Lillestrom U20

17 Jul 2029
Tuesday
Process
155 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

16 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Lillestrom silence Valerenga

A derby is never about the football alone, but the football helped: 2‑1, and the away end emptied early. Bragging rights renewed for another season.

Match

Whatever happens, Lillestrom do not lose

18 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Match

Lillestrom through in the cup

A 2‑1 win over Tromso, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

Market

Andrej Nikolić 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Jakob Vester is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Lillestrom is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Player ratings

Yaw Paintsil wins the derby

There are goals, and then there are goals against that particular opponent. The Lillestrom support have their bragging rights for a year and they know exactly whose name is on them.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Andrés Fernández

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Thomás Giráldez keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

Back issues
154 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

9 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Still nobody has beaten Lillestrom

The unbeaten run reaches 16. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Market

Armand Wangen asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Market

Kristoffer Nessø has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Lillestrom they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Player ratings

Yaw Paintsil runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Anders Klynge 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.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Jakob Vester

Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

No hiding place for Austin Ludwik

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Austin Ludwik, and the manager let it.

Squad

Getting past Andrés Fernández has become the hardest job in the division

8 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.

Player ratings

Kparobo Arierhi leaves them behind him

Shots: 13. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

153 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

2 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Whatever happens, Lillestrom do not lose

15 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Boardroom

Kristian Normann has until the next board meeting

What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Lillestrom can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.

Match

Lillestrom refuse to drop out of the race

Position 2, 27 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.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Facundo Butti

Defensive actions: 25. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Camil Jebara

Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Kevin Krygård

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

No hiding place for Emir Tonbul

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Emir Tonbul, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Jakob Vester

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

In brief

152 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

25 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Still nobody has beaten Lillestrom

The unbeaten run reaches 14. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Player ratings

Jakob Vester shuts the door

Defensive actions: 25, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Player ratings

Facundo Butti shuts the door

Defensive actions: 23, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Home is on Andrej Nikolić's mind

“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; Lillestrom are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Player ratings

Kparobo Arierhi in the eights

A performance of 8.56 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Kparobo Arierhi sends Lillestrom past Molde

It finished 1‑0, and it was Kparobo Arierhi’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Lillestrom.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ruben Gabrielsen

“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.

In brief

151 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

18 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

13 unbeaten for Lillestrom

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 13 matches without defeat is a foundation Lillestrom did not have in the autumn.

Market

Andrej Nikolić puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Jakob Vester is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Lillestrom is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Andrés Fernández keeps Lillestrom in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Sturla Ottesen 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 ratings

A masterclass from Yaw Paintsil

Marked 8.66 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Loan watch

Lazar Babić has seen enough of Stromsgodset

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Lillestrom, and 0 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.

Match

Lillestrom and Rosenborg take a point apiece

It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

In brief

150 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

11 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

12 unbeaten for Lillestrom

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 12 matches without defeat is a foundation Lillestrom did not have in the autumn.

Market

Only the photograph left for Kristoffer Nessø

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Kristoffer Nessø will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Lillestrom the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Espen Garnås

“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.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Jakob Vester

Defensive actions: 17. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

The one thing Kparobo Arierhi could not do

Shots: 12, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

Match

Point won or two lost for Lillestrom?

Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Stabaek? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.

Player ratings

The one thing Yaw Paintsil could not do

Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

In brief

149 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

4 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Boardroom

Kristian Normann has until the next board meeting

What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Lillestrom can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.

Match

Lillestrom up to position 2

21 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Andrés Fernández keeps Lillestrom in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Match

Whatever happens, Lillestrom do not lose

11 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Thomas Grøgaard is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Lillestrom is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Yaw Paintsil

Marked 8.95 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Martin Ellingsen

“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.

In brief

148 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

28 May 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Jakob Vester

Defensive actions: 29. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Match

Whatever happens, Lillestrom do not lose

10 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Player ratings

Kevin Krygård shuts the door

Defensive actions: 28, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Andrés Fernández keeps Lillestrom in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Karol Kosiorek puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Anders Klynge in the eights

A performance of 9.09 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Kparobo Arierhi 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.

Match

Anders Klynge the difference as Lillestrom beat Viking

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Anders Klynge. 1‑0 against Viking, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

In brief

147 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

21 May 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Andrej Nikolić 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Only the photograph left for Jakob Vester

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Jakob Vester will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Lillestrom the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Match

9 unbeaten for Lillestrom

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Lillestrom did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Anders Klynge 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Gabriel Risso Patrón

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gabriel Risso Patrón, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

Yaw Paintsil in the eights

A performance of 8.67 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Loan watch

Lazar Babić wants to come home

“I did not go to Stromsgodset to sit and watch. I want to come back to Lillestrom and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.

Match

Lillestrom share the spoils with Sarpsborg 08

A 1‑1 draw with Sarpsborg 08 leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

146 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

14 May 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Lillestrom march on in the cup

Sarpsborg 08 are out and Lillestrom go through, 2‑1 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Market

Håkon Volden asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Match

Lillestrom make it 5 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Lillestrom have 5 straight wins of it.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Simo Lampinen-Skaug

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Only the photograph left for Kristoffer Nessø

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Kristoffer Nessø will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Lillestrom the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

One of those days for Felix Vá

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.26, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

One of those days for Emanuele Ndoj

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.90, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Jakob Vester shuts the door

Defensive actions: 20, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

In brief

145 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

7 May 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Boardroom

Lillestrom spell it out for Kristian Normann

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Kristian Normann has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Market

Elscha Furaha asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Thomas Grøgaard has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Lillestrom they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

Lillestrom make it 3 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Lillestrom have 3 straight wins of it.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Espen Garnås signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Espen Garnås and Lillestrom agree another 2 years.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Camil Jebara

Marked 8.96 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Lillestrom get the job done against Mjondalen

A 1‑0 win over Mjondalen, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

In brief

144 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

30 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Karol Kosiorek asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Kparobo Arierhi in the eights

A performance of 9.12 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Kparobo Arierhi sends Lillestrom past Odd

It finished 2‑1, and it was Kparobo Arierhi’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Lillestrom.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Yaw Paintsil

Marked 8.00 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Espen Garnås 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.

Squad

Andrej Nikolić has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Lillestrom will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

Squad

Lars Ranger 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.

In brief

143 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

23 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Andrej Nikolić asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Market

Only the photograph left for Jakob Vester

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Jakob Vester will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Lillestrom the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Home is on Andrej Nikolić's mind

“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; Lillestrom are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Match

Lillestrom get the job done against Sandefjord

A 2‑1 win over Sandefjord, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

One of those days for Anders Klynge

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.88, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara in the eights

A performance of 8.32 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ruben Gabrielsen

“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.

Loan watch

Lazar Babić counts the days

“I watch every Lillestrom game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Stromsgodset runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

142 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

16 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Facundo Butti: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Håkon Krogelien asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Squad

Martin Ellingsen out for 31 days

The medical room confirms 31 days on the sidelines for Martin Ellingsen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Only the photograph left for Kristoffer Nessø

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Kristoffer Nessø will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Lillestrom the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Kevin Krygård

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 21 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Lillestrom lose Eric Kitolano

35 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

Point won or two lost for Lillestrom?

Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against IK Start? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.

In brief

141 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

9 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Andrés Fernández

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Elscha Furaha puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Anders Klynge runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Thomas Grøgaard has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Lillestrom they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Home is on Facundo Butti's mind

“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; Lillestrom are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Market

Magnus Daehli is a Lillestrom player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Ruben Thorsby comes home

The shirt still fits. Ruben Thorsby is back at Lillestrom, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Match

Lillestrom find a way past Tromso

Tromso made Lillestrom work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

In brief

140 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

2 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom spell it out for Kristian Normann

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Kristian Normann has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Market

Jakob Vester puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Emanuele Ndoj: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Anders Klynge 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Thomás Giráldez wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Lillestrom know it.

Squad

Armand Wangen 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.

Boardroom

$3.0M taken back off the Lillestrom table

What was available in the summer has quietly gone. Upstairs nobody will call it a change of ambition; downstairs nobody will call it anything else.

Market

The Felix Vá talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Lillestrom know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Lillestrom put Emir Tonbul up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Emir Tonbul may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

In brief

139 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

26 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Emir Tonbul puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Jakob Vester is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Lillestrom is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Market

The Kevin Krygård story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Kevin Krygård signs something — a contract at Lillestrom or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Squad

Julian Bjørkavåg 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 Lillestrom, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The shop window has Andrés Fernández in it

Lillestrom have let the market know Andrés Fernández can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.

In brief

138 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

19 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Lillestrom boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Market

Facundo Butti 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Martin Ellingsen out for 62 days

The medical room confirms 62 days on the sidelines for Martin Ellingsen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Kristoffer Nessø has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Lillestrom they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Eric Kitolano out for 65 days

The medical room confirms 65 days on the sidelines for Eric Kitolano, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

137 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

12 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Martin Ellingsen asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Market

Lillestrom turn down Sarpsborg 08 for Lazar Babić

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Thomas Grøgaard has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Lillestrom they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen out for 18 days

The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Ruben Gabrielsen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Armand Wangen has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Lillestrom will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

In brief

136 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

5 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Kristian Normann has until the next board meeting

What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Lillestrom can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.

Market

Julian Bjørkavåg puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Felix Vá signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Felix Vá commits to Lillestrom for another 3 years.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Armand Wangen

“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.

Boardroom

$3.0M taken back off the Lillestrom table

What was available in the summer has quietly gone. Upstairs nobody will call it a change of ambition; downstairs nobody will call it anything else.

Market

The Felix Vá talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Lillestrom know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Dimitar Papazov 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 Lillestrom, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Lillestrom put Martin Ellingsen up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Martin Ellingsen may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

In brief

135 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

26 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Dimitar Papazov puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Armand Wangen: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Only the photograph left for Jakob Vester

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Jakob Vester will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Lillestrom the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Market

The Lazar Babić conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Stromsgodset will make the call about Lazar Babić this week. Lillestrom have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

Squad

No hiding place for Lazar Babić

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lazar Babić, and the manager let it.

In brief

134 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

19 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Lillestrom boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Market

Jakob Vester puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Martin Ellingsen

91 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Market

Only the photograph left for Kristoffer Nessø

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Kristoffer Nessø will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Lillestrom the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Eric Kitolano out for 94 days

The medical room confirms 94 days on the sidelines for Eric Kitolano, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

133 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

12 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Yaw Paintsil puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Thomas Grøgaard is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Lillestrom is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Anders Klynge 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.

Squad

Emanuele Ndoj 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.

Squad

Armand Wangen has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Lillestrom will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen 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.

In brief

132 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

5 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom spell it out for Kristian Normann

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Kristian Normann has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Market

Martin Ellingsen 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Gabriel Risso Patrón stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Gabriel Risso Patrón and Lillestrom agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Stabaek expected to open talks for Jakob Vester

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Lillestrom will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Espen Garnås

“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.

Boardroom

$3.0M taken back off the Lillestrom table

What was available in the summer has quietly gone. Upstairs nobody will call it a change of ambition; downstairs nobody will call it anything else.

Market

The Felix Vá talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Lillestrom know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Julian Bjørkavåg 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 Lillestrom, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

131 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

29 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Stefan Hagerup puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Lillestrom lose Anders Klynge

23 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

In brief

130 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

22 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Lillestrom

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Lillestrom is running low.

Market

Jakob Vester puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Martin Ellingsen

122 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Eric Kitolano

124 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

In brief

129 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

15 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Julian Bjørkavåg 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Armand Wangen 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.

In brief

128 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

8 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Kristian Normann has until the next board meeting

What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Lillestrom can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.

Market

Ajax come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Lillestrom did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Lars Ranger says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Market

Dimitar Papazov 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Emanuele Ndoj

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Emanuele Ndoj, and the manager let it.

Squad

Simo Lampinen-Skaug signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Simo Lampinen-Skaug and Lillestrom agree another 4 years.

Boardroom

$3.0M taken back off the Lillestrom table

What was available in the summer has quietly gone. Upstairs nobody will call it a change of ambition; downstairs nobody will call it anything else.

Market

The Felix Vá talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Lillestrom know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

127 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

1 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Lillestrom lose Anders Klynge

52 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen 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.

Squad

Simo Lampinen-Skaug signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Simo Lampinen-Skaug and Lillestrom agree another 4 years.

Market

Lillestrom and Erik Frøysa are talking past each other

“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.

Market

The Eric Kitolano story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Eric Kitolano signs something — a contract at Lillestrom or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

126 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

25 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Lillestrom

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Market

Jakob Vester 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Anders Klynge 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Elscha Furaha 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.

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen 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 Ruben Gabrielsen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Market

The Camil Jebara question follows Lillestrom around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Camil Jebara’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

125 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

18 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Julian Bjørkavåg puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Magnar Ødegaard has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Lillestrom they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Kparobo Arierhi signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kparobo Arierhi commits to Lillestrom for another 5 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Magnar Ødegaard

“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.

Market

The Sturla Ottesen talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Lillestrom know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

124 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

11 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Dimitar Papazov asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Lars Ranger

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lars Ranger, and the manager let it.

In brief

123 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

4 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom spell it out for Kristian Normann

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Kristian Normann has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Squad

Efe Lucky keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ruben Gabrielsen and Lillestrom agree another 2 years.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Emanuele Ndoj

“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.

Market

Lillestrom buy the years ahead of Thomás Giráldez

He is 20, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.

Boardroom

Lillestrom pull $3.0M back off the table

The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.

Boardroom

Lillestrom sign a deal worth $246.5K a year

Commercial news is the news nobody sings about and everything else is paid for with. The board will call it a partnership; the accountants will call it the difference between this squad and a smaller one.

Market

Jakob Vester placed on the list

Lillestrom have made Jakob Vester available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

122 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

27 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Lillestrom

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Squad

Stefan Hagerup says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Lillestrom lose Camil Jebara

38 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

121 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

20 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Thomas Lehne Olsen asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Market

Magnar Ødegaard is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Lillestrom is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

In brief

120 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

13 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Dimitar Papazov 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

119 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

6 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom put Kristian Normann on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Market

Julian Bjørkavåg asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Anders Klynge 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Ruben Gabrielsen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ruben Gabrielsen, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Lillestrom pull $3.0M back off the table

The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.

Market

The Thomas Lehne Olsen question follows Lillestrom around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Thomas Lehne Olsen’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

118 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

30 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Jakob Vester 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Lillestrom

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Lillestrom is running low.

Squad

Erik Frøysa says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Camil Jebara

Marked 8.89 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

One of those days for Kevin Krygård

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.68, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Lillestrom lose Karol Kosiorek

40 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

Kevin Krygård rescues a point for Lillestrom

It needed Kevin Krygård to find the net to bring anything home at all: 3‑3 against Valerenga, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

In brief

117 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

23 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Thomas Lehne Olsen asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Market

Magnar Ødegaard has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Lillestrom they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Anders Klynge 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.

Match

Bodo/Glimt take the points off Lillestrom

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

No hiding place for Sturla Ottesen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Sturla Ottesen, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Yaw Paintsil in the eights

A performance of 8.19 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Thomas Lehne Olsen will call it something else in private.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara keeps on missing

Shots: 6, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

In brief

116 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

16 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Dimitar Papazov 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Dimitar Papazov: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Kevin Krygård

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 21 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

One of those days for Anders Klynge

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.06, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Match

Lillestrom get the job done against Aalesund

A 2‑0 win over Aalesund, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

No hiding place for Camil Jebara

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Camil Jebara, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Yaw Paintsil

Marked 8.65 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

One of those days for Felix Vá

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.44, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

115 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

9 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Market

Yaw Paintsil 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Efe Lucky: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Espen Garnås stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Espen Garnås and Lillestrom agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

No hiding place for Thomas Lehne Olsen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Thomas Lehne Olsen, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Kevin Krygård

Marked 8.76 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Kevin Krygård rescues a point for Lillestrom

It needed Kevin Krygård to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Molde, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

In brief

114 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

2 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Jakob Vester asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Lillestrom

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Squad

Andrés Fernández: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Kparobo Arierhi’s goal not enough for Lillestrom

Kparobo Arierhi scored, and precious little else went right: 3‑4 to Rosenborg, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Squad

Espen Garnås stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Espen Garnås and Lillestrom agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

No hiding place for Gabriel Risso Patrón

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gabriel Risso Patrón, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Anders Klynge

Marked 8.54 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

113 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

25 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Espen Garnås keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 28. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Player ratings

Jakob Vester shuts the door

Defensive actions: 26, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Market

Magnar Ødegaard has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Lillestrom they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Kparobo Arierhi 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.

Squad

No place for Julian Bjørkavåg on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Lillestrom pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Martin Ellingsen

Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

112 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

18 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Dimitar Papazov puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Håkon Volden: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Gabriel Risso Patrón 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.

Match

Anders Klynge’s goal not enough for Lillestrom

Anders Klynge scored, and precious little else went right: 3‑4 to Stromsgodset, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Anders Klynge in the eights

A performance of 8.40 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Camil Jebara

Marked 8.14 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Thomas Lehne Olsen will call it something else in private.

In brief

111 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

11 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Nowhere to hide for Lillestrom

0‑3 against Viking, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.

Squad

Andrés Fernández keeps Lillestrom in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Match

4 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Sturla Ottesen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Sturla Ottesen, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Inquest at Lillestrom

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

Player ratings

Anders Klynge runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Martin Ellingsen 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.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Thomas Lehne Olsen

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

In brief

110 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

4 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Lillestrom say no — this time

The offer from Monaco for Kparobo Arierhi 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.

Market

Jakob Vester puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Julian Bjørkavåg says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Player ratings

Anders Klynge runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Gabriel Risso Patrón 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.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Sarpsborg 08

0‑2 to Sarpsborg 08, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Market

Sarpsborg 08 expected to open talks for Thomas Grøgaard

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Lillestrom will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Market

Martin Ellingsen placed on the list

Lillestrom have made Martin Ellingsen available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

109 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

28 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Yaw Paintsil puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Yaw Paintsil keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Monaco watching Kparobo Arierhi

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Lillestrom have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Market

Only the photograph left for Magnar Ødegaard

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Magnar Ødegaard will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Lillestrom the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Haugesund

0‑2 to Haugesund, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

No hiding place for Emanuele Ndoj

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Emanuele Ndoj, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Kparobo Arierhi

A mark of 4.12 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

In brief

108 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

21 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Anders Klynge keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 31. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Stabaek come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Lillestrom did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Market

The Ylldren Ibrahimaj conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Bodo/Glimt will make the call about Ylldren Ibrahimaj this week. Lillestrom have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

Match

Mjondalen take the points off Lillestrom

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Eric Kitolano

“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.

Loan watch

Armand Wangen counts the days

“I watch every Lillestrom game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Helsingborg runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

Martin Ellingsen has to sit this one out

A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Lillestrom lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.

In brief

107 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

14 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Anders Klynge the difference as Lillestrom beat Odd

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Anders Klynge. 2‑1 against Odd, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

One of those days for Anders Klynge

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.96, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

No hiding place for Thomas Lehne Olsen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Thomas Lehne Olsen, and the manager let it.

Market

Eyes on Thomas Grøgaard again

The phone has started ringing about Thomas Grøgaard again, and this time the name on the line is Stabaek. Lillestrom are listening politely and promising nothing.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Ylldren Ibrahimaj

Marked 8.36 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Kparobo Arierhi 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.

Squad

Anders Klynge is off the mark for Lillestrom

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

106 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

7 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Jakob Vester puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen has been here 10 seasons

332 appearances across 10 seasons in one shirt. Nobody builds a career like that on purpose any more; it happens to a certain kind of footballer at a certain kind of club.

Market

Håkon Volden is a Lillestrom player

The fee is $1.4M, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Rosenborg drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anders Klynge

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

Sandefjord take the points off Lillestrom

Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Market

Martin Ellingsen told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Martin Ellingsen has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Lillestrom.

Squad

No hiding place for Gabriel Risso Patrón

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gabriel Risso Patrón, and the manager let it.

In brief

105 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

31 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Market

Lillestrom sign Anders Klynge for $1.7M

The paperwork is done: Anders Klynge joins from Bodo/Glimt in a deal worth $1.7M. Now comes the harder part.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Magnar Ødegaard is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Lillestrom is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Gabriel Risso Patrón 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.

Market

Business is business: Isa Daniel Jallow goes

Sarpsborg 08 paid $510.0K and Lillestrom took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.

Player ratings

Kparobo Arierhi in the eights

A performance of 8.35 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Tomás Lingua 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.

Market

The Anders Klynge conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Atvidaberg will make the call about Anders Klynge this week. Lillestrom have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

In brief

104 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

24 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Tomás Lingua

There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Market

Lillestrom sell Frederik Elkær for $670.0K

Frederik Elkær has left for Tromso in a $670.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Squad

Efe Lucky signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Efe Lucky commits to Lillestrom for another 4 years.

Player ratings

Kparobo Arierhi in the eights

A performance of 8.13 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Loan watch

Armand Wangen has seen enough of Helsingborg

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Lillestrom, and 4 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.

Match

Kparobo Arierhi rescues a point for Lillestrom

It needed Kparobo Arierhi to find the net to bring anything home at all: 2‑2 against Tromso, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

In brief

103 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

17 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tomás Lingua keeps Lillestrom in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Håkon Krogelien keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Eyes on Frederik Elkær again

The phone has started ringing about Frederik Elkær again, and this time the name on the line is Tromso. Lillestrom are listening politely and promising nothing.

Player ratings

Ylldren Ibrahimaj in the eights

A performance of 9.20 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Yaw Paintsil runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara in the eights

A performance of 8.21 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş 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.

Match

Honours even between Lillestrom and Valerenga

1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

102 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

10 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Lillestrom say no — this time

The offer from Leeds United for Kparobo Arierhi 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Tomás Lingua signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tomás Lingua commits to Lillestrom for another 4 years.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Yaw Paintsil

Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

Bodo/Glimt take the points off Lillestrom

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Lars Ranger

“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.

Squad

Another clean sheet for Tomás Lingua

5 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Tomás Lingua has given nobody the chance.

Market

The Sturla Ottesen story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Sturla Ottesen signs something — a contract at Lillestrom or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Thomas Lehne Olsen

A mark of 5.34 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

In brief

101 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

3 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Only the photograph left for Magnar Ødegaard

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Magnar Ødegaard will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Lillestrom the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Sturla Ottesen

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Eric Kitolano 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.

Squad

Thomas Grøgaard signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Thomas Grøgaard and Lillestrom agree another 1 years.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Martin Ellingsen

A mark of 7.74, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Player ratings

Kevin Krygård shuts the door

Defensive actions: 16, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

No goals between Lillestrom and Aalesund

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Aalesund will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

100 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

26 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Martin Ellingsen puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Philip Aukland says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara in the eights

A performance of 9.22 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Felix Vá the difference as Lillestrom beat Molde

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Felix Vá. 2‑1 against Molde, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

One of those days for Felix Vá

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.75, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Ylldren Ibrahimaj in the eights

A performance of 8.43 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ruben Gabrielsen

“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.

Loan watch

Armand Wangen has seen enough of Helsingborg

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Lillestrom, and 3 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

99 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

19 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Yaw Paintsil

Successful dribbles: 32. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Felix Vá

“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.

Match

Lillestrom come up short against Rosenborg

Rosenborg left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen 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 Thomas Lehne Olsen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

98 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

12 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Sander Moen Foss says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

4 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Kevin Krygård

Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Martin Ellingsen 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Thomas Lehne Olsen

“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.

Player ratings

Elscha Furaha keeps on missing

Shots: 12, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

Match

No goals between Lillestrom and Stabaek

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Stabaek will be the happier side with the point.

Squad

Eric Kitolano 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.

In brief

97 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

5 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Fenerbahce come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Lillestrom did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Martin Ellingsen 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.

Squad

Kparobo Arierhi 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 ratings

Yaw Paintsil in the eights

A performance of 8.67 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Yaw Paintsil rescues a point for Lillestrom

It needed Yaw Paintsil to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Stromsgodset, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Is this Thomas Lehne Olsen’s last season?

“I will know when it is time. I am not there yet.” Thomas Lehne Olsen is 36, with 326 appearances behind him, and Lillestrom will have to plan for whichever answer comes.

Player ratings

The one thing Kparobo Arierhi could not do

Shots: 11, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

Market

Camil Jebara linked with a move away

The name of Camil Jebara keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Lillestrom say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

96 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

29 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Camil Jebara runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Jakob Vester

39 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Player ratings

Kparobo Arierhi in the eights

A performance of 8.09 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

No hiding place for Eric Kitolano

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Eric Kitolano, and the manager let it.

Loan watch

Armand Wangen counts the days

“I watch every Lillestrom game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Helsingborg runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

95 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

22 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Salieu Drammeh: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Martin Ellingsen 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 ratings

A masterclass from Kparobo Arierhi

Marked 8.27 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Lillestrom and Sarpsborg 08 take a point apiece

It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

The Thomas Lehne Olsen talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Lillestrom know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Elscha Furaha finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Lillestrom have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Player ratings

Elscha Furaha changes it off the bench

He was not in the side at half past three and he had settled it before five. Half an hour, and Lillestrom had a different afternoon.

In brief

94 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

15 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

The cup run ends for Lillestrom

0‑1 against Stabaek, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Salieu Drammeh

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Match

Lillestrom see off Haugesund

Three points for Lillestrom, 3‑2 the final word against Haugesund in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Monsef Bakrar

Marked 9.42 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

One of those days for Felix Vá

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.25, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

One of those days for Camil Jebara

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.91, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

No hiding place for Lars Ranger

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lars Ranger, and the manager let it.

Squad

Felix Vá is off the mark for Lillestrom

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

93 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

8 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Thomas Lehne Olsen and Lillestrom agree another 2 years.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Thomas Lehne Olsen

“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.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Monsef Bakrar

Marked 8.77 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Lillestrom get the job done against Mjondalen

A 1‑0 win over Mjondalen, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Jakob Vester

Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Martin Ellingsen

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 16 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Monsef Bakrar is off the mark for Lillestrom

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

92 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

1 May 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Monsef Bakrar runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Loan watch

Armand Wangen counts the days

“I watch every Lillestrom game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Helsingborg runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

Sturla Ottesen 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.

Match

Lillestrom come up short against Odd

Odd left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Henrik Ajer signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Henrik Ajer commits to Lillestrom for another 3 years.

Squad

Kparobo Arierhi 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 Kparobo Arierhi trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Player ratings

Kparobo Arierhi keeps on missing

Shots: 10, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

In brief

91 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

24 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Camil Jebara

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Martin Ellingsen 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Martin Ellingsen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Martin Ellingsen, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Jakob Vester stands above it all

Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.53 on the card, and the Lillestrom support went home talking about one name.

Player ratings

The one thing Kparobo Arierhi could not do

Shots: 14, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Kevin Krygård

Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

90 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

17 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Martin Ellingsen: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Monsef Bakrar

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Kparobo Arierhi in the eights

A performance of 8.26 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Lars Ranger 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.

Match

Lillestrom and IK Start take a point apiece

It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

In brief

89 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

10 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Nothing got past Lars Ranger

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 35 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Tomás Lingua

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Player ratings

Jakob Vester shuts the door

Defensive actions: 26, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Birger Sorloth comes home

The shirt still fits. Birger Sorloth is back at Lillestrom, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

As if he never left: Birger Lien returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Birger Lien is a Lillestrom player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Market

Martin Odegaard is a Lillestrom player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Henrik Strandberg is a Lillestrom player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Player ratings

Ylldren Ibrahimaj runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

88 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

3 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom put Kristian Normann on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Market

Martin Ellingsen asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Squad

Håkon Krogelien says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

The armband comes off Kevin Krygård

Lillestrom will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Boardroom

Lillestrom pull $2.3M back off the table

The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.

Market

The Felix Vá question follows Lillestrom around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Felix Vá’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Squad

No hiding place for Simo Lampinen-Skaug

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Simo Lampinen-Skaug, and the manager let it.

Market

The market said no: Ylldren Ibrahimaj stays put

Lillestrom opened the door and nobody walked through it. So Ylldren Ibrahimaj stays — listed, trained, and available — while both sides mark the days to January on the same calendar.

In brief

87 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

27 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş 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.

Market

The Thomas Lehne Olsen talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Lillestrom know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

86 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

20 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Kparobo Arierhi 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.

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş 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 Lillestrom, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

85 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

13 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Lillestrom

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Lillestrom is running low.

Market

Stefan Hagerup puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Lillestrom sign Marcus Isane Kjos for $220.0K

The paperwork is done: Marcus Isane Kjos joins from Stabaek in a deal worth $220.0K. Now comes the harder part.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Martin Ellingsen 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.

Squad

Lillestrom lose Philip Aukland

44 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

84 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

6 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom spell it out for Kristian Normann

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Kristian Normann has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Market

Martin Ellingsen 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Kevin Krygård signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kevin Krygård commits to Lillestrom for another 4 years.

Squad

Martin Ellingsen 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

The Armand Wangen conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: IK Start will make the call about Armand Wangen this week. Lillestrom have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

Squad

No hiding place for Sander Moen Foss

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Sander Moen Foss, and the manager let it.

In brief

83 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

28 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Stefan Hagerup: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Lillestrom sell Pontus Dahlberg for $1.9M

Pontus Dahlberg has left for Columbus Crew in a $1.9M deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Market

Business is business: Gustav Nyheim goes

Viking paid $1.3M and Lillestrom took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Martin Ellingsen 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.

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Espen Garnås

31 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

No hiding place for Erik Frøysa

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Erik Frøysa, and the manager let it.

In brief

82 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

21 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Gustav Nyheim has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Lillestrom they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Market

Tomás Lingua 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Eyes on Pontus Dahlberg again

The phone has started ringing about Pontus Dahlberg again, and this time the name on the line is Columbus Crew. Lillestrom are listening politely and promising nothing.

Market

Lillestrom turn down IK Start for Armand Wangen

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

Espen Garnås 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.

In brief

81 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

14 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Lillestrom

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Market

Gustav Nyheim asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Market

Lillestrom turn down Viking for Kevin Krygård

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Lillestrom sell Markus Karlsbakk for $2.1M

Markus Karlsbakk has left for Haugesund in a $2.1M deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Linus Alperud moves on

Tromso pay $320.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

In brief

80 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

7 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom spell it out for Kristian Normann

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Kristian Normann has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Market

Ylldren Ibrahimaj puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Lillestrom turn down Stromsgodset for Gustav Nyheim

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Market

Eyes on Armand Wangen again

The phone has started ringing about Armand Wangen again, and this time the name on the line is Mjondalen. Lillestrom are listening politely and promising nothing.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Vlad Chiricheş

“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.

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Leo Aastorp Andersen

14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Kparobo Arierhi has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Lillestrom will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

Market

Lillestrom bring in an old head

Artur Pląskowski is 34 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.

In brief

  • Boardroom Lillestrom pull $2.3M back off the table
  • The terraces Supporters make their feelings known about Gustav Nyheim
  • Boardroom The Lillestrom dressing room answers
79 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

31 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Eric Kitolano 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.

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş 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 Vlad Chiricheş trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

78 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

24 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Markus Karlsbakk asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Squad

Salieu Drammeh: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

In brief

77 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

17 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Lillestrom boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Market

Gustav Nyheim asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

76 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

10 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Erik Frøysa: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Sander Moen Foss 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Magnar Ødegaard

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Magnar Ødegaard, and the manager let it.

In brief

75 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

3 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom put Kristian Normann on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Market

Ylldren Ibrahimaj 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Håkon Krogelien says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Squad

The season belongs to Kparobo Arierhi

An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and Lillestrom have had the benefit of it.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Espen Garnås

“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.

In brief

74 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

27 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Markus Karlsbakk puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Espen Garnås keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

73 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

20 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Lillestrom boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Market

Gustav Nyheim 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

In brief

72 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

13 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Frederik Elkær

“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.

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş 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.

In brief

71 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

6 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom put Kristian Normann on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Market

Ylldren Ibrahimaj asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Market

Still no ink between Lillestrom and Vlad Chiricheş

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Lillestrom, another week without a signature from Vlad Chiricheş.

Squad

Magnar Ødegaard 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.

Squad

Kparobo Arierhi 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.

Boardroom

Lillestrom pull $2.3M back off the table

The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.

Market

Thomas Lehne Olsen linked with a move away

The name of Thomas Lehne Olsen keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Lillestrom say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Gustav Nyheim has seen what the next man earns

Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at Lillestrom that is a harder question to answer.

In brief

70 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

29 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Markus Karlsbakk puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Linus Alperud says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Eric Kitolano 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

69 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

22 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Lillestrom boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Market

Gustav Nyheim 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Vlad Chiricheş 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.

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş 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.

Squad

Ylldren Ibrahimaj 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 Ylldren Ibrahimaj trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Market

The Pontus Dahlberg story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Pontus Dahlberg signs something — a contract at Lillestrom or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

68 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

15 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ruben Gabrielsen

“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.

Market

The Markus Karlsbakk talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Lillestrom know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

67 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

8 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom spell it out for Kristian Normann

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Kristian Normann has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Market

Ylldren Ibrahimaj puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Espen Garnås

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Espen Garnås, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Lillestrom pull $2.3M back off the table

The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.

Market

Thomas Lehne Olsen linked with a move away

The name of Thomas Lehne Olsen keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Lillestrom say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Gustav Nyheim has seen what the next man earns

Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at Lillestrom that is a harder question to answer.

Squad

“I want to play”: Rinor Rexhepi speaks

“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.

Loan watch

4 goals on loan for Armand Wangen

25 appearances at Stromsgodset and the goals keep coming. Lillestrom are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

66 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

1 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Lillestrom silence Valerenga

A derby is never about the football alone, but the football helped: 1‑0, and the away end emptied early. Bragging rights renewed for another season.

Market

Markus Karlsbakk 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

Gustav Nyheim runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 30. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

A derby belongs to Camil Jebara

Beat anybody else and it is three points. Beat them and it is a story a city tells for a decade. Lillestrom have their man.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Ylldren Ibrahimaj left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Ylldren Ibrahimaj will call it something else in private.

Loan watch

The goals keep arriving from Kparobo Arierhi’s exile

9 goals in 15 games at HJK — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Lillestrom updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.

Squad

No hiding place for Magnar Ødegaard

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Magnar Ødegaard, and the manager let it.

Squad

Pontus Dahlberg shuts the door again

7 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.

In brief

65 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

25 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Lillestrom boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Market

Gustav Nyheim 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Match

5 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Player ratings

Gustav Nyheim runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Bodo/Glimt

1‑2 to Bodo/Glimt, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

No hiding place for Ylldren Ibrahimaj

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ylldren Ibrahimaj, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

One of those days for Markus Karlsbakk

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.64, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Markus Karlsbakk is carrying Lillestrom

8 goals and a season average of 7.22. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

In brief

64 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

18 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Rinor Rexhepi keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Pontus Dahlberg

“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.

Match

Lillestrom share the spoils with Aalesund

A 1‑1 draw with Aalesund leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Gustav Nyheim 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.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Thomas Lehne Olsen

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

Market

The Markus Karlsbakk talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Lillestrom know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

63 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Pontus Dahlberg

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Herman Waage keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Yaw Paintsil

Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Eric Kitolano 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Eric Kitolano

“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.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Jakob Vester

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

Kevin Krygård stands above it all

Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.67 on the card, and the Lillestrom support went home talking about one name.

Player ratings

Lars Ranger shuts the door

Defensive actions: 15, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Match

Lillestrom draw a blank against Molde

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Molde defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

In brief

62 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

4 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Lillestrom put Kristian Normann on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Market

Markus Karlsbakk puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Ask Rodahl keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Thomas Lehne Olsen commits to Lillestrom for another 2 years.

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Gustav Nyheim runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Rosenborg

1‑2 to Rosenborg, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen 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 ratings

Markus Karlsbakk in the eights

A performance of 8.73 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

61 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Gustav Nyheim puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Lillestrom

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Lillestrom is running low.

Squad

Pontus Dahlberg keeps Lillestrom in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Eric Kitolano 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.

Player ratings

Markus Karlsbakk runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

One of those days for Kevin Krygård

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.52, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

No hiding place for Yaw Paintsil

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Yaw Paintsil, and the manager let it.

Match

Lillestrom and Stabaek take a point apiece

It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

Kevin Krygård finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Lillestrom have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

60 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

20 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Gustav Nyheim runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 32. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Markus Karlsbakk takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Markus Karlsbakk in the eights

A performance of 9.87 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Lillestrom see off Stromsgodset

Three points for Lillestrom, 3‑2 the final word against Stromsgodset in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ruben Gabrielsen

“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.

In brief

59 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ylldren Ibrahimaj 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 Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Efe Lucky: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Vlad Chiricheş

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vlad Chiricheş, and the manager let it.

Squad

Lillestrom lose Thomas Grøgaard

23 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

Lillestrom come up short against Viking

Viking left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Markus Karlsbakk

Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Thomas Lehne Olsen linked with a move away

The name of Thomas Lehne Olsen keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Lillestrom say nothing, which says plenty.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Ask Rodahl

A mark of 5.73 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

In brief

58 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

6 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Jakob Vester shuts the door

Defensive actions: 36, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Boardroom

Lillestrom spell it out for Kristian Normann

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Kristian Normann has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Market

Markus Karlsbakk puts it in writing

“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 Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş says Lillestrom went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Pontus Dahlberg

18 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Kevin Krygård 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Markus Karlsbakk in the eights

A performance of 9.10 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Lillestrom find a way past Sarpsborg 08

Sarpsborg 08 made Lillestrom work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Kevin Krygård

Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

57 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Gustav Nyheim asks to leave Lillestrom

“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.

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Lillestrom boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård 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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Camil Jebara

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

Lillestrom come up short against Haugesund

Haugesund left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ylldren Ibrahimaj

“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.

Squad

Gustav Nyheim 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.

Market

The Eric Kitolano story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Eric Kitolano signs something — a contract at Lillestrom or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Squad

A season on the outside for Vlad Chiricheş

He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Lillestrom has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.

In brief

56 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

23 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

No mercy from Lillestrom

Mjondalen will want this one forgotten quickly: 3‑0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Lillestrom were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Tomás Lingua

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Kevin Krygård

Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Gustav Nyheim

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Vlad Chiricheş 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 Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Jakob Vester

Marked 9.19 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Felix Vá

Marked 8.89 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Yaw Paintsil 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.

Squad

Ylldren Ibrahimaj 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 Ylldren Ibrahimaj trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief