Football Season Guide

Sandefjord begin their Eliteserien existence without manager Lars Bohinen who opted to jump ship and go to Aalesund in the division below. The fact Bohinen chose to drop down a level to a newly relegated club should really set the alarm bells ringing at Sandefjord, but there was a feeling Bohinen had done as much as he could at the club. Sandefjord stayed clear of relegation, but an alarming dip at the end of the season made survival a whole lot closer than it could and possible should have been. Magnus Powell comes into the club as head coach, and he has a job keeping Sandefjord afloat. They were reliant on loan players like Carlos Grossmuller last season for creativity, and with Grossmuller gone, someone else needs to step up to the plate. This is also Powell's first real post as Eliteserien manager, having done well with Levanger in OBOS Ligaen last year, and he will soon discover that the intensity is so much bigger in the top flight. Sandefjord have shipped 18 goals in five of their club friendlies against clubs that they will be competing with in the league in the coming months. That is pretty alarming. It's safe to say that pre-season hasn't been the best, and Powell has work to do. This looks like a job too big for an inexperienced coach, and he will need to convince many before his stint at Sandefjord can be deemed a success.