Adecco-update

Adecco-time! Not in the I've-just-been-sacked-and-need-a-rubbish-temp-job-in-a-warehouse-while-I-figure-out-my-life kind of way, but rather in a what-went-on-in-the-second-tier-of-Norwegian-football-this-weekend kind of way. Get it?

Odd could have pressed their advantage and opened up a bit of a gap at the top, but instead they lost 1-0 to Hønefoss. As you do. Start weren't about to waste such an opportunity to make up a bit of ground on the leaders and duly mauled Sandnes Ulf 5-1, while Sandefjord beat Moss 3-1 to ensure that they're still on track for promotion.

Down in the unfashionable end of the table the big game of the weekend saw Alta host Tom Nordlie-powered Kongsvinger, with the visitors getting away with a crucial 2-1 win. In spite of being doomed Hødd continue to put up a fight and this weekend they held playoff-chasing Notodden to a 0-0 draw.

Sogndal were also held at the weekend, 2-2 the score between them and Sparta Saprsborg, but they still have the upper hand in the rather fascinating battle for 4th place. NIL-Trysil haven't quite given up that fight yet and their 2-0 win over Haugesund means they are still on contention. 

And finally, Bryne lost yet again, this time a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Løv-Ham.

In the news this week.. oh hell there's no way around it, it was all about the return of Erik Mykland this weekend. The aging midfield maestro stirred up a bit of a frenzy down South as football nostalgics flocked to Sør Arena to watch Mykland return to his former occupation. The crowd were treated to a cracking performance by the home side as they had no trouble dismantling a Sandnes Ulf-side that looks increasingly like it would be better off in the league below, and when Mykland came on for his half hour-long comeback the score was already 4-1. If you want to see a short, long-haired and bearded type run onto a football-pitch to rapturous applause, click here.

Another thing worth mentioning is the Norwegian media's continuing fascination with hopeful punts upfield that go in because the goalkeeper is a bit rubbish. Earlier this season we had the whole Juha Pasoja vs. Espen Johnsen-thing, and now this weekend TV2 got all excited about this goal from Erlend Storesund. "Maybe the most spectacular goal of the year in the Adeccoliga," Tv2 called it. Experts here at fjordball-towers are mystified: These goals are bloopers, goalkeeping-errors worthy of a place on some youtube-compilation. They're not spectacular. As a matter of fact the most spectacular goals of the season was probably scored this weekend, but Storesund's cheeky punt wasn't it: Aram Khalili bicycle-kick from about 20 yards (video-link, goal number 2) will take some beating.

This fascination with good yardage, christ, you'd think they were all Americans.