– It is a season of failure like no other. Vålerenga has become a boring club, at least on the pitch. They are supposed to be a club that entertains, but they are not doing that now. This is what former stopper Erik “Panzer” Hagen says to news before Vålerenga take on Tromsø in the last round of the Eliteserien on Sunday evening. After the match, Vålerenga can either have saved the place, finished in the qualifying round, or moved directly down to the 1st division. “Panzer” Hagen spent six years over two periods in Vålerenga, and himself experienced relegation with the club in 2000. – I know how awful it is. It is ten times as bad for Vålerenga compared to many other clubs. People demand a lot, says Hagen. He is supported by what was his teammate and captain in 2000, Tom Henning Hovi. PREVIOUS REMOVAL: Captain Tom Henning Hovi is consoled after the VIF relegation in October 2000. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB – It was heavy when we went against Sogndal on the away goals rule. In the years that followed, things got better, but it’s clear that relegation is never fun, says Hovi, who lifted both the King’s Cup with Vålerenga in 2002 and the league gold in 2005. Golden: – I believe in gold every year Vålerenga supporter and comedian Johan Golden was there himself when the relegation became a fact 23 years ago – in what he describes as a late autumn evening in the dark and biting cold at the Ullevaal stadium. On Sunday, he will be back in the stands to watch a relegation drama with Vålerenga. – I am at many matches. I take the kids with me and go up to the Intility Arena, so it would be sad to be relegated. It’s more fun to be in the Eliteserien than the 1st division, quite simply. He is surprised that the club is again in danger of being relegated from Norwegian football’s best club. – I believe in gold every year. It’s clumsy. Still, I see no reason why it shouldn’t work now. We beat HamKam last Sunday, and in a Vålerenga context that is the same as beating Real Madrid at the moment. So anything is possible. RELIEF: Vålerenga got three hugely important points from Briskeby Stadium last Sunday. Now Golden hopes that the team will go “all in” against Tromsø: – If we are going to go down, then we have to go down in style. Photo: NTB Golden will remind Tromsø of what the consequences of a possible Vålerenga relegation will be for other teams in the Eliteserien. – There are many teams who think it is great that Vålerenga comes to visit. It brings a lot of money into the coffers from away fans. That money will be lost if we are not there. Over 50 percent chance of relegation With one league round left, Vålerenga is on direct relegation. Thus, Vålerenga has to take points in the home meeting against medal-chasing Tromsø. Sandefjord in qualifying has the same number of points as Vålerenga, but two goals better goal difference. Stabæk and Haugesund meet in the last round, and respectively have one and two points more than Vålerenga. The fact that one of those teams must concede points means that Vålerenga is guaranteed qualification with a win against Tromsø. Nevertheless, the number crunchers at Norsk Regnesentral believe that there is a 55.5 percent chance that Vålerenga will have to go straight down to the 1st division – without qualification: Probable outcome of the bottom battle: Direct relegation: Haugesund: 3.5% Stabæk: 15.8% Sandefjord: 25% Vålerenga: 55.5% Aalesund: 100% Relegation qualification: Haugesund: 16.3% Stabæk: 31% Sandefjord: 31.6% Vålerenga: 20.9% Aalesund: 0.0% The calculations were made by senior researcher Torstein Mæland Fjeldstad and head of research Anders Løland at the Norsk Regnesentral. Can be saved by the arch-rival Chances are that Lillestrøm can help decide Vålerenga’s fate. Lillestrøm meets 14th-placed Sandefjord away from home. If Lillestrøm wins that match, it could be the salvation for Vålerenga. There has therefore been speculation as to how great the motivation for Lillestrøm will really be before Sunday’s game. – They are hardly at 100 per cent, but they will probably do what they can as proud athletes, says Hagen. – Lillestrøm is not a weird team either. I don’t believe that Lillestrøm will score any points there, says Hovi. Golden is convinced that Vålerenga can simply forget about getting help from the Canaries. – Lillestrøm has been at Martins for a whole week, I’m sure of that. They are not going to score, says Golden. Lillestrøm player Thomas Lehne Olsen is chasing three points against Sandefjord. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB Lillestrøm forward Thomas Lehne Olsen denies that will be the case. – We are thinking of going out and ending the season as well as possible. We want to take three points against Sandefjord, and that is what is in our minds, says Lehne Olsen to news. Geir Bakke does not dare to hope for help from his former employer, but points out that Lillestrøm is in 7th place, without too much to play for. – At the same time, it is an ambitious group. I know those guys there and they don’t like losing football games. But they must be a good version of themselves if they are to win in Sandefjord, because they have been good this autumn, says Bakke. UNDER PRESSURE: Vålerenga coach Geir Bakke. Photo: NTB Fears what relegation will mean for the club The Eliteserien’s recent history is full of teams that have been relegated, but moved straight back up and had success. Fire is the latest example of just that. They moved up before this season and are in 2nd place before the last series round. Golden still refuses to listen to those who say that a relegation could be good for the club. – It’s only something people say to spare themselves. It is clearly better not to be relegated. Hovi also points out that it is never good to move down, but is somewhat more nuanced than his fellow supporter Golden. – It may not be so bad if you move straight up. They make less money from going down, but Vålerenga has been down before and came back and turned it around, says Hovi. FROM RELEGATION TO CUPGULL: Two seasons after relegation in 2000, Tom Henning Hovi and Vålerenga became cup champions. A further three years later it was series gold. Photo: Morten Holm / NTB Still believing in Bakke Players such as Osame Sahraoui, Seedy Jatta and Odin Thiago Holm have all been sold from Vålerenga to bigger clubs during the past year. Golden and Hovi highlight this as one of the reasons why the club is now in 15th place with one round left to play. – It is challenging that the young and good players are sold. It is difficult to get the team set with so many substitutions. That you change so much in a squad has a big impact, says Hovi. Poor results in the first half of the season led to a much-discussed change of coach when Dag-Eilev Fagermo had to resign and then Lillestrøm coach Geir Bakke took over. The shock transition from the arch-rival, on the other hand, has not led to improvement for Bakke and Vålerenga. HORRIBLE REUNION: Geir Bakke did not receive a warm welcome when he returned to Åråsen to face Lillestrøm this autumn. Photo: NTB – Are we sure that it is not Lillestrøm that has hired him? Are we absolutely sure of that?, Golden says jokingly about Vålerenga’s results after Bakke’s entry, before emphasizing that he still has faith in the coach. The same has Hagen, who had Bakke as an assistant coach in his first period in Vålerenga at the start of the 2000s. He was positive about a change of coach this summer and believes Bakke has what it takes to keep the team up. – First of all, I want to highlight his qualities as a person. They are very good and that is what the guys need now. He is a good person who can support, motivate and bring the wardrobe together, says Hagen.
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Vålerenga profiles critical of the club before the fateful match – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
