Nordic Football News

More midweek madness in the Tippeliga as Molde try to keep up with Rosenborg, Mad Martin tries to hold on to his job for a few more days, Lyn try to keep the derby-ghost alive and Viking try to be less terrible at football.

Thursday

Molde (2nd) – Tromsø (12th)

The whole Tore Reginiussen-situation is growing increasingly bizarre. Just to recap, Reginiussen is a promising young defender who, based on performances for Tromsø and the national team, has been the subject of interest from teams like Fulham and Blackburn, and if it hadn’t been for his club pricing him out of the market he would currently be playing abroad, making good money and a name for himself. His contract is expiring at the end of this season, so in a few months his club can’t hold him back any longer. Except, it turns out he wants them to. “Tore Reginiussen doesn’t intend to become a Bosman-player,” Tromsø have announced. Apparently, Tromsø will try to find a club who wants to pay money for him in the transfer-window, even though legally at that point clubs could offer him a contract without even talking to Tromsø. If no one wants to do this (as seems likely), Reginiussen will sign a new contract with Tromsø in Semptember. Make sense of that if you can. 

Home win

Bodø/Glimt (14th) – Aalesund (8th)

Glimt’s problems are well documented, but when you look at standings they are actually doing a decent job keeping up with the midtable pack. They may be 14th, but 9th placed Fredrikstad are just two points ahead of Glimt, so their situation is far from hopeless. Veteran winger Jan Derek Sørensen will be back in action for this and the experienced wide man could have a big impact, even if he is lacking match-fitness.

Draw

Strømsgodset (13th) – Lillestrøm (16th)

Football is rife with cruelty and injustice, and the fact that Lillestrøm are marooned at the bottom of the table while Strømsgodset are just a couple of points off a safe midtable position is just another example of this. Not that we mind, we have all the time in the world for Ronny Deila’s plucky bunch while Lillestrøm is the club we all love to hate, but it must be said that based on their performances so far it’s an utter injustice. Based on nothing in particular, the notoriously rubbish NFN prediction-department thinks the tide is about to turn for Henning Berg’s boys.

Away win

Viking (6th) – Stabæk (10th)

Now that Norwegian scientists have found the missing link and figured out the whole evolution-thing, they can turn their attentions to an altogether more complicated question: Just how in the name of *insert deity of your choice here* are Viking 6th? Really, they’ve been terrible, even their own players think so.  

Draw

Start (3rd) – Odd Grenland (5th)

Having finally gotten to watch Erik Mykland live, the Norwegian end of NFN have been partially won over by the diminutive druggie. Sure, there are times when his teammates have to compensate for his physical shortcomings, but unlike a depressing majority of Norwegian midfielders Mykland can actually pass the ball. Also, from what NFN could gather, the positive effect he’s having on the Start dressing-room isn’t just media hype put out by the club’s intolerable sporting director Svein Mathisen, as we previously suspected. 

Home win

 

Fredrikstad (9th) – Brann (11th)

Costa Rican midfielder Celso Borges seems to have settled down well and is starting to assert his influence on Fredrikstad’s midfield. Off the pitch things are also fine, apart from when he almost accidentally set his apartment on fire whilst trying to cook a meal. As the saying goes here at NFN headquarters – “If you’ve never set fire to your kitchen then you’re not a real man”. 

Draw

 

Lyn (15th) – Vålerenga (7th)

Hold on to your wigs and keys, it’s the very peculiar Oslo derby! Peculiar why? Because Lyn, the decidedly smaller club of the two, haven’t lost to their big brothers Vålerenga in 28 years. That is very very strange indeed, so strange in fact that talk of a “derby ghost” has gradually evolved from jokes into something akin to actual superstition. Already having to cope with a board desperate to sack him, Mad Martin now has to battle the paranormal as well. And there’s a twist: With Lyn’s finances being beyond buggered and the team looking like early relegation candidates, this season could be the club’s last in the top flight for a good while. In which case Mad Martin‘s merry men only have two more shots at the derby ghost before it retreats into obscurity..

Draw