The Vikings vs The Arsenal. They have Thor and the longboats. We’ve got the gunpowder.

Posted on by Tony Attwood

By Bulldog Drummond

Article corrected at 6.40pm; the original line ups got mixed in editing and one team got placed inside another.  Sorry.

So here is where we have got to.  Two fixtures over the weekend and then its downhill all the way, at least according to those with emotional contagion.  I think that phrase has to be Untold’s new symbol.   Untold Arsenal, exposing emotional contagion, where ever it may be found.  I quite like that.

What we have is this

Friday August 19:  Viking FK v Arsenal.  7.30pm UK time.  Live in the UK on ITV4 (although it is not listed in Radio Times).

Sunday 7 August: Manchester Airport v Arsenal. 6pm UK time.

As for Viking, they’re an established Norwegian club who are currently 7th in the Tippeligaen halfway through the season.

In 2002/3 they played Chelsea and beat them in the Uefa Cup.  Ah, happy days.

I doubt that anyone is going to start both games, but those not starting in one will start in the other.   So the question is how can we put two line ups together out of the players available.

And the other question is, do we put out all the best players in the game against Man City leaving the more junior players for the Viking game.

Wilshere has not travelled, nor have the late returnees.   Gabriel has overcome his tonsillitis so I am told by those who know such stuff.

So this is pretty much guesswork here, but assuming the first team is being kept back for Sunday…

Today we may or may not have…

Ospina

Debuchy Bielik Holding Gibbs

Elneny  Coquelin

Willock  Iwobi Adelaide

Akpom

For the visit to the Airport

Cech

Bellerin Gabriel Chambers Monreal

Xhaka  Santi Caz

Campbell, Oxlade Chamberlain, Walcott

Alexis

This leaves the players with the squad but not starting in either game

  • Zelalem
  • Martinez
  • Ramsey

The team for each match can of course be subs in the other game if this separation into two groups is what this is all about.  Mr Wenger said, “We still have some problems to sort out – to defend better, our offensive game was quite interesting in matches. For us it’s very important to focus and improve the quality of our game.”

As for Viking, Kjell Jonevret signed as the club’s new manager on 19 June 2012. Jonevret has previously had a spell at Viking as a player during his playing career, from 1988 to 1990

Here’s the Norwegian League Table

Team P W D L F A GD Pts
Rosenborg 17 12 4 1 37 10 27 40
Odd 18 10 4 4 26 17 9 34
Brann 18 10 3 5 25 14 11 33
Strømsgodset 18 10 3 5 32 23 9 33
Sarpsborg 08 18 9 4 5 22 20 2 31
FK Haugesund 18 8 4 6 31 29 2 28
Viking FK 17 8 3 6 18 19 -1 27
Sogndal IL 18 6 8 4 21 19 2 26
Molde 18 7 4 7 30 31 -1 25
Tromsø 18 5 6 7 21 26 -5 21
Lillestrøm 18 5 5 8 27 30 -3 20
Bodø/Glimt 18 5 4 9 21 26 -5 19
Valerenga 18 5 3 10 23 27 -4 18
Stabæk 18 4 4 10 21 28 -7 16
Aalesund 18 4 4 10 21 33 -12 16
IK Start 18 0 7 11 14 38 -24 7

I must say I quite fancy supporting a team called Odd, currently second in the league.  Their proper name is Odds Ballklubb, but seemingly everyone calls them Odd.  Some interesting Norwegian chants would be welcome.

But back to reality, Viking appear to be the lowest scorers in the league save for the bottom club IK Start who seem not to have lived up to their name.  Scored 18 let in 19.

Unlike the Premier League, Tippeligaen, the Norwegian League, sells more players than it buys.   Most players who transferred into the league for the current season came from the second level of Norwegian football, confusingly called the First Division (28.5%).  23.5% changed teams in the league, 9% have arrived from Sweden and 7% from Iceland.

Those leaving the league included 27% to go to the First Division, 12% transferred to Sweden and a joint 8% went to Iceland and Denmark respectively.

As for crowds in Norway, here’s the rundown thanks for European Football Statistics.

Club Average Games Change over last year Highest
1 Rosenborg 1917 BK 18.368 7 1,8% 21.298
2 SK Brann 12.246 6 21,0% 17.686
3 Viking FK Stavanger 9.349 7 -9,0% 11.321
4 Vålerenga IF Fotball 8.704 6 -13,8% 15.146
5 Molde FK 8.309 6 -7,2% 9.661
6 Odd BK 8.066 7 1,9% 10.678
7 Strømsgodset IF 6.897 7 -1,9% 7.394
8 Ålesunds FK 6.464 7 -3,5% 10.013
9 Lillestrøm SK 5.682 6 2,8% 9.085
10 FK Haugesund 5.111 6 -5,1% 7.722
11 IK Start 4.880 7 -20,7% 7.273
12 Tromsø IL 4.483 6 -11,6% 6.343
13 FK Bodø 1916 Glimt 3.567 7 12,0% 7.513
14 Stabæk IF Fotball 3.521 6 -9,3% 4.151
15 Sarpsborg 08 FF 3.422 6 -11,6% 3.540
16 Sogndal Fotball 3.036 7 5,5% 4.082
. Total 7.050 5,1% 21.298

The ground capacity is shown as 16,500.

And that is about all I know.   Sorry not to have more but if you know stuff, please do help me out here.

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23 Replies to “The Vikings vs The Arsenal. They have Thor and the longboats. We’ve got the gunpowder.”

  1. I am looking out for the Arsenal line-up against the Viking but I’ve not yet seen it.

  2. Bulldog,
    You forgot to mention that the Citeh game on Sunday is being broadcast on ITV1 at 5.45pm.

  3. Odd are based in a little town called Skien just outside Oslo. Many of their supporters are also members of the Norway Arsenal supporters club and I know about 10 of them will be traveling for the Southampton match in September.

  4. There is also the ladies Continental Cup tie this evening against Notts County at the Hive, Barnet.

    In the five years the competition has been running we have only lost one game so far, winning it three times and losing in the final once. Here is to another win which will take us to the semis.

    COYLG

    and in Norway COYG

  5. The Viking game is being shown on the Arsenal player if you haven’t got access to ITV4 or if the commentary there gets too unbearable

  6. Viking. What a great name for a football team. Almost as good as Arsenal. I wish this could be a regular fixture, and one that has an edge.

  7. This is reputed to be the lineup

    Ospina;
    Debuchy, Gabriel, Bielik, Gibbs;
    Elneny, Coquelin,
    Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Campbell;
    Walcott.

    Loitering on the beach:

    Cech, Martinez, Bellerin, Holding, Monreal, Zelalem, Reine-Adelaide, Iwobi, Willock, Akpom.

  8. I’ve been to both the Arsenal Android and Arsenal.com Internet applications to watch the Viking vs Arsenal match but all to no avail as there is nothing like the live transmission of the match on any of the Arsenal Internet app that I’ve been to click it. But I don’t know if is on iOS since I don’t have any Apple set. The worst is I can’t even see the Arsenal lineup for the match after checking every websites that I know. I thought I’ll see it on UA.

  9. Oh! Thanks Mr Tony. There I can now see the Arsenal starts and bench you’ve already posted before I post my complain.

  12. A disappointing first half, spoilt by a rather large Norwegian ‘bus parked right in our way. 😉

  14. I was out, I think Nicky will like the second half from what I read in commentary.

    COYG!

  15. Didn’t do too much in the 1st half…too much space between the back line and the midfield…static front line.

    2nd half…destroyed them. Love to watch the way the kids play. They seem…joyful!

  18. Junior Gunners ran riot in second half, Iwobi is that £50 million+ striker we were suppose to sign.

  21. @Gord,

    Cool link. It would awesome if Wenger could come out every match with that sword by his side and you it as a rally call for the crowd!

  23. @Gord,
    As usual, you are right.
    We managed to unlock the barrier in the second half and the young’uns did us proud.
    Walcott did OK. Santi reminded us how influential he can be (wearing the skipper’s armband probably helped!).
    Watching these pre-season games and the performance and enthusiasm invariably shown by these junior Gunners, it is naively easy to take the view that we do not need any new signings.

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