Back from hiding. Stuff has happened.
By: Luka |
2 Comments
It’s been around two weeks since my brief part-disappointment part-my-internet-sucks induced sojourn, and a lot has happened since.
- First on the agenda is the continued fallout from the now infamous qualifier (made infamous by uncivilized Djurgardens hooligans). DIF belatedly released a statement regarding the events. What stood out was that they ridiculously tried to shift some blame onto Assyriska, basically suggesting something along the lines of it was our own players’ faults that they didn’t, in an instant, teleport themselves (see illustration) off the field to avoid before being surrounded left right and bloody centre by the onrushing pitch invaders. That made me laugh [see the last line under the heading 'safety of the invasion plan'].
- Police are now close to identifying the thugs who attacked our players (well, the fool who punched Andi Toompuu at least).
- Better yet, police now know the hooligan who attacked Andi, and he will be arrested asap. Apparently this poor excuse for a football supporter (sorry, human being) has a record of football related violence. I hope he never steps foot in a stadium again.
- The referee of said infamous match, Martin Ingvarsson, had the following to say:
What would have happened if I had made a decision that the greater majority of the audience had thought was wrong?
In other words, he is suggesting that he favoured Djurgardens during the match because he was intimidated and most likely fearing for his safety. He is now considering quitting football. Unruly hooligans/ultras rejoice, normal rule-abiding supporters worry about the state of Swedish football.
I wonder what sort of punishment and sanctions we would have received had this actually happened in Sodertalje. Without intending to suggest racism on the part of the Swedish Football Association (or whatever they are called), but without intending not to, I’d say Assyriska would have had their right to compete in Swedish football revoked. But that’s a story for another day. The punishment to be handed out to Djurgardens will be made public in early December (the 5th to be precise).
SIGNINGS!
Three of them in fact. All Swedish. All defenders.
Presenting…. Gustaf Segerstrom. Gustaf is a tall and probably no nonsense central defender coming on a free transfer after leading IK Sirius to relegation, as their captain. He scored 5 goals last season. He’s 27. He’s got some awesome facial hear.
Presenting…. Richard Jansson. Richard joins us from Ljungskile SK where he has been for the last 4 years. He experienced the Allsvenskan with them in 2008, making 28 appearances and managing a goal. He is a central defender and joins us at a great age (25). He counts the mohawk as one of his hairstyles.
Last (but certainly not least), presenting David Björkeryd. David is the youngest signing at 23 years of age and joins us from (also) relegated Qviding. He is a left back. He survived the tackle pictured.
Possible signings:
Oscar Berglund’s future is up in the air, and so we’ve been linked to Hammarby’s Kristoffer Björklund.
Tobias Rick Hammer is training with us. Must be signed, if only because he has such a cool name. Also, he scored 10 goals for division 1 (3rd tier) club IK Sleipner (the same club we signed Lorenzton from) as a wide midfielder. He is only 19 years of age. Good replacement for Petter Furuseth, who seems unlikely to return to us following his loan season from Lyn Oslo.
Departures:
Martin Lorentzon on a free to AIK. Our best defender, hence the above signings.
Hmm, I think that does it. Oh wait, just a small bit of news I just read… CONNY KARLSSON WILL MANAGE HELSINGBORG AND NOT US NEXT SEASON!!!! The tubby Swedish Mourinho was almost a certainty to sign on for 2-3 years with us, but somehow slipped through our grasp and will be coaching in the Allsvenskan next season. This is a massive blow to what was going to be another must-be-promoted-this-season season in 2010.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must break some timber with my elbow to ease the pain.
You know it’s serious if it’s on 101greatgoals.com
By: Luka | 2 Comments
Djurgarden fans attack Assyriska players during pitch invasion (video)
Still not over this.
Category: Team NewsDIF 3-0 Assyriska. Football sucks sometimes.
By: Luka | 3 Comments
24 hours later and I am still hating football. Unbelievably devastated. Words seem pointless at this moment.
And some DIF supporters are scum.
Only the biggest and most significant game imaginable.
By: Luka | 1 Comment
Words cannot describe how big this game is. The money, the increased audience, the potential to play in Europe and all the rest of the flow-on effects from promotion to the top flight are ancillary to most Assyriska supporters. What really makes it significant for us is the fact that we will repeat history as being the only immigrant club ever to play in the highest league in any European country. You just have to read this article from FIFA.com, which appeared shortly after our promotion in 2005, to understand the significance:
Assyriska rises to Sweden’s promised land
They have been called modern day churches, provided a sanctuary for the oppressed and an escape for the masses. But despite the religious likeness, few football stadiums can claim to house spectators speaking the language of the Lord – until now.
Aramaic, the tongue said to have been spoken by Jesus Christ, is regularly chanted by the faithful of Assyriska, a club in, of all places, Central Sweden. Last month, the team, founded in 1974 by descendants of the Assyrian people who had fled from the Ottoman Empire in 1914, gained promotion to the top flight of the domestic league for the very first time.
“Assyriska feels like a national team for the entire group,” said club president Zeki Bisso. “For all of us who were oppressed in our home countries for many years … this felt superb, it was something every Assyrian wanted to take pride in.”
Diaspora
The very first Christian converts, the Assyrians, historically from the Mesopotamian region between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris in the Middle East, have never had a state of their own. After the beginning of the First World War, a great number dispersed across the globe with many of that diaspora ending up in Sweden. Since then, the club has provided a means of identity and unity not only for those living in Scandinavia but for close to two million Assyrians living throughout the world.For a people who have become used to playing the waiting game, 30 years for Assyriska to rise from the depths of the seventh division to Sweden’s Premier League was not too much to ask. But, despite screening the decider against Orgryte live to 82 countries with thousands more gathering from all over Europe, it so nearly ended in tears.
Assyriska, who had won the first leg of the play-off for promotion 2-1 at home in Sodertalje, fell to an extra time winner in the second leg. It seemed like more disappointment for a team that had failed at the final hurdle in the Swedish Cup the previous year.
Intervention, though, was to come from the Swedish Football Association (SVFF) a day later. Because top flight club Orebro had run into debt, Assyriska were elevated to the Premier League.
“At that moment we just felt such enormous joy, I figured everybody in the world is Assyrian now, even God is Assyrian, or at least a supporter,” said Robil Haidari, the club’s marketing director.
Local resident Abraham Staifo could not contain his joy.
“It encouraged the young ones to feel pride in being what they are, and brought tears to the eyes of the elderly. It was so much more than just football,” he gushed. “The Assyrian people have few opportunities to express themselves. We felt our hearts would shoot out from our chests. That is why the elderly cried.”Scattered across the globe from New Zealand to Brazil, calculations for the number of Assyrians vary from one to more than three million. In April, many will turn their gaze back to Sweden where Assyriska, now coached by Portugal’s Jose Morais, will rub shoulders with the likes of Malmo, IFK Gothenburg and Halmstad when the new season kicks off. Who knows what 2005 will bring? But one thing is for sure – the Assyrians will never stop believing…
Nostalgic, historic, euphoric, epic and any other kinds of talk aside, we cannot get carried away. In about 12 hours, we have a football match to play. It’s the second and final leg of a certain playoff, and we are leading 2-0 on aggregate. Our opposition is a fallen giant of Swedish football, which makes them both vulnerable yet highly dangerous at the same time. Over 3,000 fans will travel for the game in Stockholm, and will be outnumbered by DIF’s notorious supporters by more than 3 to 1 in what is really a cauldron of football.
Kick off: Sunday November 8th, 4:45pm Stockholm time, Monday November 9th 2:45am Australian time, and something in between for the rest of the world (except for New Zealand).
Team News:
So much for revenge. DIF player, but on loan to his boyhood club Assyriska, Stefan Batan, suffered a broken leg (well, more a broken bone in his leg) after only 10 minutes in the first leg in Sodertalje. Luckily it isn’t a Cisse-style broken leg (didn’t require surgery or even a cast) and thus he will only be out for 4 weeks. Nonetheless, he will miss this match. His replacement will most likely be Kristoffer Näfver, the same man who replaced him during the match a few days ago, and expertly set up Dennis Ostlundh for the first goal. Another possibility may be sticking Eddie Moussa over on the left wing, and with Xehvdet Llumnica starting up front alongside captain Marklund. This however may be slightly too attack minded for coach Conny’s liking. It’s especially more unlikely, or coincidental, in light of this. Come to think of it, the more you think about what Conny might do, the more doubt you cast upon each possibility. Let’s just wait and see.
Oh, and Bergman may also miss the game through an injury sustained in the first leg, but his situation is easy – a straight swap for the always reliable Conateh. Please please please please concentrate for the entire 90 minutes, if only for only these 90 minutes. Then you can never concentrate again for all I care, Lamine.
And as for them, well all the google-translated articles have been saying that veteran DIF striker “Michael Owen” will return for this game. Apparently Mattias Jonson is Michael Owen in Swedish. Or google translate isn’t doing it’s job properly. Djurgardens are still missing a bunch of players, who have hopefully made their last appearance in the Allsvenskan in a DIF shirt at least until 2011.
Pre-match noise pollution:
It’s been a little quiet. The short turnaround between games probably has a little to do with this. Or has everything to do with this. Also, DIF would have been feeling mightily shell-shocked the second Dennis Ostlundh smashed his header past an almost lifeless Dembo Tourray at the near post for the first goal. As such, they have tried the ‘let our football do the talking’ this time around. But that’s not to say DIF coach Andree Jeglertz was completely silent. He had a few words, mostly cliche’s, so about the only thing that stood out was “it is more to chew down the opponents.”
Coach Conny will certainly be regretting not finishing off DIF in the first leg, where the team as a whole decided to remove their feet off the accelerator in the last 20 minutes or so of the match despite DIF being completely demoralised.
Now, his team approaches this game with a greater degree of self-confidence. Before, we felt ‘no fear’. Now, it’s Djurgardens doing all the fearing. We now believe we can go to Stockholm and match DIF in quality and beat them on the day, let alone on aggregate. But, Conny says, it’s “easier said than done to do that again. It is not just pressing a button. It will not be easy at the Stadium to do what we did.”
A big issue being relayed in the Swedish media in the days after the first leg has been the supposed advantage we enjoyed on the artificial grass in the Sodertalje Arena. On artificial grass, the surface is a harder and flatter, meaning the ball bounces higher and runs much quicker. Thus, it comes as no surprise that some Djurgardens players used this as a reason for their hopeless display, expressing their dismay and surprise at the speed at which Assyriska were moving with and without the ball. That’s called we’re better than you, in my humble opinion. Coach Conny does not believe Djurgardens will have a similar advantage over Assyriska on the natural grass in Stockholm. I’ll assume he knows what he’s talking about.
Links and stuff:
Assyriska has been linked (think of a chain made of grass as opposed to metal) to the former captain of recently relegated IK Sirius (recently relegated to Division 1 that is), Gustaf Segerstrom, who has left the club as a free agent. He’s a defender who likes to score goals (5 in 28 this season). Pass.
Our wily winger Petter Furuseth, who is only on loan from Lyn Oslo in Norway, has been linked with a return to his former club Hammarby. Doubt that.
Assyriska would love to keep coach Conny and tie him down for the next century. Or 3 years. This blogger says yes to both.
Petter Furuseth’s super cool fiance interviews coach Conny’s wife. Why not?
*************
Not long now till the Allsvenska party!
Assyriska 2-0 Djurgardens: On the cusp of greatness.
By: Luka | 4 Comments
Well, to me greatness is just getting promoted. Considering we were in the 3rd tier of Swedish football in 2007, and were in an absolutely shambolic situation 2 months ago, last night’s/morning’s/yesterday’s victory was damn near perfection. Assyriska utterly dominated one of Sweden’s biggest clubs. A side which gave Juventus a decent run for their money a few years ago. Our passing and movement (well, what I was able to see occasionally in between refreshing my stream) was superb and had DIF looking confused and simply inferior. They barely even created a chance (save for a heart-palpitating moment that can be seen at the end of this video).
The majority of the post-match reactions (from all sides) suggest a common theme – Assyriska is ready for the Allsvenskan after this mighty performance – both in terms of the actual aggregate score, and the fact that we showed that style, swagger and verve which made Assyriska synonymous with entertaining football (and kind of allowed us to beat these very same opponents 4-0 in the Swedish cup semi finals in 2003). I recall several occasions where either one of our centre backs Bergman or Bengtsson (no Conateh thank you) would receive the ball about midway through our half, and 3 precise on-the-ground passes later Marklund is running at DIF’s cowering defenders. No long balls, no party. That’s the Assyriska way.
Team issues:
No injuries and no suspensions meant we lined up with Conny’s familiar 4-4-2 set up.
Berglund
Lorentzon, Bergman, Bengtsson (Conateh 71′), Samuelsson
Furuseth, Ostlundh, Toompuu, Batan (Nafver 16′)
Eddie, Marklund (Llumnica 68′)
Unfortunately Stefan Batan could not personally inflict revenge/punishment upon his parent club as he sustained an injury (*update: he broke a bone in his leg and will undergo surgery*) after only 10 minutes and had to eventually be replaced by Nafver, who performed excellently.
Djurgardens were missing four players (whom I have very little interest in naming) through injury. They unsuccessfully lined up with a 4-3-3/4-5-1. Like I said to someone sometime somewhere, Djurgardens must really dislike playing us.
Goals:
1-0 Dennis Ostlundh 38′
2-0 Goran Marklund 48′
Pre-match issues:
Take your pick. I could dedicate a doctoral thesis on the comments in the lead up to this match. Batan spoke about revenge (or maybe I just interpreted it that way), Llumnica spoke about having no fear and perennial does-nothing-but-is-in-the-squad-and-gets-paid Martin Aslund said “There is too little experience in the club and too much internal conflict”. Well, you’re looking pretty silly now aren’t you Martin?
There was also the revelation that DIF have had a scout watching Assyriska, Sundsvall and the self-haters for an entire month in preparation for this playoff. Bosse Andersson had the following to say prior to the match: “Assyriska, I have seen the most times, three matches, so these I have the best track of. In this way, it is fortunate that there are those we may face, while it is clearly the best football team of the three. It is definitely a good team that we can look up to and have full respect for”. Andersson’s contribution to the DIF cause proved to be insignificant, but he was at least able to make one useful observation prior to the match, stating Göran Marklund “is a scorer with great qualities”. A cunning insight before the match, and an obvious one after.
The match:
Ok, so it didn’t quite break the attendance record as predicted (7,131 souls braved the freezing conditions) but the intense and nervous atmosphere kept the mercury above zero. Since, as usual, the game streamed piss-poorly thanks to Australia’s pathetic broadband capabilities in comparison with Europe..actually let’s just leave it at that. The video, my ramblings, and this minute-by-minute report on the game should provide any interested parties with a comprehensive view of the events of the match.
From what I saw, Goran Marklund was at his imperious best, terrorising the Djurgardens defense, Martin Lorentzon dominated the right side of defense as he always does, and Berglund was the usual impenetrable wall of doom. The stats paint a consistent picture with my biased analysis – 13 shots on goal compared to DIF’s 3. The only negatives to emerge are injuries to Stefan Batan and Philip Bergman, with the former definitely set to miss the return match.
Post-match reactions:
DIF forward Sebastian Rajalakso summed up the night: “It felt good when we got here, but now I am hugely embarrassed. We made the fans disappointed.” Meanwhile, Goran Marklund teased DIF, asserting “It was not more difficult than in the Superettan” and “I always make goals against Djurgarden” referring to his former AIK days. However he stepped down from his (deserved) lofty position on the pedestal, “had someone said before that we would beat Djurgarden 2-0 in a qualifier [it would] have been perceived as a joke.”
The Swedish Mourinho - Conny Karlsson – was delighted (yeah, obviously) – describing the performance as ‘fantastic’ and was especially pleased with the clean sheet.
Miscelanous jovial post-match comments:
“We have a good starting point.” – Petter Furuseth
“I think Djurgarden behaved as expected, nervous and uncertain and it benefited us.” – Oscar Berglund
“Will be new conditions, we play on natural grass. It will be exciting and it’s fun to go into the match with a 2-0-lead. I suspect that Pierre is away on Sunday, Stefan also [not so jovial].“ – coach Conny.
DIF coach Andree Jeglertz was nothing short of disappointed as he attempted to shed light on this ignominious defeat and the match to come: “We have put ourselves in a very tricky situation.” He described his team as ‘nervous’ and the overall performance ‘abysmal’. Neither him, the players nor their fans were expecting this after three straight wins in the Allsvenskan which had pulled them off the foot of the table and into this playoff. Jeglertz singled out the speed at which Assyriska played: “We were ready for it to go fast but it went much faster than we could handle.” Consistent with this, DIF striker Mikael Dahlberg also expressed his surprise at the speed at which Assyriska attacked, suggesting the artificial grass at the Sodertalje Arena was a significant factor.
In trying to explain the defeat, Jeglertz used the tried and tested ‘we were tired’ gag, but correctly alluded to his team failing to close down the space and press Assyriska: “We had talked about that we would be aggressive in our defensive play but we were too far from the opponents all the time.” On the return leg in Stockholm, : “We must attack, but we must do it with understanding. It is a very tough but not impossible situation.”
Video of the season: Two goals worth their weight in gold.
By: Luka | Add Comments
Advantage Assyriska in the first leg of the Allsvenskan/Superettan relegation/promotion playoff.
Goals from Dennis Ostlundh after 39 minutes (assisted by a fine cross from substitute Kristoffer Näfver) and captain fantastic Goran (Ashur) Marklund only minutes into the second half (cut back from Eddie Moussa).
Elated. The job is almost done, we’re almost back in the headlines of Swedish football.
Promotion playoff first leg – a precursor.
By: Luka | 2 Comments
Assyriska sold over 6,000 tickets in just a few hours. Overall attendance for this massive game is expected to be 9,735 – the absolute maximum capacity at the Sodertalje Arena and a Superettan record. Djurgardens have been allocated 4,280, so they will have a sizable presence at the ground. Kick off is about 36 hours away (5:15am Thursday morning Australian time). Expect a full preview and write up tomorrow (but since I’m so excited, here’s a little precursor):
Coach Conny Karlsson: “There is no [factor] that will determine the qualifiers, it is probably more the mental game and who can withstand these kind of matches the best.”
DIF trainer Andree Jeglertz: “There is much at stake, but we have played with the knife at our throat for long.”
The DIF homepage conceits “Given the atmosphere at the Stockholm Stadium in recent matches, the question is if it will not sound as if it were Djurgården was at home on Wednesday.”
Assyriska are relishing this notion however, with coach Conny stating “Djurgården in a qualifier will be great for us, not because they might suit us better than other teams, but they become very public and very stimulating games.”
In March, Stefan Batan had the following to say about being sent on loan to Assyriska in the Superettan from DIF in the Allsvenskan: “I’ll show what I can do and that I belong in the League.” As fate would have it, Stefan is now in a position to take revenge against his parent club and make them regret ever sending him out on loan (and failing to include a clause in his loan agreement barring him from playing against them).
In what may or may not be an important factor, the first leg will be played on the Sodertalje Arena’s artificial grass. “It is clear that there is an advantage to us to play on artificial turf, but it is marginal”, Conny Karlsson half playing it up, and half dismissing it. DIF trainer Andree Jeglertz unequivocally dismisses this factor, stating it is “not very important, we have played several matches on artificial turf this year and trained all winter on artificial turf, we know how it works. “
Tihe Assyriska!
Preview of the Final Round of the Allsvenskan
By: Luka | Add Comments
The top two leagues in Sweden have not been short of drama this year, with the Superettan’s relegation and promotion spots going down to the wire and beyond, and the Allsvenskan following suit. Round 30 of the highest league in Sweden sees all 8 matches kick off at 3pm on Sunday November 1st (Central European Time). This equates to 1am Sunday morning in Sydney time, and something else for you in USA land.
A quick look at the table alerts our attention to a number of interesting final-round scenarios and shows us that 3 very important positions are up for grabs – obviously the championship (AIK Stockholm lead IFK Goteborg by 1 point), 3rd place and the final European qualification place (Elfsborg leads a now Rasmus Elm-less Kalmar by 2 points) and most importantly 14th place, which does not lead to automatic relegation, but a playoff against the 3rd best team in the Superettan (that is, the greatest team in the world – Assyriska) currently occupied by Stockholm based Djurgardens who are 2 points clear of a desperate Orgryte.
That link above also provides you with the fixtures for the final round, and they merely add to the excitement. Let’s preview them:
IFK Göteborg v AIK
You could not have hoped for a more story book finish. Along with Malmo these two teams form the “Big Three” of Swedish football, having been champions of Sweden 17 times between them (13 for Goteborg, 4 for AIK) since the championship was known as the Allsvenskan (1924), but you can add another 9 for the period before that. In case you didn’t click on the link provided, Göteborg is hosting AIK. Expect Goteborg to approach this game with a gung-ho flavour since only a win will see them overtake AIK and become champions. A draw would be good enough for AIK, who will probably be relying on a defence which has conceded a measly 15 goals in 29 matches this season to achieve this. Goteborg have double AIK’s goal difference.
IFK Goteborg will look upon their star forward and former Sunderland player Tobias Hysen to get the goals needed, while AIK’s also left-footed star man, midfielder Bojan Djordjic (this name might ring a few bells for Football/Championship Manager addicts) may or may not be key. The trash talk between these two is of a quality befitting the occasion, with Djordjic boasting “We are best Away team and on Sunday at three o’clock, we will show why.” Hysen’s response (with the help of google translate) was sharp: “They like to talk in the media and we should let them do. It is their way to prepare for this match, we have another. Therefore, we have more or less shit to comment on it.” Awesome. Goteborg are unbeaten at home while AIK are the best away team in the league, so all the elements indicate an epic match to decide the title.
Djurgårdens v Kalmar
Gefle IF v Örgryte IS
However, to an Assyriska supporter the above title decider is of very little significance to the more pressing matter at hand – which team are we going to face in a few days’ time? Djurgardens are currently in pole position, but they have the difficult task of facing Kalmar who know a win could secure them qualification to the Europa league (or the qualification stages, or whatever) if Elfsborg fail to win their match at home to recently Larsson-less Helsingborgs. It appears that Orgryte, although two points behind, could just pip Djurgardens to 14th place as they have the much simpler task of facing a Gefle side with nothing to play for. But then again, with a superior goal difference, all Djurgardens need is a draw, so who knows what will happen.
Djurgardens are obviously our preferred opponents as they are from nearby Stockholm, this sentiment attested by both coach Conny Karlsson and Eddie Moussa a week or so ago, while we also believe they hold some fear against Assyriska since we famously hammered them 4-0 in the Swedish Cup semi finals in 2003 (we were then under Conny Karlsson as well). Stefan Batan, on loan from Djurgardens, is absolutely relishing the opportunity to consign his parent club to relegation, given the unfair nature with which he believes they have treated him. “I follow Djurgarden constantly and think it was funny that they won against Örgryte.” [speaking in regards to their recent crucial relegation 6-pointer] “But I also feel a bitterness, I was so disappointed when I could not be maintained. Djurgarden have put themselves in this situation.”
It will be a short turnaround for our opponents in the playoff, with the first leg to be played 3 days later on the 4th of November (Swedish time).
Finally, let’s all laugh at the 3rd biggest Stockholm club, Hammarby, as they say goodbye to the bright lights of the Allsvenskan and prepare for a season in the harsh and unpredictable world of the Superettan. Hammarby’s Emil Johansson says the players “are ashamed like a damn dog.” Meanwhile, relegation was so unlikely that the club didn’t include automatic wage drop clauses in any of their players’ contracts, so they are facing a mass exodus of players or financial oblivion.
Finally #2, there’s the news that our captain fantastic Goran Marklund will be available for the playoffs.
Category: Team NewsWhat do Syrianska supporters and scum have in common? #2
By: Luka | 1 Comment
Scum, scum, scum, scum evil scum bag dogs. And that’s a restrained response on my part.
This season, the pseudo-ethnics calling themselves Syriac or Arameans who are really just confused Assyrians and who swear allegiance to Assyriska’s shadow copy-cat little brother team Syrianska, decided to expand their repertoire, or stupidity and extremism by trying their hands at arson. Now, however, they have truly crossed the line with this latest cowardly act.
In summary, 18 year-old Assyriska defender Gabriel Owrohum, a Swedish under-17 international, was brutally beaten by four Syrianska supporters at a pub in Sodertalje, after refusing demands from them to remove his Assyriska shirt. He managed to fight them off for a period, however was overcome and was eventually knocked unconscious, yet this did not deter the assailants who continued their attack in cowardly and inhumane fashion.
This incident occurred 24 hours after Assyriska earned a promotion playoff at the expense of Syrianska.
Gabriel suffered serious injuries as a result of the attack, however the details have not been revealed at this time. I pray he makes a quick and full recovery.
The perpetrators of this attack are in police custody, with one of them believed to be the vice-chairman of Syrianska’s supporters’ group “Gefe Fans”, though this is an unsubstantiated rumour.
This has to end.
Let’s see if Syrianska Football Club comes out and unequivocally denounces this crime committed by their own supporters, makes any sort of effort to quell their hardcore element.
Last Minute Drama – We Did It, Just.
By: Luka | 4 Comments
My oh my. There is only one way Assyriska knows how to do things – the hard way. The uncanny ability to transform the simple into the complicated and then into the heart-palpitatingly dramatic is truly a trait which makes following this team so unnervingly difficult, yet in the end so rewarding when things go well. Last night/this morning/whenever the hell it happened, things went well. Eventually.
The journey was tough, the potholes on the road resembled meteoric craters, and we faced massive obstacles along the way (some of our own doing, but they were obstacles nevertheless). However, all that matters is that we reached our destination in the end. How we did it may in fact benefit us in the future, if only by strengthening the individual players’ mental resolves and binding the team together with a belief that success can be found even in times of adversity and affliction. Goran Marklund’s late season return from injury is testament to this.
Rhetoric and lame poetic attempts aside, we have finally secured a playoff against an Allsvenskan team, and this is a fragmented chronicle of those dramatic events (using Australian Eastern Standard timing):
1:00am: Kick off. Assyriska is away to Jonkopings, backed by a hefty number of rowdy and vociferous traveling Zelge fans. GIF Sundsvall meanwhile is away to Landskrona BoIS in what should be a relatively straightforward affair. Finally, the psuedo-ethnics are clinging on to feint hopes of promotion as they host Sirius, the latter needing a win to avoid relegation.
1:15am Relief. Sundsvall collapse yet again, as they find themselves 2-0 down already.
AFF & SFC are still 0-0 in their respective games.
1:26am Horror. We are down 1-0. Our worst nightmare is coming to fruition – with Sundsvall and Assyriska trailing, the pseudo-ethnics need only a win to sneak through the door. I begin to feel sick. The butterflies in my stomach turn to gyrating daggers. Luckily, Sirius appears to be in a comfortable position, and the score in Sodertalje remains 0-0.
1:32am Elation! Eddie Moussa equalises for Assyriska, sending the Assyrians in Jonkopings and beyond into a frenzy. As it stands, we are back in 3rd place, and in control of our own destiny.
1:33am The harsh reality that we are talking about Assyriska here sets in, and before I can even sit back down, Jonkopings retake the lead within seconds. Those daggers return. I ponder whether a life in the Superettan while our rivals are in the Allsvenskan is worth living.
1:45am It’s round about half time, and Sundsvall continue to pathetically capitulate. They are now 3-0 down. In Sodertalje, and despite a half seemingly dominated by Sirius, the score ominously remains 0-0. Meanwhile in Jonkoping, Conny Karlsson has the difficult task of addressing the anxiety clearly affecting his side. At the moment, we are still in 3rd place, despite trailing given the result in Sodertalje. However, relying on other results can be a recipe for disaster. Accordingly, when asked after the if he had an eye on how things were going in Sodertalje, Conny Karlsson revealed “No. I assumed that Syrianska would win.”
2:00am The second halves resume more or less in unison. I can now ignore the Sundsvall match and consign it to irrelevancy (they are eventually embarrassed 5-2).
2:15am The magical 60th minute mark sets in, and the two scores of interest remain unchanged. The pseudo-ethnics make a substitution – Christos Christoforidis on – just as he did in the Derby, and just as he did in the Derby, almost turned everything against us. The pseudo-ethnics began to take hold of their game, and it merely became a matter of time until they scored.
2:24am Besim Kunic puts the pseudo-ethnics in front, part consigning Sirius to relegation, but most importantly, sends his side into 3rd place at our expense. Despondent and cursing the utter cruelty of luck and lamenting past disasters which should never have been, the frustration of being stuck in the Superettan for another year (after more or less 15 years stuck in this rut) sinks in.
2:28am Before I am done with cursing the entire world and all of it’s inhabitants, from the birds to the trees, to that annoying dog which barks any person who walks past his owners’ home, Eddie Moussa strikes again to reinstate hope in this world:
Surely, surely this will be the end of the drama? Syrianska’s game is now meaningless given our current result and Sundsvall were out of it before we even had time to yet again curse the loss of Aziz Corr Nyang to them, so what could possibly go wrong?
2:38am Resignation overwhelms the body. Take me now, for it is my time to go, I cry. Within 10 minutes of Eddie Moussa’s moment of inspiration, and symmetrically 10 minutes left, Jonkopings regain the lead. Desolation becomes more than just a feeling. The red and yellow (and treacherous) half of Sodertalje rejoice.
2:47am The most beautiful, the most important, the most dramatic yet the ugliest, most illegal and downright comical goal sends a thousand or so traveling supporters into raptures, and brings me damn near to tears of joy.
It was a handball by Llumnica, the shot was as powerful as one you’d see in an under 6’s match, and it only beat the keeper after taking a bobble, but by God was this goal celebrated like no other! Xehvdet Llumnica, on for the king Marklund after only 15 minutes, is once again the hero as he was in the Derby, and once again breaks the hearts of all those confused Assyrians in Sodertalje. We are in the Allsvenskan qualifiers! No Hollywood producer/writer wannabe could write a more dramatic script than this one.
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Last-minute goalscoring hero Xehvdet Llumnica:
“The fans deserved this. I’m pleased for them and for the club.
Should I be honest, I got the ball in my hand first. The shot was not really hard but the ball touches their players so I think the goalkeeper was lured by it.“
Dennis Östlundh:
“We are showing incredible strength.“
Also heroic two-goal man Eddie Moussa:
Speaking about the period where it was 3-2 to Jonkopings, and Syrianska were going through:
“We were craving revenge. All needed it – we and the audience.”
About the massive traveling support:
“It is wonderful to have such a crowd with us. This means a lot because I am Assyrian and have played in the club a long time.”
The Not Too Distant Future:
What: Two-leg playoff against either of Hammarby, Djurgardens or Orgryte.
When: First leg in Sodertalje on the 4th of November, return leg away on the 8th.
What they say: “It does not matter who we may face, but it’s more fun with the audience. So any time Bajen [Hammarby] or Djurgarden”, said Eddie Moussa after the match when quizzed on who he would prefer to face. Coach Conny Karlsson was equally diplomatic, saying “It does not matter. A Stockholm team is of course exciting publicly speaking, but otherwise I have no comment.”
Now we all have some well earned recovery time before the real business begins.
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