3 teams, big guns Linköping and Göteborg + surprise team KIF Örebro, have been fighting for 2nd place the last few weeks. Yesterday Linköping were kicked out of that fight when they just got 1-1 against AIK, second to last in the league. Linköping have been impressively inefficient lately and only scored 1 goal in the last 3 league games. Goals (notice how many shots Linköping (pink) needs to be able to score!) : Today it was Göteborg that failed to impress. With poor defensive work they lost to Kristianstad 2-3 and are 3 points behind surprise team KIF Örebro in 2nd place with 1 game to go. Highlights (nice 3rd goal for Kristianstad (red) by Therese Björck): KIF Örebro will get their biggest league success ever if they get a point from the last game against Eskilstuna next weekend.
As noted above, we're down to the wire here in Damallsvenskan... (abbreviations: S = matches played, V = matches won, O = matches tied, F = matches lost, [GM = goals for, IM = goals against], (D) = goal differential, P = a popular chair from Ikea) Team S: V, O, F [GM-IM] (D) P FC Rosengård 19: 17, 0, 2 [58-17] (41) 51 KIF Örebro DFF 19: 13, 0, 6 [30-14] (16) 39 K/Göteborg FC 19: 11, 3, 5 [47-20] (27) 36 Linköpings FC 19: 10, 5, 4 [40-18] (22) 35 Kristianstads DFF 20: 9, 4, 7 [21-18] (3) 31 Eskilstuna United DFF 19: 6, 8, 5 [25-29] (-4) 26 Umeå IK FF 19: 7, 3, 9 [29-29] (0) 24 Vittsjö GIK 19: 7, 2, 10 [20-37] (-17) 23 Piteå IF 19: 6, 3, 10 [21-29] (-8) 21 AIK FF 19: 4, 2, 13 [13-44] (-31) 14 Jitex Mölndal BK 19: 0, 0, 19 [6-55] (-49) 0 DINGDINGDINGDING Bälinge Barrier alert! Tyresaywhat? As also noted above, the race for second place and a Champions League berth is still undecided, and actually I think it's a bit of a toss-up: K/Göteborg could beat Vittsjö, and I would not at all be shocked if Eskilstuna United beat KIF Örebro. An exciting weekend of football is ahead of us. Unfortunately none of it is on TV. Bastages. Other news: Sarah Storck (AIK now, ex-LdB Malmö [who brake her!], ex-Bälinge'08) has realized that there must be life after football and says she's applying for university. Will she keep playing next year though? Unknown. Will Jitex beat Umeå this weekend and avoid breaking the Bälinge Barrier?? (i.e., the dubious honor of having the worst record ever) Gosh, I remember like it was yesterday, when Bälinge played its last game up at Umeå and came away with a goal scored against Mighty Mighty UIK... Oh, and don't forget to check back hereabouts on November 10, when Fotbollsgalan 2014 takes place! Usually, it's the clothing choices and hairstyles that are the worst embarrassment. But this year, in the wake of last year's Zlatangate/cargate/The Shame That Is The FA, we'll be on the alert for much worse. And they better give Therese Sjögran her own 50-meter yacht or something.
They will be worse than Bälinge (in 2008): 5 points 9-67 (-58) in goals, 2nd worst ever in Damallsvenskan. Worst record ever is Strömsbro (in 1990): 0 points 7-72 (-65) in goals So Jitex only need one point to avoid getting the worst record ever, or if counting goal difference they just need to avoid losing with 16 goals (but taking into account that they only had a 20 games season instead of the 22 Strömsbro had maybe they should be counted as worse with -60 in goals and then they need to avoid losing with 11 goals) IOW, they will become the second worst result in Damallsvenskan and the worst since 1990, saving Bälinge from that position. Unless they loss very badly and actually get the worst one.
Thanks for that correction and heads-up. Happy viewing, to all you who receive tv4sport! 1990 is the first year of 'the modern era', though, yes? My own thoughts are that that year ought not quite count in the same way, just because everybody was still sorting themselves out and some teams almost surely got put in the top division only to fill out it. Meanwhile, The Umeå v. Jitex game is nearing the 80th minute, with UIK ahead by 4 goals (now the 88th and make it 5-0), so I think we'll just go ahead and dare to say that Jitex '14 has out-stunk Bälinge '08. Whether Jitex '14 is worse than Strömsbro '90 is a debate I'll leave for clearer heads than mine... Things are slightly more exciting in the games that matter: in the first halves, KIF Örebro is ahead 1-0 and K/G is ahead 2-0.
To me they are equally bad. 0 points and very similar goal difference considering Jitex played two games less. Strömsbro had already played two seasons in Damallsvenskan before their super 0 season.
Congrats to KIF Örebro for finishing 2nd and securing a place i Champions League next season. Not sure they have the resources like Göteborg and Linköping to do well there. On the other hand Göteborg was never very impressive in Champions League anyway.
Ah, okay, never mind then. That clearly puts Bälinge08 as third worst. Sheesh. They couldn't even win the 'Worst Team' competition. No they haven't, have they? I was cheering for Göteborg a few years ago, and quite happy when they were finishing second, but then they were pretty bad in the CL games. So, I agree -- even though I have no particularly strong feelings about Örebro, I'm glad to see another team get a chance at CL.
And the nominees are (all Damallsvenskan players + Swedish players abroad can be nominated): Goalkeeper of the year: Hilda Carlén (Piteå IF), Stephanie Labbé (KIF Örebro DFF), Hedvig Lindahl (Kristianstads DFF) Defender of the year: Nilla Fischer (VfL Wolfsburg), Lina Nilsson (FC Rosengård), Linda Sembrant (Tyresö FF/Montpellier Hérault SC) Midfielder of the year: Ramona Bachmann (FC Rosengård), Mariann Gajhede Knudsen (Linköpings FC), Caroline Seger (Tyresö FF/Paris Saint-Germain FC) Forward of the year: Manon Melis (Kopparbergs/Götebog FC), Anja Mittag (FC Rosengård), Lotta Schelin (Olympique Lyonnais) Damallsvenskan MVP: Ramona Bachmann (FC Rosengård), Hedvig Lindahl (Kristianstads DFF), Anja Mittag (FC Rosengård) Breakthrough of the year: Malin Diaz Pettersson (Tyresö FF/Eskilstuna United DFF), Magdalena Ericsson (Linköpings FC), Fridolina Rolfö (Linköpings FC) Coach of the year: Viktor Eriksson (Eskilstuna United DFF), Rickard Nilsson (KIF Örebro DFF), Martin Sjögren (Linköpings FC)
Fotbollsgalan has started, but it's a little depressing so far, what with much about cancer and a recent death. But it good news, Fischer wins defender of the year, and thanks her wife. And there have been a couple Zlatan-bicycle jokes. Still, the whole thing feels a little... off. Not helpful, I know, but it's missing some deep-rooted silliness. Everyone's wearing black; all black, everyone, as far as I can tell. Ah, finally some fashion to giggle at. Marta, tarted up the most girly I've ever seen her.
Lotta Schelin is not there, of course, as she's got other shit to do. Sara Thunebro accepts here award for her, jokes that it's nice to finally get the prize for best defender, manages not to poke fun at Zlatan standing next to her. While Z gives his speech, bike horns are heard tooting from the audience. Z is not amused. I can't find a real-time picture show, like that which Aftonbladet usually does. Too bad. The musical number was inexplicable enough to restore some of Fotbollsgalan's feeling of overstaged ridiculousness.
Caoline Seger also not there, of course, for the same reason as Schelin. Therese Sjögran accepts her midfielder of the year award for her. Will that be the last time we see her on stage tonight? Ooo ooo, some Karin Boye poetry! Hurrah!
I just saw a pic of Lindahl on Twitter and thought 'But it was Halloween over a week ago?!' and then clicked. And I scurried straight here... so you could filleth my Fotbollsgalan cup with merriment!
No, sadly! That would have been fun. Look for pics of Marta and tell us if you find any. She's more dolled up than Lindahl. They just compared two teams, one from the men's and one from women's 2nd divisions, showing footage of their last games to take them up to next year's 1st divisions. Sigh.
Well, it's all over now... Meh, is my summary. Nothing happened with Sjögran, nothing! Hopefully there will at least be some pics tomorrow.
My summary of the night: I shouted "SCANDAL!" several times at the TV and wanted to buy Thunebro a beer for telling the FA that they could F off for being sexist, penis-worshipping bastards. (Slightly paraphrased.) Which reminds me: Hanna Ljungberg was spotted at the gala and is pregnant. Is it weird that I have my fingers crossed for a girl?
Well, the night was a bit of a sausage fest, true. Business as usual. Thunebro and the tooting bike horns were fun.
Well, who wouldn't want to buy Thunebro a beer, no matter what? And see? Clothes are black, all black, everyone, everywhere.
Lindahl gets some points for the close match between the shade of her nail polish and her dress. If she had a bag, though, I hope it was in a contrasting colour or the nails just wouldn't be right. Mind you, I hope she brought a big bag for that giant glass football.
Fischer gets the nail thing right, but it's much easier with black. As you can see, she went with the White Grace Jones look.