Football Season Guide

Brann made light work of the OBOS-Ligaen last season by producing an incredibly dominant camping and leaving no doubt whatsoever that they were the best side by a country mile. A record of 27 wins in 30 games speaks for itself and coach Erik Horneland deserves credit for galvanising the squad so well and getting such a consistent campaign from them when they could have eased off. The Bergen side have kept the nucleus of their squad intact, not losing any major players so far, and look very much ready for the start of the new season, with all the momentum and feel-good factor that they have behind them. The coach will be hoping that players like Mathias Rasmussen, David Møller Wolfe and Nicolas Castro will now carry the form that they showed last season and manage to have the same sort of impact against tougher and more ruthless opposition. The transfer activity has naturally been limited but the signing of Thore Pedersen from Haugesund is quite an astute piece of business and may well prove a pretty good addition as he is very capable at both full-back and midfield role and will certainly bolster the depth of the squad. The one worry for Horneland will be whether the defence will be able to cope with the pace and trickery of much better attacking units than they faced last season, given that Ruben Kristiansen is expected to play a big role again at the age of 35. The return of Japhet Serry Larsen will help in that regard but he is not exactly a guarantee at this level and some injuries may really impact them in this department. However, Brann look in pretty good position right now as they have a settled squad and a bunch of attacking weapons, and should have no problems staying clear of any real trouble at the bottom of the standings.