLS season gets back underway this weekend after a break during last week, when the MLS All-Stars were thrashed 5-2 by Manchester United. Chicago Fire, who were conference finalists last year are 6 points out of a playoff spot, but just got Freddie Ljungberg from Seattle in a move to bolster their playoff hopes. Chicago face Bruce Arena managed Los Angeles Galaxy, who despite missing World Cup players Donovan and striker Edson Buddle, are top of the Western Conference and are the best team in the league.  The other big story in the league will be Thierry Henry’s first league game for the Red Bulls, as they face the Houston Dynamo, who despite being second bottom in the Western Conference are only 4 points back of a playoff spot (The MLS prides itself on equality, and because of that, teams like Real Salt Lake can go from fairly abject to winning the league).

Article by LArsenal23