– I will be honest enough to say that I have not heard of her before. This is what national team striker Sophie Román Haug says to news. The Liverpool player is far from the only one. It came like lightning from the blue when the 41-year-old from the north-east of England was announced as Norway’s new national team coach on Wednesday. news expert Carl-Erik Torp described the appointment as “an extremely big surprise”. For most Norwegians, Grainger is a completely undescribed magazine. Then the big question is: What can you expect from this surprise? – She is a character, says Wales-based The Mirror journalist Megan Feringa. – Norwegian fans should be happy According to the experts news has spoken to, the Norwegian Football Association has brought in an ambitious Briton with a clear philosophy. That philosophy nearly took the Wales women’s national team, where she coached for three years, to their first ever championship. – Although she ended the Wales era with a streak of eight games without a win, the fact that Norway brought her shows that the Welsh Football Association had a talent in their ranks, writes the BBC. At 11.00 on Friday morning, Grainger will be presented as Norwegian national team coach. You can see the broadcast at the top of this case. The Welsh football writer Siôn Misra tells news that Grainger is leaving Welsh football in a far better condition than when she took over. He is certain that Grainger will have the same effect on Norwegian football. – Norwegian fans should be happy about this appointment, says Misra. – Norway is getting a coach who is very detail-oriented, both when it comes to preparations and tactics. She is a progressive coach who always has the big picture in mind, he adds. PROGRESSIVE: That is one of the words used to describe Norway’s new national team coach Gemma Grainger. Photo: PETER CZIBORRA / Reuters Progress and frustration Grainger has no great playing career to show for it, but has been in the coaching profession for a long time. According to Misra, Grainger lives and breathes football, and although she is only 41 years old, she already has a long coaching career behind her. She has been a coach in Leeds and Middlesbrough and also for various English national teams before being hired by Wales. There she became very popular, but according to Misra, she could also both divide and frustrate the supporters. – The lack of rotation frustrated Welsh fans, he says, and explains: – You knew what kind of starting eleven she was going to field several days before a match. She hardly used any substitutes, and if she did, it would only be one or two during a match. She is very set in her own ways. When her tactics work it looks fantastic, but when it doesn’t it can look very uninspiring. But Norway has better players than Wales, so it might be different, says Misra. – At least one thing is certain: She will turn over every stone when it comes to preparations, she asserts. Grainger comes in as the fourth Norwegian national team coach in a year and a half and is thrown straight into the thick of things: As early as February, Norway will play two important matches against Croatia. Norway is playing there to save the nations league place at the top level. – Not afraid to speak up One of the big challenges will be to make the Norwegian attacking game, with stars such as Ada Hegerberg and Caroline Graham Hansen, seem to flow. And according to Wales resident Megan Feringa, that will be one of the first things she will look at. Grainger joins a Norway team that has been divided, that has underperformed in championships and that has ended up a little behind the competition, but Feringa has great faith in Grainger as Norwegian national team manager. – With a team like Norway, I think she will have a lot of fun and I think Norway will have a lot of fun. There is a lot of quality in that attack and I think she will get a lot out of the team, says Feringa. NEED A LIFT: Ada Hegerberg and Caroline Graham Hansen are two of women’s football’s biggest stars, but have not quite made it to the Norwegian national team. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB – During the last three years in Wales, I think she grew as a manager. She has learned a lot and Wales learned a lot. Gemma is a very proactive trainer who thinks in a modern way. She likes that the team has the ball at their feet and focuses on the passing game. With a team like Norway, I think she will have a lot of fun and I think Norway will have a lot of fun. Feringa describes Grainger as passionate, progressive and honest, and says she is not afraid to speak her mind. – She will stand up for herself and the team. She knows what it’s like to speak against a union to get rights for women. She is not afraid to speak up, and I think many will appreciate and respect that. Communication is a key word for Grainger. OPTIMISTIC: Megan Ferringa has faith in Gemma Grainger as Norway manager. – She is extremely concerned about it. She has constant communication with the players and is keen to have a door that is always open. You won’t see Gemma screaming much on the sidelines. Some players appreciate it, but she will lose her temper when she really has to. But that happens very rarely. Hoping for a boost Sophie Román Haug says she is looking forward to getting to know Grainger and says that she has heard good things from a Welsh teammate in Liverpool. Now she hopes that Grainger will give the Norwegian player group an energy boost before the fateful matches in February. EXCITED: Sophie Román Haug. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – It is clear that it is always exciting when a new coach comes in, now there is someone from outside with a bit of a new perspective, so it will be very exciting to get to know each other better, she says, and adds: – I hope that she will come in with a clear philosophy and direction and will be a good contributor to us taking steps forward.
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– She is a character – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
