CameronFM

Thank you! At the outset of the save, Rosenborg, domestically, were known for their 433 shape and I wanted to build something similar to bring back the good times. As of last season, that shape looked a bit like this: Deploying the 433 in this manner meant that we had the continuous threat of 3 strikers effectively, whilst our wing-backs would push higher up and offer the width left behind. Pablo Torre is deployed as the deep AP, and he picks up so many pockets of space from deep to continuously contribute: Moving onto tactic 2, the management team of the 90s tried to take this shape into Europe but had no joy. So they became a bit more conservative by deploying a defensive 451, something I have always struggled with myself. I think by the time season 3 or 4 came around I wanted to rip up the European tactic to start a fresh and came up with this shape: It isn’t perfect, as we can still get absolutely battered in Europe with it, but it is a lot more successful that previous shapes created and that’s without having the right players in the roles. I tend to deploy this in European games we are expected to lose, so you will note in the fixtures; Porto away in 2028, Fenerbahce, Real Madrid and Napoli away in 2027.

Season 2028 The new recruitment strategy continued and our spending was not as crazy as 2027's when you factor in the £39.5M worth of sales we had over the year. The problem I now faced was replacing some of the talent that had left the club. Filip Erik Thorvaldsen was one of the first names on the sheet every week, Bohinen was solid in the middle of the park. Ali Al Musrati came in and did a job for 6 months. We had lost key figures within the squad, and their replacements had big shoes to fill. But I didn't need to worry at all in the slightest. Well, at least from a domestic POV anyway. A completely invincible domestic campaign as we claimed our 5th straight league title (only 10 more to go if you refer back to my opening posts) and a 2nd cup victory on the bounce. Our transfer business from last season shone through this year with Pablo Torre being the star man, whilst additions like Arezo and Ünüvar helped out with their fair share of goals and assists. We are the dominant force in Norway now, and with the continued revenue stream from European football coming our way, we can afford to bring big players to the club and compete on the UCL stage. Speaking of the UCL... I'm still a bit unsure how we have qualified directly for the League Phase when Norway is not 10th in the coefficient rankings. However, we can only go with the schedule and that is exactly what we did. An opening defeat to Porto I felt was harsh, but we recovered in the right manner with big wins over Sturm Graz and Nice before having a free-hit against City. I figured let's test ourselves against the best and be bold on the ball, and we were perhaps unfortunate not to steal all 3 points on the night. Straight-forward wins over Sporting and Freiburg meant we would qualify for the play-off round at the minimum, but when the state of play is as follows, I want more: We have Dortmund (H) and Arsenal (A) in the New Year, and I would like to think we could perhaps steal another top 8 spot. A lot to dream about!

Its been a while since I posted in here; life has been getting in the way of continued updates for both here and my blog - its been one or the other sadly! But its time to bring it back up to speed so that this can continue! Season 2027 A busy winter window with plenty of ins and outs, the club spent big to try and take us to the next level: It still annoys me that there is a cut-off for transfers, so total expenditure for 2027 equated to £57.36M The domestic campaign practically went down to the final game-weeks for the first time since S1. Bodø/Glimt gave us a good fight all season long, but our winning momentum eventually took hold and we made it four in a row. The league victory was topped with another NM SAS Braathens Cup victory, as Brann was defeated 3-0 on the night to secure a domestic double. In Europe, things got a bit interesting. Not exactly the most convincing of qualifying campaigns, but we did get the job over the line with an emphatic home victory over PAOK to effectively kill the tie. My biggest gripe in 2026/27 was the nasty fixture list we got in the group stage, but as you can see from the results, Lady Luck was on our side this year as we recorded 6 wins and 2 losses: Top 8 qualification, and a round missed out on - what a result for Norwegian football! Okay, we perhaps rode our luck going into the final game week, but we were where we were on merit and I wasn't ready to end the campaign at the next round: Delighted to make it to the Champions League Quarter Finals, where we led AC Milan 2-0 at home before falling to 2 late goals to drain all confidence. What could have been? A great season as a whole, and it gave me a bit more confidence with a fresh new look to the team and imports to improve the quality.

UEFA Champions League Phase Sadly, it was not to be this year. I argue we had a tougher set of games a year on from qualifying, but I feel too many missed opportunities - highlighted by our record of 1-3-4 - was our ultimate downfall. Particularly annoying, is the 15th place finish from Celta Vigo - more to come. Match-day 1 - Ajax 0 Rosenborg 0 A respectable result in the eyes of many. Going to Amsterdam and coming away with a positive result is a feat not often achieved, and despite riding our luck for large spells of the game, we stood our ground. In a game where we didn't create a great deal, their goalkeeper walked away with a PoTM performance highlighting that we must have done something right in the transitions. Match-day 2 - Rosenborg 3 Celta Vigo 0 Ah yes, the frustration. An opposition that I felt we should be beating, but I still wanted to have that defensive security behind us. The 4-4-1-1 worked an absolute treat as we created plenty of opportunities. Shahid opened the scoring after pouncing on a mistake before two well-worked team goals sealed the win. After two very positive results, I was satisfied with the creation of the 4-4-1-1 and felt more was to come of this... Match-day 3 - Juventus 2 Rosenborg 1 A real bitter pill to swallow. Competing from the first to the last minute, a famous night in Italy was snatched from our grasp as Bremer converted from a smart set-piece. I'd argue we were the better team on the night, but ultimately, the score-line is all that matters and we were heading home with nothing. Positives? Another impressive performance under the tactic and I felt at this stage of the League Phase, we were in with a shout to qualify for the next stage. Match-day 4 - Rosenborg 3 Benfica 3 Probably the game that killed all hope and belief. Going from 3-0 up at half-time to 3-3 after 10 minutes of play is morale-crushing. Knowing that our final two games were against Napoli and Manchester City, I had to go for it in the upcoming matches against Lazio and Lyon if we wanted to progress. Match-day 5 - Rosenborg 1 Lazio 1 The two teams very much cancelled each other out on the night. Nothing of note to comment on about this game, and the stats will back that up. Bitterly disappointed that we couldn't take the game to Lazio, and it just heightened the pressure ahead of Lyon away from home. Match-day 6 - Lyon 3 Rosenborg 2 Not that the draw would have helped, but to be moments away from a mammoth result yet again is just tiresome really. I know that we need the experienced players in the side. I know that the squad needs to be bolstered - 10 starters were Norwegian and it's something I've taken pride in building, I'm not sure I'm ready to dismantle it. However, knowing that we can take the game to some sides using our domestic 4-3-3 is refreshing to know, and certainly gives some food for thought ahead of our future campaigns... Match-day 7 - Rosenborg 1 Napoli 2 The final nail in the coffin. Going to Manchester to take three points was something that could be achieved in perhaps 3-5 years. Not now. I elected to start with the 4-4-1-1 and after going 2-0 down by half-time, I elected to go for it in the second-half and we prevailed in that sense. Perhaps one for me to take on the chin for getting it wrong and trying to be a bit more conservative; certainly a harsh lesson to learn on the face of it! Match-day 8 - Manchester City 6 Rosenborg 0 The point of the formation was to frustrate opposition teams and give them fewer opportunities up. Manchester City was a red hot knife on the night and cut through us like butter at their will, no matter what tweaks were made, we had no answers for their potent starting 11. Better teams than us have lost heavily at the hands of City, there is no shame in losing like that to one of the world's best. But it is only natural to be disappointed. We were out. ---------------------------- Well, just like that, our campaign comes to an end. Horrible way for it to end, but it is what it is - when you want to compete in Europe, you have to play against the best and that was us this year. There are certainly positives to take from the campaign as a whole, but a lot of work to be done behind the scenes to work out what went wrong with the 4-4-1-1 towards the latter stages of the campaign; was it tactics or physical demand during a title surge also? I do firmly believe we had a tougher draw this time around, but to still frustrate some big teams and take a point off them was some going. Perhaps the youth within the team was the defining moment of our campaign; not being able to see the games out. A lot to think about this pre-season as to where we go from here.

It's been a hectic few days, but we are finally back on the wagon with some game time! ---------------------------------- A crucial area of my previous post was to go down the route of a new tactical focus for the tougher European games. Depending on the opposition, I am comfortable leading with our domestic 4-3-3 setup at home, but we need to be more savvy on the park when we are either on the road or playing a few superior teams. My inspiration behind a more sturdy formation is that of Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan, slightly tweaked to avoid clashing with the standard 4-2-3-1 that we are used to seeing these days: As I mentioned before, Rome wasn't built in a day, and this system requires time. Firstly, the players need to become familiar with a more defensive-minded formation, but most importantly, I need time to get the right players in. Moving away from attacking wingers to more combating roles makes it a tough ask. I was going into European games with a clean slate here and allowing myself the opportunity to make adjustments where necessary; particularly on this left side given the use of a DW and a Carrilero. My understanding is that the DW should defend on the front foot, and the Carrilero moves into the channel. From a countering perspective, it should provide an outlet on the left for quick counters - time will tell. Qualifying It was plain sailing really until the usual playoff round as always for ourselves. Our second-round tie was sealed after a storming first-leg performance, which then allowed us to see out 4-4-1-1 in action for the first time: Okay, so KI is not exactly the frightening opposition we would deploy this formation against, but I felt that getting the familiarity of it was crucial at this stage. Our average positions show a lot of work being done right across the middle third of the park, whilst keeping our hosts on the back foot for the majority of the game. Their two goals were from inside the box (0.33 and 0.07 xG respectively) so I know that they weren't generating high-quality chances through the use of this system. Job done I suppose, and we were off to Ireland to play Derry City - this isn't 2025 all over again is it?! Again, not that they are particularly tough opposition (no offence Derry), but I elected to go with the 4-4-1-1 away in Ireland to give us a real sense of what could be achieved. My logic was that if it was a bit pear-shaped, the onus would be on our domestic 4-3-3 to get us over the line - I was always banking on this but in European games, you could never be sure - but thankfully it never got to this stage as we ran out comfortable winners. The hosts only managed one shot on target during the full 90 minutes and struggled to break into our half throughout the game - I was delighted to see that the midfield 4 were winning their battles and condensing space. Meanwhile, all but one of our sixteen shots were in the box, meaning that we were carrying that threat I felt we lacked on the counter. Promising stuff so far, but we are yet to be tested! Perhaps the most frustrating round, and that is no fault of the players. After comfortably planting one foot into the League Phase with a comprehensive 4-0 home leg win, I fully intended on setting up in our 4-4-1-1 shape away from home and studying the pros and cons. The awarding of our penalty made me realise I had gone with our 4-3-3. I fully believe that changing systems midway through the first half belittled our performance, and Maccabi Haifa fully dominated the game. But still, back-to-back League Phase appearances are something to be proud of in modern-day football. A healthy financial gain was coming our way before you factor in any result bonuses and TV revenue. We also had the promise of boosting the country's coefficient, something I was keen to work on in the short term. Lying in wait would be Ajax, Celta Vigo, Juventus, Benfica, Lazio, Lyon, Napoli & Manchester City. I knew we had to get results over Celta Vigo and Lazio to stand a chance of qualification. We have done it once before. I am keen to do it yet again.

Following Through on a Plan My previous post contained a mind map of areas I wanted to improve within the club going forward. At the top of the priority list I had a new right inside forward, but with the explanation and rationale that followed, 2026 will be the year of scouting a sound replacement. I could go out and sign someone here and now (I could end up doing this still!) but I want to allow Sørli the opportunity to prove his continued worth to the club; he did have a terrific first season and was perhaps unlucky with the arrival of Thorvaldsen. I then wanted to review the goalkeeping department, and my options here. I still believe the jury is out with Sjøeng (but this could change within months) and that fresh blood behind him was going to be required. The February 2026 intake gave us some glimmer of hope for the future with the arrival of Ali Hassan: He requires a lot of attention to develop into a class goalkeeper, but it is good to know that we have options coming through the academies. Also given the fact he is 15, he won't be called upon in the senior squad for at least 3 years - we need to bring in a more senior figure. Both U21 internationals are on my radar and it is clear to see why with their ability spread. Ree could perhaps edge it over Omerinović given his age, but I do view the FC København youngster as the long-term future - a smart investment if you will. I am in the middle of re-scouting both players to ensure nothing has changed since they were last scouted, but I do feel as though we will be shopping in Demark for Sjøeng's understudy. Finally, I did cover the continued concern of the left-back berth. Augustinsson is not getting any younger (30 this calendar year) and with 40+ games becoming a regular occurrence, he needs the backup. I had the opportunity to sign Møller Wolfe on a permanent transfer, but I felt the £3.3M was a bit steep for the squad role he would be playing. I continued to flick through scout report after scout report to find a suitable replacement, and I then stumbled across previously scouted Martin Ove Roseth of Lillestrøm. Averaging a 6.5 rating in games against Rosenborg over the last 3 years (and not winning a single game) is still a good averaging rating for a side with a poor record. However, with his ability to play as the left-back and centre-back, I was delighted to get cover for two positions in the shape of the 27-year-old. Yet, the biggest positive about this deal was the financial outlay of this one. Møller Wolfe was going to cost us £3.3M outright before we factor in his minimum £3.4K a week in wages. Roseth has joined the club on £3K a week, the 8th highest paid in the squad, and the financial package only amounted to £2.8M. We would part with £1.3M upfront for the defender, with £1M payable after 30 league games, £500K after 10 league appearances and a small 10% cut of the next sale. Factoring in amortisation, Roseth is only costing £433K per the squad's book value this season, which in my eyes is an absolute steal. These were 3 crucial areas of the park that I wanted to focus on, and despite only making one signing so far, I feel we are on the right path for the future. I also wanted to extend my scouting department and develop a wider knowledge of Norwegians across the globe. Patrick Kluivert registered his interest in the role of scout by dropping in his CV, and I felt that I couldn't say no to a well-renowned name like this. Coupled with his knowledge across Europe and eye-to-spot talent, paying Karlsruhe £24K in compensation was nothing. Certainly a welcoming boost to the department.

This comment here is tremendous - thank you for sharing! The double IWB & Mez idea looks ingenious on paper, are you tempted to utilise it during pre-season at all?

2026 - Planning As I head into the latter stages of January 2026, it's time to begin planning for the future. I have a mixture of short and long-term plans for the club which I have detailed in the graphic below: Matters that I can deal with directly are points 1 through 3; we need reinforcements, and I believe these are the priority positions. It won't be easy, nor cheap, to source some of these positions, but I suppose that is why I should be grateful for a £13M transfer kitty. The right inside forward area concerns me slightly - we have players available to deploy there, but I don't feel that they provide the same consistent threat that Nypan posed. Sørli was purchased as more of an old-fashioned winger, but it does seem like he could do a job here despite his age; Broholm's form dramatically fell away after his outstanding 2024. Comparing the two players, Sørli looks to carry more of an attacking threat than his counterpart Broholm. Broholm, however, certainly has age on his side and could develop to match the same level. After considering both players' talents and abilities, I feel that this will be the perfect half-year to source the perfect right inside forward for 2027, particularly when you consider that Sørli only has 12 months remaining on his contract. I will entertain bids for Sørli in the summer months, only for the right price which I value around £2M, but I will look to start him in the short term. The goalkeeping situation is a tough old nut to crack. Sjøeng was brought in initially as a backup but was promoted to first-choice when we sold Selvik to Saudi. Since claiming the shirt as his own, he is tied 6th for most points won per game (2.14) whilst only making 1 mistake that has led to a goal. These two statistics would suggest he is more than reliable, but when we delve into the stats a bit more, I'm not so sure. A stat I like to look at is a goalkeeper's expected save % V his actual save %. Sjøeng has an xSP of 80% but only saves 60% of the shots he faces. Whilst his pizza chart suggests only -0.05 xGP, his league xGP is significantly lower (-2.04) and a worrying trend. I briefly spoke about wondering if this has anything to do with his "Doesn't enjoy big matches" con, but I believe the problem is more deep-rooted. We have shipped 2 or more goals on 8 occasions, with an average xG of 1.62. I don't believe that is overly alarming, especially when compared to the winner of most clean sheets in the league Perhaps this is an area of the park that is just a lottery. Perhaps it's something similar to my struggles with the number 9 during 2023 and 2024. Sjøeng could have a storming 2026 season, but I think I would be doing the club a disservice by holding out on ifs, buts and coconuts. I have seasoned veteran Nyland on the books for the next 12 months - I don't anticipate utilising him this season so this gives me the perfect opportunity to move him on and look for a younger number 1 that I can shape the future around. The left-back area is still one of major concern, and I spoke about this with Pereira being told to find a new club. We did sign an optional fee loan deal with AZ Alkmaar for David Møller Wolfe, but I feel that the costs of this deal outweigh the benefits of having him around the club. These stats are based on 5 starts and 7 substitute appearances, which still look impressive. However, to me, these numbers don't justify a £3.3M price-tag, without considering his wage demands. We have options to look at for the left-back position, but it will be players coming into the club rather than our youth candidates. Unfortunately, they have not improved in the last 12 months, and I cannot rely on these players for senior football. After factoring in the above three positions, I decided to jot down where this leaves me squad when it comes to registration. We have a lot of work to do to compete on both the league and Champions League fronts, but I feel this organisation chart gives me an idea of where the squad currently stands. We have room for 9 more players on a part-time or better contract, allowing me to register 5 youth players for the league campaign. Volden was rewarded with a professional contract to try and deter interest in him following his cup appearances, and I am delighted to have him around the squad going forward. We do have talent in our U19S developing in the right manner, but I don't feel it is fair to bring any of these players up for the time being. One they are too young for senior football, and too much exposure could hurt their development. Two, I feel this level of football is sustainable enough considering their ages. Holmen is the oldest player in this small selection, and he is the only one that I would consider loan offers for at this stage; Jordi Gonzalez believes he is operating at the Third Division level, so it is worth considering this when listening to offers. ------------------------------------------------- With the controllable factors discussed, it was time to consider the factors that were out of my control. Thankfully, after some convincing, the board agreed to a triple improvement request concerning the youth facilities, youth recruitment and junior coaching. This is a massive step in the right direction as we look to improve the quality of youth football in Trondheim, and eventually lead to the production of an academy that can and will benefit the future of the club; on and off the park. I wanted to then hone in on the scouting department, and look to strengthen our knowledge around the world. Whilst I appreciate that there are not many Norwegians outside of Europe, it would be good to have enough knowledge of the world to pick up on the few that do make the move further afield. There won't be many, but I believe that we can improve this area of our network. Improving this area of the club's infrastructure could also highlight players of dual nationality, and I am more than willing to sign them. As a result, I have requested an improved number of scouts and recruitment analysts to help with this drive. Should the requests be approved, we will be holding interviews with interested staff. Unfortunately, the improvement of this department is more of a slow-burner, but I can only do what I can at this stage. Finally, a focus that is both short and long-term focus. Rome wasn't built in a day and building a more solid tactic from scratch with the current crop of players will take time. I am considering utilising Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side as inspiration for this build, but it is something that will be researched more on. Its all happening in 2026!

Great to see Bologna achieving so much so early on, deals for Sensi and Retegui are statements of intent! Both U20s and U18s performing to the levels that they are is also good news for the future - do you have any plans for any of the aforementioned U20 players to feature in the senior squad?

Thorndike laying down the gauntlet to the rest of the league already - got to love it!

Thank you! I'm not taking it for granted that's for sure - unless something massive happens, we will have another few years of qualifiers so will be a massive task to consistently make the main stage each year! I suppose that's the lure of the challenge in a way. Squad building is vital in this sense, but the biggest planning is keeping the squad ticking over constantly.

Certainly back to their respectable selves under my stewardship, but still so much to achieve! The Inter victory is certainly right up there with the result against the Galaticos - looks even better considering the modern day game compared to the 90s!

Talk about famous last words. Our final two games of the 2025 season (running into 2026 but we will go with it) were up against giants Manchester City and Internazionale. There are never any easy games in Europe's elite competition, but I could have asked for a lot easier than these two prestigious clubs. The situation was simple. We had to win 1 game. I've played through Champions League football before and 10 points seem to beat the cut, could we do it? Manchester City, Etihad Stadium You could tell from the get-go that it would be backs against the wall, and after the opening 10 minutes, it was exactly that. Thorvaldsen squandered a 0.20 xG chance during the opening 10 minutes; had it gone in we may have faced an onslaught of City attacks, but we would park ourselves in to try and steady the ship. But we hung in there for large spells of the game, City hitting the woodwork twice before £43M man Nico Williams fired home the opening goal of this game, and the only goal. Poor to concede from a throw-in, and I could be deemed harsh on Sjøeng with the criticism but it was an effort that should be saved - the chance generated 0.05 xG, perhaps this was his "Doesn't Enjoy Big Matches" shining through. That defeat left us in a precarious situation - a win should put us through, but we were no longer in control of our destiny. Internazionale, Lerkendal Perhaps the most famous result in Norwegian football of all time. Rosenborg 1 Internazionale 0. Let that sink in! Much like the Manchester City game, we were on the front foot in the opening stages and were determined to make the most of the home advantage. Erik Botheim, our hero all season was there yet again to be counted when it mattered with a thunderous effort to beat Uğurcan Çakır in the away goal. A goal that Sean Dyche would be proud of; get the ball up the park in as few touches as possible and catch the opposition off guard. Internazionale was hit on the break, and the Italians were pinning their hopes on a very tight offside decision. Thankfully, VAR indicated there was no early movement, and we had something to hold onto. Despite the Italians' best efforts, they could not break down our defensive state of mind. They didn't like the taste of their own medicine when we started to slow the game completely down and time-waste when possible. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and we needed to rely on the dark arts of football. But it worked. I won't hear a bad word about our efforts on the night - we deserved our win and had done all we could. It was now a waiting game on Wednesday night over four games: Barcelona - Marseille Bayern Munich - Rangers RB Leipzig - Aston Villa Real Madrid - PSV Eindhoven Rosenborg was in a fortunate position that both Barcelona and Marseille were chasing knockout football, so regardless of who wins that match, only one could overtake us. We just had to rely on the Germans and Real Madrid. 2 out of 3 teams upheld their end of the bargain, and Rosenborg were heading for the knockout play-off round! A remarkable achievement given the finances in European football, and it is a welcoming financial boost to the club also! Work has already commenced on improving the Youth Facilities, whilst the board has agreed to improve our recruitment and academy coaching - the additional money from the Champions League now balances off with these improvements! Bring on whoever is in the play-off!

Thank you! Certainly room for improvement throughout the domestic campaign, but will only get better with time. I knew it was a matter of time before Bodø/Glimt would crash from their overachiever status, but that was certainly a shock! The transfer windows are a bonus, it may go against us at times, but if we are looking to source Norwegian talent then we should be in a good place to snatch them first. Thorvaldsen is going to become some player! I was getting to the stage that I didn’t think the roses were coming! But thankfully, my faith paid off and we are in a better position for it now.

A great start already, really intrigued with the 5-1-3-1 and how it looks in the match engine and transitional play.

The new skin look very sleek and smart! Love the attention to detail with the non-playing staff; it seems a bit alien to me that the HoYD (well in your case HoPD) is in charge of signings as opposed to the DoF, but when you factor in your summary and logic, it makes sense!

My lord these kits are beautiful! I know you think the Juventus ones are "weak" but I think you have captured the essence of modern-day Juventus kits well with those designs. But sadly that Bologna home kit is the one that takes home the crown - my word! Can you ask if they will produce that as a third kit for me going there in September? Really looking forward to this journey!

Rosenborg 2025 As we complete yet another season, the final 10 games proved to be exciting and perfect for the neutrals watching on. Bodø/Glimt were two points clear, but the tide could easily change following Rosenborg's resounding 2-0 victory over Bodø/Glimt on match-day 19. Could this be the result that would send our rivals into a frenzy and capitulate on the field? Well, yes. Taking nothing away from our own performances, when we did slip up, it was due to a European hangover. Thankfully, these slip-ups were nothing in comparison to Bodø/Glimt: Just two league wins from the final 11 matches saw them tumble from first to third in the blink of an eye. I kept hammering home that their over-performance would eventually crumble away; I just did not anticipate it to be in this manner! In the same period of league matches, we tasted defeat twice, whilst drawing on two occasions once the league was wrapped up. League winners 2 out of 3 seasons. An impressive feat, and perhaps a sign that the Rosenborg resurgence has well and truly been completed. Granted, our winning margin could have been a lot more comfortable over Vålerenga, but given this was also our first season back in the Champions League, I was ecstatic. Rosenborg Season in Numbers: 72 goals scored was a save record so far. 31 goals conceded matches last season's count also. 8 goals more than our first season which was calamitous. Erik Botheim claims top scorer with 24 goals. Nypan was the next Rosenborg representation in 5th with 10. Harald Tangen tops the average rating chart with a rating of 7.32. Nypan was close by in 2nd with 7.28, whilst new signing Thorvaldsen was 3rd with 7.25. Rosenborg was top for both xG and NP-xG - 68.67 & 55.17 respectively. Of our 17 penalties throughout the season, 13 were converted. Goals from corners - Significantly up, and can be improved. We claim the 5th spot with 7 goals from corners, Surprisingly, we were 2nd for conversion rate. Bodø/Glimt edged us with 18% to our 16%. Net Spend for the Season was -£220,616. We racked in £16.2M worth of player sales and spent £16.03M on new players. Impressively, our player costs (wages, bonuses and loyalty bonuses) were only 11% of our total income. We even held aloft the cup come the end of the domestic season for good measure. A respectful 2-0 victory over Lillestrøm was enough to secure a domestic double and our first cup success since 2018. Whilst it is all to play for in Europe still, I am a bit more of a pessimist when it comes to our chances of progression: The draw may not have been kind to us, but I can safely say that we are yet to be embarrassed in the competition. Certainly, a rethink of formation is on the cards going into next season for European football (we do need to try and be a bit more competitive whilst we are poorer compared to most clubs in the competition) but it has been a positive return to the competition. As always with football, there is always the question of What If? What if we had closed up shop against Manchester United with 20 minutes to go? Before Marcus Rashford's goal on 84 minutes, neither team looked like scoring when the xG was 0.48 - 0.78. His goal alone only generated an xG of 0.08 - on another day it doesn't squirm past Sjøeng. Whilst what-ifs could go for you, they can also go against you. We robbed Aston Villa of the win, as they recorded 4 attempts off the woodwork. Harald Tangen scored the opening goal on 64 minutes, and despite becoming more defensive, we let the pressure pile and pile on, before Semih Kiliçsoy benefitted from a lapse in concentration. It may not seem like much, but that additional point, coupled with the additional 2 points against Villa, could have been the difference between knockout football and going home. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I touched on a new signing by the name of Filip Erik Thorvaldsen - the luxury of managing in Norway is that our differing transfer windows can be advantageous and disadvantageous. Thorvaldsen was a name I was keeping a close eye on, particularly after his breakthrough season at Vålerenga last season. In 27 games, he scored 7 and set up 3 from the wing and had interested parties such as Newcastle, Manchester City and Juventus. Valued at a mere £2.3M, I elected to make a move early during our window whilst theirs was closed, and he was soon pictured with that famous black and white scarf above his head. Excelling in the attacking half of the park, whilst carrying a high degree of movement threat, it is clear to see why so many teams were circling the young Norwegian. He is already a fan favourite here at Rosenborg and with 7 goals and 5 assists from 21 starts (3 sub appearances) he is only going to get better with age. A remarkable talent to have at the club as Nypan departs - what could have been for the next few years?! However, Thorvaldsen wasn't the only player to shine through this season. More experienced veterans in comparison, Tangen and Botheim fired us to our successes throughout the season: I had already briefly spoken about Harald Tangen in a previous post, and the midfielder continued to go from strength to strength as the season progressed. When deployed in the AP role from midfield, we often place too much pressure on the player to perform, but when you break Tangen's league stats down at the end of the year: 3rd for Open Play Expected Assists / 90 Minutes - 0.30 2nd for Open Play Key Passes - 48 2nd for Chances Created / 90 Minutes - 1.06 1st for Open Play Key Passes / 90 Minutes - 3.01 Tangen was at the heart of everything positive from midfield once he claimed the jersey as his own, grabbing 8 goals and 11 assists in 32 (3) appearances. I still firmly believe Viking made a mistake letting him go for as little as £1M, but their loss is most certainly our gain. Leading the line was Erik Botheim, and despite my concerns last season concerning his output, he certainly blew it out of the water this year. A whopping 39 goals in 44 (3) games certainly lays the gauntlet down for the future, and I am hopeful with the inclusion of Thorvaldsen and Tangen, Botheim will become the consistent striker we have been seeking after. Averaging a goal every 92.21 minutes, I am hoping that we can retain him over the January transfer window - there is no concrete interest in him just now, but Bodø/Glimt and Spanish clubs have been rumoured in the past. The future is certainly looking bright for the club. With a healthy bank balance of £30M, we have breathing space to make smart transfer decisions, whilst also looking to improve on the club's infrastructure. We are still awaiting our first golden generation in Trondheim - it surely can't be far off now...

Despite the odds being stacked against you, a tremendous start to life in League 2! That Burnley game looks painful - especially to go the distance and then lose with a 12 yard kick! Confidence in you to make this a season to prove the doubters wrong!

A fellow blogger got lucky with Stoke avoiding the drop, but it was still a great save to follow - I’m really excited with this one given the drop to League 1! As you mention, a terrific deal for Burger - that level of income after a relegation is going to be massive in squaring the books, what is your retention like?

Some impressive results in Europe! Perhaps unlucky to face Ludogorets at such an early stage, but BATE and KR are no pushovers - you made them look like such!

Thanks @danyates8 for catching up on the post so far - there’s a lot to it! Been an enjoyable save so far, things are finally looking positive for the club and they have turned a corner! —————————————— It is not just Rosenborg that are feeling the effects of Knutsen and his managerial ability. I spoke about the Norwegian FA approaching Knutsen and that I would be taking the job on, despite it not being considered in my save plans. The nation was off the back off a disappointing EURO campaign (almost identical to Scotland’s own campaign IRL!) and it was time to build for the future. Name a better starting point than the glorified UEFA Nations League. Norway had managed to avoid dropping out of League B, and we would be tasked with matches against Türkiye, Albania and Kazakhstan - a tough draw but when you have Premier League talents like Ødegaard, Haaland and Bobb, you have to back yourself. A crazy opener against Türkiye was the beginning of something wonderful for the nation, as we charged to an unbeaten Nations League campaign and win the group rather comfortably. Notably, we have Haaland scoring regular enough which is going to be huge for the nation going into 2025’s World Cup qualifying campaign. Which would give us the platform to see how good we really are; both Switzerland and Austria are in our group, nations not to be taken lightly. Perhaps a surprising qualifying campaign as we posted the perfect record to top the group and book our first class tickets to the Americas for the 2026 edition - Norway’s first participation since 1998! With things progressing forward for the nation, it’s a great time to be Norwegian and the national side don’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. Granted, we are yet to come up against a top quality national outfit, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Erling Haaland has claimed top spot for goals for his country, and at the young age 25 he has plenty of years ahead of him to improve on the 50 goals he has just now - that is 17 more that Jørge Juve who grabbed his goal tally between 1928-1937, Haaland is 26 ahead of the legend that is John Carew. We took on the job with the national side ranked 33rd in the world. Whilst our opponents have not been top quality for us to maximise our points, we have steady growth in our 2 year stint as the nation has risen to 26th in the rankings. A lot of work to be done to bring it close to its record 2nd back in 1993 & 1995, but progress is progress!

Thank you for the positive words! Recruitment has been so crucial this season, and inadvertently, we are now a side full of Norwegians (besides Sadiku and Augustinsson - both already at the club) which has its own bonuses. I often feel that picking up bargains from outside Norway is the way forward - for whatever reason their career hadn’t kicked off as they hoped moving away, but having the knowledge and experience of the league is huge to bring back into the side. If we were to take away the +20 over performance from Bodø in the goals department, I feel we’d be a lot more comfortable in the league. However, we can’t control these freak spells and just need to take care of our own business in the final 10 games; starting with a massive 6 pointer against them.

Go away for a day at the weekend, struggle to get back to normal and log in to a few updates! An impressive pre-season given the circumstances - plenty of players in and out so cohesion needs to come - and I think the 1-1 against a full-strength Bayern is a mightily impressive result. We had discussed the transfers in over Discord and I do firmly believe the deal for Odilon is worth every penny!

Really excited to be following along on this journey! Was brought up on Football Italia also, so Italian football always has a place in my heart.