Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 16: All the action from round 23 and Lyngby w/ Dan Kirby (@Lyngbybk_ENG)
355 Plays1 year ago
Unpacking all the action from round 23 of the Superliga in part 1 as the championship and relegation groups have their first of 10 fixtures. And in part 2 an Englishman in Copenhagen as we talk about Lyngby's survival hopes with Dan Kirby (@Lyngbybk_ENG).
If you want to support all the Football In Denmark content please consider becoming a Patreon member - it costs the equivalent of a coffee a month and is hugely appreciated at FBIDK HQ! Head on over to the Patreon page for more details.
You can of course also head to the Football In Denmark website for more in-depth content.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Transition to Football Season
00:00:08
Speaker
This is Danish Dynamite, the Superleaguer podcast, brought to you by footballindemark.com. Hello and welcome to Danish Dynamite, episode 16. I'm recording this with the sun coming through the window. The winter months are behind us, it seems. The days are getting longer. And this is actually my favorite time of the season, the beginning and the end of the season when you get longer days, nice sunny stadiums.
Round 23 Recap: Super League Splits
00:00:32
Speaker
And I know it's probably more on brand for a Scandinavian or Nordic league to be played.
00:00:38
Speaker
with the backdrop of coldness snow on the side of the pitch people freezing in the stands but actually this is my this is my favorite time for it and i think that if you go back and listen to last week's episode which i really enjoyed with christian volney we talk about why we think a summer league is actually the the best format for the super leaguer and might be something worth exploring in the future
00:01:00
Speaker
On today's show, we're going to recap an extraordinary round of action in the Super League, around 23, the first round after the split of the relegation and the championship group. So we got to see teams in the same sort of proximity of the league as each other facing off and seeing where that
FC Copenhagen vs FC Nordsland: Title Race Drama
00:01:15
Speaker
leaves us. No better place to start, actually, than in Copenhagen, where FC Ko, who went into the game second, played the leaders at the time, FC Norjland, in a game that was set to be really pivotal for the title race. And I think that it's fair to say that
00:01:30
Speaker
whoever won this game would land a real body blow in that title race and the game itself really lived up to the hype. It started at frantic pace and shout out to Peter Ankerson who was really rolling back the years in this game. It sort of slipped my mind that he was playing in Serie A as recently as 2020 for Genoa and he's got 25 Denmark caps. You know this is a guy who is
00:01:53
Speaker
second maybe third choice right back at the moment for FC Copenhagen. So just shows what strength and depth they have when a guy like him can step in and he put in a fantastic performance. He almost had an assist three minutes in. Haraldsson had a shot from close after an Angus and cross. Really good save from Hansen in goal and I think that he was fantastic that first half. He really made some superb saves and it was actually Norjland who struck first.
00:02:19
Speaker
Kian Hansen played a superb long ball and so often you see centre backs kind of hoofing the ball upfield to get out of pressure but this definitely wasn't that and we've seen multiple times this season Kian Hansen and Adama Nagalo
00:02:34
Speaker
playing really well-weighted, really accurate long balls from the back and creating danger. And sure enough, Kian Hansen put this ball through the middle. It went over the head of David Kochlava, who was really caught flat-footed there. And Diamandé nipped in and produced a beautiful, floated header over the goalkeeper to put them ahead.
00:02:55
Speaker
And I think that goal just kind of highlighted perhaps some of the limitations of this Copenhagen centre-back pairing, that they're superb in terms of joules when the ball's on the ground, winning those physical battles. But they can be liable to being disrupted when there's pace and ball's over the top. And so it was proved with that goal. So Nordsland were ahead and
00:03:17
Speaker
the pressure was very much on Copenhagen to come back.
Copenhagen's Strategic Equalizer and Victory
00:03:20
Speaker
I felt that as the game went on, I sent a tweet actually that said that I can see Cornelius getting straight into this starting 11. Not because he's more talented than the options they have there, but I think because he is a traditional number nine who thinks shoot first. And I think part of the problem with that FC Copenhagen frontline, and I say part of the problem, they've scored the most goals in the league by some distance. So perhaps it isn't a problem at all. But it did strike me that often
00:03:46
Speaker
if they have a choice between passing and shooting.
00:03:50
Speaker
that frontline will almost always look to pass. And that was kind of the story of the game, that there were a number of opportunities where I feel that players were receiving the ball in a space where they could have turned and shot, but instead laid it off. And almost as soon as I hit tweet on that, Mohammed Dharami popped up in the box, a lovely back heel from Victor Claisen, and Dharami absolutely smashed it, complete rocket into the top corner for the equalizer. And he looks a man rejuvenated after this move. When he first came back to Copenhagen for my acts,
00:04:20
Speaker
It was clear that a year of barely playing an Ajax had taken its toll on him. He'd lost his confidence. He'd lost his swagger and he looked like he'd lost what had made him so special the season before. He's gradually got that back. And I think particularly since the winter break, he's looked fantastic. And he was really on top form in this match and he had his hair dyed blue for it. And I think there's always a, but perhaps it's a very surface level comment, but I think when, when
00:04:46
Speaker
players dye their hair blue or green or whatever it might be. I think it's a sign that they're in a confident mood, right? Because otherwise they're just trying to try and blend in a little bit more. So he was on top formant and really looked so dangerous in this game. The winner actually came from substitute Diogo Goncalves. Wearing the number nine shirt, he reacted to a ball that was headed clear actually after an anchors and cross.
00:05:07
Speaker
And I thought he'd scored the goal. It turns out that it was given to Victor Claes in a very, must've been a very slight touch of that, but it was essentially Diogo's goal. And that turned out to be the winner. So Copenhagen in front of a packed park and go top of the table and
00:05:22
Speaker
the bookies odds have them about 80% favorites now to win the title and I have to say although that seems quite high given there's still nine games left it does feel like they're very much in the driving seat now they've got players coming back they've got strength and depth and they clearly have lots and lots of goals in them they just look like they're hitting their stride at the right time and I think that it would take a
00:05:46
Speaker
a pretty serious effort now for Nordsland to claw this back. But, stranger things have happened, but that game was a really great advert for the league in terms of the talent on show, I think the number of young players as well on both sides. You know, you had the likes of Rooney Bardagie, of course we've talked about Mohammed Dharami. And then for Nordsland, obviously the likes of Willardson, the likes of Noama, who just caused trouble all day. So, yeah, that was a brilliant game. And it's going to be interesting to see how both teams react to that with FC Copenhagen.
00:06:16
Speaker
really take up the mantle and go health 11 now and whether FC Nordschulen can come back in any way. It was strange to see both FC Ko and Rombi at home on the same day. Is that something that happens often? I don't know.
Bronby vs V-Bought & Alborg's Surprising Win
00:06:29
Speaker
So hopefully someone will tell me. But Rombi were hosting V-Bought. This was one I was really looking forward to because Rombi have some really exciting attacking players and
00:06:38
Speaker
v-ball have been one of the teams of the season in terms of entertainment and fighting spirit. This game again didn't disappoint whatsoever. It started with a v-ball goal, Elia Sashuri, who has been one of the standout players I would say since the winter break.
00:06:55
Speaker
looks a constant threat for them and a fired in a superb volley from the edge of the box. Brilliant technique and when it first went in I thought because it seemed to go through a crowd I thought the keeper must have been unsighted but then seeing it seeing the replay from behind the goal it looked like there was only one player in front of him so I think maybe Hermanson could have could have maybe done better from that one but he certainly kept his gloves warm in the half hour 45 minutes after that Cole made a load of really good saves and
00:07:21
Speaker
just showed what a quality QB is. After that goal, Bronbe did come back and have some chances and it seemed like the bar or the post was constantly being hit in this game. I was watching it without commentary and so I kept hearing the sort of the clang of the post, which is quite a satisfying sound, but maybe not for Bronbe fans when Hakko and Evjan hit the inside of the post and the ball sort of went across the line and out for a goal kick and that was probably the closest that they came, but that they
00:07:49
Speaker
They put some chances together following that goal, but in the second half, V-ball really put their foot on the accelerator. Vestergaard scored a header, the signing from Loongby, and it was a pretty simple run. He ran parallel to the goal, wasn't picked up by a defender, and so had an open header from about seven, eight yards out, and put V-ball two up, and from that point, it really looked like the game was in the bag.
00:08:12
Speaker
Paulineo scored the third, another new signing in January and it was courtesy of a really beautiful cross from Anton Guy. Is he the best crosser in the league? It feels like he's putting in incredible deliveries every week. I wondered whether without J. Roy Grot
00:08:28
Speaker
He would have as much success with them, but it seems like the goals keep coming and he keeps delivering. And so it finished 3-0 at Bronby Stadium. The fans weren't happy. They've now lost two on the bounce with FC Nordsland last weekend and Viborg this weekend.
00:08:44
Speaker
and it doesn't get much easier for them. They're away to FC Nordsland again next weekend, then they play AGF at home, and then they've got runners. So they're going to need to find a way to turn some of those crossbars and posts into goals because they're running with a goal difference of minus five at the moment. And I think with
00:09:00
Speaker
with such a talented keeper, such a talented set of attacking players at least, that doesn't feel right to me. So Jesper Sohlinson is going to have to find a way to make that work and he's going to have to do so in nine pretty tough games coming up before next season. And then on to what must be the most unexpected result of the weekend.
00:09:21
Speaker
Alborg fans who listen to this haven't had much cause for celebration this season but they can fully celebrate this one because they ran out 4-0 winners against Horsons and it really looked like they were playing with real freedom in the first game since Eric Hammerin was sacked. Goals from Nicholas Hellenius who was signed precisely for this reason. He put his head in the way of danger. He was punched in the face for his troubles but he scored the opener after five minutes
00:09:51
Speaker
and then goals from Fossum, Sousa and Anderson. Those are names that you haven't heard on the score sheet very much this season, but were big figures last season. And yeah, 4-0 win, superb finish in particular from Alan Sousa, but they dominated the game. 61% possession, 14 shots to Horson 6, and they really played with a determination and a flair that
00:10:14
Speaker
suggests that they might be getting out of this. They went back up in the table above Loongby and they're now only five points from safety. That result was great for their goal difference too. They've moved up to minus 11, Horsons above them minus 15. So yeah, this was one of those six pointers that we talked about and absolutely huge result for them. I think had they lost this, they probably could have given up hope. But as it stands, that result puts them in a fantastic position and they play
00:10:42
Speaker
OB next, followed by Mitchell underway, and so they're going to go into those games with a load of confidence and every chance of getting something. And I noticed that Alborg have missed the third most big chances in the league, they've missed 33 big chances and the only teams that have missed more are FC Copenhagen and FC Nordsland.
00:11:00
Speaker
So a 4-0 win kind of shows what can happen when they do take their chances and you wonder if they will reverse that trend going into the run-in and start taking their chances a bit more now that the confidence is up.
Relegation Battles: Loongby and Michelin's Struggles
00:11:14
Speaker
Another team mired in a relegation battle at the moment is Loongby and we're going to be speaking later to a friend of the show, Dan, who is behind the Loongby English Twitter account and he's going to sort of tell us about the current state of play there but Loongby managed a
00:11:28
Speaker
a one-all draw this weekend with Silkeborg which you know on the face of it quite creditable they were one nil down inside the first minute via Tony Adamson and did really well to to pick themselves back up and get an equalizer themselves in the third or fourth minute but after that the game played out was a bit of a stalemate quite an even game i would say yeah loomby come away from it with a point which uh you know had Alborg not had such a a big win
00:11:54
Speaker
that probably would have been seen as a positive, but as it stands, Loongby go back to the bottom of the table and they lost Afrofim Bogusin in this game. I feel really bad for him. Early in the season, he broke his collarbone and so missed a huge chunk of the season. And he was an important signing for them, you know, a very seasoned international who before joining Loongby, he was playing in the Bundesliga. So huge talent, Icelandic international.
00:12:19
Speaker
and yeah he dislocated his shoulder in this game and so will miss the remainder of the season I believe and so that's a huge blow for Lumby in terms of reducing their goal scoring threat and taking away such an experienced member of the squad so bad news for them but we're going to speak later to Dan and get more of a low down as to where they are and understand a bit about their survival chances.
00:12:42
Speaker
We talked about Alborg playing with a sense of freedom, having parted ways with Eric Cameron. And it seemed like Michelin were also benefiting from that new manager bounce first game under Thomas Thomas Berg. And it's almost like before the game, he said, Siri, tell me the three most unlikely goal scorers for for us today. And and it came good. Heiselberg, Janino and Edward Chilufia scoring for them. And Emmanuel Sabi got one for Obie, heavily deflected.
00:13:13
Speaker
But Michelin were really dominant in this game, missed a couple of other good chances, and seemed to be full of attacking threat. Albeit with only 40% possession, but 23 shots, 10 on target versus 7 shots, 4 on target for OB, kind of tells the story of the game a bit. They were just desperate to impress the new manager. But Gustav Isaksson looked very good, but it certainly looks like they're relishing the role as the top dogs in the relegation group.
00:13:38
Speaker
And although it's not much of a character to aim for, getting that top spot and playing potentially V-ball, which would be incredible in the European playoff, for that final conference league space, that looks like the carrot that they're aiming for.
00:13:53
Speaker
And with performances like that, I think it's almost a done deal that they're going to reach it. I think only Silkeborg can really threaten them. And on the strength of the weekend's performance against Loongby, I'm not convinced that they're going to have enough in the tank to do that. But I could be proven wrong. There was one more game.
AGF vs Ranners Match Overview
00:14:11
Speaker
This round happened on Monday, and that was AGF against Ranners, an all-Yulanda fair. Once again, Patrick Morterson pops up with a penalty. I feel like he's
00:14:22
Speaker
scored quite a few of those this season but it was a it was a very cold, very packed AGF stadium for this game. The equalizer also came in the first half through Steven Odeon. It was good to see him get his uh this is his first goal of the season in the league which is quite incredible considering last season he managed uh seven in the league three in the conference league three in the cup so he was prolific last season and it just hasn't seemed to happen for him this season you know he is the
00:14:49
Speaker
I believe the all-time highest transfer fee paid by Ranas when they signed him from Belgium. But it just hasn't happened for him this season. So it was good to see him get back on the score sheet. AGF had the best of the game and really kind of dominated.
00:15:05
Speaker
but weren't able to turn that dominance into three points. So they took a point apiece. I can't see these teams necessarily threatening the top three, but it must be reassuring for AGF fans to see their team look solid and dependable and have 36 points at this point in the season.
00:15:20
Speaker
It's also worth remembering what sort of season AGF had last season and just the stability and the positivity that Uwe Rosler has brought to the club and to see them sitting in fourth after narrowly avoiding relegation last season, I think it's a testament to the job that he's done there. So those results do change the makeup of the table to an extent. The relegation race is closer now with five points in it
00:15:47
Speaker
the title race remains as close as ever, but FC Copenhagen are now sitting in top spot and it's going to take some effort to come back from there. V-Borg are now only three points off, Nordsland in second, so could be some further drama there and worth remembering that third place isn't guaranteed Europe, they have to play the play off against the winner of the relegation group, assuming that no one in the top three wins the cup, although it's still perfectly possible that
00:16:14
Speaker
the cup winner is amongst those teams with the Norjaland and Viborg still in it. So round 24 is coming up. I think due to the fact that it's Easter weekend, the games are arranged differently in round 24. So there's one game on Sunday, which is Viborg AGF, four games on the Monday, FC Michelin against Loongby and Alborg against OB for the lunchtime kickoff.
00:16:37
Speaker
Rana's FC Co in the afternoon and then the the later kickoff is FC Nordsland Prombe and then on Tuesday it's a Silkeborg Horsons.
Super League Easter Weekend Preview
00:16:47
Speaker
So interesting selection there.
00:16:55
Speaker
I think if I had to pick one game to watch, it would be Nordschlebronbe, just because of the wealth of attacking options they have and the ramifications for the title race. But you can watch all of those games, I believe, on one football or FIFA Plus apps outside of Scandinavia. So go ahead and watch those. Enjoy those over the Easter weekend. Right. We'll be back in part two with Dan from Loongby BK England to talk about Loongby's season and what their chances are of survival now.
Dan's Experience Supporting Loongby
00:17:24
Speaker
Welcome back to part two and I'm here with Dan, the guy who runs Lingby BK England, a Twitter account dedicated to Lingby in English, which is as niche as it sounds. People always say that football in Denmark is niche. Lingby BK England is niche. Dan, how are you?
00:17:40
Speaker
Oh, hi. Yeah, I'm great. Thanks. Yeah. Very niche. The more niche, the better. Exactly. So tell me, how does a guy from England moving to Copenhagen not end up supporting one of the two best supported teams in the country? Well, I guess it's about who you know, right? A guy that I, from one of the workplaces that I started at here, he was a big Wimpy fan, took me to a game back in May 21.
00:18:06
Speaker
a game against Odense. We lost 2-1, but I was very much hooked. Growing up as a Watford fan, seeing a smaller club in an area with a bigger catchment, as you know, Arsenal, being close to Watford. I saw a lot of similarities and it was nice to actually feel part of a community club again.
00:18:25
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. And I mean, I went to my first Loombi game this season and it really had that community vibe that you're talking about. But I wonder, for anyone who's listening to this who hasn't been there, like, what would you say characterizes a Loombi matchday experience? Like, how is it different from going to a Premier League game? Personally, I think the connection with the team and the fans seems to be on point. The fans know what to expect from the team or to show the team what they expect and the team
00:18:55
Speaker
knows what to expect of the fans. And I think that's really important. Every game I've been to, at home or away, the fans have been consistent and can tell that the players appreciate that, right? I think that's quite a problem in Premier League football, you know, there's not that closeness to the players, right? And I feel that at Lumbee, at least, there seems to be a connection all around. And, you know, you get that from the ownership as well. Being actual fans of the club, I think that obviously helps. You know, it's trickle down.
00:19:24
Speaker
Absolutely. And I mean, throughout the season, Loongbi have been in or around the relegation zone. How has the stadium experience been? Because I know that when some teams are going through a relegation fight, it can get a bit toxic there. The atmosphere can get a bit bad, but it doesn't seem like from the outside that's what's happened at Loongbi. What's been the experience actually being in the stadium through this?
00:19:45
Speaker
positive throughout, really. It's hard to think of a time where the players, the fans, sorry, have been on the player's back. Again, compare it to when I was in England supporting Watford Wright. Everything, when the team was playing badly, the fans
00:20:01
Speaker
abandoned the team almost, but at Lumbia it really seems like, again, the fans are just behind the team. There has always been a positive nature at Lumbustedian. Attendances have continued to increase this season, despite how we've been faring on the field.
Loongby Fans' Positivity Amid Relegation
00:20:18
Speaker
Having been a supporter of an English team, I know you wouldn't get that in England. Attendances would decrease, so it's great to see the fans really sticking behind the team still. It's great.
00:20:28
Speaker
Yeah, and I think in January it felt like with all the sales that Lungbi had, it felt like they were accepting that they were going down and this was beginning the rebuild a bit early. But since then, it looks like a different side on the pitch. What chances do you give the team of surviving and how have you felt about the performances since the winter break?
00:20:47
Speaker
I'm always going to be optimistic, right? I, you know, I think we stand as good a chance as any to stay up. It's been done before, it can be done again. And since we sold Surinsun and Johinsun, we've brought in Willy Kamado from Nojilan and Finsun from Dortmund.
00:21:05
Speaker
they're almost like-for-like. Kamado is pretty much like-for-like with Sorensen but has actually performed better and Finnsen similar characteristics to Jønsen and again they've just slotted right in which is very nice to see and you know with the emergence of some young guys like Tobias Storm and Lucas Hay in defense we oddly
00:21:27
Speaker
Well, maybe not oddly. We'd look stronger than we did before January. Is there a part of you as a fan that almost wants to see a season in Division 1 where you're winning every week or winning regularly and getting the confidence back? Or would you take another season in the Super League scrapping it out? I would definitely say stay in the Super League, all right?
00:21:47
Speaker
Just seeing how volatile the league is, you've got second and third place teams in the relegation from last year and teams that were nearly relegated one year go on to doing well the next. It's a crazy league and I love it. So I think obviously you'd be a fool not to want to be here.
00:22:05
Speaker
You mentioned that you got into lungbe through a friend at work. Have you made friends at the stadium, like their faces that you recognise now? It feels like the sort of club where that sort of thing would happen. Yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, talk to people on Twitter. I'm quite introverted, to be honest. So it takes me a little while to get the courage to say hello to people. So put my face on my Twitter the other day. So, you know, if I'm at the stadium again, then I'm more than happy for people to come speak to me.
00:22:34
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, my experience has always been that people are really excited to share their team or their experience with people from outside. So hopefully that's been your experience
Social Connections Through Supporting Loongby
00:22:45
Speaker
too. Oh yeah, I mean, I've had great conversations on Twitter with people. I'm sure if, you know, I had the balls to talk to people there. Great conversations too. But, you know, I'm just an introverted English boy.
00:23:00
Speaker
Final question I wanted to ask you is who's been the best away support this season do you think? I'm gonna ruffle a few feathers I'm sure but I'd be interested to know who you think's brought the best set of fans this season. I wasn't present for the for the game against Farron. It seems you know they they had a good support. Away support does seem to be quite a tricky one in Denmark. Not many traveling fans from what I've seen in the past. Obviously
00:23:24
Speaker
with local teams like Copenhagen, they brought a lot. But you know, even Zuckerberg started very loud the weekend, a bit you would after 22 seconds, wouldn't you? But after that, they were pretty quiet.
00:23:36
Speaker
That's the way supporters know. It's got to be biased. It's definitely going to be right. Good stuff, man. All right. Well, thank you very much. Wish you the best for the rest of the season. And I think that hopefully there's signs of encouragement there and you can get down to the stadium, support the boys a few more times and you're only six points off safety. So you never know a couple of wins and you could be staring down the barrel of another.
00:24:00
Speaker
another season in the Superleaguer and the chance to kick on. And I think that, to be fair, looking at it from the outside, I feel like there's not a huge gulf in class between yourselves and Horsons. And if they end up staying up, I think no one will be that surprised. So it's definitely there for the taking.
00:24:15
Speaker
Yeah, I think, you know, it's a shame to see you all actually get some form, but, you know, three horse relegation race is, uh, it's an interesting one, isn't it? Definitely.
Closing Remarks and Listener Engagement
00:24:25
Speaker
Well, watch this space. Uh, if you want to follow Dan on Twitter, you can head to at lungbybk underscore eng and he'll be there for all of your.
00:24:34
Speaker
All of your lungbi support in English, which is a very helpful resource and very in depth. So look out for down there. Thanks for coming on the show and yeah, look forward to the rest of the season. Forza lungbi.