Welcome – or should I say, velkommen – to the second season of my latest Football Manager 2019 career in Norway.
Marit Enstad’s first year as manager of Lyn 1896 could not have gone much better. Taking charge of a team who’d just gone up to the 2. divisjon, she almost pulled off back-to-back promotions. Alas, Lyn just fell short of the play-off places on goal difference, but expectations will no doubt have been heightened for the 2020 season.
It’s been a very busy winter in the transfer market for Marit, as she’s brought in several players who could turn last season’s nearly men into serious promotion challengers. Let’s catch up with her and see how she’s fared…
TRANSFERS OUT
Hei, det er Marit! It’s a new year at Lyn, and there have been many changes to the squad as we try to chase promotion to the 1. divisjon.
35-year-old amateur goalkeeper Thomas Sandsør‘s third spell at Lyn ended with his release, as we didn’t need him anymore. Fellow custodian Hermann Witzøe was let go after a single season in our reserve team, and so too was midfielder Hans-Robin Enoksen.
Defender Benjamin Nyheim – who played two league matches before I dropped him to Lyn 2 – was also on his way out, along with wide attackers Morten Lyngstad Bjørshol and Rune Isaksen. The final three players to be released were Chimaobi Ifejilika, Anwar Pellegrino and Christoffer Lars Simensen, who all spent last season out on loan.
Another five players left on free transfers after finding new clubs. We could play against our former playmaker Dulee Johnson this season, as he signed for an Eidsvold Turn team who were promoted to our 2. divisjon group. Winger Johannes Johannessen did return to the Bislett in pre-season for KFUM Oslo, and you’ll find out how he got on later.
The other three all dropped down a division. My feud with Martin Fasting finally ended when the wing-back signed for newly-relegated Moss. Misfiring striker Jonas-Aleksander Bakken has gone to Drøbak-Frogn, and backup winger Rasmus Gjemmestad was picked up by Skjetten.
That wasn’t the end of our outgoings, though. With the club now well over €200,000 in debt, we would have to listen to any attractive offers that came in for our better players from bigger teams.
First to be sold was midfielder Lars Følstad, who went to 1. divisjon side Fredrikstad for an initial €15,000 (potentially rising to €25,000). While I was sad to see Lars go, I wasn’t desperate to keep hold of him. Henrik Lehne Olsen and Adil Zahid were both younger playmakers of similar ability to Følstad, whose would give them more chances to hold down starting places.
Then came deadline day, when several Eliteserien clubs went in for our teenage striker Svein Melfjord. We struck deals with Strømsgodset and Bodø/Glimt… but then Odd blew them out of the water with an offer which was so good that the chairman accepted it on my behalf!
So that’s an initial €6,250 with another €6,000 in instalments, potentially €16,900 in add-ons, and 40% of the profit from any future sale! For a semi-professional club such as ours, that’s not a bad deal.
That meant both our hot prospects from last year’s intake – Melfjord and Tor Fritzøe Östman – had now moved on to bigger things (indeed, Tor is now a Norway Under-19s international). We still had another promising talent in right-back Martin Knudtzon, though Tromsø made several attempts to steal him on the cheap. I wasn’t having it, and neither was the chairman.
Here is Knudtzon’s profile, in case you’re interested. He’s brave, aggressive and has plenty of stamina, though he probably doesn’t have the technical ability to be a first-team regular just yet. He’ll mainly play for our reserve and Under-19s sides this season while possibly making the odd appearance from the bench in league games.
TRANSFERS IN
My first signing was a bit of a surprise. One of my scouts had found a brave 17-year-old right-back at newly-promoted Lørenskog called Markus Frydenlund, who they thought was already a good player for this level. He was also available to sign on a non-contract basis, albeit for €1,000 compensation. Yes, we already had Knudtzon as a prospect, but I saw enough in Frydenlund to make a move.
Providing more experience would be 31-year-old goalkeeper Alexander Vangen, who was signed on a free after spending close to a decade at Ullensaker/Kisa. Vangen has great reflexes and is positionally solid, but he is also quite eccentric and likes to punch the ball rather than claim it. [We ALL love a maverick in nets, though, don’t we?]
In defensive midfield, we recruited former KFUM Oslo stalwart Erik Lundanes Jonvik. The 29-year-old has a good work ethic and is a competent man-marker, so he should be a significant upgrade on vice-captain Mads Pedersen in the anchoring role.
I then found someone to perhaps take some of the goalscoring burden off Martin Trøen‘s shoulders. He’s a pacey and flamboyant – if enigmatic – 22-year-old striker named Marcus Mehnert. Marcus scored eight goals for Moss last season and was one of their better performers as they were relegated to the 3. divisjon.
Next in were a couple of loanees from top-flight clubs. Nicolas Pignatel Jenssen may only be 18, but the Stabæk starlet is already a capable and determined centre-back, not to mention a Norwegian youth international. Hopes are also high for Odd’s explosive winger Vegard Somdal, who spent the second half of last season at Kongsvinger – in the Eliteserien. I might have played a blinder in bringing the 20-year-old to the Bislett.
To be honest, I would have been happy with just those six winter signings. Then the late sales of Følstad and Melfjord left us with some spaces in midfield and attack, so I brought in three more players on deadline day.
The first of the two midfielders we signed was former Lillestrøm youth player Oussema Ali, who will initially play for our reserves. Martin Holmen is a much more experienced box-to-box player who will go straight into the first-team after his €1,500 purchase from second-tier Notodden.
Finally, I raided Lørenskog for a second time to recruit Erlend Hustad as our third centre-forward option. Strong and selfless, this 23-year-old offers a greater aerial presence than either Trøen or Mehnert, so he’ll give us something different if we ever need to go direct.
YOUTH INTAKE
Here’s our 2020 youth intake, and at first glance, it could rival the class of 2019. There are three especially promising youngsters – two centre-backs and one striker – who could become homegrown heroes (unless Molde or Rosenborg get their hands on them first).
According to our coaches, the top prospect from this intake is Eirik Melby – a 6ft 5in centre-back who’s a strong and aggressive tackler. He sadly lacks a bit of drive, which could impact his development.
And that’s why I actually think Dan Tandberg is more likely to make the grade. Dan’s got a resolute personality, is mentally more astute than Eirik, and is also far less likely to dive recklessly into tackles. If he can improve his aerial ability, I might put him in the first-team picture sooner rather than later.
Then we come to the ‘new Melfjord’, aka Jon Andersen [no, he’s not related to the Yes frontman – or the Gladiators referee, for that matter]. He’s not the quickest of centre-forwards, but he’s brave and hard-working, and he’s not a bad finisher. I’ll follow Jon’s progress in the Under-19s very closely, just in case a first-team opening becomes available for him.
We also have another striker named Anders Andersen, but I’m just letting you know that he’s not related to Jon. Andersen is actually the fifth-most common surname in Norway, behind only Hansen, Johansen, Olsen and Larsen.
BACKROOM STAFF
As you can see, I also made a few changes to the backroom. We welcomed in four new staff members (highlighted above in red) and said goodbye to three. Also note that Svein Roger Pettersen – our Head of Youth Development – has decided to forego his €475 weekly wage and stay with us on amateur terms. How selfless.
Unfortunately, Ola Erik Frantzen – our long-time Director of Football – had to leave the club because we couldn’t meet his wage demands. He was replaced with 40-year-old Jan Wiggo Øfelt, who is rather more frugal – and a better judge of player ability to boot.
Replacing Mats Nylænden as our fitness coach is the former Moss and Fredrikstad midfielder Hans Erik Ramberg [who has 16 in Fitness and 14 in Discipline]. There’s also been an improvement to our recruitment team, with Per Kløvtveit being recruited as a third scout.
Finally, we now have a youthful all-female physiotherapy team. Malin Refsnes Bø (age 30) has come in to work alongside Emma Holmqvist (age 27) after we sadly lost Vahid Hamidy (age 59) to Kongsvinger. [That’s bound to annoy a few tabloid-reading dinosaurs! I like it.]
Those changes have given us one of the best coaching teams in the 2. divisjon. Goalkeeper coaching does need some attention, but we can’t afford a specialist coach in that area. We’re also way above average when it comes to the recruitment network, and our physios are very capable as well. Overall, I think we’ve got a strong backroom.
PRE-SEASON
We had a rather quieter pre-season this year compared to last, but our results were a bit on the erratic side. Against the weaker teams, we could be absolutely clinical, but then superior teams would drill holes into our defence.
The campaign began promising enough, with Mehnert claiming a debut hat-trick against lower-league Blaker, who scored a late consolation to make it 4-1. Marcus then completed a 5-0 trouncing of another lowly outfit in Langhus. That wasn’t as comfortable as the scoreline suggested, though, for we were only 1-0 up at half-time before running riot.
Then came our first home friendly, against a Viking side who’d just been relegated from the Eliteserien. Much to my surprise, Mehnert fired us into the lead after just 19 seconds with his FIFTH goal of pre-season. The joy didn’t last, though, as Viking got themselves level before stealing a 2-1 win in stoppage time.
Jerv are also playing in the 1. divisjon this season, but they were far too strong for us a week later. They took their chances, we didn’t, and we eventually went down 3-0, though not before Marius Østvold was sent off for a reckless challenge. [Frig!]
As it so happened, our very next game was against Frigg, who are in the opposite 2. divisjon group to us. Melfjord and Følstad scored their final goals for Lyn in a hard-fought 3-1 win, and the latter was already gone by the time we played Ullensaker/Kisa. They scored a couple of long-range belters to beat us 2-0 and deal our confidence another blow.
We then completed pre-season with a 4-2 victory in a local derby with KFUM Oslo. Captain Anders Lübeck was named ‘man of the match’, though he couldn’t stop his old friend Johannessen getting on the scoresheet for his new club late on.
SQUAD REPORT
After finishing all our pre-season business, there’s the current state of our senior team. I’ll now write a bit about each man, and I’ll also give you the profiles of seven players who could be particularly important this season.
Despite having a lower star rating than Vangen, Knut-André Skjærstein remains our first-choice goalkeeper after a moderate first season at the Bislett. Though Knut isn’t the most agile shotstopper, his handling skills and aerial reach make him a reliable choice between the sticks. By contrast, Alex has better reflexes but is more erratic, and will mainly play in the Cupen to start off with.
Strengthening the defence was one of my main priorities for this season, and I believe that new loanee Jenssen is one of the division’s best centre-halves. While Nicolas does lack a bit aerially, he’s mentally very strong for someone who’s just 18. I’m sure he’ll be playing regular Eliteserien football for parent club Stabæk before too long.
Our athletic if inconsistent skipper Lübeck will regularly accompany Jenssen in the centre of our defence. Andreas Østeraas – who was one of my very first signings last winter – provides a decent and experienced third option. Lyn stalwart Faisal Dahir has also stuck around, even though his first-team chances have diminished of late.
Oskar Hansen might have the most common surname in Norway, but he’s no ordinary left-back. The 25-year-old was one of our most consistent performers last season and also demonstrated a knack for scoring direct free-kicks. His deputy will once again be the versatile and hard-working Joakim Rishovd, who is also aged 25.
We have plenty of young, talented options at right-back. Frydenlund is the youngest of them, but the quick-thinking 17-year-old is rated highest by my assistant manager. It remains to be seen whether he can hold down a starting place, or if either Knudtzon or Eirik Bækkelund can make it their own. Indeed, Rishovd might have a big say in that battle as well.
I’m amazed but delighted that we still have Østvold. The young box-to-box midfielder’s work ethic, tackling ability and creativity attracted interest from the higher divisions, but thankfully nothing more. Marius does have a competitive streak, mind, and will miss the first match of his third Lyn season through suspension. That means his new, more experienced understudy Holmen will get to feature from the outset.
Jonvik is our new anchor man between the defence and the midfield. Though he was relegated from the 2. divisjon with KFUM, the 29-year-old – who idolised Xabi Alonso in his younger days – will hope for better fortunes with another Oslo club. His arrival means Pedersen is relegated to the bench, where he’ll likely stay unless he stops worrying about being ‘replaced’.
Lehne Olsen and Zahid are virtually neck-and-neck in the battle to become our chief playmaker. There’s little to separate them on technical ability, and while Henrik is mentally more resilient, Adil has impressed me more over the last 12 months or so. The 21-year-old – who’s of Pakistani heritage – is an excellent decision-maker with plenty of scope for development.
Simen Vedvik was our 2019 Player of the Season, but a disappointing pre-season suggests his second campaign with Lyn could be more of a struggle. The quick attacker – who can play as an inside-forward or a winger on the left flank – has a tendency to disappear from matche and needs to put more work into his game.
At right-wing, Eirik Haugstad is another player who can be brilliant one week and anonymous the next. When it comes to the big games, though, you can often rely on the rapid and flamboyant winger to make a difference. On-loan Odd youngster Somdal will be sure to keep him on his toes.
We now come to our two new centre-forwards. Mehnert top-scored in pre-season with five goals, showing the sort of form that earned him a winter move from Moss. The 22-year-old poacher loves to knock the ball past is opponent and is generally a tidy finisher.
Hustad is slightly older than Mehnert but is a very different attacker. Standing at 6ft 2in and weighing over 13 stone, Erlend is more of a target man who can make his presence felt in the air. [The Norwegian Andy Carroll, perhaps, except without the injuries or the silly ponytail?]
Last, but not least, there’s the main attraction. Trøen has earned the prestigious number 10 jersey after an impressive first term at Lyn that saw him score 14 goals. Martin is a clinical finisher with supreme fitness and a cool head on broad shoulders, hence the bookmakers have made him second-favourite to be the division’s top scorer this year. In other words, he’s €2,800 brilliantly spent.
I’ll mainly use two different systems this season. The first is a pretty standard counter-attacking 4-3-3, which will likely be my go-to tactic away from home. I’m not fully set on having those roles and duties with the midfield three, but I’ll experiment over the first few weeks to see what works most effectively in certain situations. [So, would that make you… the Tinkerwoman? Claudia Ranieri?]
And here’s my more positive 4-2-3-1, which has had a slight but obvious change from last season. I’ve dropped our deeper-lying central midfielder back to provide more direct defensive covers for our centre-halves. This will also allow our left wing-back to bomb forward more freely and assist with our attacks. At least that’s the plan.
Sounds like a plan, Marit. We’ll see how you and the team get on in your first league games in the next chapter. That will go live on Fuller FM on Thursday, when a new quest for promotion begins in earnest.
“Takk for lesing!”
Fuller FM 
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