October 2012 Round-Up:
October 31, 2012
Long time since our last update now, so let’s get it done before we start on November.
And let’ start with the end of next season! Uh? Well, apparently, next season will run to the end of October compared to 6 October this season, and that might again give us some problems with the weather which can be quite severe – wind especially – that late in October (and snow has already fallen in October this year, although not much). It’s an unfortunate decision weather-wise.
However, as the season ended already on 6 October this year, it meant that there had to be some Wednesday-matches, and that is another problem for amateurs who have fulltime jobs beside football. It can be especially difficult with the logistic also for the clubs from Suðuroy, as the journey takes two hours by ferry to the mainland. That problem was solved twice this season by having the two clubs from Suðuroy, TB Tvøroyri and FC Suðuroy, to meet on those Wednesday. But as FC Suðuroy were relegated, that solution will not be possible next season.
Except from this year and in 2009, when the season ended on 3 October, the season has every year continued well up into the 20’ties of October since the league was expanded from 18 to 27 rounds in 2005.
Early start
But if the season ends late, it will also start earlier than usual with the first round of the Effodeildin expectedly being played on 9 March. Usually, the first round of the cup has been played before the league-start, but this will be changed next season where two rounds of the Effodeildin expectedly will be played before the first round of the cup competition.
One reason for the longer season is to give room for the many internationals next year, that will be seven. The first takes place already on 22 March away to Austria.
However, the dates and format mentioned above (except the Austria-match) are not official.
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And on to coaches now:
Several of the EFFO deildin teams have not named their coaches for next season yet.
Champions EB/Streymur are one of them. This season’s coach Heðin Askham has decided to take a year off from top flight football and EB/Streymur are therefore on the outlook for a replacement. They have said that they have been in contact with two Faroese coaches. One of the possibilities are according to rumours Bill McLeod Jacobsen, who was without a job this season, except from when he took over at relegated B68 Toftir in the last 4 matches of the season. He is also, in tandem with Askham, the coach for the Faroese U21 team.
Another possibility could be Abraham Løkin, who is ready to start coaching again after having a break from the coaching job for a couple of years. However, he is maybe more likely to take over at NSÍ Runavík, who did decided not to continue with current coach Kári Reynheim who was though to have done a very good job for NSÍ. That could indicate that Løkin will indeed take over at NSÍ whom he has close relations to.
But as also runners up ÍF Fuglafjørður are without a coach, as the Dane Flemming Christensen didn’t want to spend another year in the Faroes, Løkin could be a target for ÍF where he successfully has been coach earlier.
Third place HB Tórshavn recently named Oddbjørn Joensen as new coach for 2013. Joensen would not be considered a heavyweight although he has been around and has been coach at LÍF Leirvík, KÍ Klaksvík, AB Argir in the top division as well as for some lower division clubs. In addition, he has also previously been coach for HB’s first team in 1997 when he took over from HB’s sacked coach midway through the season and did quite well, winning 9, drawing 2 and losing 1 match.
But it only takes a title to become a heavyweight….
HB have also named Fróði Benjaminsen to assistant player-coach.
At sixth placed B36 Tórshavn, the coaching situation has not been solved yet as it’s unclear whether Mikkjal Thomasen will continue or not.
Also at TB Tvøroyri it’s undecided whether Milan Kuljic will continue or not.
Newcomers AB Argir will stick to Sámal Erik Hentze while the other promoted team, 07 Vestur are undecided if they will hold on to Piotr Krakowsky. There has been some speculations if Krakowski would return to EB/streymur whom he coached from 2003 to 2007, but it’s unlikely as it’s already a while since he last coached a top club.
So, as the situation stands, only HB Tórshavn, KÍ Klaksvík, Víkingur, and AB Argir know their coach for next season.
And now on to the transfer news etc.:
07 Vestur
07 Vestur have not told much about their future, but have said that they will need some reinforcement for next season, but it won’t be in the same scale as some previous year where half the team was foreigners and where they were relegated anyway. They will mostly be using the players that won them promotion this year.
AB Argir:
AB have stated that they would have to strengthen their squad with about four profiles to stand a chance in the top flight.
The first of those signings have been made with midfielder Rógvi Poulsen who played with HB Tórshavn in the latter stages of this past season and where he made a name of himself in HB’s championships winning team in 2009 and 2010 which also yielded caps for the Faroe Islands. But after injury and being abroad, he hasn’t quite reached the peek as in 2009 and 2010, but will hope to rediscover that form with AB whom he has played for previously also.
Although nothing is official yet, it is almost certain that Rumanian Sorin Anghel will join from EB/Streymur. He can play in most positions.
B36 Tórshavn
B36 have been quiet on the transfer market and the only news is that Danish central defender Jonas Flint Rasmussen will be leaving the club as well as midfielder Atli Danielsel has joined KÍ Klaksvík.
EB/Streymur
As mentioned above, Rumanian Sorin Anghel, who has been with the club for 12 seasons has stated he will be leaving the club. It’s almost certain that he will join AB Argir.
32 year old midfielder Pauli G. Hansen has decided to quit football on the highest level. Hansen earned 5 caps for the Faroes, while playing for childhood club Skála.
Apart from these two, EB/Streymur’s team will likely be intact for next season, and although some rumours have been about striker Arnbjørn Hansen leaving, that is unlikely to happen.
If EB/Streymur will hold on to the rest of the squad, they will not be spending money for next season.
It’s possible that midfielder Brian Olsen, who earned two caps under former national coach Brian Kerr, will return after being on loan at 07 Vestur.
HB Tórshavn
HB announced that they have signed 22-year old goalkeeper Hans Jørgensen who played for relegated B68 Toftir where he impressed with a number of top performances throughout the year. He has also been competing with Krisitian Joensen for the goalkeeper position in the Faroese U21 team.
Jørgensen originally comes from Skála where he made his debut for the senior team as a 16-year old in 2007 in round 5 and held a clean sheet in his first four matches and conceded his first goal on a penalty in the 86th minute against B36 Tórshavn in his 5th game between the sticks. Whether Jørgensen was the difference or not shall be unsaid, but before Jørgensen made his debut, Skála had not won a single point from their first four matches, but four matches after Jørgensen’s debut, Skála had earned 12 points and had climbed to 5th in the table.
After a couple of years in Denmark, Jørgensen returned to 07 Vestur where he played for two seasons before he joined B68 this year.
At HB Jørgensen will be fighting for the no. 1 jersey with this season’s no. 1 Teitur Gestsson who is an excellent goalkeeper, but maybe exposed some vulnerabilities with the high crosses where Jørgensen might pip him as 1st choice keeper.
Símun Rógvi Hansen, who also played a couple of matches in the goal, is likely to move to AB Argir where he will get stiff competition from Heðin Stenberg.
HB have also acquired Heini Vatnsdal from relegated FC Suðuroy where he mostly played in defence, but is also an excellent midfielder, which he proved in the 1-1 draw with Denmark for the Faroese U21 team. At HB he’s probably more likely to play in midfield in a holding position.
For several years now, offensive midfielder Rókur av Fløtum Jespersen has been studying in Denmark and has only been available for HB when he has been home on vacation in the summer months, but next season he will be available for HB again for the whole season.
Defender Johan Troest Davidsen, with 24 caps for the Faroes, who joined HB late this season, has signed a contract which keeps him at HB next year also.
ÍF Fuglafjørður
ÍF, who were so close to winning the title this season might not be quite as close next season as there will be an exodus of players before next season.
Veteran goalkeeper Jákup Mikkelsen will play somewhere else. Fullbacks Uni R. Petersen and Jan Ellingsgaard as well as midfielder Bofi Løkin will be studying in Denmark. The Danish offensive midfielder Thomas Asmussen will also return to Denmark, and it’s quite possible that Karl Løkin will go in the same direction.
So, the feeling is that it should have been this year that ÍF finally won their second title, 33 years after their maiden win in 1979, as next season could become a more average campaign again…
KÍ Klaksvík
At KÍ, they set out on a mission a couple of years ago that all KÍ-players should play for KÍ and not for other clubs. And according to that mission they have now brought Atli Danielsen home from B36 Tórshavn. Danielsen mostly plays in midfield but is also capable of playing in defence. Danielsen, who has won 41 caps for the Faroe Islands has not played under current national coach Lars Olsen.
The goalkeeper situation has not been made clear at KÍ for next season. Hungarian Andras Gango has not had his contract extended, and the rumours are that either Jákup Mikkelsen or current B36 goalkeeper Meinhardt Joensen, who lives in Klaksvík, will be the choice.
Winger Andy Olsen, who scored 9 goals, is heading to NSÍ Runavík.
NSÍ Runavík
As mentioned right above, gifted winger Andy Olsen will return to NSÍ after one year at KÍ and 4 years at ÍF Fuglafjørður where he had great success.
TB Tvøroyri
TB have said that they will already be starting their training again in early November and in March next season, TB will go on a pre-season training camp in Iceland where they amongst others will play a training match against Breiðablik, for whom TB’s current sport director Hans Fróði Hansen played for in 2005-2006. Breiðablik won the Icelandic top league in 2010 and were runners up this year.
TB have also announced that in the future they will have all of their teams - from seniors to youth divisions - playing the same system and formation.
Some other curios news from TB is that next summer they will host a friendly match against no other that Sheffield FC, the oldest football club in the world, founded in 1857. TB, who are the oldest club in the Faroe Islands, were founded in 1892.
Víkingur
Víkingur has waved goodbye to Senegalese forward Joseph Youssoupa Bassene and Fritleif í Lambanum has moved to Denmark. Midfielder Sølvi Vatnhamar, who also moved to Denmark near the end of the season, we presume is not available for Víkingur next season. Ivorian influential midfielder Evrard Blé’s future is not clear yet.
Kaj Leo í Bartalsstovu will be going to trials abroad, but if he does not move abroad, he will play for Víkingur next season.
Víkingur say they will mainly be on the outlook for a central midfielder and a striker.
Faroese newspaper Nordlýsid writes today that FC Suðuroy’s top scorer John Tordar Poulsen, who has scored 40 goals in the last couple of seasons, was disappointed that relegated FC Suðuroy had not contacted him yet about next season and that he therefore was tempted by two clubs in the top flight that were interested in the bomber. Poulsen didn´t reveal which those clubs were, but admitted that they were north of EB/Streymur which could well be Víkingur. The other top division clubs north of EB/Streymur are KÍ Klaksvík, NSÍ Runavík and ÍF Fuglafjørður.
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And finally we can add that B68 midfielder Jann Ingi Petersen, among the better ones, said that he would not be going down with B68 and that he would play in the top flight next season.