Questions or comments to lars@nordicfootball.info, @fjordball on twitter or simply in the comments-section below.

44 minutes – Aalesund are just trying to get to half-time without conceding another now. Molde have a corner that is initially fumbled by the AaFk keeper but it eventually goes into touch.

43 minutes – Molde are looking very comfortable here while Aalesund struggle to create anything. Expect a thunderous team-talk in the AaFk dressing room in a few minutes.

41 minutes – Mame Biram Diouf rounds a defender elegantly on the left flank but then kicks the ball randomly into touch. Hmm. Sir Alex will be unimpressed.

40 minutes – Molde-captain Daniel Berg Hestad is booked for a tackle on Diego Silva.

39 minutes – Rekdal is prowling the touchline looking annoyed. Time for him to prove he’s more than just a big mouth.

36 minutes – Substitution Molde, stand-in left-back Øyvind Gjerde has picked up a knock and Marcus Andreasson comes on.

36 minutes – Mame Biram Diouf goes close again, he collects a long ball, the AaFk-defenders stand off but his shot goes wide.

33 minutes – Glenn Robers sends a dangerous ball into the Molde-box and the defender doesn’t get it, but there’s no orange striker on hand to capitalize. AaFk nearly score from the resulting corner with Khari Stephenson heading over. Much better this from Rekdal’s men.

32 minutes – Kjetil Rekdal has sent unrealistically tall striker Tor Hogne Aarøy to do some warm-ups. Well, he needs to do something.

29 minutes – The goal seems to have settled Molde’s nerves, they’re passing the ball around as comfortably as they have done all season and now it’s their fans who are making the noise.

28 minutes – That really is a blow for Aalesund, their plan of just containing Molde can now be well and truly scrapped, and it seemed a soft goal to give away too.

26 minutes – 1-0! And it’s Mame Biram Diouf! A free-kick is floated into the AaFk box, and for once their defending is a bit shoddy and the Manchester United-owned forward is on the spot to give his team the lead.

25 minutes – Kjetil Rekdal is giving everyone the stink-eye now. He should be reasonably pleased though, AaFk are doing a good job of containing Molde and they actually look dangerous when they counter.

24 minutes – Molde’s midfield maestro Makthar Thioune is tackled but the ref let’s the game play on, Thioune is very very annoyed. Molde really don’t need their best player to loose his cool or his focus here.

23 minutes – Ok, ok, we’ve never actually been on a date. Any of us.

22 minutes – Molde are still prodding and probing without getting anywhere, a bit like a member of the NFN editorial-staff on a date.

20 minutes – Aalesund-manager Kjetil Rekdal gives his opposite number Kjell Jonevret the stink-eye. This game needs a goal to shake things up, both on and off the pitch.

17 minutes – The delivery is awful, and even though Mame Biram Diouf falls over whilst trying to clear the thing nothing happens.

16 minutes – Magne Hoseth is booked for a push on Diego Silva, who was on his way into a dangerous position. Molde re-group to defend the free-kick..

14 minutes – The atmosphere at Ullevaal is good but not electric, there are nerves in the stands as well as on the pitch. This time it’s Thioune who needs some comforting from the physio and his teammate Magne Hoseth gives the ref some lip, the ref is predictably unimpressed.

12 minutes – Magne Hoseth puts a Molde free-kick dangerously into the area but neither Diouf can get to it. In the move afterwards Thioune is possibly fouled on the edge of Aalesund’s area but he did appear to go down a bit easily and the ref isn’t having it.

10 minutes – Molde are starting to get their passing-game on and they work their way down the right flank. The cross is blocked to a corner, but nothing comes of it.

8 minutes – Aalesund-striker Glenn Roberts gets roughed up a bit by Molde-defender Christian Steen, and needs some kind words from the physio.

5 minutes – The game looks to be panning out as expected, with Molde trying to get the ball down and pass it around while Aalesund are defending resolutely and look to break with pace.

4 minutes – Pape Pate Diouf is played through down Molde’s right flank but is flagged offside. Again, both sides look a bit nervy.

2 minutes – Aalesund really should have scored, and not doing so may cost them dearly. Nervy opening so far.

0 minutes – Molde free-kick in decent position for a cross, but nothing comes of it, at the other end there is a major mix-up in the Mode defense and Aafk really should have gone ahead, but the chances is wasted.

13:15 – The unreliable wireless is making this tricky, but teams emerge from the tunnel, there is much noise, national anthem has been sung and the game has kicked off.

End of Preamble

13:08 – The wireless here at Ullevaal aren’t doing us any favors and the touchpad on my mac is responding very reluctantly to my fingers, possibly because they are very cold indeed. This is blogging under duress, people.

13:05 – Remember Safri Duo? That vaguely catchy drum-techno nonsense the kids were wild about some ten years ago? Well, it’s making a comeback from the Ullevaal speakers and the crowd are clapping merrily along. Hopefully just to keep their hands warm.

13:02 – Nevermind that about the kinds looking like the players in question, Makthar Thioune was represented by a blonde white kid and Daniel Berg Hestad was a girl.

13:01 – Teams are being read out to the theme from Pirates of the caribbean and kids who look vaguely like the players are running out onto the pitch and taking up positions in appropriate formations. This is very strange.

12:58 – @gotvassli on twitter notes re. Aalesunds’ apparent fan-superiority that “there is a reason most survival-suits are orange”. He might be on to something. If you do the whole twitter thing you can get in touch by writing to @fjordball

12:54 – Aalesunds’ cup final song is by far the catchier. The question is, will all these advantages off the pitch negate the fact that Molde have the better team?

12:52 – This could be Mame Biram Diouf’s last game in Norway before he’s off to Manchester United, though there is of course a chance Sir. Alex will decide to give him another season in Norway. At any rate, big players produce in big games and the Senegalese forward will no doubt be keen to show that he belongs in that category.

12:48 – There is much singing and waving of scarves, currently a Molde-song is being blasted from the speakers and the AaFK bunch are looking a bit sheepish. As a neutral observer though, the AaFK-fans have been the liveliest in the streets of Oslo this weekend.

12:39 – It’s cold, but this is Norway in November so cold is the default position. The crowd are doing mexican waves to keep warm, the press-pack are drinking coffee.

Questions or comments below or to lars@nordicfootball.info

12:36 – The absence of Aarøy from AaFK’s starting lineup will no doubt be a talking-point, but the preposterously tall forward has only recently shrugged off an injury and AaFk-manager Kjetil Rekdal hinted in the week that it might be better to use that biggest of big men as an impact-sub. For Molde their outstanding left-back Knut Olav Rindarøy misses out through injury, heartbreaking for him but the veteran Øyvind Gjerde will no doubt prove a competent replacement.

12:31 – Good morning ladies and gents, the weather is cold and the teams are just in:

Molde: Lillebakk – Vatshaug, Steen, Forren, Gjerde – Thioune, Berg Hestad, Hoseth – Mostrøm, M.B. Diouf, P.P. Diouf

Bench: Larsen, Andreasson, Holm, Skjølsvik, Tomaz jr, Mota, Ertsås

AaFK: Lindegaard – Jalasto, Tollås, Skiri, Parr – Arneng, Carlsen, Fredriksen, Stephenson – Roberts, Silva

Bench: Grytebust, Aarøy, Herrera, Phillips, Orry Larsen, Fløtre, Mathiesen

Fredrikstad released striker Martin Wiig back in 2006, and as tends to happen with decent players who get released by Fredrikstad he was snapped up by Sarpsborg 08. The decision to release him must have felt a bit silly last night, as while FFK’s forwards looked like they could have played another five hours of football without finding the net Martin Wiig scored two very nice goals indeed, and the 2-0 scoreline in Sarpsborg’s favor means Fredrikstad will be facing the likes of Løv-Ham and Follo next season. “It was great to score two goals against the club that didn’t believe in me,” Wiig admitted after the game, and along with fellow FFK-rejects Bjørnar Johannesen, Øyvind Hoås and Michael Røn the win must have ment that much more to him than to the rest of the Sarpsborg-crowd.

There’s been a deluge of people expressing how unbelievable it is that Fredrikstad have managed to get themselves relegated, with former manager Anders Grönhagen saying he’s “shocked” and former sporting director Tor Kristian Karlsen sparing a thought for the fans: “It’s sad for the fans and the good people at the club,” he told TV2. No doubt several of Fredrikstad’s better players will be looking to move now, with Celso Borges and Raio Piiroja in particular being players who have better things to do than play in the Adeccoliga.

The other playoff-game saw Kongsvinger further their superb home-record this season by beating Sogndal 3-1. After a fine first 45 minutes where they took a 2-1 lead, Kongsvinger lost the plot a bit and had a very nervy second half that could have seen all their good work undone. It didn’t however and when they scored another to make it 3-1 with a minute left of the clock it was time to celebrate. The news that Fredrikstad had goofed up agaisnt Sarpsborg 08 won’t have done anything to dampen the mood in the Kongsvinger-camp either. The playoff-final will be a two-legged affair, with Sarpsborg hosting Kongsvinger the 9. November and the return leg at Kongsvinger being played on 12. November.

LEVADIA Tallinn’s training ground is not an easy place to find. Off the northern edge of most tourist maps of Tallinn, close to the Pirita beaches, getting to Marjamäe can seem a little bit of a challenge to the first time visitor. There is usually not much reason to visit, unless you are a scout for rival team or wanting to tap up a young prospect. Marjamäe is comfortable enough, but it is not the most auspicious football venue in Tallinn.

The picturesque Kadriorg Stadium, magnificent Soviet-era bowl-like Kalev Stadium, and the recently constructed A Le Coq Arena at Lillekula all make for more dramatic venues, but Marjamäe’s pitch is dry and the Baltic League tie against Lithuanian side FK Tauras Taurage was switched at short notice from Levadia’s usual home ground at Kadriorg, which was waterlogged.

It was a surprise to see around 50 Tauras fans setting out their banners on arrival. They had travelled over 500km for a 2pm kick-off on a weekday, in a competition that does not even offer a spot in Europe for the winners. This kind of fanaticism is common in Baltic League games, which seem to have a high percentage of active supporters even if the total number of spectators is low.

“People want to see their team beat sides from the other Baltic countries,” explained Baltic League CEO Christian Happel as the teams warmed up at Marjamäe. “15 years ago there were tanks on the streets, and people were getting killed in Lithuania, and these people really want to show that they are here and they are free.”

The political and cultural dimensions of the Baltic League seem to bubble under the surface of the football. In pure sporting terms it provides competitive games for the best clubs against a higher standard of opposition than is available domestically, but the vision and sense of shared destiny among the Baltic countries offer this competition a pull that other transnational competitions, such as the recently mooted and geographically non-contiguous Belgian-Portuguese-Norwegian-Scottish-Dutch Atlantic League, would have to work to achieve.

This becomes abundantly clear when the teams run out and the Baltic League hymn – entitled ‘The Baltics Are Waking Up!, it is a tri-lingual anthem composed for the 50^th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and the Baltic Way protest at Soviet occupation in which hundreds of thousands of people linked hands to form a chain across the Baltic countries – blares tinnily out of the speakers. The sound drifts away and the tune is difficult to make out, but here is a sample of the lyrics to give an idea the spirit the Baltic League is trying to invoke:

Three sisters stand by the coast of sea
They are pressed by weakness and tiredness.
Their lands and spirits crushed,
And the honour and sense of three nations.

But in towers the bells of destiny toll,
And the sea starts to wave.
Three sisters wake up from sleep,
Come to stand for themselves.

Within Estonia some clubs are more equal than others. Levadia have gone 61 games without defeat, recently clinched their fourth Estonian title in a row, and have won seven titles in their eleven year history. Founded by metals magnate Viktor Levada and heavily subsidised by his firm, their main rivals are Flora Tallinn. Flora have also won seven titles, were founded in 1990, and are owned by Estonian FA President, author and Estonian intellectual, Aivar Pohlak.

Levadia won their match 3-0, with a cameo performance from Finnish substitute Tomi Saarelma, and later in the day Flora Tallinn won their game against Lithuanian side FK Šiauliai 3-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko. Both Lithuanian sides fought quite hard and brought a lot of fans, and Flora coach Tarmo Rüütli – who also coaches the Estonian national team – analysed the significance of the competition for Estonian football.

“I think we have different cultures in Lithuania and Latvia. We did not have a lot of contact in the Soviet period, as Lithuania played in the top soviet division and Latvia played in the First Division, we lost contact with high level football. They have more traditions and more culture, but we have made a small step forward in the last five years. If you compare to Latvia and Lithuania, we were a bit lower, but now in national team games and in European club competitions we are coming a bit closer.”

The Baltic League – which is a knock-out cup competition, not a league, but is named to avoid confusion with the Baltic Cup that decides the best Baltic national team – will continue next April at the Quarter Final stage.

Fredrikstad – Sarpsborg 08

A playoff match like this is nerve-wrecking under the best of circumstances, but for Fredrikstad the mere possibility of being sent down to the Adeccoliga by local rivals Sarprsborg must be harrowing. Having finished runners-up in the Tippeliga last season everything has gone very pear-shaped indeed for FFK this time around, and if it hadn’t been for the late Tom Nordlie-fuelled revival they probably would have gotten relegated outright.

Last season Fredrikstad had an uncanny ability to turn tight games in their favor, but until Nordlie’s arrival their 2009-campaign was a story of the complete opposite happening, over and over again. There are plenty of quality players in their squad, Costa Rican midfielder Celso Borges for one is a player who won’t be playing in Norway for long, and with Tom Nordlie giving the team energy and a sense of urgency that was lacking earlier FFK are overwhelming favorites to get through book their place in the 2010 Tippeliga.

They’ll be forced to walk a very tight rope though, as local rivals Sarpsborg 08 will be doing absolutely everything in their power to get one over their more glamorous neighbors. At least four of Sarpsborg’s regular starters are former Fredrikstad players and defender Alexander Forsberg is even the son of one of Fredrikstad’s financial backers. This is little brother versus big brother, and even though big brother is a better team by a considerable margin a minor slip-up could be enough to doom them to Adeccoliga-ootball and eternal humiliation for their fans.

Home win

Kongsvinger – Sogndal

From 1983 to 1999 Kongsvinger payed their football at the highest level of Norweigan football, but their relegation in 99 signaled the start of a very meagre decade. But since Tom Nordlie rocked up at the club last season when they were heading for relegation to the obscure 2. division things have been looking up. He saved them from relegation and had them on course for at least a playoff-spot when Fredrikstad prized him away, and they managed to hang on to that spot in the closing stages of the season. If they do manage to beat Sogndal they’ll most likely come up against the man who dragged them out of the mud and into this playoff in the first place, which would of course add a new dimension to the whole thing.

Sogndal also have a solid Tippeliga-history, though they’ve been a bit of a bungee-team – moving between the Tippeliga and the Adeccoliga with alarming frequency. As a club they’re probably best known for their so-bad-it’s-brilliant supporter-song, “Stao no pao”, and for being the club that gave the world Jostein Flo, Tore Andre Flo, Håvard Flo and indeed Jarle Flo. These have all retired now of course, but have no fear, both Ulrik and Per Egil Flo are Sogndal-regulars so the next Flo-generation are well on their way.

With a superb home-record (13-0-2) this season you would expect Kongsvinger to book a thrilling showdown with their former manager, but Sogndal are a jammy bunch who have only lost once away from home all year so it could be very very tight. Extra time and penalties seems a very real possibility.

Home win

Norway is one of the few countries in Europe where the cup final is still the biggest club-game of the calendar, and the spectacle certainly won’t suffer from the fact that this time around it’s a local derby. Both the quarter and semi-final rounds were jam-packed with drama and general craziness, and the punters should prepare for more of the same as the blue and orange armies of Molde and Aalesund descend on the nation’s capital.

Molde have been the people’s team this season, with their swashbuckling style a perfect antidote to Rosenborg’s relentless yet unimaginative league dominance. With attacking talent like Manchester United-bound Mame Biram Diouf, the magnificent Makhtar Thioune and metrosexual midfielder Magne Hoseth amongst their ranks, Molde scored more goals than any other team in the league this season and rarely fail to bring the flair and flash when they go out to play football. There is widespread agreement that Molde deserve a trophy for their efforts this season and they are clear favorites to triumph on the day.

Standing in their way however are bitter local rivals Aalesund, managed by the entertainingly confrontational yet undeniably canny Kjetil Rekdal and spearheaded by preposterously tall striker Tor Hogne Aarøy. In spite of finishing a lowly 13th Aalesund are not a team to be messed with, and if they get it right on the day they are more than capable of giving their more flashy opponents a good run for their money.

It should be one heck of a competition and NFN will be there at Ullevaal, providing concise yet imaginative commentary live on these here hallowed pages. Sunday 8th November, kick-off 13:15 CET with pre-match preamble some time before that. Be here or be rectangular.

The battle for fourth was the only point of interest going into this weekend, and it was settled in appropriately underwhelming fashion. Odd Grenland got a fortunate 1-1 draw up North against a Bodø/Glimt-side that put in one of their least inept performances of the season, which only serves to drive home the depressing fact that their relegation was avoidable. Even though it ultimately ended in failure, Glimt put up an admirable fight in spite of financial woes and a squad full of players who are either very old or not very good. As for Odd, their fourth place is nothing short of remarkable. Even though they are a deeply unlikable bunch they deserve a whole lot of credit for what they’ve done in their first season back in the league.

Odd dropping points up North meant that Brann could have gone above them and possibly (depending on who wins the cup) booked a place in Europe. All they had to do was beat a nothing to play for Rosenborg at home, but as we’ve seen RBK don’t really do the whole losing-thing. The 1-1 draw ensured that the champions at least remained undefeated on the road this season and that the embarrassing affair against Start remained the only blotch on their league-record. Rade Prica struck a ridiculously sweet goal for the second week running, a strike that both earned him the title of top-scorer in the Tippeliga and underlined his worthiness of it.

Down in the other end of the league, Lyn redefined the concept of going out with a whimper by losing 5-0 at home to Fredrikstad, a team that before this had only won away from home once all year. Their total of 16 points from 30 games is beyond pathetic, and only Start’s diabolical 2001-campaign yielded fewer points in the Tippeliga this decade. Which is saying something, since every other season this decade has consisted of 26 rounds, not 30. If they can find enough money to stay in business Lyn will now attempt to start over in the Adeccoliga with a team made up almost entirely of youngsters, which is a noble intention indeed but also one that may backfire as the Adeccoliga is a highly competitive environment, if less frenetic than the Tippeliga. Fredrikstad face a potentially tricky playoff, first against bitter local rivals Sarpsborg on Friday and then against the winner of a testy tie between Sogndal and Kongsvinger. They have the quality to persevere, but in one-off games like this anything could happen.

Accountants at Viking stadion were holding their breaths during Viking’s pointless encounter with Tromsø, as a single goal from striker Peter Ijeh would mean an outlay of 125 000 kr. This because in addition to Ijeh’s tasty goal-bonus of 25 000, there is also a 100 000 kr bonus in his contract that is to be paid out if he scores ten goals or more. Stuck on nine, Ijeh hilariously missed a free header from five yards as Viking beat Tromsø 1-0. Great success.

If Molde weren’t already favorites for their upcoming cup final against Aalesund then they certainly are now, as their emphatic 3-0 win over Lillestrøm showed that they are on fine form. Even without their two best players Makhtar Thioune and captain Daniel Berg Hestad they were superb, and manager Kjell Jonevret actually has a bit of a selection-headache ahead of the big day with more than 11 players looking worthy of a spot in the starting lineup.

Aalesund on the other hand aren’t quite there yet and only drew 1-1 with Strømsgodset. “We score one goal on twelve-thirteen chances and I’m very unhappy about that. This is something we’ve struggled with all season, we don’t put away our chances and we concede from very little,” complained permanently annoyed manager Kjetil Rekdal after the game, and the frontrunner for NFN’s prestigious Man of the year-award has a lot of work to do if he’s going to guide Aalesund to victory over local rivals Molde this Sunday.

Down South Start finished their season somewhat surprisingly with a win, as Martin Andresen’s Vålerenga continue to struggle with the jinx NFN’s endorsement seems to have put upon them. Having been on a bit of a downward spiral the 2-0 win will probably mean quite a lot to the general mood in the Start-camp. Andresen on the other hand still have plenty of things to ponder, even if his job is still safe.

Sandefjord’s mission of staying up has been accomplished and then some, and they didn’t look all that bothered as they were bowled over by Stabæk to the tune of a 3-1 home-defeat. After their squad was ravaged by transfers last winter Stabæk are finally starting to look like a coherent unit again, and unless major changes are forced upon them this winter as well they should be ready to make proper run at the title in 2010.

TamU had gone ahead through Jonne Hjelm in the 11th minute, after the 21 year old striker picked up Kangaskolkka’s flick-on when Ari Nyman made a mess of his attempted clearance. Hjelm raced onto the loose ball and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, giving goalkeeper David Monsalve little chance.

Inter gradually increased the pressure and eventually equalised just before half time, when Veikkausliiga’s least-loved striker Timo Furuholm nodded the ball down to Kennedy Nwanganga, who shot through a crowd of players past Aleksei Kangaskolkka’s despairing attempt at a goal line clearance.

The second half was a tense affair, with Inter clearly having the upper hand but missing several chances to go ahead. Furuholm drew derision from the loud contingent of TamU fans, and adulation from the Inter end, with his near-constant niggling fouls. Mononen was shoved over on the touchline, Pohja booted in the chest, and Furuholm’s expressive body language ensured he was the centre of attention.

There was a hint of inevitability, then, about the winner. It arrived via a corner, but Furuholm wasn’t complaining after having a couple of chances well saved by TamU’s goalkeeper Mikko Kavén.

“I’m happy, it’s a good end to the season,” the former Musan Salama striker claimed. “The season hasn’t gone so well, but this is good because we get to play in Europe now. It feels good to be the goalscorer, but then it’s my job to do that.”

As Inter’s players cavorted around the pitch celebrating their second trophy in two years, manager Job Dragtsma was asked to reflect on Inter’s season, which went much less smoothly than 2008.

“Of course we wanted to do something in the league, but we had to change the whole team!” Inter manger Job Dragtsma told YLE after the final whistle.  “We didn’t do too well, and in the end wít was important to make sure we got into Europe, and nice to win a trophy, and this was the only trophy we could win.”

Inter’s Canadian goalkeeper David Monsalve was one of the more jubilant players, after wresting the number one spot from Sierra Leonian Patrick Bantamoi. Inter’s management feel that Monsalve is a little more calm and collected than Bantamoi, who has made one or two crucial errors this season in among his usual excellent performances, and he made a couple of routine but important saves late on from Antti Pohja. Inter currently have two young, in-form goalkeepers, and their squad is finally settling down into the rhythm Dragtsma hoped for. They could be dark horses next year, but of course that will depend on the vagaries of the winter transfer market.

As for TamU, their season has been a series of disappointments after the League Cup victory in April. Ari Hjelm has brought on some exciting young talent, and much will depend on how many of those players remain in Tampere as the club’s budget is reduced to a more realistic level. There will be no European football to help the financial calculations or entice players to sign, but with young players like Hjelm, Kangaskolkka, Ruuth, Mononen, Pirinen and Karvonen gaining crucial experience this year, the outlook  could be better than expected, depending on how many of those players remain in Tampere for 2010.

Sunday

Brann (5th) – Rosenborg (1st)

The only vaguely interesting thing that’s happened in the usually wacky world of Norwegian football this week is that Rosenborg are in a tug of war with the Swedish football federation, and they’re using manager Erik Hamrén as rope. “The flirt is over. We’ve put our foot down once and for all. Erik Hamrén has a contract with us and breaking that contract is totally out of the question – no matter how much money the Swedes offer us,” raved Rosenborg’s chief executive Nils Skutle. “The important thing is what Hamrén wants, I really don’t give a toss about what Nils Skutle wants” was president of the Swedish FA Lars-Åke Langrell’s tactful response. Unsurprisingly the negotiations aren’t going at all smoothly, but the smart money is on Hamrén leaving Rosenborg once the men in suits have finished insulting each other.

Draw

Molde (2nd) – Lillestrøm (9th)

Cup final-fever is raging on the West Coast and the hosts really couldn’t care less about this game. Unless they lose by a ridiculous margin then their runners-up spot is safe, and their one and only priority will be avoiding injuries. This task is made more difficult by the fact that they’re facing the second most thuggish team in the country, and since Lillestrøm seem to thrive on the fact that they’re almost universally disliked you wouldn’t put it past them to stick the boot in here just for the hell of it.

Draw

Aalesund (13th) - Strømsgodset (11th)

Another team that will be dodging tackles like Erik Huseklepp in a prison shower is Aalesund, who are also very much focussing on next weekend’s showpiece final. This should work in Strømsgodsets favor, but Ronny Deila’s deviant delinquents have been Lyn-esque away from home this season so it shouldn’t make that much of a difference.

Home win

Bodø/Glimt (15th) – Odd Grenland (4th)

It’s bye bye Bodø up North as Glimt play their last game in the Tippeliga this time around, and considering the bad craziness that goes on in the Adeccoliga who knows when they’ll be back? Especially since most of their players are either very old or very bad, and the few who don’t fall into either category will probably have to be sold off to raise funds. Dark days indeed.

Away win

Sandefjord (8th) – Stabæk (3th)

Since it looks like Erik Hamrén will be leaving Rosenborg, the champions have started looking around for a new midde-aged Swede to replace the outgoing one. Predictably their gaze is said to have landed on Stabæk-manager Jon Jönsson. This situation has presented Stabæk’s head honcho Ingebrigt Steen Jensen, who has been unusually quiet this season, with an opportunity to remind us all what raving loony he is, and so he told VG that going to Rosenborg would be “a step backwards” for the sympathetic Swede. Clearly.

Draw

Start (10th) – Vålerenga (7th)

There’s an old football-saying that goes like this: “Never buy an injury-prone 33 year old striker and put him on massive wages, especially if your club is skint”. Now, that might sound fairly obvious, but apparently it wasn’t obvious enough to the cool cats who were running Start back in 2007 when they spent a considerable amount of money getting Ole Martin Årst to the club. Two years and two hundred and seventy five groin-operations later Årst has announced his retirement from the game. A sad sad story on a personal level of course, but it does yet again put the spotlight on some of the mad mad decisions that are made on board-level in Norwegian football.

Away win

Lyn (16th) – Fredrikstad (14th)

“I’m just very very tired,” explained Lyn’s poor unfortunate chief executive Erik Langerud, who has had the unenviable task of trying to keep the club in existence these last couple of years. He has now resigned, telling the press “I think Lyn in the future are better served having a leader who hasn’t been through what I’ve been through these last two and a half years”. Which begs the question, just what has that poor man been forced to do to find money to fund Lyn’s fairly pointless existence?

Away win

Viking (12th) – Tromsø (6th)

Uwe Rösler, the soon-to-be-sacked manager of Viking has issued a fairly feeble rallying-call in an effort to mobilize his troops ahead of this utterly pointless game, telling the press that “This is about much more than me, it’s about the pride of the whole club!”. He is partly right, it isn’t really about him as he’ll probably be sacked no matter what happens this Sunday.

Draw

Overall, it was a curious season for HJK. They did not ascend the throne with any indomitable style, they didn’t even look that convincing at most times. They were like an all too stereotypically characterised villain in a cheap play, with a sleek, ominous air, a hidden physical deformity and who, according to any dramatic guidelines should fall victim to his own mischief, somehow in the end manages to take advantage of his antagonistic role by lurking in the shadows of the gallant and fearless protagonist (played collectively by FC Honka and TPS), biding his time carefully before stabbing the dagger in the hero’s back. TPS and Honka might have played the best football in 2009 but after HJK got in terms with their rubbish playing and managed to turn the lack of aesthetics into their favour, they actually deserved to win the championship; a claim underlined by the inability of TPS and Honka to produce anything other than a 0-0 draw in the final round. So despite the chorus of grumbles complaining about HJK’s below-par football, the fact is and ever remains that the table is incorruptible and doesn’t lie.

The last match at home to FF Jaro was quintessential ‘Klubi’ in 2009 in many ways. HJK needed a point and a point is exactly what they took, but not before digging themselves deep in trouble, only to be rescued by one of their stars of the season. Jaro took the lead on the eight minute after a series of simple defensive cock-ups for the home defence. After the goal, HJK seemed not to push the panic button but to smash it with their fist. Their playing was riddled with wrong choices as every player somehow seemed to forget that they were playing at home against Jaro with still over eighty minutes to go.

In the second half, though, the spectators saw a different HJK. Immediately they showed the kind of resolution and confidence fit for champions. And after a few well-teed but badly executed chances, the inevitable happened on the sixty-first minute. Dawda Bah had no other chance but to score as he found the ball at his feet on the six-yard line. You could hear a tremendous collective sigh sweep round the stadium before the frantic celebrations commenced. Those who saw the goal in replay might have though that once again HJK got lucky, but the truth is that the home side should have scored three or four. In the end, it was as if HJK were content to keep up the futile hopes of both sets of fans in Turku, if for no other reason but to spite them.

Throughout the season, HJK’s football might have looked as flowing as watching concrete go through a pasta machine but that is beside the point, for now at least. As so often is the case, and in football more often than not, the end justifies the means and since 2009 was all about winning the championship, HJK fans will let the aesthetic question slide. However, if this kind of football remains the motif in 2010, HJK need more than the title to consolidate their status as the leading club in Finland and to satisfy the demands of their fans.

It was a testament to the quality and depth of HJK’s material that they managed to win the championship regardless of dragging a baggage of flaws behind them that would normally have hampered any title hopes: they triumphed regardless of having a coach who is without adequate 21st century tactical acumen, despite playing rubbish football, having so many underachievers in the team and being without a striker scoring double-figures. The victory was defined more by the brilliance of a few individuals than the collective.

Key players:

Ville Wallén (GK; 26/ 0/ 0): The bedrock on which HJK founded their title hopes. Too often was forced to make a game-winning save or three to patch up the holes in the defence. Consistent performer and an excellent shot-stopper, again among the top three keepers in Veikkausliiga.

Sebastian Sorsa (RM; 25/ 6/ 11): The marquee signing for HJK this season who exceeded all expectations. His six goals and eleven assists made him the second most prolific player in the league. With an outstanding work-rate and tremendous industry, he is useful to the team even on the rare occasion when he isn’t able to utilise his attacking strengths. His pace, directness and a lethal crossing make him the best winger in the league. HJK’s player of the season.

Dawda Bah (LM; 25/ 8/ 7): After a frustrating 2008 season, finally fulfilled his potential this term. Despite looking unfocused and sluggish at times, the tall Gambian was unstoppable especially against weaker opponents. Should sharpen his crossing and final pass though. HJK’s joint top scorer with Mäkelä with eight goals.

Consistent quality:

Aki Riihilahti (CM; 10/ 3/ 0): With his winning mentality and professionalism, more than his

actual footballing qualities, provided a huge boost for the team (But then again, he has always been the embodiment of a player who is more than the sum of his parts). However, this is not to say that the team didn’t benefit from the former Crystal Palace player’s massive footballing expertise. Even though seldom excelling with the ball, his attacking decisions are often better than they seems at first glance. With his presence, always made the opposition’s life difficult. Scored three important goals, twice bringing HJK up from the dead at crucial moments. Would HJK have won the title without Riihilahti?

Pyry Kärkkäinen (CD; 26/ 2/ 0): HJK’s leading defender. Many questioned his acquisition but it didn’t take long for the former Finnish U21 player to show he is good enough for HJK. Not a spectacular season but was consistent from start to finish. Would flourish partnering a ball-playing central defender. Powerful in the air, strong in challenges and with decent skill, has got all the qualities needed to be a leading defensive centre-back in Veikkausliiga in the future.

Jukka Raitala (LD; 20/ 0): Was HJK’s most consistent defender before transferring to Hoffenheim. Oppositions virtually avoided attacking through HJK’s left side because of Raitala’s presence. Right time to move abroad since Veikkausliiga couldn’t provide any challenges any more for the 21-year-old HJK trainee.

Worth their salary:

Cheyne Fowler (CM; 17/ 1/ 1): The South-African missed the spring through injury but had a reasonably big role in the autumn. Was decent whenever called upon but never made a devastating impact. Has good all-round qualities but no real strengths.

Tuomas Haapala (CM; 6/ 0/ 0): The midfield bruiser’s season was cut short by injury. Was his active self in the six matches he featured in but could not produce his very best with the ball. Too alike with Medo and both seemed to suffer from not having strictly defined individual roles. An interesting statistical fact: Haapala didn’t receive a single caution in 2009.

Tuomas Kansikas (LD; 11/ 0/ 0): Had a minimal role before Raitala’s departure. Any concerns HJK fans had about the former MyPa defender’s quality were in the end unnecessary. The skilful and pacey full-back was stronger defensively than had given the impression during his cameos earlier in the season.

Mathias Lindström (CD; 4/ 0/ 0): The no-nonsense centre-back joined from TamU in September and settled into the team immediately. Brought experienced and consistency into the team. Was rotated for some reason with Jukka Sauso.

Medo (CM; 23/ 3/ 2): A slightly frustrating year for the all-action Sierra Leonean. At best a dominant force in midfield but hasn’t been able to rid of his inconsistency and still goes missing during games. Sometimes gives the impression of being all over the place but nowhere at the same time, trying to do everything but ends up doing little. Would benefit from a more strictly defined role. Despite again being one of the best midfielders in the league, the 21-year-old’s development seems to have stalled. The talent is there but perhaps it’d be time to move on abroad in order to start fulfilling it.

Juho Mäkelä (F; 26/ 8/ 2): A highly disappointing spring and summer (managing only four goals in nineteen matches, scoring none in July and August) but the former Hearts man came good at a crucial time in the autumn. Due to his one-dimensionality as a footballer, ‘Super-Mäksä’ lives through his goals and, therefore, the four he scored in September went a long way in punching his stamp on the season.

Ville Taulo (CM/ LM; 12/ 0/ 0): Another season ruined by injury for the talented midfielder. The former FC Lahti man has exactly the kind of qualities HJK need in centre midfield: good vision, effective passing and calmness with the ball. Had his proper chance replacing the injured Haapala, only to jog off injured after a couple of matches. Whenever he featured in centre midfield, HJK’s playing was more fluid and composed than with the pairing of Haapala/ Riihilahti/ Fowler and Medo. Should have been more effective in attack despite limited playing time. If only it wasn’t for those injuries.

Below-par performers:

Mikko Hauhia (RD; 25/ 0/ 1): Ever-present but never-convincing. A borderline-case whether the 25-year-old would have squeezed himself into the above category. Was never good enough for HJK when he signed in 2006 and during two seasons at the Finnair Stadium, has shown few signs of having the capacity to develop into one. No one can blame the diminutive and tenacious full-back of not pouring his heart out for the case but when the qualities just aren’t there, it’s difficult to live on sympathy alone. Was heavily criticised by a section of Sakilaiset when things were not going well for the team. Although the criticism was harsh, it is easy to see why it was him that became the rotten apple of their eye. Continuously gives the impression of struggling to keep his head above water. There are gaping holes in his positioning and his poor passing ability makes him a non-threat going forward. To make matters worse, was put under a lot pressure in almost every match as teams were only too aware of and keen on exploiting his weaknesses. Somewhat improved during the season but, nevertheless, had it not been for the defensive back-up provided by Sorsa, Hauhia might have sunk below.

Petri Oravainen (LM; 15/ 0/ 0): Has never been among Muurinen’s favourites and his talent went unused. However, this season the winger has only himself to blame for the shortage of opportunities. Is still one of the favourites of the HJK faithful but with these kinds of lacklustre performances, he won’t be for long. Fifteen appearances and nothing to show for it.

Jarno Parikka (F; 24/ 3/ 4): The year that was supposed to be Parikka’s was anything but. The 23-year-old was a consistent performer throughout the season but three goals in twenty-four matches is such a poor rate for a player who was supposed to be HJK’s first choice striker that no matter how you look at it, he was a disappointment. Has developed as a player but lost some of his stealth inside the box. Could do with a bit of weight lifting during the long winter months.

Valeri Popovits (F; 17/ 3/ 0): One of the greatest Veikkausliiga players of all time got the farewell present he truly deserved. After having a bright start to the season, scoring two goals in the first three games, ‘the Tsar’ didn’t have much to offer for HJK any more. Well, one can’t stay young forever and the 39-year-old made his bow as a player form top flight Finnish football by lifting the trophy.

Jukka Sauso (CD; 20/ 0/0): Dear me, dear me. Came from Örgryte in 2008 with a reputation of being a potential national team defender in the future. Started decently but it didn’t take long for him to be found out. This season was even worse. His positioning is still that of a orienteerer reading a map upside-down and his passing as accurate as the gait of a Scotsman on Hogmanay. Must have done something right before joining HJK to warrant the five Finland caps he has notched up, but during the two seasons at the capital, he has only succeeded in proving that he is nowhere near good enough for HJK.

Others:

Paulus Roiha (F; 5/ 0/ 0): Injured, again, for most of the season and never reached full match fitness. HJK would have had use for his talent inside the box.

Juhani Ojala (CD; 4/ 0/ 1): The promising centre back filled in for Sauso on occasion. Extended his contract before the end of the season but it’s hard to see where the playing time will come from.

Johannes Westö (LM/ F; 2/ 0/ 0): HJK’s biggest talent made his first appearance in the league and showed that he can cut it when called upon. After a year in the first-division with Klubi 04, the 18-year-old will be more ready to make the step up to the first team.

Mikko Sumusalo (LD; 1/ 0/ 0): The 19-year-old made his début in Veikkausliiga. With full-backs like Hauhia at HJK’s payroll, the Finnish U21 defender must be puzzled by not getting an chance in the first team.

The coach:

After the 2008 debacle, Antti Muurinen delivered what was demanded in the last year of his contract. Now would have been an excellent opportunity for HJK to part company with him without either having to lose their face (Muurinen cannot be under the illusion that the season was a huge success, taking into account their humiliations in Europa and in the Finnish Cup). But true to the cautious and stagnant way things are handled at HJK, Olli-Pekka Lyytikäinen, the chairman, awarded Muurinen with a new contract. The decision to retain Muurinen for another season is of course justifiable, after all he did manage to quench HJK’s six year title thirst. And of course, it might be that HJK did search high and low for possible candidates but didn’t find a suitable coach.

Nevertheless, in the end, the title seemed to have blinded Lyytikäinen of the fact that with Muurinen HJK are going nowhere as a football club. Muurinen deserves credit for this season especially because he was capable to implement a change in their playing style at a crucial point. However, this does not negate the fact that if HJK want to keep hold of their status as the leading club in Finland and succeed in Europe, they need a coach who is able to create a comprehensive, sustainable and forward-looking playing identity for the collective and not just hope that as long as their defence holds and the key individuals deliver, they’ll be all right.

“We have half the budget, maybe a third of the budget that the big clubs have,” a triumphant Ronny Deila pointed out to TV2 after Strømsgodset beat Viking 2-1 to secure their place in the 2010 Tippeliga. In spite of that financial handicap Deila has put together a youthful team that tries to play football the right way, and the promising young manager has showed quite emphatically that he isn’t all talk and no trousers. Having said that, there were no trousers in sight during Deila’s celebrations last night, as the sympathetic strategist came good on his promise to strip if the club stayed up. See for yourself, or, youknow, don’t.

Globular manager Tom Nordlie has a reputation for being “the savior”, as he tends to get hired when a team is in deep doodoo and he tends to get them out of it. That reputation is in danger of being dented though, as a 2-1 defeat for Fredrikstad against Molde means FFK face a play-off no matter what happens in their last game against Lyn. They gave it a good go and were every bit as good as Molde, but the overpowering determination that hallmarked their win over Odd last Monday was absent. Having failed to take their chances they were in the end undone by two soft goals Nordlie afterwards quite rightly described as “unforgivable”. The crucial first goal went Molde’s way and it came from the best player in the league this season, Makthar Thioune, who after being booed for no good reason by the home-crowd responded by scoring a goal and making fun of them in his celebration. Thioune drew a big “S” in the air, “S” for Sarpsborg, his former club and the club Fredrikstad are likely to face in the playoffs. “Unnecessary,” moaned Molde-captain Daniel Berg Hestad. NFN begs to differ.

“Losing football games isn’t the end of the world, and it won’t be the end of the world if Bodø/Glimt get relegated”. Those were the words of Glimt-manager Kåre Ingebrigtsen ahead of their do or die-clash with Stabæk, and with a fighting spirit like that the game was only ever going to end one way. And so it’s bye bye Bodø/Glimt, who are now a mathematical certainty to follow Lyn into oblivion (or the Adeccoliga, as some call it). “The future is bright,” chirped the inexplicably positive and newly relegated boss after the game. Veteran winger Jan-Derek Sørensen on the other hand hasn’t been eating happy-pills, and declared that “when you’re not good enough to contribute to keeping the team in the Tippeliga, then it’s time to retire”.

At Lerkendal, Rosenborg celebrated their title yet again after Rade Prica thwacked a glorious free-kick (worth seeing) into the top corner from 87 30 yards to secure a 2-1 win over Aalesund. There is a huge fly in Rosenborg’s ointment though, a very huge one indeed: The Swedish FA are sending manager Erik Hamrén flirty looks, the kind of flirty looks no one here at NFN have ever seen in their lives. “Hamrén is under contract with us, and we’ll decide if he goes or not,” is the ridiculously optimistic stance taken by RBK’s sporting director Erik Hoftun. “I’m going to talk to Erik. First and foremost we have to know if he’s interested. If he’s interested I’m sure we’ll find a way to resolve things with Rosenborg,” president of the Swedish FA Lars-Åke Langrell countered, every bit as condescending as you expect from a Swedish person in a suit. This could get a bit messy.

Up North, Tromsø at least managed to finish a disappointing season with a flourish as they beat Start 3-1 in front of a presumably very cold home-crowd.

Lillestrøm shamed NFN’s predictions of woe by turning over the ever unreliable Brann 3-1, and they did so in classic Lillestrøm fashion by scoring all three goals from set-pieces. Manager Henning Berg may have given the team a bit of a facelift, but they’re still very much Lillestrøm.

And on that subject, as NFN finally warm to Martin Andresen’s Vålerenga they obviously go and lose 2-1 to Sandefjord. Forget the kiss of death, it seems an NFN-endorsement is no less than the kiss of doom these days.

..and finally, unlikable Odd hosted unrecoverable Lyn. True to form, whatever effort the visitors put in were undone by gaffes that would have been hilarious if it wasn’t all so tragic. Three of the four goals they conceded in the 4-1 defeat were absolute gifts, and Lyn really are re-defining the concept of going out with a whimper.

Sunday

Vålerenga (6th) – Sandefjord (8th)

A thoroughly pointless game you say, but wait, with 40 points to their name Vålerenga could actually sneak into fourth place and book a place in Europe. Considering just how dismal they were earlier in the season that would be nothing short of outrageous. Being a bunch of fickle so-and-so’s, we here at NFN have done a complete 180 on the topic of slightly mad Martin Andresen, who has been the PR-equivalent of George Clooney in The Perfect Storm this season and somehow emerged with his dignity intact and his reputation enhanced. He deserves immense credit for this, and hopefully he won’t die drowning with Mark Wahlberg.

Home win

Strømsgodset (13th) – Viking (10th)

Not nearly out of the woods yet, Strømsgodset really need to add a victory to their already impressive home-record (8-3-3) against Uwe Rösler’s dullards Viking. The Teutonic titan has caught on to the fact that fans are tired of watching his team attempt to bore the opposition into submission, telling the local press that “we have to be compact and solid, but at the same time offensive”. According to the dictionary, offensive can mean “giving painful and unpleasant sensations”, which is what Viking has been doing to spectators all season so mission accomplished there.

Home win

Fredrikstad (14th) – Molde (2nd)

In spite of their massive win against Odd last round all is not well at Fredrikstad. They’re still occupying the undesirable play-off spot, and there is trouble afoot: Icelandic striker Gardar Johansson has hit out at the club for not treating the players right. Hilariously, marshmallow-shaped manager Tom Nordlie had just given an interview to TV2 where he empathized the importance of loyalty, which lead to this priceless bit of juxtaposition: A headline over a picture of Nordlie reading “Loyalty is the most important thing” right next to a picture of Johansson with the headline “Looking forward to leaving FFK”. Just the kind of thing you want on the eve of a crucial, potentially season-defining game.

Home win

Stabæk (3th) – Bodø/Glimt (15th)

Stabæk’s home-record this season is 9-3-2 and Glimt’s away-record is 1-5-8. Do the maths.

Home win

Odd Grenland (5th) – Lyn (16th)

When it comes to bizarre stories, Lyn is quite simply the gift that keeps on giving. From the manager who refused to go away, the constant flirting (and indeed heavy petting) with bankruptcy, almost getting thrown out of their ground, having to pay for rent of said ground in advance of each game, it goes on and on. But this one, well, this just might top them all. As it turns out, one of the (many many) companies that Lyn owe money is a call centre called “ProDialog”, the chief executive of which is none other than Vegard Bjerke, captain of Adeccoliga-side HamKam.

Having been relegated in spectacular fashion last season, HamKam have also made a complete mess of it in the Adeccoliga and now look like getting relegated for the second season in a row. Having already flirted with financial doom this season, relegation would pretty much ensure ensure bankruptcy as there isn’t any kind of money to be made in the 2. division. Except if Lyn go bust, there will be a spot open in next season’s Adeccoliga, and since they look like becoming the highest placed team to get relegated that spot would go to.. HamKam.

So, essentially, the captain of HamKam could use his company to condemn Lyn to bankruptcy, and by doing so he’d save his own club from a similar fate. “Uff, that’s a strange dilemma,” said HamKam-manager Vegard Skogheim. “No comment,” said Vegard Bjerke. You really couldn’t make it up could you?

Home win

Lillestrøm (12th) – Brann (4th)

Ever wondered how much money you neighbor makes? Move to Norway, where once a year the tax-man will tell you. Really. Each year lists of how much money everyone made last year are published. This in itself is fairly disgraceful, and the massive public interest in the lists doubly so. With this in mind we here at NFN won’t go too much into it, except to say that SIXTEEN players in Brann’s squad had an income of over one million kr in 2008. “This tells us that it’s been good times in Norwegian football” says Brann’s sporting director Roald Bruun-Hanssen. “This tells us that you’re a bit of an idiot,” countered NFN’s fictional expert on football finances.

Draw

Tromsø (7th) – Start (9th)

Two teams with the exact same amount of points (37), in fact their overall record this season is identical (9-10-9). As far as pointless mid-table mashups go, this is as pointless as they come. Start have a couple of injury-worries, most importantly Clarence Goodson has a fever and a touch of the sniffles, and when asked about his thoughts on the team against Tromsø was manager Knut Tørum said “No thoughts”. Does that man ever know anything?

Draw

Rosenborg (1st) – Aalesund (11th)

Well this should be spectacular shouldn’t it? Rosenborg-players who have one if not both eyes on their upcoming vacations and Aalesund-players who now definitely have both eyes on the cup-final. Not even Kjetil Rekdal can keep this from becoming a massive borefest, surely?

Home win

Martin Andresen was always a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde-character as a player. Intelligent and softly spoken off the pitch, the marauding midfielder turned into a raving, nipple-tweaking lunatic the moment a referee blew for kickoff. This tendency earned him the unkind moniker “Mad Martin” here at NFN-towers, and when he captained Brann it was perfect: He represented the club with great dignity off the pitch and was a truly commanding figure on it.

When he left Brann to become supreme overlord of Vålerenga however, this duality became a bit of an issue. “When Martin is the playing manager you’re afraid of going up to him and asking what you have to do to improve” young midfielder Mohammad Fellah told TV2 in a recent interview. Andresen’s terrifying presence had served him well as a captain, but when he was actually in charge of it all it proved counter-productive (Roy Keane would do well to take note). An injury forced Andresen to take to the sidelines back in August, and since then Vålerenga have played six and won five in the league. “It seems like he’s more in control now,” Fellah concludes.

This Sunday the Andresen-revival continued with a 1-2 win away to his former club Brann, but Andresen refused to rule out a return to the pitch. He is nearly fit for action again, and it remains to be seen if he’ll unleash Mr. Hyde yet again or if the “Mad Martin”-moniker can be retired for good.

Up North, well, Bodø/Glimt are down. Essentially. They couldn’t win their Northern derby against a Tromsø side that had nothing to play for and was missing their goalkeeper and two best defenders, and with other results going against them their hopes of staying up are now purely mathematical. It wasn’t a terrible performance by Glimt at all, but a 1-1 draw is far from enough to get them out of trouble. “We have to put our chances away, if not we’ll go down,” Glimt-manager Kåre Ingebrigtsen told reporters, but the tone of his voice suggested a slight grammatical alteration to what he was saying – We didn’t put our chances away and we are going down.

One team that looks out of the woods is Aalesund, who picked up a somewhat surprising 1-0 win down South against Start. Well, not so surprising to the “Start are rubbish without Goodson”-brigade, who’ll have noted the American defender’s absence from the team-sheet and quickly gotten their bets in. Goodson missed a training-session due to severe jet-lag this Friday, which annoyed manager Knut Tørum to the extent that he would rather his team played without their best player against Aalesund. “I had to make a point,” Tørum explained. The losing goal incidentally, was conceded after a gaffe from Goodson’s replacement Jesper Mathisen. Point well made.

Strømsgodset finally managed to win a game away from home, largely thanks to majestic midfielder Fredrik Winsnes who dominated the game and scored a sublime goal from range in the 0-1 win against Lyn. The 33 year old Winsnes will be a bosman-player after the season ends, and while Godset are depserate to keep him around his hometown club Rosenborg have offered him a two year-contract. The prospect of ending his career with the reigning champions must surely be an alluring one, so the smart money is on Dr. W returning to Lerkendal.

The Tom Nordlie-powered Fredrikstad also took a mighty step towards safety with a 3-0 thwacking of Odd on Monday night. A superb atmosphere in the beautiful Fredrikstad Stadion spurred the team on, and there was really nothing about the game that suggested FFK have any business in the Adeccoliga.

Wins for Aalesund, Strømsgodset and Fredrikstad raise an interesting possibility: Lillestrøm could be in a spot of bother after all. Previously assumed by most to be safe(ish), their 2-2 draw against Sandefjord means Henning Berg’s men may yet end up having to qualify for next season’s Tippeliga. They’re 12th with 34 points, which doesn’t look too bad, but both Fredrikstad (31 points) and Strømsgodset (32 points) below them are on good form. FFK face Molde at home and Lyn away in their last two games, their home form is strong and Lyn are diabolical. Godset face Viking at home and Aalesund away, again strong home form suggests a result against Viking and by the time they face Aalesund Kjetil Rekdal’s men are probably safe and thinking about the upcoming cup-final. LSK? They have a difficult home-game against Europa League-chasing Brann and then they have to go to Molde. There was real worry on Henning Berg’s face in the post-match interview, his team just might snatch peril from the jaws of safety.

Molde showed against Stabæk that they have no intentions of throwing away their silver-medals just because they have a cup-final to look forward to, and they put an otherwise much improved Stabæk-side back in their box with a 4-0 win.

The introduction of enfant terrible Tommy Høiland wasn’t enough to liven up things in Stavanger, Viking were yet again irretrievably dull and drew 0-0 with champions Rosenborg.

In the end, everything went as expected. HJK got the point they needed to secure their 22nd title, despite Jaro taking the lead on eight minutes after Tillman Grove swept the ball home following a cross from the left. HJK’s cautious outlook has been criticised this season, but a draw was all they needed from Jaro and a draw was what they got when Dawda Bah picked up the ball following confusion in the Jaro defence and slotted past Jaro keeper Vitali Teles.

The HJK coach, always a dignified and courteous presence even when under intense pressure, resisted the temptation to take pot shots at the fans and journalists who had spent most of the season discussing who should replace him. Surely he wanted to tell the fans how wrong they were to demand his departure?

“I don’t think the fans wanted that, in the end,” a relieved Muurinen told Aamulehti after the game. “You can’t please everyone, you have to accept that and you have to get used to the new way of thinking in the 21st century.”

The 21st century is a hard place for nice guys like Muurinen. A teetotaller who has often been criticised for his weak authority, a cautious tactical outlook and his lack of charisma, he often seems out of place in modern football, but his strong relationship with HJK owner Olli-Pekka Lyytikainen could yet see him granted a contract extension.

“Well, I’ll drink a couple of cokes with Antti, take a sauna and come back to the issue after a couple of days,” the magazine magnate said.

In Turku, Tepsi’s season ended in crushing disappointment. After a 15 game unbeaten run was broken by FF Jaro on September 20, the Turku side won two games against relegation candidates KuPS and RoPS, but in their last two matches they could only draw against MyPa and Espoon Honka. Yesterday’s goalless draw with Mika Lehkosuo’s men ensured that TPS finished only third, enough for a place in Europe, but much less than they hoped for after that tremendous mid-season run.

“I’m a little bit happy and disappointed,” TPS loanee Wayne Brown sighed. “It’s great to finish third, and it’s great for the club that they’ve got a place in Europe, but on the other hand we could have won the league. We messed up in two really important games, away against Jaro and Mypa, and that’s what’s cost us the championship.”

Rautiainen’s hyperactive touchline style will be present in next season’s Veikkausliiga after he signed a contract extension earlier in the season, a boon for everyone who wants to hear his entertaining press conferences.

Honka once again finished second, a decent performance after a disappointing start to the season.

“In out last four seasons we’ve finished fourth, fourth, second and second. It’s not difficult to predict where we’ll finish next year,” Lehkosuo ventured after seeing his side pip Tepsi to the runners-up spot.

At the bottom of the league, JJK secured a 2-2 draw that gives them a play-off against Kokkolan Pallo Veikot to play in next year’s Veikkausliiga. RoPS beat KuPS 1-0 under new coach Zeddy Saileti, but that was irrelevant after JJK’s result, and they go straight down, to be replaced by Ykkönen winners AC Oulu.

Three players retired yesterday – Saku Puhakainen, Toni Huttunen and probably the greatest player in the history of the Finnish League, Valeri Popovitch. NFN doffs it’s proverbial cap to all three for the joy they’ve provided down the years. Popovitch at least will be player-manager at Ilves next season, and it will be a treat to see the majestic Russian up against Kakkonen defences.

Saturday

Molde (2nd) – Stabæk (3rd)

If Rosenborg didn’t exist this would be the game of the season, but alas this top of the table-clash between two teams who play fabulous flowing football is somewhat undermined by the fact that no matter who wins they’ll still be fourteen points behind the not-quite-undefeated champions. Should still be a cracking game though, with Stabæk’s recent fine form making them slight favorites. Assistant-manager Geir Bakke has revealed Stabæk’s rather curious plan, telling Dagbladet that “They are second, but we’re right behind them and we’re going to bit them in the ass”. Interesting approach certainly, but to be honest Molde’s midfielder Magne Hoseth has the look of a man who might enjoy that kind of thing. Seriously.

Sunday

Sandefjord (9th) – Lillestrøm (11th)

Yeah, this is clearly not very interesting, so let’s just take yet another moment to praise the astoundingly good job Sandefjord-manager Patrick Walker has done this season. Much of it may be down to the kind of first season-syndrome which last season saw Bodø/Glimt finish a downright weird 4th, but still, this Sandefjord-squad is thoroughly unimpressive on paper and there they are, 9th, completely and utterly safe with three rounds to go. Well done. Another 1-0 win?

Home win

Viking (10th) – Rosenborg (1st)

Uwe Rösler’s midtable-dullards versus Erik Hamrén’s confirmed champions, this could be terribly boring indeed. Could, but probably won’t be as Tommy Høiland is set to start for Viking. The 20-yearold is somewhat of an enfant terrible, talented by lacking in discipline, his abilities are often overshadowed by his relentless diving and tendency to kick people. His style is very much Bernt Hulsker on amphetamines, and he could be the perfect antidote to the dreariness usually associated with Viking-games.

Draw

Start (7th) – Aalesund (12th)

Aalesund travel South to Start without their preposterously tall striker Tor Hogne Aarøy, but Start have their own worries as defender Clarence Goodson is, well, missing. The American has been away on international duty but didn’t show up for training this Friday, and there was much confusion as neither manager Knut Tørum, sporting director Svein Mathisen or chief executive Rune Jakobsen had any idea why Goodson was missing. “I expected him to be here. If something’s happened, I don’t know,” clued up coach Tørum confessed.

Draw

Lyn (16th) – Strømsgodset (13th)

Now. Really. After thirteen away-games without a single win, surely this is the time for Strømsgodset to pick up three points on the road?

Away win

Bodø/Glimt (15th) – Tromsø (8th)

Boring international weeks can do strange things to people, especially sports editors, and so TV2 this week consulted a numerologist and asked her how the Tippeliga would pan out. She was very much of the opinion that “Bodø/Glimt have a terrible name” and will go down. That last part does seem exceedingly likely, but with silly Sead Ramovic serving a suspension and half of Tromsø’s defense breaking down with injuries, maybe the paranormal isn’t working against Glimt after all..

Draw

Brann (4th) – Vålerenga (6th)

A bit pointless this, but when two of the teams that generate the biggest TV-audiences in the country clash it has to be hyped somehow and so TV2 have turned to the fans: “Oslo is the ugliest city in Norway!” exclaimed a spokesman for Brann’s supporter club, one who has clearly never been to any of Brann’s away-games against Strømsgodset. TV2 jubilantly proclaimed that the war of words has started, and promptly stuck a microphone in font of a Vålerenga-fan to hear his reply. “Bergen has a fish-market were they fool an entire city into buying rotten fish!”. As far as comebacks go, that one was a bit Michael Jackson wasn’t it?

Home win

Monday

Fredrikstad (14th) – Odd Grenland (5th)

According to the numerologist, Fredrikstad have many good numbers going for them, but then she also said Odd Grenland would win all of their remaining games. Surprisingly enough that makes no sense, as Fredrikstad really rather need points here. Oh the confusion.

Home win

Down at the bottom, RoPS will host KuPS. It is no secret that the Rovaniemi side are rubbish, but that they were crappy enough to succumb to a 9-0 massacre in the hands of Honka is enough to indicate why they have no place in the top flight. True to their style, they pressed the panic button this week, releasing head coach Mika Lumijärvi and replacing him with club legend Zeddy Saileti, who has never head coached a football team. Now he should somehow be able to turn the club’s miserable form around in just one game. A draw would be an insufficient result and even three points will not guarantee a relegation spot. Furthermore, they are unlikely to get anything out from the game.

It is ironic indeed that KuPS are the visiting side. KuPS’ Nigerian striker Dickson Nwakaeme was largely influential when KuPS gave RoPS a 3-0 hammering at home a few months back. RoPS found out that Nwakaeme was not eligible as he had played an official game in May. The Finnish FA had already decided the case in RoPS’ favour, turning the result upside down, before KuPS’ complaint again made the original result valid and left the FA, who had given Nwakaeme his permission to play, blushing. RoPS have moaned over the issue since, but their performances on the pitch would tell a blind dog that the team does not belong in the top division. KuPS are likely to put RoPS out of their misery, and hopefully RoPS will not come back before they have finally come up with something resembling a credible strategy.

JJK are not in for a stroll in the park either. Some time ago, their opponents Tampere United sold two of their better players, Jussi Kujala and Mathias Lindström, and have reduced the wage bill. Morale in the United squad was expected to drop, but in fact, it seems the crisis has unified the squad. Tampere United are the better team, but for JJK the game is of great importance. While they have suffered no less than seven straight defeats, they should not be written off yet, especially as they have the backing of a sold-out stadium. Despite their poor form, the local people have stuck behind their club, and the fans really deserve a top-flight team. Unfortunately, they will have to play two play-off games to book their ticket for Veikkausliiga 2010.

As the games in between are rather meaningless, we can happily skip them and move on to the top of the table. HJK, TPS and FC Honka will stay put in the podium positions, but Saturday will settle which side will take the highest spot.

HJK are the most likely winners. They have left Honka and TPS trailing by three points, so a draw at home against Jaro would be enough to kick off their first title celebration since 2003. It has escaped nobody’s attention, though, that head coach Antti Muurinen has a history of fumbling golden opportunities. One needs to look no further than a few months back, when HJK had won their away tie at Lithuanian side FK Vetra and a home draw would have seen them face Fulham in the third round of the UEFA Europa League.  Incredibly, they suffered a 3-1 loss at home and their European campaign ended.

The Finnish media have wasted no time in pointing out that HJK would only have needed a draw to win the title in their last game in 1999. However, they lost their away game to Haka and saw Haka lift the trophy that was theirs for the taking.

Nevertheless, Jaro are the weaker side against HJK, and HJK would be the favourites even if the stakes were not so high. And even if Muurinen has a history of messing things up in the defining moments, the HJK squad are unlikely to let this opportunity slip away. HJK are not very entertaining and concentrate on clinical, result-based football instead. TPS and Honka are the more enjoyable sides, but there are no moral victors. It would really suit HJK if they did nothing more than what was needed and played a boring 0-0 draw, but there can be no complaints. While Jaro should be given their share of respect, especially due to their recent improvement under new coach Alexei Eremenko sr, they are unlikely to grab a win.

If Jaro do win, however, TPS and Honka have the perfect opportunity to lift the trophy. If one of the two sides find themselves on top with HJK on level points, they are crowned champions on the basis of better goal difference. TPS are currently third, and need a win to be sure of receiving silver medals, while a draw would leave Honka on the second spot. TPS’ head coach Pasi Rautiainen has played down his team’s role in the title race, comparing the probability of a Jaro win in Helsinki to seeing a flying cow. He is probably right, but slim title chances ensure that both sides will really push for the three points. Picking a favourite is splitting hairs really, but TPS’ home advantage (nearly a sell-out) makes them the favourites by the slimmest of margins.

SATURDAY’S FIXTURES AND NFN’S PREDICTIONS (ALL GAMES START AT 3 PM, GMT+2):

HJK – FF Jaro, draw (HJK win the title)
TPS – FC Honka, home win (TPS finish second, Honka third)
VPS – IFK Mariehamn, away win
Haka – MYPA, home win
FC Lahti – FC Inter, away win
JJK – Tampere United, away win (JJK finish 13th and go into relegation play-offs)
RoPS – KuPS, away win (RoPS relegated)

But the central figure was Jonatan Johansson, who received bouquets from Mickael Ballack and Finnish FA president Pekka Hämäläinen before kick off in recognition of his achievement in starting 100 internationals. Finland took the lead after a precise, rapid counter-attack launched when Litmanen set free Porokara down the left, who raced past the near-stationary Beck before delivering a cross to Roman Eremenko, who knocked it down for Johansson to pick up. The bouquet recipient nipped in between Friedrich and Westermann before poking the ball past Adler and into the German goal, and Finland’s fans and players could not quite believe it.

They began spraying the ball about as if they were a calm, confident modern football team, a preposterous impersonation given their previous cock-ups in this group. At least one move involved more than 20 passes, and it was no surprise when the German fans booed their team off at half time. Was this really Finland, playing possession football, assured at the back and dangerous up front? They didn’t create too many clear cut chances, but they were dominating play and frustrating Germany. Mission accomplished, pretty much – if only it had ended then.

Alas, it wasn’t to be. Baxter swapped Hämäläinen for Kolkka on 66 minutes, and Kuqi for Porokara on 71, and Finland’s fluent counter-attacks all but dried up, as Germany’s attacking onslaught gathered pace. Deprived of the respite offered by an attacking quartet able to keep the ball near the German goal, Finland came under more and more pressure, and eventually conceded a farcical equaliser when Johansson trod on the ball in the six yard box. Klose passed to Podolski, who side footed home and then laughed hysterically for a couple of minutes as his team mates celebrated.

Baxter defended his substitutions in his post-game TV interview.

“We have a lot of players that don’t play at this level, and they tire, like they did in Helsinki, and we had to replace them,” Baxter told the watching thousands.

That Kuqi looked more tired after five minutes on the field than Porokara had after 70 was not pointed out to the coach, neither was the fact that it is much less tiring to keep possession than it is to defend. But to do so would have been overly critical, as Finland performed much better than they have in pretty much any other game this campaign. The coach deserves credit for that, and he was gutted about the result, if not most of the performance.

“I must be one of the most stupid coaches in the world, because I’ve drawn twice with Germany and I’m disappointed,” said the Helsingborg-based Finland manager. “I’m massively disappointed for the players. We could have been one of the few teams to have beaten Germany in a World Cup qualifier on their home pitch.”

Philipp Lahm was not impressed with Finland’s attacking intent, but quite what he expected from them is unclear.

“We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence, just as we did against Azerbaijan,” the left back moaned afterwards. “And that was the case today as well. They scored the goal early and then played defensively.”

Lothar Mathäus would never have made excuses like that, but this is all-new, skintight-shirt-wearing, aesthetically pleasing Germany, and victory is less important than a nice spectacle for the fans. Call me old fashioned if you must, but I’m not sure I like it.