Marked for Jon Arnason
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Apr 2036
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Stjarnan are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad14 Apr 2036
Words at Stjarnan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Skarphéðinn Gauti Ingimarsson is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Transfer targets14 Apr 2036
Stjarnan ran out of time with IBV. The paperwork was open when the deadline passed, and a transfer that was almost done is now a transfer that never happened.
Market14 Apr 2036
Every dressing room knows how to read a signing like this one. Skarphéðinn Gauti Ingimarsson is not here to sit and wait indefinitely, and the man whose place he has been bought to take knows it better than anyone.
Squad14 Apr 2036
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Stjarnan know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
Market14 Apr 2036
He signed expecting a bigger stage than the one he found. It has not taken long, and it has not taken the dressing room long to notice either.
Squad14 Apr 2036
6 new faces, and Stjarnan are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
The dugout14 Apr 2036
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Þorri Mar Þórisson is on it.
The dugout14 Apr 2036
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market13 Aug 2035
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Fjolnir, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets13 Aug 2035
The deal with KR is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Squad13 Aug 2035
Words exchanged at Fjolnir
Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Match11 Aug 2035
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: William Bergman. 1‑0 against Keflavik, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad13 Aug 2035
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Alfred Ingason and Fjolnir agree another 3 years.
Player ratings13 Aug 2035
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.80 on the card, and the Fjolnir support went home talking about one name.
Squad13 Aug 2035
Dylan Connolly falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout13 Aug 2035
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Interim Coach, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
The dugout13 Aug 2035
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alfred Ingason, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout30 Jul 2035
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market30 Jul 2035
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Fjolnir, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad30 Jul 2035
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Fjolnir this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets30 Jul 2035
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
The dugout30 Jul 2035
Nils Larsson gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market30 Jul 2035
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Player ratings30 Jul 2035
Marked 7.63 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Fjolnir had the best player on the pitch.
Transfer targets30 Jul 2035
A loan move for Lorenzo D'Agata is in the works
Fjolnir have made the call to Vikingur. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The dugout30 Jul 2035
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Interim Coach after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market2 Jul 2035
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad2 Jul 2035
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Fjolnir this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout2 Jul 2035
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match30 Jun 2035
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad2 Jul 2035
Dylan Connolly falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout2 Jul 2035
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑1, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Boardroom2 Jul 2035
Fjolnir sign 9 boys into the academy
None of them will be seen by anybody outside the training ground for three years, most of them will never play a senior match, and one of them might change the club. That is the whole proposition, and it is why academies exist.
Squad2 Jul 2035
A place in the month's best eleven for Rurik Fridjonsson
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Rurik Fridjonsson has come out of that comparison in the side, and Fjolnir have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
Market2 Jul 2035
Jon Arnason is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Fjolnir has been clear about where Jon Arnason stands, which is more than many ever get.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout25 Jun 2035
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Fjolnir may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad25 Jun 2035
A falling-out at Fjolnir
Max Vogele and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad25 Jun 2035
Words at Fjolnir training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Player ratings25 Jun 2035
He won it back and then made something of it, which is two jobs and the reason the scoreline looks the way it does. 10 combined actions and a mark of 6.88, and not one of them will make a highlights package.
Match23 Jun 2035
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
The dugout25 Jun 2035
The manager makes an example of Hordur Palsson
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout25 Jun 2035
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 1‑1 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
Squad25 Jun 2035
Somebody watched every match in the division at the weekend and decided he was the best thing in any of them. A small honour, and most careers end without one.
Squad25 Jun 2035
Rurik Fridjonsson, 19, is the weekend’s best young player
Measured against every other kid in the division and first among them. The senior award is where Fjolnir would like this to lead.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match16 Jun 2035
4‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Squad18 Jun 2035
3 goals in one game. The first was taken well, the second was taken greedily, and by the third the crowd were simply waiting for him to get the ball.
Player ratings18 Jun 2035
Marked 8.02 at 19, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.
Squad18 Jun 2035
Words exchanged at Fjolnir
Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Player ratings18 Jun 2035
Þorkell Kári Jóhannsson was on a different afternoon to everybody else
9.68. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Squad18 Jun 2035
Words at Fjolnir training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The terraces18 Jun 2035
He is 19 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
The dugout18 Jun 2035
Nils Larsson gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings18 Jun 2035
A performance of 8.04 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
In brief
-
The dugout
Interim Coach: “That is the standard”
-
Squad
The division's best last weekend was a Fjolnir man
-
The dugout
Jon Arnason dropped after a run of poor form
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market14 May 2035
Vidar Palsson hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Fjolnir can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 May 2035
Max Vogele was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad14 May 2035
“The easiest signature of my career.” Stefan Gunnarsson and Fjolnir agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad14 May 2035
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match12 May 2035
It finished 2‑1, and it was William Bergman’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Fjolnir.
The dugout14 May 2035
This is not rotation. Hordur Bodvarsson has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Fjolnir is pretending otherwise.
Player ratings14 May 2035
William Bergman was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.03. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Market14 May 2035
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Fjolnir has been clear about where Haukur Halldorsson stands, which is more than many ever get.
Market14 May 2035
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market16 Apr 2035
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Fjolnir, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad16 Apr 2035
A falling-out at Fjolnir
Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad16 Apr 2035
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Market16 Apr 2035
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Olafur Palsson has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market16 Apr 2035
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Aron Smarason has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market16 Apr 2035
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Vidar Palsson has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
The dugout16 Apr 2035
This is not rotation. Hordur Bodvarsson has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Fjolnir is pretending otherwise.
The dugout16 Apr 2035
The manager makes an example of Nils Larsson
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad16 Apr 2035
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Fjolnir will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match26 Feb 2035
Fjolnir are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 35 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market26 Feb 2035
Jon Arnason hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Fjolnir can pretend not to have heard.
Squad26 Feb 2035
Words exchanged at Fjolnir
Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets26 Feb 2035
Vikingur have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Squad26 Feb 2035
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Runar Adalsteinsson and Fjolnir agree another 3 years.
The dugout26 Feb 2035
Nils Larsson knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Nils Larsson trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market26 Feb 2035
Fjolnir have made Haukur Halldorsson available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Market26 Feb 2035
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout26 Feb 2035
Holmar Bodvarsson has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Fjolnir will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market19 Feb 2035
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market19 Feb 2035
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad19 Feb 2035
A falling-out at Fjolnir
Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad19 Feb 2035
Everybody saw it before anybody said it. At 35 the numbers say 3 points down on what he was, and the question for Fjolnir is how to handle a man they owe a great deal.
Transfer targets19 Feb 2035
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
The dugout19 Feb 2035
This is not rotation. Hordur Bodvarsson has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Fjolnir is pretending otherwise.
Squad19 Feb 2035
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Patryk Hryniewicki, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Transfer targets19 Feb 2035
A loan enquiry to Vikingur: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The dugout19 Feb 2035
Jon Arnason gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market12 Feb 2035
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad12 Feb 2035
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Fjolnir this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market12 Feb 2035
Add another name to the list: Stjarnan have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Bjorn Finnbogason. The answer from Fjolnir has not changed — yet.
Transfer targets12 Feb 2035
A loan enquiry to Vikingur: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Market12 Feb 2035
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Max Vogele’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout12 Feb 2035
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Fjolnir, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad12 Feb 2035
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
The dugout12 Feb 2035
The manager makes Jon Arnason a promise
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Fjolnir. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Market12 Feb 2035
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Johann Sigurdsson leaves Fjolnir the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market5 Feb 2035
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Fjolnir, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets5 Feb 2035
The deal with Vikingur is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Squad5 Feb 2035
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Bjarni Þór Hafstein commits to Fjolnir for another 2 years.
Squad5 Feb 2035
A falling-out at Fjolnir
Max Vogele and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad5 Feb 2035
A row about effort at Fjolnir
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad5 Feb 2035
He is 31, he is from here, and the shirt he was raised to wear has gone to somebody bought for it. The academy staff have noticed, and so has the town.
The dugout5 Feb 2035
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market5 Feb 2035
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Þorkell Kári Jóhannsson’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Boardroom5 Feb 2035
Fjolnir can sign again
The window is open, and with it the only month of the year when a supporter’s hopes are limited by nothing but arithmetic. The board know the arithmetic; the supporters know the hopes.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match29 Jan 2035
Fjolnir refuse to drop out of the race
Position 3, 35 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.
Squad29 Jan 2035
Max Vogele in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Fjolnir this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad29 Jan 2035
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout29 Jan 2035
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Haukur Halldorsson, and the manager let it.
Market29 Jan 2035
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout29 Jan 2035
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
The dugout29 Jan 2035
Holmar Bodvarsson has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Fjolnir will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Squad29 Jan 2035
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Fjolnir will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
The dugout29 Jan 2035
The manager makes Jon Arnason a promise
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Fjolnir. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 Jan 2035
A falling-out at Fjolnir
Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout22 Jan 2035
This is not rotation. Hordur Bodvarsson has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Fjolnir is pretending otherwise.
Squad22 Jan 2035
“The easiest signature of my career.” Holmar Eyjolfsson and Fjolnir agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout22 Jan 2035
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Fjolnir, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market22 Jan 2035
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with William Bergman’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout22 Jan 2035
Jon Arnason has been promised minutes
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Jon Arnason has written the date down.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad8 Jan 2035
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Fjolnir this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Jan 2035
Words at Fjolnir training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market8 Jan 2035
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
The dugout8 Jan 2035
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout8 Jan 2035
Nils Larsson knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Fjolnir, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad8 Jan 2035
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at Fjolnir would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match1 Jan 2035
Fjolnir are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 35 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad1 Jan 2035
A falling-out at Fjolnir
Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout1 Jan 2035
Nils Larsson asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad1 Jan 2035
A season on the outside for Max Vogele
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Fjolnir has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
Market1 Jan 2035
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson signs something — a contract at Fjolnir or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout1 Jan 2035
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Holmar Bodvarsson is on it.
Squad1 Jan 2035
19 years old, every age group at this club behind him, and a borrowed player of much the same standard in front of him every Saturday. The parents in the stand have noticed, and so has every kid below him.
The dugout1 Jan 2035
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
Boardroom1 Jan 2035
The Fjolnir production line keeps running
88 graduates out of an academy now rated 9 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Dec 2034
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Nolhan Praud Meunier and Fjolnir agree another 3 years.
Squad25 Dec 2034
Max Vogele in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Fjolnir this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad25 Dec 2034
A row about effort at Fjolnir
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout25 Dec 2034
This is not rotation. Hordur Bodvarsson has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Fjolnir is pretending otherwise.
The dugout25 Dec 2034
The manager makes an example of Nils Larsson
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout25 Dec 2034
Dylan Connolly knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Fjolnir, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Dec 2034
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Fjolnir this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout11 Dec 2034
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Carl Granqvist, and the manager let it.
The dugout11 Dec 2034
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Fjolnir, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match4 Dec 2034
Fjolnir are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 35 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad4 Dec 2034
A falling-out at Fjolnir
Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad4 Dec 2034
A row about effort at Fjolnir
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market4 Dec 2034
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson signs something — a contract at Fjolnir or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout4 Dec 2034
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
The dugout4 Dec 2034
Holmar Bodvarsson has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Fjolnir will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Squad4 Dec 2034
“Ask me in the summer. I will know before anybody else does.” He is 34 with 143 appearances behind him, and Fjolnir have to plan for both answers.
Squad4 Dec 2034
Fjolnir’s own kid cannot get a game
At 19, Alfred Ingason has come through every age group this club has, and now watches a borrowed player of much the same level start every week. An academy notices these things, and so do the parents in the stand.
The dugout4 Dec 2034
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
In brief
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Boardroom
The Fjolnir production line keeps running
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Boardroom
The Fjolnir board choose calm
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad27 Nov 2034
Words exchanged at Fjolnir
Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad27 Nov 2034
Words at Fjolnir training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout27 Nov 2034
This is not rotation. Hordur Bodvarsson has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Fjolnir is pretending otherwise.
The dugout27 Nov 2034
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dagur Palsson, and the manager let it.
Market27 Nov 2034
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until William Bergman signs something — a contract at Fjolnir or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Squad27 Nov 2034
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Fjolnir will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad20 Nov 2034
Hordur Bodvarsson damages knee ligaments — 18 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 18 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad20 Nov 2034
Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout20 Nov 2034
Nils Larsson gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market20 Nov 2034
The Max Vogele story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Max Vogele signs something — a contract at Fjolnir or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout20 Nov 2034
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Fjolnir, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout20 Nov 2034
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad13 Nov 2034
25 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Fjolnir lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market13 Nov 2034
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Fjolnir can pretend not to have heard.
Squad13 Nov 2034
Words at Fjolnir training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad13 Nov 2034
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Fjolnir this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout13 Nov 2034
Nils Larsson asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market13 Nov 2034
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Þorkell Kári Jóhannsson signs something — a contract at Fjolnir or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Oct 2034
Hordur Bodvarsson damages knee ligaments — 39 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 39 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad30 Oct 2034
21 days out for Dagur Palsson after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Fjolnir will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Squad30 Oct 2034
Words exchanged at Fjolnir
Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout30 Oct 2034
This is not rotation. Hordur Bodvarsson has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Fjolnir is pretending otherwise.
The dugout30 Oct 2034
Dylan Connolly knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Dylan Connolly trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout30 Oct 2034
Jon Arnason has been promised minutes
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Jon Arnason has written the date down.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad16 Oct 2034
A knee injury of the worst kind for Alfred Skulason
40 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Fjolnir lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad16 Oct 2034
35 days out for Dagur Palsson after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Fjolnir will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Squad16 Oct 2034
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Fjolnir this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Oct 2034
A row about effort at Fjolnir
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout16 Oct 2034
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Haukur Halldorsson trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market16 Oct 2034
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Fjolnir know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Oct 2034
Dagur Palsson breaks a bone — 42 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 42 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Match9 Oct 2034
Fjolnir up to position 3
35 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Squad9 Oct 2034
A falling-out at Fjolnir
Árni Steinn Sigursteinsson and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout9 Oct 2034
The manager makes an example of Nils Larsson
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout9 Oct 2034
Holmar Bodvarsson has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Fjolnir will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Squad9 Oct 2034
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Fjolnir will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
The dugout9 Oct 2034
Jon Arnason has been promised minutes
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Jon Arnason has written the date down.
The dugout9 Oct 2034
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout4 Sep 2034
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Fjolnir have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad4 Sep 2034
13 seasons and 221 appearances, all of them here. Careers like this are not designed; they happen to a certain kind of man at a certain kind of club, and this town has one.
Market4 Sep 2034
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad4 Sep 2034
Max Vogele in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Fjolnir this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad4 Sep 2034
A row about effort at Fjolnir
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match2 Sep 2034
It finished 1‑0, and it was William Bergman’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Fjolnir.
The dugout4 Sep 2034
This is not rotation. Hordur Bodvarsson has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Fjolnir is pretending otherwise.
Player ratings4 Sep 2034
Successful dribbles: 18. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad4 Sep 2034
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jon Arnason commits to Fjolnir for another 4 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match18 Jul 2034
0‑4 to Breidablik, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Market24 Jul 2034
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Valur waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Fjolnir is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Player ratings24 Jul 2034
Successful dribbles: 27. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings24 Jul 2034
Hordur Palsson, 20, plays like he has been here for years — 7.65
A mark of 7.65 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 20-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Market24 Jul 2034
Fjolnir say no — this time
The offer from Stjarnan for Bjorn Finnbogason was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad24 Jul 2034
Words exchanged at Fjolnir
Max Vogele and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets24 Jul 2034
Fjolnir asked and Breidablik said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad24 Jul 2034
A row about effort at Fjolnir
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daníel Ingvar Ingvarsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The terraces24 Jul 2034
Fjolnir supporters have found a favourite in Jon Arnason
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Jon Arnason has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.