Swedish season - the final run-in

you can tell the Swedish football season is nearing its end - when the Ice Hockey sides start their practice games.

After game 22 (of 30 game season) last year's Champions Malmö had a comfortable lead *****il unexpectedly losing to Djurgården in a recent game) and may find that qualifying for Champions League - the first Swedish side to do so for a decade - may bring a stressful time, especially as they have a tough run of league fixtures before the end of October.

Even if they fail to retain the Swedish title ....the £20 million income from CL games will be some comfort, as they already look to be the " cannon-fodder " in their CL group.

Second-placed AIK and (Anders Svensson's) Elfsborg side look to have a bit too much to do, if they are to overtake a good Malmö outfit who have only lost 2 games all season.

Anders has once again come in for mixed media reaction when claiming that (international manager Erik Hamrén's) insistance on building the team around the skills of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the PSG star is harming the other squad members who carry the can when there is a defeat, or when the normally excellent Zlatan has an off day ....and the Swedes lose.

Zlatan who is superb in the French side, often blows hot and cold in international games, varying between being superb match winner, and occasional impersonations of " the Invisible Man ".

The three big Stockholm clubs have all moved to new stadia recently.AIK leaving the national stadium site at Råsunda (ground sold for housing development),whilst Djurgården left the old Olympic Stadium and the site of the old Hammarby ground now means that the two clubs "share" (somewhat uncomfortably)...the new Tele 2 Arena which is same size as St. Mary's.

Hammarby (never a regular title-winning club, but who have a reputation for entertaining football) suffered the indignity of relegation to Superettan (read Championship) a couple of years ago, but have now had a fine revival and kept their solid fan base, which sold-out the game with over 30,000 in a recent game. They are fighting for the title against Ljungskile and Sundsvall who are two sides who have " jo-jo-ed " between the top two divisions in recent seasons, but Hammarby fans really feel that it's their year.

Relegation from Allsvenskan ( Prem.) looks certain for Brommapojkarna (again). The little Academy-based club lost their top goalscorere thrroughh injury early season and have suffered a run of defeats by the odd goal, and they looked doomed already in June. Two from the cluster of non-descript sides above them will likely be... for drop at the end of the season.

Looking back a decade, Swedish players were amongst the best in Europe ( Saints had the two Svenssons - amongst others) at this time, but as with other international squads there are few class replacements for those retiring from the game. (England have same problem). However, Swansea seem to think they have found a gem (though his name escapes me) but he plays for the second division side Östersund in the north of Sweden. Only time will tell if he can make the grade in the Prem.