by Linn Dupont

Swedish football striker Henrik Larsson retires from professional football.

Yesterday the former Celtic and Barcelona striker announced his retirement. After 16 years as a professional football player he has come to the decision to put his career to an end.

“I am now 38. It’s enough,” Larsson says in a press statement. “Now it’s time for something else”. His decision to retire has been developed over time.

Larsson, who plays for the Helsingborg team in the Swedish premier division, will play two more matches in the Swedish league before he does his final match when the season ends on 1 November. After that he will put his red and blue Helsingborg sweater on the shelf and go for a well deserved vacation.

During the 2000-01 season when playing for Celtic, Henrik Larsson won the Golden Boot for being Europe’s top scorer. Amongst Celtic supporters he is known as ‘The King of Kings’.

Larsson also played in Manchester during 2007. He participated in three World Cups and three European Championships and scored 37 goals in his 106 international matches for the Swedish team. Over the  years, Larsson has retired from the Swedish team several times, but he always came back when they needed him to help support his national team.

When Larsson helped Barcelona beat Arsenal with 2-1 in 2006 it became his biggest European triumph. Barcelona received it’s first Champions League title in 14 years and Henrik Larsson became the hero.

Back in Helsingborg, sports journalist Martin Bergstroem, reveal his opinion on the matter.

“He is without a doubt one of Sweden’s absolute best football players throughout history. Of course that makes his retirement a loss for the Swedish national team and for his fellow club players in Helsingborg,” Martin Bergstroem tells Edinburgh Napier News. “Larsson’s shoes leaves a big empty hole to fill out, which opens up for new, younger players to rise in Swedish football.”

“Although, Larsson’s decision was expected,” Bergstroem continues “I think he did the right thing now when Sweden missed out on the World Championships and Helsingborg at the same time missed their chance to this year’s gold medal”.

Say what you want about Sweden loosing one of their greatest football strikers, but Larsson has plans on a future as a trainer. “If he decides to stay in the football world and help develop other players, we should consider ourselves lucky’”, says Bergstroem.

After this mornings press statement with his home club in Helsingborg, Larsson stated that he is fully satisfied with his decision. “It has developed furthermore during this season. Of course, it has been tough, but it was a tougher decision leaving the Celtic,” Larsson said. ”I have enjoyed my career and am very grateful to everyone who has supported me ,” he finished his statement.

Henrik Larsson

The blogs are in, and the strong opinions are out. What do you think? Who is the sportsperson of the Noughties? Not happy with the options? Write your own sporting tribute and let me know. I can almost taste the adrenaline in my mouth. Delicious.

Step forward, Henrik Larsson. You are a wonderful man.

You may notice in the above photo that ol’ Henke adorns the colours of my beloved Celtic (not, for the record, “Glasgow Celtic”); I will admit that perhaps my reasons for nominating the super Swede are not entirely objective, but when it comes to the fanaticism of sport, where does objectivity fit in?

Henrik Larsson is a man very close to my heart. I once pinned a friend against a wall because he insisted Larsson was not world class. While this may have been a touch heavy-handed, I believe I was vindicated that very evening, the night of the 2006 Champions League final, when m’boy Henrik, a 61st minute substitute, provided both assists for his team’s goals as Barça triumphed came back from 1-0 down to beat Arsenal 2-1. After the game, Thierry Henry said, “Everyone was talking about Ronaldinho before the game. I didn’t see him today and I didn’t see Eto’o. Henrik Larsson made the difference.”

His spells at Barça and Man Utd proved that, even in the later stages of his career, he was a player of immense class, charisma and skill. I have never seen anyone make runs like Larsson. He is a football genius.

His goal-scoring record is simply phenomenal. He has scored goals consistently at every club he has played for, and at every level, from SPL games against Dunfermline to European finals against Porto and Arsenal to World Cup and European Championship matches.

But his iconic status is not due simply to his playing ability.  Henke encapsulated the true spirit of football; he was dedicated, committed, fair, honest and unselfish. He only picked up a handful of bookings throughout his long career, and was never emboiled in any controversy or scandal. As Rob Smyth said in the Guardian, “Larsson is one of football’s good guys, a consummate professional”.

I’m not saying he’s the best footballer of the decade. But, as an all-round athlete and ambassador for sport, there are few as iconic.

Take a look at the other candidates here:

Roger Federer by Josh Pettitt
Ryan Giggs by Alain Tolhurst
Usian Bolt by Mike Brown
Michael Schumacher by Tom Victor
Zinedine Zidane by Rob Goodman
Shane Warne by Thomas Mooney
David Beckham by Will Gilgrass
Cristiano Ronaldo by Joe Curtis
Adam Gilchrist by Nick Moore

This season saw equilibrium return to Norwegian football. Now 21 times champions Rosenborg won the league again. There has not been constancy over who has won the Norwegian or the Swedish premier leagues over the last years. This inconsistency of the top clubs has meant that no club from the Scandinavian Peninsula has managed to make much of an impression in Europe. Denmark is excluded from this evaluation, because they are positioned geographically in a way that allows them to follow the European continental league format. In Norway and Sweden, like in Russia, the season is played from early spring until late fall. Sweden, despite having twice the population size of Norway, and a footballing tradition which includes World Cup silver (1958) and two World Cup bronzes (1950 and 1994), a European Cup final and a UEFA Cup victory, is positioned below Norway on the UEFA Country Rankings. In Norway, Swedish coaches and players dominate the top flight. The clubs that finished 1^st through 3^rd in this year’s championship had Swedish coaches. Rosenborg’s coach, Erik Hamrén, is the new national team coach of Sweden. Over the last four seasons, the top goal scorer in Norway has been a Swede three times. Could a closer cooperation between the two league systems be the way for a club from the Peninsula to achieve success in Europe? The idea is worth a closer look.

Success in Europe requires a mixture of factors working together. For a country to produce a Champions League winning club, it seems that six major factors stand out. These are a country’s football obsession, meaning the importance of football in the culture of the country, country population size, quality of youth development, training conditions and facilities, footballing traditions, and a country’s standard of living. History shows that these factors matter. In the history of the European Cup, clubs from countries of less than 15 million inhabitants almost never win the European Cup. Exceptions have been Portugal and Scotland. These two are countries with great footballing traditions, and when mixed with youth development and coaching know-how, this can make up for limited size of the talent pool. A look at the grandest European top flights tells us that most professional footballers today come from relatively high standards of living. This is the Western European working- and middle classes.

Looking at these factors from a Norwegian and Swedish perspective, it quickly becomes clear that neither country fulfils all criteria. Add to that the climatic challenges of these countries, forcing the leagues to be played spring-fall rather than fall-spring like the European cups, and the prospects of creating a cup-winning team seem bleak. However, Russian and Ukrainian teams have recently started showing Europe that these climatic challenges can be overcome, as long as the clubs are good enough. In both Russia and Ukraine this quality has its background in extreme financial backing, but there are ways for Scandinavian clubs to compensate for this.

What if the two leagues were to join each other? It would create a product that fulfils the Champions League-winning recipe. As explained below, football obsession, quality of youth development, training facilities, footballing traditions, and standards of living would all be joined together. Joining the leagues would mean the clubs would have easier access to a total population of about 15 million, which means the country population size issue would also be realized. If the 8 best-placed clubs of both countries would create a league, the increased competition should improve the quality of the clubs from both countries. A way to ensure this quality is maintained in both countries could be the following relegation/promotion solution – four clubs are relegated each year; if three relegated clubs are Norwegian, three Swedish clubs are promoted. This will keep the pressure on the FAs to ensure the quality of their country’s football and youth development is maintained. The difference in population size seems not to be a problem, since the Norwegian league is currently placed higher than the Swedish one. It will make it important for clubs from each country to perform well; otherwise it will be harder than now to be promoted again. It could also serve as a way to remove one of the greatest problems of both Swedish and Norwegian clubs – an incredible inconsistency from year to year. Travelling distances will still not be more than what German or French clubs do every week. Take a second to think of the advantages for clubs from both countries.

Norway has, according to the UN, the world’s highest standards of living. Sweden are also in the world top in this regard. According to the calculations of football authors Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski, Norway is also the most football-obsessed country in the World. This is based on registered football players, stadium attendances and TV spectators of football, relative to the population size. Such a calculation must be taken with a pinch of salt, but it is an indication that football is a central part of the country’s culture. The fact that HM King Harald of Norway is a Tottenham Hotspurs fan, and his father was an Arsenal fan, are other indications of the country’s football obsession. As Simon Kuper points out, few other European countries have fan clubs of for instance Barnet FC and Rushden and Diamonds, like Norway do. When it comes to winning traditions in European and International football, Norway come short, however. Taking into consideration the country’s climatic predicament, Norway do have quite good training facilities indeed.

Sweden have footballing traditions. As mentioned above, the International and European credentials Sweden have are quite impressive for a country of about 9 million in a cold climatic zone. Malmö FF reached the European Cup final in 1979, where they were beaten by Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest 1-0. This was a match that was played without Malmö’s top players because of injuries, according to the club’s own history accounts. When it comes to youth talent development, and coaching know-how, Sweden are world class. Sven Göran Eriksson is for instance one of the world’s highest profiled coaches. In 1983 he won the UEFA Cup with IFK Göteborg, one of Swedish club football’s greatest triumphs. The success of Swedish coaches in Norway has already been mentioned. There is a nearly unending stream of Swedish youths going to Italian and Dutch clubs. Swedish players are high profile in Europe’s best leagues. Zlatan Ibrahimovic won the Italian top scorer trophy, and is in contention for the Ballon d’Or. Fredrik Ljungberg was a huge star for Arsenal in the Premier League and the Champions League. Jesper Blomqvist played the Champions League final for Manchester United in 1999, and won. Henrik Larsson is one of Europe’s most celebrated strikers of the last fifteen years. This is not a new phenomenon. In the 1950s Sweden produced some of the world’s best players. AC Milan’s Swedish trio Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Niels Lidholm, affectionately called Gre-No-Li, dominated the Serie A in the 1950s. Gunnar Nordahl is still the second highest goal scorer in Serie A history, winning Capocannoniere five times. These three were not even allowed to play in the 1950 World Cup, since the Swedish FA did not allow professionals to play for the national team. They were only three of about 30 Swedish players in the Serie A at the time. Without having been researched, this could very well be connected to Sweden’s neutrality in World War II. The wave of Swedes lasted until the mid-60s. Until the next golden generation of the early 90s, Sweden had a quiet period. The third-placed World Cup team sported players such as Tomas Brolin of AC Parma, Martin Dahlin of Boroussia Mönchengladbach, the mentioned Henrik Larsson, and Thomas Ravelli. These talented individuals and the team successes are evidence of great footballing traditions, and also traditions for nurturing talents to the highest level. Norway also have individual successful players, such as Rune Bratseth with Werder Bremen, Henning Berg in Blackburn, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and John Carew. Perhaps some talent would also stay in their home clubs if the leagues and clubs would gain a higher profile and higher quality. The suggestion of a joint Norwegian–Swedish league seems one way to provide this.

So the footballing traditions, talented youth players, coaching excellence, as well as population size, standards of living, training facilities and also importance of football in the countries’ culture seem to be either joined or complemented by the other in a union of the two league systems. It could be the only way a Swedish or Norwegian club will again get close to a Champions League final. Rosenborg BK’s quarter final appearance in 1997 against Juventus is quite impressive in itself, and perhaps shows the potential that lies in the Scandinavian football leagues. The idea is hereby thrown out there for contemplation and discussion.

Ściągnij osiemdziesiąty piąty odcinek

Nowy trener – selekcjoner, jego brat i akwarium. Kosowski tak, Smolarek nie. Kombinacje Boenischa. Teorie nadtrenera Piechniczka objawione po raz kolejny. Wysoki wyczyn wyniszcza organizm. Trener Baryła rozdaje materiały, a wychowankowie Barcelony kryją się przed polską myślą szkoleniową. 4-7-12 plus niedzielna chłosta. Przestój piłkarza Korzyma. Dezorientacja kota przy użyciu Agnieszki Olejkowskiej. Bydło na Łazienkowskiej, bydło w Kielcach. Koniec kariery Radolsky’ego w Polonii. Mecze Ligi Mistrzów rozgrywane na biegunie. Alcorcon zlał Real. Problemy Manchesteru z bramkarzami. Zaobrączkowany skandalista Onyszko i pamiętnikarz Agassi. Turniej tenisowy kobiet rozgrywany na wytrzymałość. Larsson kończy karierę. Ze skarbnicy mądrości Georga Besta. Kuriozalny turniej w piłce ręcznej. Kończymy krótką wizytą na Służewcu.

Na noite desta última quarta feira, o estádio do Mineirão assistiu a despedida de um dos maiores ídolos da história do Cruzeiro.

Juan Pablo Sorín disputou sua última partida como jogador profissional num amistoso entre o Cruzeiro e Argentinos Juniors, equipe que o revelou. O jogo terminou 2×1 para a equipe mineira, mas isso é o que menos importa.

Sorín marcou época no Cruzeiro e conseguiu a admiração da torcida, graças à sua raça e vontade em campo. O ex jogador passou por grandes equipes do futebol mundial, entre elas o River Plate, onde conseguiu três títulos argentinos no Apertura, um no Clausura, uma Libertadores e uma Supercopa da Libertadores. O argentino ainda passou por Lazio, Barcelona, Villareal, Paris Saint Germain e Hamburgo, além da seleção argentina, antes de retornar ao Cruzeiro pela terceira e derradeira vez. As constantes lesões atrapalharam os últimos anos de Sorín nos gramados e fez com que na noite do dia 4 de Novembro, a aposentadoria dos campos de futebol fosse a opção escolhida.

Na semana passada, outro grande jogador do futebol Mundial também pendurou as chuteiras. Henrik Larsson abandonou o futebol profissional, aos 38 anos de idade, atuando pelo time que o revelou, o Helsinborg. Larsson obeteve grande destaque vestindo a camisa do Celtic, onde conquistou 4 títulos nacionais. A idolatria em Glasgow é tão grande, que Larsson é o único não escocês eleito oficialmente para o time dos sonhos do Celtic. Em 2001 o jogador levaria a Chuteira de Ouro, como maior artilheiro do continente europeu. O sueco ainda passaria pelo Barcelona, onde teve seu grande momento, após dar duas assistências na final da Champions League, que culminou com o título catalão. Ainda teve uma passagem curta pelo Manchester, durante o recesso do torneio sueco, antes de retornar ao Helsinborg, onde encerraria sua carreira às lágrimas. Larsson também disputou três Copas do Mundo e durante anos foi a principal referência do futebol sueco.

Vão deixar saudades.

POSTADO POR NÓIA

Isöhäxan – Henrik Larsson

Fortsättningen med till Krigarhjärta där vi återigen får träffa Erik.

Krigarhjärta – Henrik Larsson

Det här är den första delen i en fantasytriologi om Erik. När han är nio år blir han bortförd som slav av ett krigarfölje från sina forterföräldrar. Snart förstår han att han inte är en vanlig bondpojke. En spännande historia som handlar om att ta reda på vem han är.

Jag tror att jag skulle ha tyckt att den här sortens boken skulle vara tråkig, men Henrik Larsson lyckades skriva den på ett spännande sätt. Klart värd att läsa. Fortsättes av Isöhäxan.

Tomas Brolin debuta en fútbol profesional a muy temprana edad: 14 años y su primer gran club fue el IFK Norrköping de Suecia. Aquel día hizo tres goles.
Con 21 años juega su primera Copa del Mundo en Italia 90 (donde su selección no pasó la primera fase), pero se dio el gusto de anotar frente a Brasil. 2 años después vino la Eurocopa organizada en su país donde cayó en semifinales frente a Alemania.
En 1994 vino la Copa del Mundo de Estados Unidos 1994, además de anotar 3 goles, Suecia fue protagonista de dicho torneo finalizando en el Tercer Lugar con una generación de oro: Thomas Ravelli, Roland Nilsson, Patrik Andersson, Joachim Björklund, Roger Ljung, Stefan Schwarz, Jonas Thern, Klas Ingesson, Martin Dahlin, Henrik Larsson y Kennet Andersson.

Este notable delantero jugó en el mejor Parma de Italia de la historia (1990 y 1995) formando una dupla temible con Faustino Asprilla. Marcó 20 goles en 133 partidos, ganando la Copa Italiana y la Recopa.
Su paso por el Leed United fue para olvidar. En una encuesta publicada por The Times titulada Los 50 peores jugadores de la historia de la liga inglesa, Brolin ocupa un injusto segundo lugar con el siguiente apelativo: “Un buen futbolista trata su cuerpo como un templo. El de Brolin era un castillo hinchable”.
Las lesiones y su cuerpo macizo que le provocaron cierto sobrepeso dan por finalizada su carrera en 1999 con 30 años. Actualmente participa en Campeonatos de Poker y no me deja sorprender como algunos deportistas pueden estropear su físico con el retiro, pensando que el deporte da salud permanente a lo largo de la vida.

Como anécdota final, se retiró en las filas del Hudiksvalls (equipo de su ciudad natal) y su último partido lo jugó… de arquero.

Tomas Brolin, futbolista

Tomas Brolin, jugador de Poker

by Linn Dupont

Swedish football striker Henrik Larsson retires from professional football.

Yesterday the former Celtic and Barcelona striker announced his retirement. After 16 years as a professional football player he has come to the decision to put his career to an end.

“I am now 38. It’s enough,” Larsson says in a press statement. “Now it’s time for something else”. His decision to retire has been developed over time.

Larsson, who plays for the Helsingborg team in the Swedish premier division, will play two more matches in the Swedish league before he does his final match when the season ends on 1 November. After that he will put his red and blue Helsingborg sweater on the shelf and go for a well deserved vacation.

During the 2000-01 season when playing for Celtic, Henrik Larsson won the Golden Boot for being Europe’s top scorer. Amongst Celtic supporters he is known as ‘The King of Kings’.

Larsson also played in Manchester during 2007. He participated in three World Cups and three European Championships and scored 37 goals in his 106 international matches for the Swedish team. Over the  years, Larsson has retired from the Swedish team several times, but he always came back when they needed him to help support his national team.

When Larsson helped Barcelona beat Arsenal with 2-1 in 2006 it became his biggest European triumph. Barcelona received it’s first Champions League title in 14 years and Henrik Larsson became the hero.

Back in Helsingborg, sports journalist Martin Bergstroem, reveal his opinion on the matter.

“He is without a doubt one of Sweden’s absolute best football players throughout history. Of course that makes his retirement a loss for the Swedish national team and for his fellow club players in Helsingborg,” Martin Bergstroem tells Edinburgh Napier News. “Larsson’s shoes leave a big empty hole to fill out, which opens up for new, younger players to rise in Swedish football.”

“Although, Larsson’s decision was expected,” Bergstroem continues “I think he did the right thing now when Sweden missed out on the World Championships and Helsingborg at the same time missed their chance to this year’s gold medal”.

Say what you want about Sweden loosing one of their greatest football strikers, but Larsson has plans on a future as a trainer. “If he decides to stay in the football world and help develop other players, we should consider ourselves lucky’”, says Bergstroem.

After this mornings press statement with his home club in Helsingborg, Larsson stated that he is fully satisfied with his decision. “It has developed furthermore during this season. Of course, it has been tough, but it was a tougher decision leaving the Celtic,” Larsson said. ”I have enjoyed my career and am very grateful to everyone who has supported me ,” he finished his statement.

Henrik Larsson

Henrik Larsson slutar efter säsongen. Det beskedet lämnade han idag. Det var väntat, det måste jag erkänna, men ändå känns det så overkligt. Min stora idol sedan barnsben, om man nu får ha sådana vid 23-års ålder, lämnar toppfotbollen som spelare och kommer troligtvis inte att synas på ett bra tag (innan tränarutbildningen är färdig).

Egentligen är jag mållös. Oförmögen att skriva ett tacktal. Och ett sådant hade känts futtigt i detta sammanhang. Henrik Larsson har givit oss så många underbara minnen, frälst en hel nation ett flertal gånger, blivit älskad av rivalklubbarnas mest fanatiska supportrar – utan att ens ha bett om uppmärksamheten som automatiskt följt med.

Henrik Larsson har aldrig använt media för att stärka sitt marknadsvärde eller för att bli älskad, som så många andra spelare. Han har snarare flytt undan uppmärksamheten och därigenom uppfattats som en tråkig person. Kanske är det därför så många älskar honom ändå.

Ärlighet varar alltid längst.

Många påstår att Henrik Larsson borde ha lämnat Celtic när han var som bäst. Sir Alex Ferguson drog i honom men lyckades aldrig övertyga the King of Kings att lämna sitt slott för berömmelsens sötma i Manchester United. Det kan mycket väl vara så att Henrik Larsson hade blivit än större, än mer älskad, om han hade lämnat Celtic tidigare. Men samtidigt är han en livs levande legend i Skottland – och kommer alltid så vara.

En fantastisk spelarkarriär tar slut den 1 november 2009. Förhoppningsvis är Henrik Larsson mer än nöjd med vad han åstadkommit under sin karriär.

Tack för allt, kungarnas kung.

One down. Four to go. Klockan är alldeles strax dags säng-tid.

Det har varit en precis lika fylld arbetsdag som jag väntat mig. Jag hann öppna mailboxen på morgonen och fördela lite jobb. Sen fick det bli en snabbgenomgång vid halv fyra också. Tur för det låg lite viktigt där. Nya korrektur på julkatalogen till exempel. Förhoppningsvis kan allt bli klart imorgon.

Jag börjar också förstå problemet med svensk sjukvård. Prioritering stavas det nog. Idag satt jag och pratade med en kund över telefonen. Misstänker att det var hennes mobiltelefon då det plötsligt ringer på en fast linje. Hon ber mig vänta lite och svarar i den andra telefonen. Det låter ungefär så här;
- Akuten det är Annelie. Jaha du. Hmm. Mmm. Kan du vänta lite jag ska bara avsluta ett annat samtal.
Och sen återkom hon till mig. Inte för att säga att hon var tvungen att lägga på. Utanför att fortsätta precis där vi var. Som sagt. Jag börjar förstå varför den svenska sjukvården inte fungerar när personalen prioriterar privata ärenden framför arbetet.

Dagens fråga: Vad gör man om man får i uppdrag att måla ett streck men inte har en penna eller en pensel?

Jag hade två telefon-uppdrag idag. Ringa hyresvärd och ringa sjukgymnast. Båda hade varit bra att lösa på lunchen. Nu blev det inte så. Jag kom på mig när jag klev in genom dörren vid kvart över fem. Så ett samtal blev ordnat idag. Dock blev det inte riktigt lika roligt som jag tänkt mig. Dels så fick jag svaret att de inte tänkte renovera en lägenhet så länge någon bodde i den. Då skulle de bli tvugna att fixa boende till vederbörande. Efter lite diskussion fram och tillbaks så sopade vi undan det problemet. Då sprang vi på nästa. Pengar! Alltid pengar. Renoverings-kontot var tydligen slut för i år. Fast det gör väl egentligen inget om jag får vänta till februari. Bara det blir gjort.

Ringa sjukgymnasten imorgon då kanske Tomas!

Rätt svar: Lös problemet!
Felaktig handling: Skiter i det.

Slash’s självbiografi i sängen eller Batman – The dark knight i soffan? En av livets många svåra frågor. Eftersom Tomas lider av lätt beslutsångets så kanske det får bli bok i soffan. Typ.

Dagens låt: Mustasch – The Man The Myth The Wreck

Ska vi snacka lite sport också innan vi kallar det för en dag. Att Lars Lagerbäck väljer att “avgå” är väl inte särskilt överraskande. Snacket om vem som ska ta över förvånar mig ändå lite. Enligt skvallerpressen (ja Sportbladet har sjunkit så lågt) är Henke Larsson ett hett alternativ. Bland spelarna själva. Allvarligt? Jag har mycket svårt att tro på Henke som en bra lösning. Jag har också mycket svårt att tro att Henrik Larsson är ett av namnen på Lars-Åke Lagrells lista. Jag tror att Henke är ungefär lika aktuell som Gus Hidink. Eller Svennis. Jag kan vara sämst på att tippa men om jag var tvungen att slänga in lite pengar på någon så hade det blivit Erik Hamrén. Ingen högoddsare direkt men magkänslan säger att förbundet vill ha en utpräglad kostymsnubbe nu efter år av mysfarbröder.

One down. One to go!

Hårdrock på er!

 Pia Sundhage

Henrik Larsson i all ära, men för mig så har det sedan lång tid varit uppenbart att den mest lämpliga kandidaten till jobbet som förbundskapten är en kvinna – Pia Sundhage. Pia är en vinnare. Hon har varit med i hetluften på högsta nivå som aktiv, samt som förbundskapten. Vi vet alla att hon tog USAs damlag till OS-guld. Och att hon skulle misslyckas med det svenska herrlandslaget är uteslutet. Enda orsaken till att man inte törs ge henne jobbet är så klart att hon är en kvinna, samt att man är oroliga att spelarna skulle få det svårt att ta order från henne – just för att hon är en kvinna!

Nu tog ju spelarna order från en pajas under en lång rad år, utan att någon av spelarna klagade på det! Så varför inte ge jobbet till en person som verkligen vet vad hon talar om (Sundhage), istället för till en som bara låtsas vara expert (som Lagerbäck låtsades). Vi har nu haft en storskojare vid rodret i tiotalet år, så låt oss därför ta tillfället i akt och ge jobbet till en som bevisligen kan utföra det. Det svenska herrlandslaget är ett självspelande piano, med flertalet klasspelare. Som läget är idag så ska vi alltid hamna bland de två främsta lagen i våra kvalgrupper. Inga ursäkter accepteras. Av den anledningen så behöver vi någon som vet hur det är att vinna, och den personen är Pia Sundhage.

Att man i DN talar sig varma över Svennis är bedrövligt, för den mannen är idag avskydd i England och Mexiko, och det av en anledning – han är inte hälften så skicklig som han utger sig för att vara. Faktum är att ända sedan UEFA triumfen med Blåvitt 1982 så har han inte uträttat någoting minnesvärt. Att vinna titlar i Portugal, en av världens mest ojämna ligor, är ingen bedrift. Och att under alla år i Italien endast ta hem ETT scudetto, och det först när man köpt upp hälften av världens bästa fotbollsspelare, är som vi då förstår inte heller något att skriva hem om. Personligen så hade jag inte velat ha den här överskattade och falska figuren ens om han gick med på att jobba gratis. 

Henrik Larsson är för mig ett namn för framtiden, men inte förrän tidigast om en fem-sex år, dvs först när dagens spelare i Blågult (av det gamla gardet) har slutat. Men kanske kan han när han lagt skorna på hyllan bli Pias assistent och den vägen förbereda sig själv för dagen han ev själv ska ta över. Jag är ingen överdriven förkämpe för jämställdhet. För mig är Sundhage helt enkelt det enda reella alternativet vi har. Vi har nämligen här att göra med spelare som redan kan allt och som är topptränade, och allt som nu behövs är för någon insatt att få alla pusselbitarna att falla på plats. Och detta kan Pia bättre än någon annan svensk tränare jag känner till.

Folk har idag glömt bort att man förr om åren inte ens hade en förbundskapten, och det gick bra ändå. Jobbet är nämligen inte en heltidssysselsättning. Det går alldeles utmärkt att sköta arbetet på deltid. Under flera månader i sträck är det inga matcher, och spelarna har man då endast sporadisk kontakt med. Det enda vi behöver är någon som vet vad hon kan när det behövs. Vi blev alla lurade av Lagerbäck, för vi trodde att han var en klok gammal professor eftersom han hade glasögon på näsan. Nu håller vi på att bli lurade åt andra hållet: bara för att Pia är en kvinna så betyder ju inte det att hon inte är kapabel att leda vårt kära fotbollslandslag – herrversionen! Och som extra plus, om vi ger Pia jobbet, så leder vi med henne hela världen i rätt riktning mot en mer jämställd och rättvis värld. Att vi sedan dessutom blir Europamästare gör ju inte saken sämre:-) Läs DN här och SVD här

Henrik Larsson har meddelat att han slutar i fotbollslandslaget. Samtidigt öppnar han för en tränarkarriär. Det skriver SSD och berättar han själv i Aftonbladets TV-snutt. Henke är inte bara en stor fotbollsspelare, han är också en mycket sympatisk person. Han önskas lycka till i den tänkta nya karriären.

Henrik Larsson hör till de nu levande personerna som har hamnat på frimärke. Det hände 2004 i häftet Svensk fotboll. Där vinkar han inte adjö, men jublar över ett gjort mål.

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Henrik Larsson, slutar, tränare

Well, International week has come again. The qualification stage for South Africa 2010 is soon coming to an end (and good riddance to it); although yesterday saw several dramatic matches and the final qualification matches on Wednesday should also prove exciting. As of yesterday, the following nations have qualified for the World Cup: Serbia, Germany, Denmark, England, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay and Chile. Notable exceptions include France, Argentina and Portugal – all three of these footballing powers have struggled greatly on the road to South Africa, but all three will be heartened by the results they achieved yesterday. Oh, and the fact that FIFA has decided to seed the qualification play-offs and destroy football in the process. But I digress – let’s get down to it:

Argentina 2-1 Peru – Man oh man, did Diego Maradona ever need this. Argentina’s nightmarish qualification campaign was almost drawn to a premature close yesterday but for the heroic last-ditch efforts of Martin Palermo. Palermo’s goal on 92′ cancelled out the last-ditch heroics of Peruvian substitute Hernan Rengifo, who thought he had sealed a draw for his side with his headed goal in the 89th minute. Argentina had gone ahead earlier in the game on a strike from Higuan just after the break, but Peru had thought they were going to keep the Albicelestes (who needed the win) out of the World Cup with Rengifo’s late header in the torrential downpour of Buenos Aires. However, Argentina was not willing to say die, and when the ball flashed across the mouth of the Peruvian goal just 3 minutes later, Palermo was there to bury it. A win that keeps alive both Argentina’s hopes of getting to the World Cup and Maradona’s hopes of keeping his job.

Gilardino plays last minute hero for Italia.

Italy 2-2 Republic of Ireland - Keeping with the theme of last-minute heroics are the Azzurri, who played to a 2-2 draw against Ireland in front of a crowd of over 70,000 in Dublin’s Croke Park yesterday. The Boys in Green took the lead twice in the game, and twice Italy equalized. Ireland took an early lead on 7′, with a schoolyard free kick that caught the defending Italians with their pants down and left Gigi Buffon dumbfounded. Liam Lawrence appeared to be taking the kick from out on the wing, but instead teed up an onrushing Glenn Whelan in the middle, who, unchallenged, beat Buffon with an unstoppable swerving kick. It was a beauty of a goal and a wake-up call for Lippi’s men. However, Mauro Camoranesi would make it equal on 26′ with a goal of his own, a bullet header that beat Shay Given off the end of a perfectly-placed corner kick from Andrea Pirlo. The game would remain level until 88′, when the Irish took the lead once more (on another poorly-defended set piece) with Sean St. Ledger scoring a dramatic diving header. Giovanni Trapattoni’s men thought they had the game in the bag with their 2-1 lead, but the Italians weren’t done yet, and two minutes into extra time substitute Alberto Gilardino put a slow-rolling ball past Shay Given to seal automatic qualification and send the Azzurri to South Africa next summer.

Bolivia 2-1 Brazil – Well, the Bolivians have slain another Giant. The Seleção needed only a victory in today’s match to cement their place atop the CONMEBOL standings, but Dunga’s men seemed uninterested in pursuing that goal. Instead, they started the game at a jogging pace, wary of the effects that the altitude of La Paz can have on a squad. This slow start backfired though, when the home side took the advantage in the 9th minute on a strike from Edgar Olivares. The atmospheric made possible fantastical long-range strikes, and both teams tested the other with attempts from over 30 yards. On 31′ Marcelo Martins Moreno would, incredibly, double Bolivia’s lead with a swerving strike from 25 yards that Julio Cesar was powerless to stop. In the second half the Brazilians came to life, and Nilmar would halve the home side’s lead on 70′, but the game belonged to the Bolivians. In the end it was the side who have already been eliminated from World Cup qualification that would handily defeat a squad who have long looked like probable World Cup favourites. Good Job, Bolivia!

Fair enough Cesc, fair enough.

Spain 2-1 Armenia – The Spanish had qualified for South Africa long before this weekend – but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t pursue a perfect record in their qualification campaign. Cesc Fàbregas gave his side a first-half lead with a beautifully chipped goal on 33′ – after a long build-up in possession Xavi found the streaking Arsenal man, who beat the keeper with a light touch into the far corner of the net. However, the Armenians were equal to that, and on 57′ Robert Arzumanyan equalized with his head off of a free kick. The Armenians gave a spirited performance – perhaps ultimately too spirited, as Spain’s second goal would come from a spot kick after Juan Mata was clipped in the box by keeper Roman Berezovskiy. Ultimately, not a surprising win for the Spanish – but what was surprising was how hard they had to work to earn it.

Ukraine 1-0 England – Fabio Capello’s England was another national squad looking to continue their perfect qualification record yesterday as they visited Dnipropetrovsk, in the Ukraine. The Three Lions have looked dominant ever since the Italian took over, and suffered only the first defeat of their campaign yesterday. The Ukrainians should have taken the lead on 13′, when Robert Green was sent off for his tackle on Artem Milevsky, but Andriy Shevchenko missed the ensuing spot kick. The home side would take the lead eventually, with a 29th minute long-range strike from Serhiy Nazarenko. Though England started strong, play was interrupted early by flares thrown on the pitch, and the one-two punch of Green’s sending off and Nazarenko’s strike was enough for the Ukrainians to come away with a win. The victory means that the Ukraine will likely progress to the qualification play-offs (at the expense of Croatia), while Capello’s men will have to settle for a less-than-perfect qualification campaign.

France 5-0 Faroe Islands – The French, despite having a far less perfect campaign than the English, managed to achieve a far more positive result yesterday – sealing their play-off spot with a commanding victory at the Stade du Roudourou. To be fair, the Faroe Islands aren’t the most imposing of European competitors, and it was nothing short of expected that the French cruised to an easy victory yesterday. Gignac André-Pierre opened the scoring in the first half with a brace not five minutes apart, and William Gallas, Nicolas Anelka and Karim Benzema would all add their names to the scoresheet in the second. Despite the imbalance in the scoreline, Faroese keeper Jakup Mikkelsen put in a strong performance, and the final result would have been even more lopsided without the heroic efforts he made for his nation. The victory could not stop Serbia from clinching the top spot in Group 7, but nevertheless, Raymond Domenech’s men have ensured that their qualification campaign will not end prematurely with their match against Austria on Wednesday.

Seeding means more of this. Pure evil, I say.

Portugal 3-0 Hungary – Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. have progressed one step closer to a spot in the qualification play-offs with their commanding victory over Hungary yesterday. Portugal have long been underachievers in Group 1, and only recently have begun to look like a squad fit to participate in the World Cup. Portugal took the lead in the 17th minute as Simão buried a rebound after Hungarian keeper Gabor Babos intercepted Cristiano Ronaldo’s low cross but couldn’t hang on to it. Hungary had an opportunity to equalize on 39′, when Balazs Dzsudzsak cut in from the right flank to fire on goal – his low shot missed just wide of the goalpost. Liedson doubled Portugal’s lead on 73′ with a direct header that just barely beat Babos, who punched it away but couldn’t stop it from crossing the goal line. Simão returned just minutes later to bag his brace and seal Hungary’s doom with a classy volley that was borne out of a botched clearance. Portugal needs only defeat Malta on Wednesday to make the play-offs – and with FIFA implementing their new seeding policy for the play-off rounds, it looks like we will surely be seeing Cristiano Ronaldo in World Cup play next year.

The other Poulsen's still a douche, though.

Denmark 1-0 Sweden – It was a late goal from Jakob Poulsen which saw Denmark secure their place atop Group 1 and book their spot in South Africa next year. Sweden looked strong coming into the match, with Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic causing all sorts of trouble for the Danish backline – but ultimately the Danes held their ground and Poulsen’s long-range strike on 78′ was enough to see them past the Swedes. Both Thomas Sorensen and Andreas Isaksson looked impressive between the uprights for their respective sides, and prevented the scoreline from being much more dramatic. Sweden will need to beat Albania and Portugal to lose or draw to Malta Wednesday if they are to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

Germany 1-0 Russia – Guus Hiddink’s men were looking to usurp Germany at the top of Group 4 yesterday at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The Russians needed a win if they were to have even the opportunity to bypass the play-off round and qualify automatically for South Africa. Despite a hard-fought performance from the Russians, it would be Miroslav Klose’s lone goal on 34′ which ultimately separated the sides. Russia looked at times to be the better and more creative side, with Vladimir Bystrov and Andrei Arshavin creating many chances but ultimately failing to capitalize upon them – heroic efforts from German keeper Rene Adler didn’t help their cause. Jerome Boateng’s sending off on 69′ spelled trouble for Joachim Löw’s men, but they were able to hold off the home side for the last 20 minutes despite being down a man. Yesterday’s victory sees Die Mannschaft seal their position atop Group 4 and book their place via automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup.

Mission accomplished, Didier.

Côte d’Ivoire 1-1 Malawi – Les Éléphants became just the second African side (discluding South Africa) to qualify for the World Cup yesterday via a 1-1 draw with Southeast African side Malawi. Both goals in the match were scored within a brief period in the second half, with Jacob Ngwira giving his side the lead on 64′ and Didier Drogba equalizing on 67′. The Ivorians have reached the second consecutive World Cup in their history due largely to the strength of the Chelsea hitman.

Derbyn är derbyn är derbyn. På lördag ska två tidigare fiendeländer mötas och bara en kommer överleva. Det förgångna är förgånget, framtiden ligger oviss, och det enda som räknas är nuet.
Den som vågar vinner.

Sverige borde, ärligt talat, besegra Danmark ganska komfortabelt. Vårt grannlands landslag har sett sina bästa dagar. Spelarna som agerar stöttepelare i det danska fotbollspalatset börjar bli gamla, vittra sönder. Trots detta leder de VM-kvalgruppen, men det kunde lika gärna varit ombytta roller.
En missad straff, oskärpa i avsluten och ett danskt skitmål efter en svensk försvarstabbe kostade Sverige segern och halva flygbiljetten till Sydafrika förra gången länderna möttes. Låt oss hoppas att den andra hälften inte slarvas bort lika lättvindigt denna gång.

En gammal trotjänare tillbaka
Henrik Larsson är tillbaka efter broderns tragiska bortgång, och knäskålsfrakturen som nästan tog slut på den framgångsrika karriären är läkt. Hans comeback kunde inte kommit lägligare.
Bortsett från Zlatan Ibrahimovic är de svenska landslagsanfallarnas form diskuterbar. Marcus Berg har fått en trög start i tyska storklubben Hamburg, Markus Rosenberg är precis tillbaka efter ett skadetungt halvår och Johan Elmander är förvisso influgen, men otillgänglig.
För att vinna måste Sverige bryta den negativa trenden av försummade målchanser som plågat laget sedan VM-kvalstarten.

Danmark-Sverige 0-2
Kommer bara målen, kommer också självförtroendet tillbaka. Sverige är ett bra landslag, ett gediget lagbygge, sammanfogat bit för bit, lagdel för lagdel, efter över ett decennium av kontinuerligt ledarskap. Kanske är vi inte det vackraste landslaget att titta på, men vi rasar inte samman av hårda stormbyar.
Jag är övertygad om att Sverige betvingar vårt lilla grannland på lördag. Spelare som Henrik Larsson, Olof Mellberg, Anders Svensson med flera riskerar att missa sitt sista VM om matchen inte vinns. Och det tror jag inte de kommer tillåta, utan ser till att vinna med ganska säkra 2-0.
Annars är det mycket möjligt att en orkan föds i Köpenhamn.

JONNY KNUTSSON

Henrik Larsson, nu tycker han visst att det är roligt med fotboll igen och ska vara med mot Danmark på lördag. Han har ju varit som en jävla jojjo i landslaget. Har lagt av, comeback, lagt av, comeback, spela innebandy, comeback. Det börjar bli lite tjatigt. Jag kom ihåg efter VM -02 att han skulle lägga av sen kom han tillbaks i någon kvalmatch. Sen bedrev Aftonbladet en kampanj för att han skulle göra comeback till EM -04 vilket han också gjorde, sen spelade han VM -06 också. Men sen fick det vara bra sa han. Men ändå kunde han inte hålla sig borta, han tackade ja till en plats i truppen till EM -08. Förstå mig inte fel, visst kan han fortfarande spela fotboll det handlar inte om det. Det handlar om att om man säger något så håller man fast vid det och ändrar sig inte 15 ggr på vägen. Detta har nu gjort att jag har tappat alla respekt för Henrik Larsson som kunde slutat efter VM -02 med lite värdighet. Men nu blir det bara löljgt. Karln är ju 38 år gammal, det kanske är dags att tänkta på refrängen, det är ju en dag i morgon också.

El capitán del Feyenoord Paul Bosvelt levanta del trofeo de vencedor de la Copa de la UEFA tras derrotar su equipo al Borussia Dortmund por 3 goles a 2. Foto: AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle.

Como en anteriores ediciones 145 equipos tomaban parte en esta competición que vió coronarse por segunda ocasión al Feyenoord de Rotterdam 28 años después de conseguirlo por primera vez. El conjunto holandés aprovechó el hecho de que la final se disputase en su habitual terreno de juego ante un equipo superior para llevarse a sus vitrinas el trofeo. De la mano del Feyenoord, el fútbol holandés se reivindicó en un año en que la selección ‘orange’ no iba a estar presente en la Copa del Mundo de la FIFA a celebrar en Corea del Sur y Japón. El conjunto de Rotterdam apostó por ese típico juego ofensivo holandés que instauró el mítico Ajax de Johann Cruyff. El Feyenoord acabó gracias a este título con la sequía de éxitos a nivel continental del fútbol holandés. El último logro se remontaba al año 1995 cuando el Ajax se adjudicó la Champions.

Sin embargo, en esta edición se volvieron a producirse diversos altercados que empañaron el desarrollo deportivo del torneo. Así, en la ronda de clasificación, el IF Elfsborg sueco venció por 1-3 al JK Trans estonio, pero la UEFA invalido ese marcador y otorgó un 3-0 favorable al equipo estonio a la alineación indebida del jugador del Elfsborg Christian Lundström. En el partido de vuelta de la primera ronda entre el Rapid de Bucarest y el París Saint-Germain, con marcador de empate a cero en la ida, se suspende el partido en el minuto 118 (minuto 28 de la prórroga), con un tanteo de 0-1 para el PSG – tanto de Aloísio en el minuto 93 -, debido a un fallo eléctrico en el barrio de Giuleşti de la capital rumana. Posteriormente, la UEFA otorga un triunfo por 0-3 favorable al equipo galo alegando que el UFC Rapid de Bucarest era responsable del apagón eléctrico, ya que poseía generador eléctrico para paliar dicho fallo en el sistema de iluminación del estadio. En esta misma ronda, la eliminatoria entre FK Anzhi ruso y Rangers FC escocés se disputa en un único partido en terreno neutral por decisión del máximo organismo del fútbol europeo. La situación pre-bélica de la República de Dagestan, en cuya capital Makhachkala, disputa sus partidos el FK Anzhi, obliga a tomar esta decisión. En el estadio Wojska Polskiego de Varsovia se celebra el partido con triunfo por la mínima del Rangers gracias a un gol de Konterman en el minuto 84.

El delantero del Feyenoord Robin van Persie (derecha) controla un balón junto al defensa del PSV Eindhoven Kasper Berglund durante el partido de vuelta de los cuartos de final. Foto: REUTERS/Michael Kooren.

El Feyenoord inició el camino a la final en la tercera ronda del torneo tras acceder como tercer clasificado de su grupo de la Liga de Campeones, tras el Bayern de Munich y el Sparta de Praga. Empezó con un eliminatoria muy sufrida ante el SC Freiburg alemán al cual doblegó en la ida disputada en Rotterdam con un gol del japonés Shinji Ono pero en la vuelta tuvo que recurrir a una gran remontada en la segunda parte del partido. El conjunto alemán se adelantó en el marcador (2-0) pero los goles de van Hooijdonk y Leonardo permitieron pasar de ronda. La cuarta ronda también fue muy sufrida ante el Glasgow Rangers con el que lograron un empate (1-1) en tierras escocesas con nuevo gol de Ono para en la vuelta vencer en Rotterdam por la mínima (3-2) gracias a los tantos de van Hooijdonk (2) y Kalou.

En los cuartos de final, el Feyenoord quedó emparejado con otro club holandés, el PSV Eindhoven, en una eliminatoria que fue muy igualada y dramática. La ida se disputó en Eindhoven y concluyó con empate a un gol, van Hooijdonk adelantó al Feyenoord pero Kežman igualó el partido. En el estadio De Kuip se vivió un partido cargado de emoción y dramatismo ya que el PSV se adelantó con un tanto de van Bommel en el minuto 76. El Feyenoord, eliminado con ese marcador, logró gracias a un gol de van Hooijdonk en el tiempo de descuento forzar una prórroga en la que ningún equipo marcó. La tanda de penaltis se decidió en el penalti que el georgiano del PSV Gakhokidze fue detenido por Zoetebier. Las semifinales como el resto de las eliminatorias del Feyenoord también fueron muy igualadas. A pesar de vencer en la ida al Internazionale FC en Milán gracias a un gol del colombiano Córdoba en propia meta tuvo que sufrir en el partido de vuelta para asegurarse el pase a la final. Dos goles marcados por van Hooijdonk y el danés Tomasson en la primera mitad dieron una tranquilidad que se fue diluyendo con los goles postreros de los interistas Javier Zanetti y Kallon.

El brasileño del Borussia Dortmund Marcio Amoroso, izquierda, pugna por un balón con el jugador del Lille OSC Mile Sterjovski durante el partido de vuelta de la cuarta ronda de la Copa de la UEFA. Foto: REUTERS/ Ina Fassbender.

Por su parte el Borussia Dortmund también inició su participación en la Copa de la UEFA procedente de la Liga de Campeones en la que concluyó tercero en su grupo por detrás de Liverpool y Boavista. En la tercera ronda eliminaba al FC København danés con idéntico marcador tanto la ida como en la vuelta (1-0, goles de Herrlich y Sørensen, respectivamente). En la cuarta ronda eliminó al Lille OSC galo gracias al doble valor de los goles logrados en campo rival en caso de empate. El gol del brasileño Ewerthon en la ida disputada en Francia sirve para pasar de ronda tras empatar sin goles en el encuentro de vuelta. El Borussia se mide en los cuartos de final a uno de los dos equipos revelación en la competición, el Slovan Liberec checo (el otro club es el Hapoel de Tel-Aviv), con el que logra en su estadio un empate sin goles. La eliminatoria se resuelve en Dortmund con un resultado contundente (4-0) gracias a una formidable segunda parte goleadora en la que marcan Amoroso, Koller, Ricken y Éwerthon.

En el último paso previo a la final, el Borussia lanzado a conquistar la Bundesliga demuestra ante el Milan AC su gran faceta goleadora en el primer partido de la semifinal al vencer por un contundente 4-0 gracias a un ‘hat trick’ del brasileño Marcio Amoroso y un gol de Heinrich. En el partido de vuelta disputado en San Siro los milanistas intentan la remontada y comienzan con buen pie con dos goles tempranos (Filippo Inzaghi y el rumano Cosmin Contra) pero el Borussia sabe conservar su renta y pierde el partido por 3 goles a uno.

Paul Bosvelt, izquierda, del Feyenoord y Lars Ricken, derecha, del Borussia Dortmund pugnan por un balón durante la final de la Copa de la UEFA. REUTERS/Michael Kooren

El Feyenoord conquistó la Copa de la UEFA ante el Borussia de Dortmund en la final disputada en su propio estadio de Rotterdam. El partido comenzó muy igualado aunque era el Borussia el equipo que puso más calidad y peligro en su juego de cara al arco rival. Sin embargo, el partido se rompió en el minuto 32, cuando un jugador de la experiencia de Jürgen Kohler, campeón del mundo en 1990 y que colgaba las botas en este partido, perdía infantilmente un balón ante el danés Tomasson y le obligó a cometer penalti. La consiguiente roja directa y la transformación de la pena máxima por parte de Van Hooijdonk puso el partido muy cuesta arriba para los de Dortmund. Sólo en esos momentos el Feyenoord fue mejor, y el propio Van Hooijdonk hizo el 2-0 en el lanzamiento de una falta desde la frontal, superando por alto la barrera alemana.

En la segunda mitad, el Borussia fiel al estilo germano, no se rindió y se lanzó a un ataque desesperado buscando como referencia ofensiva al gigante delantero checo Jan Koller (2,02 m). Un dudoso penalti de Paauwe sobre Marcio Amoroso que el propio brasileño se encargó de transformar abrió el partido. Quedaba casi todo el segundo tiempo y parecía que el Borussia podía remontar, ya que el Feyenoord no estaba demostrando ser superior. Sin embargo, un nuevo error de la defensa alemana permitió a Tomasson plantarse solo ante Lehmann y batirle para lograr el 3-1. Pese a que Koller lograría acortar diferencias ocho minutos más tarde con un gran gol de volea, el equipo holandés hizo valer su superioridad numérica sobre el campo y acabó haciéndose con la victoria.

SC Feyenoord – BV Borussia 09 (3-2)
Miércoles, 8/05/2002 (20:45 h).
Stadion Feijenoord / De Kuip (Rotterdam): 48.500 espectadores.
Árbitro: Vítor Manuel Melo Pereira (POR). Amonestó a Rząsa (23′), Paauwe (46′), Van Persie (63′) y De Haan (85′) por el SC Feyenoord / Amoroso (49′), Dedê (52′) y Rosický (66′) por el BV Borussia. Expulsó a Kohler (min. 32).
Goles: 1-0 Van Hooijdonk [pen.] 33′; 2-0 Van Hooijdonk 40′; 2-1 Amoroso [pen.] 47′; 3-1 Tomasson 50′; 3-2 Koller 58′.

SC Feyenoord: Edwin Zoetebier; Christian Gyan, Patrick Paauwe, Kees van Wonderen, Tomasz Rząsa; Bonaventure Kalou (Johan Elmander 76′), Shinji Ono (Ferry de Haan 85′), Paul Bosvelt (capitán), Robin van Persie (Leonardo Santiago 63′); Jon Dahl Tomasson, Pierre van Hooijdonk. Entrenador: Bert van Marwijk.

BV Borussia 09: Jens Lehmann; Christian Wörns, Jürgen Kohler, Leonardo de Deus ‘Dedê’; Stefan Reuter (capitán), Lars Ricken (Jörg Heinrich 70′), Evanílson Aparecido, Tomáš Rosický; Éwerthon de Souza (Otto Addo 61′), Márcio Amoroso, Jan Koller. Entrenador: Matthias Sammer.

El capitán del FC Porto, Jorge Costa (centro) muestra jubiloso el trofeo de vencedores de la Copa de UEFA tras la final disputada en Sevilla. Foto: AP Photo.

En la edición del año 2003 el FC Porto entrenado por Jose Mourinho llevó por primera vez la Copa de la UEFA hasta el territorio luso, el único trofeo europeo que restaba por ser ganado por un club portugués. El club de Oporto, que en esa temporada no disputó la Liga de Campeones, partía como uno de los favoritos a adjudicarse el título gracias a su buen juego liderado por el centrocampista Deco y por el delantero brasileño Derlei. Los dragoes llegaban a la cima del fútbol continental dieciséis años después de conquistar la Copa de Europa y su tren no se iba a detenerse ya que un año más tarde lograban hacerse con la Liga de Campeones. Su rival en la final de Sevilla, el Celtic de Glasgow, resurgió de sus cenizas y revivió grandes noches de gloria por entonces algo olvidadas en Escocia. Liderados por su delantero sueco Henrik Larsson lograron colarse en la lucha por el título tras llegar procedente de la Liga de Campeones, en la que sorprendentemente perdió en la tercera ronda previa eliminado por el Basilea suizo.

El Oporto inició su andadura por la Copa de la UEFA enfrentándose en la primera ronda al KP Polonia, equipo al que endosó un marcador contundente (6-0) en la ida disputada en Das Antas con goles de Jankauskas (2), Hélder Postiga (2), Derlei y Maniche; para posteriormentre perder en la localidad polaca de Plok en un intrascendente partido (2-0). En la siguiente ronda eliminó sin problemas al Austria de Viena al que venció en la capital austriaca por la mínima gracias a un gol de Derlei y derrotó por 2-0 en la vuelta con tantos de Derlei y Hélder Postiga.

El jugador del FC Porto Deco (izquierdo) controla el balón ante la presencia del jugador del Panathinaikos Jan Munk Michaelsen durante el partido de vuelta de los cuartos de final de la Copa de la UEFA. Foto: REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis.

En la tercera ronda eliminó al RC Lens al que ganó en Das Antas por 3-0 con goles de Hélder Postiga (2) y Jankauskas para perder posteriormente en la vuelta (1-0) con un gol del camerunés Song. En la cuarta ronda aprovechó sus grandes actuaciones en su estadio de Das Antas para dejar la eliminatoria encarrilada en el partido de ida. El Denizlispor turco cayó por un claro marcador de 6 goles a 1, logrando los goles de los dragoes Capucho, Derlei, Ricardo Costa, Jankauskas, Deco y Alenichev. El trámite de la vuelta se salda con un empate (2-2) gracias a los tantos de Derlei y Clayton. Los cuartos de final deparan al Oporto la eliminatoria más sufrida en su trayectoria hacia la final ya que caen en su feudo ante el Panathinaikos griego (0-1) debido a un gol marcado por el nigeriano nacionalizado polaco Olisadebe. El equipo de Mourinho tiene que acudir al ‘infierno griego’ del vetusto estadio ateniense Apóstolos Nikolaïdis a dar la vuelta la eliminatoria. Y lo consigue gracias de nuevo al brasileño Derlei quien iguala la eliminatoria en el minuto 16 por lo que el partido se encamina hacia la prórroga. En el minuto 103, marca nuevamente Derlei y logra así el billete para las semifinales. En el sorteo consigue evitar medirse al otro club de Oporto, el Boavista, y queda emparejado con el Lazio romano al que supere con claridad en Das Antas (4-1). A pesar de que el argentino Claudio López adelantaba al Lazio en el minuto 6, el Oporto daba la vuelta al marcador al marcar cuatro goles obra de Derlei (2), Maniche y Hélder Postiga. En el partido de vuelta, el estadio Olímpico romano contempla un empate sin goles que es más que suficiente para que los portugueses alcancen la finalísima. Incluso, Vítor Baia detuvo en la segunda parte un penalti lanzado por el ‘Piojo’ López.

El Celtic de Glasgow inició su periplo en la UEFA venciendo con rotundidad al FK Sūduva lituano al que eliminó con un marcador global de 10 goles a 1 (8-1 en la ida de Glasgow y 0-2 en el partido de vuelta). En la segunda ronda se topó con un rival de identidad y además británico, el Blackburn Rovers, en una eliminatoria en la que los goles de Larsson fueron claves. El delantero sueco anotó el gol de la victoria en la ida disputada en Celtic Park cuando restaban cinco minutos para la conclusión del partido, y en el encuentro de vuelta, cuando el Blackburn ponía cerco a la meta escocesa abrió el marcador con un gol en el minuto 16 que dejaba la eliminatoria encarrilada. Posteriormente, Chris Sutton colocaría en el minuto 67 el definitivo 0-2 y sentenciaba a los Rovers, club en el que militó cinco temporadas (1994-99). La tercera ronda fue muy igualada y la regla del valor doble de los goles conseguidos fuera de casa en caso de empate benefició al Celtic ante el Real Club Celta de Vigo. En Glasgow, el Celtic se llevaba el partido gracias un tanto de Larsson en el minuto 52 pero en la vuelta se obra el milagro ante un gran Celta. Jesuli adelanta a los vigueses pero Hartson empata el partido y coloca la eliminatoria favorable. Un nuevo gol del sudafricano McCarthy para el Celta puso a los bhoys contra las cuerdas pero supieron acceder a la siguiente ronda.

El defensa del Stuttgart Timo Wenzel, izquierda, intenta de evitar el control del balón por el jugador del Celtic Chris Sutton, derecha, durante el partido de vuelta de la cuarta ronda de la Copa de la UEFA. Foto: AP Photo/Daniel Maurer.

En la cuarta ronda fue emparejado con el VfB Stuttgart alemán en una eliminatoria que fue muy abierta. En el primer partido, en Celtic Park, un gol de Kevin Kuranyi adelantaba a los germanos a la media hora de juego pero la reacción escocesa no tardó y acabó goleando al cuadro alemán (3-1) con goles obra de Lambert, Maloney y Petrov. En el partido de vuelta, y en unos magníficos primeros minutos del Celtic, la eliminatoria queda desnivelada a su favor gracias los tantos de Thompson y Sutton durante los primeros quince minutos del encuentro. La reacción alemana llega en la segunda mitad pero no peligra en ningún momento la clasificación. Los goles de Tiffert, Hleb y Mutzer dan el triunfo al Stuttgart (3-2). Los cuartos de final deparan una eliminatoria de ‘alto voltaje’ frente a un Liverpool que procedía de la Liga de Campeones. En Glasgow, la eliminatoria termina en tablas gracias a dos goles en el primer cuarto de hora del partido. El sueco Larsson adelantó al Celtic en el minuto 2 y Heskey igualaba en el 17. En el partido de vuelta, los escoceses se llevan el partido (0-2) con un juego práctico y un ‘gol psicológico’ de Thompson antes de llegar al descanso. Hartson, en el minuto 82, firmaría el 0-2 final. El último obstáculo antes de la final sería el Boavista de Oporto, sorprendente equipo revelación en la competición, y que puso muy difíciles las cosas al Celtic. Sacó un provechoso empate (1-1) en la ida celebrada en Glasgow, con tanto inicial del holandés Valgaeren en propia puerta para los lusos pero al minuto siguiente Larsson lograba el empate. Un resultado que condenaba al Celtic para la vuelta. El Boavista mantuvo su portería a cero e incluso Elpidio Silva pudo dar el billete para la final pero falló un gol con la portería vacía. Sin embargo, a diez minutos para la conclusión, Larsson fue infalible y batió a Ricardo para meter al Celtic en una final europea 33 años después de disputar la anterior.

El defensa del FC Porto Paulo Ferreira, detrás, y el delantero del Celtic FC Henrik Larsson, delante, pugnan por un balón durante la final de la Copa de la UEFA disputada en Sevilla. Foto: AP Photo.

El Oporto logró su primera Copa de la UEFA tras vencer al Celtic de Glasgow en una final que se decidió con un ‘gol de plata’ en la prórroga. Los primeros compases del partido fueron de tanteo entre ambos equipos siempre fieles a sus estílos futbolísticos. El Oporto buscaba controlar y tocar el balón mientras que el Celtic presionaba y buscaba los balones en profundidad en busca de su estrella Henrik Larsson. El encuentro comenzó a romperse hacia la media hora de juego cuando el equipo portugués se lanzó descaradamente al ataque gracias a la labor del lateral Nuno Valente y del brasileño nacionalizado portugués Deco. Fue este centrocampista el primero en poner en apuros al portero escocés gracias a un disparo desde la derecha. Llegado el tiempo de prolongación de la primera parte, Deco sirvió a Alenichev un gran pase que dejó al jugador ruso sólo ante el meta Douglas pero su disparon fue repelido. El rechace fue aprovechado por Derlei para subir el primer tanto al marcador instantes antes de llegar al descanso.

En el comienzo de los segundos 45 minutos, el partido contempló un festival de oportunidades y de goles en ambas porterías. Larsson igualaba el marcador gracias a un cabezazo ajustado en el segundo palo pero siete minutos después Alenichev sí que aprovechaba otro pase magistral de Deco para poner en ventaja al Oporto. Pero el partido volvería a igualarse en un remate de cabeza de Larsson a la salida de un córner. El calor y el cansancio comenzaron a hacer mella en ambos equipos según transcurrían los minutos por lo que ambos equipos determinaron no arriesgar en los instantes finales de la segunda parte. El partido entraba en una prórroga que muy pronto se  puso cuesta arriba para los intereses del Celtic. El guineano Baldé vió su segunda tarjeta amarilla tras una entrada durísima sobre Derlei y dejó a su equipo en inferioridad numérica. El dominio del Oporto se hizo más evidente a partir de ese instante, aunque la escasez de ideas en la creación de juego portuguesa evitó males mayores para el Celtic. La entrada en el campos de Marco Ferreira fue crucial para la resolución final del partido. Un disparo de este jugador fue rechazado por Douglas y el balón cae a las botas del goleador Derlei, quien tras regatear a un defensa fusila la meta escocesa. Era el primer ‘gol de plata’ en la historia de las competiciones europeas, pero a diferencia del ‘gol de oro’, el encuentro no se terminaba en ese instante y había que esperar a que uno de los contendientes llegasen a la conclusión de una de las partes de la prórroga por delante del marcador. Quedaban cinco minutos y el Celtic intentó a la heroica empatar el encuentro pero el Oporto supo frenar cualquier reacción.

FC Porto – Celtic FC (3-2)
Miércoles, 21/05/2003 (20:45 h).
Estadio Olímpico de La Cartuja (Sevilla): 50.000 espectadores.
Árbitro: Ľuboš Micheľ (SVK). Amonestó a Nuno Valente (63′ y 120′+), Maniche (120′) y Ferreira (120′) por el FC Porto / a Valgaeren (8′), Lennon (59′), Baldé (80′ y 96′) y Petrov (102′) por el Celtic FC. Expulsó a Baldé (min. 96) y a Nuno Valente (min. 120+) por doble amonestación.
Goles: 1-0 Derlei 45+’; 1-1 Larsson 47′; 2-1 Alenichev 54′; 2-2 Larsson 57′; 3-2 Derlei (gol de plata) 115′.

FC Porto: Vítor Baía; Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Costa (capitán) (Pedro Emanuel dos Santos 71′), Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Valente; Francisco Costa ‘Costinha’ (Ricardo Costa 9′), Dmitrij Alenichev, Nuno Oliveira ‘Maniche’, Anderson de Souza ‘Deco’; Vanderlei Fernandes ‘Derlei’, Nuno Gonçalves ‘Capucho’ (Marco Ferreira 98′). Entrenador: José Mourinho.

Celtic FC: Rab Douglas; Johan Mjällby, Bobo Baldé, Joos Valgaeren (Ulrik Laursen 64′); Didier Agathe, Neil Lennon, Paul Lambert (capitán) (Jackie McNamara 76′), Alan Thompson, Stilijan Petrov (Shaun Maloney 105′); Chris Sutton, Henrik Larsson. Entrenador: Martin O’Neill.

In 30 days time the holiday plans for thousands of Danes and Swedes for next summer will be decided. One, or potentially both, will certainly be heading off to South Africa to watch their country in the 2010 World Cup. The decider is on the 10th October when the two countries meet in Parken in Copenhagen. Denmark, sitting pretty on top of Group A know that a draw will all but confirm their place in the finals and damage Sweden’s play off chances let alone what a win would do.

Passions run very high between the countries. You only have to look back two years to a qualifying game in the run up to Euro2008. Sweden had come to Copenhagen, on top of the group and raced into a 3-0 lead. The Danes rallied and pulled it back to 3-3 with ten minutes to play. Then Sweden were awarded a penalty, with the Danes being reduced to ten men. A fan ran onto the pitch and assaulted the referee, the game was abandoned and awarded to Sweden, thus eliminating Denmark and sending the Swedes to Austria.

The two countries live next door to each other in a cordial way. Danes and Swedes mix on a daily basis, the Swedes heading over to Denmark to buy their alcohol, and the Danes setting up homes in Sweden to benefit from lower taxes. Whilst the opening of the Oresund Bridge has opened up a whole host of new opportunities, the legacy of their centuries of conflict can be seen up the coast.  Thirty miles north of Copenhagen is the town of Helsingor, home to Hamlet’s castle. Just a mile across the water is Helsingborg, home to Henrik Larsson and Ikea. A regular ferry across the water has run for centuries and it was this route that I was planning on taking all in the name of football.  The narrow stretch of water has always been closely guarded by the Danes, and used to be a huge source of income as they taxed all foreign boats trying to pass by – and those that refused to pay were fired upon from the castle battlements.

I was going to take in a game in either country, crossing between them on this narrow channel via ferry.  First up was to be a game at the old national stadium, Osterbro. Next door to the shiny new Parken stadium sits the old ground, now an athletics track but also used by a couple of Danish Second Division (East) teams including Skjold.  As the game kicked off at 7pm it would finish in time for the start of the Champions League, and McGraths bar opposite would be a perfect venue for that avenue of pleasure.   I hopped on the train at 6pm – rush hour.  Now not for the first time in my stint in Copenhagen I walked into a carriage full of drunks.  In fact the train was going nowhere as one of them, in an attempt to vomit had got his head stuck in a bin.  His mate, who had obviously just pissed himself – whether in laughter or incontinence had pulled the emergency cord so we were stuck.  Eventually a railway worker came, got out an allen key and removed the top of the bin, with drunk number one’s head still attached and we were on our way.  The rest of the carriage hardly batted an eyelid as if this was a normal occurence!

Skjold 1 Vanløse 1 – Osterbro Stadion – Tuesday 15th September 2009

Impressive bust

I was in luck for this 2nd division game as a chap who had worked for me for the past few years brother played for the visitors (a few stops along the Metro) and so I was invited to the “hospitality” area once I had paid my 80Dkr to enter the ground.  The stadium had gone through a massive redevelopment phase in the past few years to turn it into a first class athletics venue complete with iconic statues around the edge of the pitch.  The crowd was no more than 73 – OK I admit I counted them twice, and most were also invited to the “hospitality” area, which turned out to be a big grill where sausages were being dished out free of charge and beer was on sale at a bargain 20Dkr (bear in mind that a bar would charge 3 times that normally and you can see this game was worth coming to!).  With the sun setting on another beautiful sunny day in the capital of cool we sat and enjoyed the moment, trying to ignore the poor showing of football on the pitch which was about the same level as Brimsdown Rovers from a few weeks ago despite only being the 3rd tier of Danish football.  Half time and no goals but three sausages, setting a personal best and beating my 2 1/2 bridies (Scottish pasty things) I did in the 15 minute interval at Inverness Caledonian Thistle back in 1999.

A goal apiece in the second half was scant reward for such a loyal crowd which had swelled as soon as the turnstile operator had gone for a pee with people from the bars around the ground who realised it was half the price for a Carlsberg outside, and simply walked into the ground, got their beer and walked back out again.  With 10 minutes to go I headed off, timing my 2 minute walk to the bus stop with perfection as the 1A was just arriving, and exactly 13 minutes later I was on the sofa flicking between Besiktas v Man Utd and FC Zurich v Real Madrid with a Carlsberg gold in my hand.  Sometimes I love Denmark.

Twenty four hours later and I was on the train north to the wonderful town of Helsingør where I was to hop on the short fifteen minute crossing (almost Channel ferry type as well as opposed to Woolwich Ferry with duty free, bars and 1000SEK fruit machines) to Sweden for the Cup Semi-Final between Helsingborgs IF and IFK Goteborg. With the Swedish season coming to an end, both of these teams were keen to end the season on a high.  The visitors were within one point of top spot coming into this game with just 6 weeks to go in the season, whilst Helsingborgs, still with king Henrik Larsson up front were just outside the European spot in 5th place.  Both teams had got here with relative ease and the winner would be playing AIK Solna in the final in Stockholm in October.

The stadium is located on top of the hill overlooking the whole town and the Oresund straits across to Denmark.  The downside is it is bloomin’ hard walk uphill to get to the ground.  Despite talk making the local front pages for years, the stadium still had not gone through its redevelopment programme, and the latest date for work to commence is now in 2010.  Quite why this is necessary to simply built four new stands with the same capacity is lost on me, but then again what do I know about football stadiums!  It had been over two years since I was last here (see post here) and this time I had bought a ticket in amongst the “lively” home fans….

Helsingborgs IF 1 IFK Goteborg 3 – Olympia IP – Wednesday 16th September 2009

Olympia, helsingborgs not Mount

When I eventually got to the stadium I remembered why it was called Olympia…Nothing to do with the Olympics movement but that the steepness of the hill reminded locals of Mount Olympia in Greece.  I needed oxygen, or beer which ever I found first.  Unsurprisingly it was the latter that won and I had forgotten all of my lessons from previous trips and took a big slurp of non-alcoholic larger….yum yum…On the opening day of the Allsvenskan back in sunny April this fixture attracted over 13,000.  Tonight there seemed to be a third of that in the ground (later confirmed as 4,851), and I counted a disappointing 93 away fans, although a few had decided to sit in the home end around me and pitched their flag on the concrete wall (more of that in a moment!).

Another fact that is unusual about the ground is that the hardcore home fans locate themselves in the upper tier of the seats, at the far end to the away supporters on their open terrace.  None of this traditional crowd behaviour here I can tell you.  The teams were taking this game as seriously as the crowd judging by the line ups.  Now we all know modern football is a squad game but IFK’s team pushed this to the limit.  Normally a team’s squad numbers from 1 to 11 reflect the starting line up at the beginning of the season.  For this game the total numbers on the back of the IFK team was 156 – take away the goalie (number 1) and the average was 15.5!

The game started with both teams playing open attacking football.  After 5 minutes a message was boomed out over the speakers and on the TV screen – a 0-0 draw would pay out at 11.65 (in our betting terms this is around 15/2).  This encouraged the visitors to attack and they had the ball in the net on 11 minutes when the IFK centre forward lost control of a ball in the penalty area, pushed the defender over and as he fell he inadvertently kicked the ball into his own net.  The referee in these situations has a duty to award the goal for the end of season “blooper” tapes but in this instance he had a humour failure and disallowed it!  With the away fans singing a plausible rendition of “You’re just a small town in Denmark” to the home fans the opening goal came five minutes later as a corner could only be punched onto the head of the unaware Sebastian Eriksson and he said that you very much….seconds later we were informed that the odds of a 0-1 win were 11.03 (still around 15/2).

The game continued at a pace and both teams forced corners (more than 12  - 14.75) and free kicks in dangerous positions.  IFK’s Tobias Hysen should have doubled the lead when he took the ball around the keeper but blazed wide on thirty minutes much to the amusement of the home fans.  And they had more to cheer a few minutes later when Erik Sundin got on the end of a decent knock down and smashed the ball home for Helsingborgs to draw them level (7.67 on a 1-1 draw).

The highlight of halftime was seeing Henrik Larsson warming up on the pitch and trying to hit the crossbar from varying distance – unfortunately we didn’t get any odds for doing this.  Both teams emerged on time but stood around like lemons whilst the TV company conducted an interview with an ex-pro on the pitch, completely ignoring the referees requests to fcuk off!  The second half was barely a minute old when two tough looking chaps wandered past me and made a beeline for the IFK flag hanging a few yards away.  Within seconds riot police and undercover cops pounced on them, beating them to the ground with batons.  Some of these undercover cops had been sitting next to me during the first half.  So this was a honey trap, and the two home “fans” had fallen for it and were lead away.  Shocking tactics!

The temperature plummeted in the second half and even a spicy hot dog and an appearance from Henrik Larsson couldn’t warm me up.  In the 76th minute our friend Hysen went round the keeper again but this time slotted the ball home (1-2 was a bargain at 9.31) and IFK made sure with a couple of minutes to go when Theodor Bjarnason made it three (8.17).  I decided this was my queue to leave, retracing my crampons I left on the upward ascent.

Helsingborgs is a great looking small town.  Lots of cobbled streets, bars and restaurants that looked very tempting, but I needed to be back on the ferry and back home.  As we sailed past Hamlet’s castle I could imagine him on the battlements laughing at those Swedes shivering across the water.  A young couple stood close to me on the deck and it was obvious from their conversation and animation that he fancied losing his “sea cherry”.  She was having none of it and he gave up in the end, perhaps recalling the words of the Bard when he said “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”.  I’ll get my coat…..

El delantero del FC Barcelona Zlatan Ibrahimovic y el ex delantero blaugrana Henrik Larsson

El blaugrana Zlatan Ibrahimovic tiene una lesión de rodilla y es posible que no pueda jugar frente a Hungría el próximo sábado en partido de clasificación para el Mundial de Suráfrica. Su seleccionador, Lars Lagerback, no quiso pronunciarse sobre el plazo de recuperación: “No se puede decir si estará apto en uno, dos o tres días y tampoco se puede aventurar durante cuanto tiempo va a sentir dolor. Se puede especular lo que se quiera, pero hay que estudiar su evolución día a día“.

En el vestuario sueco, sin embargo, se cree que Ibrahimovic hará todo lo posible para estar listo en Hungría. “Está decidido a jugar“, dijo su compañero y amigo Olof Mellberg. “A nosotros no nos consta que no pueda estar recuperado para el sábado”, añadió. Otro internacional, Marcus Berg, comentó: “No tengo ni idea de cuánto dolor tiene. Todo el mundo desea que juegue y vamos a ver si lo consigue“.

Tonight its the turn of Helsingborg to visit Söderstadion.

Of course their most known player is former Celtic and Barcelona forward Henrik ‘Henke’ Larsson. Fortunately for Bajen Larsson is out injured. He was crocked in their European games against Sarajevo last week.

I am a bit miffed, selfish I know but I am yet to see Henke play, I have always missed the Helsingborg games usually through work so a little disappointed but with Hammarbys dire position its a blessing really.

We do have a few new players, one of the Brazilians came on at Örgryte and a new guy over the weekend, Vlado Zlojutro.  Apparently Bajen have been tracking him for some time and he is billed as an offensive player which I hope means he will go forward!

Tony says:

- He has a good character, “says Tony Gustavsson, head coach of Hammarby Football. He is not shy and he can handle a conversion to Hammarby and Stockholm, which is important.

Tony has many positive terms about Vlado.
- He is a breakthrough player, both with and without the ball, which is a feature we lack today. It is well only Simon Helg that have similar characteristics in our team today. That means that he is good at getting into the penalty area.’

Here is hoping!

Apparently Rami is out for tonight, not an injury but a family addition. Cant help but thinking if I was in his shoes I would still turn up, he knows we need him…

Guys I am going to buy a new camera in the next week, so I hope to bring you much better snaps than the ones I usually take on my mobile.

Som ny i laget så bör man doppa tårna försiktigt i vattnet. Känna sig fram. Ta tempen. Risken ligger i att ta sig friheten att ta för stora friheter. Ett inlägg i veckan blir snabbt två. Två inlägg i veckan blir snart tre. Innan H&M vet ordet av så har jag döpt om bloggen till mysleevesarepushedup.wordpress.com.  Kanske ska man hoppa av när man ändå ligger på topp. Två inlägg och en vacker presentation. Tänk Henke Larsson i United tröjan. Inte Celtic.

Men för mig har det vackra alltid legat i att härda ut (tänk Henke Larsson i Celtic tröjan, inte United). Men inte härda som i det jobbiga härda. Utan härda som i det fina i att finnas kvar, trots att det blåser. Trots att det är kallt. Och trots att gräset verkar grönare på någon annans blogg. Näe H&M, ni har värvat er en riktig John Terry. En Fernando Torres om ni föredrar Liverpool. Eller en Casillas om man tycker om tapas.

Det susar i säven men jag står som gjuten i betong