‘Door open’ for Riise’s return

John Arne Riise surprised his fans, teammates and Norwegian football officials when he announced on Monday that he would no longer be a candidate to play on Norway’s national football team (landslaget). Coach Egil “Drillo” Olsen said the “door was open” in case Riise, known for being impulsive, wanted to return. Riise wrote in a press [...]

Ice-cold Albanians stun ‘Drillos’

Underdogs Albania inflicted a humiliating 1-0 loss on the Norwegian national football team (landslaget) on ice cold home turf in Oslo on Friday night – described as “one of the most bitter losses I have experienced” by head coach Egil “Drillo” Olsen speaking to TV2 after the game. In a crucial World Cup qualifying match [...]

Sun finally shone on sporty weekend

Norwegian sports fans were torn during the weekend among the annual Birkebeiner ski race in Lillehammer, World Cup competition at Holmenkollen in Oslo and even the launch of the football season. After a surprising snowfall that began Friday, the sun finally came out and so did thousands of fans and participants at all the major [...]

Football squad ‘well-disciplined’

Norway’s national football team was being praised on Monday for being disciplined with a good defense, after playing the second of two exhibition matches in Africa over the weekend. The Norwegians met Zambia’s championship squad on the African continent, with the match ending undecided at 0-0. With Norway’s government minister for foreign aid among the [...]

Rekdal returns to Vålerenga

Kjetil Rekdal, the sometimes surly football star who went on to coach professionally, has found himself a new job back at Vålerenga, the Oslo club he coached for several years before leaving in a huff in 2006. Now he’s back, and was even smiling. “I’m more mature now, I have more experience,” Rekdal said at [...]

‘Landslaget’ claims New Year victory

Norway’s national football team, known mostly as landslaget, gave their coach Egil “Drillo” Olsen a good start to the New Year by beating South Africa’s squad in Cape Town on Tuesday. Tarik Elyounoussis’ goal was just what Olsen wanted. It was the one good chance his team had, and Elyounoussis grabbed it five minutes before [...]

Brutal reality for football coaches

UPDATED: Few jobs in Norway, or just about anywhere, have as little job security as those tied to coaching professional football. Jan Jönsson of the Rosenborg football club in Trondheim is just the latest in a string of confident, high-profile men who’ve literally been kicked out of the game. His successor was named just before [...]

Rekdal aims for a comeback

Kjetil Rekdal, the former Norwegian football star who was fired this week as head coach for the football club in Ålesund, is already plotting a comeback. He told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) Wednesday night that he could also see himself as a club administrator who could hire and nurture other coaches. “Now I have so much [...]

Unlikely team wins coveted Cup

Ever heard of Hødd? Not many people in Norway had either, before the football team from Ulsteinvik, a small town of barely 8,000 inhabitants in Møre og Romsdal county, defeated top-flight Tromsø IL, the clear favourite, to win the Norwegian Cup Final in men’s football in Oslo on Sunday. The final of the Norgesmesterskap (“Norwegian Championship,” [...]

Drillo delighted by youngsters’ debut

Egil “Drillo” Olsen was as delighted as the otherwise restrained head coach of Norway’s national football team could be, after his youngest state squad ever rolled over Hungary in an exhibition match Wednesday night. Håvard Nielsen, age 19, emerged as a new hero. Nielsen, who plays professionally for Red Bull Salzburg but was making his [...]

Berg takes over at Blackburn

Norwegian football star Henning Berg was confirmed as the new manager of the Blackburn Rovers on Thursday, signing a three-year contract with the English club where he launched his international pro football career 20 years ago. Berg told reporters it was “like a dream” for him to be back at Blackburn, which first hired him [...]

Football bosses indicted in player transfer case

Norwegian football officials in two large Oslo-area clubs were indicted on Wednesday with criminal fraud in a case involving the transfer of Icelandic player Veigar Pall Gunnarsson from Stabæk Fotball to Vålerenga last year. They face six years in prison if found guilty. Sports commentators on Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) said it was one of the [...]

King reigned, in a fight to win

Norway’s national football team (landslaget) put in a far from vintage performance but picked up three crucial points for their World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign in a somewhat flattering 3-1 away win against Cyprus on Tuesday. Buoyed by a superb performance in their 1-1 draw at group favourite Switzerland just four days before, the team [...]

Classic Drillos log vital Swiss draw

An excellent performance away from home earned the Norwegian national football team (landslaget) a precious point for their World Cup 2014 qualifying hopes, with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland on Friday. Coach Egil “Drillo” Olsen seemed pleased. In a display that typified the football philosophy of Drillo at its best, Norway dominated for long periods [...]

Solskjær back in the spotlight

Former star football player Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who now coaches one of his old clubs back home in Norway, was back in the headlines on Friday after leading Molde Football Club to an impressive 2-0 victory over Stuttgart on Thursday. Now he’s being talked about as a future star coach in England. Some call Solskjær [...]

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