Dexter_Morgan Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Doing well so far considering it's your first season in the top flight which shows you have a good foundation to build upon! Cheers mate, it went better than expected tbh. Some cracking signings there and you're really holding your oamongst the big boys!Some big names in that Europa League Group, should be good for the coffers Cheers. The Europa was too much and suspect it will be for a while due to the Nordic player only restrictions i've set myself but at least we have shown we can compete in the league. Can't help but feel you should be making more use of this man in the thread... Great start in the top flight though and I like the look of Ristola Ristola has had a bit of a hit and mix season but he's young and expect him to get better next season now he's had time to settle in. What a brilliant year and half you've had! Very interested to see how you get on in Europe - it's a pretty tough group IMO. Thanks, as I said earlier the league has gone really well I have 2 Europa games left but we are already knocked out, i'm just hoping for a bit of cash from the last 2. Going really well this season. Cheers deltablue. Getting good players in early this year has made all the difference I feel. Before this year it was always around June onwards where the signings would come in and we'd improve but thankfully that wasn't the case this time around I'll be doing the season review once these 2 Europa games are out of the way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Lillehammer FK September Brann 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen An unexpected victory here but a deserved one as Brann struggled to break us down. Solum tucked away from 6 yards in the 36th minute to give us the points Stabaek 2 Lillehammer 4 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We threw away a 2 goal lead after Skjelbred and Langas had put us in the lead and seemingly dominant. Thankfully we pulled ourselves together and Porisson put us back in the lead and Langas got his 2nd of the game to finish Stabaek off. Lillehammer 1 Twente 1 - Europa League Group F I was a bit disappointed we couldn't hold on to the lead Porisson gave us in the 1st half but Twente probably just about deserved something from the game. Lillehammer 1 Start 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Palarud secured the win with a 25 yard strike. We should have added to the scoreline on a few ocassions but the Start keeper was in good form. Lillehammer 0 Rosenborg 5 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Hard to blame the players for this as I made a lot of changes for this game due to the amount of games played recently. Bryne 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Not the best result considering Bryne's position in the league but we edged the win thanks to a 59th minute header by Solum. October Fenerbache 4 Lillehammer 0 - Europa League Group F A mixture of a bad day at the office and obviously Fenerbache being too good for us (they won 2-0 at Valencia in the opening game so they are obviously no pushovers). Lillehammer 0 Sarpsborg 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We were the slightly better team here but didn't really create enough chances to take the lead. Lillehammer 2 Molde 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We came from 2-0 down in the first half hour to earn a very decent point. Langas pulled the 1st goal back after 39 minutes and Skjeldbred levelled the scores with a placed shot with 4 minutes to go. Happy with the player charcter today as most sides would have struggled to get back in to it against a team like Molde. Lillehammer 0 Valencia 1 - Europa League Group F We put up a real fight against the Spanish side and were unlucky not to have been in the lead as we seen 2 shots come back off the woodwork. Adil Rami's 83rd minute goal came pretty much out of the blue as we were looking comfortable for at least the point. Sandnes 1 Lillehammer 5 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Our best league display for a few weeks ensured a comfortable win. Solum gave us an early lead only for Sandnes to equalise soon after but from there we took control thanks to another goal by Solum, Priha and a brace by Langas. Lillestrom 2 Lillehammer 7 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Lillestrom were a decent price for the title at the start of this season but they have struggled for the majority of it and we took full advantage of their injuries and suspensions to secure our biggest away win of the season. We were 5-0 up at half time thanks to Lekaj (6,21), Porisson (9) Ylimainen (15) and a 33rd minute own goal. We slowed down in the 2nd half but Lekaj managed to complete a fine hat trick and Ristola also got in on the act. November Lillehammer 2 Aasuland 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We had already secured 6th place bar a disaster in terms of a swing in goal difference and it was unlikely Brann would lose at home to the bottom side for us to snatch 5th so I made a lot of changes ahead of our trip to Valencia and it was enough to seal a point with Ylimainen and Langas being our scorers. Valencia 2 Lillehammer 0 - Europa League Group F We put in a good performance but Valencia are obviously a better side and they picked us off when they needed to and won comfortably. Twente 1 Lillehammer 0 - Europa League Group F Another decent display in the group that ended with the same old story. December Lillehammer 1 Fenerbache 1 - Europa League Group F Porisson gave us a deserved lead in the 55th minute but as per usual things didn't go our way and Fenerbache managed to scrape a draw. Managers Thoughts An excellent start to life in the Tippeligaen after initially fearing it would be a hard slog this season but fortunately I got the majority of the key signings done very early. Porisson, Stefnisson, Ristola and Skjelbred were the biggest 4 signings of the season along with a couple of loan players who are now signed in Arto Ylimainen and Toni Priha. The Europa League was always going to be tough but just getting to the group was a big achievement and bar the 4-0 defeat at Fenerbache we handled ourselves reasonably well even if the results did go against us. We had a board takeover in October. This chairman had originally targeted 2nd division Mo and that would have been a tycoon takeover if that had gone through, instead he pulled out and headed the consortium to take us over so it will be interesting to see what kind of money gets pumped in to the club (obviously I managed to keep my job). Our rep certainly rose significantly after the takeover Our finances aren't looking that great there but midway through writing this the chairman put £5M in to the club and we have a £3.5M transfer kitty for the season now. Without Europe this year i'm hoping we can do a little better in the league, even if it is just a place higher i'd regard that as success. I am planning on letting a lot of squad players go and improve the squad. Main targets are a goalkeeper (which has been done whilst writing this) a center back or 2 and a reliable striker, we have the money to do this so hopefully they can be signed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy89 Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Really good season there and IMO you handled yourself very well in Europe. Good to know the chairman is willing to put his hand in his pocket. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Very good season overall and it's nice to see you have a chairman who is willing to back you.Will be interesting to see who you can get in with a decent transfer budget. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Really good season there and IMO you handled yourself very well in Europe.Good to know the chairman is willing to put his hand in his pocket. Very good season overall and it's nice to see you have a chairman who is willing to back you.Will be interesting to see who you can get in with a decent transfer budget. Cheers lads. It does seem that this chairman is going to be decent with money and that means i've been able to improve in all the areas we desperately needed to. Elsewhere Rosenborg made the Europa League final beating Monaco and Fiorentina in their group games and Leverkusen and Spurs being the biggest names in the knockout stages. They were a minute away from extra time in the final against Arsenal too Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 Lillehammer FK 2020 (Apologies for the long post, my internet was out when I wanted to do the half way report so decided to carry on and just do a full year ) March Stabaek 1 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Debutant Hagen got us off to a good start with a header from a corner after 14 minutes. Stabaek got back in to the game after 53 minutes and probably deserved it at that stage but 4 minutes later Porisson who had been so poor i'd already arranged to substitute chipped the keeper from the edge of the box to seal the win. Lillehammer 3 Haugesund 3 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Porisson gave us an early lead but that didn't last long as Haugesund got straight back in to the game. Hunt restored our lead in the minute. Brenden extended our lead shortly after half time but after being forced in to making 3 subs due to injuries they got back to level terms. Lillehammer 1 Lillestrom 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Unlike the draw earlier in the week I was happy with this one as we really were down to the bare bones and 3 players were out of position. Lillestrom took a 5th minute lead but Skjelbred got the equaliser after 71 minutes which was the least we deserved as we were the better side. Start 0 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Goals before the half and full time whistles from Nordberg and then Skjelbred gave us a deserved win here. April Lillehammer 1 Molde 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Molde ruined the party as the Lillehammer Stadium was christened with an away win. Sandefjord 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen A game of little chances was settled mid way through the 2nd half thanks to Porisson's close range header. Lillehammer 3 Odd 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen It took us until the 2nd half to get going but we managed a convincing win in the end thanks to Porisson (46,49) and Martinussen (61) to record our 1st home win of the season and 1st at our new stadium. Brann 1 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We were very unlucky not to get the 3 points from this game as we were the better side for long periods of this game and Brann were lucky enough to score their only shot on target after Porisson had given us a 7th minute lead. May FK Nord 0 Lillehammer 3 - Norwegian Cup 1st Round We brushed aside the non league side with ease thanks to Moren, Skjelbred and Daugaard Lillehammer Sarpsborg - Norwegian Tippeligaen Brenden scored after 2 minutes as we started well against the struggling side. Hagen doubled the lead after 22 minutes with a header from a corner and it was 3 just 5 minutes later thanks to Martinussen. Sarpsborg pulled a goal back on 42 minutes but Martinussen added his 2nd just before half time. An own goal made it 5 before Sarpsborg pulled 2 goals back but Hult had the final word to make it 6-3 late on. Voss 0 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Cup 2nd Round A stefinssen penalty and a Solum strike gave us a 2-0 half time lead as I made a number of changes for this tie and it was more than enough to see us through to round 3. Valerenga 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Hult pounced after the Valerenga keeper failed to clear properly to slot the ball in to an open goal from 25 yards in the 1st half and that was enough to seal the win. Lillehammer 1 Fredrikstad 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Full back Ylimainen struck a superb goal from fully 30 yards to give us the win in what was otherwise a dull game. June Lillehammer 4 Brann 1 (AET) - Norwegian Cup 3rd Round It took 70 minutes for a goal in this game and that went to Brann, the lead was shortlived as Solum scored the 1st of his 2 goals to take the tie in to extra time. Skjelbred gave us the lead in the 93rd minute, Hult's 104th minute penalty made it 3-1 and Solum added his 2nd after 108 minute. Lillehammer 2 Sandefjord 1 (AET) - Norwegian Cup 4th Round A fantastic effort by my players as they played 120 minutes for the 2nd time in 3 days in what is a depleated squad at the moment with injuries and internationals. As with the previous game we came from behind to clinch the win. Hult equalised after 77 minutes to force extra time and then with 117 minutes on the clock Daugaard tapped in from close range from a corner. July Viking 1 Lillehammer 4 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Porisson grabbed a brace and an own goal and a fine Hult strike secured the win. Lillehammer 1 Rosenborg 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Nordberg gave us a 9th minute lead and we looked good to at least keep the score as it was or add another until out of nowhere Rosenborg snatched a 87th minute equaliser. Lillehammer 2 Aalesund 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Daly and Porisson secured the points in what was a scrappy performance. Lillehammer 3 Stabaek 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Porisson, Daugaard and an own goal set us on our way in this one sided game, we should really have boosted our goal difference here but the main thing is the points at the moment as we are still in touching distance of Rosenborg and Molde. Lillestrom 1 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We kept our remarkable run going after yet again coming back from behind thanks to an own goal and Porisson's magical goal on 72 minutes. August Haugesland 3 Lillehammer 4 - Norwegian Tippeligaen A crazy game seen us snatch the points. We took the lead through an own goal in the 20th minute only to be pulled back almost immediately, we regained the lead in the 25th minute thanks to another own goal and Porisson went on to make it 3-1 in the 36th with a chip from just outside the box. We went 4-1 up in the 77th minute thanks to Porisson's angled drive. Haugeslund then managed to pull 2 goals back to make it a nervy finish after we were looking well in control but thankfully we held on for the win. Lillehammer 1 Start 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Porisson secured the win after a corner was headed back across the penalty area and he reacted first to head home after 68 minutes in a game of little chances. Start 1 Lillehammer 4 - Norwegian Cup Q/F Skjelbred and Porisson had us in a 2-0 lead in the 1st 11 minutes as we tore in to Start. Skjelbred made it 3-0 after 22 minutes with a shot from distance and the game was as good as over. Porisson scored his 2nd with a breakaway goal in the 63rd minute. Lillehammer 3 Sandefjord 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen In a crazy season of own goals we had another one go our way to lead going in to half time. Porisson made it 2-0 20 seconds after the restart with a header from 10 yards. Sandefjord pulled one back in the 50th minute but we continued to attack and Porisson sneaked in at the back post to convert a cross in the 80th minute to secure the win. Molde 3 Lillehammer 3 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We went in to this clash knowing we had to come out with at least a point to have any hope of winning the title, but even I didn't expect our start. Porisson's brace had us 2-0 up within the 1st 15 minutes but a horror show by center back Moren gifted Rosenborg 2 goals as they ended up going in at half time 3-2 up. Thankfully our heads didn't drop and Nordberg scored a wonderful solo goal after 48 minutes, he almost scored an identical goal in stoppage time but this time his shot cannoned back off the crossbar and to safety. September Lillehammer 3 Brann 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We took the lead after Porisson's shot hit the post and went in off a defender after 13 minutes, Maeland scored a 28th minute penalty to extend our lead even further. We had a few more chances in the 2nd half and eventually Porisson took one in the 83rd minute to secure the win and send us top of the league. Odd 0 Lillehammer 3 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Priha set us on our way in the 17th minute against the bottom side. Porisson kept up his recent scoring spree just after half time to put us in control. Center back Hagen nodded in from a corner after 56 minutes to round off a convincing display. Sarpsborg 0 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Another convincing away performance as our dreams of topping the league are starting to look like they may actually happen. Priha and Langas scored the goals here as I rested a few players ahead of our cup semi final against Molde. Lillehammer 3 Molde 0 - Norwegian Cup S/F Molde started off the better side but we managed to keep them at bay and then snatch an undeserved lead through Porisson in 1st half stoppage time. We were much better in the 2nd half though and Nordberg doubled the lead with a placed shot after 67 minutes. Porisson added his 2nd goal after 76 minutes to send us to our 4th final in 5 years. Fredrikstad 0 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Skjelbred and Porisson struck in the 1st half to give us a comfortable win against the struggling side. October Lillehammer 2 Valerenga 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Hagen put us in the lead after a scramble from a corner and then Priha doubled that 2 minutes later with a shot from distance. Aalesund 1 Lillehammer 3 - Norwegian Tippeligaen A brace from Skjelbred and a tap in from Daly put us in control as our fine run continued. Lillehammer 3 Viking 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We showed Viking from the word go that we meant business here as we kept firing shots at their goal. We took the lead in the 34th minute when Skjelbred latched on to Porisson's through ball to calmly slot the ball past the keeper. Maeland added a 2nd shortly after half time and Porisson sealed the win after 52 minutes. Lillehammer 1 Tromso 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We went in to this game knowing a point would seal the title for us. Porisson put us in the lead on the stroke of half time to seal our first ever title. November Rosenborg 2 Lillehammer 3 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Hult opened the scoring in the 19th minute from 15 yards. Rosenborg got themselves on level terms just before half time. Shortly after the restart Rosenborg took the lead but we got our act together and were the better side for the rest of the game and we got our reward in the 89th minute when Daugaard equalised with a tap in from a corner. The scoring wasn't finished there though and 3 minutes in to injury time Porisson sealed the win with a shot from 20 yards to earn a thrilling and deserved win. Haugesund 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Cup Final Porisson gave us the lead in the 14th minute to seal the double. This was a pretty poor game with little chances but we did more than enough to secure the win. Managers Thoughts I hoped for a top 4 challenge this season but this was beyond my wildest dreams. We started the season off really well and that set the tone for the whole year. Rosenborg took a big 9 point lead early on in the season and they maintained that right up until July when the Champions League qualifiers started and whilst they managed to get themselves in to the group stage their league form began to wobble as they struggled to juggle the 2. With only the league and the cup to concentrate on and Molde also managing the Europa Group our periods of rest seemed to make the world of difference as we went on a 21 game unbeaten run in all comps (19 of those games were wins). Porisson was the catalyst for our success as he moved from the wing this season to center forward and he chipped in with 29 goals. The tightening of the defence was also a big factor in the season, Hagen and Daugaard were rocks at center back and Borger Thomas in goal was also superb. Swedish winger Niklas Hult was also signed and though he had a lot of injuries his 15 games played were very productive. Obviously I am looking to maintain the standards of this season and improve the squad. Thankfully as champions we don't have to worry about Europe until mid September so hopefully we will avoid the problems Rosenborg and Molde faced with the 6 extra games each and be competitive at the top. Saeverid and Lindberg are already signed for next season to improve our quality on the wings but our finances aren't the best so i'll be hoping for some investment from the board or at least some better sponsorship deals in pre season to help fund a few more signings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
b101 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Serious congratulations pal - great title win. Will be interesting to see who you get in the CL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRL88 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Comfortable in the end. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy89 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Absolutely fantastic mate, good luck in the CL! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Such a brilliant season Just Europe to conquer now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 Serious congratulations pal - great title win. Will be interesting to see who you get in the CL Cheers mate, I wasn't sure if we could see it through but we were on such a fantastic run that if we had thrown it away in the last couple of games i'd have been disappointed tbh because we had done so well to catch and overtake Rosenborg. Comfortable in the end. It was only the last few games where we built a proper lead up tbh, Rosenborg were a bit unlucky that in one week towards the end they played Saturday and Monday in the league, CL on Wednesday and league games on the Friday and Sunday and that more or less killed their chances. Absolutely fantastic mate, good luck in the CL! Cheers mate, been a busy pre season losing Porisson and Ristola but I think the replacements are pretty much at the same level, if not then slightly better plus we've improved in other areas too so i'm hoping for a nice draw to give us a chance of 3rd. Such a brilliant season Just Europe to conquer now! Thanks mate. I think Europe will take quite a while (certainly the CL) due to the fact we are only signing players from our region. The good thing is that we've been allowed to improve junior coaching too over the past 18 months so i'm hoping that will continue to get improved and with any luck produce a team mostly through that in the next 5 years or so. We are also the 2nd biggest club in the country now so i've been able to sign players from the more traditional big clubs in Scandinavia over the winter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Fantastic work on capturing the title Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Wow, great double, CL should be an interesting challenge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbilly Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 2 promotions and a double in 7 seasons, some fine work going on here. Bring on europe! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Fantastic work on capturing the title Cheers mate, came a bit sooner than expected but chuffed to have got it especially as it put us straight in the CL group stage Wow, great double, CL should be an interesting challenge. Thanks deltablue Not sure what to expect but knowing FM it'll be a group of death All I want tbh is a group that gives me half a chance of finishing 3rd, if I get that then i'll be happy even if we fail 2 promotions and a double in 7 seasons, some fine work going on here. Bring on europe! Cheers It's actually quite slow for me on the Gundo challenge tbh I'm glad it's took longer though as I don't want an easy challenge which is why i've limited myself to Nordic players only as it should help make the league more interesting for me too rather than just snap up 9 Brazilians who could walk the league or something Lillehammer FK 2021 March Lillehammer 4 Lillestrom 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Lillestrom took the lead but after that we were sensational. Skjelbred equalised from distance before Bruhn and Lindberg scored their 1st goals for the club just before half time. Saeverid then scored his 1st for the club with a few minutes to go in the 2nd half. Aalesund 3 Lillehammer 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen This defeat was probably down to me, Borger Thomas was injured the day before the game and I failed to realise we didn't have a back up keeper and was forced to play an outfield player there Lillehammer 3 Fredrikstad 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Bruhn scored a brace as we got back to winning ways. Maeland scored the other goal from the penalty spot after 55 minutes. Lillehammer 0 Molde 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen How we lost this i'll never know. Molde didn't have a shot on target and their goal was scored by us April Tromso 2 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We twice came back from a goal down to earn a point. I know it's still early in the season but i've not been impressed with our start to this season bar the opening game. We seem to be missing a lot of chances and it has cost us. Sandnes 0 Lillehammer 5 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Maeland set us on our way with a 14th minute strike. Skjelbred got a brace (37,59) and Lindberg (64) also got in on the act. The final goal was an own goal with 3 minutes to go. Lillehammer 3 Start 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We knocked Start off the top spot with this convincing win. Lindberg gave us a 30th minute lead with a tap in. Bruhn scored a cracking 2nd in the 55th minute from 25 yards and the win was seasled by Brenden with 11 minutes to go. Bryne 0 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Bruhn and Andersen struck in the 1st half of a comfortable win. We had a few chances to extend our lead but the Bryne keeper was in good form. May Charlottenlund 0 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Cup 1st Round I've made a pledge to try and play fringe players in the cup this season seeing as we have Europe to worry about later and we beat the non league side easily thanks to Nordberg and an own goal. Lillehammer 0 Valerenga 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen In all honesty we should have walked this game with the chances we created but the finishing was poor Drobak-Frogn 1 Lillehammer 4 - Norwegian Cup 2nd Round 2 own goals by the same Drobak player, Langas and Brenden secured another comfortable win against a non league side. Sarpsborg 1 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen It took a while to get going against the struggling side but we got there in the end after Skjelbred equalised for us and Lindberg snatched the winner a minute in to stoppage time. Lillehammer 2 Brann 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We weren't at our best again here but thankfully a wonderful Skjelbred strike from distance in the 2nd half and a Maeland penalty settled the game. Valerenga 2 Lillehammer 0 - Norwegian Cup 3rd Round I had a hard think about my team selection here as it was a fellow Tippeligaen side we were up against but decided to stick with the reserves as the league is the priority for us. They put in a good performance and it was only 2 late goals that killed us off. Lillehammer 2 Haugesund 3 - Norwegian Tippeligaen I'm not even going to talk about this game too much. How we lost given our performance i'll never work out even a point would have been harsh on us. Manager's Thoughts I'm not convinced by us so far in all honesty, we are in a better position than we were at this time last season but it feels a little disjointed. I am hoping a lot of this is down to the amount of changes in the squad and over time we will improve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRL88 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Not a bad position in truth when you aren't convinced yet. Could be a lot worse. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Could have been worse as you said mate but we lost Skjelbred the day after the last game for 3 months, that could make things worse as he's been our best player so far this season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gundo Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Rocky released! Noooooooo! Should have kept him on til he retired then made him coach or something. Congrats on the double too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Lillehammer FK Transfers June Stabaek 3 Lillehammer 4 - Norwegian Tippeligaen The best and worst of us so far this season managed to show itself in this single game. We went in 3-0 up at half time thanks to 2 goals from Hult and Daugaard. We had thrown that away after 70 minutes to be pulled back on terms. Luckily a minute later Bruhn pounced on to a long ball to slot away the winner. July Sandefjord 2 Lillehammer 5 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We looked in control as Andersen and Saevereid put us 2-0 up. Sandefjord got back on level terms though by the 48th minute as our leaky defence looked vunerable yet again. Saevereid turned the game back in our favour though in the 66th minute with a powerful strike from just outside the box. Maeland restored the 2 goal lead 2 minutes later with another strike from just outside the area and Bruhn finished the scoring late on with a tap in. Lillehammer 3 Rosenborg 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen This game was over in the 1st half as a superb brace by Bruhn and a Brenden strike put us 3-0 up. I made a few changes for the 2nd half but we continued to play well and looked the most likely to add to the scoreline. Lillehammer 3 Aauseland 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen After a poor 40 minutes Hagen got us on level terms as we beat the struggling side. I had put in new signings Landu-Landu and Skorpen straight in to the starting XI for this game and they combined to put us in the lead with a minute remaining. Skorpen then made sure of the 3 points 3 minutes in to stoppage time with a powerful effort from 30 yards as he started to pay off his £350k fee immediately. Lilestrom 2 Lillehammer 4 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Lindberg crossed to Bruhn to to us a dream start. Skorpen then scored his 3rd in 2 to put us 2-0 up only to be pegged back at half time (story of the season). Daugaard nodded in a corner midway through the 2nd half to restore the lead and repeated the trick again with 2 minutes to go to give us a good win. August Molde 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen we did what Molde did to us in the reverse fixture to snatch an undeserved win. Skorpen latched on to Lingberg's pass in the 55th minute to emphatically finish from 15 yards. Lillehammer 3 Tromso 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We tore in to Tromso in the first half and were rewarded with goals from Bruhn (2) and Saevereid. The 2nd half wasn't as productive but at least we didn't do our usual trick of throwing a decent lead away. Lillehammer 3 Sandnes 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Saevereid tapped in after a corner wasn't cleared properly in the 5th minute then Bruhn hit goals from close range on 15 and 24 minutes to give us a commanding lead. Sandnes got a consolation from seemed to be direct from a corner (didn't bother checking replays to confirm ) but that was all they could muster. Fredrikstad 1 Lillehammer 4 - Norwegian Tippeligaen The theme of getting 3 in the 1st half continued thanks to 2 strikes from Andersen and one from Bruhn. The opposition did pull a goal back after half time but Brenden restored the 3 goal cushion. Managers Thoughts A better period on the whole, especially in the last few weeks as the silly mistakes aren't happening as often as earlier in the season. We still need to improve though especially in Europe as we have been handed a tough group. Out of Norway's 5 representatives in Europe this season 4 made the group stages (2 in each) which was pleasing in terms of the nation keeping strong. Rocky released! Noooooooo!Should have kept him on til he retired then made him coach or something. Congrats on the double too. Injuries took their toll on on Lekaj i'm afraid and I was hoping by letting him go he'd get 1st team football somewhere as he deserved it after the 3 years in the 1st team he gave us, if he goes in to coaching at any point I will certainly look to bring him back to the club though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbilly Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 That's more like it, cracking run of wins! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Excellent performances in the last couple of months so it is probably deserved that you sit on top of the table.Although seeing Bayern and Monaco in your group leaves me to say good luck against Galatasaray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy89 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 What a fantastic run! That is a very, very hard group, best of luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 That's more like it, cracking run of wins! We needed it There is still work to do but i'm hoping it's a sign of things to come for the rest of the season Excellent performances in the last couple of months so it is probably deserved that you sit on top of the table.Although seeing Bayern and Monaco in your group leaves me to say good luck against Galatasaray Cheers mate As for the CL I am going to give you a little teaser I don't expect us to stay there though as we have been battered by Bayern and Galatasaray in everything but the score What a fantastic run! That is a very, very hard group, best of luck! Cheers mate I am hoping for another 3 or 4 points now and that should safely see us in 3rd in the group. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
b101 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Ridiculous - I was about to say I liked the look of Bruhn as well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Very good in a tough CL group so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 18, 2014 Author Share Posted January 18, 2014 Ridiculous - I was about to say I liked the look of Bruhn as well Cheers mate. He's been superb, I thought with Porisson leaving we might have struggled for goals but this lad is just as good, if not better. Very good in a tough CL group so far. I am even shocked how well we have done, the 3 sides in there are all better than us on paper. Lillehammer FK 2021 September Lillehammer 2 Bryne 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen 8 changes were made with the CL game in mind but it didn't affect us as we cruised to a comfortable victory thanks to goals from Azemi (28) and Solem (86) Galatasaray 0 Lillehammer 0 - CL Group H The defence was superb in this real backs to the wall display, Gala had lots of chances but the back 5 performed miracles to earn us a good point. Valerenga 1 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen I made a few changes with the midweek game against Start in mind and we earned a fair point thanks to Bruhn's 90th minute equaliser. Start 0 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Bruhn and Saevereid set us on our way in this convincing performance to give us a real title boost. Brann 4 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen I had to make a decision whether to play the 1st team here or against Bayern but with a bit of a gap I took the gamble of a fringe side and it backfired as we went 4-0 down. We did make a fight of it at the end but it was too little too late. Fortuanately we still can afford to lose 1 of the last 5 so hopefully this gamble won't cost us in the grand scheme of things. Lillehammer 2 Bayern Munich 0 - CL Group H The greatest result in my career so far without a doubt. Again we were outplayed but the defence again was outstanding. Bruhn gave us a 32nd minute lead from just inside the box and after that all I could see coming was the inevitable Bayern fightback. That did happen in terms of the way they played but they just couldn't break us down. It was only when Andersen scored a 89th minute penalty that I knew the game was won. October Lillehammer 3 Sarpsborg 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen As usual in the league the hard work was done in the 1st half as goals from Bruhn (2) and Andersen left Sarpsborg with no answer. We tailed off slightly in the 2nd half but still had a couple of good chances to extend the lead. Lillehammer 1 Sandefjord 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen A lot of changes were made with us playing Monaco 2 days after this so it wasn't really a surprise that this was a pretty scrappy game. Skjelbred settled the game with a shot from just inside the box midway through the 1st half. Lillehammer 3 Monaco 1 - CL Group H The group was turned on it's head thanks to our win and Galatasaray's shock win against Bayern. Lindberg switched the play to find Saevereid in space on the right to fire home first time from 20 yards after 19 minutes. As with our previous games the opposition had most of the ball and it wasn't surprising when Monaco leveled after 28 mins. They then hit the post after 32 minutes but we went straight up the other end and won a corner which was flicked on and nodded in by Daugaard. Again Monaco attacked us but we hit them on the break after 62 minutes when Skorpen played Bruhn through and he somehow managed to squeeze in a powerful near post effort. Haugeslund 0 Lillehammer 3 - Norwegian Tippeligaen A routine win for us as we dominated from start to finish. Bruhn gave us a 5th minute lead converting Saevereid's cross. We hit the woodwork 3 times before Saevereid converted in the 40th minute. Saevereid got his 2nd after 63 minutes and nearly had the hat trick his performance deserved just before the final whistle but the post denied him. Lillehammer 3 Stabaek 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Just like a few days earlier it was a routine win for us a Saevereid opened the scoring after 8 minutes. Bruhn added the 2nd from close range after 14 minutes. We had lots more chances but Skjelbred was the only one to add to the score after 81 minutes from distance to seal the title for us. Rosenborg 2 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen With the title secured and a midweek trip to Monaco in mind I fielded a reserve side and they sped in to a 2-0 lead by the 18th minute thanks to Solum and Maeland. Rosenborg got their act together after that though and pulled it back to 2-2. November Monaco 1 Lillehammer 3 - CL Group H We managed to do a double over Monaco with this fine win. For the 1st time in the group we were without a doubt the better side and deservedly took a 2nd half lead from Andersen's 20 yard shot. Bruhn added a 2nd after 82 minutes before Monaco pulled one back from the spot. Andersen doesn't score tap ins and he added his 2nd of the game from about 30 yards 3 minutes in to stoppage time to leave us needing a point from the last 2 games to reach the knockout stage. Lillehammer 2 Galatasaray 2 - CL Group H In something of a shock Galatasaray raced in to an early 2 goal lead. We got our act together after that though and Skorpen's placed shot after 34 minutes pulled a goal back. In the 2nd half the pressure we put on was relentless and we finally got the deserved equalizer after 69 minutes when Brenden tapped home a fumble by the keeper. The result means we top the group no matter what. December Bayern Munich 1 Lillehammer 1 - CL Group H A well deserved point ensured we stayed unbeaten in the group. Bruhn gave us a 38th minute lead with a powerful shot from just inside the box after 38 minutes. We had a few chances to extend the lead in the 2nd half but couldn't take them. Bayern got a 78th minute goal to level the game Managers Thoughts What an amazing season it turned out to be in the end after initially not being happy with the way we were playing. I am sure now that was down to a lot of new players bedding in but it did seem to pick up around the time we brought Skorpen and Landu-Landu in. Bruhn came in as Porisson's replacement and he was superb topping the divisions scoring and rating charts as well as making the top 4 assist chart. The CL run was certainly unexpected, in the 1st 3 games we were lucky to get any points in all honesty as we were outplayed in all of them but in the final 3 games we improved a lot and to finish top of what was a really tough group was a superb achievement. CSKA Moscow await us in the next round and if we perform like we did in the group then we stand a real chance. Just as good an achievement was Molde getting out of a group containing Real Madrid (who are out), Marseille and Benfica. Finances are looking healthy which meant that we could afford another upgrade to the training and youth facilities over the pre season and a £5M transfer kitty. Come the end of the upcoming season they should look even better with the CL TV money to come along with prize money and another appearance in the CL group stage. We had a half decent player come from the youth team for the first time in years in Lindhom In terms of players coming in it isn't as busy as last season. Goalkeeper Hansen was brought in on a Bosman, even with his age he is still superb for this level and certainly a big improvement for us. Even if we only get 2 years out of him it gives me time to find a replacement. Iversen was someone I lost out on a few seasons back to Lillestrom and it cost me just under £1M more than it would have done 3 years back but I am delighted to have him especially as he can cover in a number of positions if we are short. He was brought in as 1st choice midfield though. Diouf is one for the future from Molde for £825k. I have Hagen tutoring him and hopefully he will become 1st choice CB in the next year or 2. Vilund will come in for free in July, he looks an excellent little player with plenty of room to get better in the future according to reports. It cost a fortune to get him in terms of wages but this was just too good an opportunity to turn down. Bar the odd youth player i've made a decision not to sign players from Rosenborg and Molde as I want the competition domestically but also it will be a big benefit to me if they can stay reasonably strong in Europe, hopefully though we will start bringing in better quality youth players ourselves too now because I managed to get the youth coaching to a good level last season. If any more signings are to be made i'd ideally want a right back as I don't feel Jallow will ever be quite up to it in Europe. For now I am looking at a 3-3-3-1 formation and i've made an unusual step for me of managing the friendlies . The signs are promising in attack but we are conceding quite a few goals at the minute so I need to work at that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Congrats on the title and qualifying from your group in the Champions League Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
b101 Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Will be interested to see who you get in the CL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbilly Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Excellent in the CL and league, didn't think you'd make it out of that group nevermind win it! Don't think you need a kind draw as you're surely a match for anyone Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 Congrats on the title and qualifying from your group in the Champions League Cheers mate Will be interested to see who you get in the CL We beat CSKA Moscow and have Barca in the quarters, i've played the 1st leg and we came away from the Camp Nou with a 3-2 defeat which isn't the end of the world. Excellent in the CL and league, didn't think you'd make it out of that group nevermind win it! Don't think you need a kind draw as you're surely a match for anyone Cheers. I hoped for 3rd in the group tbh so to go unbeaten and win the group was certainly a shock. We have lots of luck though, we should have been hammered in the 1st 3 group games because we were simply outplayed. It has got better after that though and we gave Barca a big shock at their place in the 2nd half, if we start the 2nd leg the way we finished the 1st then we have a real chance of making the semis Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 This is getting ridiculous PSG await in the semi final Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Epic achievement in reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League,best of luck against PSG Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy89 Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Absolutely incredible, amazing job mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 That's rather spectacular! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Epic achievement in reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League,best of luck against PSG Absolutely incredible, amazing job mate That's rather spectacular! Cheers lads This team shouldn't be anywhere near the semis in all honesty They are playing well above themselves but having a more solid side now helps, especially in goal with Hansen we seem to be shipping in less. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
b101 Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Not really surprised by anything after your exploits in Eastern Europe last year - excellent stuff all the same Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 Not really surprised by anything after your exploits in Eastern Europe last year - excellent stuff all the same Cheers, I think getting to the semis with this side beats any win I had on FM13 tbh as i've done this with Nordic players only which has been tough to stick to at times But the quality either isn't there in certain positions with players from eligible nations or they're already at bigger clubs which is why i'm working hard on getting our youth system up as quickly as possible now. I think this was probably our best chance to win it for a few years in all honesty as a lot of big sides went out early, also the way our league form has gone we need to pick up quickly otherwise we'll be struggling to make the top 2. Lillehammer FK 2022 Febuary CSKA Moscow 1 Lillehammer 0 - CL 1st Knockout 1st Leg We played well here but fell to a strike just before half time. We had a chance to level the score from the spot with 2 minutes to go but Andersen's penalty was saved. March Lillehammer 3 Tromso 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen A deserved victory with a mostly reserve side was sealed thanks to Haugen, Bruhn and Skorpen Lillehammer 4 CSKA Moscow 0 - CL 1st Knockout 2nd Leg We demolished the Russians with 4 1st half goals. Andersen got 2 penalties to make up for his miss in the 1st leg, Saevereid scored a 25 yard free kick and Daugaard nodded in a corner. Lillehammer 0 Sandefjord 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Lots of changes were made with the CL in mind again but we had enough chances to win this game. Barcelona 3 Lillehammer 2 - CL Quarter Final 1st Leg This went a lot better than I expected and even more so after being 3-0 down at half time to the Messi and Neymar show. Andersen scored a 50th minute penalty and an own goal got us back in to the game and a mixture of the woodwork and Leno in goal were the only things stopping us from going back with a draw. It was really a sensational 2nd half effort by us and we were very unlucky to lose. April Bryne 1 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen 2 goals from corners ( Daugaard and an own goal) Just about seen us over the line in this clash. Again it was a mostly reserve side put out so performances aren't that important at the minute because of the CL being priority for as long as we are in it. Lillehammer 3 Barcelona 1 (Won 5-4 on agg) CL Quarter Final 2nd Leg An amazing result for us as we somehow managed to overcome one of the favourites. Saevereid scored a 1st half brace to put us in the driving seat. Barca had more chances in the 2nd half and pulled a goal back but we held on and then hit them with a breakaway goal in the 86th minute which was converted by Bruhn. Haugesund 2 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen This again was mostly a reserve side but we started off superbly and was 2-0 up after 14 minutes but for some reason we switched off and Haugesund scored 2 goals in the 2nd half to get themselves a point. Brann 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen A pretty uneventful game was settled by Landu-Landu's penalty in the 2nd half Lillehammer 2 Molde 4 - Norwegian Tippeligaen With PSG to play just 2 days later changes were made and we were 3-0 down before we knew it. Lindberg and Bruhn pulled us back to 2-3 but couldn't add to those goals and Molde hit us with a late goal to make sure they won it. PSG 2 Lillehammer 1 - CL Semi Final 1st Leg Bruhn's fantastic chip after 8 minutes gave us an unlikely lead. PSG came back in to it though and equalised just before half time. Despite being battered in the 2nd half it was looking like we would hang on for a draw but we conceded a penalty with 4 minutes to go which was scored and ruined what had been a hard nights work. Sarpsborg 0 Lillehammer 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Another poor result as drew at the bottom side, granted a lot of changes were made again with the 2nd leg against PSG in mind but we should have still been good enough to win this. Lillehammer 3 PSG 2 - (4-4 agg, lost on away goals) CL Semi Final 2nd Leg It was almost the perfect performance by us but a 5 minute spell in the 2nd half cost us the chance of a place in the final. Bruhn latched on to a poor clearance by the keeper to tap home in the 7th minute. He then converted Saevereid's cross in the 32nd minute to put us 2-0 up. We then hit the post a few minutes later. PSG came back in to it a little in the 2nd half and found themselves level. Bruhn completed his hat trick after a scramble in the box after 74 minutes but despite our best efforts it wasn't enough. I'm not downhearted though as it was a great effort yet again by the players. Managers Thoughts It was a fantastic CL campaign and we really should have been in the final but 5 minutes of madness cost us. On the whole though we over achieved and had a lot of luck so things were bound to even themselves out at some point but what that has done for us in terms of revenue has set us up to improve the strength of the squad and i'd imagine give our rep a big boost too. Now Europe is done until September we really need to get our league form sorted, if we win the game in hand it'll only be 9 points behind Molde with 22 games left so it is far from over but Molde have started really strongly so for the minute I am aiming for a good run and get 2nd place, the cup isn't important so will be playing as close to reserve sides in that as possible and have my strongest XI out in the league, thankfully that 2nd spot is well within reach. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbilly Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Wow, what a great run that was in CL so gutted for you to miss out on a final Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffy89 Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Stunning run in the CL, time to catch Molde! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Amazing being so close to the final, time to get back up to speed in the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Wow, what a great run that was in CL so gutted for you to miss out on a final Cheers, it was just 5 minutes of stupidness otherwise it could have been a lot different. I never expected to be so close to it at the 1st attempt anyway tbh so the unexpected money and rep boost will go a long way (as proved with a signing i've made and will link when I finish this month off) Stunning run in the CL, time to catch Molde! Amazing being so close to the final, time to get back up to speed in the league. Cheers lads, really pleased with that run in Europe but Rosenborg also made the Europa semi so it seems Norwegian football as a whole is getting very strong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Lillehammer FK May Spjelkavik 0 Lillehammer 6 - Norwegian Cup 1st Round It was good to give someone a hiding even if it was only a non league side. Saevereid got a 1st half hat trick to all but finish the game. Skjelbred scored a mishit cross, Bruhn got in on the act before Iversen had the last word. Lillehammer 3 Valerenga 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Brenden, Skjelbred and Andersen were on target in this convincing win. Lillehammer 4 Lillestrom 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We were 2-0 up by the 24th minute thanks to Bruhn and Lindberg. Lillestrom pulled 1 back just before half time but Daugaard restored the 2 goal lead. Lillestrom pulled another back but we quickly went 4-2 ahead thanks to an own goal. Traeff 0 Lillehammer 3 - Norwegian Cup 2nd Round Bruhn and Saevereid gave us a 2-0 half time lead against the 2nd division side. Skorpen added a 3rd to ensure a safe passage to the next round. Kongsvinger 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Bruhn latched on to Saevereid's through ball to power home the winner in what was a dull game. Stromsgodset 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen It really should have been more than 1 but we failed to take chances, Iversen gave us the 3 points with a tap in after 42 minutes Gjovik 1 Lillehammer 4 - Norwegian Cup 3rd Round Easy win secured by goals from half by Daugaard, Brenden and a brace from Bruhn. Should have been a lot more in all honesty as we had 27 shots on target. June Lillehammer 5 Bodo/Glimt 0 - Norwegian Cup 4th Round A brace for Hagen, goals for Lingberg and Iversen plus Diouf's first ever goal for the club gave us a comfortable victory. July Lillehammer 2 Start 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Daugaard gave us an early lead from a corner as we went straight at Start. Hagen scored from an identical situation just before half time to give us the 2 goal cushion we deserved. Lillehammer 3 Fredrikstad 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Bruhn gave us a 2nd minute lead and added his 2nd in the 59th to put us in an commanding lead. Lindberg added a 3rd in the 77th minute to see us overtake the team who started the day in 2nd. Stabaek 0 Lillehammer 5 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Bruhn scored 2 marvelous individual goals in the 13th and 14th minutes to set us off to a flyer. Andersen scored from distance midway through the half to make it 3 and then Iversen got on the act for our 4th. With a midweek trip to Rosenborg in mind I rested players for the 2nd half and Lindberg one of the players who came on added the 5th with an angled drive. Rosenborg 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We had a number of chances but it took Saevereid's 61st minute goal from just outside the box to settle this game. Now we have some extra strength in depth we seem to be picking up a real handy run of form recently and this win has put us 4 points behind Molde. Tromso 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen It wasn't the prettiest of games and it took Saevereid to nip in at the near post after Bruhn's excellent run a minute in to stoppage time to steal the win but this is an excellent win. Tromso had been enjoying a revival of late and had beaten Molde 5-1 the week before so I was happy to get through this potential banana skin unscathed. Valerenga 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Iversen arrived late in the box in the 35th minute to give us the lead in a poor game. Lillehammer Brann - Norwegian Tippeligaen Andersen scored a 64th minute penalty in what was yet another poor game. Bruhn added a 2nd after 72 minutes to secure the win. August Lillehammer 3 Bryne 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen For the 1st time in weeks we looked convincing as Bruhn (2) and Lingberg fired us to victory. It was a shame to lose the goal though as we'd done well in defence recently after a sloppy start. Lillehammer 2 KIL/Hemne 1 - Norwegian Cup Q/F Considering it was mostly a reserve side I put out it was more convincing than the score suggests. Andersen and Bruhn scored but there was plenty of chances to have scored a hat full. Sandefjord 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We were better than the scoreline suggests but Iversen's 22nd minute free kick was the only breakthrough. Lillehammer 2 Haugesund 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen It took 75 minutes to finally find the back of the net but it was a deserved win. Hagen and Iversen were the scorers as we keep the pressure on Molde. Managers Thoughts It was been an amazing run over the last few months with us winning 19 out of 19 in all comps to get us in the cup semi final and within 4 points of Molde. Our goalscoring couldn't be any more different than Molde's but when you only concede 3 goals in a period like that (including 8 clean sheets in a row) then it really takes the pressure off. For some reason Arsenal have announced a link with us, that won't be of any use to me in terms of players unless they are eligible for a Nordic nation but at least it's some free money I guess. Bruhn picked up the CL Golden Boot and a place in the dream team which gained attention from Russian clubs but for now i've managed to tie him down on a new contract. Our ranking in Europe went up considerably and the division went up to 12th in the rankings which meant that 2 teams are straight in to the Europa playoff now in the qualification places. The CL group is a tough one but Molde managed 4 points from Real last season and our squad last season gave teams a real fright and with the improvements this year then I hope we can do well again. With a semi final against Molde and a title challenge against them there is no doubt we are the strongest sides in the country now, we've done well to get them within touching distance and with Europe starting up and our squad being a lot stronger than 6 months back even I think we can handle the pressure of fighting all fronts which wasn't the case earlier on when we had the CL knockouts to deal with. Molde have struggled to juggle the league and Europe around this time for the past 2 seasons so hopefully we can get past them in the coming months though the fixture against them in the penultimate game of the season could be the decider. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbilly Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 That's a cracking run right there! All the pressure on Molde now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Excellent run in the Champions League,unlucky with the away goal loss to PSG.Hopefully the pressure gets to Molde and you can steal the title! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 25, 2014 Author Share Posted January 25, 2014 That's a cracking run right there! All the pressure on Molde now Excellent run in the Champions League,unlucky with the away goal loss to PSG.Hopefully the pressure gets to Molde and you can steal the title! Cheers lads, bar a meaningless game at home to Real (unless we better their 4-1) the season is done and we broke a couple of records along the way. I'll probably do the report tomorrow as I can't be bothered finishing that game or writing the report today Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Some brilliant results against some major European sides there Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 Lillehammer FK 2022 September Lillehammer 6 Sarpsborg 0 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We gave our goal difference a huge boost as we went 4-0 up in the 1st half. An own goal, Bruhn, Vidlund and Skorpen started us off and Skorpen added his 2nd late in the 2nd half with Lindberg also getting in on the act. Lillehammer 2 Spartak Moscow 1 - CL Group H A well deserved victory against the Russian side though it took a 91st minute goal by Bruhn after he chased a long ball and rounded the keeper to seal it. Iversen had given us a 34th minute lead previously. Lillehammer 4 Kongsvinger 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Goals in the 1st half from set pieces by Daugaard and Lykke set us on our way here with almost a reserve side. Bruhn added the 3rd and Daly only playing due to injuries had the final say. Lillehammer 6 Molde 2 - Norwegian Cup S/F After seeing Molde hammer most teams all season it was brilliant to see them getting a hiding by us. Saevereid got us on our way after 4 minutes and that lead was doubled thanks to Bytqi 4 minutes later. Bruhn added the 3rd after 25 minutes to put us dreamland. Lykke scored for the 2nd game in a row as a corner was nodded back across the goal for him to tap in. Bytqi added his 2nd after 47 minutes to put us in dreamland. Molde fought back a little thanks to a striker they have called Pastor who is in sensational form this season with 35 goals and 7 assists in 36 games, but Vidlund had the final say with an amazing run started in our own half and then unleashing a 25 yard rocket for the goal of the game. This also gave us the record of 26 goals in a season in the cup and with Sandnes to play in the final you wouldn't bet against us adding to that. Lillestrom 0 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Jallow's 59th minute free kick settled this game as we moved within 2 points of Molde, considering this was a very weakened side I have to be happy with the result. Real Madrid 4 Lillehammer 1 - CL Group H Vidlund gave us the lead but in all honesty after that the better side battered us, the double header against Inter looks like it will decide if we go through in 2nd or end up in the Europa. October Lillehammer 2 Stromsgodset 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen After midweek a few changes were made and it was enough to win this one and send us top after Molde lost earlier in the day. It was from far a fantastic performance but it left me thing what to do about Diouf as when I signed him I seen him as a long term center back but I haven't played him there so far due to his jumping being poor and he's been playing in a CM position and occasionally an AMC role and he's impressed in both of those positions (adding a goal in this game). Lillehammer 0 Rosenborg 2 - Norwegian Tippeligaen We have been absolutely stitched up this week in terms of fixtures, this game was on the Sunday, Inter Tuesday, Fredrikstad Thursday, Stabaek Sunday and then Molde in midweek. I had no choice but to put a weak side out here as getting out of the CL now we know we are in next season's competition is a priority. Rosenborg deserved the win based on what was in front of them but this would have been a different team sent out if we weren't playing 2 days after Inter. Lillehammer 2 Inter 1 - CL Group H A fantastic win which means we probably only need 1 win in our final 3 group games to go through and we did it thanks to 2 superb individual efforts. Iversen picked the ball up 30 yards from goal, took on 3 men and hit it in to the top corner from the edge of the box. Inter equalized from a corner straight from a penalty save in the 1st half. Bruhn won the game in the 70th minute after he intercepeted a pass close to the half way line, he kept running through the Inter defence and calmly slotted home from 12 yards. Fredrikstad 1 Lillehammer 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen A fantastic effort seeing as all the players bar Andersen in goal had already featured at least once in the last 4 days, an Andersen penalty gave us the lead but we were pegged back in the last 10 minutes which in all honesty went against us as we were the better side. Lillehammer 3 Stabaek 1 - Norwegian Tippeligaen I took a chance and fielded a half and half side knowing that Molde will be tired themselves when we play them in midweek. Our game was 1-1 at half time (Lindberg the scorer) but with Molde 3-1 down at the same time I made 3 big substitutions including taking Bruhn off and it paid off as Lindberg made it 2 for him and us then Hagen smashed one in in stoppage time from the edge of the box giving us a 2 point lead and knowing 4 points from 2 games or a win in Molde will seal the title. Molde 2 Lillehammer 3 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Not quite an Aguero moment (insert swear word here) but to win the title like this is brilliant, in fact it is the best of the 3 so far. We were 2-1 down with a minute to go but Bruhn pulled it back to 2-2 and Andersen hit a 25 yarder in the 93rd minute to seal the league. Start 4 Lillehammer 5 - Norwegian Tippeligaen Only 1 player likely to start at Inter played this game and he was subsituted at half time but we still took the lead thanks to Brenden. Start got level just after half time but that didn't last long as we went 3-1 up in no time thanks to an own goal and Lindberg. Out of nowhere Start scored 3 goals in 9 minutes to go 4-3 up so I took a risk by sending Bruhn and Bytyqi on as soon as thier 4th went in and Bytyqi scored (84 mins) after Bruhn had crossed for him and Bruhn crossed again for Diouf in the 87th minute to give us the win in this topsy turvy game. The win also set a new record in points for the division, one that we previously set. November Inter 0 Lillehammer 0 - CL Group H A dull and even game gave us a vital point which means we only need 2 points from 2 games to go through. Sandnes 0 Lillehammer 2 - Norwegian Cup Final A routine win for us as a penalty by Bytyqi and a 2nd half own goal secured another double for us. Spartak Moscow 1 Lillehammer 5 - CL Group H I knew Bytyqi would be a good signing for us but I really didn't expect him to be as great as he's been so far. He scored a hat trick in this game including a wonder goal where he took 3 men on inside the box and scored from an angle he had no right to do from. Lykke had set us on our way early in the game and Bruhn scored the final goal as we make it through what looked a tough group. Lillehammer 1 Real Madrid 1 - CL Group H A good performance gave us a point here, Bruhn scored the opening goal of the game Managers Thoughts It was a fantastic season for us as we looked well out of it after Molde had opened up a 12 point gap so to go and win there like we did was remarkable. Bruhn and Hagen again were superb as we pulled it back. Europe has been fantastic for us too and we would have been playing in the final if 5 minutes of sloppiness midway through the 2nd half against PSG but in all honesty we over achieved in getting that far even so I am not too down about it. We got out of the group comfortably again this season and we face Juventus in the next round. I am finding it hard to come across good Nordic defenders but in attack and midfield there is some quality and potential and my 3 signings for the new season will hopefully move us forward. Tonnesen has the looks of a potential star about him and though Fjeldstad looks like he'll need a bit of work in certain areas my scout rated him and at the same price as Tonnesen (£12k) it isn't much of a risk. Both along with Diouf will be getting game time before Europe and in the cup at least this season as they come in and replace a few of the older players. Engelberg is a player i've been after for years on loan but has always gone somewhere else but mid season if the funds had been available he'd have come from Newcastle then, i'm delighted to have got him at last. Finances are pretty much the same as they were at this stage last year due to the record signing I made in the summer so there'll be no more signings for cash in this window but I will hopefully get a few faces in the next one. 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duffy89 Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Great season in the league there and you've made a wonderful start in Europe. That win against spartak, in partuclar, was quality! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 Some brilliant results against some major European sides there Cheers, i'm still shocked by a few of those wins tbh Great season in the league there and you've made a wonderful start in Europe. That win against spartak, in partuclar, was quality! Cheers mate, we were brilliant in that Spartak game, I was actually worried about them going in to it as they were decent in the home game but we tore in to them and the score didn't flatter us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Congrats on winning the title and well done on progressing from a group containing Real Madrid and Inter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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