Vålerenga Fotball
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| Full name | Vålerengens Idrettsforening | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Enga, Vål'enga, the Bohemians, the Pride of Oslo, St. Hallvard's men | ||
| Founded | July 29 1913 | ||
| Ground | Ullevaal Stadion Oslo | ||
| Capacity | 25,572 | ||
| Chairman |  Pål Breen | ||
| Manager | Martin Andresen | ||
| 2007 | Tippeligaen, 7th | ||
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Vålerenga I.F. Fotball is a Norwegian football club from Oslo, founded in 1913, named after the nearby neighbourhood of Vålerenga. They finished 7th in the 2007 Norwegian Premier League.
Vålerenga's home ground, as of October 2005, is Ullevaal Stadion, the stadium for the Norway national football team. The previous stadium was Bislett stadion, which hosted speed skating and track and field events in addition to football, and hosted the 1952 Winter Olympics.
History
Early days
The history of Vålerenga goes back to Fotballpartiet Spark which was founded in 1898, which became Idrettslaget Spring on July 29 1913. Later the club changed its name to Vaalerengens Idrættsforening.
Vålerengen won the Oslo Championships four times before a national league (Norgesserien) was established in 1937. In the 1948/49 season Vålerengen finished second.
1960s–1980s
In 1965 Vålerengen won the 1st division (now Tippeligaen) for the first time, and in the 80s they won 3 league championships and 1 cup championship. During that decade they also were twice cup runners-up and placed 3rd in the league in 1985.
1990s
In 1990 Vålerenga were relegated after 14 seasons in the top division. Vålerenga was close to further relegation in the 1992 season, but managed to remain in the second highest division thanks to a last round 3-0 win against Eik-Tønsberg. In 1994, Vålerenga returned to the top division, but were relegated again in 1996. In 1997 Vålerenga won the cup and the 1st division and were again promoted to Tippeligaen. As earlier in the 90s, the stay in the top division lasted only a few years.
2000–2004
In the 2000 season Vålerenga lost the play-off matches against Sogndal and was relegated to the 1st division. Vålerenga returned to Tippeligaen in 2002.
The 2003 season was poor for Vålerenga and they wound up third last in the league sending them into playoffs against Sandefjord to avoid relegation. The result was a 0-0 draw in Sandefjord and a 5-3 victory in Oslo and so Vålerenga retained the position in the top league and avoided relegation.
Vålerenga rebounded nicely in the 2004 season and proved a serious challenge to the dominant Rosenborg team in the bid for the league's gold medal. After a franctic final round where Vålerenga beat Stabæk 3-0, they missed out on the league title since Rosenborg beat Lyn, Vålerenga's city rivals 4-1. Vålerenga won the silver medal, finishing 2nd to Rosenborg equal on points and goal difference, but Vålerenga had scored twelve fewer goals than Rosenborg during the entire league campaign, leaving Rosenborg as league champions.
Champions 2005
At the start of the 2005 season it was apparent that Rosenborg was in bad shape and it seemed like Vålerenga's season to go all the way. After a strong season opening, the club sensation Start - newly promoted to the Premier League - looked to give Vålerenga a fight to the finish, and the two clubs basically alternated on leading the series to the very last round. On October 29 it looked to be a thrilling last round reminiscent of the previous year, as both Start and Vålerenga had the exact same amount of points, but Start with a slightly better goal difference. Start met Fredrikstad at home, while Vålerenga met Odd Grenland away. As the opening whistle blew the scene was set for some nail-biting football minutes around Norway. Eventually Fredrikstad, who faced relegation if they lost, beat Start 3-1 while at the same time Vålerenga managed a 2-2 draw against Odd Grenland. Vålerenga stepped one up from the previous year, and won the title with a one point margin. History was made on several levels that night as it marked the first time in 21 years that Vålerenga won the league, and most notably it put an end to the 13 year long reign of Rosenborg.
2006 onwards
The follow-up season of 2006 didn't start out as well for the reigning champions, and a poor start left them at the very end of the table after seven rounds, having gained only 5 points. A steady rise in form though still brought the team to 6th place by the time the season was half-through. Late July brought a string of bad results, including embarrassing losses to main rival Lyn, and the exit from the UEFA Champions League qualifier after losing 5-3 on aggregate to Czech club Mladá Boleslav in the 2nd qualifying round. Vålerenga had aimed to qualify for the tournament after missing out the previous year by being defeated by Belgian side Club Brugge on a penalty shoot-out. After losing five out of seven games between July 22 and August 19 head-coach Kjetil Rekdal decided enough is enough, and announced his resignation. Assisting coach Petter Myhre took over, and as a consequence the club regained their form and scored 25 out of the last 30 possible points, bringing the club to yet another medal in the league, the third consecutive, as well as a qualification spot for the 2007-2008 UEFA Cup. Vålerenga has also qualified for play in the 2006-2007 Scandinavian Royal League after finishing among the top four teams in Norway.
Recent league history
| Season | League | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points | Pos | Note |
| 2007 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 34 | 34 | 36 | 7/14 | |
| 2006 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 43 | 28 | 44 | 3/14 | Third place |
| 2005 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 40 | 27 | 46 | 1/14 | Champions |
| 2004 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 40 | 22 | 48 | 2/14 | Second place |
| 2003 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 30 | 33 | 28 | 12/14 | Won play-off against Sandefjord |
| 2002 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 38 | 31 | 33 | 8/14 | |
| 2001 | First Division | 30 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 71 | 29 | 62 | 1/16 | Promoted to Tippeligaen |
| 2000 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 24 | 12/14 | Lost play-off against Sogndal and relegated to First Division |
Colours
Up to 1913, Vålerenga's kit was moss green. In 1914, the Norwegian State Railways had a set of blue and red kits left over, which Vålerenga bought cheaply, so their official colours became blue and red. The 2006 season away kit was white with a touch of moss green.
Stadium
Ullevaal stadion is the current home ground, but it is owned jointly by the Norwegian Football Association and Vålerenga's main rival Lyn.
From the 60s till the 80s and a short period in the end of the 90s Bislett stadion was Vålerenga's home ground. Poor conditions and maintenance of Bislett forced Vålerenga to move to Ullevaal and a groundshare with Lyn.
After Vålerenga moved from Bislett stadion plans for building their own ground were conceived, but poor results on the field combined with financial problems kept those plans at bay for a few years. After the 2nd place in 2004 and the league title in 2005 as well as business man John Fredriksen's deletion of the club's debt in 2003, the talks of building a ground for Vålerenga have resurfaced. The original plans were to build a ground in Bjørvika, right next to the future opera house in the centre of Oslo. Vålerenga has won little political support in Oslo city council for this proposal. There have been several proposals for other sites where a ground can be built, but there are two sites that recurr as the most likely: Ensjø east in Oslo close to Vålerenga's training facilities at Valle-Hovin and to build the ground over the railway tracks at Oslo Central Station.
Supporters
Vålerenga's main supporter club Klanen (the Clan) was founded May 5 1991 and is with its about 12,000 members the biggest supporter club in Norway. Klanen is considered to be among the best supporters in Norway and is by some called "the best male choir in Norway" because of their joy of singing and cooperation. The kit number 12 is reserved Klanen.
Of the two big Oslo clubs Vålerenga and Lyn, Vålerenga usually gather a crowd more than three times as large as their city rivals. In the 2006 season Vålerenga gathered an average attendance of 13,871 at their home matches, ranking them fourth in Norway with regard to attendance.
A Chelsea FC fanpage voted Klanen the best away support of the season after the Cupwinners Cup quarter final game at Stamford Bridge in 1998.
Notable fans
- Thomas Hansvoll, Pro boxer
- Sven Nordin, Actor
- Kjetil André Aamodt, Alpine skier
- Aud Schønemann, Actress
- Arve Opsahl, Actor
- Martin Andresen, Footballer
- Tommy Steine, TV host
- Ådne Søndrål, speedskater
- Pål Anders Ullevålseter, Desert rally motorcycle rider
- Petter Solberg, World rally champion
Players and staff
Current players
As of December 20, 2007 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
| Manager | Martin Andresen |
| Coach | Tor Ole Skullerud |
| Offensive coach | Mike Speight |
| Defensive coach | David Brocken |
| Goalkeeper coach | Gjermund Østby |
| Mental coach | Johan Kaggestad |
| Physotherapist | Truls Hallen |
| First Team Development Coach | Andrea Loberto |
| Scout | Lasse Holm |
| Doctor | Haakon Schwabe |
Transfers off-season 2007/2008
In:
Martin Andresen - Transferred From Brann
- Lars Iver Strand - Transferred From Tromsø
- Mohammed Abdellaoue - Transferred From Skeid
- André Muri - Returned From (loan in) Odd Grenland
- (Kristoffer Hæstad? - Sold from IK Start)
Troy Perkins Acquired from DC United
Out:
- Thomas Holm - Transferred To Molde
- Steinar Strømnes - Bosman
- Jalal El-Gharbi - Bosman
- Arnar Førsund - Transferred To Ham-Kam
- Jan-Derek Sørensen - Transferred To Bodø/Glimt
- Alexander Mathisen - Transferred To Aalesund
Noted players
Notable former players for the club:
Honours
- Winners (5): 1965, 1981, 1983, 1984, 2005
- Runners-up (2): 1949, 2004
- Winners (3): 1980, 1997, 2002
- Runners-up (2): 1983, 1985
Oslo Championships:
- Winners (4): 1927, 1932, 1933, 1934
- Runners-up (2): 1935, 1936
Recent history
Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Europe Notes 1998 ES 7 26 10 3 13 44 48 33 3rd round 1999 ES 11 26 8 4 14 40 53 28 last 16 2000 ES 12 26 5 9 12 32 44 24 quarter-final relegated after play-off Adeccoligaen (Tier 2) 2002 ES 8 26 7 12 7 38 31 33 winner 2003 ES 12 26 6 10 10 30 33 28 quarter-final 2004 ES 2 26 13 9 4 40 22 48 3rd round 2005 ES 1 26 13 7 6 40 27 46 semi-final 2006 ES 3 26 13 5 8 43 28 44 quarter-final UC 1st round elim. 3rd round ECL 2007 ES 7 26 10 6 10 34 34 36 forth round UC 1st round
Records
- Largest victory in the premier league: 8-0 against Lisleby F.K. 1951
- Longest consecutive seasons in premier league: 14 seasons (1977-1990)
- Most premier league matches since 1963: Tom Henning Hovi, 197 matches (1997-2006)
- Most goals in mandatory matches: Einar Bruno Larsen, 99 goals (1957-1968)
- Most goals in a single season: Jørn Andersen 23 goals in 22 matches (1985)
- Record attendance: Ullevaal stadion, October 23rd 2005. The 2005 season's last home game, against Rosenborg, 24894 spectators
- Biggest win in a European cupmatch: 6-0 vs. Ekranas August 30th 2007 (7-1 overall)
(numbers as of 5th November 2006, modified September 3rd 2007)
See also
References
Nome, Petter. Vi er Vål'enga. Oslo: Cappelen, 1997. ISBN 82-02-17623-9.
External links
- Official pages
- Vålerenga Fotball På Nett - the biggest site for unofficial news and views
- Klanen, official Vålerenga supporters club
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