What happened to all the Norwegians within the Premier League?

Can you remember the Norwegian invasion on English football in the 90’s? Back in the days when premiership footballers had fathomable salaries and 40-yard back track followed by a studded tackle to the knee-region was applauded as much as a cup winning 30-yard strike in injury time? Norwegians left their mark on the premiership back then, playing important roles for the biggest club’s in the country. In the early days of the Premier League, Norwegian footballers were held in high stature. Their Norse bravery and fierce professionalism prompted an army – perhaps not as brutal as the Viking invasion in the 10th century, but equally purposeful – of Norwegians to cross the pond to fulfil their dream in the spiritual home of football. Now, there are two Vikings – Fulham’s Brede Hangeland and John Arne Riise – left with realistic starting credentials in the Premier League.

What happened? How come one of England’s prime markets for foreign talent has so completely seized to be exploited?

As a Norwegian myself, I know how prestigious the English Premier League is for young footballers and aspiring talents in our country. It is only one- and a half hours flight away, and it is by our estimates the strongest, biggest and most spectacular league in the world. Most Norwegian kids who play football will grow up supporting an English team above any Norwegian side. Either it be Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United (or the poor sod whose dad forced him to wear Leeds kit), Premier League teams are the biggest influence on Norwegian footballers. We are Anglophile, and in football terms there is nothing better than the magnificent grandness of the English Premier League. Our Promised Land.

This became self-enforcing in the 90’s. When our best footballers started succeeding here, there was suddenly an inclining to support a team from Merseyside rather than the unglamorous local club, however sharp their performance in Tippeligaen – the Norwegian top tier – might be. I can remember myself having kick-abouts wearing a tiny replica of the Man United kit with ‘SOLSKJAER  20’ written across the back. I think the shirt was too small for any print, but a nice man in the local supporter shop sorted it out. The back looked crammed, but I had the name of my idol written on the back of the kit of my favourite team.

And players like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Henning Berg and Tore Andre Flo made dominating figures in the premiership. They rarely made a fuzz off the pitch, won titles, and – most importantly – became crowd icons. At Old Trafford’s Stretford End you can still find the ‘2OLEgend’ banner, as a tribute to the man who won the 1999 Champions League final. There was never any awkward questions asked with Norwegian players. I believe this is one of the few factors that made them so appealing. In terms of professionalism, Norway was actually ahead of England. A Norwegian player would gladly sit on the bench, work his socks off for 45 minutes in whatever position necessary, and go home to get in bed at an appropriate time. This is all part of the professional attitude expected from the modern footballer, but the reality in England in the two decades ago involved a tad more beer, and possibly showing up for training with a hangover.

However, the biggest reason for the decline of Norwegians in the Premier League is directly connected with the decline of Norwegian football. It’s simply not on the level it used to be. When the internationals made it to our two only World Cups ever in 94 and 98, with coach Egil ‘Drillo’ Olsen at the helm, Norway was a considerable force internationally. With a rigid defensive style, and a rapid counter attack, Norway created history, most memorably when they beat Brazil 2-1 in Marseille in the final group game in 98. This is still one of Norway’s greatest sports moments of all time. It took us to a sensational (and questionable) second place on the newly initiated FIFA-ranking. We played a type of football that stifled even the toughest opponents on the planet. But since then, Norway only made an abysmal appearance in the Euro 2000’s – the last championship we have played in to date.

Part of the problem with our football is that we are struggling to find an identity. Other teams found us out eventually, and the long ball towards a big target man with a runner rushing onto the through pass is too predictable for the modern game, and most countries are more than capable of securing themselves from getting caught on the brake. Likewise, we have failed to create players that are technically adept to play modern football. The standard of the national team has been in steady decline, and never really made a transition to an adamant way of playing football. Drillo made a comeback as national coach in 2009, but failed to make it through the World Cup qualifiers in a group containing Switzerland, Island, Cyprus, Albania and Slovenia. His pragmatic approach never agreed with the young players’ desire to move the ball along the floor. There was no plan-B, and Norway missed a phenomenal chance to play in Brazil.

So the golden generation of Solskjaer, Flo, Berg and Ronny Johnsen has passed, and no one has really managed to form an effective side since. However, better times could be approaching for Norwegian football. Some of you might remember this summer’s Under-21 European Championship where Norway hammered an English side that fielded players like Wilfred Zaha and Thomas Ince 3-1. There is an interesting new generation coming through in Norway. Former Manchester United academy player of the year, and current Molde midfielder Mads Daehlie, has been described by coach Solskjaer as a Scholes-esque player maker, and Juventus are expressing major hopes for their 17-year old prospect Vajebah Sakor.

In a few years, with a little push in the right direction, the Norwegian might launch yet another crusade to the British isles.