Stuniverse Posted May 18 Author Share Posted May 18 (edited) Preview -- Sandefjord are an improving team who we will need to respect and take seriously. After losing their opening five Eliteserien fixtures, Sandefjord have responded with a 2-1 away victory over Fredrikstad and a 0-0 home draw with Rosenborg. We're at home and are confident of doing well in front of our own supporters in the SR-Bank Arena. We have a fully fit squad to select from as Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik (gashed leg) and Oscar Aga (calf) have both been given the green light following fitness tests with our medical team. -- Expected Line-up -- Edited May 18 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 18 Author Share Posted May 18 (edited) Sunday 2nd May 2032 Viking (6th) v Sandefjord (15th) Eliteserien -- -- -- I thought we were the better team, we had a lot more possession than Sandefjord, we created more chances than Sandefjord, but we conceded a soft goal on 18 minutes so to go in losing 0-1 at the break would have been harsh. Equalising a minute before half-time lifted everybody's spirits which made it an easier, and more motivational team talk during the break. We made three substitutions and changed to an Attacking (from Positive) mentality. The goal was one we'd worked on in training. Oscar Bobb aimed a low corner towards the penalty area arc, where Edvin Austbø was waiting and he smashed it first time from outside penalty area, just to the right of the D, low and hard into the far bottom corner of the net. Edvin showed there why he's our in-form striker at the moment. Incredible really. Jasper Robertsen hit the post with a long-range effort after just seven minutes. On 42 minutes, shortly before we equalised, Patrick Berg hit the bar with a free-kick. You do start to wonder at times if it's just not your day. And on 66 minutes after Dominique Youfeigane, in Sandefjord's goal, had made an unbeievable point-blank save from Anders Hartveit Ryste, from the resulting corner, Stefan Leković's header hit the foot of the post. Yeah, it does seem to be a thing doesn't it? I don't like singling out individuals for criticism but left-back David Møller Wolfe should've done more to prevent the low cross to the near post and Rafael Mota definitely has to do better in that situation to defend the cross when it comes in. We do ask our full-backs to get forward and support the attack so maybe that's the risk and the trade off we take with that. I do wonder sometimes if we might be better asking our entire back-four and the defensive midfielder at the base of the diamond to just sit and defend and then let the other five outfield players attack. Our matches are starting to follow a similar pattern. We control the game but struggle to score either by hitting the woodwork, or straying offside as Edvin Austbø did a few times, including having his 76th minute effort ruled out for offside when the score was still 1-1, or the opposition goalkeeper has the game of his life, as Dominique Youfeigane looked like doing for Sandefjord today. Then we concede a goal and that always makes it more difficult to chase a game in an attempt to recover it. We made further changes with a substitution and adjustments to our roles in the midfield diamond around 68 minutes. Fortunately, two long-range efforts - a wonderful curled shot from Oscar Bobb from just out side the 'D' and a 25-yard screamer from Henrik Skogvold - ensured we got the win our overall play deserved but it was a difficult, nervy game and those two late goals in the 80th and 85th minutes, whilst worth the wait, I don't want to be relying on that every game. I thought Sandefjord were a credit to themselves and their manager Patrik Hansson today. They worked tirelessly, they closed us down, they harried us, they made it very difficult for us to retain possession and get any rhythm into our play. But we found a way to win the game, get the three points, and that's the main thing. -- Edited May 18 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted May 19 Share Posted May 19 On 15/05/2024 at 15:09, Stuniverse said: Squad Registration - HGC What am I missing? -- For Eliteserien, the rules say I have to register a "minimum of two players trained by Viking for three years (regardless of their loan spells away from the club) between 0th and 21st birthdays" which is fine because we meet that regulation... ... but, I actually think I've registered three: Edvin Austbo, Kjetil Istre and Lasse Berg Johnsen. *** It looks like Kjetil Istre is the one not registering as HGC above but I don't know why? *** -- -- -- -- Of my other unregistered HGC players, Krzysztof Krysiak and Sverre Olav Bo Pedersen do count if I register them but Per Andreas Haugerud Hagen and Roger Vestgote do not. I must be missing something because all seven players have the blue HGC icon but only four of the seven increase the HGC count when I register them. *** What am I missing? *** -- -- -- -- -- Tagged: @Blarney, @BML, @Carambau, @cerud, @Dean Gripton, @Hootieleece, @I have nothing to say, @JaytheGreat, @Jogo Bonito, @phnompenhandy, @Paggioram, @Punch, @samboing, @warlock, @XaW Note: If you no longer wish to be tagged in posts like this, please let me know by Direct Message and I'll remove you from my tag list for future posts. Likewise if you would like to be tagged, please send me a Direct Message and I'll add you. Thank you. Yeah..sorry. Nothing I can see that is wrong from you. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 38 minutes ago, cerud said: Yeah..sorry. Nothing I can see that is wrong from you. Thanks, @cerud I appreciate you looking. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 (edited) Preview -- This squad of players has a strong spirit and sense of togetherness. They are a very determined group and I don't see one defeat - not that we want or expect to lose, we go into every game believing we can win, but we know we won't win every game, football isn't like that. Åsane are nicely placed in 11th but are only a point above the relegation playoff places. They've drawn one and lost three of their last four games so we know they'll be looking for a win today which makes them a dangerous opponent for us to play in the Åsane Arena. Spoiler Åsane also have Øystein Bekkeheien playing for them, on loan from us, so it'll be interesting to see how Øystein does against us. Stefan Leković has been brilliant so far for us. At 6'4" Stefan is a threat in both boxes and the biggest compliment I can give him is to say we aren't missing David Brekalo or Isak Amundsen right now. We have a fully fit squad and everybody is available for selection, which is great for me as manager because you don't get that very often. Anders Hartveit Ryste is recently back from a twisted ankle. He wasn't in the best of form before his injury so I've had a word with him. Anders may well get the start today as Lasse Nordås has struggled a bit of late. Otherwise, I think it'll be the same starting 11 and subs that I selected against Sandefjord. -- Extended Line-up -- My Observations We’re back to one game a week now which means after each game I can give the players one or two days rest and then they are green again for the next match. The odd Cupen game will make it two games in a week now and again. I really want to win Norgesmesterskapet i fotball again (we’ve been disappointing in the Cupen these last two seasons) so may have to rotate the squad. I need to find a way to rotate any way otherwise I’ll have some very good players becoming unhappy. We’re eight games into Eliteserien and there’s only three points separating the top six. We're fifth, but we’ve had by far the most difficult set of opening fixtures out of all 16 Eliteserien clubs. My two main strikers (Lasse Nordås and Anders Hartveit Ryste) are out-of-form, Anders is just back from injury, but my third and fourth choice strikers (Edvin Austbø and Henrik Skogvold) have stepped up big time. In central midfield, I have more than four quality players and I still haven’t found my best combination of personnel and roles in that midfield diamond. And I’ve not settled on a centre-back partnership I’m happy with, although I think I’m getting there with Stefan Leković looking the part on the right and it's more a question of who plays alongside him on the left. Currently, Rafael Mota has the nod at the moment and is doing well. My biggest headache, with what I hope is my best squad yet at Viking, will be giving the players sufficient playing time to keep them happy. Edited May 19 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 (edited) Saturday 8th May 2032 Åsane (11th) v Viking (5th) Eliteserien -- -- -- I thought Edvin Austbø was brilliant today. He didn't score, or get an assist, but he was instrumental in much of what we did going forward and we created a lot of chances today, really taking the game to Åsane. We were 3-0 up by half-time and that helped settle our nerves as we've been used to trying to recover the game in the second half of late. The first goal is vital and Rafael Mota headed in Patrick Berg's corner at the far post to give us a 20th minute lead. Three minutes later, the Åsane goalkeeper pushed Pontus Dahbo's header onto the post. Oscar Bobb curled a shot into the top corner, from outside the penalty area, to double our lead on 29 minutes and Otto Rosengren, scored a sensational solo goal, five minutes before the break, Otto received the ball about 40 yards out, drove straight down the middle, into the penalty area, before shooting across the goalkeeper into the top corner. Åsane didn't really trouble us, to be fair, but when Jasper Torklidsen came for a corner, only to run into Patrick Berg, Øystein Bekkeheien had a free-header. To be fair, Øystein Bekkeheien looked their best player and, at 6'5" he was a handful for us. I'm still not sure he'd get much playing time for us this season, he'd be behind Anders Hartveit Ryste, Edvin Austbø, Lasse Nordås, Henrik Skogvold and Oscar Aga but we were impressed enough to trigger Øystein Bekkeheien's one-year contract extension. Spoiler Unfortunately, Anders Hartveit Ryste had an issue with his hamstring and we had to take him off around the 83rd minute mark. Which was a problem because we'd already made five substitutions. With a player advantage, Åsane put us under sustained pressure in the last 10+ minutes, for the first time in the match, so we made some changes to our shape and went with a Defensive mentality. We were able to keep Åsane out though and claim a well-deserved 3-1 away win. -- -- Evening Result Edited May 19 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 (edited) Wednesday 12th May 2032 UEFA 2032 European Championship -- -- Hmmmmn, I'm not sure pushing the Strømsgodset fixture back three days, so that it will still be played during the 2032 UEFA European Championship, helps us that much. Edited May 19 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 (edited) Preview -- -- Predicted to finish 11th, Sandnes Ulf have done brilliantly so far this season and are currently 6th, just one point off top spot. They've won six and lost three but their three losses have been against Brann, Molde and Rosenborg which suggests they're still finding it tough against the better teams. I'm really intrigued by this match and am looking forward to playing Thomas Holm's Sandnes Ulf team. We've worked hard in training and prepared for this match as we would any other. We'll give Sandnes Ulf the respect they deserve and, hopefully, we'll get the result in our own SR-Bank Arena. Spoiler For the second match running, we'll be up against one of our own strikers as Sean Nilsen-Modebe is on loan at Sandnes Ulf. Sean has already scored three goals for Sandnes Ulf this season. Unfortunately David Møller Wolfe (ankle) and Rafael Mota (groin) picked up knocks in training this week so we probably won't risk them. I've had a chat with Lasse Nordås and I'm leaning towards him getting the start with Anders Hartveit Ryste (hamstring) ruled out. -- Expected Line-up -- Edited May 19 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 (edited) Saturday 15th May 2032 Viking (1st) v Sandnes Ulf (6th) Eliteserien -- -- -- This was a pretty comprehensive victory for us today although it's always nerve wracking at only 1-0. On 17 minutes, Lasse Nordås hit the post and Edvin Austbø put the rebound wide. But Oscar Bobb broke the deadlock on 22 minutes and on 35 minutes, Otto Rosengren also hit the post. Jan Rune Hansen came in at left-back today with Filip Hornburg Møller-Hansen alongside him as the left-sided centre-back and both played well. We restricted Sandnes Ulf to only three attempts on goal, and Jasper Torkildsen only had one shot to save, but you always worry at 1-0 because it's such a slender lead. Lasse Nordås settled things for us on 78 minutes when he doubled our lead. -- Edited May 19 by Stuniverse 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 (edited) Preview -- -- -- Os Turn play in Norsk Tipping-ligaen Avdeling 5 (Tier 4) where they are finding it difficult and lie in 12th place with only one point from six games. We won't be taking Os Turn lightly though as we were knocked out in the second round last season by KIL/Hemne who finished 11th in their Tier 4 division last season. We dominated that Cupen-tie, but KIL/Hemne's goalkeeper was unbelievably good on the day, we didn't manage to score from any of our 27 chances, KIL/Hemne grabbed a sucker-punch goal... and that was that. We will definitely be without Patrick Berg who has a Cupen suspension carried over from his time at Bodø/Glimt. Anders Hartveit Ryste (hamstring) is still sidelined. We'll probably rotate the starting 11 a lot for this Cupen tie because, without being disrespectful to Os Turn, any team I select from the Viking squad should be capable of progressing to the next round. -- Expected Line-up Edited May 19 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 (edited) Wednesday 19th May 2032 Os Turn (Tier 4) v Viking (Tier 1) Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) First Round -- -- -- It did, yes. As early as the first minute, Lasse Nordås headed a corner against the far post and you do start to think: oh no, not again. So for Niklas Ødegård to chest the ball down in the penalty and calmly volley it home, in the fourth minute, was a big relief. Niklas Ødegård went on to score a second, Henrik Skogvold also bagged a brace, and Lasse Berg Johnsen and Kjetil Istre also scored. Henrik Skogvold was unlucky not to score a hat-trick as he also hit the bar from long-range on 55 minutes. At 2-0, Os Turn pulled a goal back when a shot, in a crowded penalty area, took a wicked deflection past Daniel Gjerde Sætren. It was nice to be able to give youngsters Sindre Grønvold and Kjetil Istre some decent playing time and I was thrilled for Kjetil when he scored our sixth goal. Spoiler -- -- Edited May 19 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 (edited) Thursday 20th May 2032 Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Second Round draw -- Another Tier 4 football club and another two matches in a week. Edited May 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 (edited) Preview -- -- As a newly promoted team, champions of OBOS-ligaen last season, Fredrikstad are finding life difficult in the top flight and are currently 15th in Eliteserien with five points from 10 matches. They've lost their last three Eliteserien matches and have drawn one and lost seven of their last eight. But they did beat Tertnes (Tier 4) 6-2 in Cupen so we know Fredrikstad are very capable on their day. Isak Amundsen has been a stalwart at Viking since joining ahead of the 2026 season from Bodø/Glimt and has been brilliant during my time here as Viking manager. Unfortunately, Isak broke his ankle playing for Viking II and I doubt we'll see him in a Viking shirt again before his move to FC Nordsjælland in June. Anders Hartveit Ryste (hamstring) remains ruled out. We made a lot of changes against Os Turn in Cupen last time out but it's likely we'll reverse most, if not all of those for the Eliteserien match at Fredrikstad. -- Expected Line-up Edited May 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 Saturday 22nd May 2032 Eliteserien Result -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 (edited) Sunday 23rd May 2032 Fredrikstad (15th) v Viking (2nd) Eliteserien -- -- -- -- Oscar Bobb was one of my very first signings for Viking, initially on loan from Manchester City and then permanently at the end of my first season, and he's been a virtual ever-present since. Oscar is a great player to work with and now he's adding goals as well as assists he's unplayable on his day. I wouldn't want to be playing against him, that's for sure. I think today was as good an away performance as you'll get. We scored four, could and probably should have scored more, and apart from a 10 minute period between 30 and 40 minutes, and a five minute period midway through the second half, Fredrikstad never really troubled us. It was a relief when Edvin Austbø gave us a 28th minute lead because, before then, he'd had a goal ruled out for offside and hit the bar on 28 minutes. A couple of minutes into the second-half, David Møller Wolfe doubled our lead and I started to relax then. Lasse Nordås made it 3-0 and Henrik Skogvold added a fourth. Stefan Leković was unlucky not to score when his second-half header was cleared off line and his follow-up shot was blocked. On 67 minutes Henrik Skogvold went down in the penalty area under a challenge, the referee awarded a penalty, but VAR overruled him and said no penalty. Fredrikstad Stadion is a tough place to come and play so to win 4-0 away from home, in front of 574 travelling Viking supporters, we have to be happy with that. -- Edited May 20 by Stuniverse 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 I'm not getting carried away, BUT... -- After 11 matches, only Molde and us are unbeaten, we're the only team that has played the other four big hitters Bodø/Glimt, Brann, Molde and Vålerenga, we're top of Eliteserien, and... ... we've scored more goals than anybody else and conceded fewer. Let's not get carried away... but Viking might have a good team / squad this season. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 (edited) Preview -- -- Strindheim are having a great season and are currently fourth in Norsk Tipping-ligaen Avdeling 4 (Tier 4). We need to match them for work rate and desire and then our quality should show through. We will be rotating quite a lot against Strindheim, just as we did against Os Turn in the first round. Anders Hartveit Ryste (hamstring) has passed a fitness test but we won't be risking him. -- Expected Line-up Edited May 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 (edited) Thursday 27th May 2032 Strindheim (Tier 4) v Viking (Tier 1) Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Second Round -- -- -- -- After only 28 seconds, Kjetil Istre hit a first-time, left-footed volley, from all of 25-yards that flew into the roof of the net. But what happened after that was unbelievable. Defensively we were all over the place and, barely five minutes later, Strindheim were ahead after scoring two free headers from set-pieces, the first from a free-kick, the second from a corner. Edvin Austbø had a great opportunity to equalise on 12 minutes but his shot hit the post. On 26 minutes, Kjetil Istre turned provider and Henrik Skogvold did equalise. But we switched off just before half-time and Strindheim led 2-3 at the break. We had to solidify our defence so we made a couple of substitutions to pair Stefan Leković and Rafael Mota in central defence and my assistant, Egil Ulfstein, did his bad-cop act. It worked. We scored in the 53rd, 56th, 59th and 62nd minutes to run out 6-2 winners. It was far from comfortable, I can not begin to explain the first-half, but we blew Strindheim away in the second-half. -- Edited May 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 (edited) Saturday 29th May 2032 Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Third Round draw Tier 4 opposition for the third Cupen round running. -- Edited May 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 (edited) Preview -- -- Rosenborg are 8th and, by their standards, I'd expect they will be disappointed with their start to the Eliteserien season... but they have been improving and are unbeaten in their last six Eliteserien matches, winning the last four on the spin. We're at home, in our SR-Bank Arena, we're confident after training well these last few days but we know Rosenborg will be difficult opponents. Anders Hartveit Ryste (hamstring) is getting closer but we probably won't risk him this side of the International break for the UEFA European Championships. -- Expected Line-up Edited May 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 (edited) Sunday 30th May 2032 Viking (1st) v Rosenborg (8th) Eliteserien -- -- -- -- We like to get the ball out wide and get crosses into the penalty area and fortunately, for us, we were able to fight our way back into a game where we 0-2 down and rescue a draw, For Rosenborg's first goal, Joaquim Fernandes hit the post and the rebound fell to Håkon Evjen who volleyed the ball straight back into the net. We should have done better to stop their second goal, nobody tracked Joaquim Fernandes's late run into the penalty area and he ran into the six-yard box for a free header. Having been 0-2 down, we're delighted with the draw but we feel, overall, we'd done enough to win it. Before Rosenborg took the lead, Patrick Berg had curled a free-kick onto the post. After an hour, at 1-2 down, Lasse Nordås had a header cleared off the line. I'm not sure VAR did help us to be honest. On 83 minutes, when we thought Henrik Skogvold had equalised with our second goal, the officials gave it, only for VAR to overrule them and disallow the goal. A minute later, when Edvin Austbø did equalise, the officials also gave the goal and it was a nervous wait for VAR to uphold that decision. It was a relief for Oscar Bobb to pull it back to 1-2 just before the break. At half-time, we made a substitution and went with an Attacking (rather than Positive) mentality. We were better after the break, but couldn't find an equaliser so, on 64 minutes, we changed our shape to give us more attacking options. We had to be patient but, eventually, we did equalise for 2-2. Both teams had chances to win it in added-on time, Niklas Ødegård shooting narrowly wide late-on for us, but the match ended 2-2. Based on the stats, we should have won but, after being 0-2 down, we're pleased to have fought back and salvaged a draw. Our next Eliteserien fixture, at home to Strømsgodset, isn't until late June because of the UEFA European Championships, but we do have Cupen third round tie at Gjelleråsen in 10 days time. -- Edited May 20 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 Episode 123 - Top After 12 | 1st June 2032 "Midtjylland to Sign Aga" -- FC Midtjylland Set to Sign Aga Spoiler -- Al-Ain Target Liland Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 (edited) Episode 123 - Top After 12 | 1st June 2032 "Viking First Team Squad" -- News Of the four Viking players Norway manager Antonio Conte has selected for his UEFA European Championship squad, one of them, Per Joar Hægstad Johnsen, is on loan with Vålerenga. Spoiler -- Appearances -- Reports -- Players Out on Loan Edited May 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 Episode 123 - Top After 12 | 1st June 2032 "Månedens Awards" -- Månedens Trener -- Månedens Spiller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 Episode 123 - Top After 12 | 1st June 2032 "Monthly Review" -- Results -- Board Confidence -- Supporter Confidence -- Finances -- Dynamics Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 Tuesday 1st June 2032 Until Next Time... ... when it's the UEFA European Championships, so we... ... only have two Eliteserien matches, plus... ... our Cupen Third Round tie. -- June's Fixtures -- Thoughts, comments, general feedback appreciated. Any questions, just ask and I'll answer them if I can. Thank you for reading and following... and I greatly appreciate the comments as that's what genuinely keeps me motivated to continue updating about this save. Until next time... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 21 Author Share Posted May 21 Heads-up -- Just a quick one to say that for the next week or so updates on my Norwegian save will slow down as I'll be working on my end-of-season research work for FM. If you're reading this, have been following my Career Update, liking my posts and, especially, if you've been commenting on this thread, I'd like to say a great big thank you as that really does keep me motivated to continue updating this thread (as it is very time consuming). I won't be disappearing completely, only slowing the pace of the updates while I do my end-of-season FM research stuff. Thanks again and best wishes.. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 Thursday 3rd June 2032 Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Third Round -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 Thursday 3rd June 2032 Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Fourth Round draw -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 Sunday 6th June 2032 Eliteserien Result -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 (edited) Preview -- -- I'm not really that interested in personal awards because it's my players and my backroom staff who deserve the credit. Not me. Li Kunstgress has a capacity of 450 so it's going to be small and compact and certainly very different from what we're used to. Gjelleråsen may be Tier 4, but they are third in Norsk Tipping-ligaen Avdeling 1 and have only lost one match this season. We have prepared thoroughly and we won't be taking them lightly. We have three players away with Norway ahead of the UEFA European Championships. David Møller Wolfe picked up a knee injury in training so that's a blow for us. As we don't have a match after this Cupen-tie for two weeks, it's likely to be a strong team we select to face Gjelleråsen. -- Expected Line-up Edited May 23 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 (edited) Wednesday 9th June 2032 Gjelleråsen (Tier 4) v Viking (Tier 1) Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Third Round -- -- -- -- Away to Gjelleråsen, in their compact Li Kunstgress stadion, with a 450 capacity and only 22 Viking supporters able to get tickets, it was always going to be difficult. I thought we handled the occasion very well and we scored more goals than Gjelleråsen had attempts on target so we've got to be happy with that. Our love affair with the woodwork continued though. After only 42 seconds Pontus Dahbo hit underside of bar and the ball bounced down and back into play. Then, on five minutes, Stefan Leković headed Patrick Berg's corner against the post. On 34 minutes, Otto Rosengren hit the post from distance but we were already 2-0 up by then through goals from Oscar Bobb and Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik. At half-time, we changed both full-backs to give Sindre Grønvold and Jan Rune Hansen playing time. Although we always felt in control, it got a bit nervy with 20 minutes to go when Gjelleråsen hit a long ball over the top and scored with only their second shot to pull it back to 2-1. Edvin Austbø restored our two goal lead after 76 minutes but, two minutes later, Rafael Mota had to clear a header off the line after our goalkeeper, Daniel Gjerde Sætren, came off his line to collect a corner and completely missed it. Kjetil Istre rounded things off late to secure a 4-1 victory. -- Edited May 23 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 (edited) Friday 11th June 2032 Løvik Developing Concerns -- -- To be honest, this doesn't surprise me. When I signed Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik in January it was for him to challenge David Møller Wolfe for the left-back spot. David was already a regular starter and he was excellent last season, averaging 7.16 from 26 Eliteserien matches, contributing five assists, a bit down from his 7.29 from 27 appearances with three goals and eight assists. This season, David has started 15 games, but Mathias is out-performing him from three starts plus seven substitute appearances. I'm very happy with my choices for left-back, but they can't both be the regular starter, and I need both David and Mathias onside. -- -- -- -- Edited May 24 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 (edited) UEFA European Championship Belgium v Norway Group B -- -- -- -- -- Viking had three players on the bench for Norway - Jasper Torkildsen, Aleksander Liland and Anders Hartveit Ryste - but none of them made it onto the pitch. Edited May 27 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 UEFA European Championship Norway v Sweden Group B -- -- -- -- -- It was fantastic to have the pleasure of watching our own Aleksandar Liland play the full 90 minutes for Norway at centre-back. Alongside him, for the first half, was another Viking centre-back Per Joar Hægstad Johnsen, who is currently out on loan at Vålerenga. Our goalkeeper Jasper Torkildsen was an unused substitute and, unfortunately, Anders Hartveit Ryste didn't make the bench for this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 Sunday 20th June 2032 Eliteserien Result -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 (edited) UEFA European Championship Norway v Ireland Group B -- -- -- -- -- -- Viking's Aleksandar Liland played another 90 minutes for Norway at centre-back. Jasper Torrkildsen and Per Joar Hægstad Johnsen (on loan at Vålerenga) were unused substitutes and Anders Hartveit Ryste once again failed to make the bench. Edited May 27 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 Preview -- -- Strømsgodset are flying high and currently sit in 4th place in Eliteserien. Whether Tor Thodesen has them overachieving or not is immaterial really. Strømsgodset are 4th after 12 matches and that's a fact. They are a good team and we have prepared for them professionally and with respect as we would for any other opponent. Norway have won their UEFA European Championship Group so we are without Jasper Torkildsen, Aleksander Liland and Anders Hartveit Ryste. We had a scare in midweek when Daniel Gjerde Sætren felt a tight calf which, with our #1 Jasper Torkildsen away in Belgium with Norway, meant we were thinking 17-year old Roger Vestgøte might make his Viking debut in goal. Fortunately Daniel Gjerde Sætren has passed his fitness test but we won't be risking David Møller Wolfe (knee). -- Expected Line-up -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 (edited) Wednesday 23rd June 2032 Viking (1st) v Strømsgodset (4th) Eliteserien -- -- -- We knew Strømsgodset were a very good team and they proved that today, making us work very, very hard for our win. The first half was 45 minutes of very few chances, for either side, and I don't think either team deserved a goal but, unfortunately for us, Otto Rosengren went in too forcibly for a challenge, the referee awarded Strømsgodset a penalty, and they tucked it away to take the lead. We weren't creating anything so, at half-time, we made a couple of substitutions, changed our shape to give us more attacking momentum, and changed to an Attacking mentality. It worked as Niklas Ødegård headed us level on 61 minutes. We were creating a lot more chances but, also, leaving ourselves open at the back. Just after the hour, Strømsgodset counter-attacked on us and hit the bar. Then on 70 minutes Strømsgodset had the ball in the back of our net but it always looked offside, the officials disallowed it straight away, and VAR agreed it was no goal. We made more substitutions then, went back to our normal shape, but kept the Attacking mentality. On 88 minutes, Oscar Bobb was tripped in the penalty area and Niklas Ødegård stepped up to make it 2-1 from the penalty spot. With Strømsgodset a constant threat, we made more changes then to shore things up. We adopted a Balanced mentality and were able to see the game out for a hard-fought victory. -- Edited May 27 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 Thursday 24th June 2032 Eliteserien Result -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 Friday 25th June 2032 Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Quarter Final draw -- -- -- We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but if we can beat OBOS-ligaen side Kristiansund in the Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Fourth Round, our affiliate club Vidar (Tier 3) await in the Quarter Final. Vidar were relegated from OBOS-ligaen last season and are currently 5th in PostNord-ligaen Avdeling 1 (Tier 3). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 UEFA European Championship Croatia v Norway Second Round -- -- -- -- It was a pleasure to watch our centre-back pairing of Aleksander Liland and Per Joar Hægstad Johnsen (on loan at Vålerenga) play together for Norway against Croatia. Per Joar was replaced at half-time but Aleksander played the full match. Our other players, Jasper Torkildsen was an unused substitute and Anders Hartveit Ryste didn't make the bench. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 Saturday 26th June 2032 Elitserien Result -- 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 (edited) Preview -- -- We are unbeaten in Eliteserien so far this season, which now makes 16 games unbeaten if you include the last three league games of last season, and that gives us a lot of confidence. We just have to make sure we don't get over-confident. Yeah, Odd beat us 2-1 at their place last season so we want to go to the Skagerak Arena and put the record straight. As a lifelong Odd supporter, I have many happy memories of watching Odd win inside Skagerak Arena but my loyalties are firmly with Viking now whenever we play Odd. I'm getting used to it now but, I must admit, the first time I managed a team against Odd, which was with Hødd that very first time, it was surreal and strange. But I'm getting used to it now. We will be without our internationals, away with Norway again. And, after their magnificent win over Croatia yesterday, we may be without them a while longer. Rafael Mota is suspended for this one after accumulating too many yellow cards and we still won't be risking David Møller Wolfe (knee). -- Expected Line-up Edited May 27 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 (edited) Sunday 27th June 2032 Eliteserien Results -- Edited May 27 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 (edited) Sunday 27th June 2032 Odd (9th) v Viking (1st) Eliteserien -- -- -- This was a difficult game for us in the end, more so because we were unable to make the game safe. Henrik Skogvold gave us an early lead and, in a game we were comfortably controlling, you want to score a second and, possibly, a third to wrap it up. But we were unable to add a second goal and that slender one-goal lead always makes me nervous. We were aggrieved when Niklas Ødegård's headed goal was ruled out for offside because Niklas was not offside, granted Edvin Austbø ahead of him may have been slightly offside but Edvin wasn't interfering with play. I can't argue with Henrik Skogvold have a goal chalked off because he was offside. Kalipha Jawla and Filippo Ranocchia both had great chances for Odd late on but both blasted their shots over the bar. We deserved to win, I think, for our greater possession and chance creation, but we were very relieved to hear the final whistle as our 1-0 lead never felt like being enough. Fortunately, that one goal proved to be enough for us to claim an away win at Skagerak Arena. -- -- Edited May 27 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 Preview -- -- Scoring goals certainly helps as you can't win football matches without scoring goals. Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) is a competition we feel we've let ourselves down in of late. In my first season here (2028) we won it, and then lost in the final the following season, but we got knocked out in the second round last season and only made the Round of 16 the season before that (2030). We won't be underestimating Kristiansund. They are 4th in OBOS-ligaen and playing well but, we're at home and in the SR-Bank Arena, roared on by our own supporters, we're confident of progressing to the Quarter Final. We're still without our Norwegian internationals who play joint-host Nation the Netherlands on Friday in the UEFA European Championship. We won't be taking any chances with David Møller Wolfe (knee) who still isn't fully match fit. With a very important Eliteserien match against Lillestrøm in four days time, we'll be rotating the squad for today's Cupen-tie against Kristiansund. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 Wednesday 30th June 2032 Viking (Tier 1) v Kristiansund (Tier 2) Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Fourth Round -- -- -- It's always good to get an early goal to settle the nerves in matches like this, potential banana skins, so to be 2-0 up after only 13 minutes, through Niklas Ødegård and Edvin Austbø, was particularly pleasing. Kristiansund reminded us we were in a game though when they hit the post on 14 minutes. After 18 minutes Rafael Mota headed the ball against the post. We were always in control though and added more goals through Henrik Skogvold and a superb free-kick from Patrick Berg. I was able to give Kjetil Istre some playing time in the second-half as well as our young goalkeeper Roger Vestgøte. -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 (edited) Wednesday 30th June 2032 Eliteserien Result -- -- Edited May 27 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 Episode 124 - Cupen Quarter Finalists | 1st July 2032 "Rumour Mill" -- Edvin Austbø Spoiler -- Aleksander Liland Spoiler -- Jasper Torkildsen Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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