Canadians in Norway (Tippeligaen)

[Start fan in exile]

Round 2:

A little late on the post-game today; I had to recover from the disappointment of my lads at Start getting whipped 3-0 by Rosenborg. Not only did Lars keep a clean sheet for the hosts, but Start gave him precious little to do.

Rob Friend neither scored nor played particularly well as Molde held hosts Odd Grenland to a 0-0 draw. Sandro Grande came in about 20 minutes before the end and picked up an immediate yellow and started a couple of nice attacks, but neither Canadian was able to make much of an impact on a pretty dull game. Molde will be pleased with the away point, however.

Kenny Stamatopoulos, Patrice Bernier and Stephen Ademolu all played 90 as Tromsø lost 1-0 to newly-promoted Stabæk at home. Tromsø derved better as Stabæk striker Nannskog should have had a free kick called against him moments before he scored, and Tromsø certainly had the better of the game.

In division 1, Haugesund lost 2-1 away to favourites Aalesund. Poz played 90 and while Hagesund were not expected to win, they will be disappointed they allowed the home team to score their 2 goals in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Olivier Occéan and Lillestrøm visit Brann tomorrow.

Players ratings to date:

TV 2:

Kenny: 5

Patrice: 6

Stephen: 5

Rob: 3

Lars: 5

Dagbladet:

Kenny: 4

Patrice: 5

Stephen: 4

Rob: 5

Lars: 5

VG and 100% Fotball have not published their ratings yet.

[Start fan in exile]

More ratings:

VG:

Kenny: 3 (it does not appear that VG are Kenny-fans!)

Patrice: 7

Stephen: 6

Rob: 4

Lars: 4

Poz: 3

100% Fotball:

Kenny: 4

Patrice: 5

Stephen: 5

Rob: 5

Lars: 5

Poz: 4

[Start fan in exile]

More ratings:

VG:

Kenny: 3 (it does not appear that VG are Kenny-fans!)

Patrice: 7

Stephen: 6

Rob: 4

Lars: 4

Poz: 3

100% Fotball:

Kenny: 4

Patrice: 5

Stephen: 5

Rob: 5

Lars: 5

Poz: 4

[Start fan in exile]

The game between Brann and Lillestrøm was a pretty dead affair until the home team scored at 55 min. That seemed to arouse the visitors, and Occéan had a scoring chance almost immediately, before drawing Lillestrøm level a few minutes later. Olivier was a constant threat the remainder of the game, and had 3 more good scoring opportunites and even laid down some good work in front of his own net.

The game ended 1-1.

Round 3 will be played as follows:

23.04.2006 Stabæk-Odd Grenland CET 18:00

23.04.2006 Sandefjord-Tromsø CET 18:00

23.04.2006 Lillestrøm-Viking CET 18:00

23.04.2006 Molde-Lyn CET 18:00

23.04.2006 HamKam-Fredrikstad CET 18:00

23.04.2006 Vålerenga-Rosenborg CET 20:00

24.04.2006 Start-Brann CET 19:00

[Start fan in exile]

NFF's disciplinary committee has made a ruling following the scuffle between Molde and Tromsø in the opening round: Kenny Stamatopoulos and Molde's Matej Mavric have each been handed a 2-game suspension for their roles in the fight.

Kenny's suspension puts Tromsø in a bit of a hole as their other keeper - Knut Borch - has not yet been declared fit to play.

[Start fan in exile]

Update time before tomorrow's matches.

This past week, both Tromsø and Molde decided to appeal the suspensions handed down to Kenny and Mavric. Molde are appealing on philosophical grounds: they are basically protesting the use of TV replays for this kind of disciplinary action. Tromsø, on the other had, are appealing on the grounds that they feel Kenny's infraction was less severe than Mavric's and so his suspension should be less severe. There was some talk of the appeals committee meeting today, but they have decided to address the issue on Monday, and so Kenny and Mavric are both eligible to play tomorrow.

Tromsø visit newly-promoted Sandefjord. The hosts have shown that while they may be everyone's favourite to be relagated, they are not to be taken lightly and got a strong away win against HamKam last week. Tromsø, on the other hand, have struggled and sit dead last with no points. The good news for Tromsø is some of their injurerd players are returning to the squad this week. This is not so good for the Canadians as I would expect Knut Borch to take Kenny's place in goal and Lars Iver Strand to relegate Stephen Ademolu to the bench as well. Patrice Bernier is a safe bet to start, however. Tromsø needs to win this, but I have my doubts.

Molde play host to Lyn. The visitors from Oslo are a strong team, and a contender for medals. They scored an impressive win over city-rivals and defending champs Vålerenga last week. Molde have also started the season well and sit with 4 points. Rob Friend was distinctly unimpressive in his return from suspension last week, and needs to put on a better show this week or Heerenveen may start having second thoughts about their acquisition . He will start, however. Less certain is the status of Sandro Grande, who seems relegated to a role off the bench and not too happy with it. I exepct this will be another tough, low-scoring game where Friend can make the difference if he is on.

Lillestrøm were weak for 55 minutes and a powerhouse for 35 in their away game to Brann last week. This week they host Viking who have been a little slow out of the gate - this was not unexpected, however, given the player and coach turnover in the off season. Viking's defense consists of some very good players, but they have yet to get used to each other which may give Oliver Occéan some room to play and score. The home team should win this, although it will be a tough match.

Another intriging match-up is Rosenborg visting Vålerenga. Rosenborg will be wanting to show the home team that they were only allowed to borrow the title last year, and the Trondheim team want it back. Lars Hirschfeld will start again for Rosenborg, but so far he has had very little to do. Vålerenga have started poorly, and have not looked impressive on the pitch, while Rosenborg have. I expect the visitors to pull this one out.

In division 1, FK Haugesund play host to fellow promotees, Manglerud/Star from Oslo (formerly known as Oslo Øst). No word on player status but Chris Pozniak has started both games for Haugesund and most likely will again. Milan Kojic played for the recruits a few days ago and is reported to be finding his form after an injury but will more likely be on the bench. There is no mention of Niki Budalic on the FKH website.

Sogndal are away to Aalesund and Marco Reda will miss the game serving the second of a 2-game suspension for his red card in the season opener.

[Start fan in exile]

I came across this photo of the incident between Kenny and Mavric:

You can see Mavric in the middle with his hands around the neck of Ole Martin Årst who had scored the controversial goal. Kenny has just come up behind him and grabbed Mavric by the hair on the back of his head. What happened next was that Kenny pulled Mavric to the ground by the hair, then Mavric sprung up and took a swing at Kenny (and missed) before the players and refs got control of the situation.

[BC supporter]

That's quite the photo, Start fan. I've got to say, though: any professional athlete who puts his hands around an opposing player's throat is pretty frickin' lucky to get away with just a two-game suspension.

BTW, really appreciate your updates. You refer to a "controversial goal"? What's the story behind it?

[Start fan in exile]

You're welcome about the updates; it's my pleasure!

As for Mavric, I agree. Putting your hands around someone's neck is waaay beyond what's acceptable, even in the heat of the moment. I'm surprised his suspension was not in the double-digits. What seems to have saved him is that none of the officials saw the incident on the field.

The controversy was this: there was a Molde player down with what looked like a serious injury and several players for both teams had stopped playing, expecting Årst, who was advancing with the ball, to play it to touch. Instead, Årst put the ball in the net. At the time, Molde was winning 3-0 and the Tromsø players had been getting short-tempered so the Molde players thought Årst's goal was a "f*ck-you" gesture. Molde's captain, Daniel Berg Hestad, ran over and shoved Årst to the ground (for which he was given a red card) and all hell broke lose.

Årst later claimed not to have seen the injured player, and since he has a rep as a very clean and fair player the Molde players believe him.

Btw. updates on today's games later tonight.

[Start fan in exile]

Some photos from today's action (from vg.no):

Lucky Lars:

Vålerenga's Morten Berre's face says it all; he's just beaten Lars, but the ball hits the outside of the post and goes out of play. It was that kind of day in Oslo for both teams.

Rough treatment:

Olivier Occéan needs both strength and skill to take the ball past the Viking defense. Oliver does not score, but has a pretty good game as Lillestrøm win.

From Dagbladet.no:

Rob Friend had a better day than last week and was dominant in the air, but still could not score as Molde lost at home.

[Winnipeg Fury]

Kelowna’s Rob Friend is climbing pro soccer’s ladder

Kelowna’s Rob Friend will play the 2006-07 soccer season in Heerenveen, Holland. The 25-year-old striker recently signed a five-year deal with the Dutch premier league team.

Apr 21 2006

Two million Euros: Rob Friend is humbled that his soccer talents would warrant such an extravagant asking price.

More than 2.7 million Canadian dollars is just what Heerenveen of the Dutch premier league was willing to pay the Molde, Norway football club to acquire the services of the hard-nosed, 6 foot 4 striker from Kelowna.

“It’s still kind of hard to believe it,” said Friend, 25, from his home in Norway this week.

“It seems like a crazy amount of money for one player, but that’s the way the business is. They thought enough of me to spend that, now I need to face up to the challenge and repay them on the field.”

When Friend signed his name to a four-year contract—with a team option for a fifth—last month with Heerenveen, it marked yet another dramatic step in his evolution on the soccer pitch.

Heerenveen—a city of about 30,000—is traditionally one of the top teams in Holland’s elite men’s league with a history of producing star players and household names in Europe such as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Jon Dahl Tomasson.

The crowds are big, the money is good, and the soccer is just a step away from the big time—the premier leagues in England, Italy, Spain and Germany.

In Heerenveen—smack dab in the middle of soccer country—the team regularly sells out its 21,000-seat stadium.

And with an expansion project underway to push capacity to 27,000, Friend will find himself in a much broader spotlight than ever before on the pitch.

To Friend, none of it seemed a likely scenario even as recently as four or five years ago.

“It’s funny, when I started playing at Western Michigan (1999-2000) I hadn’t even planned on playing professional,” he said. “Things just started happening for me after that…I made all-American at Santa Barbara, just kept working hard and the opportunities came.

"I’ve been blessed and I feel pretty lucky to be where I am right now.”

After 1 1/2 seasons in Moss, Norway to launch his pro career, Friend jumped to Molde in 2004—the Norwegian premier league—where he quickly became one of the club’s most productive and reliable players.

Last year, Friend established himself as a force in Norway scoring 13 goals in 26 games, while playing an instrumental role in Molde winning the national championship.

Heerenveen—traditionally one of the top four or five clubs in Holland—was in need of a striker, liked what they saw in Friend, and were quick to knock on Molde’s door.

And the Dutch premier club isn’t the only team taking a profound interest in his talents these days.

Frank Yallop and the Canadian men’s squad have summoned the services of Friend twice in the last two months, including playing his sixth cap at the beginning of March in Austria.

And while the national program and wearing red-and-white remains on his radar screen, Friend will be focusing his attention predominantly on satisfying his newest employer.

“It’s always something you strive for, to play for your country and I think with all the talent we have right now, it’s going to be a strong next few years for Canada.

"But at the end of the day, it’s the club that’s paying me I need to be committed to. As long as I’m playing well for them, scoring some goals and doing my job, the national team will come.”

Friend will finish out his commitment to Molde this July before joining Heerenveen for the start of the new season in August.

As for the next big step in his soccer career, Friend will try to meet it like every other challenge that has come his way in the past—head on.

“Of course it’s going to be harder and there’s going to be pressure. But I have to face up to it and do the job. I have an opportunity to play four or five years here and I think I have at least that much soccer left in me.

“Of course my goal eventually is to get to the Premier League maybe in England, or in Germany. But right now, I have to make sure to prove myself at this level.”

wh enderson@kelownacapnews.com

[Start fan in exile]

Nice article about Rob; one small quibble: Molde were nowhere near winning the national title in Norway last year, as they had to play a playoff to avoid relegation. They did, however, win the Cup title.

Might as well start the round-up then in Molde, were the home team were hosting title-contenders Lyn from Oslo. Molde started with both their Canadians on the pitch with Rob up front and Sandro Grande as one of two central midfielders. Molde started well, and had the run of the play, although Lyn had the more dangerous chances. Finally, at 58 min. Lyn scored, and although Molde pressed hard for an equaliser, Lyn was closer to 2-0 than Molde was to the tie. Rob Friend played all 90 minutes and was dominant in the air, but his timing seems a little off. Sandro played 75 minutes and was not impressive.

Tromsø was still winless and were visiting newly-promoted Sandefjord. The pitch in the southern town is in pretty bad shape, and did not encourage play along the ground, which may have suited both these teams well. Both Patrice Bernier and Stephen Ademolu started the game for Tromsø, but Kenny Stamatopoulos was on the bench with keeper Knut Borch fit again after an injury. Tromsø have had a rough start to the season, and lost this game 1-0 to sit 0-0-3. The result was pretty much fair from the run of the play. Patrice played his usual steady game for 90 minutes in Tromsø's midfield and Stephen played 75 minutes up top.

At Lillestrøm, visitors Viking scored 1st but that only seemed to fire the home team up. Lillestrøm played well and Olivier Occéan looked to have scored at 29 minutes, but Viking defender Lundquist stopped the ball on the line with his hand. Lundquist was ejected for a deliberate hand ball, and Lillestrøm's Koren scored from the spot. Olivier had several chances to score after that, but did not find the net himself. He played well, however, and Lillestrøm won 3-1.

In Oslo, Vålerenga played host to Lars Hirschfeld and Rosenborg. This was the most anticipated match of the round, and lived up to it's billing with some entertaining, end to end action. What was lacking was goals. Lars can thank his goal posts as Vålerenga did get the ball past him on at least 3 occasions, only to see the ball bounce off the woodwork. He did his job well, however, as did his colleague Arason in the Vålerenga net, and the game ended 0-0.

[Start fan in exile]

In Division 1 action, Haugesund played host to Oslo team Manglerud/Star. Although both teams were promoted from Division 2 for this season, there was no contest here. Haugesund dominated from start to finish, and everyone on the team played well. Chris Pozniak played 90 minutes, scored the second goal, and was one of the home team's best; at least 2 media outlets named him man of the match. Milan Kojic was on the bench while Nikki Budalic is out with an injury.

Player ratings for round 3:

VG.no:

Sandro Grande: 4

Rob Friend: 5

Stephen Ademolu: 3

Patrice Bernier: 5 (yellow card)

Olivier Occéan: 5

Lars Hirschfeld: 5

Chris Pozniak: 6 (man of the match)

Dagbladet:

Sandro Grande: 2

Rob Friend: 4

Stephen Ademolu: 4

Patrice Bernier: 4

Olivier Occéan: 5

Lars Hirschfeld: 5

100% Fotball:

Sandro Grande: 4

Rob Friend: 4

Stephen Ademolu: n/a

Patrice Bernier: n/a

Olivier Occéan: 3

Lars Hirschfeld: 5

Chris Pozniak: 6 (man of the match)

TV2

Sandro Grande: 3

Rob Friend: 6

Stephen Ademolu: 4

Patrice Bernier: 4

Olivier Occéan: 6

Lars Hirschfeld: 5

Round 3 in Tippeligaen finishes tomorrow when Start hosts Brann in Kristiansand.

[Start fan in exile]

TV2 have named their team of the week from round 3; no Canadians on it, but Kenny Stamatopoulos may now be firmly entrenched on the Tromsø bench as rival Knut Borch is named the 'keeper of the week.

Dagbladet and 100% Fotball also name teams of the week, but there are no Canadians on either.

The table after 3 rounds:

_                        P	W	D	L	Goals	P	

1. Lyn	                 3	2	1	0	3-1	7	

2. Sandefjord	         3	2	1	0	3-1	7	

3. Rosenborg	         3	1	2	0	6-3	5	

4. Lillestrøm	         3	1	2	0	7-5	5	

5. Brann	         3	1	2	0	3-2	5	

6. Stabæk	         3	1	2	0	2-1	5	

7. Ham-Kam	         3	1	1	1	4-3	4	

8. Molde	         3	1	1	1	3-2	4	

9. Odd Grenland	         3	0	3	0	1-1	3	

10. Vålerenga	         3	0	2	1	1-2	2	

11. Fredrikstad	         3	0	2	1	3-5	2	

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

12. Viking	         3	0	2	1	2-4	2	

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

13. Start	         3	0	1	2	0-4	1	

14. Tromsø	         3	0	0	3	1-5	0

[Start fan in exile]

Round 4 kicks off in Norway on Saturday; the weekend fixtures are (all times CET):

Saturday, 29 April

Viking FK v IK Start, 18:00

Sunday, 30 April

FC Lyn Oslo v Stabæk Fotball, 18:00

Fredrikstad FK v Lillestrøm SK, 18:00

ODD Grenland v Sandefjord Fotball, 18:00

Rosenborg BK v Molde FK, 18:00

Tromsø IL v Ham-Kam, 18:00

SK Brann v Vålerenga Fotball, 20:00

The match of the round from the eyes of a neutral supporter is Rosenborg hosting Molde. These two teams have a good, solid hate-on for each other and have had an intense rivalry for a long time. The war of words before the match is often more entertaining than the game itself, but there will be no doubting the intensity on and off the pitch. Lars Hirschfeld will start in goal for Rosenborg, and he will be expected to keep Rob Friend off the scoresheet. Molde welcome back captain Daniel Berg Hestad from suspension, which will most likely mean that Sandro Grande will start on the bench.

These matches are usually either blowouts for Rosenborg, or close, hardfought contests with lots of fouls and cards. Rosenborg seem to be redisovering the form that made them 13-time national champions, so I am expecting the former.

Olivier Occéan and Lillestrøm hope to continue their good start as they visit Fredrikstad. The home team have had some turmoil lately due to their poor start, and Lillestrøm should take 3 points here.

Tromsø are still without points as they host another struggling team, HamKam. Patrice Bernier will start for the home team, as may Steven Ademolu. Kenny Stamatopoulos is still awaiting the ruling on the appeal of his suspension, but will probably not get the start in goal regardless. Neither team has played well yet this year, although HamKam did win at home against Fredrikstad last round, and this could be a sloppy affair.

In Division 1, there is also a matchup of "Canadian" teams as Sogndal host Haugesund on Sunday. Marco Reda has served his suspension and may be back on the pitch for the home team that has had a very disappointing start to the season. They were very lucky to lose only 2-0 away to Aalesund last week, and have not played well.

Haugesund, on the other hand, have exceeded expectations in their first season back in Division 1. Chris Pozniak has been key to their good play and will most certainly start this game. Milan Kojic has seen very limited playing time off the bench, and Niki Budalic may have a hard time getting back on the pitch when he returns from injury as long as the team perform as well as they have.

And finally, in a game with no Canadians but of great interest to me , Start visit Viking on Saturday. These two teams were expected to be near the top this year, but both have struggled to open the season. Start usually play an offensive and high-tempo 4-3-3, but last week only 1 of their 7 options for the front 3 was not injured. They were forced to start with their usual left back in the central striker position, and a midfielder playing his first competitive game in 18 months on the right wing. 3 players are back from injury this week, and I am hopeful Start will finally score a goal and take some points.

Viking are Start's historical rival, and while the rivalry died a little in the late 90s, it is back with a vengeance so the game should be a good one. Viking have also struggled this year, with a new coach and significant player turnover, so this game will feature two teams determined to find their rhythm and not lose to their most hated rival. It could be a good one!

[Start fan in exile]

The NFF Disciplinary Committee have rejected the appeals of the suspensions of Molde's Matej Mavric and Tromsø's Kenny Stamatopoulos. Kenny will have to serve a 2-game suspension starting this week.

On a related note, Tromsø coach Ivar Morten Normark has sailed to the top of everyone's list of who will be the first coach sacked this year. Tromsø have had a poor start, and Normark recently told a local reporter that the players were not listening to him. (I would think that is not the smartest thing in the world for a coach to say).

Tromsø manager Steinar Nilsen took over the coaching reins partway through last season when he was still an active player, and led the team to a very successful fall season and UEFA Cup run. Nilsen resigned at the end of the season saying he did not want to coach; the Tromsø board of directors cajoled him into staying in the organisation in a mangerial capacity. He promptly hired Normark, who had recently become available when he was sacked by Aalesund after guiding them to a second relegation in 3 years.

Normark was known as a bit of a clown and a colourful character; a good motivator but not necessarily a strong tactician. Obviosly his motivational skills are not working in Tromsø and Steinar Nilsen may have to step behind the bench again sooner than he thought.

This weekend's home game may be a crucial one for Tromsø; if they lose to HamKam, who many experts have picked for relegation, then Normark's job will be hanging by a thread.

[Start fan in exile]

quote:Originally posted by Sigma

Thanks for the preview of the games this weekend.

You're welcome.

Anyone willing to brave Norwegian commentary can also watch the games live on http://webtv.tv2.no/webtv/fotball/ - unfortunately this service does not work on a Mac, so I am s.o.l. It's a pay per view service; I believe each game costs NOK50,- which is about CAD$9.

[Start fan in exile]

Gameday updates:

Fredrikstad - Lillestrøm

- Olivier Occéan will start as usual

Rosenborg - Molde

- Lars is a sure bet in the Rosenborg goal

- Rob Friend will start up front for Molde

- Sandro Grande will likely start on the left side of the Molde midfield, as the Matej Mavric suspension forces the coach to reconfigue his defense

Tromsø - HamKam

- Kenny serving the first of a 2-game suspension

- Patrice will start in midfield

- Stephen Ademolu wil likely start as the right wing of a 3-man attack

Sogndal - Haugesund

- Marco Reda returns from suspension and will start in central defense

- No news from Haugesund who will start, but Chris Pozniak is a sure bet.

All games kick off at 1800 CET (Noon EDT, 0900 PDT)

On a side note, Start got their first win of the season last night against Viking. The game featured 2 teams with early season struggles, and the home tear went at it like ganbsuters and took an early 1-0 lead. Start slowly played themselves into the game, however, and by the half were the better team. A tying goal 18 minutes into the 2nd half gave them increased confidence, and from then on they played with the exhuberance and effort that made them the darlings of Norwegain soccer last year. A last-minute penalty gave Start a well-deserved 2-1 win at long-time rivals Viking.

[Start fan in exile]

Time for the weekly round-up, and I think I'll start in Tromsø where the home team was looking for their first points of the young season. Tromsø have struggled in all facets of the game, but this week they also suffered a great deal of bad luck. The visitors, HamKam were awarded 3 penalties - two of them highly questionable - and converted 2 of them for a 2-0 win against the run of the play. To make matters worse, Tromsø should have been awarded a spot kick of their own; even the referee admitted as much after the game.

But the truism is that you have to be good to be lucky, and Tromsø have been neither so far this season. Patrice Bernier played another solid game in midfield, although he did miss a clearance that led to one of the penalties, and picked up a yellow card. Stephen Ademolu came on early in the second half as the home team were seeking a goal, but like his teammates, was unable to put the ball in the net.

In Trondheim, home team Rosenborg were huge favourites against lowly Molde, but they also saw the calls go against them. The home team had a very sluggish start and found themselves in a hole after Rob Friend was pulled down in the area and the visitors converted the penalty. The game picked up after that, and the second half especially was a display of offensive fireworks seldom seen in Norwegain soccer (if the newspapers are to be belived), but there were no more goals and Molde stole all 3 points.

Rob Friend was a constant threat up front for Molde, and Sandro Grande played a decent game, and was on the pitch for 85 minutes; both picked up yellow cards. Lars Hirschfeld was solid in the Rosenborg goal.

At Fredrikstad, the game was much more sedate as the poor quality pitch was not conducive to exciting soccer. Lillestrøm won 1-0 in a game were they were simply less bad than the hosts. Olivier Occéan played 90 for Lillestrøm but, like his teammates, did not do much. Lillestrøm lead Tippeligaen with 8 points after 4 matches.

At Sogndal, Marco Reda was back on the pitch for the hosts as they were playing Chris Pozniak and Haugesund. Poz gave the visitors an early lead, but Sogndal took more over after that and scored two unanswered goals. Reda picked up a yellow card near then end of the game, and was solid at the back. Haugesund thought they were robbed of a penalty in injury time, but the final result was probably deserved. Both teams now have 6 points after 4 matches.

[Winnipeg Fury]

Fantastic updates.

It doesn't look like TIL can buy a goal this year. How did Kenny's partner do in goal ?

Do you have any idea what happened to Kevin Deserpa at Haugesund ? Is he still in Norway ?

[Start fan in exile]

quote:Originally posted by Winnipeg Fury

Fantastic updates.

It doesn't look like TIL can buy a goal this year. How did Kenny's partner do in goal ?

Do you have any idea what happened to Kevin Deserpa at Haugesund ? Is he still in Norway?

Thanks. Yeah, TIL are in real trouble. They host Odd on Wednesday, and the prevailing opinion is that if they lose this one, coach Ivar Morten Normark will be given the boot. They've got the talent to be doing better than they are, and the only real difference between the team now and during their great UEFA Cup run is the coach.

As for Kevin Deserpa, I have no idea. Haugesund cut him in the winter, and he had a tryout with Brann and Division 1 team Løv-Ham (also from Bergen), but no luck. I think that was back in early February and I have not heard anything about him since.

[Start fan in exile]

The numbers:

Dagbladet:

Lars Hirschfeld - 5

Rob Friend - 5

Sandro Grande - 5

Patrice Bernier - 5

Stephen Ademolu - 4

Olivier Occéan - 2

VG:

Lars Hirschfeld - 6

Rob Friend - 8 - Man of the the Match

Sandro Grande - 4

Patrice Bernier - 5

Stephen Ademolu - 4

Olivier Occéan - 4

Marco Reda - 6 - Man of the Match

Chris Pozniak - 5

TV2/Nettavisen:

Lars Hirschfeld - 5

Rob Friend - 5

Sandro Grande - 4

Patrice Bernier - 5

Stephen Ademolu - 5

Olivier Occéan - 4

____

100% Fotball have not published their numbers yet.

By the way, earlier I wrote that the ratings in Norway were out of 8; I was mistaken. Today Molde keeper Jan Kjell Larsen got a 9 from Dagbladet - the first time I can remember seeing that. The ratings are in fact out of 10.

And Winnipeg Fury - you asked about Kenny's partner in the Tromsø goal - Knut Borch. He has been doing very well, and made an excellent stop on one of HamKam's penalties today. Kenny may have to get used to the bench when he comes back from his suspension.

 	   Team  	G  	  W  	T  	L  	  +  	-  	  P  	 

1  	Stabæk 	4 	  2 	2 	0 	  6 	2 	  8 	 

2  	Lillestrøm 	4 	  2 	2 	0 	  8 	5 	  8 	 

3  	Brann 		4 	  2 	2 	0 	  6 	3 	  8 	 

4  	Ham-Kam 	4 	  2 	1 	1 	  6 	3 	  7 	 

5  	Molde 		4 	  2 	1 	1 	  4 	2 	  7 	 

6  	Sandefjord 	4 	  2 	1 	1 	  4 	4 	  7 	 

7  	Lyn 		4 	  2 	1 	1 	  4 	5 	  7 	 

8  	Odd Grenland 	4 	  1 	3 	0 	  4 	2 	  6 	 

9  	Rosenborg 	4 	  1 	2 	1 	  6 	4 	  5 	 

10  	Start 		4 	  1 	1 	2 	  2 	5 	  4 	 

11  	Fredrikstad 	4 	  0 	2 	2 	  3 	6 	  2 	 

12  	Viking 	4 	  0 	2 	2 	  3 	6 	  2 	 

13  	Vålerenga 	4 	  0 	2 	2 	  2 	5 	  2 	 

14  	Tromsø 	4 	  0 	0 	4 	  1 	7 	  0

[Stu]

Here's a clip of the Molde PK:

http://webtv.tv2.no/webtv/fotball/?pos=1-328-4-87392

Click on the little soccer ball under the score at the top of the page

Lars almost had it!!

[Start fan in exile]

Rob Friend goes down, tripping over the left leg of Rosenborg defender Mikkel Dorsin, drawing the penalty that would win the game. (photo from 100% Fotball)

[Start fan in exile]

Round 5 kicks off in Norway tomorrow. The Tippeligaen matches look like this:

03.05.2006 	Molde-Brann 		kl. 18:00

03.05.2006 	Start-Fredrikstad 	kl. 19:00

03.05.2006 	Vålerenga-Viking 	kl. 19:00

03.05.2006 	Sandefjord-Lyn 		kl. 19:00

03.05.2006 	Tromsø-Odd Grenland 	kl. 19:00

03.05.2006 	HamKam-Lillestrøm 	kl. 20:00

04.05.2006 	Stabæk-Rosenborg 	kl. 19:00

In Molde, the home team have had a surprisingly good start to the season, and took a strong 1-0 win away to Rosenborg last round. Brann, however, are the best team in the league at the moment, and have a collection of very talented players who are presently firing on all cylinders. Neither team has any injury problems to speak of, and this could be an entertaining game. The pitch in Molde is in pretty good shape, which should allow Brann's creative players to work some magic. Molde will rely on defensive organisation, and crosses to Rob Friend in the box. Not sure if Sandro Grande will start.

Tromsø are a team in trouble as they host Odd Grenland. Although management have publicly stated their support for coach Ivar Morten Normark, it is no secret he is under the gun, and may well be sacked if Tromsø lose this. To make matters worse, the other teams predicted to be at the bottom of the table have had better than expected starts to the season, and Tromsø may find themselves fighting to avoid relegation before the season if half done. They should have a decent opportunity to beat Odd who are not strong on the road, but the visitors have the selfconfidence the home team lack. Look for Patrice Bernier to start for Tromsø. Stephen Ademolu was surprisingly benched last round, and there's no advance workd on whether or not he'll start. Kenny Stamatopoulos serves the second game of his suspension.

Lillestrøm are away to HamKam. This will be the second game in a row the visitors are plying on a poor pitch, and the conditions will favour the home team who rely on defensive organisation and long balls. HamKam were lucky to win at Tromsø last round, though, and face a completely different class of opponent this week. Olivier Occéan will start, but needs to lift his game after two sub-standard performances in a row.

Finally, on Thursday, Rosenborg are away to Stabæk. On paper this is a game Rosenborg should win, however they traditionally have trouble when they travel to the team from Bærum. Lars will start again, and has been playing well, but will have to be alert as Stabæk has the one thing Rosenborg does not: strikers in goal scoring form, and this has helped them take a surprising early league lead. On the other side, Rosenborg will be looking for revenge after the embarassing home loss to rivals Molde last round, and their supporters will hope they take out their frustration on the home team.

Division 1 (Haugesund, Sogndal) does not play round 5 until the weekend.

These days, many in Norway are watching the referees. The men in black have come into focus lately for many missed calls; at least 3 of the games last round were decided by missed calls for penalties in the box: Fredrikstad should have have a penalty against Lillestrøm, as should Rosenborg in the dying minutes against Molde. On the flip side, Start won against Viking when they converted a penalty in the 89th minute when Viking were called for a hand ball in the box; replays showed a Start player had also handled the ball moments before, and the play should have been a free kick to the home team. Also, at least one of the penalties called against Tromsø should not have been called, and Tromsø themselves were robbed of an penalty in the second half.

Refs in Norway are amateurs, and the quality is very uneven. There has been an ongoing debate about whether or not to institute professional refs, and the missed calls this past weekend certainly added fuel to the fire. Hopefully none of the games this round will be decided by the referees.