Hootieleece Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 You are the team to beat.......this time get it done otherwise resign in disgrace! LOL! If you do resign, I'm sure the Scottish National team will have an opening after the Euros. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 (edited) 58 minutes ago, Hootieleece said: You are the team to beat....... I know, @Hootieleece... first time in my time at Viking we've been the bookmakers favourites for anything. 58 minutes ago, Hootieleece said: .......this time get it done No pressure then. 58 minutes ago, Hootieleece said: .......otherwise resign in disgrace! LOL! 58 minutes ago, Hootieleece said: If you do resign, I'm sure the Scottish National team will have an opening after the Euros. Resigning is not an option Edited June 19 by Stuniverse 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 Wednesday 23rd March 2033 Eliteserien Player Odds -- Top Goalscorer -- Top Player -- Top Young Player Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 Preview We're off to Razgrad in Bulgaria to play Ludogorets but we're a bit thin on the ground due to six of our first team squad being away with Norway in different age categories. Jonas Therkelsen (blisters) and Hugo Vetlesen (hip) won't be available either. And we have quite a few players not at full fitness. We've called up 20 year old Christer Apeland and 19 year old Jan Erik Dang from the 2nd Team and, even then, we'll have three empty seats on the substitutes bench. Spoiler We'll stick with our simplified 4-4-2 diamond. We've only named 12 subs today, out of a possible 15, and if we can get the young lads onto the pitch at some stage, we will. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 (edited) Saturday 26th March 2033 Lugogorets (Bulgaria) v Viking (Norway) Friendly -- -- We came to the Ludogorets Arena with very much a makeshift team so I'm delighted that we controlled the match and got the win. One goal proved to be enough. We created plenty of chances, tested the goalkeeper more often than in recent matches, and hit the woodwork an incredible four times. First, Lasse Nordås hit the bar with a header after 12 minutes. Lasse Nordås hit the post again in the 56th minute but, this time, his header went in off the inside of the post for the only goal of the game. Oscar Bobb hit the bar from long-range on 70 minutes. And David Møller Wolfe, on for the injured Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik, thundered a shot against the post on 87 minutes. Edited June 19 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 (edited) Saturday 26th March 2033 Norway v Liechtenstein FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group A -- -- -- Viking had two players in the Norway squad but Jasper Torkildsen and Aleksander Liland were both unused substitutes. -- Edited June 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 Sunday 27th March 2033 Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) First Round Draw -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Sunday 27th March 2033 Viking Sign Modell -- Quite frankly, the opportunity to sign a young, Norwegian centre-back as good as Ove Benjamin Modell is, with the potential he has, was simply too good to turn down. Spoiler -- The addition of Ove Benjamin Modell does cause me a headache though, a very good headache as headaches go, because I already have four very good centre-backs in Aleksander Liland, Rafael Mota, Stefan Leković and Per Joar Hægstad Johnsen and there's no way I'm going to be able to keep them all happy. And that's before David Brekalo returns from his loan at Maribor. Spoiler But better to have too many centre-backs who are good enough for an Eliteserien title challenge than not enough... ... I guess. Edited June 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Tuesday 29th March 2033 Romania v Norway FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group A -- -- Viking's Aleksander Liland started for Norway as the left-sided centre-back. Jasper Torkildsen was named on the bench by Norway manager Kjetil Knutsen as the back-up goalkeeper. -- -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Wednesday 30th March 2033 Viking Captains Announced -- -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Preview -- We're at home in our SR-Bank Arena for our final friendly match against Club Brugge before we kick-off our Eliteserien campaign away to Rosenborg in five days time. All of our internationals are back, unscathed, which is good news but we still have three players carrying injuries and Hugo Vetlesen (hip) is already ruled out for the season opener. Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik (groin) and Jonas Therkelsen (blisters) could probably play today, but I doubt we'll risk them. There's a couple more players struggling for fitness so we'll give David Moller Wolfe and Tinius Sundell some playing time in the second-half, to help them along, if we can. We've done well in pre-season with our simplified 4-4-2 diamond so we'll stick with that for this match against Club Brugge. Aleksander Liland played a full 90 minutes for Norway against Romania earlier this week so the plan is to give Aleksander and new signing Ove Benjamin Modell 45 minutes each. Edited June 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Wednesday 30th March 2033 Viking (Norway) v Club Brugge (Belgium) Friendly -- -- I thought we played very well today and completely controlled the game against a very good Club Brugge team. In the first half, we had 10 attempts on goal, but only got one on target, so during the break we told the team to Work Ball Into Box. With our first real attack in the second-half, Oscar Bobb dribbles to the byline, crosses low into the six yard box, and Henrik Skogvold was there to sweep the ball into the net and give us a 50th minute lead. On the hour, substitutes Øyvind Bekkevold, Edvin Austbø and Anders Hartveit Ryste combined for a very similar goal to double our lead. And, with around 20 minutes to go, Pontus Dahbo wrapped things up with a long-range free-kick. Although we didn't create quite as many chances in the second half, we did create better chances and got a much higher percentage on target. Unfortunately, for us, Club Brugge pulled one back from a corner, on 85 minutes, with their first effort on target but, generally, I thought we defended very well. We'll give the players a couple of days off and then we'll get back into training and prepare for our trip to Lerkendal for our Eliteserien opener away to Rosenborg. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Friday 1st April 2033 Transfer Deadline Day -- -- -- This was an interesting one in that we made enquiries, as we do every transfer window, about all of the senior Norwegian internationals and Hans Jørgen Solberg's agent said his client was interested, Vålerenga didn't want to sell but a bid of £8.8M may get it done. So we made an enquiry and Vålerenga said Hans Jørgen Solberg wasn't for sale, but we offered £8M and, to our surprise, Vålerenga accepted. Personal terms for Hans Jørgen Solberg were straightforward. This signing will, however, cause me a problem, a nice problem but a problem nevertheless. Viking now have two of the three current Norway international goalkeepers in Hans Jørgen Solberg and Jasper Torkildsen - both back-ups to PSG's Kim Christian Høyenhall - and there's no way I'm going to be able to keep them both happy... but I'm going to try my best. Spoiler -- Edited June 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Friday 1st April 2033 Episode 134 - Eliteserien Campaign Starts Soon "Viking First Team Squad" -- News -- Appearances -- Reports -- Squad Numbers Edited June 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Friday 1st April 2033 Episode 134 - Eliteserien Campaign Starts Soon "Viking Players on International Duty" -- Edited June 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Friday 1st April 2033 Episode 134 - Eliteserien Campaign Starts Soon "Monthly Review" -- Results -- Board Confidence -- Supporter Confidence -- Finances -- Dynamics Edited June 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Saturday 2nd April 2033 Until Next Time... ... when our Eliteserien campaign kicks-off away to Rosenborg, and... ... we play four more Eliteserien fixtures, including... ... Bodø/Glimt at home and Molde away. -- April'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 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Sunday 3rd April 2033 Viking Board - Expectations 2033 Season -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Preview -- -- We've done very well in pre-season, winning all five matches and only conceding one goal against some very good opposition. We're ready. Now the players need to go out and prove it. Rosenborg will be a difficult opponent for us on opening day. They always are, particularly in Lerkendal, but we're confident we can go there and get a positive result. Yes. I've signed a new five-year contract to manage Viking for the long haul and to be successful, over a sustained period of time, we need to be developing and signing the best, young Norwegian talent available to us. Two of our new signings, Hans Jørgen Solberg and Tinius Sundell, are current Norwegian internationals. In the five years I've been here, the Eliteserien title has always been won on the last day of the season. It's very difficult to win, it's even more difficult to retain it, but having held the Eliteserien crown for three seasons, and then losing it to Molde last season, we want that title back. No. And there won't be a strongest 11. This is probably, I think, the strongest Viking squad in my time here and there'll be plenty of rotation as we'll need everybody to contribute this season. Hugo Vertlesen (hip) is definitely out but, even if he wasn't injured, Hugo would miss this one as he has a suspension he picked up at the end of last season playing for Molde. We also have a few players not quite match-fit we'll need to be careful with. -- Expected Line-up We'll continue with the simplified 4-4-2 diamond that worked well in pre-season but we'll be asking the players to Work Ball Into Box as that seemed to make a difference in the second half last time out against Club Brugge. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Monday 4th April 2033 Rosenborg v Viking Eliteserien -- -- -- -- I can't fault Kjell Fjæreide since he was elected chairperson. Kjell has fully supported me and my staff and he wants the very best for Viking Fotballklubb. Not angry. No. Disappointed yes, maybe a bit frustrated as well. It was a very tight game, against a good Rosenborg side, with very little in it and Rosenborg took one of their chances, which we were unable to do, and then they hit us on the break for a second one. The opening goal was somewhat fortunate, Jasper Torkildsen made a good save, but the ball cannoned back off our defender at the post and fell to their left-back Javi López for a tap-in. We looked nervous in the opening minutes and had trouble keeping possession of the ball but, after the opening five minutes or so, we settled into the game and dominated possession. At half-time we made a couple of substitutions and I honestly thought we looked the most likely to score in the second half. Leif Jostein Taagvold made some good saves in their goal to keep us out. Then Rosenborg took the lead, in very fortunate circumstances, and we had to go for it then. We did take the game to Rosenborg but they hit us on the break for 0-2 and that was that. I thought we played well for the most part, but it wasn't our day. We have some new players who are settling in and, once they do, we'll be fine. -- -- Evening Result Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Preview -- -- We didn't get the start we wanted away at Rosenborg on Monday, whereas Bodø/Glimt got off to a winning start 2-1 at home to Stabæk. That, in itself, makes this a difficult game bit Bodø/Glimt are always a difficult team to play against. We've had a good record against Bodø/Glimt recently and, hopefully, with our supporters packing out the SR-Bank Arena, they can cheer us on to a first win of the season. We have a few injuries and fitness concerns to deal with. -- Expected Line-up We'll stick with the 4-4-2 diamond today but we're not going to Work Ball Into Box against Bodø/Glimt as it didn't work very well against Rosenborg last time out. Pontus Dahbo comes in on the right-hand side of the diamond with a slight role change in place of Otto Rosengren, hopefully to give us some more attacking momentum. We've also made a couple of changes at left-back and the base of the diamond due to fitness concerns. -- Edited June 20 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Sunday 10th April 2033 Viking (16th) v Bodø/Glimt (3rd) Eliteserien -- -- -- This was much more like the Viking we know and love. We created more chances than Bodø/Glimt, we had a lot more possession than Bodø/Glimt, and we thoroughly deserved to win this match. Lasse Nordås gave us an early lead and we never looked back after that, although we did have a let-off on 44 minutes when Bodø/Glimt hit the post with a far post header. But after the break we had total control. Lasse Nordås scored a second. Niklas Ødegård made it 3-0 and Henrik Skogvold rounded things off with a fourth. We've had a difficult start away at Rosenborg and home to Bodø/Glimt but we're feeling confident. -- -- 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Preview -- -- We're away to Åsane who have started the season with defeats against Haugesund (0-1 away) and Rosenborg (1-2 at home). Åsane will be looking for a first win of the season, but we have a very good record against Åsane and, even away in the Åsane Arena, we're confident. We still have a few niggly, injury concerns and won't be taking any risks with Jasper Torkildsen, Tinius Sundell or Anders Hartveit Ryste. -- Expected Line-up Although Jasper Torkildsen (knee) has passed a fitness test, there's no point taking any risks with him when we've just signed another Norwegian international goalkeeper, so Hans Jørgen Solberg will make his Viking debut. I've decided, for now, to go with a home and an away version of our 4-4-2 diamond. The only difference will be on the right of the diamond where we'll have an AP-Su in the home variation and a DLP-Su for away matches. Although we are away to Åsane today, we want to play on the front foot against them so will go with the AP-Su. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Sunday 17th April 2033 Åsane (15th) v Viking (6th) Eliteserien -- -- -- This was one of those games that defied all logic for long periods. We were in complete control, I thought, from the first whistle to the last but, on a rare Åsane attack, Aleksander Liland conceded a soft penalty and Åsane took a 25th minute lead from the penalty spot with their first attempt on goal. Seven minutes later, Aleksander Liland crashed a free-kick against the post. At half-time, I made three substitutions. I've decided this season, with so many quality players, that an under-performing player in the first half will get hooked during the break. We were better, and created a few good chances, but we couldn't break through. On 61 minutes I changed our shape and went with an Attacking mentality. Five minutes after changing the shape, Pontus Dahbo struck a brilliant dequaliser. I thought the winner would come but Åsane were very well organised and very difficult to break down. I feared for Pontus Dahbo when Magnus Grødem dived in two-footed, with no chance of getting the ball, and completely wiped Pontus out. Magnus Grødem was shown a straight red card and, fortunately, Pontus was unhurt. We penned Åsane inside their own half and patience finally paid off when Jesper Robertsen made it 2-1 on 90 minutes. We reverted back to our normal 4-4-2 diamond shape then and comfortably saw the game out. -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Preview -- -- Tromsø lost their opening game of the season 1-2 at home to Sandnes Ulf, but then bounced back with a 2-0 away win at Stabæk and a very impressive 3-1 home victory over Bodø/Glimt at the weekend. During my time at Viking, we do have a very good record against Tromsø but that means nothing today as, I'm sure, Timmy Simons and Tromsø will want to get a win themselves. We played Åsane last Sunday and are away to Molde this Sunday coming so, yes, I think today would be a good opportunity to rotate things and rest a few players. -- Expected Line-up I've made quite a few changes with Sunday's game at Molde's Aker Stadion in mind, but I believe the Viking team selected is good enough to get a positive result today. Edited June 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Wednesday 20th April 2033 Viking (5th) v Tromsø (4th) Eliteserien -- -- -- We knew what to expect from Tromsø, they were going to sit deep, defend in numbers, be very organised, and try to catch us on the break. And that's what we got. We knew we would have to be patient in breaking them down but, at times, our patience was severely tested. On 15 minutes Anders Hartveit Ryste hit the post from tight angle. Five minutes before half-time, Anders Hartveit Ryste strayed offside and his goal was disallowed. 0-0 at the break and I made three substitutions. Around the hour mark, Edvin Austbø had a goal disallowed for offside by VAR. Substitute Niklas Odegård finally broke the deadlock on 66 minutes and then doubled our lead with an 80th minute penalty. Tromsø hardly threatened our goal and, once we'd scored, we managed the game out very comfortably. We'll give the players a day off and then prepare for a very difficult away game against last season's Eliteserien champions Molde. -- Edited June 20 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Friday 22nd April 2033 Ryste Unhappy -- This is an annoying one because I don't remember making this promise. It may have come up when I asked his agent if Anders Hartveit Ryste was interested in a new contract... ... but I definitely excluded it from the new contract negotiations. -- -- -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 Preview -- -- Last season we drew both Eliteserien matches with Molde and, although we lost the Cupen Final to them, we lost in extra-time so, technically, that was another draw. When I first came to Viking, we had a reasonably good record against Molde, but not recently, we last beat Molde in October 2030. So we know it's going to be a very difficult match at Aker Stadion, although Molde have made a below par start to the season by their standards - two away defeats, both 1-3 against Brann and Rosenborg, and two home victories, again both 3-1 against Haugesund and Åsane. We'll have to be at our best, or very close to it, to get anything out of this one. Hugo Vetlesen (hip) has missed all of pre-season and still isn't ready to play. When he is, we won't rush him back. Tor Helge Vatten (knee) only returned to training yesterday and the Molde game is too soon for him. Tor Helge is very much the back-up to Jesper Robertsen this season so there's no need to rush him. We're still managing Tinius Sundell's return after his ankle, heel and thigh problems in pre-season but Jasper Torkildsen (knee) and Anders Hartveit Ryste (groin) have both passed fitness tests. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 (edited) Sunday 24th April 2033 Molde (7th) v Viking (4th) Eliteserien -- -- -- This was one of those games where both defences were on top and neither team was able to test the goalkeeper. It didn't help that we lost Lasse Nordås with sprained ankle ligaments after just 15 minutes. 0-0 at half-time, we'd only had one shot and Molde had managed four. We made a couple of substitutions during the break and asked Otto Rosengren to play AP-Su on the right of the diamond instead of DLP-Su. In the second half we were the only team in it and Molde didn't muster a single shot on target. We created quite a few chances but couldn't score past André Moreira. Anders Hartveit Ryste's 63rd minute goal was ruled out for offside. You have to say well played André Moreira but how many times is that now that the opposition goalkeeper produces a Player-of-the-Match display to thwart us? Normally an away draw against Molde is a good result but this one, under the circumstances, feels like two points dropped. -- Edited June 20 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 I would think that Rosengren should be the next Captain if he has good leadership skill after this season of course......don't want to ruffle Berg's feathers. I normally make a benchwarmer that is an impact sub or starter in rotation the Vice Captain if possible. That being said Oscar Bobb might be the right man for the job! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 (edited) 9 hours ago, Hootieleece said: don't want to ruffle Berg's feathers. Exactly, @Hootieleece… which is why I kept the captain and vice-captain unchanged this season. 9 hours ago, Hootieleece said: I would think that Rosengren should be the next Captain if he has good leadership skill Otto Rosengren is a Team Leader but his Leadership attribute is only 9 which puts him way down on the Leadership list. With captains, I normally go with players who have a high Leadership attribute who, I think, will play regularly. I do, sometimes, look at dynamics and the influence hierarchy as well but it’s mainly leadership and likely playing time I factor in. In my previous seasons at Viking I’ve always known what my strongest 11 (or strongest 14-15 were) but this season is different as I have quality players in all areas of the pitch (well, except DR where Jesper Robertsen has no real competition other than a couple of youngsters) and I have no idea what my strongest 11 is. This strength in depth is what we need, I think, although it will create issues over playing time, I’m sure, as the season develops. I think this greater strength in depth is why the Season Preview has made us favourites (for the first time during my tenure here) to win Eliteserien. 9 hours ago, Hootieleece said: I normally make a benchwarmer that is an impact sub or starter in rotation the Vice Captain if possible. That being said Oscar Bobb might be the right man for the job! My coaching staff didn’t make any recommendations for captain changes this season but, last season, they did recommend Oscar Bobb for vice-captain but I gave it Jasper Torkildsen instead. — 22 hours ago, Stuniverse said: Wednesday 30th March 2033 Viking Captains Announced -- -- -- Edited June 21 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 (edited) Nobody is Undefeated After eventual champions Molde, us and, I think, one other team (possibly Valerenga) went deep into last season undefeated in Eliteserien, this season everybody has lost at least one game and we’ve only played five league matches. Edited June 21 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 Sunday 1st May 2033 Episode 135 - Lost Eliteserien Opener "Viking - First Team Squad" -- Appearances -- Reports -- Players Out on Loan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 Sunday 1st May 2033 Episode 135 - Lost Eliteserien Opener "Månedens Awards" -- Månedens Trener -- Månedens Spiller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 Sunday 1st May 2033 Episode 135 - Lost Eliteserien Opener "Espanyol Agree Deal for Leković" -- Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 (edited) Sunday 1st May 2033 Episode 135 - Lost Eliteserien Opener "Monthly Review" -- Results -- Board Confidence -- Supporter Confidence -- Finances -- Dynamics Edited June 22 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 Sunday 1st May 2033 Until Next Time... ... when we have five more Eliteserien fixtures, and... ... our Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) campaign begins. -- May'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 22 Author Share Posted June 22 (edited) Preview -- -- -- This won't be an easy game today. Strømsgodset have only lost once in their opening five matches, but they have drawn three. We know it's going to be another game where we need to be patient and not get wound up if we're into the second half and things aren't going our way. Our de mørkeblå supporters are excellent but we'll need them to stick with us in our SR-Bank Arena today. Spoiler Joakim Berg Nundal is a very good striker, we know that, but we have a plethora of very good strikers right now and we couldn't find room to register Joakim so we loaned him out to Strømsgodset. Joakim is contracted to Viking until the end of the 2035 season, with an option for us to extend, so he could very well have a role to play for us in the future. Of course, I expect Joakim will have a point to prove today and it's up to us to stop him. Lasse Nordås will be out for a while with sprained ankle ligaments and that's a real blow. Hugo Vetlesen (hip) is due back in training next week but it could be a while before we see him playing 90 minutes. Everybody else is good to go. -- Expected Line-up Edited June 22 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 (edited) Sunday 1st May 2033 Viking (4th) v Strømsgodset (10th) Eliteserien -- -- -- I don't know what got into Jesper Robertsen's head but he was deservedly sent off for a two-footed lunge from behind. It was very disappointing and, if I'm honest, unlike Jeper Robertsen but, late in the game, when we were already effectively down to 10-men as Julian Gonstad was playing through an injury, and we were pushing for a goal to win it, it was the last thing we needed. We said all along that we had to be patient and that's how it proved. We hoped we'd get more than one great chance but, in the end, the great chance came very late on and Edvin Austbø put it narrowly wide. Against a very well organised Strømsgodset team, we created more than enough chances but, once again, in Kike Moreno (7.6 rating) we faced an opposition goalkeeper who made some magnificent saves. Anders Hartveit Ryste saw a goal ruled out for offside on 18 minutes. It was a lovely long through ball from Niklas Ødegård, the ball travelled a long distance, Anders took the ball, dribbled into the penalty area, rounded the goalkeeper and rolled the ball into an empty net. The on-field officials originally gave the goal, but VAR overruled them. We were furious. That's our problem at the moment, we're creating plenty of chances but we either run offside or fail to hit the target. It's frustrating because we have very good players who don't have their shooting boots on right now. I'd be more worried if we weren't creating the chances though. At the break, I made three substitutions, taking off two players on yellow cards and making a change behind the front two. In fairness, I took Niklas Ødegård off but it could just as easily have been Anders Hartveit Ryste. I made my final substitution on 70 minutes, sending on Julian Gonstad and also asking the full-backs to play as wing-backs and changing to an Attacking mentality. But after nine minutes Julian twisted his knee and we asked him to play through it as we had no substitutions left. Then came Jesper Robertsen's red mist. We made changes and still pushed for the goal that would win the match even though we were down to 10 players, effectively nine with Julian's injury. It was a bit hairy, and end-to-end, as Strømsgodset pushed forward looking to take advantage of their superior numbers. We did create that great, late chance but Edvin Austbø shot just wide. I think we deserved to win on the balance of play, but it wasn't to be today. -- Edited June 22 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 (edited) Preview - Sarpsborg (away) -- -- -- Yeah, Sarpsborg have started the season very well. Like us, they've only lost once. They've won two and drawn three which leaves them two points behind us. Sometimes, at the early stages of the season, you can be high up the league table because you've had an easy run of fixtures, not that any Eliteserien match is easy, but beating Molde 1-0 at home last time out, and Brann also 1-0 at home earlier in the season, you have to say Sarpsborg are up there on merit. I like how we play, and it's served us well in my five seasons here at Viking so far, but we are struggling to get shots on target and stay onside this season, although we are creating plenty of chances. If that continues, we may have to reassess our tippy-tappy stuff as Alexander Frei calls it. Lasse Nordås (ankle) will be out for a while yet. Hugo Vertelsen (hip) is back in training but, after two months out, we'll probably nurse him back with some 2nd Team playing time first. Jesper Robertsen is suspended following his red mist last time out against Strømsgodset. We've made 20 year old Tor Helge Vatten our back-up right-back this season so now is the perfect opportunity for him to start and show us what he's capable of. Spoiler Who knows, if Tor Helge Vatten does well, maybe Jesper Robertsen won't get his place back in the team? -- Expected Line-up I've had a word with Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik and Anders Hartveit Ryste about their poor form recently. They both agreed and said they would work hard to do better. -- Edited June 22 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 (edited) Saturday 7th May 2033 Sarpsborg (6th) v Viking (4th) Eliteserien -- -- -- -- Sarpsborg proved today that they are a very good team. They've beaten Molde and Brann already this season at home and they can now add Viking to that list of teams they've defeated at Sarpsborg Stadion. Fundamentally, and it pains me to say this, I think Sarspborg worked harder than us today, particularly in their penalty area where they made two, if not three great last gasp tackles as we were about to shoot. Terry Yegbe deserved his Player of the Match award scoring two goals for Sarpsborg at the right times for them - just before half-time, 45+2 to be exact, and early in the second half on 51 minutes. I thought we were the better team in the first half but, as we often say, it's a game of fine margins. Just before half-time, Niklas Odegard's header grazes the bar and goes over and then, almost immediately afterwards, Sarpsborg break the deadlock with only their second attack of the match. During the break, we made a couple of substitutions, asked our full-backs to play as wing-backs, and changed to Attacking. We started the second half brightly, created a couple of good chances, but Sarpsborg picked us off on the counter-attack, with a high ball over the top for Terry Yegbe to run onto and score. We changed our shape after that, went more on the front foot, and looked to attack Sarpsborg, and we looked good, doing everything right except score. We made more changes, still we dominated the possession, created chances, but couldn't score. We tried Hit Early Crosses and got a late goal when Anders Hartveit Ryste headed in Aleksander Liland's free-kick, but it proved to be too little too late. I gladly let Egil Ulfstein do his bad-cop thing after the match. This isn't good enough and we need to improve. We may even need to change the way we approach matches because 66% possession is amazing, but it's no good to anyone if we don't do anything with all that possession. -- -- Edited June 22 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 (edited) Preview - Lillestrøm (home) -- -- Lillestrøm are 9th and in mid-table which you'd expect from three wins, one draw and three defeats. Without being disrespectful though, we are only two points better off and that shows that we're playing average, mid-table football, and we need to improve. Lillestrøm play a passing game and, hopefully, that will suit us as we want to put on a good display in the SR-Bank Arena in front of our own supporters. It's been a bad week for us in training with David Møller Wolfe (calf), Jasper Robertsen (knee) and Per Joar Hægstad Johnsen (ankle) going down with injuries. Lasse Nordås (ankle) is back in training but he's too important to us to risk him by rushing him back. Hugo Vetlesen (hip) still isn't quite ready to play first team football. Everybody else is good to go. -- Extended Line-up When things aren't going right, I believe in simplifying things rather than over-complicating, so that's what we're going to do against Lillestrøm and see what happens. In possession, we're going to no longer Play Out Of Defence but we'll look to Hit Early Crosses. In transition, we're going to stop Take Short Kicks and Distribute to Centre-backs. Out of possession we're going with a Mid Block instead of a High Press and a Standard Defensive Line instead of Higher Defensive Line. We're also going to cease Step Up More. A few role changes: DM-De instead of HB-De, BBM-Su instead of AP-Su, AM-At instead of SS-At. We've also missed Lasse Nordås as TF-Su so we're going back to that role, even without Lasse, alongside an AF-At. -- Edited June 22 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 (edited) Monday 16th May 2033 Viking (7th) v Lillestrøm (9th) Eliteserien -- -- -- No doubt about it, Zian Flemming impressed for Lillestrøm today but, having said that, his goal, the only goal of the game, came from our poor defending. Lillestrøm rolled an 18th minute free-kick into our penalty area, instead of clearing it, Jesper Robertsen let the ball go between his legs, our goalkeeper Jasper Torkildsen came for the ball, stopped, half-came, half-stopped again, leaving Flemming an easy goal. That's the six million dollar question. We continue to create plenty of chances but we aren't getting anywhere near enough on target. I think it's over-simplistic to say we've missed Lasse Nordås (sprained ankle ligaments) but we haven't coped very well with his absence. I don't see how you can say we had help fom VAR. On 64 minutes. Edvin Austbø was clearly tripped in the penalty area. The referee had no hesitation in blowing his whistle and pointing to the spot. I have no idea what VAR saw, or thought they'd seen, but they sent the referee to the monitor and he caved in and changed his mind. Lillestrøm dominated the early possession so, after we conceded, we went back to Play Out Of Defence and Distribute To Centre-Backs. On 32 minutes, we switched our front three around. At half-time, I made three substitutions and went with a more Attacking shape and mentality. On 52 minutes we started to pick our moments to cross, no longer Hit Early Crosses. On 69 minures I made my final substituions #lastthrowofthedice Nothing worked. I didn't feel we deserved to lose and it's annoying and frustrating in equal measure that we gifted Lillestrøm their goal and failed to score ourselves. We have a lot of hard work to do but, already, it may be too late as Vålerenga and Rosenborg are now seven points ahead of us. -- Edited June 22 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 (edited) Tuesday 17th May 2033 *** Feeling the Pressure *** -- Well it's been a strange Eliteserien season so far... After how everybody finished last season... ... who would've thought that after eight matches this season, reigning champions Molde would be 11th and last season's runners-up, my Viking, would be 7th... ... certainly not me... ... but here we are, playing reasonably well, creating plenty of chances, but not working the goalkeeper anywhere near enough. In eight matches, we've conceded six goals which is the joint best defensive record but we've only scored nine goals which is 11th= with Brann and only Lillestrøm, Stabæk, Sogndal and Tromsø have scored less. And that's from a Viking team who have created more chances than anybody else this season. I know the age old saying is that if you're creating the chances, then remain patient, trust the process, and the goals will come... but how long do you wait for? I'll be honest... I'm starting to feel the pressure. -- Viking Board's View -- Eliteserien Job Security -- And it doesn't get any easier... ... away to Eliteserien leaders Vålerenga in our next league match. Edited June 22 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 Rough start and - as you say - weird for more sides than just Viking. One thing you might try is dropping the tempo a notch. You're starting on 'positive', which already pushes tempo up a bit, and seem to play on 'attacking' often, which pushes tempo even higher. Giving the players a little more time on the ball might help them make more of the chances you're creating. Good luck - I've no doubt you'll turn things around 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 22 Author Share Posted June 22 1 hour ago, warlock said: Rough start and - as you say - weird for more sides than just Viking. I know @warlock. 1 hour ago, warlock said: One thing you might try is dropping the tempo a notch. You're starting on 'positive', which already pushes tempo up a bit, and seem to play on 'attacking' often, which pushes tempo even higher. Giving the players a little more time on the ball might help them make more of the chances you're creating. You may be on to something there. We normally start on positive but I do switch to attacking when we need to chase the game or score a goal or two. I may well give it a go because, I’ll be honest, I’m running out of ideas as we’re defending very well, creating more chances than any other team, but not scoring that many. I was toying with trying a completely different system as I was beginning to think the 4-4-2 diamond had been found out after five seasons. At times, last season, we struggled to score in a few games but this season it’s become an ongoing issue even with some very good strikers at the club. 1 hour ago, warlock said: Good luck - I've no doubt you'll turn things around Thank you… we will need all the luck we can get because I’m not as confident as you that we will turn things around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 23 Author Share Posted June 23 (edited) Tuesday 17th May 2033 Tactics -- For the next three matches... ... a Cupen tie against a Tier 4 team... ... plus two Eliteserien matches against teams above us in the league table, I'm going to go back to a simplified version of our 4-4-2 diamond. I'm conscious that we have the joint best defence in Eliteserien along with Vålerenga, we've created more chances than any other team in Eliteserien, but ten teams have scored more goals than us. There isn't a lot wrong, in fact most of what we are doing is very good, we just aren't getting enough attempts on target and, consequently, we're not scoring enough goals. -- Tactical Shape and Mentality Back to the two strikers being on Attack (rather than the left-one being Support) with the player at the top of the diamond being on Support (not Attack). The individual roles may change based on a player's preferences / strengths, most likely in midfield but, also, if Lasse Nordås is unavailable to play TF. It's interesting that most assists so far this season are from Pontus Dahbo and Oscar Bobb both of whom play the MEZ-Su role, but not at the same time, and top goal scorer is a tie between Lasse Nordås and Niklas Ødegård who usually plays at the top of the diamond. Tinius Sundell, who would play at the base of the diamond, has the best pass completion rate. So should Tinius, Pontus, Oscar and Niklas be my starting midfield diamond? And, if so, can I get away with two mezzalas in the team? -- In Possession In possession, I'm going to push the attacking width up a notch to Fairly Wide (which may have bugged wording because the one below, which we were on and also said Fairly Wide, probably wasn't actually fairly wide). I'm going to go back to our tried and tested Play Out Of Defence and I'm going to play with a mid range Slightly Higher tempo (although the wording may be bugged as the one above also says Slightly Higher while the one below is Slightly Lower]. We experimented with Hit Early Crosses but I'm going to hold off on that for now. -- In Transition In transition, we'll be going Distribute To Centre-Backs again. -- Out of Possession Out of possession, I'm going to return to a High Press Line of Engagement and a Higher Defensive Line but I'm going to keep Step Up More off. Edited June 23 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 23 Author Share Posted June 23 (edited) Tuesday 17th May 2033 Training - Shooting -- You know what, that's a cunning plan, Egil. As well as Edvin Austbø, our other strikers Anders Hartveit Ryste, Henrik Skogvold, Julian Gonstad and Lasse Nordås as well as midfielders Niklas Ødegård, Oscar Bobb and Pontus Dahbo have all been put on additional Shooting training for a month. Edited June 23 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 23 Author Share Posted June 23 Thursday 19th May 2033 Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Second Round Draw -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted June 23 Author Share Posted June 23 (edited) Preview - Skjervøy (Cupen) -- -- Norsk Tipping-ligaen Avdeling 5 (Tier 4) -- With our current problems scoring goals, we certainly won't be under-estimating Skjervøy today as one goal, if they can score one, could be enough to beat us. The system we play has served us well in my time here at Viking. It ain't broke, exactly, just mis-firing a bit. Look, we're not far off, we're defending very well and have created the most chances in Eliteserien, we're just not taking enough of those chances. We've been working on shooting in training and, hopefully, our strikers will have their shooting boots on. Aleksander Liland is suspended and misses out. We also have a few injuries keeping the medical team busy. Per Joar Hægstad Johnsen has a twisted ankle which is a real shame as I would have started him in central defence for this Cupen tie otherwise. Hugo Vetlesen (hip) has looked sharp in training and is available again. If things go according to plan, I'll look to give him some playing time off the bench. Lasse Nordås (ankle) is back in training, and could probably give us 45 minutes if needed, but Lasse is too important to us to risk him today. -- Expected Line-up Usually, in a Cupen tie like this, no disrespect to Skjervøy, I'd look to give some youngsters playing time but, in our current situation, I think it's more important we go with an Eliteserien starting 11 and work on our goal scoring. 20 year old Tor Helge Vatten will start at right-back. He played against Sarpsborg, when Jesper Robertsen was suspended, and didn't have the best of games (6.4), mind you, neither did the rest of the team. This is another opportunity for Tor Helge Vatten. New signing Hans Jørgen Solberg takes the gloves today and, after Jasper Torkildsen's mistake against Lillestrøm, Hans Jørgen has the chance to stake a claim to keep the gloves for the next Eliteserien match against Vålerenga. Edited June 23 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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