Football Season Guide

Rosenborg had an absolutely shoddy campaign last season in which they turned into a mid-table team that was routinely humiliated and played football not befitting of the name and reputation of the Trondheim club. The ninth-place finish was their worst since suffering relegation in 1977 and it left a scar that will take a while to heal for the supporters of the club. The new season offers the chance for a fresh start for the Black and Whites and they have a bright new manager at the helm in 33-years Swede Alfred Johansson. He made his name in recent years as the Copenhagen youth coach and this will be his first job as a first-team manager. It is a massive task trying to rebuild and restore confidence at one of Scandinavia's biggest clubs and he will need results quickly to get fans on his side, regardless of the pleas for patience. The squad, however, looks quite poor and just short of options and alternatives in too many areas. The only real new addition has been that of Slovak defender Tomas Nemcik. It was already a squad lacking quite a lot of quality and the sheer lack of depth and experienced alternatives in quite a lot of areas is a major concern. The one bright spot for RBK is 17-year-old prodigy Sverre Nypan, who at times was carrying the team from midfield last season and is undoubtedly going to be a special player. That said, there is not much besides him to get excited about and Johansson's first season in charge is likely to be an uphill battle and managing of expectations will be needed.