Stuniverse Posted Wednesday at 18:13 Author Share Posted Wednesday at 18:13 (edited) Monday 13th April 2037 Viking (1st) v Fredrikstad (14th) Eliteserien -- -- -- Anders Hartveit Ryste is a professional and our vice-captain. He knows that we'd as good as got the game won by the time I took him off and he also knows that the team and the squad is more important than any individual player. I was delighted with Anders's performance but we need him fresh for the next game against Strømsgodset. It was disappointing to concede a late goal, no more than a consolation for Fredrikstad, as we'd controlled the game pretty much from first whistle to last and Fredrikstad hadn't really troubled us. We were brilliant in the first half, slightly less effective after the break, but we'll take the win, the three points, and move onto the next one. -- Edited Wednesday at 18:15 by Stuniverse 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 06:32 Author Share Posted Thursday at 06:32 Tuesday 14th April 2037 Modell Extends Viking Stay -- Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 07:26 Author Share Posted Thursday at 07:26 Preview - Strømsgodset (home) Eliteserien -- -- I know Håvard Vestmoen is looking forward to coming up against his former Strømsgodset teammates and former manager Petter Sjåholm. Petter Sjåholm has done brilliantly at Strømsgodset going into his fourth season there. With 7th and 3rd placed finishes in his first two seasons, Petter turned Strømsgodset into a real force to be reckoned with although, I'm sure, they'll have been disappointed with last season's 10th placed finished. We're expecting a difficult game today because, like us, Strømsgodset have started the Eliteserien campaign with two straight wins and top the league on goal difference. We're looking to build a young team and squad here of mainly Norwegian players. That said, though, we still need experience which Ove Benjamin Modell has despite only being 24 years old himself. 51 minutes ago, Stuniverse said: Tuesday 14th April 2037 Modell Extends Viking Stay -- Reveal hidden contents We had a scare in midweek when Kasper Jakobsen (groin) picked up an issue in training. The medical team have passed Kasper fit to play but, as Benjamin Thoresen Faraas hasn't really featured yet after breaking his collarbone in pre-season, we won't take any risks with Kasper and will involve Benjamin today. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 08:33 Author Share Posted Thursday at 08:33 (edited) Sunday 19th April 2037 Viking (3rd) v Strømsgodset (1st) Eliteserien -- Spoiler Peter Vesterbekkmo had a good season out on loan with Sogndal last year and we did think about keeping Peter around SR-Bank Arena this season but, with Vegard Olstad joining us from Roma to challenge Ola Johannes Kleppa Christensen on the right wing, we reluctantly agreed to let Peter join Strømsgodset on loan. -- -- Håvard Vestmoen left it late, very late, but I was delighted for him. We were off the bench and going crazy when Håvard Vestmoen equalised in added-on time. Håvard had put two good chances over the bar only minutes before so it was about time. We were expecting a tough match and that's exactly what we got. Strømsgodset started the game well and put us under some early pressure. We picked up two yellow cards in the opening four minutes and needed our goalkeeper Hans Jørgen Solberg to be at his best right from the start. And 14 minutes in, Strømsgodset took a deserved lead. We improved as the half wore on. Strømsgodset made some good blocks, Kike Moreno produced some fine saves, and Costel Tilincă hit the bar on 37 minutes. On 38 minutes we changed the inverted wingers to wingers and asked Anders Hartveit Ryste to roam. At half time I made three substitutions and changed to a Positive mentality. Four minutes into the second half, Ola Johannes Kleppa Christensen crossed to the far post and Faniel Tewelde headed the ball against the post. On 66 minutes, another of our players on loan at Strømsgodset, Ole Richter Kapskarmo was introduced. Spoiler Strømsgodset showed no attacking intent whatsoever in the second half and it was a question of could we break them down? We created lots of chances, but Strømsgodset defended incredibly well and Kike Moreno (7.6) was inspired in Strømsgodset's goal. But, eventually, we did get the very late equaliser through Håvard Vestmoen. And, even then, Marcus Liabo very nearly won it for us but Kike Moreno made a stunning save at full stretch to tip Marcus's shot over the bar. As we saw today, although we did more than enough to win, we were minutes away from losing to a very determined Strømsgodset. I'm going to miss my bad-cop assistant manager Egil Ulfstein when he retires at the end of the season. -- Edited Thursday at 08:42 by Stuniverse 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 14:14 Author Share Posted Thursday at 14:14 Preview - Sogndal (away) Eliteserien -- -- Kasper Jakobsen has been given the green light by our medical team but we're unlikely to rush him back. It's exactly the same for Sogndal as ourselves. Sogndal are 6th with a win, a draw and a defeat from their opening three matches. I'm sure Sogndal will be looking to get one over us in front of their own supporters in the Fosshaugane Campus and it's up to us to make sure they don't. We tend to take things one match at a time but we may rotate somewhat either today or against Sarpsborg at home on Sunday. -- Expected Line-up -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 15:10 Author Share Posted Thursday at 15:10 (edited) Wednesday 22nd April 2037 Sogndal (6th) v Viking (4th) Eliteserien -- Anders Gustavsen, who we've loaned to Sogndal for the season, also starts today. Spoiler -- -- We lost Faniel Tewelde to injury after only seven minutes. I've not had chance to catch-up with our medical team yet. Two minutes after Faniel's injury, Anders Hartveit Ryste gave us the lead after a stunning run through the middle by Tinius Sundell before squaring the ball into the danger area. In first half added-on time, in a rare Sogndal attack, we needed a superb save by Hans Jørgen Solberg, followed up by a great block from Costel Tilincă, to preserve our one-goal lead. The referee awarded us a penalty after 54 minutes when Anders Hartveit Ryste was tripped in the penalty area, only for VAR to overturn the referee's decision. Sogndal equalised 64 minutes in from a rebound after Hans Jørgen Solberg's initial save. On 70 minutes, we changed our shape and went with a Positive mentality. After great work down the right wing by substitute Vegard Olstad, Anders Hartveit Ryste scored his second goal to restore our lead in the 77th minute. We then changed back to something closer to our normal shape. And Håvard Vestmoen made the game safe four minutes into four minutes of added-on time. -- Edited Thursday at 15:12 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 15:47 Author Share Posted Thursday at 15:47 Preview - Sarpsborg (home) Eliteserien -- -- Sarpsborg are unbeaten this season with three draws and one win so we know they won't be easy to break down. -- I've had a word with two players about their below par form so far this season. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 16:36 Author Share Posted Thursday at 16:36 Sunday 26th April 2037 Viking (2nd) v Sarpsborg (6th) Eliteserien -- -- -- If VAR helps the officials make the correct decision then I'm all for it. Right from the moment Vegard Olstad won the ball from Sarpsborg's kick-off we penned Sarpsborg in their own half. Tinius Sundell gave us the lead with a thundering drive on 10 minutes. Two minutes later, Vegard Olstad, who could easily have had a hat-trick in the opening 10 minutes if it wasn't for Sigurður Kristján Guðbrandsson (9.2) in Sarpsborg's goal, then doubled our lead with a brilliant individual goal. On 14 minutes, Vegard Olstad was tripped in the penalty area, but Sigurður Kristján Guðbrandsson saved Anders Hartveit Ryste's spot-kick. Benjamin Thoresen Faraas made it 3-0 just before half time. But there was still time for Sarpsborg to pull one back before the break with their very first attempt on target. And there was still time for Bill Freeman to hit the bar from a direct free-kick, Sigurður Kristján Guðbrandsson parried Alf Erik Frafjord's header from the rebound before Alf Erik Frafjord scored at the second attempt. We thoroughly deserved our 4-1 half time lead. We made three substitutions during the break. On 73 minutes, Benjamin Thoresen Faraas's low cross from the left was swept in at the far post by Ola Johannes Kleppa Christensen. That completed the scoring. -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 16:47 Author Share Posted Thursday at 16:47 Sunday 26th April 2037 The Frafjord Conundrum... Update -- Well, against Sarpsborg today... ... Alf Erik Frafjord was confident and comfortable with Viking's set-up. I wonder what he'll think the next time he plays for Norway? ... although we won't find that out until June. -- On 23/10/2024 at 16:21, Stuniverse said: Wednesday 1st April 2037 The Frafjord Conundrum -- So here's the thing with Alf Erik Frafjord... Reveal hidden contents ... I use the same 4-2DM-2WIDE-2 tactic with both Viking and Norway, and Alf Erik Frafjord is my starting right WB-Su for both. During pre-match team talks with Viking, Alf Erik is absolutely fine but during Norway pre-match team talks, he isn't happy... ... and I have no idea why... -- Viking Tactics -- Norway Tactics -- Tagged: @Blarney, @BML, @Carambau, @cerud, @Dean Gripton, @Deisler26, @filip_croatia @g1nh0, @Hootieleece, @I have nothing to say, @JaytheGreat, @Jogo Bonito, @oche balboa, @phnompenhandy, @Paggioram, @Punch, @samboing, @SixPointer, @Vakama2619, @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. On 23/10/2024 at 17:15, phnompenhandy said: I frequently find this with my players. Even a goalkeeper who's played 3 years as a sweeper-keeper suddenly expresses displeasure with his role. I do monitor this and find they're just as likely to put in a terrific performance as to underperform. In short, I'd ignore it unless there is a marked and sustained drop-off in performance. 23 hours ago, Blarney said: I have no answer for this unless for some reason the game is smart enough for a player to think that the tactics work with one club and not with another.... but I don't imagine that's realistic. Honestly, unless it's affecting something or becomes a bigger issue I'd probably just ignore it. I doubt it really matters much. 23 hours ago, warlock said: Maybe he's confident in the Viking side with familiar players around him, but not in the national team Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 17:11 Author Share Posted Thursday at 17:11 Friday 1st May 2037 Episode 182 - Unbeaten, but 2nd after five Eliteserien matches "Viking First Team Squad" -- News -- Appearances -- Reports -- Players Out on Loan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 17:17 Author Share Posted Thursday at 17:17 Friday 1st May 2037 Episode 182 - Unbeaten, but 2nd after five Eliteserien matches "Viking Agree Future Deal For Grimstad" -- Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 17:19 Author Share Posted Thursday at 17:19 Friday 1st May 2037 Episode 182 - Unbeaten, but 2nd after five Eliteserien matches "Månedens Awards" -- Månedens Trener -- Månedens Spiller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 17:22 Author Share Posted Thursday at 17:22 Friday 1st May 2037 Episode 182 - Unbeaten, but 2nd after five Eliteserien matches "Monthly Review" -- Results -- Board Confidence -- Supporter Confidence -- Finances -- Dynamics 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 17:25 Author Share Posted Thursday at 17:25 Friday 1st May 2037 Episode 182 - Unbeaten, but 2nd after five Eliteserien matches "Monthly Review" -- News -- -- Reports 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Thursday at 17:30 Author Share Posted Thursday at 17:30 Friday 1st May 2037 Until Next Time... ... when Viking play five more Eliteserien fixtures... ... including hosting Eliteserien leaders Vålerenga, and... ... we begin our Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Campaign. -- Viking's May Fixtures Norway's next fixture is scheduled for June. -- 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... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Friday at 07:25 Author Share Posted Friday at 07:25 (edited) Preview - Skeid (away) Eliteserien -- -- As I always say, each match is 11 Viking players plus subs against 11 opposition players plus subs and it's very rare you get the same line-ups and matchday squads two matches in a row. Of course, that's a confidence boost knowing that we've consistently come out on top against Skeid but all a record like that does is make Skeid even more determined to bring their poor run of results against us to an end. Last season this fixture ended in a 2-2 draw at the Ullern CC Vest Arena. Skeid are unbeaten in their home games so far this season, a win and a draw, so we know it won't be an easy game, particularly as we have a patched up and rotated team out today. With our three left wingers all injured or struggling for fitness, 19-year old Mikkel Fjellandsbø gets a start today. Spoiler -- Expected Line-up Edited Friday at 07:29 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Friday at 08:26 Author Share Posted Friday at 08:26 Sunday 3rd May 2037 Skeid (12th) v Viking (2nd) Eliteserien -- -- -- Costel Tilincă is in his fifth season with Viking and I made him captain in pre-season. That's how important Costel is to us. Not nervous exactly, well not in the second half when we were much improved and it did feel like only a matter of time before we'd score. But the first half didn't go according to plan at all. Skeid were better than us, created more chances than us and, whilst I'd like to say we defended well, and we did, I think Skeid's nil had a lot to do with their poor finishing than anything else. Our best chance of the first half fell to Rolf Jøran Stavang but he hit the bar from around the penalty spot after 35 minutes. 19-year old Mikkel Fjellandsbø was struggling to get into the game so I replaced him at half time. We also made two more changes at the break. Six minutes into the second half we asked, Rolf Jøran Stavang to play more as a DLF rather than a CF. We were much better in the second half, we were pretty much camped in Skeid's half, but we couldn't find a way past Jan Vaněk (6.9). On 71 minutes we made our final substitutions, changed to a Positive mentality, and gave the ball winning midfielders a bit more freedom. And within five minutes of coming on, Anders Hartveit Ryste broke the deadlock. On 85 minutes, Per Joar Hægstad Johnsen got on the end of Costel Tilincă's cross at the far post to double our lead with a header. It was a game of two halves as the cliche goes. We rode our luck somewhat in the first 45 minutes but deserved the victory for our second half display. -- 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Friday at 09:09 Author Share Posted Friday at 09:09 Preview - Odds Ballklubb (home) Eliteserien -- -- -- It's very kind of Olof Mellberg to say that. We're certainly very happy with our playing style, we've gone for more of a Balanced mentality, rather than Positive so far this season and it seems to be working very nicely. As a lifelong Oddrane supporter I'm delighted to see Odd doing so well under Olof Mellberg but that won't count for anything today. I can assure our wonderful de mørkeblå supporters that I'm always fully committed to Viking whenever we play Odds Ballklubb. -- Expected Line-up 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Friday at 09:48 Author Share Posted Friday at 09:48 Saturday 9th May 2037 Viking (2nd) v Odds Ballklubb (3rd) Eliteserien -- -- -- It's disappointing not to have won this match but, after being a goal down with 20 minutes to play, we're relieved to have got a draw in the end. There were very few chances in the first half. I think we had two and Odd had one. At half time, I made one substitution, asked the players to be more Positive and gave the two ball winning midfielders a bit more licence to play. The game was more open in the second half but defences were on top. We made three substitutions on 67 minutes and, a minute later, we fell behind when our goalkeeper Hans Jørgen Solberg came for a corner and missed it, allowing Odd a free header. That prompted us to change our shape in an attempt to chase the game. A minute later, Costel Tilincă hit a cross from the left towards the far post and Håvard Vestmoen headed us level. We then reverted back to a more solid shape as we didn't want to risk throwing the game away. On 80 minutes, Rolf Jøran Stavang hit the post from a very tight angle after good build-up work from Håvard Vestmoen. We had a scare on 88 minutes when Bill Freeman conceded a free-kick right on the edge of the penalty area. The referee consulted VAR but the original decision of no penalty stood. Fortunately for us, Odd's free-kick from a dangerous position came to nothing. In the closing minutes, both Odd and ourselves had chances but, to be honest, I think a draw was a fair result as neither team really did enough to win. -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Friday at 10:30 Author Share Posted Friday at 10:30 (edited) Sunday 10th May 2037 Sarpsborg (6th) v Strømsgodset (12th) Eliteserien -- -- Edited Friday at 10:31 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Friday at 11:15 Author Share Posted Friday at 11:15 (edited) Preview - Sandnes Ulf (away) Eliteserien -- -- We didn't play that badly against Odds Ballklubb and it's not like we lost, we did get a point from the match which, with Vålerenga only drawing at Lillestrøm, didn't hurt us too badly. It’s going to be another difficult match at the Øster Hus Arena against a Sandnes Ulf team who are flying high in Eliteserien with five wins and two defeats so far this season. Faniel Tewelde is still some way off and, with Benjamin Thoresen Faraas and Kasper Jakobsen also able to play left wing, there's no reason to rush him back -- Expected Line-up Edited Friday at 12:59 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted Friday at 12:04 Author Share Posted Friday at 12:04 Saturday 16th May 2037 Sandnes Ulf (5th) v Viking (2nd) Eliteserien -- -- -- Ola Johannes Kleppa Christensen got us off the mark today with a brilliant, individual goal and had a very good all-round game. We changed to a Balanced mentality this season (from Positive) and are unbeaten after eight Eliteserien games so, yes, I'd agree with that but it hasn't been all plain sailing as we've had to make tactical changes to the system during three or four of those games, including against Sandnes Ulf today. Hans Jørgen Solberg was busy in our goal early on as Sandnes Ulf started brightly. After about quarter of an hour we settled into the game and started to impose ourselves on Sandnes Ulf. We asked the wide players to play as wingers rather than inverted wingers after half an hour to try and make better use of the wide areas. We started to get more crosses into the penalty area but Sandnes Ulf defended them well. And with 10 minutes left in the first half we asked the ball winning midfielders to Support rather than Defend. Andrei Şomfălean and Tinius Sundell both went close with shots that flew narrowly wide, but it was goalless at half time. We made three substitutions at half time. And ninety seconds after the restart we took the lead after a brilliant run and shot by Ola Johannes Kleppa Christensen. Substitute Marcus Liabø doubled our lead on 50 minutes with a shot that took a wicked deflection to wrong foot the goalkeeper. Bill Freeman blasted an absolute sitter over the bar on 65 minutes. -- 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 13 hours ago Author Share Posted 13 hours ago Monday 18th May 2037 FIFA Club World Cup Draw -- Well this is NEW.... what's this? Whatever it is, we've not played in the FIFA Club World Cup before. -- -- But, no doubt, quite a few of our players will be away on International duty as well... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 12 hours ago Author Share Posted 12 hours ago (edited) Preview - Djerv (away) Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) First Round -- -- -- Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) is a very special competition. I remember watching Cupen Final on TV, long before my parents took me to my first live football match, and I remember the thrill and excitement of watching Cupen Final. Djerv are 7th in Norsk Tipping-ligaen Avdeling 3 (Tier 4). We won't be underestimating Djerv but we will be giving game time to players who haven't featured as much as they would've liked so far this season. We're also without Eirik Bakk through suspension. -- Expected Line-up Edited 11 hours ago by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 12 hours ago Author Share Posted 12 hours ago Wednesday 20th May 2037 Stuniverse Reflects on Viking's Cupen Record -- I shouldn't be greedy after reaching the Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Final five times in nine seasons and lifting the trophy on three of those occasions but, given our even greater success in Eliteerien, I think we should've won Cupen more often. In particular, our 2029 Cupen Final defeat on penalties to OBOS-ligaen team Fredrikstad, after having two players sent off in extra-time, still haunts me despite us getting a measure of revenge over Fredrikstad in 2034. And, yes, there's no margin for error in Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen), lose in any round and you are out of the competition, but even so... -- Viking - 05/12/2027 - present (contract 31/12/2040) 2036 - Cupen Third Round (Strømsgodset) 2035 - Cupen Fourth Round (Rosenborg) 2034 - Cupen Winners (v Fredrikstad) 2033 - Cupen Winners (v Lillestrøm) 2032 - Cupen Runners-Up (Molde 1-3 aet) 2031 - Cupen Second Round (KIL/Hemne) 2030 - Cupen Rd of 16 (Bodø/Glimt) 2029 - Cupen Runners-Up (Fredrikstad 2-2p) 2028 - Cupen Winners (v Bodø/Glimt) -- Cupen Winners during Stuniverse's Viking tenure -- Eliteserien Winners during Stuniverse's Viking tenure Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 11 hours ago Author Share Posted 11 hours ago Wednesday 20th May 2037 Djerv (Tier 4) v Viking (Tier 1) Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) First Round -- -- -- Cupen ties like this, in tightly packed stadions like Djervbanen with its 500 capacity, are always potential banana skins but we were able to play our game and were comfortable winners. Two goals in two minutes from Vegard Olstad and a penalty from Kasper Jakobsen saw us two-up by half time. On the hour mark we made four substitutions, replacing Bill Freeman, who has been disappointing of late, with Håvard Vestmoen and also giving three of our younger players some game time. Djerv had their best spell of the game then for about five minutes, but we weathered the storm and one of our young substitutes, Mikkel Fjellandsbø, responded with a low cross in the 68th minute for another substitute Håvard Vestmoen to make it three. Håvard Vestmoen then headed a corner against the bar after a superb delivery by another substitute Nguyen Cong Thanh. And incredibly, Håvard Vestmoen then headed Brede Norbye's cross against the bar. -- 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 11 hours ago Author Share Posted 11 hours ago (edited) Thursday 21st May 2037 Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Second Round Draw -- -- -- Edited 11 hours ago by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 10 hours ago Author Share Posted 10 hours ago Preview - Vålerenga (home) Eliteserien -- -- Home games in our SR-Bank Arena don't get much bigger than today's against Vålerenga. Second at home to the league leaders, both unbeaten, both desperate to win the match. Our form this season has been very impressive yet Vålerenga are two points ahead of us. We know this will be a very difficult match for us. Yeah, back in November Vålerenga won in their Intility Arena but our record at home against them is pretty good. It's going to be a great occasion and I expect our magnificent de mørkeblå supporters will be loud in their backing of us as they always are. Of course he is. Mesay Dego is a very good manager. Faniel Twelde is ready, but I don't think this match against Vålerenga is the right one to ease him back into things. -- Expected Line-up -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 10 hours ago Author Share Posted 10 hours ago (edited) Monday 25th May 2037 Stuniverse and Freeman in Row over form -- Spoiler We've tried to get Bill Freeman to sign a new contract but he isn't interested currently. -- I've also been disappointed with Bill Freeman's recent form so I had a word with him. It didn't go well. Edited 10 hours ago by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 9 hours ago Author Share Posted 9 hours ago (edited) Monday 25th May 2037 Viking (2nd) v Vålerenga (1st) Eliteserien -- 1 hour ago, Stuniverse said: Monday 25th May 2037 Stuniverse and Freeman in Row over form -- Reveal hidden contents We've tried to get Bill Freeman to sign a new contract but he isn't interested currently. -- I've also been disappointed with Bill Freeman's recent form so I had a word with him. It didn't go well. After our disagreement (see above) I did seriously consider dropping Bll Freeman to the bench for the top-of-the-table clash with Vålerenga. But, in the end, I decided that it might be good for the team to have a fired-up Bill Freeman out on the pitch against Vålerenga with a point to prove. -- -- -- I don't think there's any war of words between Mesay Dego and myself. Our teams are battling each other to try and win Eliteserien and I'm sure Mesay is upset that we won, just as I would've been upset if Vålerenga had got the victory. Football is a game of emotions and I think that's all we're seeing is an emotional response from Mesay. Vålerenga are a very good team and they proved that today. I think our victory was down to the strength of our defence today because Vålerenga created slightly more chances than us, despite having less possession, but our back-seven including our goalkeeper and both ball winning midfielders were superb. Our attacking players didn't have the best of games but I thought they worked tirelessly against the best defence in Eliteserien so far this season and, by the final whistle, we'd scored one and Vålerenga hadn't scored any. That's the only statistic that matters. In a game of few chances, certainly very few clear-cut chances, our captain Costel Tilincă did brilliantly in the 14th minute, to find an open team mate in a crowded penalty area and Alf Erik Frafjord fired home to give us the lead. We replaced Costel Tilincă at half time because he was on a yellow card. The second half was just as competitive as the first 45 minutes and both defences continued to dominate a game of very few chances. Vålerenga did put us under sustained pressure in the closing 10 minutes or so but we defended resolutely and saw the game out for a well-deserved victory. It's a great feeling going top of the league and now, after beating Vålerenga, we're the only unbeaten team in Eliteserien. The players have to continue to put the work and effort in to stay top now. Bill Freeman is too good a player to not score goals and I'm sure he'll find the back of the net again before long. We did think Bill had scored in the 21st minute but he was fractionally offside and his goal was rightly disallowed. -- -- Edited 9 hours ago by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 8 hours ago Author Share Posted 8 hours ago (edited) Preview - Ullensaker/Kisa (away) Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Second Round -- -- Away to Ullensaker/Kisa (Tier 3) in their compact Jessheim Stadion certainly has the makings of a banana skin but we'll approach the match the same way we approached the away tie at Djerv in the First Round and, hopefully, we'll have enough about us to progress again. -- Expected Line-up Edited 8 hours ago by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 7 hours ago Author Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) Thursday 28th May 2037 Ullensaker/Kisa (Tier 3) v Viking (Tier 1) Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Second Round -- -- -- -- I think Jon Eirik Staven is frustrated because his Ullensaker/Kisa team worked tirelessly, kept us out out for 50 minutes, but then somewhat shot themselves in the foot by giving away two penalties. Obviously I'm biased, but I thought they were both clear trips and definite penalties. For me, the referee had a good game but, I guess, Jon Eirik Staven saw it differently. Ullensaker/Kisa made things difficult for us and it was goalless at half time. Melker Ellborg commanded his penalty area well and made a couple of fine saves. On 35 minutes we lost Eirik Bakk to an injury. After 13 minutes, Ola Johannes Kleppa Christensen hit the bar. A minute into first half added on time, Bill Freeman had the ball in the net but he was offside. At half time, we welcomed back Faniel Tewelde and the substitute won a penalty on 50 minutes, picked himself up, and broke the deadlock from the penalty spot. Ola Johannes Kleppa Christensen made it 2-0 five minutes later with an acrobatic volley. Faniel Tewelde scored his second from close range turning in Ola Johannes Kleppa Christensen low cross into the six yard box. Substitute Ove Benjamin Modell made it 4-0 from the penalty spot on 87 minutes after Faniel Tewelde had been tripped in the area. Bill Freeman had a great chance late on but put his 87th minute shot wide. -- Edited 7 hours ago by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 7 hours ago Author Share Posted 7 hours ago Saturday 30th May 2037 Norgesmesterskapet i fotball (Cupen) Third Round -- -- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 6 hours ago Author Share Posted 6 hours ago Preview - Rosenborg (away) Eliteserien -- -- We're top of Eliteserien, unbeaten with seven wins and two draws, and we're into Cupen Third Round. The atmosphere around the SR-Bank Arena right now is as good as I've ever known it. Lerkendal is always a difficult place to visit so we know we're in for a tough challenge away to Roseborg. -- Expected Line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted 5 hours ago Author Share Posted 5 hours ago (edited) Sunday 31st May 2037 Rosenborg (8th) v Viking (1st) Eliteserien -- I don't get it, Hans Jørgen Solberg has been playing that all season. He seemed happier after the pre-kick-off Team Talk though. -- -- We stand a better chance of getting correct decisions with VAR than without it. I'm really not happy. After all the hard work last week to beat a very good Vålerenga team and leap-frog them to go top... we've handed them the initiative again and we're back second behind Vålerenga. There was a distinct lack of quality in the final third from both teams in the first half. Rosenborg did catch us out though with a long ball over the top from which they scored for a 21st minute lead. We made a couple of changes during the break and were better in the second half. But we couldn't score and on the hour we made more substitutions, changed our shape, and went with a Positive mentality. We looked much better with Rolf Jøran Stavang pulling the strings from behind the front two but, before we could blink, we lost Ola Johannes Kleppa Christensen to injury. And then, against the run of play in the second half, Rosenborg broke down their right and doubled their lead. We made further changes to our shape and went with an Attacking mentality. We started to pen Rosenborg back into their own half. On 78 minutes, Rolf Jøran Stavang pulled one back with his first competitive goal for Viking. We then gave Rolf Jøran Stavang and Håvard Vestmoen licence to Roam From Position. More chances followed but defensive blocks and some good saves from Roberto Heitinga (7.0) meant we were unable to grab an equaliser. I didn't need my assistant Egil Ulfstein to be bad-cop after the match, I was furious. - -- Edited 5 hours ago by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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