Nordic Football News

In: Joonas Ikäläinen, Jarno Tenkula, Ville Syväjärvi, Marko Koivuranta, Jeferson Pires, Echiabhi Okodugha, Jung-Hyuk kwon

Out: Antti Uimaniemi, Philip Edeipo, Mika Nurmela, Juha Majava, Daniel Bauer, Patrice Ollo N’doumba

Coach: Valeri Bondarenko

Claimed playing budget: €250,000

Egan says: Rovaniemi has had problems providing facilities for a top flight football team, and the installation of an artificial pitch at Keskuskenttä looks set to disrupt RoPS’s season once again. With the worst League Cup record of any team spoiling their pre-season, RoPS are going to face a struggle to survive in Veikkausliiga. Without Mika Nurmela, who was influential and inspirational last season, they could well lose it.

Juha says: Quite a few players lost there, Nurmela and Bauer being the losses that hurt the most. An awful pre-season foreshadows equally difficult times when the real games start. Add to it the pitch installation and a disaster is on the cards. RoPS will be very near relegation, something the club is accustomed to.

Fan’s view: We have two RoPS fans. Asko Susalmi and freelance journalist Harri Ahola, a long time RoPS fan.

1. Realistically, how will your team do?

Harri: We’ll be in the bottom third and anything is possible there. I feel our material and resources are better than in KuPS or JJK so I think we can again dodge the relegation.

Asko: At least 10th.

2. Which teams did you like and dislike most last season?

Harri: I saw a lot of games in Turku and Inter had some interesting players like Joni Aho and Mika Ojala. I have no great negative feelings on other clubs.

Asko: Disliked TamU, liked TPS.

3. What was the best moment of last season?

Harri: Personally I’d pick home win against ruling double champions TamU. RoPS were superior on the field and coming back from 0-1 in the hectic atmosphere of Keskuskenttä was something amazing. Grass was brown but the match was gold!

Asko: The good performances at the beginning of the season.

4. What was the worst moment of last season?

Harri: The really bad performances after the unneccessary summer break. And the last 10 minutes of the opening game against Inter. If RoPS had kept the same look after 80 minutes I guess Inter would not be ruling champions.

Asko: Mweetwa’s injury.

5. If your club wasn’t in the football business what other business would it be in?

Harri: I guess we’d make b-movies. Sometimes we hire big names to attract attention but mainly just low cost flicks with mediocre artistic ambition.

Asko: Ice hockey.

6. Who will win Veikkausliiga and who will go down? (Just the names will do)

Harri: HJK and KuPS.

Asko: Champions will be HJK, KuPS will go down.