A nice start man keep it going 
These Danish Delights; A Football Club Nordsjælland Journey
The Wild Tigers Adventure through Denmark & Europe begins
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Thanks :). Glad you're liking it so far.
6 July, 2015
Mattersburg, Burgenland, Austria
---
Having arrived here yesterday for our pre-season training camp, which includes a friendly against the town's local Austrian Bundesliga squad, SV Mattersburg, I'm taking a little bit of time out of my busy schedule and working with the lads, in order to just relax a little bit and enjoy the sights and sounds this town has to offer. Something that I wish I had more time for, if I'm totally honest, seeing as it's a way to clear the mind and just allow myself to absorb the culture, away from the spotlight. Away from the pressure and intensity that has become part of my life's fabric.
My own personal DNA, and although I enjoy every moment of it: football has always been my passion, it can get the best of you; wear you down after a while. You need that "release valve", that way to allow you to unwind, even if it's only for thirty minutes, or even less in some instances. For me: That usually involves taking a walk through the town, just trying to enjoy the backdrop, in which I find myself; immerse the surroundings.
Maybe even visit a pub and meet the locals, and try and strike up conversations about the news or general popular culture, whatever strikes my fancy at the time. It was via this method, that I met Aleksа́ndra Anatolyevna whilst on loan with Torpedo Moscow (From Real Sociedad) back in 2003. At first, it was simply a casual discussion, about the flavor of the month at the time, but soon evolved into us talking about each other and our own hobbies. It just clicked between us, and whilst it was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision, I made the choice to see if she wanted to meet again after the following weekend's match, if for no other reason than to test the waters. See if there was really anything there, or if I was allowing myself to look too deep into it, when nothing was due to come.
It was something that we continued to do for the rest of my loan stint, before the Thursday before I was due to head back to Spain, she stopped me during one of my leisurely strolls through the city of Moscow and surprised me with a "farewell gift" as she called it. A gold necklace, which I still hold near and dear to me today, even if ultimately, we never really went further than the "dating" phase of the relationship, it was something I was okay with. I was a footballer; not only by profession, but also by lifestyle, whilst she was a modest university student, attempting to get a degree in medicine. She's a nurse now, at the Moscow General Hospital; we still talk on a consistent basis, and she's even flown into Denmark to see the manner in which I live, just as I had done twelve years ago in Moscow.
In a sense, I guess one could also say she's a "release valve" for me of sorts, as with her: it's not all about football. It's not about whether this player is good enough or if we should sign a particular talent, or what training drills I wish to incorporate into training this week as it is with my colleagues, it's more about life and trying to maintain the stability I thrive upon, off the pitch as well as on. Sure, she keeps tabs on my career and asks me how I'm doing, as I do with her, but usually, that's the extent we go in regards to that route of discussion.
Whilst she's not here now, this time alone makes me think back to those discussions we would have, and how she was able to bring out a side of me, that not even I knew I had inside of me, when it came to karaoke. I never fancied myself as a singer, but one cold Wednesday night in 2012, she asked me if I'd be willing to do a duet with her at the pub after a training session with Bronderslev IF, whilst she was in Denmark; I couldn't say no.
Ended up being the most fun I had in about ten years, even though I most likely made a fool of myself up on the stage ... she was the vocalist out of the two of us. "Never again" I quietly remark to myself, thinking about how I have kept the promise I made to myself to not attempt karaoke ever again ... or at least, attempt it while sober. If I have a few to drink, well, that's a different story altogether.
Like a lot of things in life, really ... you see it in a different manner, once you've got the alcohol running through your veins, but that's best left for the off-season or winter break, when I can simply sleep through the inevitable hang over and not have to worry myself about having to wake up at six AM to conduct an early training session.
Or even to simply meet with the coaches and go over whatever topic needs to be discussed at that particular time. Taking a final look around at the antique nature of the town, I realise that I have just gotten back onto a football train of thought, but then again: it is a full-time job, after all.
In the literal sense of the word too; even in my own "personal time", football has always found a way to take precedence. And I'm okay with that ... I chose this life, and I'm willing to wear the mental scars that come with it. I wouldn't be who I am, without it. Anyway, time to get back to the players; we've got a friendly to prepare for, and some new strategies which I want to test out.
Mattersburg, Burgenland, Austria
---
Having arrived here yesterday for our pre-season training camp, which includes a friendly against the town's local Austrian Bundesliga squad, SV Mattersburg, I'm taking a little bit of time out of my busy schedule and working with the lads, in order to just relax a little bit and enjoy the sights and sounds this town has to offer. Something that I wish I had more time for, if I'm totally honest, seeing as it's a way to clear the mind and just allow myself to absorb the culture, away from the spotlight. Away from the pressure and intensity that has become part of my life's fabric.
My own personal DNA, and although I enjoy every moment of it: football has always been my passion, it can get the best of you; wear you down after a while. You need that "release valve", that way to allow you to unwind, even if it's only for thirty minutes, or even less in some instances. For me: That usually involves taking a walk through the town, just trying to enjoy the backdrop, in which I find myself; immerse the surroundings.
Maybe even visit a pub and meet the locals, and try and strike up conversations about the news or general popular culture, whatever strikes my fancy at the time. It was via this method, that I met Aleksа́ndra Anatolyevna whilst on loan with Torpedo Moscow (From Real Sociedad) back in 2003. At first, it was simply a casual discussion, about the flavor of the month at the time, but soon evolved into us talking about each other and our own hobbies. It just clicked between us, and whilst it was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision, I made the choice to see if she wanted to meet again after the following weekend's match, if for no other reason than to test the waters. See if there was really anything there, or if I was allowing myself to look too deep into it, when nothing was due to come.
It was something that we continued to do for the rest of my loan stint, before the Thursday before I was due to head back to Spain, she stopped me during one of my leisurely strolls through the city of Moscow and surprised me with a "farewell gift" as she called it. A gold necklace, which I still hold near and dear to me today, even if ultimately, we never really went further than the "dating" phase of the relationship, it was something I was okay with. I was a footballer; not only by profession, but also by lifestyle, whilst she was a modest university student, attempting to get a degree in medicine. She's a nurse now, at the Moscow General Hospital; we still talk on a consistent basis, and she's even flown into Denmark to see the manner in which I live, just as I had done twelve years ago in Moscow.
In a sense, I guess one could also say she's a "release valve" for me of sorts, as with her: it's not all about football. It's not about whether this player is good enough or if we should sign a particular talent, or what training drills I wish to incorporate into training this week as it is with my colleagues, it's more about life and trying to maintain the stability I thrive upon, off the pitch as well as on. Sure, she keeps tabs on my career and asks me how I'm doing, as I do with her, but usually, that's the extent we go in regards to that route of discussion.
Whilst she's not here now, this time alone makes me think back to those discussions we would have, and how she was able to bring out a side of me, that not even I knew I had inside of me, when it came to karaoke. I never fancied myself as a singer, but one cold Wednesday night in 2012, she asked me if I'd be willing to do a duet with her at the pub after a training session with Bronderslev IF, whilst she was in Denmark; I couldn't say no.
Ended up being the most fun I had in about ten years, even though I most likely made a fool of myself up on the stage ... she was the vocalist out of the two of us. "Never again" I quietly remark to myself, thinking about how I have kept the promise I made to myself to not attempt karaoke ever again ... or at least, attempt it while sober. If I have a few to drink, well, that's a different story altogether.
Like a lot of things in life, really ... you see it in a different manner, once you've got the alcohol running through your veins, but that's best left for the off-season or winter break, when I can simply sleep through the inevitable hang over and not have to worry myself about having to wake up at six AM to conduct an early training session.
Or even to simply meet with the coaches and go over whatever topic needs to be discussed at that particular time. Taking a final look around at the antique nature of the town, I realise that I have just gotten back onto a football train of thought, but then again: it is a full-time job, after all.
In the literal sense of the word too; even in my own "personal time", football has always found a way to take precedence. And I'm okay with that ... I chose this life, and I'm willing to wear the mental scars that come with it. I wouldn't be who I am, without it. Anyway, time to get back to the players; we've got a friendly to prepare for, and some new strategies which I want to test out.
Nice to see Mangus Jorgenson enjoying his time outside the work
But he's a professional man, with a great carreer ahead of him, I bet.
But he's a professional man, with a great carreer ahead of him, I bet.
Murtagh: Yeah. He has the balance between professional and personal life down pat, and knows what needs to be done on and off the pitch :D.
Jack: Thanks a lot :D. Glad you're enjoying it.
Jack: Thanks a lot :D. Glad you're enjoying it.
11 July, 2015
Mattersburg, Burgenland, Austria
---
After beating SV Mattersburg 2-1 in what was a clean, crisp execution of our gameplan and strategy within a semi-competitive setting, I feel as if the lads finally get it. They finally understand, the work ethic and desire that needs to be given, if we are to reach the heights that we have set for ourselves. Whilst the goal we conceded was a little bit silly and one that we probably shouldn't have, we kept poking and asking questions of their defense in return, before David Mohlburg-Karlsson gave us reward for our effort and my faith in him, by neatly dribbling by two defenders after recieving a neat little pass from Marcondes before coolly slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the net from about thirteen yards out.
It reminded me a lot of myself, if I am to be honest here. Although he is a left winger as opposed to my right-winger, he's almost a splitting image of what I was at his age. It's one of the main reasons why I fought so hard to keep him here, even when the vultures were starting to circle and bids were being prepared.
It helped that we had co-operation from his end, of course, plus telling him that I would personally take him under my wing and show him some "tips of the trade" in order to ease his transition from a natural striker to becoming a permanent winger hopefully had his influence is staying in our system also. We got a deserved second goal in the form of our Brazilian Striker Bruninho who always seems to be in the right positions at the right time, just as he was here to be on the receiving end of a nifty through-ball from Marcondes that we was able to sweep under the diving goalkeeper and watch simply fly into the back of the net.
A classy strike, from a player who just oozes of class and that samba style that seems to be in the DNA of every Brazilian footballer. He'll be the starting man up front for us, and has just secured that role thanks to his performances not just in this friendly, but also the "trial" match of sorts we had against our own "B" team, in which he scored and we would win 3-0.
Although many see friendlies as a way to rotate the squad and give players that would normally be considered back ups a chance to get some mileage into the legs, a philosophy that we do share to an extent with some rotational options being tested out, I also see them as a chance to get the tactical imprint into the players for competitive fixtures. Iron out any weaknesses that aren't always evident in training and with video analysis. It also allows for in-game adjustments to be made, should they be required due to either the opponent's exploitation of a certain facet of the game, or if you're exploiting a certain area of the pitch, to concentrate your efforts onto that area and making sure that you continuously pressure the opponent; make them answer to you.
We found that on the left side with Mattersburg, which is why I started to put the emphasis on running the play through Mohberg-Karlsson and have our midfielders and forwards play off him, which meant that we would be able to stretch their defense out and make our moves through the center of the pitch. A strategy which I will be invoking in the Superliga, as from what I have managed to gather from videos and scouting each team; they seem to have weaknesses to having to defend a threat from out wide. We have two of them: Joshua John on the right, and Moberg-Karlsson on the left and with Bruninho able to use his speed and ability to "poach" goals inside the penalty area, I know that we can make something special happen this season. It just comes down to whether we can consistently perform at the level that this team is capable of.
"It's why we've never played football on paper," I state aloud, laughing as I think about the fact the pundits have us as a mid-table team. I've never paid much attention to what they believe, as they don't get to see the things that I do. They don't see the ambition: the drive this team has to succeed and place ourselves firmly in the running for the Superliga this season.
Of course, I realise the threats that AaB, Randers, Kobnhavn, Midtjylland and Brondby pose, as well as the spanner in the works that OB and AGF offer and know we'll have work cut out for us to get there, but on our day: we're as good, if not better, than any team in Denmark. The mission now, is to prove it to the non-believers and make them shiver at the sound of the Tiger's roar.
Mattersburg, Burgenland, Austria
---
After beating SV Mattersburg 2-1 in what was a clean, crisp execution of our gameplan and strategy within a semi-competitive setting, I feel as if the lads finally get it. They finally understand, the work ethic and desire that needs to be given, if we are to reach the heights that we have set for ourselves. Whilst the goal we conceded was a little bit silly and one that we probably shouldn't have, we kept poking and asking questions of their defense in return, before David Mohlburg-Karlsson gave us reward for our effort and my faith in him, by neatly dribbling by two defenders after recieving a neat little pass from Marcondes before coolly slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the net from about thirteen yards out.
It reminded me a lot of myself, if I am to be honest here. Although he is a left winger as opposed to my right-winger, he's almost a splitting image of what I was at his age. It's one of the main reasons why I fought so hard to keep him here, even when the vultures were starting to circle and bids were being prepared.
It helped that we had co-operation from his end, of course, plus telling him that I would personally take him under my wing and show him some "tips of the trade" in order to ease his transition from a natural striker to becoming a permanent winger hopefully had his influence is staying in our system also. We got a deserved second goal in the form of our Brazilian Striker Bruninho who always seems to be in the right positions at the right time, just as he was here to be on the receiving end of a nifty through-ball from Marcondes that we was able to sweep under the diving goalkeeper and watch simply fly into the back of the net.
A classy strike, from a player who just oozes of class and that samba style that seems to be in the DNA of every Brazilian footballer. He'll be the starting man up front for us, and has just secured that role thanks to his performances not just in this friendly, but also the "trial" match of sorts we had against our own "B" team, in which he scored and we would win 3-0.
Although many see friendlies as a way to rotate the squad and give players that would normally be considered back ups a chance to get some mileage into the legs, a philosophy that we do share to an extent with some rotational options being tested out, I also see them as a chance to get the tactical imprint into the players for competitive fixtures. Iron out any weaknesses that aren't always evident in training and with video analysis. It also allows for in-game adjustments to be made, should they be required due to either the opponent's exploitation of a certain facet of the game, or if you're exploiting a certain area of the pitch, to concentrate your efforts onto that area and making sure that you continuously pressure the opponent; make them answer to you.
We found that on the left side with Mattersburg, which is why I started to put the emphasis on running the play through Mohberg-Karlsson and have our midfielders and forwards play off him, which meant that we would be able to stretch their defense out and make our moves through the center of the pitch. A strategy which I will be invoking in the Superliga, as from what I have managed to gather from videos and scouting each team; they seem to have weaknesses to having to defend a threat from out wide. We have two of them: Joshua John on the right, and Moberg-Karlsson on the left and with Bruninho able to use his speed and ability to "poach" goals inside the penalty area, I know that we can make something special happen this season. It just comes down to whether we can consistently perform at the level that this team is capable of.
"It's why we've never played football on paper," I state aloud, laughing as I think about the fact the pundits have us as a mid-table team. I've never paid much attention to what they believe, as they don't get to see the things that I do. They don't see the ambition: the drive this team has to succeed and place ourselves firmly in the running for the Superliga this season.
Of course, I realise the threats that AaB, Randers, Kobnhavn, Midtjylland and Brondby pose, as well as the spanner in the works that OB and AGF offer and know we'll have work cut out for us to get there, but on our day: we're as good, if not better, than any team in Denmark. The mission now, is to prove it to the non-believers and make them shiver at the sound of the Tiger's roar.
Thanks mate, glad you like it :).
SKY SPORTS PRE-SUPERLIGA OPINION
---
Sky sports pundit Paul Merson has stated that he believes Kobnhavn have to be considered the favourites to win the Danish Superliga this season, but that the race for the title isn't merely the two-horse race that most people have claimed that it ultimately will be.
"They have to be the favourites, but you have five or six teams that can consider themselves contenders in the season ahead. I rate the defending champions Midtjylland highly and think AaB or Brondby can settle in not far behind them" he stated on Sky Sports earlier today, when the topic was brought up during their "European Forecast" program.
He continued on by stating "I also believe that we cannot count out Nordsjaelland and the things Mangus Jorgensen has planned there in Farum. He's had them working like a well-oiled machine in pre-season and I think that if they can get a few results early on, they can set themselves up for a push at a potential top four, or even top three position", having been questioned by a twitter user who wrote "There's a team you forgot #WildTigers #Nordsjaelland" during an open Q&A held during the broadcast.
Merson stated that even though he feels like the Wild Tigers might just fade a little late, Magnus himself was his early pick for manager of the season, considering the fact that he had moved to shore up somewhat their precieved weakness in depth, and glaring problem at right back by bringing in some talented players, including Daniel (the man who would be instantly filling the RB hole from day one, if Magnus's comments upon the sighing are to be believed).
"They've gone for a little more of an international flavor, balanced out by the Scandinavian and Danish talent already on the roster; making it a true 'club of the world'," thus matching the ambition that Jorgensen himself has stated on numerous occasions that he was planning to build their culture in the manner of Barcelona, using younger talents, and embedding them firmly within the culture of the club.
"The greats have a sense of imprinting themselves within their teams; Magnus has taken the first steps to doing just that" Merson remarked, upon the panel asking if this meant that we could look for a Nordsjaelland team that played responsibly but with equal flair on both ends of the pitch.
"Even if they don't win the title this season, I think we'll see the seeds planted for something special" he would wrap up the discussion by commenting, re-affirming his prediction that they would most likely end up finishing fourth, just a little beneath the likes of Kobnhavn, Midtjylland and AaB Aaborg.
The countdown has well and truly begin, for the start of the season ... let's see what ends up occurring.
Merson's final Superliga Ladder:
1) Kobnhavn
2) Midtjylland
3) AaB
4) Nordsjaelland
5) Brondby
6) Randers
7) OB
8) AGF
9) Esbjerg
10) Viborg
11) SondersjykE
12) Hoboro
---
Sky sports pundit Paul Merson has stated that he believes Kobnhavn have to be considered the favourites to win the Danish Superliga this season, but that the race for the title isn't merely the two-horse race that most people have claimed that it ultimately will be.
"They have to be the favourites, but you have five or six teams that can consider themselves contenders in the season ahead. I rate the defending champions Midtjylland highly and think AaB or Brondby can settle in not far behind them" he stated on Sky Sports earlier today, when the topic was brought up during their "European Forecast" program.
He continued on by stating "I also believe that we cannot count out Nordsjaelland and the things Mangus Jorgensen has planned there in Farum. He's had them working like a well-oiled machine in pre-season and I think that if they can get a few results early on, they can set themselves up for a push at a potential top four, or even top three position", having been questioned by a twitter user who wrote "There's a team you forgot #WildTigers #Nordsjaelland" during an open Q&A held during the broadcast.
Merson stated that even though he feels like the Wild Tigers might just fade a little late, Magnus himself was his early pick for manager of the season, considering the fact that he had moved to shore up somewhat their precieved weakness in depth, and glaring problem at right back by bringing in some talented players, including Daniel (the man who would be instantly filling the RB hole from day one, if Magnus's comments upon the sighing are to be believed).
"They've gone for a little more of an international flavor, balanced out by the Scandinavian and Danish talent already on the roster; making it a true 'club of the world'," thus matching the ambition that Jorgensen himself has stated on numerous occasions that he was planning to build their culture in the manner of Barcelona, using younger talents, and embedding them firmly within the culture of the club.
"The greats have a sense of imprinting themselves within their teams; Magnus has taken the first steps to doing just that" Merson remarked, upon the panel asking if this meant that we could look for a Nordsjaelland team that played responsibly but with equal flair on both ends of the pitch.
"Even if they don't win the title this season, I think we'll see the seeds planted for something special" he would wrap up the discussion by commenting, re-affirming his prediction that they would most likely end up finishing fourth, just a little beneath the likes of Kobnhavn, Midtjylland and AaB Aaborg.
The countdown has well and truly begin, for the start of the season ... let's see what ends up occurring.
Merson's final Superliga Ladder:
1) Kobnhavn
2) Midtjylland
3) AaB
4) Nordsjaelland
5) Brondby
6) Randers
7) OB
8) AGF
9) Esbjerg
10) Viborg
11) SondersjykE
12) Hoboro
I hope so :), I'll be stoked with a European place place either way (either top 3 in the league or Danish Cup winners) :D.
16 July, 2015
Farum, North Zealand, Denmark
---
With the season beginning tomorrow with a home game against SønderjyskE, I made the decision to give the team the day off training, with the exception of an hour long session in the morning, for the sole purpose of ensuring that everything was working to its optimum; that if any kinks were still lingering in the plan, that I could iron them out before they got exploited on the pitch. We have been working on "match simulation" in training, both whilst we were wrapping up our training camp in Austria and back here in Denmark, in order to fine-tune the players and make sure they were sharp; prepared for the season ahead.
Unfortunately though, the board and "transfer committee" decided to move on Oliver Thychossen to Ulsan Hyundai in South Korea for 250k behind my back, as I had intended to have him and Mohberg-Karlsson rotate and compete with one another for the role as the left-winger in the 4-2-3-1 system that I was intending on running, but I guess it does open up financial room and potentially allows us to bring in a back up youngster if we need, but that's neither here nor there.
It does free up the room for Mohberg-Karlsson to grasp the starting role, and he's gone about it in training like he truly wants it. He's definitely stood up and made it known to me that this is where he wants to be; that he wants to be one of the driving forces behind the culture that is being built and I like that.
I've also been more than impressed by Emilano Marcodes in training and during our pre-season friendlies. He's a creative, attacking midfielder who has the flair about him to go on and take initiative on the pitch. He also has a knack for knowing where the back of the net is, which is always handy to have supporting the strikers, as it can put further pressure on defenders and open up space for Bruninho to sneak in and get his own goals.
He's also accountable on the defensive end, which makes him more than useful in our system and a player that I will be looking to tie up in the long term very soon.
We still have a handful of injury concerns, the main one being Lasse Petry, who's making his way back from surgery on damaged knee cartridge, so hasn't started psychical training just yet, but signs have been positive and hopefully, he'll be cleared within the next month to get back on the training track.
He's probably not going to be a starting XI member right away, but he's definitely going to be in the rotation for games, and will probably get starts in the cups, in order to further his development and get mileage into his legs. Even then, he'll probably have to play some games for Farum to get himself back to the levels of form and fitness where he can make a push for a spot in the team.
Outside of that, I've been happy with how the team's gelling and synergising in practice, and the high level of performance they show on the pitch. Even though training and games are two completely different atmospheres, they do correlate with one another. More often than not, attitudes from practice flow through into play when you come up against opponents, and if you've got your rhythm, you're able to do anything on the pitch.
As for expectations? The players know what I want, and know what has to be done in order to get to that desired outcome ... I'm not one that talks about all that in the media or in public; it only serves to put undue pressure upon the lads and unnerve them when we inevitably encounter "bumps in the road".
I've been in their shoes; I can tell you, the best way to deal with intentions and plans, is to set a basic guide and be willing to adjust them in a month-to-month basis. It's for me and the squad to know what they are. Nobody else.
And from what I've seen in the pre-season: I have faith we'll meet the goals.
Farum, North Zealand, Denmark
---
With the season beginning tomorrow with a home game against SønderjyskE, I made the decision to give the team the day off training, with the exception of an hour long session in the morning, for the sole purpose of ensuring that everything was working to its optimum; that if any kinks were still lingering in the plan, that I could iron them out before they got exploited on the pitch. We have been working on "match simulation" in training, both whilst we were wrapping up our training camp in Austria and back here in Denmark, in order to fine-tune the players and make sure they were sharp; prepared for the season ahead.
Unfortunately though, the board and "transfer committee" decided to move on Oliver Thychossen to Ulsan Hyundai in South Korea for 250k behind my back, as I had intended to have him and Mohberg-Karlsson rotate and compete with one another for the role as the left-winger in the 4-2-3-1 system that I was intending on running, but I guess it does open up financial room and potentially allows us to bring in a back up youngster if we need, but that's neither here nor there.
It does free up the room for Mohberg-Karlsson to grasp the starting role, and he's gone about it in training like he truly wants it. He's definitely stood up and made it known to me that this is where he wants to be; that he wants to be one of the driving forces behind the culture that is being built and I like that.
I've also been more than impressed by Emilano Marcodes in training and during our pre-season friendlies. He's a creative, attacking midfielder who has the flair about him to go on and take initiative on the pitch. He also has a knack for knowing where the back of the net is, which is always handy to have supporting the strikers, as it can put further pressure on defenders and open up space for Bruninho to sneak in and get his own goals.
He's also accountable on the defensive end, which makes him more than useful in our system and a player that I will be looking to tie up in the long term very soon.
We still have a handful of injury concerns, the main one being Lasse Petry, who's making his way back from surgery on damaged knee cartridge, so hasn't started psychical training just yet, but signs have been positive and hopefully, he'll be cleared within the next month to get back on the training track.
He's probably not going to be a starting XI member right away, but he's definitely going to be in the rotation for games, and will probably get starts in the cups, in order to further his development and get mileage into his legs. Even then, he'll probably have to play some games for Farum to get himself back to the levels of form and fitness where he can make a push for a spot in the team.
Outside of that, I've been happy with how the team's gelling and synergising in practice, and the high level of performance they show on the pitch. Even though training and games are two completely different atmospheres, they do correlate with one another. More often than not, attitudes from practice flow through into play when you come up against opponents, and if you've got your rhythm, you're able to do anything on the pitch.
As for expectations? The players know what I want, and know what has to be done in order to get to that desired outcome ... I'm not one that talks about all that in the media or in public; it only serves to put undue pressure upon the lads and unnerve them when we inevitably encounter "bumps in the road".
I've been in their shoes; I can tell you, the best way to deal with intentions and plans, is to set a basic guide and be willing to adjust them in a month-to-month basis. It's for me and the squad to know what they are. Nobody else.
And from what I've seen in the pre-season: I have faith we'll meet the goals.
Magnus Jorgenson's Performance Review #1:
---
These first five games were going to be somewhat tricky to navigate our way through, I knew that much. Although we start our campaign off with a fixture where we should be winning against SonderjyskE, we would then be going up against three title-contenders in Randers, AaB and finally, Kobnhavn before finishing this stretch up with another winnable game against Esjberg. Honestly, I'm happy if we end up taking a total of ten points from these 5. The two wins against SonderjyskE and Esjberg as well as potentially a win and a draw from Randers/AaB/Kobnhavn.
17th July, 2015: Home vs SonderjyskE, 1-0 win (Marcondes)
Being at home to start a season always gives you a chance to start on the front foot; show the fans that they have something to be excited about with what we're trying to do here, which is what the lads did from the start. We deserved the three points here, and were excellent in how fluidly we moved in attack, whilst making sure that we didn't forget about our defensive duties on the other end of the pitch. We had no issues breaking down their defense, especially with the fact that we were using the flanks to open up space in the middle of the pitch and allowing good, solid opportunities to score, but their keeper was holding firm, and we just couldn't seem to finish for most of the first twenty-five minutes.
Mtinga (our captain and the most experienced player on the pitch) was asking a lot of questions of them out wide, operating more as a defensive wing-back who could offer something in attack rather than a traditional full-back, and finally managed to crack them open with a searching ball that found its way onto the head for Marcondes and into the back of the net. A deserved lead. We would continue to ask questions of them for the remainder of the half, but couldn't find a way to get the second goal that I felt would give us a cushion going into the break, and would have been a fair reflection on how the first half had gone.
After a quick discussion about tactics, and making to decision to simply stick to what has worked for us, the lads went out and basically picked up where we had left off to start the second half, until unfortunately Mtinga went down with a calf strain and forced me to slot Adam Arnarson out on the left (even though he's a natural right back, he had been working well on the left in training). Then, Marcondes got himself sent off in the 61st minute for a second yellow.
Annoying, but was probably the right call from the referee having had the time to look back on it. Luckily though, even with ten men, we still looked like the team that was more threatening to score, but credit to their defense: they managed to hold firm and make it difficult for us to break them down, even more so after the sending-off, but either way: it's three points to start my career.
MotM: Marcondes.
26th July, 2015: Away v Randers FC, 2-0 win (Bruninho, Ingvartssen)
Being totally honest: We didn't deserve the three points here. Randers were by far the better team on the pitch for most of it, and we really only started to kick into gear once we scored the opener. I told the lads as such after the match: we weren't good enough, but found a way to break their defense open and once we did that, we were able to find a way to walk out with the three points. There were positives to take from this though: our defense had been near-flawless in holding off wave after wave of Randers attacks and we were able to adjust our own strategy to combat theirs and hit on the counter.
Pascal Gregor was a particular standout to me, which was a pleasant surprise of sorts, as he had been silently in the distance throughout pre-season. Granted, he is a center-back, but he really hadn't been doing much to show me that he deserved to be on the team sheet over somebody like a Ramon but this performance showed me just what he's able to offer us. He's a tough presence in the center, who's able to make sure that strikers have a hard time getting chances with his man-marking and tough tackling putting the shackles on them and breaking up any threatening moves that they had been making.
We went into the break 0-0, which I was actually delighted with, considering the level of play we had been giving and their level of play, and I told the lads in no uncertain terms: even if we had held them, they will find a way to break us open if we keep giving them the opportunities that we had been. They seemed to understand that, and set about not only closing down those opportunities, but creating their own up the other end; Bruninho did just that in the 56th minute, when his pressure was able to force Mads Fenger to hesitate in passing the ball, making it an easy tackle and run around for the one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Just like in practice, the Brazilian poacher calmly and precisely placed it into the bottom left corner. That was the catalyst we needed to kick it up a gear and begin to really take the game to Randers, who had seemed to have started settling behind the ball and were almost willing to try and take a point from this.
It was shortly after, that I made the split second decision to try two up front, by bringing on the promising Ingvartssen from the bench (For Vingaard) and having him operate as a "target man", in order to give Bruninho and our midfield somebody to play off who had a clinical touch in front of goal himself; it also allowed us to modify the 4-2-3-1 we typically run, into a 4-2-2-2 formation, which seemed to give Randers issues, as we were able to cut through their underbelly and Thorarinsson (Who was starting due to the suspension of Marcondes) threaded a nice little ball through the center backs, allowing Ingvartsson to latch onto it and just slam it by the keeper, to cap off what had been a very nice little move through the midfield.
A simple look at the body language of us compared to their almost resigned expressions told me all that I needed: we had taken a hold on the game, and Collin Todd had simply been "out-coached" if you're to believe what the media had been talking about after the game. As I said afterwards: we took our chances, whilst preventing them from doing enough to take theirs. Nothing to do with my coaching, all success for this one has to go to the players. I just set about the instructions and told them what I desired for them to do. Two wins from two, and I'll take the wins: no matter how they come.
MotM: Pascal Gregor.
3rd August, 2015: Home v AaB, 1-2 Loss (John)/(Wurtz, Bruhn)
Performance wise, I thought we should have walked out of here with at least a point, as we had done enough to have secured it, but AaB are a tough opponent and like us, had won their two leading into this, also without conceding a single goal. Despite that, I had made a mental note in the video analysis that they hadn't really been challenged on offense, and that if we could do that, I believed we'd find their underbelly to be a little softer than it was appearing to be.
And in the early stages, that appeared to be the exact case, as we were able to cut them open and force their defenders to almost play in their own penalty box, though they were able to deny us the opener until we went wider and managed to get a nifty cut-in from Joshua John, as he slammed home a low cross from Mohberg-Karlsson to put us 1-0 up and give us some momentum to play with going forward.
We continued to build off that goal, and put the game a little bit further out of their reach, but AaB are a good squad, and they're also a very resilient team, so they were making it difficult for us to make our way through, especially Bruninho, who hadn't been able to find any space or room to nip his way behind their surprisingly deep defensive line.
Up the other end, we would have a lapse in concentration and allow Wurtz through for what ended up being an easy header into the top corner, just outside of the range where Jensen could reach it and allowing them to tie things back up at 1-all a mere six minutes after we had taken the lead. A frustrating goal to give up, but at least it gives me something to place emphasis in training this week: making sure that we are aware at all times of any midfielders who might float their way into the box, and make sure that they're as equally covered as the strikers are.
From there, it became a battle of the midfields, with us being the ones who were making the slightly more threatening moves going forward, but being unable to make the most of those chances. That theme was recurring throughout the entirety of the remainder of this match, as AaB would make the most of their only real chance of the second half.
I must tip my hat to Bruhn though: his strike from about fifteen yards out was an absolute world-class finish, as he crisply connected with his right foot and bent it back towards the near post, putting just enough spin on the ball so that it would sneak by the outstretched fingertips of Jensen and find its way into the back of the net. And we hadn't defended him poorly at well; in fact, we closed out absolutely perfect on him but it was just one of those strikes that you have to stand up and applaud ... even if it happens against you.
Alas, that would ultimately be the winning goal, as we couldn't find it inside of ourselves to grab what would have been a deserved equalliser and have to walk away from this one with nothing. That's football; I understand that ... doesn't make it any less frustrating, especially when I felt there wasn't any one area that I could say lost us the game.
MotM: Joshua John (Overall best performer: Wurtz [AaB])
Final thoughts:
---
Six points from a possible nine from the first three of these opening five games pretty much matches the expectations that I had set out for the squad. But, we would be going up against Kobnhavn next; the best team in the league, and title favourites for a reason. That doesn't mean I don't believe we can play to their level and take a point, or even three from them, the signs and execution I have been seeing on the pitch shows me that we very well have the talent to push them.
The question was, would we be able to maintain it over the full ninety? A lapse here, and a moment of madness there and a team like Kobnhavn would more than punish us. They're also dealing with Europe also, so for us: maybe that's an opening we can exploit; just how fatigued will they be, going through Europa qualifying as well as the Superliga?
As a former player, I know the tolls midweek fixtures and travel can have, but also know that you cannot rely on it being a factor if you are to win. After all, they're professionals; they're used to the pressures of having to travel week in and week out.
As for us? We can only deal with what we do; what they do, is up to them ... I know they're the "measuring stick" in the eyes of the media and pundits, but to me: they're just another team we're going to have to contend with, if we want to achieve our goals of making a splash in the Superliga this season.
---
These first five games were going to be somewhat tricky to navigate our way through, I knew that much. Although we start our campaign off with a fixture where we should be winning against SonderjyskE, we would then be going up against three title-contenders in Randers, AaB and finally, Kobnhavn before finishing this stretch up with another winnable game against Esjberg. Honestly, I'm happy if we end up taking a total of ten points from these 5. The two wins against SonderjyskE and Esjberg as well as potentially a win and a draw from Randers/AaB/Kobnhavn.
17th July, 2015: Home vs SonderjyskE, 1-0 win (Marcondes)
Being at home to start a season always gives you a chance to start on the front foot; show the fans that they have something to be excited about with what we're trying to do here, which is what the lads did from the start. We deserved the three points here, and were excellent in how fluidly we moved in attack, whilst making sure that we didn't forget about our defensive duties on the other end of the pitch. We had no issues breaking down their defense, especially with the fact that we were using the flanks to open up space in the middle of the pitch and allowing good, solid opportunities to score, but their keeper was holding firm, and we just couldn't seem to finish for most of the first twenty-five minutes.
Mtinga (our captain and the most experienced player on the pitch) was asking a lot of questions of them out wide, operating more as a defensive wing-back who could offer something in attack rather than a traditional full-back, and finally managed to crack them open with a searching ball that found its way onto the head for Marcondes and into the back of the net. A deserved lead. We would continue to ask questions of them for the remainder of the half, but couldn't find a way to get the second goal that I felt would give us a cushion going into the break, and would have been a fair reflection on how the first half had gone.
After a quick discussion about tactics, and making to decision to simply stick to what has worked for us, the lads went out and basically picked up where we had left off to start the second half, until unfortunately Mtinga went down with a calf strain and forced me to slot Adam Arnarson out on the left (even though he's a natural right back, he had been working well on the left in training). Then, Marcondes got himself sent off in the 61st minute for a second yellow.
Annoying, but was probably the right call from the referee having had the time to look back on it. Luckily though, even with ten men, we still looked like the team that was more threatening to score, but credit to their defense: they managed to hold firm and make it difficult for us to break them down, even more so after the sending-off, but either way: it's three points to start my career.
MotM: Marcondes.
26th July, 2015: Away v Randers FC, 2-0 win (Bruninho, Ingvartssen)
Being totally honest: We didn't deserve the three points here. Randers were by far the better team on the pitch for most of it, and we really only started to kick into gear once we scored the opener. I told the lads as such after the match: we weren't good enough, but found a way to break their defense open and once we did that, we were able to find a way to walk out with the three points. There were positives to take from this though: our defense had been near-flawless in holding off wave after wave of Randers attacks and we were able to adjust our own strategy to combat theirs and hit on the counter.
Pascal Gregor was a particular standout to me, which was a pleasant surprise of sorts, as he had been silently in the distance throughout pre-season. Granted, he is a center-back, but he really hadn't been doing much to show me that he deserved to be on the team sheet over somebody like a Ramon but this performance showed me just what he's able to offer us. He's a tough presence in the center, who's able to make sure that strikers have a hard time getting chances with his man-marking and tough tackling putting the shackles on them and breaking up any threatening moves that they had been making.
We went into the break 0-0, which I was actually delighted with, considering the level of play we had been giving and their level of play, and I told the lads in no uncertain terms: even if we had held them, they will find a way to break us open if we keep giving them the opportunities that we had been. They seemed to understand that, and set about not only closing down those opportunities, but creating their own up the other end; Bruninho did just that in the 56th minute, when his pressure was able to force Mads Fenger to hesitate in passing the ball, making it an easy tackle and run around for the one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Just like in practice, the Brazilian poacher calmly and precisely placed it into the bottom left corner. That was the catalyst we needed to kick it up a gear and begin to really take the game to Randers, who had seemed to have started settling behind the ball and were almost willing to try and take a point from this.
It was shortly after, that I made the split second decision to try two up front, by bringing on the promising Ingvartssen from the bench (For Vingaard) and having him operate as a "target man", in order to give Bruninho and our midfield somebody to play off who had a clinical touch in front of goal himself; it also allowed us to modify the 4-2-3-1 we typically run, into a 4-2-2-2 formation, which seemed to give Randers issues, as we were able to cut through their underbelly and Thorarinsson (Who was starting due to the suspension of Marcondes) threaded a nice little ball through the center backs, allowing Ingvartsson to latch onto it and just slam it by the keeper, to cap off what had been a very nice little move through the midfield.
A simple look at the body language of us compared to their almost resigned expressions told me all that I needed: we had taken a hold on the game, and Collin Todd had simply been "out-coached" if you're to believe what the media had been talking about after the game. As I said afterwards: we took our chances, whilst preventing them from doing enough to take theirs. Nothing to do with my coaching, all success for this one has to go to the players. I just set about the instructions and told them what I desired for them to do. Two wins from two, and I'll take the wins: no matter how they come.
MotM: Pascal Gregor.
3rd August, 2015: Home v AaB, 1-2 Loss (John)/(Wurtz, Bruhn)
Performance wise, I thought we should have walked out of here with at least a point, as we had done enough to have secured it, but AaB are a tough opponent and like us, had won their two leading into this, also without conceding a single goal. Despite that, I had made a mental note in the video analysis that they hadn't really been challenged on offense, and that if we could do that, I believed we'd find their underbelly to be a little softer than it was appearing to be.
And in the early stages, that appeared to be the exact case, as we were able to cut them open and force their defenders to almost play in their own penalty box, though they were able to deny us the opener until we went wider and managed to get a nifty cut-in from Joshua John, as he slammed home a low cross from Mohberg-Karlsson to put us 1-0 up and give us some momentum to play with going forward.
We continued to build off that goal, and put the game a little bit further out of their reach, but AaB are a good squad, and they're also a very resilient team, so they were making it difficult for us to make our way through, especially Bruninho, who hadn't been able to find any space or room to nip his way behind their surprisingly deep defensive line.
Up the other end, we would have a lapse in concentration and allow Wurtz through for what ended up being an easy header into the top corner, just outside of the range where Jensen could reach it and allowing them to tie things back up at 1-all a mere six minutes after we had taken the lead. A frustrating goal to give up, but at least it gives me something to place emphasis in training this week: making sure that we are aware at all times of any midfielders who might float their way into the box, and make sure that they're as equally covered as the strikers are.
From there, it became a battle of the midfields, with us being the ones who were making the slightly more threatening moves going forward, but being unable to make the most of those chances. That theme was recurring throughout the entirety of the remainder of this match, as AaB would make the most of their only real chance of the second half.
I must tip my hat to Bruhn though: his strike from about fifteen yards out was an absolute world-class finish, as he crisply connected with his right foot and bent it back towards the near post, putting just enough spin on the ball so that it would sneak by the outstretched fingertips of Jensen and find its way into the back of the net. And we hadn't defended him poorly at well; in fact, we closed out absolutely perfect on him but it was just one of those strikes that you have to stand up and applaud ... even if it happens against you.
Alas, that would ultimately be the winning goal, as we couldn't find it inside of ourselves to grab what would have been a deserved equalliser and have to walk away from this one with nothing. That's football; I understand that ... doesn't make it any less frustrating, especially when I felt there wasn't any one area that I could say lost us the game.
MotM: Joshua John (Overall best performer: Wurtz [AaB])
Final thoughts:
---
Six points from a possible nine from the first three of these opening five games pretty much matches the expectations that I had set out for the squad. But, we would be going up against Kobnhavn next; the best team in the league, and title favourites for a reason. That doesn't mean I don't believe we can play to their level and take a point, or even three from them, the signs and execution I have been seeing on the pitch shows me that we very well have the talent to push them.
The question was, would we be able to maintain it over the full ninety? A lapse here, and a moment of madness there and a team like Kobnhavn would more than punish us. They're also dealing with Europe also, so for us: maybe that's an opening we can exploit; just how fatigued will they be, going through Europa qualifying as well as the Superliga?
As a former player, I know the tolls midweek fixtures and travel can have, but also know that you cannot rely on it being a factor if you are to win. After all, they're professionals; they're used to the pressures of having to travel week in and week out.
As for us? We can only deal with what we do; what they do, is up to them ... I know they're the "measuring stick" in the eyes of the media and pundits, but to me: they're just another team we're going to have to contend with, if we want to achieve our goals of making a splash in the Superliga this season.
You are reading "These Danish Delights; A Football Club Nordsjælland Journey".
