End of the Swedish season...and new champions!

Last game(s) of the season saw Norrköping winning the Swedish title. (Allsvenskan), and it takes the Swedes a lot of thinking back to recall when that last happened. Norrköping have had a good season and never been far off the top places, which have changed almost every week since the summer.

(Older fans will remember that Saints played Cup Winners Cup matches against Norrköping back in the 1970's ? ....and they haven't had much glory since and were even down in Div.2 only a few years ago).

Gothenburg who looked so convincing when they beat Jos Hooiveld's AIK side last week, only managed a late goal to get a 2-2 home draw v Kalmar and ended up as runners-up. AIK's fine season fizzled out but they finished a creditable third place, and a crack at some sort of Euro qualifier next year.

Anders Svensson's last game for Elfsborg was a convincing 4-2 win, but they finished a poor 4th....11 points behind the new champs.

Worse still for Malmo - who won successive titles only a year or so ago, but they only finished 5th, and weren't helped by a 2-0 home defeat and TWO red cards.

At the bottom...Michael Svensson's old club Halmstad managed a win at the last, but it wasn't enough to stave off relegation together with Åtvidaberg who have become a sort of yo-yo club (up and down) in the last few years.

Next years newcomers will be: Jönköping South (travelling Saints' fans who took a Swedish holiday and saw our friendly there - after the 2003 Cup Final will recall the ground which is on top of a hill). They capped a good season with some excellent results and go up together with what will now be the most northerly club top tier club - Östersund.. (anyone playing there when the season starts next April will see snow on the pitch when arriving at the ground).

With such a thankfully mild Autumn, (so far) we may have to wait a few more weeks for the first snow, and look forward to next season's surprises.

I was at Gamla Ullevi this weekend to watch IFK Gothenburg lift the trophy. It was all too easy, in theory. Sell-out and a cracking atmosphere. An easy home game against the nobody's from Kalmar. Norrköping certain to get spanked away to the reigning champs Malmö. There was a huge ****-up planned for The Avenue the saturday afternoon and evening.

But no.

Malmö's top striker gets himself sent off after 5 mins (Five!). What a cheating cant!

Gothenburg go two down in the first half.

Norrköping win 2-0.

Nothing goes to plan. Had to spend the evening at The Dubliners watching the rugby with loads of shouting and cheering kiwis & aussies.