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Veikkausliiga season 2012: HJK will claim title, but a surprise is brewing in the relegation battle
Veikkausliiga already kicked off a few weeks ago so this season guide is way overdue. But let’s not allow that insignificant detail put us off since, despite the first rounds offering some surprises, there are still almost 30 matches to be played, which means that the league’s power balance will even itself out in the [...]
Paatelainen’s Finland revolution – phase one completed, tactical consistency achieved (part 1 of 2)
21. February 2012
After half a decade spent going through the motions and hoping for a miracle with quick fix coaching appointments, the Finnish Football Association finally took the inevitable leap of faith in 2011 and set forth on a long-term project with the national team. The first step was taken in March with the appointment of Mixu [...]
HJK in 2011: the double, transfers and near-success in Europe
23. November 2011
2011 was a season to remember for HJK. Not only did ‘Klubi’ won their third consecutive title and the Finnish Cup (overall their 24th league championship and 11th cup victory), but they did this in a swashbuckling fashion. The Helsinki team finished the season with a 24-point lead to second-place Inter and scored a whopping 86 goals [...]
How will lively transfer window affect HJK?
15. September 2011
It has been a highly eventful start to the autumn for HJK. First, maintaining their devastating form in the league, the Helsinki club all but secured the Veikkausliiga title already in August. Then, ‘Klubi’ gave Schalke a proper run for their money in the Europa League play-offs, beating the Germans 2-0 at home until imploding [...]
HJK-Schalke 2-0: hosts earn hard-fought victory
25. August 2011
It was a night to remember at the Sonera Stadium last Thursday as HJK recorded a historical victory with a battling performance over the German giants Schalke in the Europa League play-off first leg. Teemu Pukki scored two fantastic goals to cap a magnificent team performance by the home side which put the Finns on [...]
It’s just like watching bowls
22. August 2011
It is a tedious cliché that Finnish football is small-time and insignificant, but it is unfortunately also kinda true. Precarious finances and a disinterested public make the professional game here seem lower profile than, say, crown green bowls in the UK, or cricket in the United States.
HJK-Schalke 04 pre-view: defensive worries for hosts
17. August 2011
HJK entertain Schalke tomorrow in the play-off round of the Europa League. Despite the undeniable fact that HJK are marching towards the Veikkausliiga title, the home tie against the German giants is an event that eclipses their whole season (unless they make it into the Europa League group phase of course). The match created a [...]
HJK-Dinamo 1-2: visitors win match in midfield
3. August 2011
There was a real sense of expectation in the air at the Sonera Stadium last Wednesday as HJK took on Dinamo Zagreb in the first leg of the Champions League third round. Few HJK fans may have pinned their hopes on actual UCL qualification, but many regarded the home team having at least a solid [...]
HJK attack with venom but do they have the defensive rigour to make it in Europe?
26. July 2011
HJK made Champions League history trashing Bangor City 13-0 on aggregate in the second round of the competition. Both the second leg 10-0 victory at home and aggregate result are the biggest goal-fests ever celebrated in the Champions League. The result is a remarkable achievement in its own right, especially by a team from Finland, [...]
HJK-Inter preview
8. July 2011
HJK entertain Inter tonight in one of the most highly anticipated matches of the current campaign. Inter, second in the table, chase the hosts by seven points with a game in hand, so if the Turku team manage a victory in Helsinki all the talk of handing the Veikkausliiga trophy to HJK may just turn [...]
HJK-JJK preview
29. May 2011
The surprise Veikkausliiga leaders from Jyväskylä take on the reigning champions at the Sonera Stadium at 6:30pm tonight. JJK remain unbeaten with sixteen points after six matches while HJK sit third with twelve points. Therefore, even with a limited grasp of arithmetic, the hosts are in for a match they need to win.
HJK-FF Jaro preview
19. May 2011
HJK host Jaro at the Sonera Stadium tonight at 6:30pm. The home side have recorded three straight victories (KuPS (H), Inter (H), VPS (A)) after the opening day defeat against TPS in Turku and sit second in the table, a point behind JJK. Jaro have also recovered from their dodgy start to the season, that [...]
Galactic Order Has Been Restored – NFN’s Veikkausliiga Preview – Rankings
7. May 2011
Did you miss NFN’s three-part Veikkausliiga preview? Don’t worry, you can find it here, just click on the linka. Part I -Part II - Part III. Nordic Football News has once again brought you the most definitive Veikkausliiga preview concievable. Now for the final part, our standings prediction. After much debate and wrangling, NFN Editor Egan Richardson [...]
Jar Jar Haka And The Phantom Menace – NFN’s Veikkausliiga Preview Part III – The Relegation Candidates
6. May 2011
And so we move to the not-so-business end of the table, the rear. It promises to be quite a battle, since so many clubs have been forced to cut costs amid financial turmoil.
Who Gets Gunned Down By The Financial Death Star – NFN’s Veikkausliiga Preview, Part II – The Mid-Table
6. May 2011
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!
There Will Be No Return Of The Jedi In This Universe – NFN’s Veikkausliiga Preview 2011
6. May 2011
It’s time for the annual NFN Veikkausliiga preview. As with last year, a three part preview, starting with the title contenders. Want to guess who we think will win?
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17. May 2012
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