Hello and welcome to the final episode of Monday Night Football where we, yet again, ruin some perfectly good fixtures through the lens of CM9798. As what would have been the season draws to a close, we bring an end to the Monday Night Football series.
Last week we utilised our playable Norwegian League to see how the week’s Norwegian fixtures might have panned out in 1997. Given it was one of the most read episodes of MNF to date we thought we’d continue the treat…this week we’ll look at some fixtures from the Swedish Allsvenskan.
IFK Göteborg vs. Helsingborg
Back in 1997 IFK Göteborg continued to play in the Swedish top-flight where they were pipped to the Allsvenskan title by 3 points to Halmstads qualifying them for the UEFA Cup. Despite being top scorers, they did not trouble the top three in the individual goalscoring charts.
Helsingborg finished midtable but qualified for the Cup Winners Cup thanks to winning the Swedish Cup.
The Result:
This heavyweight battle had everything from start to finish. Helsingborg with some CM9798 stars but Göteborg the bigger and more reputable side. Ding-dong indeed.
IFK Norrköping vs. Östersunds FK
IFK Norrköping survived a battle in the relegation playoffs by 5 points. A fairly anonymous season scoring just slightly more than a goal a game.
Meanwhile, Östersunds FK were plying their trade in the third tier of Swedish football, the Division 2 Norrland to be precise finishing midtable in a regional group of 12. A far cry from recent years.
The Result:
No köping off here. A comfortable result. Östersund obliviated by an early Sandstrom…
Djurgården vs. Häcken
Djurgården had a solid season in the second tier finishing 2nd in the Division One North to their rivals Hammarby, missing out on promotion to the Allsvenskan through playoff defeat to Östers IF.
Better can be said for Häcken who finished 2nd in the Division One South winning their playoff with Västerås SK and gaining promotion to the Allsvenskan.
The Result:
Despite spookily being put down by a virus pre-match…
…it was little help to poor old Häcken. A little less conversation and a little häcken might have slowed Titchmarsh FC down. Well, it was their garden they had to win…
Sirius vs. Hammarby
Sirius were plying their trade in the 3rd tier, just like Östersunds, however, they won their regional group without losing a single game gaining promotion to the 2nd tier thanks largely to a tight defence that only conceded 13 goals in 22 games.
Hammarby won the Division One North gaining automatic promotion to the Allsvenskan, conceding just 17 goals in 26 games, and scoring 55.
The Result:
Despite being a long-time magician, Sirius couldn’t conjure up a hope in hell…’hammar’ed!
Falkenbergs FF vs. Kalmar FF
Falkenbergs were playing in the Division One South in 1997, comfortably avoiding relegation but providing no trouble to the promotion chasers.
Kalmar FF won the Division 2 Östra Götaland regional league gaining promotion to the 2nd tier, and as Sirius, didn’t lose a single game on their way conceding just 11 in 22 and scoring 56.
The Result:
The fact this was 0-0 at half-time is a miracle (or poor finishing) as Kalmar had 17 shots in 45 minutes. And then almost threw it away. Swooping in like a great bird Sonesson thought he’d won it. 3 goals from 30 shots is abysmal despite the win.
Mjällby vs. AIK
Mjällby were in the Division One South in 1997, not troubling promotion or relegation to have a very bland season indeed.
Meanwhile, AIK were in the Allsvenskan similarly positioning a display of complete mediocrity.
The Result:
Everything’s a-Ikay. Mjällby won the second half but it was too little too late. The Johansson’s giving the thumbs up.
And that is a wrap on another edition of Monday Night Football. I hope you have enjoyed our spin on this week. If you want to test your wits with the Swedish teams, you’ll have to wait as we carry out more testing…but it will be with you soon. Perhaps you could sign a team of all Swedish players as a #cm9798challenge and let us know how you get on?
Whilst this is the last in the series, we hope to be back again when football truly returns. If you’ve liked the series, please let us know especially which were your favourites. See you soon.
You can follow Andrew on twitter: @KingOfTheRooks