Stuniverse Posted June 1 Author Share Posted June 1 (edited) Sunday 12th September 2032 Eliteserien Results -- -- -- Edited June 1 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Monday 13th September 2032 My Agent Calls About Rosenborg -- Stuniverse: Hiya, Hedda. Hedda Berg: Hi, Stuni. How are you? Stuniverse: I'm good thanks. You? Hedda Berg: Never better. Apart from you recalling Per Joar Hægstad Johnsen from Vålerenga. Stuniverse: Stefan Leković is out with an ankle injury, I needed Per Joar to play for us. Hedda Berg: Leković will be back soon. Stuniverse: Not soon enough... and I need Per Joar for the Champions League in any case. Hedda Berg: Nothing to do with hurting Vålerenga in the Eliteserien run-in, then? Stuniverse: Of course not. Hedda Berg: OK, You heard about Dego at Rosenborg? Stuniverse: Yeah, no surprise really. Rosenborg have underperformed for a few seasons now but this season has been pretty poor by their standards. I can't see them even making Europe. Hedda Berg:Anyway, I thought I'd check-in to see if you were interested in the Rosenborg job? Stuniverse: Thanks for checking in, but no thanks. I'm very happy at Viking right now. Hedda Berg:Rosenborg are the most successful team in Eliteserien history with 26 titles. Stuniverse: I know. And there's a fantastic project there for somebody. Just not me. Not at this time. Hedda Berg: OK. Good luck against Club Brugge. Stuniverse: Thank you. -- Background Information Spoiler Edited June 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Preview -- -- We're confident ahead of our trip to Belgium to play Club Brugge in Jan Breydelstadion so we'll see. It won't be easy, of course, no UEFA Champions League match ever is, but we'll give it our best shot. Stefan Leković remains sidelined with injury and Jakob Napoleon Romsaas isn't fit enough yet, otherwise we're pretty much at full strength. We get the Tuesday night Champions League slot this week and don't play Sandnes Ulf in Eliteserien until Sunday 26th. That's over two weeks away and should give the players plenty of recovery time between matches which makes for a refreshing change. -- Expected Line-up Edited June 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Tuesday 14th September 2032 Club Brugge (Belgium) v Viking (Norway) UEFA Champions League -- -- -- It was an incredible performance by us. We were second best in the first half and, perhaps, fortunate to be only one goal down at the break. But second half, we really took the game to Club Brugge, were the better team, and thoroughly deserved the win by the final whistle. I always back this fantastic squad of players but, no, the game didn't go our way for long periods. Club Brugge started really well, pegged us back and, whilst we had the odd counter-attack, Club Brugge were a continuous threat. I was about to make changes around the quarter-hour mark to make us more defensively solid when Club Brugge took the lead so I decided to leave things and see if we could get back into the game. It felt like we were under a lot of pressure so I decided to make those defensive changes after about half an hour, but the stats said it was a fairly even game by that stage, Club Brugge edging it slighly, but not by much. So we decided to wait until half-time. During the interval we made a couple of changes and sent the team out to play the same way. We were better. We started to get more control of the game and create more clear cut chances. On 67 minutes we made more substitutions and changed our shape, asking Henrik Skogvold to play as a SS-At at the top of the diamond and our wing-backs to attack. Fortune favours the brave they say. Henrik Skogvold was fouled in the penalty area, Lasse Nordås converted the penalty, and we were level after 75 minutes. 12 minutes later, Rafael Mota drove forward, beat a couple of defenders in the penalty area, and thundered his shot in from close range to give us a 2-1 lead. I did think about shutting up shop, but decided not to as we'd been at our best attacking Club Brugge, so we stayed as we were. The officials said a minimum of five extra minutes but played eight or nine. It was like the Alamo in our penalty area as Club Brugge had a string of four or five corners one after each other. But our defending was brave and committed, Jasper Torkildsen made a couple of fine saves, and we held out for a superb 2-1 win. Not for the first time, I'm so proud of these Viking players. -- Edited June 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Friday 17th September 2032 International Call-ups Galore -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) UEFA Nations League A - Group 4 -- -- -- -- Unfortunately, all five Viking players in the Norway squad were unused substitutes. Edited June 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 UEFA Nations League A - Group 4 -- -- -- -- Once again, all five Viking players in the Norway squad were unused substitutes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Monday 27th September 2032 Rosenborg Appoint Michelsen -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) UEFA Nations League A - Group 4 -- -- -- -- Viking's Aleksander Liland came on for a cameo appearance on 79 minutes. Viking's other four players in the Norway squad were unused substitutes. Edited June 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Episode 127 - 2032/33 Champions League Underway Friday 1st October 2032 "Two New Contracts" -- Spoiler -- Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Episode 127 - 2032/33 Champions League Underway Friday 1st October 2032 "Viking Players Leaving?" -- Spoiler -- Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Episode 127 - 2032/33 Champions League Underway Friday 1st October 2032 "Viking First Team Squad" -- News -- Appearances -- Reports -- Players Out on Loan Edited June 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Episode 127 - 2032/33 Champions League Underway Friday 1st October 2032 "Monthly Review" -- Results -- Board Confidence -- Supporter Confidence -- Finances -- Dynamics Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Saturday 2nd October 2032 Until Next Time... ... when our Eliteserien run-in continues with three fixtures, and... ... we host PSV in the UEFA Champions League. -- October'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... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 UEFA Nations League A - Group 4 -- -- -- -- Viking's Aleksander Liland played the full game for Norway. Viking's other four players with the Norway squad were unused substitutes - Jasper Torkildsen, Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik, Patrick Berg and Anders Hartveit Ryste. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Saturday 9th October 2032 Eliteserien Result -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Preview -- -- With the International break and UEFA Champions League matches, it's been a month since we last played an Eliteserien match. Hopefully we won't be too ring-rusty. Fredrikstad may not have won in their last 11 matches but they have drawn three of their last four. I'm sure Magnus Pettersen, in his first match as caretaker manager since Jakob Michelsen joined Rosenborg, will have his Fredrikstad team fired up for this one but in our own SR-Bank Arena we're confident of getting the result. I don't like making predictions, so I won't, but it'll be an interesting game at Intility Arena where third-placed Vålerenga host second-placed Molde. We won't worry about it during our match with Fredrikstad but we'll be very interested in their result afterwards. It's been good and bad news injury wise. Stefan Leković (ankle) is back in training, but he's not fully fit yet and we won't be risking him. Unfortunately, though, Edvin Austbø and Joakim Berg Nundal picked up injuries this week. -- Expected Line-up Edited June 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Sunday 10th October 2032 Viking (1st) v Fredrikstad (15th) Eliteserien -- -- -- You always want to get off to a good start so it was perfect that Niklas Ødegård gave us the lead after only 26 seconds with a shot that went in off the inside of the post. But I never expected what was to follow. 3-0 up after 12 minutes. 5-0 up after 20 minutes. 8-0 by half-time. I think Fredrikstad's caretaker manager Magnus Pettersen gave them a flea in their ear at the break because Fredrikstad were much more resolute, solid and difficult to break down in the second half. I made five substitutions just before the hour mark to try and freshen us up a bit. We did score a ninth goal in added-on time. It was a great hat-trick from Lasse Nordås while Niklas Ødegård and Oscar Bobb both scored a brace. To be honest, everybody was superb today... it was a perfect performance. -- -- Evening Result Edited June 2 by Stuniverse 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Tuesday 12th October 2032 Fredrikstad Appoint Linderoth -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Friday 15th October 2032 Eliteserien Title Race Hots Up -- Edited June 2 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Preview -- -- Sandnes Ulf have done brilliantly this season under Thomas Holm although they've only won one of their last seven, drawing three and losing three. At home though, Sandnes Ulf will be striving to beat us in their Øster Hus Arena. Not at all, Sandnes Ulf are far exceeding where the so-called experts predicted them to finish this season. It's nice, and we beat them 2-0 earlier this season in our SR-Bank Arena, but it doesn't really mean a lot. This is a completely different match and we start 0-0 and whatever has, or hasn't happened in the past means nothing. Molde host Tromsø on Saturday as we go to Sandnes Ulf on Sunday. We have no influence at all on Molde's match and, whether they win, lose or draw, we'll be looking to win our away game against Sandnes Ulf. We've lost our captain Patrick Berg this week through injury. Edvin Austbø is getting closer to fitness but he won't feature against Sandnes Ulf tomorrow. -- Expected Line-up -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Saturday 16th October 2032 Eliteserien Results -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Sunday 17th October 2032 Sandnes Ulf (8th) v Viking (2nd) Eliteserien -- -- -- -- Sandnes Ulf made it very difficult for us today. I thought we had the better of the first half but we were unable to break through. And we nearly fell behind on 35 minutes when Sandnes Ulf rattled the bar. We sent Pontus Dahbo on at half time to play as a roaming playmaker support on the right of the diamond and he scored a fantastic brace, both shots from just to the right of the penalty area D, one low into the net and the other flew into the roof of the net. It was an incredible introduction as within 13 minutes of Pontus Dahbo coming on, we were 2-0 up. Pontus Dahbo was one of two substitutions at half time and we also changed the shape to more of a 4-2-2-2. On 67 minutes, we switched to more of our normal shape and made more substitutions. -- Edited June 2 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Preview -- -- Otto Rosengren brings a lot to this Viking team but a lot of my other players do as well. This is a fantastic squad of players. Obviously we want to try and get a result at home to PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League today but I'll be selecting the team very much with Sunday's Eliteserien match away to Rosenborg in mind. We still have quite a few injuries, most notably to our captain Patrick Berg. Joakim Berg Nundal is still injured. Edvin Austbø will be on the bench but it's still too early for him and I doubt he'll play any part in the match today. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Wednesday 20th October 2032 Viking (Norway) v PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) UEFA Champions League -- -- -- This was a very difficult game for us and we're thrilled to have come out on top with the only goal of the game against PSV Eindhoven. I can't fault any of our players, they worked very hard against a very good opponent but, yes, Otto Rosengren probably shaded it. It was a game with very few chances so Jasper Torkildsen's saves were crucial. It wasn't the plan, no, we had to adapt to a very good opponent but, I think, we showed that it's not about how much possession you have, PSV Eindhoven had a lot more than us, it's what you do with it. Niklas Ødegård hit the post after eight minutes. Henrik Skogvold gave us the lead three minutes into the second half after Otto Rosengren's shot deflected into his path. Per Joar Hægstad Johnsen was unlucky not to double our lead on 52 minutes when his shot skimmed the top of the bar and went over. -- 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Saturday 23rd October 2032 Eliteserien Result -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Preview -- -- Jakob Michelsen has been in charge of Rosenborg almost a month now, and they've drawn both their Eliteserien matches with Jakob in charge. Rosenborg had a good 3-0 win over FK Qarabağ in midweek, in the UEFA Europa Conference League, so they will be full of confidence. Rosenborg are unbeaten under their new manager, after losing three on the spin before that, so Jakob Michelsen has clearly made a difference. At Lerkendal, in front of their own supporters, Rosenborg will want to continue their recent form so we'll need to be at our best if we're to dent their new manager bounce. Sandefjord are bottom of Eliteserien, seven points off the relegation playoff place, so it's a difficult situation for them but I hope they stick with Eivind Kampen as he's only been in situ since July. Sandefjord need to give him more time to see what he can do. Stefan Leković is suspended for this one which is a blow. Our goalkeeper, Jasper Torkildsen, injured his ankle in training so we'll hand the gloves to Daniel Gjerde Sætren and I have every confidence in him. Edvin Austbø and our captain Patrick Berg are back, and will be on the bench, but we'll only use them today if absolutely necessary. -- Expected Line-up -- Edited June 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Sunday 24th October 2032 Rosenborg (9th) v Viking (1st) Eliteserien -- -- -- I don't think Jakob Michelsen's length in the job had anything to do with it. Rosenborg gave us a very difficult match and we trailed 0-1 at the break. Rosenborg's goal was initially disallowed for offside but VAR overruled the on-field officials' decision. We weren't that bad in the first half, but we didn't look like scoring. I felt changes were needed. I let my assistant manager, Egil Ulfstein, do his bad-cop thing and then we made some substitutions and changed our shape to a more Attacking 4-2-2-2. We were much better in the second half with more attacking threat. Henrik Skogvold equalised for us. Another goal the officials disallowed for offside, only for VAR to correct the decision. Niklas Ødegård put us 2-1 up and we then changed to something closer to our normal 4-4-2 diamond system. Niklas Ødegård headed us into a 3-1 lead late on and we were able to relax with only six plus... minutes to go. -- -- Evening Result Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Monday 1st November 2032 Episode 128 - Eliteserien going down to the wire "Viking First Team Squad" -- News -- Appearances -- Reports -- Players Out on Loan Edited June 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Monday 1st November 2032 Episode 128 - Eliteserien going down to the wire "Månedens Awards" -- Månedens Trener -- Månedens Spiller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Monday 1st November 2032 Episode 128 - Eliteserien Going Down to the Wire "Monthly Review" -- Results -- Board Confidence -- Supporter Confidence -- Finances -- Dynamics 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 (edited) Monday 1st November 2032 Until Next Time... ... when we have three Eliteserien matches to... ... find out whether we can retain our Eliteserien title, plus... ... we play Benfica and Saint-Étienne in the UEFA Champions League. -- November'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... Edited June 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) Preview -- -- Henrik Skogvold is our top goalscorer this season with 20 goals, and he also has our best average rating of 7.32 so, yes, I think he deserves a call-up for Norway. We keep surprising even ourselves in the UEFA Champions League so, who knows? Well we have some time ahead of our next Eliteserien game. We play Benfica, in Portugal, on Tuesday and then we go to Strømsgodset on Sunday so there should be more than enough recovery time. Our goalkeeper, Jasper Torkildsen, remains sidelined with injury so Daniel Gjerde Sætren will get the gloves and young Roger Vestgøte will be on the bench. Spoiler Our captain Patrick Berg is back from his thigh injury and will probably start. Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik and Jesper Robertsen are both suspended for the Strømsgodset match and should start against Benfica. -- Expected Line-up -- Edited June 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) Tuesday 2nd November 2032 Benfica (Portugal) v Viking (Norway) UEFA Champions League -- -- -- I think we just have to hold our hands up today and congratulate Benfica. They were better than us. Benfica enjoyed a lot more possession than us, they created far more chances than us, and even though we had the odd break on the counter, Benfica were overrunning us early on. After 24 minutes though, we changed to a Balanced mentality and asked Jakob Napoleon Romsaas to drop deeper on the right of the diamond. Although we were still second best, we weren't being overrun as much and it no longer seemed inevitable that Benfica would score. We made it through to halftime at 0-0. Unfortunately, after the break, we got a bit sloppy at the back, or at least weren't as quick of thought as Benfica, and we contributed to our own downfall trying to play out from the back. Our goalkeeper, Daniel Gjerde Sætren made a routine pass to Patrick Berg, at the base of the diamond, but Patrick waited for the ball to come to him, Benfica nipped in, intercepted it, and Daniel had to make a great save to keep it at 0-0. We didn't learn our lesson, Aleksander Liland passed out wide to Jesper Robertsen, this time Jesper was caught napping as the ball was intercepted by Norway international Andreas Schjelderup, who ran into the penalty area, his shot deflected off Patrick Berg onto the post, and Carlo Vidangossy reacted quickest to score from the rebound and we were a goal down. We told the players to stop Playing Out of Defence and not to Distribute to centre-backs after that. On 64 minutes, we changed things around to give us more Attacking momentum. It worked, in as much as we created a couple of good chances, but it also made us more open at the back. Benfica hit the bar from long-range on 71 minutes. And then, late on after 90+2 minutes, Benfica doubled their lead from a corner, heading in at the far post. -- Edited June 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 Saturday 6th November 2032 Planned Improvements to Training Facilities -- 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) Preview -- -- We gave the players a couple of days off after the Benfica match and now we're fully focussed on an extremely difficult trip to the Marienlyst Stadion to play high-flying Strømsgodset. Strømsgodset finished 4th in 2029, then finished 8th in 2030 and 2031, but now Henning Berg has them flying in 4th and looking for European Qualification. We know how difficult Strømsgodset are going to be. They've won three of their last four Eliteserien matches and have only lost once in their last 12 in Eliteserien. This is going to be as difficult an away Eliteserien match as we're going to get. Molde are relentless right now. They've won their last five Eliteserien matches, their last six if you include their Curpen Semi Final victory, including wins against Vålerenga and Bodø/Glimt twice. There's always pressure in an Eliteserien title race but Molde, with Kim Bergstrand at the helm, are showing no sign of faltering. Basically, we know that we have to keep winning as well to stand any chance. Both wing-backs, Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik and Jesper Robertsen are suspended. We played them both against Benfica in midweek so that David Møller Wolfe and Sindre Grønvold would be fully rested for the Strømsgodset match. Our goalkeeper Jasper Torkildsen (ankle) has recovered and will wear the gloves today. Joakim Berg Nundal (groin) still isn't fully fit. -- Expected Line-up -- Edited June 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) Sunday 7th November 2032 Strømsgodset (4th) v Viking (1st) Eliteserien -- -- -- Seedy Jatta was very good for Strømsgodset today but, to be fair, all the players out there for Strømsgodset had a great game. 4-4, what a thriller for the neutral. At least we didn't lose, but this feels like a defeat after being 2-0 up. And results elsewhere mean we've handed the advantage to Molde with only two matches left. We were 2-0 up through a Niklas Ødegård penalty and a Henrik Skogvold goal so, yes, to concede a minute into added-on time at the end of the first half was a real kick-in-the-teeth. It was a fine, individual goal from Benjamin Thoresen Faraas but I'm disappointed he ran by so many of our defenders without any of them stopping him. If we'd gone in 2-0 at half-time, I think I would've made some changes to make us more solid defensively but, at 2-1, I kept things as they were because I felt we might need to score a third at least. As it turned out, it became a crazy end-to-end, basketball style second half. On 53 minutes, Strømsgodset equalised with a low cross into the box, that went underneath Jasper Torkildsen, for an easy tap-in. 99 times out of 100 Jasper collects that cross comfortably in his midriff but, just our luck, this was the 100th one that got away from him. Just before the hour mark, level at 2-2, we decided to go onto the front foot, take the game to Strømsgodset, and go for it. It worked. We got forward and created some good chances, putting them under sustained pressure, only for them to hit us on a fast, clinical, counter-attack and we were 2-3 down after 61 minutes. Otto Rosengren pulled it back to 3-3 on 73 minutes. After 75 minutes, from a corner, Stromsgodset hit the bar with a far post header. Then Strømsgodset regained the lead 3-4 on 81 minutes. Two minutes later, Anders Hartveit Ryste made it 4-4. In a crazy last few minutes, we could've won it, Strømsgodset could've won it, but it ended in a 2-2 draw. -- -- Evening Results Edited June 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 Friday 12th November 2032 UEFA Nations League A - Group 4 -- -- -- -- I didn't attend this game, watching it on TV at home. Viking's Aleksander Liland came on as a 76th minute substitute and Jasper Torkildsen was an unused substitute. We will be without both of them when we host Odds Ballklubb on Sunday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 Saturday 13th November 2032 Team Meeting -- -- To be fair, my assistant manager Egil Ulfstein has wanted a Team Meeting ahead of our previous two Eliteserien matches. But I said no, as I thought it was too early in the run-in and I wanted to keep things as normal as possible. I prefer to save Team Meetings for when we really need them. That said though, after the 4-4 draw away to Strømsgodset last time out, that handed the Eliteserien title advantage to Molde, I think Egil's right this time so I've asked him to call a Team Meeting. -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) Preview -- -- Magnus Powell has got Odds Ballklubb playing very well at the moment and they are unbeaten in their last eight Eliteserien matches, winning five of them. As an Odds Ballklubb fan that's very pleasing but, as Viking manager, it means we're going to be in for a very difficult match. We beat Odd 1-0 away in their Skagerak Arena earlier in the season and that gives us confidence. This time we're at home, our wonderful de mørkeblå supporters will be cheering us on, and we're confident of getting a positive result. I'm not going to make any predictions. Molde should beat Sarpsborg but this is football... you just never know. All we can do is try and beat Odds Ballklubb and hope, against hope, that Molde slip up. Sometimes though, it's easier to be the hunter than it is to be the hunted... Molde have been the hunter for so long, let's see how they cope with being the hunted. We're without Jasper Torkildsen and Aleksander Liland who are both away with Norway. We're also without David Møller Wolfe who picked up an injury in training. Other than those three, everybody else is fit and available for selection. -- Expected Line-up -- -- Edited June 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 Sunday 14th November 2032 Viking (1st) v Odds Ballklubb (7th) Eliteserien -- -- -- Niklas Ødegård had a great game, yes, but so did Henrik Skogvold, Lasse Nordås, Otto Rosengren and others. It's a team game and we won as a team today. It was a crazy game. Molde started top of Eliteserien but as our game and theirs progressed, based on current scores, Molde were top, then we were, then Molde again, then us, both Molde and us were losing at one point but then, after all the twists and turns over 90 minutes, both of us won by two clear goals and it's as you were with only one more match left to play. It certainly did and I gave Niklas Ødegård a great big hug at half-time. That goal made the difference between going in 1-2 down and level at 2-2 and, I can tell you, that goal made such a difference to the atmosphere in the dressing room and my team talk. In the second half we defended better, added two more goals and comfortably saw it out for a 4-2 win. Once Henrik Skogvold scored to put us 3-2 up we changed to something more like our normal system. And Henrik then scored his second, our fourth, for good measure. -- 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) Monday 15th November 2032 UEFA Nations League A - Group 4 -- -- -- -- -- Neither Jasper Torkildsen nor Aleksander Liland featured during the Norway-Spain game so, hopefully, they'll both return to the SR-Bank Arena fit and healthy ahead of our final Eliteserien match away to Lillestrøm. Edited June 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) Friday 19th November 2032 Team Meeting -- -- OK, Egil, let's do it. -- -- Edited June 3 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 Preview -- -- There may be nothing at stake for Brann, they will finish 5th and qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League Second Qualifying Round whatever happens today, but their manager Emre Belözoğlu and his players have both professional pride and their futures to play for. I can't for a minute believe that any professional footballer would go out on the pitch and not even try. We will give it our best shot. We know that if Molde win at Brann then that's it, Molde are Eliteserien champions. But if Molde slip up, if they lose, or even if they draw, we can retain our Eliteserien title if we go to Lillestrøm and win. With our superior goal difference, there's even a scenario where Molde could lose and we retain our Eliteserien title with a draw... but that would be incredibly nerve wracking. Our best chance is to go to the Åråsen Stadion, get a win against Lillestrøm, and then see how the Brann v Molde match finishes. Is that right? I hadn't realised that, that's quite a record we have against Lillestrøm there. All I know for sure is it's going to be an incredibly tense day and we know Lillestrøm will be doing everything they can to end that run of victories we have going. They are in good form, Lillestrøm are unbeaten in their last five Eliteserien matches with three wins and two draws. We'll be doing everything we can to get a win but so will Lillestrøm. Oscar Bobb is suspended and David Møller Wolfe is ruled out with an ankle ligament issue, But Jasper Torkildsen and Aleksander Liland are back from International duty and Joakim Berg Nundal has recovered from his groin issue. -- Expected Line-up -- -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) Saturday 20th November 2032 Lillestrøm (10th) v Viking (2nd) Eliteserien -- -- -- -- The frustrating thing is that we didn't do our job today, even though Henrik Skogvold gave us the lead, but we ended up losing 1-2. Even if Molde had slipped up, our defeat today meant we wouldn't have taken advantage of it. Josh Clarke was sensational in Lillestrøm's goal today. We had 22 attempts on goal, three times as many as Lillestrøm, and we got more on target than they did as well, but Clarke pulled off some stunning saves. It says it all really when Lillestrøm's goalkeeper is named player of the match. Yes. Very frustrated. We created enough chances to win two or three games but it just wasn't to be today. Pontus Dahbo hit the post after 17 minutes. Henrik Skogvold broke the deadlock on 24 minutes with a shot from distance that went in off the post. We had plenty of other chances but Josh Clarke denied us. Lillestrøm nearly equalised on 35 minutes when they also hit the post. And against the run of play, Lillestrøm equalised on 44 minutes. We kept the 11 the same at halftime but changed to a more Attacking mentality and asked the full-backs to attack as wing-backs. We looked a lot better and, on 58 minutes, we were awarded a penalty when Pontus Dahbo was tripped in the area. Niklas Ødegård stepped up and struck his spot kick well, only for Josh Clarke to make a stunning save. I'll be honest, I think heads dropped then because we knew Molde were a goal up at Brann. We kept encouraging the players from the dug-out and on 71 minutes we changed our shape to go all out for a goal as we knew we had to win the match in case Molde slipped up. We did take the game to Lillestrøm but were unable to beat their goalkeeper. Chasing the game, Lillestrøm hit us on the counter, won a corner, and on 71 minutes, Anders Hartveit Ryste missed an interception and Lillestrøm took the lead 1-2. We kept going forward. Jakob Napoleon Romsaas struck the outside of the post with a curling free-kick after 74 minutes. We created two or three more chances late on but were unable to score. Sometimes it just isn't your day. We were all very frustrated at full-time and there were some heated words in the dressing room. I'd like to congratulate Kim Bergstrand and Molde. When you've played everybody else twice, home and away, then whoever has the most points deserves to be Champions. Molde end the season on 70 points, four more than us, so they deserve it. We now have to travel to France to play Saint-Étienne in the Champions League before taking on Molde in Cupen Final. -- Edited June 3 by Stuniverse 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 That few dropped points in the middle of the season came back to haunt you. Overall, a good season especially with getting Champion's League Playoffs. If you get knocked out quickly you may end up in the Europa League and have a real chance of winning it! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) Monday 22nd November 2032 How Eliteserien Finished -- - - - - - -- OBOS-ligaen Edited June 3 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 Preview -- -- My medical team say we could probably get 75 minutes out of David Møller Wolfe but I don't see any point in risking him at this stage of the season. We have the later UEFA Champions League schedule this week in France away to Saint-Étienne on Wednesday. As the Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Final is on Sunday, I'll probably make quite a lot of changes to rest players for the Final. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 (edited) Wednesday 24th November 2032 Saint-Étienne (France) v Viking (Norway) UEFA Champions League -- -- -- Saint-Étienne are a very good team and, probably, we were fortunate to win today. But it's a funny old game, isn't it? In our previous game, against Lillestrøm, we controlled the game, dominated possession, created far more chances than Lillestrøm, tested their goalkeeper more than they tested Jasper Torkildsen, and yet we lost 1-2. Tonight, I'm sure the stats will say that Saint-Étienne bossed possession, created more chances than us, made Jasper Torkildsen work harder than we made their goalkeeper work, yet we won 2-1. Funny old game. Against the run of play, Edvin Austbø broke the deadlock on 21 minutes with a shot that deflected past their goalkeeper. Jakob Napoleon Romsaas doubled our lead on 32 minutes. In the second half, Saint-Étienne took the game to us and the last 20+5 minutes they really pinned us back in our own half. Saint-Étienne hit the bar on 70 minutes and pulled a goal back after 73. We changed our shape then and went with a Balanced mentality but it didn't stem the flow, although we defended bravely and resolutely. Our two strikers were isolated though and we had no outlet so, on 89 minutes, we changed our shape again. Somehow, we held on for an incredible 2-1 victory in the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne, France. I'm so proud of the players for how hard they worked tonight. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves with Shakhtar Donetsk (home), Barcelona (away) and Nice (home) still to play but we have nine points now from five matches and, more years than not, nine points has been enough to make the playoffs, and in two or three seasons, eight points has been enough. -- Sometimes I'm an idiot I thought the Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Final was this Sunday so I rested most of my key players... but, it turns out, it's not for another 10 days on Sunday 5th December. Had I realised that, I'd probably have made less changes, gone with a stronger team (in my mind, at least) and maybe not beaten Saint-Étienne. Funny old game -- -- Edited June 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 Wednesday 1st December 2032 Episode 129 - Eliteserien Runners-up "Viking First Team Squad" -- News -- Appearances -- Reports -- Players Out on Loan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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