The other side of the Rosenberg success story

**patsh** · 05/08/2003, 2:06 PM

[SIZE=1]from the IrishTimes[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Rosenborg's success has seen rivals pay dearly[/SIZE]
Emmet Malone: On Irish Soccer

05/08/03: Their record in Europe may reflect the astonishing progress that Rosenborg has made in a little over a decade but far from paving the way for the other Norwegian clubs to achieve success, the Trondheim outfit's achievements have come at a price for the rest of the country's Tippeligaen.

During Rosenborg's brief stay in Dublin last week the club's director of sport, Rune Bratseth, admitted that programmes of heavy investment by rival clubs aimed at enabling them to counter the growing dominance of his own side had left every other one of the top flight clubs in serious financial difficulty.

It is difficult to overstate the scale of Rosenborg's achievements since the start of the 90s but the background against which the club decided to expand was certainly favourable. It enthusiastically availed of a Norwegian FA programme under which full-time players were subsidised and also benefited from the association's policy of ensuring that the best young players stayed at home.

But long-time coach Nils Arne Eggen and the directors of the club made a huge contribution too with the former adopting a tactical approach that his players could clearly understand and then sticking with it rigidly - potential replacements including current boss Aage Hareide were only considered if they too favoured 4-3-3, while the board spent heavily on transforming the club's outdated facilities.

By the time Eggen left, Rosenborg had just won their 11th successive league title and though it took them three years to turn their domestic success into achievement on the European stage, he had, by the time he departed, also led them to the group stages of the Champions League for eight straight years.

Players were sold for significant fees, prize-money rolled in from UEFA and the club's domestic revenue soared as its attendances climbed dramatically. It also became a magnet for commercial revenue in a country where companies wishing to be associated with footballing success only had one realistic option.

The money seems to have been spent with remarkable foresight. Large sums were invested training facilities, academies and the brand new 22,000 seat stadium Lerkendal Stadium was completed three years ago.

The capacity seems modest until you consider that Trondheim has just 140,000 residents. The club's appeal, however, has long since transcended its locality. Having dominated the Norwegian game so completely for more than a decade, assembled much of the national team and massively enhanced the country's footballing reputation with a string of impressive Champions league performances, they are their nation's Manchester United.

At Dalymount Hareide started with 11 full internationals and left another three on the bench. Quite a few are overseas which doesn't leave a whole lot for the rest of the league's clubs to share out amongst themselves. In fact, there hasn't been a whole lot of anything left for the other clubs.

The club continues to look for ways to expand its empire, however. Hareide recently called for a "Nordic super league" which would involve clubs from other Scandinavian countries and, presumably, bring in a few more bob to boot.

For quite some time Irish club officials have identified Rosenborg as a model to be followed but for the league as a whole the story of their success might also serve as a cautionary tale.

On the face of it their lead should not be impossible for an Irish club to follow. Their average wage is just €120,000 or so putting the cost of a 22-man squad at roughly €2.5 million which should be easily recoverable for an Irish club that could emulate its achievements in European competition.

What does appear insurmountable at the moment is the scale of the initial investment required as well as the need to stop our best young players going to English clubs. And what will surely cause some niggling concern to the majority of eircom league clubs that have no prospect whatsoever of emulating the Norwegians in the years ahead is that that there success shows us is that there is only room for one Rosenborg just as there is room for only one Maribora and Skonta Riga.

With Bohemians having conceded an away goal to Rosenborg it would take quite an upset in Trondheim for them to become even the first Irish club to reach the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Stephen Kenny's side have been a little unlucky with the draw, however, and some Irish side should achieve that much within the next few seasons. It is when a club goes one stage beyond that we will discover just how dramatically the face of our game might be changed by such a breakthrough.
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Is one big club getting all the best players, sponsorship and crowds a prospect we want here?

(Like Cork City in a few years time ?

)

**The Sheliban** · 05/08/2003, 2:28 PM

Or as Dr. Nightdub so succinctly put it, its one thing having a big love-in with Bohs and hoping they do well in Europe, its quite another thing to get rogered for all eternity.

**Postman** · 06/08/2003, 11:29 PM

Yeah fair enough but what can you do? The structures that be aren't going to change. If I were an Eircom League Chairman I'd have one goal and that would be Champions league qualification. At the moment Bohs and Shels are closest to achieving this goal so they're not about to back down on their pursuit. This new UEFA cup structure will also make a difference. By the looks of things there's a good chance of Eircom league teams getting to the group stages of it. Could it be that the team who comes second ends up getting more revenue than the champions league entrant. Next season should be interesting.

Just for the record, after watching Bohs tonight I believe Eircom League clubs are still many years from champions league group qualification.

**EireBadBoy** · 06/08/2003, 11:53 PM

And I always thought 4-3-3 was no good in the modern game

Well at least there is a lesson to be learnt and hopefully the same thing won't happen to the EL.

**A face** · 07/08/2003, 7:33 AM

It is not enough to hope this wont happen. The powers that be in the league are responsible if this happens and they should be doing all they can to avoid it.

**Dodge** · 07/08/2003, 9:17 AM

Thats exactly why i didn't want Bohs to win last night. The first eL team that qualifies for the CL main draw will dominate this league for years to come. If its Pats great, if its not well then we're ****ed...

**The Sheliban** · 07/08/2003, 9:40 AM

I'm not so sure that just because it happened in Norway, it has to happen here. History tells us that its not always the teams with most money that are successful, although often they are.
Rosenborg have had a succession of good managers, and a very astute board. This might not necessarily happen in Ireland!!!!

**Dodge** · 07/08/2003, 10:02 AM

True but I believe the only reason Bohs are in such a position was the win v Aberdeen and the lucky draw v kaiserslauten (lucky as in great money from german TV) That £300,000 would pale into insignificance when compared with the millions earned in the CL. Most league clubs would earn ten times what they are used to... They could **** it up but with that amount they are left a huge margin of error

**eoinh** · 07/08/2003, 11:23 AM

i think Emmet Malone misses the point a small bit. If Bohs made the champions league a lot of their new money would have to go into developing Dalymount Park. Secondly not all small countries who have had a champions league entrant have seen one club come to dominate; it hasnt happened in Slovenia or Israel for instance. i dont think Rosenborg are the Man Utd of Norway and Bohs wouldnt become the Man Utd of ireland. Can anyone seriously imagine Cork lads going around wearing Bohs shirts or someone from Waterford, Limerick etc. In Norway you dont get people in oslo or Bergen supprting Rosenborg over their own teams. Rosenborg have taken control in norway but they have made the whole league better not just themselves. There are nice big stadiums in many norwegian towns and cities at present not just in trondheim. the whole league has improved its just that they havent improved to a significant degree to overtake rosenborg.
it will happen that other teams will challange Rosenborg in norway , it will just take time.
the only country where one or two teams dominate and which wont change is Scotland and thats because of social, political and religious reasons.

**Shelsman** · 07/08/2003, 12:46 PM

Originally posted by eoinh
i dont think Rosenborg are the Man Utd of Norway and Bohs wouldnt become the Man Utd of ireland. Can anyone seriously imagine Cork lads going around wearing Bohs shirts or someone from Waterford, Limerick etc.

Yes, but Trondheim have a population of 140,000 Dublin has a poulation of 1,000,000+, and there would be a lot of football 'fans' who wouldn't have an affiliation to any of the current Dublin clubs. Besides, with young people growing up and getting interested in soccer they would support the Irish team in the CL and so over the years ( if it was the same team qualifying all the time ) the support would continure to grow.

I'd be happy to see any eL team qualify for the CL group stages every season, even if it meant domination of the domestic league ( although not preferable ). In truth I think Bohs, Shels and Pats are going to gradually pull away from the rest of the League although Rovers may make up some ground when they move to Tallaght.

**A face** · 07/08/2003, 12:58 PM

Actually Bergen is sweet, it is about 20k and its all seated. I have aerial pics of it and it looks good.

**A face** · 07/08/2003, 1:06 PM

Originally posted by Shelsman
I'd be happy to see any eL team qualify for the CL group stages every season, even if it meant domination of the domestic league ( although not preferable ). In truth I think Bohs, Shels and Pats are going to gradually pull away from the rest of the League although Rovers may make up some ground when they move to Tallaght.

Maybe so .... but i dont think CCFC will lie down and let it happen. And you cant say that we are going to be in a good position either.

**pete** · 07/08/2003, 2:39 PM

Firstly no irish club is capable of getting to the CL group stages for at least a few more years. Its unrealistic to expect a team to get through after the first attempt. If Bohs had somehow managerd to beat Rosenborg they would have had to beat Deportivo who are an even bigger club! If you keep knocking on the door so to speak you may however get a chance evntually.

On the other hand Bohs got drawn against the best non-seeded team in the first round, Rosenborg were the 2nd highest seeded team in the 2nd round & be only a few higher seeded teams in the 3rd than Deportivo.

Secondly dublin as feck all football support! Bohs can't get more than 2500 for an eL game against a non-dub team & took days for them to sell the 8500 CL tickets!

Cork & Tronheim probably have a lot of similarities?

**tiktok** · 07/08/2003, 9:47 PM

seeing as we guage the success of Rosenborg in terms of European exploits it's only right to apply the same criteria to the rest of their league.....

i checked the norwegian league before the bohs game...
Stabaek, Viking, Bodo/Glimt, Sogndal, ODD Grenland, Bryne were placed 2nd-7th at the time.

despite Rosenborg's success and the knock on effect that the coefficients would have on seeding, the remainder of Norway's league have been as poor as the EL in Europe.

The stadia they have is more to do with positive government grants and decent redistribution of the Norwegian FA's earnings, coupled with relatively strong turnouts by fans who support their local teams. However, Rosenborg have left the rest of their league behind and for those teams it's a struggle.

**Shelsman** · 08/08/2003, 12:48 PM

Originally posted by A face
Maybe so .... but i dont think CCFC will lie down and let it happen. And you cant say that we are going to be in a good position either.

I hate to break it to you, but unless Dolan brings in at least 4 or 5 top players this season and turns the team completely full time then the best players will continue to leave City.

I read in the Sun today that O'Callaghan might be joining Shels at the end of the season when his contract runs out........if he goes, then it will only be a matter of time before O'Flynn goes too.