He gives clear commands, and the players do as they are told. Eirik Horneland has shaped this team in his image. Those who are here are handpicked. Not just for what they know about football, but for who they are as people. – Values and attitudes are the most important thing to me. That is the decisive thing when we are going to get new ones in the group, says the native of Hauga, who has previously coached Rosenborg and Haugesund. – The group we have now is completely “spot on” when it comes to culture. The attitudes in the dressing room are the best I’ve had as a coach. The arrows point upwards for Brann no. But it has not been long since the club reached a zero point. Scandal and turning point In August 2021, Eirik Horneland was unsure whether the values in the player group in Brann were such that he could be their coach. The so-called nachspielskandal had exploded in the sportingly tried and tested Bergen club. The Brann players were in a crisis of confidence. Between city and team. Between players and coaches. There were strong reactions after the nachspiels scandal at Brann Stadion Photo: Sjur Mikal Dolve / news A total of twelve Brann players were at the illegal party. Two players voluntarily disappeared in the clean-up. One got fired. – But there was also a turning point, says Horneland now. – I got a direction on that after that scandal. We got a group that wanted to be involved in that direction. From there I have built, and from there I will continue to build. Got praised for saying Horneland got a lot of praise for how he stood up after the nachspielet. He said clearly what he meant. The 47-year-old himself describes the weeks after the incident as incredibly difficult. But he chose to stand in it. – It was the right choice to hold on. The player group went into itself. We defined who we want to be and what values we have. Little by little, we have experienced that the city began to believe in us again. GOT PRAISE: The Brann coach was praised for speaking clearly about what he meant after the nachspiel scandal. Horneland asked the relevant players to stand up, which they later did. Photo: Marit Hommedal / NTB Will make amends Mathias Rasmussen received a written warning from Brann after participating in the nachspiele for a short period. – When you screw up so much as a team, you feel a strong need to get even. Then you want to show that you actually have good values, says Lyngdølen. He gets support from Ruben Kristiansen, who had gone home before the illegal stadium party. SATISFIED: Ruben Kristiansen is very satisfied with the top sports culture in Brann no. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news – It made it easier to build a culture from the ground up. We were not where we wanted then. And maybe we didn’t have the right types in the team, if I may say so. Both pay tribute to the top sporting culture in the team no. – It is the best thing I have experienced as a player, says Rasmussen. – The group that is here now is handpicked. It is not the same group as when I came to Brann. He praises both the performance culture and the social cohesion in the player group. FEKK REFS: Mathias Rasmussen was named player of the year in the OBOS league last year. Photo: Marit Hommedal / NTB The city and the team A few days after the final game, 15 August 2021, the vilified group of players will be met with a pipe concert and silence by their own audience at Brann Stadion. But the match against Sandefjord ends miraculously with a home win. Eirik Horneland goes down on his knees jubilantly after a week in which he has hardly thought about football at all. – Something happened in this match. Although the supporters gave notice that the players’ behavior was unacceptable, they also showed that the love for the club was still there. Horneland says it provided a basis for building trust in the public. STRONG AWAY SUPPORT: The Brann fans mobilized heavily both away and at home last year. Here they cheer for Vegard Leikvoll Moberg’s decisive goal six minutes into overtime against Skeid. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – Genuine love Last year, a record number of away supporters traveled with the Bergen team in the OBOS league. Only two teams in Norway had more players at home. – We noticed that the public wanted to join us in building up again. It was absolutely decisive. After all, we were below zero. Horneland describes the Brann audience as completely unique. – There is a genuine love between the city and the club. We must not throw it into the sea. We cannot take that lightly. On Sunday, there is another important match for Brann. Then Haugesund will come to visit in the cup.
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– The second game was the turning point – news Vestland
