Nordic Football News

The mid-table more than any other part of the league is defined by the financial nuclear winter and different ways to approach it. Let the carnage ensue!

You can find the rest of NFN’s Veikkausliiga preview here, just click on the links. Part I – Part III – Part IV.

Struggling beneath the far reaches of the Veikkausliiga elite is of course those who strive to be main characters but can’t quite pull it off. Some will do a better job than others. We’ve got a classic case of ”if we take ONE more risk…” which might end up in a party on Endor or what blew up in it’s sky. And we have re-tooling teams that had a good run last year but had to reboot. And the most boring team in Veikkausliiga this side of MyPa.

So on to the mid-table, starting off with

The Sarlacc Pit

Let it be known that Tampere United’s fate was a classic fall into the Sarlacc Pit. United overextended themselves financially for too many years and finally fell into a thousand years of gruesome death. Sadly, we already have our next candidate, which is…

JJK

Last season: 13^th in Veikkausliiga

Good: The Hired Guns. JJK put tons of money in to their squad, adding quality player like midfielder/winger Mikko Manninen and Tamas Gruborovics, striker Babatunde Wusu and midfielder Eero Korte. Their starting eleven is pretty imposing and full of experience with holdovers Jarkko Okkonen and Juha Pasoja leading the defense and target man Mikko Hyyrynen up front.

Bad: Anyone else feel like pulling an Admiral Ackbar and screaming ”It’s a trap!”? JJK think they’re closer and closer to success, but something tells me that the money gods Death Star has a fully operational weapons system with JJK in it’s crosshairs. Club chief Joni Vesalainen has not hidden the fact that this is a do or die season, seeing as the club has accumulated losses of over half a million euros over their two Veikkausliiga seasons and yet still they spent even more than in years past. Still, the squad is short one or two quality fullbacks (sorry, Niko Markkula and Tuomas Latikka just don’t cut it if you want a top 3 finish), and Korte and Jukka-Pekka Tuomanen at the bottom of midfield are overrated. It’s a trap!

Key Man: Jani Virtanen: The mercurial forward has a staggering difference between good and bad days. Can win games on his own on a good one. If he finds his focus, JJK could have a sellable asset on their hands.

NFN prediction: It’s either the ultimate reward of a life of adventure and hot chicks or falling to a hideous death. Even Boba Fett had his day, but ultimately fell. Too much risk when even the reward wouldn’t be that lucrative. The absolute peak is positions 3-4, but realistically they don’t have the depth to challenge the big boys. Leaping from two consecutive stints in the relegation playoffs to a medal is too steep, and that puts the clubs future in jeopardy. For JJK fans sake, let’s hope that’s not the case. Upper mid-table, but JJK could fall in to the Sarlacc pit if they’re not careful.

Cloud City

TPS

Last season: 3^rd in Veikkausliiga

Good: Adding Njazi Kuqi, Juho Lehtonen, Petteri Pennanen and Niklas Tarvajärvi up front should bolster a forward crew that lost so much talent it’s hard to fathom. The defense should be rock solid with quality fullback Jarkko Hurme joining a solid core of Jaakko Nyberg, Jarno ”middle finger” Heinikangas and versatile Sami Rähmönen. TPS play a relatively straight-forward brand of football, which should make adjusting to the squad easier.

Bad: TPS is like Lando Calrissian after Darth Vader marched into Cloud City. What used to be a stocked, lucrative business has suddenly lost a ton of assets and what was a bright future is now much murkier thanks to Seppo Sairanen pulling his financial backing. What’s left isn’t all that pretty. And I’m pretty sure coach Marko Rajamäki wouldn’t have had a problem with Esa Pekonen being frozen in carbonite after their dressing room bust-up last year. The starting XI is still imposing IF Tarvajärvi, Kuqi and Lehtonen can shake off long-term injuries, but the bench is short. The midfield lacks the creative power from last season, so look for a much more direct TPS this season.

Key Man: Toni Kolehmainen: Veikkaaja Rookie of the Year Kolehmainen played extremely well next to Riku Riski and Chris Cleaver last year, but they’re both gone now. The AZ Alkmaar trained midfielder has to take more of the playmaking reins now, and it’s a big jump to make. Kolehmainen has the ability, though.

NFN prediction: TPS will be among those who fall hard after a heady season of a medal and winning the cup last year. If everything goes to plan they might have a shot at going for the bronze, but the reality is that too much of the early season will be wasted in transition and learning. What separates their rebuilding from IFK’s is that IFK got their pieces months ago, while TPS could only start building a short while ago. Sounds like mid-table to me.

The Droids

One is fun to watch, the other isn’t. Care to guess which is which?

Jaro

Last season: 5^th in Veikkausliiga

Good: Small, adventurous and totally unaware of their limits. Alexei Eremenko is still the coach. He can coax good performances and attractive football out of a dead horse if need be. Dickson Agyeman and Ilja Vaganov among others look like proper additions. Venance Zeze came back. With Papa Niang and Jussi Aalto a relatively dangerous team up front. Youngsters like Simon Skrabb and Patrick Byskata will make the team exciting to follow.

Bad: Too much has changed from last seasons heady fifth place finish. Most notably star man Alexei Eremenko junior is missing, although he could return for a brief summer stint, which would obviously change things. Also gone are Evgeni Novikov and Ymer Xhaferi. So hey, no problem. That’s only the entire engine room and creative department gone. The team is too young and raw, even for a smart coach like Eremenko. This will be a difficult year.

Key Man: Dickson Agyeman: He has an impressive resumé. He’s skillful, aggerssive and unafraid of taking responsibility. Markus Kronholm next to him in midfield provides critical defensive support.

NFN prediction: If Eremenko junior comes, R2D2 can open the blast doors Jedi-style and be the hero. As things stand now, they’ll get blasted to mid-table at best. 33 game schedule will be tough for the thin squad. Extremely tight finances mean that reinforcements are unlikely.

VPS

Last season: 10^th in Veikkausliiga

Good: There’s nothing wrong with being boring, right? VPS has been the model for conservative, let’s-stay-out-of-the-way-and-we’ll-be-safe operating for years. Chairman Eero Karhumäki has done a tremendous job of turning a small profit with a small, unknown squad and a decrepit stadium. To boot, VPS has been able to bring in a few quality players. Moody striker Aleksandr Kokko is an upgrade over moody striker Jussi Aalto. Ville Koskimaa and keeper Janne Henriksson are solid additions at the back. Strikers Antonio Inutile and Valtter Laaksonen were out all last year, so that’s almost like adding two new faces. Edgar Bernhardt is a gem in midfield. VPS stays within its limits on and off the field. Not very interesting, but efficient.

Bad: Being conservative also means that the squad is very bland. There are no real ”WOW!” players on the roster, and by that I mean players who can single-handedly swing games in their favor. The squad has decent depth to stave off relegation, but not enough to challenge higher. And although Kokko is an upgrade up front, he needs quality servce. Not sure he’ll get that consistently.

Key Man: Jani Tanska: The center back has to lead the back four even better than last year. Familiarity with most players should help with that. VPS absolutely have to cut down from 40 goals allowed (on a goals per game average) if they want to improve.

NFN prediction: This team is dying for a clear-cut profile player. Without one or two additions, expect the normal mid-table mediocrity out of Vaasa. Hats off to their smart financial control, but that won’t make them any more interesting.

So there you have the mid-table. With the right moves and stroke of form, I could see JJK, TPS or maybe even Jaro playing for much better positions. Problem is, they’re overextended as it is and it’s hard to see how they can get better any time soon. VPS maybe could, but won’t. VPS really is like Sir Anthony Tiresome of the Boringwood Academy, but their financial discipline really has to be applauded in these difficult times.

In many ways, JJK and VPS are polar opposites in their approaches. Problem is that the real solution for clubs from midsize towns is middle ground. A club with tight financial reins (VPS) but leadership that is innovative and understands the importance of integrating the club into the community through not just football, but schools, charities and being actively involved in local events (JJK). So if I have one wish, it’s to find Vaasaskylän JalkaPalloseura. It’d be the perfect formula for a Finnish football club. Yet, somehow, it always has to be one or the other.

Stay tuned for part 3, the relegation candidates.