– You know you break his dream every now and then, says Torp. news expert and former Brann player Torp was forced to retire after a cardiac arrest in 2011. He continued as a G16 coach in Brann, where he trained some of the biggest talents in Bergen. Ole Didrik Blomberg could easily be among them. – Many people give up. The 22-year-old has really gained momentum in his Brann career. Last year, he helped shoot the red-clad team to the Eliteserien at the first attempt. This season he has started five out of six games on the right wing. Brann is in 2nd place in the series, and now awaits a cup final against Lillestrøm. THANKS TO THE SUPPORTERS: Blomberg and Brann beat Vålerenga 3-1 at the end of April. Photo: BILDBYRÅN But the road here was not quite what Blomberg envisioned. In 2015, after being an important piece on the G14 team in Brann, the first turning point came when he was going up to the G16 team. Here Torp and the youth coaches concluded that there were more players than Blomberg in his position. The then G14 coach Kristian Andersen remembers that he gave the message. – My approach as a teacher is to be honest, especially in a top club. It is important not to throw blue in people’s eyes. I said that we noticed that he would be a second choice. We wanted him to be in the competitive situation, but a little later he moved on, says Andersen. Torp points out that these are often tough conversations to have. – There are many young players who envision themselves stepping up to an A-team. When you then remove a step for 14-15-year-olds, it can be difficult to understand that it is well-intentioned. There are many who give up, says Torp. “Shit, I can’t do anything” Blomberg himself remembers the time well. He meets Torp at Brann Stadion a few days before the cup final. – I was between 15-16 years old when I was drawn again by those who were younger than me. Then I came up on the G16 team. And then I was told that… I wasn’t told directly that I wasn’t selected, but I was told that there are more people ahead of the queue, and they couldn’t promise playing time. It was an easy way to be told “have it”. – Do you think who was the coach that time? asks Torp. – It was Kristian Andersen, and he who sat and interviewed me, replies Blomberg and smiles. NEXT LAST OBSTACLE: Brann beat Stabæk 2-0 at Nadderud in the cup semi-final on 26 April. Photo: NTB Blomberg remembers how he gradually fell to the back of the queue. He said that the reserves were played around by the first eleven in training. – When I was at the training sessions here with G16, I kind of felt: “Shit, I can’t do anything. I don’t get self-confidence. Nothing is happening.” I just thought that if it continued like this, I would never become a football professional, says Blomberg. When the father asked how the training had gone, he replied that “it just gets more and more fun”. – So I only lied to myself, too. Then I got tired of it, and then around Christmas time I just told my dad after a training session that I didn’t want to be here anymore, says Blomberg. – I guess he (the father) saw in me that this was not good for me anymore, he adds. Turned around in time Blomberg thus returned to parent club Gneist, where he impressed so much that he was picked up by Åsane before the 2019 season. Here he spent only two seasons before Brann knocked on the door again. Photo: BILDBYRÅN NORWAY Torp admits that he was a little surprised when Blomberg returned to Brann so early. But he is primarily “extremely impressed”. – It is a very good example that there are many roads. Someone is with the “Ødegaard aspect”, but everyone has to run their course. I don’t think he would have been where he is today if he had been there, says Torp. There were many outsiders who pointed out the career path for the then 15-year-old Martin Ødegaard. Later, at least as many people thought that the election was wrong. When asked if Blomberg thinks he would have been in Brann today if he had not left the G16 team, he replies: – Not guaranteed. He continues: – The coaches use the best players they have, and then we will be who we are… I wasn’t the biggest “kid” either. I was quite small, and of course there was a lot of physics and everything went faster. I couldn’t keep up, and then they use the best players they have. Then it is common to fall outside. Former youth coach Andersen, who is now head coach in Gneist, is completely convinced of the same. – I think his choice at the time was completely decisive for where he is today. If he had stayed, there is a good chance that he would not have been allowed to travel. In Gneist he got to train and play with seniors in the 4th division. It has contributed to the fact that he is, for example, extremely strong one-on-one, and not just with speed, but strong in body, says Andersen. Gives advice Blomberg knows himself that he became much more afraid of his time in Gneist. As a youth player in Brann, he was very afraid of making mistakes. He put aside thoughts of a professional club, and instead had fun on the field with good friends. Very funny. – When I came back to Gneist, all I heard from the coach was: “Challenge every time, we’ll do it. This is what you do best. Every time you get the ball, drive, drive, drive”. I know I have taken it with me. He describes it as a coincidence that he saw Åsane in action for the A team at Gneist. After about three years in the parent club, the journey continued to Åsane before Brann knocked on the door again. – Do you have any advice for young players in the same situation? asks Torp. – If you find yourself in the same situation where you are one of the best and get signed again: Don’t be afraid of what others will think if you have been at a big club and demote yourself. If you love football, you will do everything to play football. You have to have fun and get back to being playful. If you have to go down a notch for two or three years, “so be it”. If I hadn’t been a professional footballer, I would have been an amateur footballer, so to speak, says Blomberg.
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