It's all a load of balls.... The Rise Through Europe
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November 2021 - February 2022 Review
November 2021 - February 2022 Update
Here's the update on what's gone on over the 4 months between the end of last season and pre season for 2022.
Profit/Loss
The club have announced a profit of £1.1 million over the past financial year. We will therefore have to pay a tax bill in the region of £250k.
Prize Money
The club have received £611k in prize money for finishing 2nd in the Swedish Premier Division.
New Record Attendance
The team managed to draw in a record average attendance last season of 13,791. The previous record was 12,107 the season before.
Affiliations
The club have no affiliations in place.
Sponsorship & Shirt Sales
The club have announced 3 new sponsorship deals worth £2.1 million per year. The most notable deal is a 3 year deal worth £3.3 million with a financial services company.
Sponsorship income in general over this past year has grown to £2.29 million from £1.83 million last year.
The club sold a total of 3,820 shirts this season, with Eric Smith being the most popular shirt name, closely followed by Francisco Sevilla. The revenue from shirt sales this year equated to £232k, with £23k coming from non domestic sales.
View attachment 81197
Membership Fees
The club have announced that we have made £111k in membership fees from our fans over the past season. A rise of £7k on last year.
TV Rights
The club have been informed that we will receive £1.04 million in Swedish Premier Division TV rights over the next season. This matches the TV rights income for last season.
Budgets
The board have informed me of next year's budgets...
The board have set the transfer budget for next season at £2.3 million.
The board have set the wage budget for next season at £155k. The club are currently spending £89k per week on wages.
New Coaching Course For Me
The board have agreed to fund a new coaching course for me. I will spend 4 months studying for me Continental C License, at a cost of £960 to the club.
Backroom Staff
No changes to backroom staff as everyone signed new contracts.
Sweden Rankings
IFK Norrkoping have risen in the Swedish team rankings to 3rd. We've risen two places on last year's 5th place ranking. Malmo FF have once again been ranked the top side.
Contract Updates
Released from club:
Nemanja Nikolic has left the club on a free transfer. I agreed to let him leave as the player is coming to the end of his career and deserves to be playing more games than I can give him at Norrkoping. Nikolic has joined Italian Serie B side, Spezia.
Fredrik Knudsen has also left the club at the end of his contract. I did everything I possibly could to keep him on board but he simply says that he needs to leave the club to further his career and doesn't see Norrkoping as part of his future plans. Such a shame as he has been a rock at the back but I wish the lad well...probably deserves to be playing at a higher level to be fair.
Tidjani Diawara was released from the club as I decided not to renew the young striker's contract. I promoted the lad to the first team last year but he didn't make the required step up that I wanted to see. He struggled to find the back of the net and I've made a managerial decision that he is not cut out for this level and I didn't see enough progress to think he would reach this level anytime soon.
Incoming Transfers
24 year old Brazilian forward Ruan Cafe has joined us for a fee of £900k from Brazilian National First Division side SPO. We will also pay SPO £140k once Cafe scores 30 goals for us. Cafe is an all round striker with good pace, finishing and composure in front of goal. He offers decent heading ability and has a good work rate about him. Cafe has signed a 3 year deal with the club as a key player, worth £5,500 per week. I think Cafe is an excellent addition to the team and can hopefully fill the boots of Francisco Sevilla who will return to Las Palmas now that his loan deal has come to an end.
View attachment 81196
I have snapped up the loan signing of 22 year old striker Joel Piroe from PSV for the whole of next season. Piroe is an up and coming talent in European football and he said that a big part of his decision to join us was the success Francisco Sevilla had with us last season and would love to announce himself in the same fashion and earn himself a place in the PSV starting lineup in the future. I think he looks like a good young talent and certainly has all the attributes to score some goals for us and give new signing Cafe some competition up front.
View attachment 81195
I was keen to add another central midfielder to the team that could also fulfil the Swedish home grown player restrictions (must have 9 players in the matchday squad). I had a good look around the Swedish leagues and needed someone I could pick up at a decent price with a low wage budget. Well, the man I settled on was Kerim Mrabti who joins us from Premier Division rivals Djurgardens IF for a fee of £2.4 million (£900k up front and £1.5 million over 3 years). The 27 year old Swedish midfielder has been impressive over the past 3 seasons producing average ratings of 7.02, 7.33 and 7.01 in each year from 20+ appearances. He has also contributed with 15 assists and 5 goals across the past 3 seasons. I think that he can achieve a bit more playing in a better side and I'll be looking to get that out of him.
View attachment 81194
November 2021 - February 2022 Update
Here's the update on what's gone on over the 4 months between the end of last season and pre season for 2022.
Profit/Loss
The club have announced a profit of £1.1 million over the past financial year. We will therefore have to pay a tax bill in the region of £250k.
Prize Money
The club have received £611k in prize money for finishing 2nd in the Swedish Premier Division.
New Record Attendance
The team managed to draw in a record average attendance last season of 13,791. The previous record was 12,107 the season before.
Affiliations
The club have no affiliations in place.
Sponsorship & Shirt Sales
The club have announced 3 new sponsorship deals worth £2.1 million per year. The most notable deal is a 3 year deal worth £3.3 million with a financial services company.
Sponsorship income in general over this past year has grown to £2.29 million from £1.83 million last year.
The club sold a total of 3,820 shirts this season, with Eric Smith being the most popular shirt name, closely followed by Francisco Sevilla. The revenue from shirt sales this year equated to £232k, with £23k coming from non domestic sales.
View attachment 81197
Membership Fees
The club have announced that we have made £111k in membership fees from our fans over the past season. A rise of £7k on last year.
TV Rights
The club have been informed that we will receive £1.04 million in Swedish Premier Division TV rights over the next season. This matches the TV rights income for last season.
Budgets
The board have informed me of next year's budgets...
The board have set the transfer budget for next season at £2.3 million.
The board have set the wage budget for next season at £155k. The club are currently spending £89k per week on wages.
New Coaching Course For Me
The board have agreed to fund a new coaching course for me. I will spend 4 months studying for me Continental C License, at a cost of £960 to the club.
Backroom Staff
No changes to backroom staff as everyone signed new contracts.
Sweden Rankings
IFK Norrkoping have risen in the Swedish team rankings to 3rd. We've risen two places on last year's 5th place ranking. Malmo FF have once again been ranked the top side.
Contract Updates
Released from club:
Nemanja Nikolic has left the club on a free transfer. I agreed to let him leave as the player is coming to the end of his career and deserves to be playing more games than I can give him at Norrkoping. Nikolic has joined Italian Serie B side, Spezia.
Fredrik Knudsen has also left the club at the end of his contract. I did everything I possibly could to keep him on board but he simply says that he needs to leave the club to further his career and doesn't see Norrkoping as part of his future plans. Such a shame as he has been a rock at the back but I wish the lad well...probably deserves to be playing at a higher level to be fair.
Tidjani Diawara was released from the club as I decided not to renew the young striker's contract. I promoted the lad to the first team last year but he didn't make the required step up that I wanted to see. He struggled to find the back of the net and I've made a managerial decision that he is not cut out for this level and I didn't see enough progress to think he would reach this level anytime soon.
Incoming Transfers
24 year old Brazilian forward Ruan Cafe has joined us for a fee of £900k from Brazilian National First Division side SPO. We will also pay SPO £140k once Cafe scores 30 goals for us. Cafe is an all round striker with good pace, finishing and composure in front of goal. He offers decent heading ability and has a good work rate about him. Cafe has signed a 3 year deal with the club as a key player, worth £5,500 per week. I think Cafe is an excellent addition to the team and can hopefully fill the boots of Francisco Sevilla who will return to Las Palmas now that his loan deal has come to an end.
View attachment 81196
I have snapped up the loan signing of 22 year old striker Joel Piroe from PSV for the whole of next season. Piroe is an up and coming talent in European football and he said that a big part of his decision to join us was the success Francisco Sevilla had with us last season and would love to announce himself in the same fashion and earn himself a place in the PSV starting lineup in the future. I think he looks like a good young talent and certainly has all the attributes to score some goals for us and give new signing Cafe some competition up front.
View attachment 81195
I was keen to add another central midfielder to the team that could also fulfil the Swedish home grown player restrictions (must have 9 players in the matchday squad). I had a good look around the Swedish leagues and needed someone I could pick up at a decent price with a low wage budget. Well, the man I settled on was Kerim Mrabti who joins us from Premier Division rivals Djurgardens IF for a fee of £2.4 million (£900k up front and £1.5 million over 3 years). The 27 year old Swedish midfielder has been impressive over the past 3 seasons producing average ratings of 7.02, 7.33 and 7.01 in each year from 20+ appearances. He has also contributed with 15 assists and 5 goals across the past 3 seasons. I think that he can achieve a bit more playing in a better side and I'll be looking to get that out of him.
View attachment 81194
Swedish Cup Review
IFK Norrkoping Are Swedish Cup Finalists For 3rd Year In A Row
So in a bid to win the Swedish Cup for the 3rd straight season, we have successfully made the final again!
Swedish Cup Group 2 Result
IFK Norrkoping W 3 D 0 L 0 Pts 9
Gefle IF W 1 D 1 L 1 Pts 4
Sandvikens IF W 0 D 2 L 1 Pts 2
Orebro SK W 0 D 1 L 2 Pts 1
View attachment 81193 View attachment 81192 View attachment 81191
Quarter Final
IFK Norrkoping 5 - 0 Helsingborgs IF
View attachment 81190
Semi Final
Ostersunds FK 0 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81189
We will play Malmo FF in the final on 5th May 2022. This will be a repeat of last year's final (which we won 4-0).
IFK Norrkoping Are Swedish Cup Finalists For 3rd Year In A Row
So in a bid to win the Swedish Cup for the 3rd straight season, we have successfully made the final again!
Swedish Cup Group 2 Result
IFK Norrkoping W 3 D 0 L 0 Pts 9
Gefle IF W 1 D 1 L 1 Pts 4
Sandvikens IF W 0 D 2 L 1 Pts 2
Orebro SK W 0 D 1 L 2 Pts 1
View attachment 81193 View attachment 81192 View attachment 81191
Quarter Final
IFK Norrkoping 5 - 0 Helsingborgs IF
View attachment 81190
Semi Final
Ostersunds FK 0 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81189
We will play Malmo FF in the final on 5th May 2022. This will be a repeat of last year's final (which we won 4-0).
Pre Season 2022
Pre Season & Expectations
Most of this year's pre season was again taken up by the Swedish Cup, of which we have reached the final for the third year running, to be played in May. I set up four friendlies with some mixed results. I mainly used these games to test out some fringe players and get everyone's match fitness up to scratch for the new season.
View attachment 81188
Board Expectations
This year's expectation is the same as last year - to be around the top of the league.
Last year the media predicted us to finish 2nd and this year they have predicted the same again with Malmo favourites to take the title for a 6th season running.
With regards to the Swedish Cup, the board have deemed the competition as not important. Obviously, I will be aiming to make it a hat trick of cup wins as we have made the final again.
New Signing Mrabti Gets Captain's Armband
New arrival, Kerim Mrabti has been handed the captain's armband for this upcoming season. One thing we have seriously lacked in previous season's is players with good determination and leadership stats combined, making it tough to select a decent captain. For example, last year's caption Fjolusen only had 9 for leadership and 11 for determination.
Mrabti offers decent stats in both with 12 for leadership and 13 for determination. He is also a player that should play week in week out so keeping the captaincy consistent throughout the season.
Vice captaincy has been handed to another relatively new arrival at the club - centre back Jacob Une-Larsson (13 leadership and 12 determination).
Season Tickets
The club have sold a total of 7,336 season tickets for the upcoming season. This is a rise of about 450 on last year.
Pre Season & Expectations
Most of this year's pre season was again taken up by the Swedish Cup, of which we have reached the final for the third year running, to be played in May. I set up four friendlies with some mixed results. I mainly used these games to test out some fringe players and get everyone's match fitness up to scratch for the new season.
View attachment 81188
Board Expectations
This year's expectation is the same as last year - to be around the top of the league.
Last year the media predicted us to finish 2nd and this year they have predicted the same again with Malmo favourites to take the title for a 6th season running.
With regards to the Swedish Cup, the board have deemed the competition as not important. Obviously, I will be aiming to make it a hat trick of cup wins as we have made the final again.
New Signing Mrabti Gets Captain's Armband
New arrival, Kerim Mrabti has been handed the captain's armband for this upcoming season. One thing we have seriously lacked in previous season's is players with good determination and leadership stats combined, making it tough to select a decent captain. For example, last year's caption Fjolusen only had 9 for leadership and 11 for determination.
Mrabti offers decent stats in both with 12 for leadership and 13 for determination. He is also a player that should play week in week out so keeping the captaincy consistent throughout the season.
Vice captaincy has been handed to another relatively new arrival at the club - centre back Jacob Une-Larsson (13 leadership and 12 determination).
Season Tickets
The club have sold a total of 7,336 season tickets for the upcoming season. This is a rise of about 450 on last year.
April 2022 Review
April 2022 Review
Results
Swedish Premier Division
Djurgardens IF 2 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81171
We kicked off the season against Djurgardens away. Both games against them last season had been great games for the neutral with plenty of goals, a 2-2 draw and a 3-2 win for us. Defending was clearly a bit suspect on both occasions so I'd be looking to tighten things up at the back a little for this one. We didn't make the greatest start, falling behind early as Djurgardens took an 8th minute lead. However, we wasn't behind for long as inside forward Ludvig Fritzson scored his 1st goal of the season only 10 minutes later. The first half was a pretty tight affair with both teams creating chances and new striker Ruan Cafe looking lively up front for us, but the teams went into the break level at 1-1. Our opponents again started the second half in decent fashion earning a penalty and converting only 3 minutes in to take a 2-1 lead. Although we went on to dominate the rest of the half, we were disappointing in front of goal and failed to find an equalizer. We kicked off our season with a loss!
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 1 Malmo FF
View attachment 81170
Our second game of the season would be against champions Malmo. Where as we had lost our first game, Malmo had recorded a resounding 6-0 victory. I had to pick the boys up as I knew a loss here would put us 6 points behind our title rivals already only 2 games into the season. New signing and new captain Kerim Mrabti announced himself perfectly to our supporters in his first home game, scoring a cracking volley from inside the box to give us the lead on 19 minutes, after Malmo had probably started as the better side. On 31 minutes, it was 2-0 to us, Eric Smith playing through Ruan Cafe for a one on one with the keeper and the striker cooly slotted past the onrushing goalie. It only took another 6 minutes for Cafe to add his second of the game, tucking the ball away nicely into the bottom corner with an excellent assist by Gribbin who beat two defenders before passing the ball to an open Cafe inside the box. David Mitov Nilsson ensured we kept a clean sheet in the first half with a fantastic save in the last 2 minutes of the half. Malmo came out for the 2nd half full of intent and we found ourselves under the kosh for most of the half. However, we limited them to only half chances and they were only able to take one of them and we recorded a very important 3-1 victory.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 1 AIK
View attachment 81169
AIK had kicked off the season with 2 losses and we were hoping to pile on the misery for our rivals. Centre back Oran Jackson was brought into the team for his first start of the season and he was the unlikely scorer of the first goal of the game - following a free kick, the ball had fallen to Ruan Cafe who struck a powerful shot at goal, which was deflected into the path of Jackson who smashed home into an open goal. We created another 14 chances in the first half but it wasn't until the 44th minute that we scored our second goal, an easy finish for Ruan Cafe following a mix up between the AIK centre back and goalie who seemed to clash and tackle each other, leaving the ball to run free for Cafe to tap in. The second half was a lot tighter with AIK turning it up and us probably stepping off the gas a little. Both team created a few chances, with both teams recording a goal and the game finished 3-1 as we recorded another good early win.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Goteborg 1 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81168
Goteborg were up next and we'd be playing in front of the TV cameras for this one. I had to rotate a few players for this one as we'd only played AIK 3 days earlier and there was some tiredness amongst the team. One of those players that came in was 19 year old Niklas Johansson who'd made an impressive introduction to first team football last season, and he kicked off his campaign this year with a goal to give us the lead on 32 minutes. We were probably the better side over the course of the 90 minutes, but both teams created good chances and Goteborg earned themselves a 1-1 draw when they equalized through Elias Mar Omarsson.
Swedish Premier Division
Halmstads BK 0 - 4 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81167
Halmstads had recorded an early win against us last season, so I was keen not to allow the same thing to happen again. By half time it was pretty clear that wouldn't be happening this season as we had raced into a 3-0 lead and were looking very comfortable at the break. Ruan Cafe had provided two assists as Vincent, Mrabti and Smith had got on the scoresheet in the first 45 minutes. We continued our complete domination throughout the 2nd half and added a 4th goal through substitute Joel Piroe late on. A very good performance from the lads!
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 0 Orebro SK
View attachment 81166
We'd beaten Orebro 4-1 a couple of months ago in the Swedish Cup group stages and I was looking for another victory here. Callum Gribbin kicked off the scoring in the 32nd minute with a close range header finding the back of the net for his first league goal of the season. Gribbin added his 2nd of the game 15 minutes into the 2nd half with a sweetly struck free kick from about 30 yards out. And only a minute later, the 23 year old inside forward completed his hat trick with a low shot, after being put through on goal by striker Ruan Cafe. A good solid 3-0 win!
Swedish Premier Division
Ostersunds FK 1 - 2 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81165
Ostersunds hadn't beaten us in our previous 7 meetings and I was looking to continue the run, especially as they'd started the season with no wins from their opening 6 games. However, we gave our opponents the perfect start as Daniel Sundgren lunged in and gave away a stupid penalty in the first 5 minutes which was duely converted by Ostersunds striker Shkodran Maholli. But it didn't take long for us to get back in the game, with Callum Gribbin picking up where he left off in the previous game and scoring our equalizer only 6 minutes later. And it only took another 3 minutes for us to get our heads in front, Ruan Cafe running into the box and scoring a nice curling effort with the outside of his boot. We should of been 3-1 up early in the second half when Ruan Cafe missed from point blank range, striking directly at the Ostersunds keeper when anywhere else would of found the back of the net. We did hold on for the 2-1 victory and its good to finish the month on a win.
League Table
View attachment 81164
Lots of teams have made much better starts to the season this year. Our 16 points from 7 games would of left us 4 points clear at the top of the table last season. But this year we actually see a number of teams already beating the 12 points that Malmo led with at this stage last year. Either way, its good that we are up there and in the mix early on, especially after starting the season with a loss.
Player of the Month
Ruan Cafe
ST
Appearances: 7
Goals: 4
Assists: 5
Key Passes: 16
Average Rating: 7.91
What a first month at the club for new striker Ruan Café. Creating 5 and scoring 4 goals in his opening 7 league games. This guy could turn out to be an absolute steal at the £1 million we paid for him.
Injury Update
View attachment 81163
No real worries here.
Financial Update
View attachment 81162
The bank balance doesn't look too healthy :-(
New Contract For Sundgren
Daniel Sundgren has signed a new contract with us which will keep him at the club for another 2 years. The right back's contract was due to end at the end of the season and I was keen to tie him down as he has been fantastic ever since I took over at the club and is still one of the first names on the team sheet every week. The deal is as a key player and is worth £4,700 per week giving Sundgren a £600 pay rise on his previous deal.
Milestone Game For Fjolusen
Centre back Jon Guoni Fjolusen made his 150th appearance for the club in the game against Ostersunds FK.
New Affiliate
We set up an affiliation with Norwegian First Division club Bryne FK. The partnership would allow us to send players out on loan and keep tabs on the youngsters coming through Bryne's youth system before potentially bringing them to the club. There will be no annual fee to be paid by IFK Norrkoping as part of this deal.
View attachment 81161
£165k Injection From Kpozo Transfer
Club Brugge have won the Belgian Cup this month, which meant they paid us £165k as per the clause in Patrick Kpozo's contract.
New Qualification For Me
I completed my study and passed my Continental C Licence qualification this month.
April 2022 Review
Results
Swedish Premier Division
Djurgardens IF 2 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81171
We kicked off the season against Djurgardens away. Both games against them last season had been great games for the neutral with plenty of goals, a 2-2 draw and a 3-2 win for us. Defending was clearly a bit suspect on both occasions so I'd be looking to tighten things up at the back a little for this one. We didn't make the greatest start, falling behind early as Djurgardens took an 8th minute lead. However, we wasn't behind for long as inside forward Ludvig Fritzson scored his 1st goal of the season only 10 minutes later. The first half was a pretty tight affair with both teams creating chances and new striker Ruan Cafe looking lively up front for us, but the teams went into the break level at 1-1. Our opponents again started the second half in decent fashion earning a penalty and converting only 3 minutes in to take a 2-1 lead. Although we went on to dominate the rest of the half, we were disappointing in front of goal and failed to find an equalizer. We kicked off our season with a loss!
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 1 Malmo FF
View attachment 81170
Our second game of the season would be against champions Malmo. Where as we had lost our first game, Malmo had recorded a resounding 6-0 victory. I had to pick the boys up as I knew a loss here would put us 6 points behind our title rivals already only 2 games into the season. New signing and new captain Kerim Mrabti announced himself perfectly to our supporters in his first home game, scoring a cracking volley from inside the box to give us the lead on 19 minutes, after Malmo had probably started as the better side. On 31 minutes, it was 2-0 to us, Eric Smith playing through Ruan Cafe for a one on one with the keeper and the striker cooly slotted past the onrushing goalie. It only took another 6 minutes for Cafe to add his second of the game, tucking the ball away nicely into the bottom corner with an excellent assist by Gribbin who beat two defenders before passing the ball to an open Cafe inside the box. David Mitov Nilsson ensured we kept a clean sheet in the first half with a fantastic save in the last 2 minutes of the half. Malmo came out for the 2nd half full of intent and we found ourselves under the kosh for most of the half. However, we limited them to only half chances and they were only able to take one of them and we recorded a very important 3-1 victory.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 1 AIK
View attachment 81169
AIK had kicked off the season with 2 losses and we were hoping to pile on the misery for our rivals. Centre back Oran Jackson was brought into the team for his first start of the season and he was the unlikely scorer of the first goal of the game - following a free kick, the ball had fallen to Ruan Cafe who struck a powerful shot at goal, which was deflected into the path of Jackson who smashed home into an open goal. We created another 14 chances in the first half but it wasn't until the 44th minute that we scored our second goal, an easy finish for Ruan Cafe following a mix up between the AIK centre back and goalie who seemed to clash and tackle each other, leaving the ball to run free for Cafe to tap in. The second half was a lot tighter with AIK turning it up and us probably stepping off the gas a little. Both team created a few chances, with both teams recording a goal and the game finished 3-1 as we recorded another good early win.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Goteborg 1 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81168
Goteborg were up next and we'd be playing in front of the TV cameras for this one. I had to rotate a few players for this one as we'd only played AIK 3 days earlier and there was some tiredness amongst the team. One of those players that came in was 19 year old Niklas Johansson who'd made an impressive introduction to first team football last season, and he kicked off his campaign this year with a goal to give us the lead on 32 minutes. We were probably the better side over the course of the 90 minutes, but both teams created good chances and Goteborg earned themselves a 1-1 draw when they equalized through Elias Mar Omarsson.
Swedish Premier Division
Halmstads BK 0 - 4 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81167
Halmstads had recorded an early win against us last season, so I was keen not to allow the same thing to happen again. By half time it was pretty clear that wouldn't be happening this season as we had raced into a 3-0 lead and were looking very comfortable at the break. Ruan Cafe had provided two assists as Vincent, Mrabti and Smith had got on the scoresheet in the first 45 minutes. We continued our complete domination throughout the 2nd half and added a 4th goal through substitute Joel Piroe late on. A very good performance from the lads!
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 0 Orebro SK
View attachment 81166
We'd beaten Orebro 4-1 a couple of months ago in the Swedish Cup group stages and I was looking for another victory here. Callum Gribbin kicked off the scoring in the 32nd minute with a close range header finding the back of the net for his first league goal of the season. Gribbin added his 2nd of the game 15 minutes into the 2nd half with a sweetly struck free kick from about 30 yards out. And only a minute later, the 23 year old inside forward completed his hat trick with a low shot, after being put through on goal by striker Ruan Cafe. A good solid 3-0 win!
Swedish Premier Division
Ostersunds FK 1 - 2 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81165
Ostersunds hadn't beaten us in our previous 7 meetings and I was looking to continue the run, especially as they'd started the season with no wins from their opening 6 games. However, we gave our opponents the perfect start as Daniel Sundgren lunged in and gave away a stupid penalty in the first 5 minutes which was duely converted by Ostersunds striker Shkodran Maholli. But it didn't take long for us to get back in the game, with Callum Gribbin picking up where he left off in the previous game and scoring our equalizer only 6 minutes later. And it only took another 3 minutes for us to get our heads in front, Ruan Cafe running into the box and scoring a nice curling effort with the outside of his boot. We should of been 3-1 up early in the second half when Ruan Cafe missed from point blank range, striking directly at the Ostersunds keeper when anywhere else would of found the back of the net. We did hold on for the 2-1 victory and its good to finish the month on a win.
League Table
View attachment 81164
Lots of teams have made much better starts to the season this year. Our 16 points from 7 games would of left us 4 points clear at the top of the table last season. But this year we actually see a number of teams already beating the 12 points that Malmo led with at this stage last year. Either way, its good that we are up there and in the mix early on, especially after starting the season with a loss.
Player of the Month
Ruan Cafe
ST
Appearances: 7
Goals: 4
Assists: 5
Key Passes: 16
Average Rating: 7.91
What a first month at the club for new striker Ruan Café. Creating 5 and scoring 4 goals in his opening 7 league games. This guy could turn out to be an absolute steal at the £1 million we paid for him.
Injury Update
View attachment 81163
No real worries here.
Financial Update
View attachment 81162
The bank balance doesn't look too healthy :-(
New Contract For Sundgren
Daniel Sundgren has signed a new contract with us which will keep him at the club for another 2 years. The right back's contract was due to end at the end of the season and I was keen to tie him down as he has been fantastic ever since I took over at the club and is still one of the first names on the team sheet every week. The deal is as a key player and is worth £4,700 per week giving Sundgren a £600 pay rise on his previous deal.
Milestone Game For Fjolusen
Centre back Jon Guoni Fjolusen made his 150th appearance for the club in the game against Ostersunds FK.
New Affiliate
We set up an affiliation with Norwegian First Division club Bryne FK. The partnership would allow us to send players out on loan and keep tabs on the youngsters coming through Bryne's youth system before potentially bringing them to the club. There will be no annual fee to be paid by IFK Norrkoping as part of this deal.
View attachment 81161
£165k Injection From Kpozo Transfer
Club Brugge have won the Belgian Cup this month, which meant they paid us £165k as per the clause in Patrick Kpozo's contract.
New Qualification For Me
I completed my study and passed my Continental C Licence qualification this month.
IFK Norrkoping Make It 3 Swedish Cups In A Row
View attachment 81160
We would return to the Friends Arena in Stockholm in an attempt to win our 3rd consecutive Swedish Cup, a competition I hadn't lost a game in for 3 1/2 years. A capacity crowd of 53,000 fans was in attendance to see the previous two years league champions and runners up face off against each other in what was sure to be an intriguing encounter.
I instructed my boys to get out there and do this for our fans. It was a passionate team talk, in an attempt to instill some drive and determination into them and it didn't take long for us to create an opening. On 9 minutes, Daniel Sundgren got down the right wing, beat his man and crossed only for Ruan Cafe to head just over the bar.
As it stood, that turned out to be the only significant piece of action until 39 minutes, when Malmo had their own headed chance saved by keeper Nilsson.
The half ended 0-0 and it had been pretty slow with both teams showing a tentative and cautious approach to the game.
As the second half progressed, the game was getting that sort of feel that it would only take one goal to win it. And on 65 minutes it looked like that goal would come when Eric Smith found himself with space in the Malmo box, only to shoot straight at the goalkeeper and a golden opportunity went begging.
Malmo started to turn up the pressure as the game went into the latter stages and I sensed an opportunity to counter attack. We sat a little deeper and changed to a counter mentality, and brough on two pairs of fresh legs up top with Joel Piroe and Ludvig Fritzson coming on for Cafe and Vincent.
No clear cut chances came as the game seemed to even itself out a little in the final 10 minutes and with it finishing 0-0, we were going to extra time.
On 95 minutes, came the breakthrough. Gribbin passed down the right wing for full back Sundgren, who beat his man and crossed a high looping ball into the box. Striker Joel Piroe rose up above the Malmo defence and headed the ball down into the bottom corner of the goal to give us the lead. The fans went crazy as I tried to calm the boys down and encourage them to concentrate for the final 15 minutes of the game. A clean sheet now would win us the cup.
As Malmo pushed men forward, it was leaving huge gaps for them at the back and on 104 minutes, Piroe should have had his second as he found himself one on one with the keeper, only to smash the ball against the crossbar.
The second half of extra time saw Piroe miss two more golden opportunities to put the game to bed, but the Norrkoping defence were outstanding and did me proud as we kept the clean sheet despite Malmo pressure, to win the Swedish Cup for the third year in a row.
View attachment 81159 View attachment 81158 View attachment 81157 View attachment 81156
May 2022 Review
May 2022 Review
Results
Swedish Premier Division
Orgryte IS 1 - 4 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81155
Orgryte had opened their season with 6 losses and a draw from 7 games, so I was expecting a pretty comfortable victory here. And I took the opportunity to rest some players with the Swedish Cup final looming in 4 days. Within 2 minutes, we were in front from a Jon Guoni Fjolusen header. Mikael Andersson then got himself on the scoresheet, having come into the team for the rested Alexandre Vincent. Number three hit the back of the net on 33 minutes as another player that had come into the team, striker Joel Piroe, got himself a goal. Three changes were made at half time in an attempt to rest some more key players before the cup final and the team continued to do well with the match ending in a pretty easy 4-1 win.
Swedish Cup Final
Malmo FF 0 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
(after extra time)
View attachment 81154
Swedish Cup Champions for the third year in a row!!
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 0 Hammarby IF
View attachment 81153
I was expecting a tough game against Hammarby as we had a very tired squad off the back of having to play 120 minutes in the cup final a few days earlier. I therefore had to make a number of changes to the starting lineup as we rotated the squad, and I wasn't sure how this was going to effect the fluidity of our play. But we did take the lead within the first 20 minutes when the Hammarby keeper fumbled a free kick and Fjolusen was left free to tap in past the helpless keeper from the rebound. Cafe made it 2-0 on 28 minutes with a fantastic effort from 20 yards, which left the keeper no chance. The team went on to secure the 2-0 victory and never really looked in trouble in this game. I was pleased that the lads who'd come into the team had given me such an impressive performance and demonstrated the depth we have in the squad this year.
Swedish Premier Division
BK Hacken 0 -2 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81152
A comfortable 2-0 victory against Hacken who were sitting mid table. A goal in each half secured the 3 points, and we never really looked in doubt here as Hacken struggled to create chances throughout.
Swedish Premier Division
IF Elfsborg 0 -2 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81151
Next up was a tough away day at Elfsborg who'd started the season brightly and were sitting just behind us in 3rd position, having won 7 of their opening 11 games of the season. Our opponents were set up very attacking, so I had the team sit back a little deeper than our standard setup to counter this. It worked a treat as we restricted Elfsborg to only 5 shots in the whole game and created 17 chances of our own. We took two of those chances late in the game to secure an excellent 2-0 away win and a big 3 points.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 0 IK Sirius
View attachment 81150
We went into this game as 1-6 favourites so my main aim was to make sure the team avoid complacency. I made my team talk pretty clear that I expected a win today! It definitely spurred the players on as they came out and absolutely smashed the first half, creating 18 chances and having 72% possession. However, for all that we only scored one first half goal through Callum Gribbin. Eric Smith was then set up 15 minutes into the second half by Gribbin for our second goal and a 2-0 lead. Ludvig Fritzson came off the bench and wrapped up all 3 points with a 3rd goal.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 0 Jonkopings Sodra IF
View attachment 81149
Jonkopings had started the season well but were now coming into this game against us without a win in their last 6 games. But we wouldn't be taking them lightly as we've suffered a couple of losses to this lot in the previous couple of seasons. Although we dominated the stats, the game certainly wasn't a walk in the park as we only led 1-0 for most of the game through an own goal. We did make sure of the 3 points late on with a rare goal from left back Dennis Olsson, who latched onto a rebound after the Jonkopings keeper had saved an initial strike from Kwame Bonsu. This win took us to 10 straight victories in a row.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 5 - 2 Osters IF
View attachment 81148
The visit of Osters would be our last game before the month break, so I was keen to sign off at the half way point with a win. But it didn't start the way I'd planned, with Osters scoring early to take the lead, their striker getting on the end of a low cross in from the right. In the first 20 minutes, our opponents looked sharp and full of energy where as we looked lazy and sluggish. So when we scored an equalizer with our first shot of the game in the 18th minute, it probably wasn't deserved. The rain started to pour and with it our opponents seemed to lose their appetite for the game as we started to take over and our pressure paid off in the 35th minute when we took the lead through a Callum Gribbin free kick. The young inside forward was in top form this year and really seemed to be maturing into a quality player. Another goal late in the 1st half from Vincent gave us a 2 goal lead going into the break and I didn't expect us to lose it from here. But Osters came back with an unexpected goal on 63 minutes to close the gap to only 1. I'll admit I was a little nervous, but Andreas Hadenius soon calmed my nerves by banging in a 4th goal for us and quickly restoring the 2 goal lead. Sitting a bit more comfortably in my seat and enjoy the final 20 minutes of the game, where centre back Jacob Une-Larsson scored a 5th for us.
League Table
View attachment 81147
Sitting at the top of the table having only lost 1 and drawn 1 all season. Amazing that this is the kind of form we have to maintain to get our noses just in front of Malmo who are hot on our heels. Already it looks like a two horse race between us again to win the title.
Player of the Month
Daniel Sundgren
DR
Appearances: 5
Goals: 0
Assists: 2
Tackle Win Percentage: 90%
Average Rating: 7.76
Sundgren has been ultra consistent this month. His work rate down the wing has been crucial to the way play since the day I took over at the club. One of my favourite players in my career to date so far.
Injury Update
View attachment 81146
Absolutely devastated that Eric Smith is going to miss the rest of the season after breaking his leg in training.
Financial Update
View attachment 81145
The club is now in over £1 million of debt. I'm worried I will soon need to start selling players to balance the books.
Manager of the Month Award For Me
View attachment 81144
May 2022 Review
Results
Swedish Premier Division
Orgryte IS 1 - 4 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81155
Orgryte had opened their season with 6 losses and a draw from 7 games, so I was expecting a pretty comfortable victory here. And I took the opportunity to rest some players with the Swedish Cup final looming in 4 days. Within 2 minutes, we were in front from a Jon Guoni Fjolusen header. Mikael Andersson then got himself on the scoresheet, having come into the team for the rested Alexandre Vincent. Number three hit the back of the net on 33 minutes as another player that had come into the team, striker Joel Piroe, got himself a goal. Three changes were made at half time in an attempt to rest some more key players before the cup final and the team continued to do well with the match ending in a pretty easy 4-1 win.
Swedish Cup Final
Malmo FF 0 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
(after extra time)
View attachment 81154
Swedish Cup Champions for the third year in a row!!
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 0 Hammarby IF
View attachment 81153
I was expecting a tough game against Hammarby as we had a very tired squad off the back of having to play 120 minutes in the cup final a few days earlier. I therefore had to make a number of changes to the starting lineup as we rotated the squad, and I wasn't sure how this was going to effect the fluidity of our play. But we did take the lead within the first 20 minutes when the Hammarby keeper fumbled a free kick and Fjolusen was left free to tap in past the helpless keeper from the rebound. Cafe made it 2-0 on 28 minutes with a fantastic effort from 20 yards, which left the keeper no chance. The team went on to secure the 2-0 victory and never really looked in trouble in this game. I was pleased that the lads who'd come into the team had given me such an impressive performance and demonstrated the depth we have in the squad this year.
Swedish Premier Division
BK Hacken 0 -2 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81152
A comfortable 2-0 victory against Hacken who were sitting mid table. A goal in each half secured the 3 points, and we never really looked in doubt here as Hacken struggled to create chances throughout.
Swedish Premier Division
IF Elfsborg 0 -2 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81151
Next up was a tough away day at Elfsborg who'd started the season brightly and were sitting just behind us in 3rd position, having won 7 of their opening 11 games of the season. Our opponents were set up very attacking, so I had the team sit back a little deeper than our standard setup to counter this. It worked a treat as we restricted Elfsborg to only 5 shots in the whole game and created 17 chances of our own. We took two of those chances late in the game to secure an excellent 2-0 away win and a big 3 points.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 0 IK Sirius
View attachment 81150
We went into this game as 1-6 favourites so my main aim was to make sure the team avoid complacency. I made my team talk pretty clear that I expected a win today! It definitely spurred the players on as they came out and absolutely smashed the first half, creating 18 chances and having 72% possession. However, for all that we only scored one first half goal through Callum Gribbin. Eric Smith was then set up 15 minutes into the second half by Gribbin for our second goal and a 2-0 lead. Ludvig Fritzson came off the bench and wrapped up all 3 points with a 3rd goal.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 0 Jonkopings Sodra IF
View attachment 81149
Jonkopings had started the season well but were now coming into this game against us without a win in their last 6 games. But we wouldn't be taking them lightly as we've suffered a couple of losses to this lot in the previous couple of seasons. Although we dominated the stats, the game certainly wasn't a walk in the park as we only led 1-0 for most of the game through an own goal. We did make sure of the 3 points late on with a rare goal from left back Dennis Olsson, who latched onto a rebound after the Jonkopings keeper had saved an initial strike from Kwame Bonsu. This win took us to 10 straight victories in a row.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 5 - 2 Osters IF
View attachment 81148
The visit of Osters would be our last game before the month break, so I was keen to sign off at the half way point with a win. But it didn't start the way I'd planned, with Osters scoring early to take the lead, their striker getting on the end of a low cross in from the right. In the first 20 minutes, our opponents looked sharp and full of energy where as we looked lazy and sluggish. So when we scored an equalizer with our first shot of the game in the 18th minute, it probably wasn't deserved. The rain started to pour and with it our opponents seemed to lose their appetite for the game as we started to take over and our pressure paid off in the 35th minute when we took the lead through a Callum Gribbin free kick. The young inside forward was in top form this year and really seemed to be maturing into a quality player. Another goal late in the 1st half from Vincent gave us a 2 goal lead going into the break and I didn't expect us to lose it from here. But Osters came back with an unexpected goal on 63 minutes to close the gap to only 1. I'll admit I was a little nervous, but Andreas Hadenius soon calmed my nerves by banging in a 4th goal for us and quickly restoring the 2 goal lead. Sitting a bit more comfortably in my seat and enjoy the final 20 minutes of the game, where centre back Jacob Une-Larsson scored a 5th for us.
League Table
View attachment 81147
Sitting at the top of the table having only lost 1 and drawn 1 all season. Amazing that this is the kind of form we have to maintain to get our noses just in front of Malmo who are hot on our heels. Already it looks like a two horse race between us again to win the title.
Player of the Month
Daniel Sundgren
DR
Appearances: 5
Goals: 0
Assists: 2
Tackle Win Percentage: 90%
Average Rating: 7.76
Sundgren has been ultra consistent this month. His work rate down the wing has been crucial to the way play since the day I took over at the club. One of my favourite players in my career to date so far.
Injury Update
View attachment 81146
Absolutely devastated that Eric Smith is going to miss the rest of the season after breaking his leg in training.
Financial Update
View attachment 81145
The club is now in over £1 million of debt. I'm worried I will soon need to start selling players to balance the books.
Manager of the Month Award For Me
View attachment 81144
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European Update
European Competition Winners 2021/22
Here's the update from around Europe as the major competitions have now come to a close for the 2021/2022 season...
English Premiership Winners: Chelsea
English Premiership Runners Up: Manchester United
English FA Cup Winners: Chelsea
English League Cup Winners: Chelsea
Spanish La Liga Winners: Real Madrid
Spanish La Liga Runners Up: Barcelona
Spanish Cup Winners: Barcelona
German Bundesliga Winners: Bayern Munich
German Bundesliga Runners Up: Bayer Leverkusen
German Cup Winners: Bayern Munich
French Ligue 1 Winners: Paris Saint Germain
French Ligue 1 Runners Up: AS Monaco
French Cup Winners: Paris Saint Germain
French Coupe de la Ligue Winners: Paris Saint Germain
Italian Serie A Winners: Juventus
Italian Serie A Runners Up: Napoli
Italian Cup Winners: AC Milan
Holland Eredivisie Winners: Ajax
Holland Eredivisie Runners Up: PSV
Holland Dutch Cup Winners: NAC Breda
Portuguese Premier League Winners: Benfica
Portuguese Premier League Runners Up: Sporting Lisbon
Taca de Portugal Winners: Benfica
Scotland Premiership Winners: Celtic
Scotland Premiership Runners Up: Aberdeen
Scottish Cup Winners: Celtic
Champions League Winners: Manchester United
Champions League Runners Up: Porto
Europa League Winners: Borussia Dortmund
Europa League Runners Up: Sevilla
European Super Cup Winners: Chelsea
Here's the update from around Europe as the major competitions have now come to a close for the 2021/2022 season...
English Premiership Winners: Chelsea
English Premiership Runners Up: Manchester United
English FA Cup Winners: Chelsea
English League Cup Winners: Chelsea
Spanish La Liga Winners: Real Madrid
Spanish La Liga Runners Up: Barcelona
Spanish Cup Winners: Barcelona
German Bundesliga Winners: Bayern Munich
German Bundesliga Runners Up: Bayer Leverkusen
German Cup Winners: Bayern Munich
French Ligue 1 Winners: Paris Saint Germain
French Ligue 1 Runners Up: AS Monaco
French Cup Winners: Paris Saint Germain
French Coupe de la Ligue Winners: Paris Saint Germain
Italian Serie A Winners: Juventus
Italian Serie A Runners Up: Napoli
Italian Cup Winners: AC Milan
Holland Eredivisie Winners: Ajax
Holland Eredivisie Runners Up: PSV
Holland Dutch Cup Winners: NAC Breda
Portuguese Premier League Winners: Benfica
Portuguese Premier League Runners Up: Sporting Lisbon
Taca de Portugal Winners: Benfica
Scotland Premiership Winners: Celtic
Scotland Premiership Runners Up: Aberdeen
Scottish Cup Winners: Celtic
Champions League Winners: Manchester United
Champions League Runners Up: Porto
Europa League Winners: Borussia Dortmund
Europa League Runners Up: Sevilla
European Super Cup Winners: Chelsea
June 2022 Review
June 2022 Review
No games this month but a few other updates for you...
Callum Gribbin Leaves The Club
I am really sad to report that Callum Gribbin has left the club and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Celtic came in with an offer which met his minimum release clause of £3.3 million and the lad has moved on. 30% (£950k) of the transfer fee went to Gribbin himself due to a clause in his contract. I wish him all the best for his career but I am gutted to see him go.
I brought Callum to the club 3 seasons ago as a 19 year old for a fee of £450k and he very quickly established himself as a first team regular. He has progressed extremely well and got better each season and at the age of 22, I'm proud to see that he has developed into a fine young player. Callum recorded 46 league appearances for us, in which he scored 16 goals and provided 14 assists. During these games, Callum recorded an average rating of 7.37 and gave us 8 man of the match performances.
View attachment 81142
Gustafson To Get First Team Shot
19 year old Swedish winger/inside forward Joacim Gustafson has been promoted from the Under 19s squad to be given a chance to prove himself in the first team. Following the departure of Callum Gribbin, I needed to bring in a replacement but with the club not in the greatest financial situation I thought I'd have a look at some of the young talent coming through. Gustafson has been out on loan this season at Premier Division side Ostersunds and has done a decent job for them with an average rating of 6.92, 3 goals and an assist from 13 games. He will be introduced to the side slowly, but will get opportunities this season to prove to me he is ready to step up.
View attachment 81143
Nilsson Signs New Deal
31 year old goalkeeper David Mitov Nilsson has signed a new 3 year contract with us. The deal is as a key player and worth £4,700 per week. David has been an integral part of our success since I took over at the club and I am delighted he has agreed to extend his stay with us.
Sweden Gain Extra Champions League Place
Sweden have risen to 15th in the European coefficient rankings, meaning that we will have an extra place in the Champions League from the 2023/24 season.
View attachment 81141
IFK Norrkoping Drop 9 Places in European Rankings
View attachment 81140
Bachirou Misses Home
Defensive midfielder Fouad Bachirou has come to me to say he is starting to miss home. I really don't want to lose him permanently as he is a rock in this team, but I have allowed the player a leave of absence to go home and spend some time with his family. He will return to the club in 32 days.
Playable Leagues Update
My reputation continues to increase within the world of football management, so I have had a bit of a change up with the playable leagues I am now running in the game. I have added leagues from Germany and Italy and removed the Norwegian league.
View attachment 81131
June 2022 Review
No games this month but a few other updates for you...
Callum Gribbin Leaves The Club
I am really sad to report that Callum Gribbin has left the club and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Celtic came in with an offer which met his minimum release clause of £3.3 million and the lad has moved on. 30% (£950k) of the transfer fee went to Gribbin himself due to a clause in his contract. I wish him all the best for his career but I am gutted to see him go.
I brought Callum to the club 3 seasons ago as a 19 year old for a fee of £450k and he very quickly established himself as a first team regular. He has progressed extremely well and got better each season and at the age of 22, I'm proud to see that he has developed into a fine young player. Callum recorded 46 league appearances for us, in which he scored 16 goals and provided 14 assists. During these games, Callum recorded an average rating of 7.37 and gave us 8 man of the match performances.
View attachment 81142
Gustafson To Get First Team Shot
19 year old Swedish winger/inside forward Joacim Gustafson has been promoted from the Under 19s squad to be given a chance to prove himself in the first team. Following the departure of Callum Gribbin, I needed to bring in a replacement but with the club not in the greatest financial situation I thought I'd have a look at some of the young talent coming through. Gustafson has been out on loan this season at Premier Division side Ostersunds and has done a decent job for them with an average rating of 6.92, 3 goals and an assist from 13 games. He will be introduced to the side slowly, but will get opportunities this season to prove to me he is ready to step up.
View attachment 81143
Nilsson Signs New Deal
31 year old goalkeeper David Mitov Nilsson has signed a new 3 year contract with us. The deal is as a key player and worth £4,700 per week. David has been an integral part of our success since I took over at the club and I am delighted he has agreed to extend his stay with us.
Sweden Gain Extra Champions League Place
Sweden have risen to 15th in the European coefficient rankings, meaning that we will have an extra place in the Champions League from the 2023/24 season.
View attachment 81141
IFK Norrkoping Drop 9 Places in European Rankings
View attachment 81140
Bachirou Misses Home
Defensive midfielder Fouad Bachirou has come to me to say he is starting to miss home. I really don't want to lose him permanently as he is a rock in this team, but I have allowed the player a leave of absence to go home and spend some time with his family. He will return to the club in 32 days.
Playable Leagues Update
My reputation continues to increase within the world of football management, so I have had a bit of a change up with the playable leagues I am now running in the game. I have added leagues from Germany and Italy and removed the Norwegian league.
View attachment 81131
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World Cup 2022
World Cup Canada 2022
Quick update on the World Cup 2022 in Canada that has finished this month...
Semi Finals...
Portugal 2 - 0 Belgium
France 0 - 2 England
Final...
Portugal 1 - 1 England
(Portugal win 2-1 on penalties)
World Cup Canada 2022
Quick update on the World Cup 2022 in Canada that has finished this month...
Semi Finals...
Portugal 2 - 0 Belgium
France 0 - 2 England
Final...
Portugal 1 - 1 England
(Portugal win 2-1 on penalties)
July 2022 Review
July 2022 Review
Results
Swedish Premier Division
Kalmar FF 2 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81130
Our first game after the 5 week break would see us face Kalmar FF who were sitting 10th in the table. It filled me with sadness that as I picked my team for the starting lineup there was no Eric Smith (injured), no Callum Gribbin (sold) and no Fouad Bachirou (leave of absence) and I couldn't help but think the break had weakened us going into the 2nd half of the season. I had young Gustafson on the bench for the first time, but it was Mikael Anderson who'd been given the initial chance to fill Gribbin's boots on the right side of the pitch. The first half performance was nothing short of awful as Kalmar took a 2-0 lead into the break. It's something I've not had to do too often this season but the lads got a bollocking at half time and I expected better second half. They came out with a bit more urgency and we got a goal back within 10 minutes through left back Olsson who fired home from 20 yards. Anderson had not put a good case forward in this game and was subbed off on 60 minutes for 19 year old Gustafson to make his debut. He played OK but we wern't able to get the second goal to level things up and suffered a 2nd defeat of the season.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 0 Djurgardens IF
View attachment 81129
Djurgardens had beaten us on the opening day of the season and from there had gone on to win their opening 5 games. However, they had dropped off the pace since then and now sat in 6th with 22 points from 15 games. I wanted revenge for that opening day defeat and the lads got it for me! Although on the stats it was quite an even game, the chances created by us were of much better quality and the 3-0 scoreline was a fair reflection of that. Kerim Mrabti had a blinder against his old club, bagging a goal and an assist.
Swedish Premier Division
Malmo FF 1 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81128
Malmo away next...and I wasn't looking forward to it. Not only were we missing the 3 players mentioned above, I also now had Hadenius and Jackson suspended and Ruan Cafe out injured, so we were fielding a severely weakened team and I hoped we wasn't going to be embarassed by our title rivals. However, although I wasn't feeling confident, we did take an early lead through Mikael Anderson in the 9th minute as he smashed low past the stranded Malmo keeper. But on 22 minutes, Pontus Almqvist who'd ended up at Malmo after we sold him a couple of season's ago to Lyon, stepped up to take a free kick and powered it in for the equalizer. The rest of the game was pretty tight with no team really taking control or creating a clear opportunity. It finished 1-1 in what was a fair result in reflection and I'm happy to come away with a draw.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 0 IFK Goteborg
View attachment 81127
4th placed Goteborg were up next. We started really well creating a number of early chances and the Goteborg keeper was keeping them in the game until the 27th minute when we finally found a way past him, a close range effort from Piroe finding the back of the net. On 36 minutes it looked like Goteborg were going to equalize with their first shot of the match as striker Jonas Wind found himself clean through on goal, only to be thwarted by Mitov Nilsson who made an incredible save to keep us in front. Mikael Anderson scored his 2nd goal in 2 games to put us 2 up with only quarter of an hour to go....could he be staking a genuine claim for a place in the team now Gribbin has left.
Europa League Third Qualifying Stage Leg 1
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 1 Apollon Limassol
View attachment 81126
We'd drawn Cypriot side Apollon Limassol in the Europa League third qualifying round and had the 1st leg to play at home. We completely dominated this game from start to finish and to be honest I'm a little disappointed to come away with only a 2-1 win as I feel we should of put the tie to bed here, and that away goal our opponents have is worrying.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 4 - 0 Halmstads BK
View attachment 81125
Halmstads would be our next opponents and we had a depleted squad for this one with a number of players facing suspension having racked up yellow cards. I even had to call on a couple of youngsters from the U19s to fill the bench. Malmo had lost their game and it left us in a position that a win here would take us top of the table, so I expected my lads to deliver. We were handed a bit of a head start early on, with the referee awarding us a very soft penalty which Daniel Sundgren calmly put away to give us the lead. Before the end of the first half, both of my full backs had scored as Paul Addo made it 2-0 on 33 minutes. Piroe got in on the act early into the 2nd half and I was confident the points were safe even with 40 minutes of the match still to play. Our opponents hadn't even had a shot on goal in the whole match. I even managed to get 17 year old Pontus Rosen on for a 15 minute cameo at the end as things were so comfortable. We did go on to score a 4th goal and this was probably our easiest win of the season so far.
League Table
View attachment 81124
Maintained the 2 point lead at the top of the table this month despite recording a loss to Kalmar. Malmo and ourselves still miles ahead of the chasing pack.
Player of the Month
Daniel Sundgren
DR
Appearances: 6
Goals: 1
Assists: 2
Interceptions: 46
Average Rating: 7.75
Daniel wins back to back player of the month awards as he continued his consistency into this month. I do wonder how many of those 46 interceptions actually prevented goals. I'm sure this is a big contributor to the fact we've only conceded 12 goals in 19 games in the league this year.
Injury Update
View attachment 81123
Other than the long term injury to Eric Smith, the rest of the squad looks good.
Financial Update
View attachment 81122
The sales of Callum Gribbin got us back in the plus bank balance in June, but everyday expenditure has taken us back into the red this month.
Bachirou Returns
Fouad Bachirou returned from his leave of absence and for now he is happy to remain at the club and no longer feels homesick.
200 Games In Football Management For Me
I reached 200 games in football management with the 2-0 victory over IFK Goteborg.
July 2022 Review
Results
Swedish Premier Division
Kalmar FF 2 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81130
Our first game after the 5 week break would see us face Kalmar FF who were sitting 10th in the table. It filled me with sadness that as I picked my team for the starting lineup there was no Eric Smith (injured), no Callum Gribbin (sold) and no Fouad Bachirou (leave of absence) and I couldn't help but think the break had weakened us going into the 2nd half of the season. I had young Gustafson on the bench for the first time, but it was Mikael Anderson who'd been given the initial chance to fill Gribbin's boots on the right side of the pitch. The first half performance was nothing short of awful as Kalmar took a 2-0 lead into the break. It's something I've not had to do too often this season but the lads got a bollocking at half time and I expected better second half. They came out with a bit more urgency and we got a goal back within 10 minutes through left back Olsson who fired home from 20 yards. Anderson had not put a good case forward in this game and was subbed off on 60 minutes for 19 year old Gustafson to make his debut. He played OK but we wern't able to get the second goal to level things up and suffered a 2nd defeat of the season.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 0 Djurgardens IF
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Djurgardens had beaten us on the opening day of the season and from there had gone on to win their opening 5 games. However, they had dropped off the pace since then and now sat in 6th with 22 points from 15 games. I wanted revenge for that opening day defeat and the lads got it for me! Although on the stats it was quite an even game, the chances created by us were of much better quality and the 3-0 scoreline was a fair reflection of that. Kerim Mrabti had a blinder against his old club, bagging a goal and an assist.
Swedish Premier Division
Malmo FF 1 - 1 IFK Norrkoping
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Malmo away next...and I wasn't looking forward to it. Not only were we missing the 3 players mentioned above, I also now had Hadenius and Jackson suspended and Ruan Cafe out injured, so we were fielding a severely weakened team and I hoped we wasn't going to be embarassed by our title rivals. However, although I wasn't feeling confident, we did take an early lead through Mikael Anderson in the 9th minute as he smashed low past the stranded Malmo keeper. But on 22 minutes, Pontus Almqvist who'd ended up at Malmo after we sold him a couple of season's ago to Lyon, stepped up to take a free kick and powered it in for the equalizer. The rest of the game was pretty tight with no team really taking control or creating a clear opportunity. It finished 1-1 in what was a fair result in reflection and I'm happy to come away with a draw.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 0 IFK Goteborg
View attachment 81127
4th placed Goteborg were up next. We started really well creating a number of early chances and the Goteborg keeper was keeping them in the game until the 27th minute when we finally found a way past him, a close range effort from Piroe finding the back of the net. On 36 minutes it looked like Goteborg were going to equalize with their first shot of the match as striker Jonas Wind found himself clean through on goal, only to be thwarted by Mitov Nilsson who made an incredible save to keep us in front. Mikael Anderson scored his 2nd goal in 2 games to put us 2 up with only quarter of an hour to go....could he be staking a genuine claim for a place in the team now Gribbin has left.
Europa League Third Qualifying Stage Leg 1
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 1 Apollon Limassol
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We'd drawn Cypriot side Apollon Limassol in the Europa League third qualifying round and had the 1st leg to play at home. We completely dominated this game from start to finish and to be honest I'm a little disappointed to come away with only a 2-1 win as I feel we should of put the tie to bed here, and that away goal our opponents have is worrying.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 4 - 0 Halmstads BK
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Halmstads would be our next opponents and we had a depleted squad for this one with a number of players facing suspension having racked up yellow cards. I even had to call on a couple of youngsters from the U19s to fill the bench. Malmo had lost their game and it left us in a position that a win here would take us top of the table, so I expected my lads to deliver. We were handed a bit of a head start early on, with the referee awarding us a very soft penalty which Daniel Sundgren calmly put away to give us the lead. Before the end of the first half, both of my full backs had scored as Paul Addo made it 2-0 on 33 minutes. Piroe got in on the act early into the 2nd half and I was confident the points were safe even with 40 minutes of the match still to play. Our opponents hadn't even had a shot on goal in the whole match. I even managed to get 17 year old Pontus Rosen on for a 15 minute cameo at the end as things were so comfortable. We did go on to score a 4th goal and this was probably our easiest win of the season so far.
League Table
View attachment 81124
Maintained the 2 point lead at the top of the table this month despite recording a loss to Kalmar. Malmo and ourselves still miles ahead of the chasing pack.
Player of the Month
Daniel Sundgren
DR
Appearances: 6
Goals: 1
Assists: 2
Interceptions: 46
Average Rating: 7.75
Daniel wins back to back player of the month awards as he continued his consistency into this month. I do wonder how many of those 46 interceptions actually prevented goals. I'm sure this is a big contributor to the fact we've only conceded 12 goals in 19 games in the league this year.
Injury Update
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Other than the long term injury to Eric Smith, the rest of the squad looks good.
Financial Update
View attachment 81122
The sales of Callum Gribbin got us back in the plus bank balance in June, but everyday expenditure has taken us back into the red this month.
Bachirou Returns
Fouad Bachirou returned from his leave of absence and for now he is happy to remain at the club and no longer feels homesick.
200 Games In Football Management For Me
I reached 200 games in football management with the 2-0 victory over IFK Goteborg.
August 2022 Review
August 2022 Review
Results
Europa League Third Qualifying Stage Leg 2
Apollon Limassol 0 - 2 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81112
Our first game in August would see us travel to Cyprus for the 2nd leg of our Europa League qualifier against Apollon. After they grabbed a cheeky away goal in the first leg, I felt it was important to maintain an attacking mentality for this one as they only needed a 1-0 win here to knock us out so I felt an away goal of our own was crucial. The lads gave me a decent performance and a goal in both halves secured a 2-0 win and saw us through to the playoff stage. We've drawn Ukranian giants Dynamo Kyiv.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 1 - 1 Ostersunds FK
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Ostersunds were languishing in the relegation places coming into this game, but would be the fresher of the two teams following our european game midweek. We dominated throughout with 20 shots to our opponents 3 but didn't tuck away enough chances and were duly punished in the 89th minute when Ostersunds equalized and earned a draw that they didn't deserve at all. What a kick in the teeth that was, and to make it worse Malmo won and go top of the table.
Swedish Premier Division
Orebro SK 4 - 4 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81110
We'd go to Orebro next and I was hoping we quickly put the disappointing result against Ostersunds behind us and get back on the winning track. We'd beaten Orebro in our last 3 meetings and put 10 goals past them in the process so it looked like a good game on paper to get back to winning ways. The game started at a frantic pace with both teams creating a decent chance in the opening 2 minutes of the game. But the first real piece of action came in the 5th minute when Kerim Mrabti made a poor challenge in the box to hand Orebro an early penalty, which Thellufsen took well and gave Orebro a 1-0 lead. On 15 minutes we literally handed them a 2nd goal too - Orebro launched a hopeful long ball over the top, Mitov Nilsson rushed out of his goal and fluffed his clearance passing it straight to an onrushing Orebro player who had an empty goal to pass the ball into. This is the worst start to a game we've had probably since I took over and my lads really didn't look 'on it' today at all! We got to 30 minutes on the clock and looked poor, so I changed things up dropping the DM role and adding a shadow striker into the mix, ultimately we looked a lot more attacking now. It paid off almost immediately as we hit back with a goal in the 35th minute through a Mikael Anderson header. But the attacking formation was leaving gaps at the back and Orebro restored their two goal lead only 5 minutes later. Changes were made at half time as I introduced striker Ruan Cafe who was on the comeback trail from an injury and he looked lively hitting the post within 2 minutes of the restart. And it only took Cafe 6 minutes to get on the scoresheet and reduce our deficit to 1 goal. Then, on 55 minutes Cafe was played through on goal from a pass over the top of the Orebro defence by Niklas Johansson....I held my breath as Cafe struck the ball and was delighted to see it rattle the back of the net. What an inspired substitution this had been. We continued to press to find the winner and in the 78th minute, that man Cafe completed the hat trick and we'd turned this game around and now lead 4-3!! But it only lasted 2 minutes as Orebro won a corner, fired it into the box and literally scrambled it over the line for an equalizer! What a game for the neautrals as it finished 4-4. I had mixed emotions about this one, disappointed we didn't win but happy that we'd fought back twice from 2 goals down to earn a point.
Swedish Premier Division
IK Sirius 1 - 2 IFK Norrkoping
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IK Sirius were our next opponents and we knew this lot could be a banana skin on their day so had to have our wits about us. New arrival Anthony Knockaert was on the bench, as he was severely lacking match fitness and not ready to start a game. The first half was all us and we deservedly took a 1-0 lead into half time through a Kwame Bonsu goal. Ruan Cafe was introduced early into the 2nd half following his hat trick against Orebro and I'd be looking for another goal from him. But it was Sirius who struck with an equalizer with half an hour remaining. Knockaert was introduced with 20 minutes left and almost made an impact immediately as he fizzed a long range effort just past the post. It looked like the game was going to end in a draw, but then the moment we'd all been hoping for arrived - Freddy Winsth ran into the box and struck a wicked shot which came back off the post and landed at the feet of Knockaert who had an easy finish to mark his debut with a winning goal.
Europa League Playoff Leg 1
Dynamo Kyiv 2 - 0 IFK Norrkoping
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Dynamo Kyiv were going to be very tough opponents for us to try to overcome and make the group stages of the Europa League. We had the away leg first which I prefer and I felt if we could scrape a draw in Ukraine we might have a chance. But it wasn't to be as we went down 2-0, although the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story. We were actually the better side in the game, and created a number of good chances. The Kyiv keeper made a couple of very good saves and we hit the crossbar twice so on another day this could have been a completely different result. Hopefully if we can perform like this in the home leg, and get a little bit more luck, we will stand a chance even if only a small one.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 0 Orgryte IS
View attachment 81107
Orgryte were propping up the table with only 11 points all season and relegation was looking inevitable for them. Although saying that, they had only lost 1 of their previous 5 games so I was thinking it might not be a complete walk in the park for us. Anthony Knockaert was making his first start for the club and he marked the occasion with a goal only 6 minutes in. Joel Piroe doubled our lead before half time. The second half was pretty drab with not a lot happening as we seemed to settle for the 2-0 win. Another 3 points - Malmo also won which keeps them top on goal difference.
Europa League Playoff Leg 2
IFK Norrkoping 1 - 2 Dynamo Kyiv
View attachment 81106
We had a 2-0 deficit to try to overcome here but our performance in Ukraine had given me hope that it was possible. The first half we were great, we played some great football and created some good chance with their keeper having a decent game and keeping us out. So when Kyiv scored with their first shot of the match in the final minute of the half it's fair to say I felt robbed. I was gutted for the lads as we knew that 4 goals in the second half was nigh on impossible to take us through. I wasnt going to have my boys go down without a fight though so I switched things up at half time and went very attacking (for us). I knew it was going to leave us open at the back but I'd rather lose 4-0 than 1-0 but at least have given it a good go. The second half actually finished 1-1 and we did have a go. I'm disappointed to go out at the playoff stage again but Dynamo Kyiv are worthy opponents to lose to.
Swedish Cup 2nd Round
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 1 Sollentuna FK
View attachment 81105
Swedish Cup 2nd round opponents would be Sollentuna FK from the Division 1 North. With our opposition being 2 leagues below us I took the opportunity to rotate the squad and play some second string players. Still recorded a comfortable 3-1 win and progressed to next year's group stage as expected.
League Table
View attachment 81104
We are 2nd in the league but only on goal difference as we share points with Malmo. Surely I'm not going to get pipped to the title by them for a third season in a row?!
Player of the Month
Kwame Bonsu
MC
Appearances: 5
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Key Headers: 9
Average Rating: 7.28
Player of the month goes to Bonsu who has had a more active role in the team due to the busy schedule, injuries and suspensions but he's come in and done a really solid job for us. I'm really impressed with the lad. He has never been a first team starter since I've been at the club, always on the fringe, but the lad never moans or whinges. He just gets on with his job and performs when I bring him in. Great attitude and this award is well deserved.
Financial Update
View attachment 81102
The club sits in over £1 million of debt. Not great but hopefully small enough to mean we'll be back in the positive at the end of the season with prize money etc...
Man of the Match Record for Café
Ruan Cafe has set a new club record for the most man of the match awards in a season with 8. He has surpassed the previous record of 7 which was set by centre midfielder Eric Smith in 2020 and equalled by striker Francisco Sevilla last season.
Anthony Knockaert Joins IFK Norrkoping
30 year old attacking midfielder Anthony Knockaert has joined us on a free transfer. The player was available after being released by Southampton at the end of their season. Knockaert is keen to get back playing regular football after only making 4 appearances last year for the Saints and this is something we can offer him here. I think he is a fantastic talent, a good dribbler on the ball with the ability to create chances and who knows how to find the back of the net. Knockaert joins us on a 1 year contract as a squad rotation player worth £4,000 per week.
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Gustafson To Gain First Team Experience On Loan
I have sent Joacim Gustafson out on loan for the rest of the season to get some first team football under his belt at a decent level. With the arrival of Anthony Knockaert I felt the lad's chances would be limited this season, so have allowed him to join Danish Superliga side AGF who have promised to play him as a first team regular.
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August 2022 Review
Results
Europa League Third Qualifying Stage Leg 2
Apollon Limassol 0 - 2 IFK Norrkoping
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Our first game in August would see us travel to Cyprus for the 2nd leg of our Europa League qualifier against Apollon. After they grabbed a cheeky away goal in the first leg, I felt it was important to maintain an attacking mentality for this one as they only needed a 1-0 win here to knock us out so I felt an away goal of our own was crucial. The lads gave me a decent performance and a goal in both halves secured a 2-0 win and saw us through to the playoff stage. We've drawn Ukranian giants Dynamo Kyiv.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 1 - 1 Ostersunds FK
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Ostersunds were languishing in the relegation places coming into this game, but would be the fresher of the two teams following our european game midweek. We dominated throughout with 20 shots to our opponents 3 but didn't tuck away enough chances and were duly punished in the 89th minute when Ostersunds equalized and earned a draw that they didn't deserve at all. What a kick in the teeth that was, and to make it worse Malmo won and go top of the table.
Swedish Premier Division
Orebro SK 4 - 4 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81110
We'd go to Orebro next and I was hoping we quickly put the disappointing result against Ostersunds behind us and get back on the winning track. We'd beaten Orebro in our last 3 meetings and put 10 goals past them in the process so it looked like a good game on paper to get back to winning ways. The game started at a frantic pace with both teams creating a decent chance in the opening 2 minutes of the game. But the first real piece of action came in the 5th minute when Kerim Mrabti made a poor challenge in the box to hand Orebro an early penalty, which Thellufsen took well and gave Orebro a 1-0 lead. On 15 minutes we literally handed them a 2nd goal too - Orebro launched a hopeful long ball over the top, Mitov Nilsson rushed out of his goal and fluffed his clearance passing it straight to an onrushing Orebro player who had an empty goal to pass the ball into. This is the worst start to a game we've had probably since I took over and my lads really didn't look 'on it' today at all! We got to 30 minutes on the clock and looked poor, so I changed things up dropping the DM role and adding a shadow striker into the mix, ultimately we looked a lot more attacking now. It paid off almost immediately as we hit back with a goal in the 35th minute through a Mikael Anderson header. But the attacking formation was leaving gaps at the back and Orebro restored their two goal lead only 5 minutes later. Changes were made at half time as I introduced striker Ruan Cafe who was on the comeback trail from an injury and he looked lively hitting the post within 2 minutes of the restart. And it only took Cafe 6 minutes to get on the scoresheet and reduce our deficit to 1 goal. Then, on 55 minutes Cafe was played through on goal from a pass over the top of the Orebro defence by Niklas Johansson....I held my breath as Cafe struck the ball and was delighted to see it rattle the back of the net. What an inspired substitution this had been. We continued to press to find the winner and in the 78th minute, that man Cafe completed the hat trick and we'd turned this game around and now lead 4-3!! But it only lasted 2 minutes as Orebro won a corner, fired it into the box and literally scrambled it over the line for an equalizer! What a game for the neautrals as it finished 4-4. I had mixed emotions about this one, disappointed we didn't win but happy that we'd fought back twice from 2 goals down to earn a point.
Swedish Premier Division
IK Sirius 1 - 2 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81109
IK Sirius were our next opponents and we knew this lot could be a banana skin on their day so had to have our wits about us. New arrival Anthony Knockaert was on the bench, as he was severely lacking match fitness and not ready to start a game. The first half was all us and we deservedly took a 1-0 lead into half time through a Kwame Bonsu goal. Ruan Cafe was introduced early into the 2nd half following his hat trick against Orebro and I'd be looking for another goal from him. But it was Sirius who struck with an equalizer with half an hour remaining. Knockaert was introduced with 20 minutes left and almost made an impact immediately as he fizzed a long range effort just past the post. It looked like the game was going to end in a draw, but then the moment we'd all been hoping for arrived - Freddy Winsth ran into the box and struck a wicked shot which came back off the post and landed at the feet of Knockaert who had an easy finish to mark his debut with a winning goal.
Europa League Playoff Leg 1
Dynamo Kyiv 2 - 0 IFK Norrkoping
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Dynamo Kyiv were going to be very tough opponents for us to try to overcome and make the group stages of the Europa League. We had the away leg first which I prefer and I felt if we could scrape a draw in Ukraine we might have a chance. But it wasn't to be as we went down 2-0, although the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story. We were actually the better side in the game, and created a number of good chances. The Kyiv keeper made a couple of very good saves and we hit the crossbar twice so on another day this could have been a completely different result. Hopefully if we can perform like this in the home leg, and get a little bit more luck, we will stand a chance even if only a small one.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 0 Orgryte IS
View attachment 81107
Orgryte were propping up the table with only 11 points all season and relegation was looking inevitable for them. Although saying that, they had only lost 1 of their previous 5 games so I was thinking it might not be a complete walk in the park for us. Anthony Knockaert was making his first start for the club and he marked the occasion with a goal only 6 minutes in. Joel Piroe doubled our lead before half time. The second half was pretty drab with not a lot happening as we seemed to settle for the 2-0 win. Another 3 points - Malmo also won which keeps them top on goal difference.
Europa League Playoff Leg 2
IFK Norrkoping 1 - 2 Dynamo Kyiv
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We had a 2-0 deficit to try to overcome here but our performance in Ukraine had given me hope that it was possible. The first half we were great, we played some great football and created some good chance with their keeper having a decent game and keeping us out. So when Kyiv scored with their first shot of the match in the final minute of the half it's fair to say I felt robbed. I was gutted for the lads as we knew that 4 goals in the second half was nigh on impossible to take us through. I wasnt going to have my boys go down without a fight though so I switched things up at half time and went very attacking (for us). I knew it was going to leave us open at the back but I'd rather lose 4-0 than 1-0 but at least have given it a good go. The second half actually finished 1-1 and we did have a go. I'm disappointed to go out at the playoff stage again but Dynamo Kyiv are worthy opponents to lose to.
Swedish Cup 2nd Round
IFK Norrkoping 3 - 1 Sollentuna FK
View attachment 81105
Swedish Cup 2nd round opponents would be Sollentuna FK from the Division 1 North. With our opposition being 2 leagues below us I took the opportunity to rotate the squad and play some second string players. Still recorded a comfortable 3-1 win and progressed to next year's group stage as expected.
League Table
View attachment 81104
We are 2nd in the league but only on goal difference as we share points with Malmo. Surely I'm not going to get pipped to the title by them for a third season in a row?!
Player of the Month
Kwame Bonsu
MC
Appearances: 5
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Key Headers: 9
Average Rating: 7.28
Player of the month goes to Bonsu who has had a more active role in the team due to the busy schedule, injuries and suspensions but he's come in and done a really solid job for us. I'm really impressed with the lad. He has never been a first team starter since I've been at the club, always on the fringe, but the lad never moans or whinges. He just gets on with his job and performs when I bring him in. Great attitude and this award is well deserved.
Financial Update
View attachment 81102
The club sits in over £1 million of debt. Not great but hopefully small enough to mean we'll be back in the positive at the end of the season with prize money etc...
Man of the Match Record for Café
Ruan Cafe has set a new club record for the most man of the match awards in a season with 8. He has surpassed the previous record of 7 which was set by centre midfielder Eric Smith in 2020 and equalled by striker Francisco Sevilla last season.
Anthony Knockaert Joins IFK Norrkoping
30 year old attacking midfielder Anthony Knockaert has joined us on a free transfer. The player was available after being released by Southampton at the end of their season. Knockaert is keen to get back playing regular football after only making 4 appearances last year for the Saints and this is something we can offer him here. I think he is a fantastic talent, a good dribbler on the ball with the ability to create chances and who knows how to find the back of the net. Knockaert joins us on a 1 year contract as a squad rotation player worth £4,000 per week.
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Gustafson To Gain First Team Experience On Loan
I have sent Joacim Gustafson out on loan for the rest of the season to get some first team football under his belt at a decent level. With the arrival of Anthony Knockaert I felt the lad's chances would be limited this season, so have allowed him to join Danish Superliga side AGF who have promised to play him as a first team regular.
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September 2022 Review
September 2022 Review
Results
Swedish Premier Division
Hammarby IF 1 - 2 IFK Norrkoping
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We kicked off September with an away trip to Hammarby. We made a perfect start to the game scoring two within the first 20 minutes. Hammarby got one back before half time and I expected them to really attack us in the 2nd half, but it never really came and although we didn't add anymore goals of our own, we was always pretty comfortable on the way to the 3 points. Malmo drew their game against Elfsborg so we have gone top of the table by 2 points with this win.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 2 BK Hacken
View attachment 81094
BK Hacken were up next and I felt we really needed a win here as our next two games would be a lot more difficult against the likes of AIK and Jonkopings. But we made a shocking start and went behind as early as the 8th minute. The man that scored the goal was Sebastian Andersson who'd just joined Hacken on a free, but he had previously spent 5 seasons with us before I sold him to Standard in 2019 for over £1 million. In the 20th minute we were level through Ludvig Fritzson with a nice curling effort from outside the box. We were not playing well though and when Hacken were awarded a penalty near the end of the half and scored, it was probably deserved on the balance of play. After a bit of an *** kicking at half time the lads came out and looked much more up for it in the 2nd half. Kerim Mrabti bagged an early goal to get us level and it was all to play for. It was then pretty much an onslaught for the next 40 minutes on the Hacken goal but we were unable to find another way through and the game finished in a disappointing draw. Malmo won their game so we were now level on points again with 5 games to go.
Swedish Premier Division
AIK 2 - 3 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81093
AIK came into this game sitting mid table which by their standards is a pretty poor season. But we knew they'd love nothing more than to upset our title bid so had to be on our A game. The first half was tight with both teams creating 5 chances each. Difference was that we took two of ours and they only took one which meant we went into half time with the lead. The second half started fast and furious with both teams scoring in the opening 4 minutes. We went on to create some really good chances and had opportunities to put this out of AIK's reach, but the 4th goal never came. Luckily though, neither did AIK's equalizer so we walked away with a huge 3 points. Malmo recorded a 2-0 victory over Orebro to keep them top on goal difference.
Swedish Premier Division
Jonkopings Sodra IF 1 - 5 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81092
Malmo had played the day before us and recorded a loss to Kalmar, which meant a win or draw here would put us top of the table. Joel Piroe settled everyone's nerves in the 6th minute when he struck us in front with a low shot past the keeper from about 8 yards out. The striker had become extremely consistent over the past few games and I was hoping he could continue to bang them in for the last few games. Our lead lasted about 90 seconds, as we again gave away a stupid penalty through a needless foul from Oran Jackson. The penalty was converted and the scores were level. Our lead was restored on 32 minutes through Piroe again after finding himself with acres of space inside the box to hammer home from close range. Jonkopings piled on the pressure late on and I dropped to a more defensive setup in order to hold on for the win. As it played out, it was actually us who added another 3 goals which made the scoreline 5-1 which to be honest flattered us a little. But with this big win we'd actually managed to level up the goal difference with Malmo as well now which could be crucial come the end of the season.
League Table
View attachment 81091
With only 3 games to go we sit top of the table 3 points clear and on the same goal difference as Malmo. It's going right down to the wire.
Player of the Month
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Joel Piroe
ST
Appearances: 3 (1 as sub)
Goals: 4
Assists: 0
Shots on Target: 8
Average Rating: 8.07
Since Ruan Café experienced his injury back in August, Piroe has had an opportunity to step up and become the main man up front and he has done exactly that. This month he has been unstoppable with 4 goals in 3 games.
IFK Norrkoping Guarantee Champions League Spot
With 6 games remaining, we have guaranteed ourselves a top 2 finish which means we will be entered into the qualification stages for next year's Champions League. Due to the European rankings and Sweden rising to 15th this year, we were awarded a 2nd spot in the Champions League next year.
September 2022 Review
Results
Swedish Premier Division
Hammarby IF 1 - 2 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81097
We kicked off September with an away trip to Hammarby. We made a perfect start to the game scoring two within the first 20 minutes. Hammarby got one back before half time and I expected them to really attack us in the 2nd half, but it never really came and although we didn't add anymore goals of our own, we was always pretty comfortable on the way to the 3 points. Malmo drew their game against Elfsborg so we have gone top of the table by 2 points with this win.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 2 - 2 BK Hacken
View attachment 81094
BK Hacken were up next and I felt we really needed a win here as our next two games would be a lot more difficult against the likes of AIK and Jonkopings. But we made a shocking start and went behind as early as the 8th minute. The man that scored the goal was Sebastian Andersson who'd just joined Hacken on a free, but he had previously spent 5 seasons with us before I sold him to Standard in 2019 for over £1 million. In the 20th minute we were level through Ludvig Fritzson with a nice curling effort from outside the box. We were not playing well though and when Hacken were awarded a penalty near the end of the half and scored, it was probably deserved on the balance of play. After a bit of an *** kicking at half time the lads came out and looked much more up for it in the 2nd half. Kerim Mrabti bagged an early goal to get us level and it was all to play for. It was then pretty much an onslaught for the next 40 minutes on the Hacken goal but we were unable to find another way through and the game finished in a disappointing draw. Malmo won their game so we were now level on points again with 5 games to go.
Swedish Premier Division
AIK 2 - 3 IFK Norrkoping
View attachment 81093
AIK came into this game sitting mid table which by their standards is a pretty poor season. But we knew they'd love nothing more than to upset our title bid so had to be on our A game. The first half was tight with both teams creating 5 chances each. Difference was that we took two of ours and they only took one which meant we went into half time with the lead. The second half started fast and furious with both teams scoring in the opening 4 minutes. We went on to create some really good chances and had opportunities to put this out of AIK's reach, but the 4th goal never came. Luckily though, neither did AIK's equalizer so we walked away with a huge 3 points. Malmo recorded a 2-0 victory over Orebro to keep them top on goal difference.
Swedish Premier Division
Jonkopings Sodra IF 1 - 5 IFK Norrkoping
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Malmo had played the day before us and recorded a loss to Kalmar, which meant a win or draw here would put us top of the table. Joel Piroe settled everyone's nerves in the 6th minute when he struck us in front with a low shot past the keeper from about 8 yards out. The striker had become extremely consistent over the past few games and I was hoping he could continue to bang them in for the last few games. Our lead lasted about 90 seconds, as we again gave away a stupid penalty through a needless foul from Oran Jackson. The penalty was converted and the scores were level. Our lead was restored on 32 minutes through Piroe again after finding himself with acres of space inside the box to hammer home from close range. Jonkopings piled on the pressure late on and I dropped to a more defensive setup in order to hold on for the win. As it played out, it was actually us who added another 3 goals which made the scoreline 5-1 which to be honest flattered us a little. But with this big win we'd actually managed to level up the goal difference with Malmo as well now which could be crucial come the end of the season.
League Table
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With only 3 games to go we sit top of the table 3 points clear and on the same goal difference as Malmo. It's going right down to the wire.
Player of the Month
Joel Piroe
ST
Appearances: 3 (1 as sub)
Goals: 4
Assists: 0
Shots on Target: 8
Average Rating: 8.07
Since Ruan Café experienced his injury back in August, Piroe has had an opportunity to step up and become the main man up front and he has done exactly that. This month he has been unstoppable with 4 goals in 3 games.
IFK Norrkoping Guarantee Champions League Spot
With 6 games remaining, we have guaranteed ourselves a top 2 finish which means we will be entered into the qualification stages for next year's Champions League. Due to the European rankings and Sweden rising to 15th this year, we were awarded a 2nd spot in the Champions League next year.
IFK Norrkoping Seal Swedish Premier Division Title
We've done it! We've finally put an end to Malmo FF's dominance in the Swedish Premier Division. Malmo had pipped us to the title over the past two seasons with me in charge and although we had met and exceeded expectations by finishing a comfortable 2nd on both occasions, we were chomping at the bit to go one further.
And this year we have finally done it! We have secured the title with a game to spare.
I am delighted to have won my first top flight championship only 7 seasons into my management career and hope that this will be the first of many and maybe not just in Sweden.
I feel I've built an excellent team here and we were unlucky not to have won the title during the past two campaigns but I'm proud of the lads for not giving up and their determination has shone through this year. To win the league with only 2 losses to our name all year is an amazing achievement and I have to give credit to my players for their consistency and performances throughout the season.
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We've done it! We've finally put an end to Malmo FF's dominance in the Swedish Premier Division. Malmo had pipped us to the title over the past two seasons with me in charge and although we had met and exceeded expectations by finishing a comfortable 2nd on both occasions, we were chomping at the bit to go one further.
And this year we have finally done it! We have secured the title with a game to spare.
I am delighted to have won my first top flight championship only 7 seasons into my management career and hope that this will be the first of many and maybe not just in Sweden.
I feel I've built an excellent team here and we were unlucky not to have won the title during the past two campaigns but I'm proud of the lads for not giving up and their determination has shone through this year. To win the league with only 2 losses to our name all year is an amazing achievement and I have to give credit to my players for their consistency and performances throughout the season.
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October 2022 Review
October 2022 Review
Results
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 1 - 1 IF Elfsborg
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It only took us 4 minutes to get our noses in front against Elfsborg as Kerim Mrabti slotted home a nice shot from just outside the box. But the lead didn't last for long as Elfsborg hit back on 11 minutes with a decent effort of their own from 20 yards out. Considering the all action first 10 minutes, the rest of the match was pretty slow and boring to be honest with neither team doing anything to excite their fans and it fizzled out into a 1-1 draw. I wasn't sure how to feel about the draw until I saw that Malmo had lost and it had actually put us 4 points clear with only 2 games left....Surely the title was ours to lose now!!
Swedish Premier Division
Osters IF 0 - 4 IFK Norrkoping
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So a win against relegated Osters would secure us the Swedish Premier Division title! I was the most nervous I've been before a game in my football management career to date. It took us 38 minutes to find the opening which finally came through Anthony Knockaert who bagged his 5th goal of the season. The ball was lumped forward more in hope than anything and Knockaert ran into the box and lobbed a header over the onrushing keeper who I think thought he was coming out for an easy catch. Knockaert then doubled his tally just before half time with another header, this time more conventional from an Alexandre Vincent cross. On 60 minutes we all but secured the title with our 3rd goal, another header, this time from striker Joel Piroe, his 20th of the season which is amazing as he played second fiddle for the first half of the campaign to Cafe. Then that man Cafe came off the bench to bag himself a goal too and we were winning the title in style as we increased our lead to 4-0. It remained that way and we are able to celebrate winning the Swedish Premier Division with a game to spare.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 4 - 2 Kalmar FF
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We'd won the league but I still wanted to sign off the season with a win in front of a capacity home crowd that had turned out to see us receive the trophy. And we did exactly that, signing off the season with an entertaining 4-2 win and recording a club record 22 wins and 72 points in the season.
League Table
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The final table shows us winning the league by 10 points. We maintained our form right to the very end where as Malmo completely fell apart losing their final 3 games of the season. A brilliant effort from the lads as we mustered up a club record 72 points and won our first Premier Division title in 7 years.
Player of the Month
Anthony Knockaert
AMR
Appearances: 3
Goals: 3
Assists: 1
Key Passes: 3
Average Rating: 8.17
Anthony has been brilliant since he came into the team and was a big part of us finishing the season so strongly. In only 9 appearances for the club, he has contributed 7 goals and 2 assists.
Financial Update
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Back in the positive
October 2022 Review
Results
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 1 - 1 IF Elfsborg
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It only took us 4 minutes to get our noses in front against Elfsborg as Kerim Mrabti slotted home a nice shot from just outside the box. But the lead didn't last for long as Elfsborg hit back on 11 minutes with a decent effort of their own from 20 yards out. Considering the all action first 10 minutes, the rest of the match was pretty slow and boring to be honest with neither team doing anything to excite their fans and it fizzled out into a 1-1 draw. I wasn't sure how to feel about the draw until I saw that Malmo had lost and it had actually put us 4 points clear with only 2 games left....Surely the title was ours to lose now!!
Swedish Premier Division
Osters IF 0 - 4 IFK Norrkoping
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So a win against relegated Osters would secure us the Swedish Premier Division title! I was the most nervous I've been before a game in my football management career to date. It took us 38 minutes to find the opening which finally came through Anthony Knockaert who bagged his 5th goal of the season. The ball was lumped forward more in hope than anything and Knockaert ran into the box and lobbed a header over the onrushing keeper who I think thought he was coming out for an easy catch. Knockaert then doubled his tally just before half time with another header, this time more conventional from an Alexandre Vincent cross. On 60 minutes we all but secured the title with our 3rd goal, another header, this time from striker Joel Piroe, his 20th of the season which is amazing as he played second fiddle for the first half of the campaign to Cafe. Then that man Cafe came off the bench to bag himself a goal too and we were winning the title in style as we increased our lead to 4-0. It remained that way and we are able to celebrate winning the Swedish Premier Division with a game to spare.
Swedish Premier Division
IFK Norrkoping 4 - 2 Kalmar FF
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We'd won the league but I still wanted to sign off the season with a win in front of a capacity home crowd that had turned out to see us receive the trophy. And we did exactly that, signing off the season with an entertaining 4-2 win and recording a club record 22 wins and 72 points in the season.
League Table
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The final table shows us winning the league by 10 points. We maintained our form right to the very end where as Malmo completely fell apart losing their final 3 games of the season. A brilliant effort from the lads as we mustered up a club record 72 points and won our first Premier Division title in 7 years.
Player of the Month
Anthony Knockaert
AMR
Appearances: 3
Goals: 3
Assists: 1
Key Passes: 3
Average Rating: 8.17
Anthony has been brilliant since he came into the team and was a big part of us finishing the season so strongly. In only 9 appearances for the club, he has contributed 7 goals and 2 assists.
Financial Update
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Back in the positive
End of Season Player Stats
End Of Season Player Stats
Top Average Rating (in relation to appearances):
1st: Ruan Café - ST - 30 appearances - 7.55
2nd: Kerim Mrabti - MC - 30 appearances - 7.47
3rd: Jon Guoni Fjolusen - DC - 37 appearances - 7.44
Top Goalscorers:
1st: Joel Piroe - ST - 20
2nd: Ruan Café - ST - 19
3rd: Kerim Mrabti - MC - 8
Top Assists:
1st: Ruan Café - ST - 11
2nd: Alexandre Vincent - MC/AML - 9
3rd: Niklas Johansson/Daniel Sundgren/Kwame Bonsu - 8
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End Of Season Player Stats
Top Average Rating (in relation to appearances):
1st: Ruan Café - ST - 30 appearances - 7.55
2nd: Kerim Mrabti - MC - 30 appearances - 7.47
3rd: Jon Guoni Fjolusen - DC - 37 appearances - 7.44
Top Goalscorers:
1st: Joel Piroe - ST - 20
2nd: Ruan Café - ST - 19
3rd: Kerim Mrabti - MC - 8
Top Assists:
1st: Ruan Café - ST - 11
2nd: Alexandre Vincent - MC/AML - 9
3rd: Niklas Johansson/Daniel Sundgren/Kwame Bonsu - 8
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Job Offer
An Unexpected Approach
Wow....Out of absolutely nowhere the Swedish FA have approached me and offered me the Sweden manager job!!
I'm absolutely flattered by the approach and it means a lot that this country I have built my home and reputation in over the past 7 years have taken me in enough and think highly enough of me to put me in charge of their national team.
However, at the moment I am keen to continue building my experience at club level and do not want to commit to international management. I have respectfully informed the Swedish FA that I will not be taking up the role but that it is an honour to be approached and one day I would love to come back and manage the team.
An Unexpected Approach
Wow....Out of absolutely nowhere the Swedish FA have approached me and offered me the Sweden manager job!!
I'm absolutely flattered by the approach and it means a lot that this country I have built my home and reputation in over the past 7 years have taken me in enough and think highly enough of me to put me in charge of their national team.
However, at the moment I am keen to continue building my experience at club level and do not want to commit to international management. I have respectfully informed the Swedish FA that I will not be taking up the role but that it is an honour to be approached and one day I would love to come back and manage the team.
4 Players Named In Team of the Year
4 IFK Norrkoping Players Selected in
Swedish Premier Division Team of the Year
Four players were named in the Swedish Premier Division Team of the Year. Jon Guoni Fjolusen, Daniel Sundgren, Kerim Mrabti and Ruan Café all made the starting 11.
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Swedish Premier Division Team of the Year
Four players were named in the Swedish Premier Division Team of the Year. Jon Guoni Fjolusen, Daniel Sundgren, Kerim Mrabti and Ruan Café all made the starting 11.
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National Awards
Sundgren and Mrabti Bag National Awards
Daniel Sundgren was named the Swedish Defender of the Year for the second successive year. Kerim Mrabti has also won the Swedish Midfielder of the Year award in his first season at the club.
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Sundgren and Mrabti Bag National Awards
Daniel Sundgren was named the Swedish Defender of the Year for the second successive year. Kerim Mrabti has also won the Swedish Midfielder of the Year award in his first season at the club.
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New Job - Sampdoria
Chris Ball Trades Sweden For Italy
After winning the Swedish Premier Division and Swedish Cup 3 times with IFK Norrkoping in only 3 and a half seasons, I felt it was time to take my career to the next level. I wanted to leave the club on a high and I feel I can walk away with my head held high that I've brought the fans some good times during my reign along with the 4 trophies added to the cabinet.
But I was keen to test myself at a bigger club in a more competitive league and after 7 years in Sweden, felt it important to try to increase my reputation across Europe by getting my name out there in a different country.
So I started to look at what jobs were on the market over the 3 months since the Swedish league had ended and a number had taken my fancy...
I applied for jobs at the following....
Dutch clubs FC Utrecht (no interview) and Vitesse (no interview),
Scottish club Hearts (interview, didn't get job)
Portuguese club Boavista (interview, didn't get job)
Italian club Fiorentina (interview, didn't get job)
I was starting to think all these clubs out there were just toying with me. I was getting interviews but everyone was opting for another manager with ultimately more experience and better qualifications. It didn't seem to matter that I'd delivered 4 cups in 3 years in my current role!!
But then a job come up that caught my eye. From the above, the job I'd really wanted was the Fiorentina one, but this gave me another avenue into the Italian Serie A.
That club was Sampdoria. I applied for the job and unlike all of the above, they replied to me immediately saying they'd like me to come to an interview. The interview went really well....I told them I could achieve their expectations of avoiding relegation on the budgets they were offering. They told me I could make widescale changes to the backroom staff upon taking the job. This was a conversation, not a club thinking they are bigger than they are and dictating the terms of my management to me. I liked what I was seeing and hearing, so when they came back within a matter of a couple of days to offer me the job with a £10,000 pay rise on my Norrkoping salary, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to accept immediately.
I'd like to say thanks to the Norrkoping fans for their support over the past 4 years. You've been great and we've had some amazing times. I hope the board will bring in a manager who can continue the success I've brought back to the club and I'll always hold a special place in my heart for the club I won my first top flight title at.
But for now, its off to Italy for a new challenge.
Chris Ball Trades Sweden For Italy
After winning the Swedish Premier Division and Swedish Cup 3 times with IFK Norrkoping in only 3 and a half seasons, I felt it was time to take my career to the next level. I wanted to leave the club on a high and I feel I can walk away with my head held high that I've brought the fans some good times during my reign along with the 4 trophies added to the cabinet.
But I was keen to test myself at a bigger club in a more competitive league and after 7 years in Sweden, felt it important to try to increase my reputation across Europe by getting my name out there in a different country.
So I started to look at what jobs were on the market over the 3 months since the Swedish league had ended and a number had taken my fancy...
I applied for jobs at the following....
Dutch clubs FC Utrecht (no interview) and Vitesse (no interview),
Scottish club Hearts (interview, didn't get job)
Portuguese club Boavista (interview, didn't get job)
Italian club Fiorentina (interview, didn't get job)
I was starting to think all these clubs out there were just toying with me. I was getting interviews but everyone was opting for another manager with ultimately more experience and better qualifications. It didn't seem to matter that I'd delivered 4 cups in 3 years in my current role!!
But then a job come up that caught my eye. From the above, the job I'd really wanted was the Fiorentina one, but this gave me another avenue into the Italian Serie A.
That club was Sampdoria. I applied for the job and unlike all of the above, they replied to me immediately saying they'd like me to come to an interview. The interview went really well....I told them I could achieve their expectations of avoiding relegation on the budgets they were offering. They told me I could make widescale changes to the backroom staff upon taking the job. This was a conversation, not a club thinking they are bigger than they are and dictating the terms of my management to me. I liked what I was seeing and hearing, so when they came back within a matter of a couple of days to offer me the job with a £10,000 pay rise on my Norrkoping salary, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to accept immediately.
I'd like to say thanks to the Norrkoping fans for their support over the past 4 years. You've been great and we've had some amazing times. I hope the board will bring in a manager who can continue the success I've brought back to the club and I'll always hold a special place in my heart for the club I won my first top flight title at.
But for now, its off to Italy for a new challenge.