Stuniverse Posted July 1 Author Share Posted July 1 (edited) Sunday 4th September 2033 Strømsgodset (7th) v Viking (6th) Eliteserien -- -- -- Of course, we need our shooting boots on to actually score goals and win matches. It was a fairly even game against Strømsgodset today. They didn't look like scoring but, unfortunately, neither did we as despite creating 10 chances we only forced Kike Moreno into making two saves. On 61 minutes we made our first substitution, went to an Attacking mentality, changed the role of the right-sided midfielder to DLP-Su and asked the wing-backs to Attack. On 75 minutes we made two more substitutions and looked to Work Ball Into Box. At the final whistle, a 0-0 draw was probably a fair result as neither Strømsgodset nor us did enough to win. I think Rosenborg have ridden their luck a bit this season, as we saw when they played us recently, but fair play to them because, at this stage of the season, Rosenborg are top on merit. -- Edited July 1 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 2 Author Share Posted July 2 Preview - Botev Plovdiv (away) UEFA Europa League League Path -- -- We haven't played in the UEFA Europa League since 2028 but, having narrowly lost the UEFA Champions League League Playoff to Benfica, we'll give the Europa League our best shot. Miroslav Marchev started his career in the Academy at Botev Plovdiv and I know he's thrilled to be going back to the Hristo Botev Stadium. Jonas Therkelsen bruised his knee in training and will miss out against Botev Plovdiv. Otto Rosengren (hip) and Anders Hartveit Ryste (ankle) are some way short of full fitness but, as we can name 12 substitutes, they will both be on the bench. Julian Gonstad is the latest player I've had to speak to recently about his below par form. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 2 Author Share Posted July 2 (edited) Thursday 8th September 2033 Botev Plovdiv (Bulgaria) v Viking (Norway) UEFA Europa League -- -- -- We're delighted with the 2-1 victory over Botev Plovdiv, particularly after falling behind to a soft, against the run of play, 21st minute goal. Our heads didn't drop though and Niklas Ødegård equalised a minute later. We had to be patient after that, but our patience paid off when substitute Julian Gonstad made it 2-1 on 72 minutes. Miroslav Marchev had an ankle issue so, on 55 minutes, we made three substitutions. It was great to be able to get Anders Hartveit Ryste on the pitch again after his ankle injury. On 68 minutes we made our remaining substitutions, changed our shape, and went to an Attacking mentality. Four minutes later, Julian Gonstad ended his long goal drought and we led 2-1. We reverted back to a slightly less adventurous version of our 4231... ... and were able to see the game out. -- Edited July 3 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 2 Author Share Posted July 2 (edited) Saturday 10th September 2033 Eliteserien Result -- -- Edited July 2 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 2 Author Share Posted July 2 Sunday 11th September 2033 Countdown to Viking Elections... 10 days -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 (edited) Preview - Sarpsborg (home) Eliteserien -- -- Earlier in the season we lost 1-2 to Sarpsborg in their Sarpsborg Stadion, in a game we completely dominate but failed to take our chances in. Hopefully, at home in our SR-Bank Arena, with our supporters cheering us on, we'll have our shooting boots on and show what we're capable of. It's only been three days since we travelled to Plovdiv, Bulgaria and beat Botev Plovdiv 2-1. We're determined to get a good result against Sarpsborg, and will pick as strong a team as we can but, a number of the players who performed admirably against Botev Plovdiv have looked jaded since we've been back so our team selection process may comprise of which players are fittest? And there's still about four players working their way back to full fitness and our medical team advise that Otto Rosengren (hip) and Anders Hartveit Ryste (ankle) sill aren't ready to play a full 90 minutes. Lasse Nordås (knee) remains sidelined and will be out for at least another two-three weeks. -- Expected Line-up Edited July 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 (edited) Sunday 11th September 2033 Viking (6th) v Sarpsborg (10th) Eliteserien -- -- -- With a makeshift starting-11, due to tiredness and fitness issues, I'm delighted with how well we played and that we restricted Sarpsborg to just three attempts in 90 minutes, only one of which tested our goalkeeper Jasper Torkildsen. Niklas Ødegård had done his job by scoring both our goals, after 15 minutes and from the penalty spot five minutes before half-time. I'd probably have kept him on longer if Niklas hadn't picked up a yellow card. We were in complete control of the game and didn't want to take any risks. Our goalkeeper Jasper Torkildsen picked up a minor arm injury and, whilst I do want to give Hans Jørgen Solberg some playing time soon, there was no point taking any risks. It's great to have moved up into 5th but, in truth, we want to finish higher, as high as possible, so we need to win as many of our remaining eight Eliteserien matches as we can. -- -- Evening Result Edited July 3 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 Preview - Legia Warszawa (home) UEFA Europa League -- -- We started our UEFA Europa League campaign with a 2-1 victory in Bulgaria against Botev Plovdiv and will look to follow that up with another result against Legia Warszawa tonight Jesper Robertsen felt a tight calf in training so we'll put him on the bench for the Legia Warszawa game and, hopefully, we won't need to bring him on. We'll be without Lasse Nordås (knee) for a while yet. Otto Rosengren (hip) has been given the green light by our medical team and Otto will start against Legia Warszawa; we'll keep a close eye on him and probably substitute him at some stage in the second-half. Anders Hartveit Ryste (ankle) will also start but our medical team advise he can only play 75 minutes so we'll look to replace him well before then. We've recently called 16 year-old goalkeeper Thomas Otterlei up to the first team squad. We're not expecting him to play this season, but it will help his development to train with the first team goalkeepers, whilst continuing to play for our U19s. Spoiler -- Expected Line-up Jasper Torkildsen gashed his arm against Sarpsborg which, while not serious, does give me an excuse to give Hans Jørgen Solberg the gloves today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 Wednesday 15th September 2033 Viking (Norway) v Legia Warszawa (Poland) UEFA Europa League League Path -- -- -- We're thrilled to have beaten Legia Warszawa 2-0 in front of our own supporters in the SR-Bank Arena. We had to be patient, with both goals coming in the second half through Ove Benjamin Modell and Henrik Skogvold. The match was almost perfect. Legia Warszawa had only one attempt on goal, although Legia Warszawa did have two goals ruled out for offside which makes a pleasant change as it's usually us on the wrong side of an assistant referee's flag or VAR decision; we got Otto Rosengren (hip) and Anders Hartveir Ryste (ankle) through an hour each, and we were able to give playing time to young Brede Norbye. Spoiler The only thing that ruined the perfection was an injury to Joakim Berg Nundal. We're buzzing to have started our Europa League campaign with two wins out of two. -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 Saturday 17th September 2033 Eliteserien Result -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 (edited) Preview - Lillestrøm (away) Eliteserien -- -- Thank you. In a season where we've been consistently, inconsistent it's very satisfying to currently be on a run of only one defeat in our last nine matches, in all competitions, with seven of those being wins. But we're under no illusions about how difficult this away game will be today after Lillestrøm beat us 0-1 at our SR-Bank Arena earlier this season. Our improved form coincides with us changing from the 442 diamond to 4231 and then tweaking that to play with two Ball Winning Midfielders in front of the back four. In Ove Benjamin Modell, Aleksander Liland and Miroslav Marchev, we have three centre-backs who can play in the "2" with Tinius Sundell and that's given us a much more solid presence. That's the way I like to play and, for the most part of my five-and-two-third years here at Viking, it's been successful for us. Lasse Nordås (knee) and Joakim Berg Nundal (ankle) are big misses for us. Fitness wise we're almost there, although our medical team still advise against giving Anders Hartveit Ryste (ankle) a full 90 minutes. Anders starts, but we'll be monitoring him carefully.. There's quite a bit of tiredness though after Thursday's UEFA Europa League tie against Legia Warszawa so, once again, team selection will have a lot to do with who's fittest. -- Expected Line-up Edited July 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 (edited) Sunday 18th September 2033 Lillestrøm (10th) v Viking (5th) Eliteserien -- -- -- Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik had a great game for us today... but he wasn't the only one. We won as a team today. Given we had to field a makeshift team again, due to tiredness after Thursday's UEFA Europa League clash with Legia Warszawa, we're thrilled to have gone to the Åråsen Stadion and come away with a 2-1 victory over Lillestrøm. Lillestrøm broke the deadlock early. The assistant referee raised his flag, the referee disallowed the goal, but VAR overruled the on-field officials. It was doubly disappointing given the goal came from our mistake when Aleksander Liland underhit his pass to Miroslav Marchev and Lillestrøm intercepted the pass. I wouldn't say we struggled, exactly, other than going behind early in unfortunate circumstances but that was the only attempt on goal Lillestrøm had in the first half. We pretty much dominated the first half. Jesper Robertsen hit the post from a narrow angle on 8 minutes. Anders Hartveit Ryste equalised after 34 minutes. In the second half we continued to control the game. Henrik Skogvold gave us the lead on 50 minutes, his first shot was blocked back to him, but he reacted quickly, stooped down, bravely put his head in where it was likely to get kicked, and headed the ball low past Mads Christiansen in Lillestrøm's goal. On 59 minutes, Henrik Skogvold had a goal disallowed for offside. We managed the game out very well and Lillestrøm never really troubled us. We don't host Vålerenga in Eliteserien for another 20 days so, apart from the seven first team players away on International duty, we'll give the first team squad a well-deserved week off and then we'll reconvene and prepare for 2nd-placed Vålerenga's visit to our SR-Bank Arena. -- -- Evening Result Edited July 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 Wednesday 21st September 2033 Viking Election Day -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 Thursday 22nd September 2033 Viking Election Results -- -- -- -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 (edited) Saturday 24th September 2033 Norway (3rd) v Finland (4th) FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualifying Group A -- -- -- -- -- -- Viking have four players away with the Norwegian squad, including both our goalkeepers Jasper Torkildsen and Hans Jørgen Solberg. Both Aleksander Liland and Tinius Sundell were unused substitutes. When Norway goalkeeper Kim Christian Høyenhall injured his shoulder on 77 minutes, manager Kjetil Knutsen replaced him with Hans Jørgen Solberg which I find interesting because I currently see Hans Jørgen Solberg as my #2 behind Jasper Torkildsen, not that there's much to choose between them, I'd trust either of them between the sticks against any opponent. -- Solberg Wins First Norwegian Senior Cap -- I rang Hans Jørgen Solberg to congratulate him on his first senior cap. Edited July 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 (edited) Tuesday 27th September 2033 Norway (3rd) v Romania [2nd) FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualifying Group A -- -- Viking's Hans Jørgen Solberg started in goal for Norway. -- Viking's Costel Tilincă started as the left-sided centre-back for Romania. -- -- -- With PSG's Kim Christian Høyenhall (dislocated shoulder) injured, Norway manager Kjetil Knutsen selected our #2 Hans Jørgen Solberg over our #1 Jasper Torkildsen. Hans Jørgen Solberg earnt his second Norwegian cap. Costel Tilincă earnt his 10th senior Romanian cap. Jasper Torkildsen, Aleksander Liland and Tinius Sundell were unused Norway substitutes. Edited July 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 Saturday 1st October 2033 Episode 140 - Unbeaten Month "Viking First Team Squad" -- News -- Appearances -- Reports -- Players Out on Loan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 Saturday 1st October 2033 Episode 140 - Unbeaten Month "International Appearances" -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 Saturday 1st October 2033 Episode 140 - Unbeaten Month "Monthly Report" -- Results -- Board Confidence -- Supporter Confidence -- Finances -- Dynamics Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 (edited) Saturday 1st October 2033 Until Next Time... -- When, after the International Break... Norway v ... ... we'll play four Eliteserien matches, and... ... one UEFA Europa League League Path match against KRC Genk. -- 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... Edited July 3 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) Saturday 1st October 2033 Liechtenstein (6th) v Norway [3rd) FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualifying Group A -- -- Viking's Hans Jørgen Solberg again started in goal for Norway. Viking's other representatives, Jasper Torkildsen, Aleksander Liland and Tinius Sundell, were all on the bench. -- -- -- Hans Jørgen Solberg was largely untested by Liechtenstein as he won his third cap for Norway. Solberg only had two shots to save all match. Aleksander Liland came on as a 67th minute substitute, as the left-sided centre-back, to earn his 20th cap for Norway. Jasper Torkildsen and Tinius Sundell were unused substitutes. Edited July 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Tuesday 4th October 2033 The Faroe Islands (5th) v Norway [3rd) FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualifying Group A -- -- Viking's Hans Jørgen Solberg again wore the gloves for Norway. Viking's other representatives, Jasper Torkildsen, Aleksander Liland and Tinius Sundell, were all on the bench. -- -- -- Hans Jørgen Solberg earnt his fourth Norway cap. Aleksander Liland came off the bench in the 67th minute to play as the left-sided centre-back and win his 21st cap for Norway.. Jasper Torkildsen and Tinius Sundell were unused substitutes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) Wednesday 5th October 2033 My Goalkeeper Dilemma -- All our International players have reported back for training this morning which gives us three days to prepare to host 2nd-placed Vålerenga in Sunday's Eliteserien match. -- I'm in the very fortunate position where Viking have two current Norwegian International goalkeepers in our squad. My #1, is 29 year-old Jasper Torkildsen who has 15 caps for Norway. Spoiler I signed Jasper for Viking in August 2030 and he's been my #1 ever since. During his time at Viking, Jasper has been picked for every Norway squad but he hasn't played a single minute for Norway as a Viking player. -- My #2 is 22 year-old Hans Jørgen Solberg who I signed for Viking in April this year. Spoiler My intention when I signed Hans Jørgen was that he'd be the back-up to Jasper, but I'd give him some playing time with a view to him taking over as the Viking #1 at some point in the future. So far, Hans Jørgen has made six starts for Viking this season and Jasper has started the other 29 matches. At the time I signed Hans Jørgen, he was in the Norwegian International squad but hadn't made his Norway senior debut. So far, Hans Jørgen has been very professional and hasn't complained about a lack of playing time for Viking, but that I expect will change now that he's played four times (three starts) for Norway during the recent international break, due to Norway's first-choice, PSG's Kim Christian Høyenhall dislocating his shoulder. -- Spoiler The interesting thing for me is that after Kim Christian Høyenhall dislocated his shoulder against Finland, Norway manager Kjetil Knutsen put his faith in Hans Jørgen Solberg (my current #2), not Jasper Torkildsen (my #1). -- This leaves me with a dilemma now as to which goalkeeper is my #1 or do I just share out the playing time more evenly between the two of them? -- Tagged: @Blarney, @BML, @Carambau, @cerud, @Dean Gripton, @g1nh0, @Hootieleece, @I have nothing to say, @JaytheGreat, @Jogo Bonito, @phnompenhandy, @Paggioram, @Punch, @samboing, @SixPointer, @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. Edited July 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carambau Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 I´d give Solberg some consecutive starts now and see if he gets good ratings. If he does, I would swap them for good and try to sell Torkildsen as having 2 gks on the same level never proved a good idea in my saves as one WILL start complaining at some point. If he does not, I would keep him as backup but be aware when he complains to sell him in the next window if possible and get a younger prospect. Do you have Torkildsen mentoring Solberg? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) 30 minutes ago, Carambau said: I´d give Solberg some consecutive starts now and see if he gets good ratings. If he does, I would swap them for good and try to sell Torkildsen as having 2 gks on the same level never proved a good idea in my saves as one WILL start complaining at some point. If he does not, I would keep him as backup but be aware when he complains to sell him in the next window if possible and get a younger prospect. That's a good suggestion, @Carambau 30 minutes ago, Carambau said: Do you have Torkildsen mentoring Solberg? No, I don't. Forgot to include in the earlier GK post. These are my two young Academy prospects. Roger Vestgøte (18 years-old), currently on loan at Bjarg in Tier 3. Spoiler And Thomas Otterlei (16 years-old). Spoiler Edited July 4 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Saturday 8th October 2033 Eliteserien Result -- -- Sunday's Fixtures Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punch Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 1 hour ago, Stuniverse said: This leaves me with a dilemma now as to which goalkeeper is my #1 or do I just share out the playing time more evenly between the two of them? Can you show the other tabs on the comparison screen? I would maybe lean towards Solberg as well...but only just 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 1 hour ago, Stuniverse said: which goalkeeper is my #1 As a rule of thumb, I'd generally prioritise the younger player. Also - and this is admittedly a personal prejudice - I seriously dislike punchy 'keepers and Torkildsen looks like one of those. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) 2 hours ago, Punch said: Can you show the other tabs on the comparison screen? There's other tabs? Sure @Punch Only just spotted this, but that Injury Prone for Hans Jørgen Solberg concerns me somewhat. 2 hours ago, Punch said: I would maybe lean towards Solberg as well...but only just Thanks. Thing is, in almost three seasons, Jasper Torkildsen hasn't let me down - I can only recall two mistakes he's made that have cost us goals. Edited July 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) 2 hours ago, warlock said: As a rule of thumb, I'd generally prioritise the younger player. I'm with you, @warlock and I do see Hans Jørgen Solberg as the longer-term Viking #1 but, right now, as I said to @Punch above, Jasper Torkildsen hasn't really let us down in almost three seasons. 2 hours ago, warlock said: Also - and this is admittedly a personal prejudice - I seriously dislike punchy 'keepers and Torkildsen looks like one of those. I have to agree with you on punchy goalkeepers. The thing is though, despite his Tendency to Punch of 18, I haven't seen Jasper Torkildsen punch that much (and I watch on Extended Highlights). Jasper tends to come and catch the ball and he only seems to punch when faced by a crowd of players. [I bet I'm going to spot Jasper Torkildsen punching a lot more now, aren't I?] Edited July 4 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BML Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 Just caught up after a couple of weeks away, so missed your pings. I see you have seemingly sorted your formation issues in the last couple of pages, although I would have suggested a 433DM which I use as I've found it much more solid compared to a traditional 4231 (plus I've never been able to get a tune out of a player in the AMC position). As for the 'keeper dilemma, I would agree with the above and give the younger one a run in the side. There's not a lot between the two and his potential for growth is greater (plus didn't you spend a large sum on him in the winter?). Your current #1 still has resale value, so you can make some back there and bring in somebody who'd be willing be backup at a lower wage. However, with that personality, I'd do everything I can to keep Jaspar around with a lower playing time expectation. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) Preview - Vålerenga (home) Eliteserien -- -- In a seven goal thriller yesterday, Roseborg won 4-3 at Bodø/Glimt and, although mathematically we can catch them still, I don't see Rosenborg dropping enough points in their last six matches for that to happen. We want to finish as high as we possibly can, of course we do, and we feel we still have a chance to catch Vålerenga in second, Sogndal in third and Molde in fourth. Of course, to stand any chance of catching Vålerenga, we need to beat them in our SR-Bank Arena today. Vålerenga won't make it easy for us though. They are second with two games-in-hand on Rosenborg, and if they win them both then Vålerenga will only be one point behind Rosenborg. They won't need any motivation today and I expect Ole Gunnar Solskjær will have them fired up for this one. We've played Vålerenga twice already this season, both away from home in their Intility Arena, and are unbeaten against them. A 1-1 draw in Eliteserien and then a 2-1 victory in Cupen Third Round. These matches between Viking and Vålerenga are almost close, tightly fought affairs, and I'm anticipating more of the same today. As I said earlier, Ole Gunnar Solskjær will have Vålerenga fired up for this one. Julian Gonstad picked up a groin injury in training this week which, with Joakim Berg Nundal (ankle) ruled out, and Lasse Nordås (knee) only just back in training, does leave us somewhat short up front. -- Expected Line-up Edited July 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 6 minutes ago, BML said: Just caught up after a couple of weeks away, so missed your pings. No worries, @BML. Welcome back. 7 minutes ago, BML said: I see you have seemingly sorted your formation issues in the last couple of pages, although I would have suggested a 433DM which I use as I've found it much more solid compared to a traditional 4231 (plus I've never been able to get a tune out of a player in the AMC position). Let's not jinx it but we are doing well with the 4231... at least we are since I went with two Ball Winning Midfielders ahead of the back-four. I'm tending to go with an Attacking Playmaker on Support behind the two strikers and, so far, whichever player I've selected (out of about four who can play there) have done well. 10 minutes ago, BML said: As for the 'keeper dilemma, I would agree with the above and give the younger one a run in the side. There's not a lot between the two and his potential for growth is greater (plus didn't you spend a large sum on him in the winter?). Yes, longer-term I do see Hans Jørgen Solberg as the Viking #1 and, yes, we spent £8 million to sign him. 11 minutes ago, BML said: Your current #1 still has resale value, so you can make some back there and bring in somebody who'd be willing be backup at a lower wage. However, with that personality, I'd do everything I can to keep Jaspar around with a lower playing time expectation. I know, I really like Jasper Torkildsen and rate him which is why this is such a dilemma for me. At 29 years-old, Jasper's hardly old for a goalkeeper. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Sunday 9th October 2033 Eliteserien Results -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) Sunday 9th October 2033 Viking (5th) v Vålerenga (3rd) Eliteserien -- -- -- I'm delighted that we got the victory over Vålerenga today because they didn't make it easy for us. In the first half, I thought we were on top and deserved our 2-0 half-time lead thanks to a brace from Niklas Ødegård. And it could've been more. On 10 minutes, a brilliant strike from Anders Hartveit Ryste was disallowed for offside with the assistant referee's flag going up straight away. And then after quarter of an hour Anders Hartveit Ryste had a second goal ruled out for offside. From a 29th minute corner, Aleksander Liland's near post header hit the underside of the bar and bounced clear. Anders Hartveit Ryste picked up a booking so we took him off at the break and welcomed back Lasse Nordås after his knee ligament issue. Although I felt confortable, for the most part, Vålerenga stepped it up second half and pulled a goal back on 67 minutes. We then needed our captain, Jasper Torkildsen, to be at his best and he was, producing two great saves late on, including a one-on-one, to preserve our 2-1 lead. Apart from a loan to Sandnes Ulf in 2023, Edvin Austbø has played his entire career for Viking and he's a brilliant servant to the club. He's also brilliant to work with. Niklas Ødegård was ruthless today. From 12 attempts, more attempts than Vålerenga had, we only got three on target and two of them were Niklas Ødegård's goals. It wasn't Stuni Stuniverse against Ole Gunnar Solskjær, it was the Viking players against the Vålerenga players and we knew, if we wanted any chance of catching Vålerenga in the run-in, which we do, then we had to win today. And we did. But playing last tonight, in the evening kick-off, there was even more pressure as we knew Sogndal and Molde had already won. The players were magnificent. We'll give them a couple of days off and then prepare for a very difficult away game against Sogndal (2nd). -- Edited July 4 by Stuniverse 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Wednesday 12th October 2033 Eliteserien Result -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) Saturday 15th October 2033 Eliteserien Result -- -- Sunday's Fixtures Edited July 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) Preview - Sogndal (away) Eliteserien -- -- I'm not sure any record I may, or may not, have against Tore André Flo means much after Sogndal came to our SR-Bank Arena earlier in the season and inflicted a 1-2 defeat on us. It was one of those matches we dominated but didn't have our shooting boots on. We're on a very good run of form, particularly away from home, and we're confident of getting a positive result. If we're going to catch Sogndal in the run-in then we need to win today. You can't argue with the results or the league table. Sogndal have only lost three Eliteserien matches all season and, if they hadn't drawn so many, they'd be right up there challenging Rosenborg for top spot. As it is, Sogndal are unbeaten in their last 11 Eliteserien matches and have won their last three. Sogndal are third with six matches left to play. They are third on merit. So we know it won't be easy at the Fosshaugane Campus but we'll be doing everything we can to beat Sogndal. We played very well against Vålerenga last weekend and, hopefully, we can carry that form into the Sogndal game. It's fair to say this season hasn't gone as we'd hoped. We are fifth, 10 points behind Rosenborg with only six matches left to play. I think you can safely say we won't catch Rosenborg. But we want to finish as high as we can and will be aiming to win our remaining six matches. Starting today against Sogndal. If we win today, we'll be only one point behind Sogndal. We've picked up three injuries in training this week, most noteably to our captain Jasper Torkildsen and Miroslav Marchev. We're also nursing a few players back to match fitness. And we'll be resting Costel Tilincă against Sogndal today as he looked very fatigued after the Rosenborg match. -- Expected Line-up -- Edited July 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Sunday 16th October 2033 Sogndal (3rd) v Viking (5th) Eliteserien -- -- Yeah, it's snowing now but I don't think the forecast is too bad. Whatever the weather though, it's the same for Sogndal as it is for us. -- -- -- I think it's hard during a match to be objective because you're caught up in the emotion of the game. It seemed to me from the sidelines that Tore André Flo thought we were getting favourable decisions, it sounded like the Fosshaugane Campus home crowd certainly did, but we thought the referee gave Sogndal the benefit of the doubt too often so, maybe, the referre wasn't so bad. At the end of the day, I think we're all frustrated that we didn't create enough chances and didn't look like scoring. Not one for the neutrals but I think nil-nil was probably fair. It's disappointing because we could've closed the gap on Sogndal to one point with a win. Rosenborg lost, Vålerenga lost, Molde only drew... so definitely a missed opportunity. Both defences were on top. My two centre-backs Aleksanfer Liland and Rafael Mota were our best players and Hans Jørgen Solberg did well in goal as the replacement for our captain Jasper Torkildsen (hamstring). Not much to talk about really. On 52 minutes we switched our attacking four around a bit. On 70 minutes we changed to an Attacking mentality. I don't know if it was the snowy conditions, or not, but I think we could've played until midnight and nobody would have scored. -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carambau Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 Really good game from Solberg 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, Carambau said: Really good game from Solberg Hans Jørgen Solberg will keep the gloves for now... ... for the good of his International career before Kjetil Knutsen drips him. Edited July 4 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Preview - KRC Genk (away) UEFA Europa League League Path -- -- We've already played Genk twice this season in the UEFA Champions League League Path Third Qualifying Round. We won both legs but they were a lot more open and high-scoring than I would've liked. We're away in this Europa League game but, hopefully, we can go to the KRC Arena and win again. Miroslav Marchev (ankle) is still out and we won't see Jasper Torkildsen (hamstring) or Øyvind Bjørkeng (thigh) although they are making good progress. We'll probably get no more than 45 minutes out of Lasse Nordås (knee) and Julian Gonstad {groin). Due to the Squad Registration rules, following Jasper Torkildsen's injury, we've had to name 16 year-old Thomas Otterlei on the bench as the back-up goalkeeper. Spoiler -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) Thursday 20th October 2033 KRC Genk (Belgium) v Viking (Norway) Eliteserien -- -- -- We never dreamt we'd start our UEFA Europa League campaign with three wins out of three. For the most part, I felt we were comfortable in the game and Henrik Skogvold grabbed a perfect hat-trick - the first (29 minutes) with his right foot, his second (49 minutes) a clever header, and the third (61 minutes) with his left foot. Niklas Ødegård had to come off with an injury in the third minute. Henrik Skogvold headed the ball against the bar on 28 minutes but, barely a minute later, Edvin Austbø went on a brilliant run down the right wing, crossed low into the penalty area and Henrik Skogvold broke the deadlock with his 20th goal of the season. Four minutes into the second half, Henrik Skogvold doubled our lead with a header. I felt we were comfortably in control but, on the hour mark, the referee gave a harsh penalty against Tinius Sundell and Genk pulled one back. A minute later, Henrik Skogvold restored our two goal lead and completed his hat-trick for 3-1. To be honest, Genk didn't really trouble us but we made the last few minutes very nervy on 88 minutes when Ayman Rabhi headed the ball straight at our goalkeeper but, somehow, Hans Jørgen Solberg made a mess of it, he didn't get either glove on the ball, the ball bounced off his chest, straight back to Rabhi who said thank you very much for 3-2. We held our nerve, and the mistake didn't affect Hans Jørgen Solberg's confidence as, two minutes later, he bravely ran into a crowd of players and confidently grabbed the cross. -- Edited July 4 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Friday 21st October 2033 Eliteserien Title Race -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Saturday 22nd October 2033 Eliteserien Result -- -- Sunday Fixtures Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) Preview - Odds Ballklubb (home) Eliteserien -- -- Vik Pezo is a player we'll need to keep a close eye on, that's for sure. Spoiler There's only five matches left. Even if we win every game, which we'll be trying to do, but it's a big ask, but if we did win all five we'd have 59 points. Rosenborg only need seven more points to make it mathematically impossible for us to overtake them so, no, sadly, I don't think Viking will lift the Eliteserien Title this season. But we do want to finish as high as we can and a win today against Odds Ballklubb would really help. We beat Odds Ballklubb 2-1 in their Skagerak Arena earlier this season but I don't think that match will have any baring on this one. Odd are the form team in Eliteserien right now so it's going to be a very difficult game. I'm a lifelong Odds Ballklubb supporter and I think Magnus Powell is doing a fantastic job right now and the Oddrane are in safe hands with him. Whatever the result today, I'm sure we'll have a good catch-up after the match. Yes. There's a lot of tired legs after our trip to Belgium in midweek so I expect we'll rotate the team a bit. Niklas Ødegård (ankle), Miroslav Marchev (ankle) and Øyvind Bekkevold (ankle) are all definitely out and we won't be risking Joakim Berg Nundal (ankle). Jasper Torkildsen (hamstring) has passed a fitness test and will be on the bench. -- Expected Line-up We'll be walking something of a disciplinary tightrope as three of our back-four plus a ball winning midfielder are one yellow card away from a suspension. Edited July 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punch Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 8 hours ago, Stuniverse said: Thanks. Thing is, in almost three seasons, Jasper Torkildsen hasn't let me down - I can only recall two mistakes he's made that have cost us goals. Wow! It's a real toss of the coin, Soldberg might have some injury issues, but Torkildsen doesn't like big matches. I guess share their game time and see how that goes with their happiness, maybe play Soldberg in big matches, and Torkildsen if Soldberg gets injured 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) 39 minutes ago, Punch said: Wow! It's a real toss of the coin Tell me about it, @Punch 39 minutes ago, Punch said: Soldberg might have some injury issues, but Torkildsen doesn't like big matches. Torkildsen doesn't like big matches? - I missed that. Oh boy... you're correct, Jasper Torkildsen doesn't like big matches. Whereas Hans Jørgen Solberg does like big matches. 39 minutes ago, Punch said: I guess share their game time and see how that goes with their happiness, maybe play Soldberg in big matches, and Torkildsen if Soldberg gets injured Well, Jasper Torkildsen injured his hamstring so Hans Jørgen Solberg has started the last two. Edited July 4 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punch Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 4 minutes ago, Stuniverse said: Well, Jasper Torkildsen injured his hamstring so Hans Jørgen Solberg has started the last two. Nothing wrong with having two quality keepers pushing each other I guess. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 (edited) Sunday 23rd October 2033 Viking (5th) v Odds Ballklubb (7th) Eliteserien -- -- -- Molde are away to Bodø/Glimt and I wouldn't want to predict the result of that one at Aspmyra. We had some disappointing results at home so I'm delighted for our supporters, as well as ourselves, that our form at the SR-Bank Arena has dramatically improved recently. We defended extremely well today, restricting Odd to only one attempt on goal, and we weren't too bad going forward either. From a 5th minute corner, Rafael Mota headed the ball against the far post. Henrik Skogvold gave us a 9th minute lead. Anders Hartveit Ryste doubled our lead after half an hour. Edvin Austbø hit the post in the second half. Rafael Mota then made the game safe with a close range header on 78 minutes. We're playing catch-up and all we can do is try to keep winning and hope the teams above us falter. -- -- Evening Result Edited July 4 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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