Góðan Dag my fellow heathens and Velkomin back to the year 869. Last time out we were runners up in the league and league cup, quarter finalists in the FA cup and Winners of the Champions League. With that you’d think we’d have an increase in reputation and all the top boys will be wanting to join us. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be the case, however we do manage to bring in Haaland who will be our new defensive midfielder. Stian Neset is interested but we cant afford his £65k per week wage demands.

There are no regens of note that I’ve noticed so we’re going into this season with pretty much the same squad as last season.

As per usual, we book in a few friendlies against fellow heathens to see if there’s any worthwhile signings and to get ourselves match fit.

First up we smash Ikast 3-1. I hope the injury to TSL isn’t too bad….Thankfully its just a knock and he’ll be back in a week or so.

Viborg get the treatment next, baby Gudjohnsen getting the MOM.

Orgryte get the good news in our third game. Lund with a couple to let me know he’s still here.

Stabaek provide a sterner test. This time it’s baby Bjarmann who gets the goal with Schmeichel Jnr getting MoM.

A bit of an off day although we did more than enough to win the game. Jamtfall in the Rosenborg goal proving a real pain in the arse.

As ever we finish with our game against Viking. Last year we gave them a real good hiding but this year they put up a proper fight. George hopefully coming into form just before season starts.

We have a tough season opener as we travel to last season’s runaway champions Monkceaster. It is literally a game of 2 halves as Newcastle batter us for the whole of the first half. They create loads but we defend well and it’s still 0-0 at half time. We’re much better in the second half and deserve our lead when Half Dan finishes from a corner. We have a couple more chances and then Barthez brings down Ivar in the box, the ref waves play on but the linesman’s flagging. It’s a tense couple of seconds but the ref waves play on. Denilson has a chance to level late on but it’s cleared off the line by Karlsen.

” 2 seasons as runners up in the league and champions league winners but the pundits still deem it as a ‘Shock Result’!

Newly promoted Burgh make the march to Bootham Crescent, fresh from their opening day win against Loidis. Bye Andersen is back following his suspension and lays it off to Molnar to score the opener in the 2nd minute. George makes it 2 thirty minutes later and Bury are lucky to only be 2 down at half time. Molnar gets his second on the hour and completes his hat-trick by slotting away an 80th min pen.

Next is an away visit to Straetforda. CBA gives us another early lead when he scores in the 6th min. George tucks away a tidy shot in the 24th min and grabs his second in the 42nd. We don’t add to our total in the second half although it wasn’t for the lack of trying. West Ham didn’t get a look in.

At home to our league cup conquerors from last season Mameceaster Utd. I name an unchanged side and our form shows as we’re straight at them from the off and thoroughly deserve our lead in the 14th min, coolly finished by CBA. Utd settle and start creating chances of their own but can’t find the target. Lucic makes it a tougher ask for the visitors when he gets a red card in the 37th min. Cruyff remembers where the goal is and Jung obliges his former employees from a past life and lets it in. Molnar puts us back in front but Scholes gets the 10 men level once again. We have chance after chance but the ball just wont go in. Finally, Molnar gets brought down in the area and dusts himself off to score the resulting penalty. A 3-2 victory and nothing short of what we deserved.

The Champions League group stage draw has pitted us in a possible group of death alongside Milan, Barcelona and Dinamo Kiev. I also receive a manager of the month award..which is nice.

Back to league action as we travel to Eofor. The home side are by far the better team for the first 45 mins and our key centre half Rieper takes a knock and is struggling. Thankfully Jung is on form and saves everything that Everton throw at us. We finally grow into the game in the 2nd half when Molnar continues his fine run of scoring form, getting the opener in the 61st minute. He hits the crossbar a few minutes later, then CBA puts a little light between us and it’s a good job as Jelicic scores ‘out of nowhere’ to halve the deficit. 2-1 is how it ends though.

After 2 years of constant trying – we finally sign (an aging) Ronny Johnsen.

He goes straight into the side for the injured Rieper in our home tie with Estone. Once again with Villa, it’s end to end stuff. Yorke and Collymore both have early chances but it’s Molnar who has a dip and scores one that “came out of nowhere”. Bye Andersen not wanting to be outdone scores himself just 10 mins later. Yorke does score in the 87th min but it gets ruled out for offside. Big Ronny with very poor form coming into this game shows his class with an 8 rating on debut.

Away to Brycg Stowe Rovers and Liisberg comes in for his first start of the season following his injury. He makes a nuisance of himself from the off and it was his blocked shot that CBA follows up and scores the opener from. Curtis goes for an early bath to leave Bristol a man down. Then just a minute later, man of the moment Molnar goes off injured and we’re all praying it’s nothing serious. His leg is pointing the wrong way but I tell him to put a wet paper towel on it and he’ll be fine. Ivar is his replacement and plays his part in Bye Andersen getting his second just before half time. Just when I think it’s plain sailing, Jung brings down a player in the box, concedes a penalty and gets his marching orders for good measure. We go keeperless for the remainder of the game and Fuglestad having scored his first ever goal for us last season, gets his second in the 79th and makes the game safe.

Just when he’s finally found his shooting boots – Molnar is out for 5 months!!!

Milan are in town for our opening champions league fixture. We start really well creating plenty of chances but are wasteful in front of goal. Dino Baggio get’s in a mix up in his own area and it goes in to give us the lead. CBA gets our 2nd straight after half time and we’re cruising. Milan have a few chances as the half progresses and Del Piero halves the deficit in the 74th minute. We hold time for a great win and 3 points.

We’re still at home for the visit of Uuluuich back in the league. George gets us up and running in the 3rd mun after being reinstated back into the front line. Leonhardsen also enjoying his first start for a few weeks doubles it in the 10th in a great start to the game. George is a constant threat but Cross finds his form from last season and turns the arsenal goal into a one-man shield wall. So much so that he takes MoM for his efforts.

From one bogey keeper to another as we travel to 19th placed Loidis. They’re the current whipping boys and I can see why when we have 13 shots in the first half with 6 on target but can’t find a way past Capleton. Leeds do have a chance of their own testing Hollund (in for the suspended Jung). Liisberg pops up with another wonderstrike from nowhere who breaks Capletons resistance in the 59th minute. Unfortunately Hollund can only save one shot and Moore equalises. We push for a winner but MoM Capleton ensures the scores finish level. Our first dropped points of the season.

We sail to Kiev next for second European group game. Captain of our ship Svindal Larsen gets us up and running in the 5th minute. Liisberg grabs one himself in the 15th and Zhabchenko makes it 3 with an unlucky own goal in the 20th. Going down to 10 men in the 63rd min does the home side no favours and a little change in formation and personnel shores things up and it’s another 3 points on the Euro board.

Back in the league and it’s Blacheborne who make their way over to the gateway of Northumbria. It’s a cagey start but it’s made better when CBA scores in the 19th min. There’s little other action so I bring on Ivar in the second half and he gets straight into the thick of the action. He sets up CBA for his second in the 78th minute and again in the 86th to complete his hat-trick. Pinas acts like one and spoils our clean sheet but Ivar restores our 3 goal lead with a strike of his own.

The last league game of this week sees us host Deoraby. CBA is back on the scoresheet in the 24th minute but it gets disallowed for offside. He doesn’t have to wait long for another chance though as he does get one to count just 2 mins later for his 10th goal of the season. He scores again in the 52nd min and TSL makes it 3 in the 58th. Liisberg with all 3 assists.

Our final match of this week sees us host European giants Barcelona. It’s the away side who start better and have a couple of decent chances through Figo and Dokken. George is then put through on goal by CBA and he slots it past Vitor Baia to give us the lead. CBA plays the provider again when he squares it to Liisberg, who makes no mistakes with his finish. Dokken gets one back just 3 mins later to make it nervy. George returns the favour and slides one through for CBA to get onto and he finishes for our third. Barca continue to push in the 2nd half but Jung puts in a MoM performance of his own to ensure we take the 3 points.

Once again it’s a 100% start to the group stage in Europe, although next up we have tricky away ties in Milan and Barcelona.

For once we’ve hit the ground running in the league instead of making our usual drab starts and playing catch up from there on in. We are unbeaten in the league and are 8 points clear of second placed Sheff Weds. Haaland and Johnsen bringing that spark to our defensive unit that we’ve so badly needed in past seasons.

Next week we will be hoping to continue our fight on all fronts and take on Sao Paulo to see who can be crowned club world champions.

Until then, Morna!