Football Season Guide

Viking had another season of mid-table mediocrity in 2016, with the Stavanger side finishing 8th in the end. That was a slim return on the 5th place finish the club achieved in 2015, and it meant the end of the road for head coach Kjell Jonevret who you feel had taken the club as far as he could. But it remains to be seen whether new coach Ian Burchnall can do much to propel Viking up the table again considering the financial restraints that are still crippling the club. In fact many believe Jonevret was doing a fine job on an extremely tight budget, and it certainly doesn't look like there's been a massive off season spending spree to make Burchnall job's any easier. More outgoings is more likely than any exciting incomings, and players like Samuel Adegbenro is one of the remaining crown jewels the club will hope they can keep hold of for at least the season. Defensively Viking look pretty solid, and Karol Mets will once again be crucial in the back four. In midfield the acquisition of Steffen Ernemann is as close to marquee signing as it gets. While the Dane was a key part of the Sarpsborg 08 team for a number of seasons, but he is the wrong side of 30 and will have a point to prove. Ernemann could definitely be a great influence on younger midfielders like Tor Andre Aasheim and Zymer Bytyqi who are both exciting players on their day. Abdisalam Ibrahim is another important midfielder for the Stavanger club. It's up front where things look paper thin. Adegbenro will need assistance from Patrick Pedersen, but the Dane has not shown consistent enough form so far, and a lot of matches will be decided on how solid Viking are at the back and how clinical they can be when chances fall to them. There are question marks over both aspects, despite there being decent defensive players at the club. Barring a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Odd Grenland, Viking's pre-season form has not been too bad. The 3-3 draw against Sandnes Ulf recently showed attacking elements that were a positive, but to concede three goals against a side in the league below them was more alarming. But Viking have beaten Brann in pre-season and a credible draw against neighbours Haugesund was also a performance that passed muster. The question is whether they are strong enough and consistent enough to improve on the 8th place of last season, with a new head coach with little experience of the Norwegian top flight. Will the departure of Jonevret prove to be the start of an upwards spiral, or is it a case of being careful what you wish for? Only time will tell.