Cold, dark and boring: Norwegian Football
When I go abroad, I always get people telling me that I come from such a cold and dark country. Most people think that skiing is our most common way of getting somewhere and that polar bears walk the streets.
If I meet people who have at least a little interest in football, I throw out names like Riise and Solskjaer, and the ice is broken. But if our national team becomes a subject, it’s back to the same again: boring. Long balls, headers and a striker who rarely scores.
That is what most people think, but here’s what’s really going on with the beautiful game here in the land of the fjords.
Vålerenga Rise, Rosenborg Fall
In 2005, an era ended when Vålerenga won the league and thus broke Rosenborg’s hold on the domestic throne. For 13 consecutive seasons Rosenborg won the Tippeliga. Former Lierse, Rennes and Hertha Berlin player Kjetil Rekdal lead his side to their first league title since 1984.
Vålerenga is a club worthy its own chapter, with a rich history, but relatively few titles. They have some of the noisiest supporters and one of the best atmospheres in any football stadium anywhere in Scandinavia, especially when it comes to the big games.
At the same time as Vålerenga were flying high, Rosenborg were at their lowest point in decades. They finished the league in 7th place, after battling relegation for most of the season.
Most the struggles Rosenborg has had over the last few years stem from the rapid changes in management. After Nils Arne Eggen left the club in 2002 there has been a new coach for every single season, not a recipe for stability.
2005 may have been disappointing for Rosenborg, but in 2006 they were back and won the league yet again. Yet again there were troubles with the coaching staff, as Per Mathias Høgmo went on sick leave and left Knut Tørum in charge.
In 2006 however, a new candidate for the league title emerged as SK Brann from Bergen pushed Rosenborg all the way. This would be a sign of things to come.
Brann had not won the league since 1963, but had come close on several occasions. They had recently won the cup, their first piece of silverware since 1982 and it was clear something big was going to happen.
Players like Martin Andresen, Håkon Opdal, Erik Bakke and the 2007 top goal scorer Thorstein Helstad helped shape an offensive side, eager to — as their fans sang — bring the gold home.
Interest Exploding
People began flocking to the stadiums as the league became less predictable.
An incredible growth in attendance from a total of 1,190,604 in 2003 to 1,899,834 in total for the 2007 season was the result of an evenly contested league where more than just one team could win, unlike the 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2007, Rosenborg started the season poorly. Brann and Stabæk were the early leaders and kept their position for most of the season.
Even though Rosenborg performed sub-par in the league, they performed above all expectations in the Champions League. They played in their 10th season in the Champions League, a feat uncommon for a team from a footballing minnow like Norway.
They drew with Chelsea away and beat Valencia 2-0 both at home at Lerkendal and away at Mestalla. Perhaps not coincidentally, both Jose Mourinho and Quique Sanchez Flores left their posts at Chelsea and Valencia shortly after.
Back home in the league Rosenborg ended up in fifth place, while it was the red-shirted Brann who won their first league title in 44 years.
Unlike in Trondheim, were few people used to show up celebrating the gold, as it became almost routine for Rosenborg, in Bergen people started celebrating well before the title was secured, escalating to a fever pitch when the players finally got their medals.
Now, however, it’s time to wake up and hope the hangover has passed. As the league starts at the end of March, no one knows how it will end. It’s open, the wages are higher than ever, the TV-deal is at an all time high, as is the attendance.
So don’t come and tell me Norwegian football is cold, dark and boring.
Photo credit: svegh on Flickr.
About the Author
Vegard Rostad Rinne a football fan from Norway.
Email this author | All posts by Vegard Rostad Rinne
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Good post. Keep us posted on all things football in Norway. Are tickets availiable to games in Norway for tourists? I know it’s difficult to get a hold of tickets (legally at least) in some countries.
They are available, and some of the clubs have information available in English, but the ticket purchasing is usually in Norwegian, unfortunately.
I think that a few clubs even have tickets available through ticketmaster.
Feel free to email me if you need any help or information
Great post, your friend, ELP
Nice article. In an era where many of the European Leagues are carved up between a cartel of the few, it’s always reassuring to find out that another league has become a bit more competitive.
I know that the cost of living is quite high in Norway. How do ticket prices compare with the average wage in the country?
Fantastic article…as I have recently become intrigued with Norway (i am graduating from my university and hoping to move to europe, particularly scandinavia, this summer), in conjunction with the fact that I am (perhaps obviously) a huge football fan, I have started to pique an interest in the norwegian league. It isn’t the easiest league to find information on, but at no point would I have surmised that it is boring. I find the mystique of a foreign land, coupled with its culture (as we all know soccer is a large part of any country’s), to be very fascinating and I am interested to learn more about the Tippeliga. Is there any (english) website or publication you would recommend to a budding footie fan of your country’s?
A nice informative article thanks for that. I find the so-called ‘inferior’ European leagues very interesting and there’s no doubt football is huge out there, as you point out. Obviously the likes of Liverpool and Man U have big fanbases out there but it’s good to see that the local sides are generating decent support as well. Was wondering what your thoughts were on Riise? He’s had a disappointing season for Liverpool this year, and any chance of a heads up on any emerging young talent coming through the ranks there that Premier League scouts might be keeping an eye on? Cheers….
Riise is strong offensively, but lacks somewhat defensively.
There’s no doubt he is a good player, but he has too many days where he’s just off his best.
About emerging young talents, there is a guy who plays for Molde.
Vegard Forren is his name, central defender / left back who has been scouted by several Premiership clubs and Heerenveen.
I’ve played against him myself, as he has just moved to Molde, who are recently promoted to the Tippeliga, from KIL/Hemne, who are a side who are notorious for producing talent.
This is the club where Erik Hoftun and Ardian Gashi got started, who both have been internationals for Norway.
In addition to Forren, you have a player like Jo Sondre Aas, who is a great goalscorer, having trained with Real Madrid in the past. He is born i 89 and plays for Rosenborg.
Incidentally I’ve also played against him in the past, and I can vouch for his skills.
Another player from this region, Trøndelag, the middle part of Norway, is Christian Nordgaard, who has had several stints training with Portsmouth, and even got offered a contract.
He chose to stay in Trondheim, but a very good prospect.
A playing defender who always played with much older players, and as I’ve actually played with him, I can truly say that he is the best player I’ve ever played with, by miles.
These are the players from my area, so I know most about these, as they have not played much senior football.
I have less info on youth football in the rest of the country, mainly because the youth leagues are divided by region, so it’s hard to follow.
On the other side, there are a lot of young players who are regulars in the Tippeliga.
I’m not sure about potential Premier League players, but players like Brann’s Eirik Huseklepp, who is a more continental winger, a bit egotistical but with good flair, and Rosenborg’s Per Ciljan Skjelbred, who looked fantastic before he broke his leg two years ago, can have a shot if they fullfill their potential.
About ticket prices, they are not very expensive compared to other things in this country, but they have gone up in recent years.
I don’t think there are a lot of english language websites who deals with Norwegian football, some sections on some sites maybe, but I have not seen any dedicated to the game here.
I have a foreign exchange student on my high school team, he’s from Norway and is a Staebeck fan.
Hey guys!
Grat article Vegar.
If any of you consider going to Norway to watch football, i would strongly recomend you to go to Bergen. Bergen is known for their passion for Brann, and the atmosphere is right up there.. cheers
Wonderful article on a league that I had previously had no real interest in, although Rosenborg’s showing in the Champions League had sparked that a tad.
Real eye opener to another European league. Thanks guys.
I’m an Australian Vålerenga fan (I lived in Oslo for a little while a few years ago), but it is so hard to find much information without being able to read Norsk! If anyone knows of a link to a decent Norwegian football blog in English that would be great!
I agree that the atmoshpere at games can be great in Norway. I was at the sold-out Vålerenga-Rosenborg game at Ullevål last year and the Klannen (and away fans) were in great voice!