Should I Stay or Should I go? Damallsvenskan Silly Season 2008/2009.

"Has beens" and "never weres" coming back... Queen Marta and Ms. Frisky trying to decide where they'll be laying their tiaras in the New Year... Djurgården sinking deeper and deeper into the mud of Krillan on a daily basis... Yep, there's a lot happening to warrant a shiny new thread.

Thread title inspired by jocasta, who potentially has 499 new posts in which to wax lyrical before we have to come up with something new. (Or before the season starts, whichever happens first.)

OK, I think I'll obsess about someone else, now. Emma Stalhammar. Emma Stalhammar. Emma Stalhammar.

Hm... Did you know that Stålhammar won't be playing in Damallsvenskan next year? She's signed with a lower division club, Tyresö, that's aiming to be promoted to Damallsvenskan after next season.

Now we know why it looks like they're all making fun of us with their merry toing and froing: They are. They are just off to an early start. Damallsvenskan 2009 starts on April Fools' Day.
http://www.svenskfotboll.se/t2dam.aspx?p=152188&x=1&a=1153973

Oi, Dandal! Are you going to tell us who the thick-necked bearer of the cauliflower ears is in the "Maja Åström does yoga in front of a urinal" pic?

Maybe he asked because he didn't know? People do that sometimes, you know.

Not Dandal. He's All-Knowing. You'll see.

(Plus I don't think he'd call it a quiz if he didn't already know the answer. )

Well, it was sort of both a question and a quiz - I've always assumed it was Caroline Jönsson, but it's good to see someone else do the same. Don't they look ridicolously young by the way, like a bunch of U21s. Which they, come to think about it, actually were. Well, not the presumed Jönsson, the rest of them.

Random thoughts:

1. You can be a decent player in mediocre Damallsvenskan teams and move to an American college and positively rule the place. Just look at Yolanda Odenyo's website.

2. Old, established players seem interested in taking a chance to play for WPS clubs (Larsson, Jönsson, Angerer), while the young and presumably restless (Mittag, Vidarsdottir, Odenyo) prefers to stay closer to home. Odd?

3. Kif Örebro are trying out a Brazilian player who has sitting on the bench in WWC 2003 as the top item on her CV. Are we slowly moving to the position of the Swedish men's league - "of course it's a good player, it's a Brazilian"?

4. Why is Lindahl moving to Norrköping, which she just has? The only team within commuting distance is Linköping, where she isn't going to play. Does this mean she's not joining Göteborg? In that case, wild speculations: Emma Byrne goes to Boston and Arsenal wants Hedvig to cover for her?

And there I was, praising you as All-Knowing.

She says in an article in Norrköpings Tidning that she'll expect her new club to provide a flat for her, but that Norrköping will be her permanent base. And she says that a deal is imminent.

http://www.nt.se/nyheter/artikel.aspx?ArticleId=4565401

Oh, and Arsenal isn't on the cards for her, since she states that it's ateam in the Swedish league. But I've been toying with the idea of Byrne going and Angerer knocking on Arsenal's door. But how likely is Byrne to give up what she has at Arsenal, plus drag her supposedly football-playing boyfriend with her?

Byrne is a 'WAG', albeit a very amusing and likeable one. She is dating Marcus Bignot. I would guess she is highly unlikely to jump across the Atlantic (or fly even).

And I thought it was Jonnson in the pic straight away too. But then I get my 'Lindas' mixed up so I've more than likely lost the plot.

How many Lindas do you have/ need?

None and none. Interestingly, well it was to me on reflection, the two Lindas I DO/did know are/were quite mad.
Just alluding to my worrying Hunt/Blair mix up.

Is one of them my sister? She cried because she burnt sausage rolls once. I thought that was mad.

And in an attempt to pretend we care: Football!

There. Back on topic.

But it IS 'Silly Season'?

Sittin' in a sleazy snackbar sucking sickly sausage rolls...that Smulan's sister scorched.

That's surprisingly "Kids in the Hall", you know.


For the bored, here's Shona the lesbian vegetarian robbing the sperm bank: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmogBdiDeRY[/ame]

Today's Marta: A Swedish sports journalist tells Marta and her agent off at damfotboll.com today, saying that she risks being considered greedy after forcing all those poor clubs to compete in a bidding war. After all, he notes, she'll be able to afford to live off what she'll get for a few years once she finishes playing, regardless of which offer she accepts.

But think about it: Isn't he just absolutely right? After all, women through the ages have worked for free. It's more of a calling for a woman, isn't it?

In a backhanded attempt at exonerating Marta somewhat, the journalist also points out that this isn't really her doing: She's just a weak puppet being manipulated by her agent so he can maximise his commission.



A suitably chuckleworthy googletranslate version: http://translate.google.se/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.damfotboll.com%2Fnyheter%2Fnyhet.asp%3Fid%3D8712%26page%3D1&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8&sl=sv&tl=en

Cooked soup on a nail, indeed.

http://translate.google.se/translat...se/sport/1.808609/&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8&sl=sv&tl=en

OK, so, looks like Lindahl stays in Linkoping. But two questions: Who TF is Iloilo, and what is Hobart, besides an Australian city?

Amazingly enough, they're both "googletranslate" for Linköping. Almost as funny as Umeå turning into Portsmouth.

But that's an old article you've got hold of! My brain was churning at Lindahl staying with Linköping until I saw the date: August 22, 2007.

Re the Marta article linked to above: Make sure you read the comment in English by "Jenny, USA" (possibly a BS visitor?). Would any other American forum visitors like to support the claim that Sara Larsson is just as big star as Marta to Americans? It certainly bemused me.

One thing that struck me is that the WPS really should have put more effort into publicising the availability of Waffle Day celebrations in certain parts of the country. That'd get the top Swedes moving, I'm sure. And there's bound to be an Oktoberfest that should get the Germans over too. But I don't think the French will budge: "Freedom fries" just don't have the same pulling power.

It might be a better idea to advertise the WPS as guaranteed 100% Oktoberfest-free

Micol, dearie... Not all football players are culture vultures like you.





And speaking of "culture"... Did you know that there's an Oktoberfest Barbie?

Oh, Oktoberfest is culture. That's just it. I mean, can you imagine Rech in a Dirndl?

So which dendrite in your brain misfired to make you think that would be a "no"?

(No jocasta whizzing us about between threads? )

I should have known better. I did hesitate before posting.

But I guess there goes her ever coming back to play in Sweden. Guess why?
( ) It's too cold in Sweden to wear a Dirndl.
( x ) Smulan ogling.