4-0 away to Gothenburg on Sunday tells a lot about how dominant Høgmo’s men have been this season. – The work he has done is absolutely fantastic. He has lifted a club that doesn’t win that much, says Malmö coach Åge Hareide to news. On Sunday, an adventurous 2022 season culminated in series gold for Per-Mathias Høgmo and BK Häcken. The Norwegian, who was hired as coach when the team struggled mightily and was top of the table in June last year, has done something few – if anyone – believed in: Led the yellow and black from Gothenburg to their very first Allsvenskan title. – It’s a crazy journey. What he has done is enormous. He has lifted them impressively, says Morten Gamst Pedersen to news. IMPRESSES: Per-Mathias Høgmo has turned Häcken into a champion team. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT / NTB “Gamsten” knows Høgmo and his methods better than most: He played under Høgmo in the U21 national team, in Tromsø and then in the A national team. He is not surprised by what Høgmo has achieved. – He is extremely good with people. He is very good at talking to and listening to people. And he is good at using the experience he has. He has tried a lot, failed and backfired. It is impressive, says Gamst Pedersen, and Hareide agrees: Last weekend Høgmo won the Norwegian coaching duel when they beat Åge Hareide’s Malmö 2-1 at home. Hareide describes Høgmos Häcken as a team that is extremely difficult to play against, and explains it like this: – They have been good at buying players. When we played against them, they fielded eight of the new signings, and they have helped give the team its distinctive character and shape. They have running power in midfield, are fast at the top and have strong centre-backs. Häcken has good structure in the team and obviously has a good training base as they have been consistently good throughout the season and had few injuries. Per-Mathias Høgmo Age: 62 From: Gratangen Playing career: Gratangen, Tromsø, IFK Norrköping Merits (as a player): Cupgull, 1986. One A international match for Norway Coaching career: Gratangen, Tromsdalen, Tromsø, Fossum, Norway U15, Norway U16, Norway U17, Norway U19, Norway’s women’s national team, Moss, Norway U21, Rosenborg, Djurgården, Norway’s men’s national team, Fredrikstad, Häcken Meritter (as coach): Elite series promotion, Moss, 1995. Olympic gold, 2000. Allsvenskan champion, 2022. The incredible The Häcken success stands in contrast to what many remember Høgmo best for here in Norway: his time as Norwegian national team manager. – There is still a bit left, but Per-Mathias knows what he stands for. He dares to stand out a little. He is not one to just follow the bell sheep. He had a great reputation before he took over the national team and he still has that in my book, emphasizes Gamst Pedersen. THE MANAGER: Morten Gamst Pedersen and Per-Mathias Høgmo during a national team training in 2013. Photo: Svein Ove Ekornesvåg / NTB Høgmo was hired as Norway’s national team coach in September 2013, but left the job in November 2016. During his time as national team manager, Norway failed to qualify for two WC and one EC. Aftenposten called it “three years of suffering”, while TV 2 commentator Øyvind Alsaker concluded that the legacy of Høgmo was “a national team without a clear identity”. – What you have to look at is the knowledge Per-Mathias has, and the experience he has that he brings with him. Sometimes there are bad experiences, but it can also be useful, Hareide believes. FRUSTRATED: Little worked for Per-Mathias Høgmo as Norwegian national team manager. Here he despairs during the 1-2 loss to the Czech Republic in Prague. It was his last match as national team coach. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB – There are periods during a coaching career where things do not work optimally. One does well in one place and suddenly struggles in another. That’s how the coaching profession is, he says. Hareide also describes them as “insanely strong in the transition game”, which comes from the moves Høgmo has taken in training. Several media outlets have written about him standing with a stopwatch and a notepad on the training field and timing how quickly the team will change from winning the ball to attacking. – It goes quickly in the longitudinal direction and he has the types of players that suit it. Everyone knows what to do when they win the ball. They know where to run, where to hit the passes and are simply really streamlined in attack. It requires tireless practice, and you have to make time to make it happen. KNOW EACH OTHER WELL: Per-Mathias Høgmo and Åge Hareide have known each other for a long time. Pictured here during a national team training session in 2007, when Hareide was national team manager. Photo: Bjørn Sigurdsøn / NTB Häcken finished in 12th place last season, but has only lost twice this season. From before, they have a second place from 2012 as their best Allsvenskan result. They have also won the Swedish Cup twice – in 2016 and in 2019. But now the Allsvenskan trophy gets a place in the trophy cabinet. Now Hareide believes in more success for Häcken. – They can certainly establish themselves as a top team as long as they are not bought apart after their success.
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