August 2010 Round-Up:
31 August, 2010
National team: Arnbjørn Hansen replaces Christian Høgni Jacobsen
It has been announced that Christian Høgni Jacobsen of NSÍ Runavík, and current league top scorer, has withdrawn from the international qualifiers against Serbia and Italy because of injury.
To replace him, Brian Kerr has selected Arnbjørn Hansen who scored five goals for EB/Strteymur last Sunday and climbed up to second in the top scorer list, only 2 goals adrift of Jacobsen.
27 August, 2010
B36 Tórshavn sack coach Sigfríður Clementsen
Last Tuesday, 2 days after B36 were defeated by bottom team FC Suðuroy, the club announced that the coach Sigfríður Clementsen had been sacked, citing lack of results, where the main ambition is to qualify for Europe. At the moment B36 is in 6th place in the table, 4 points away from Europe.
To replace Clementsen for the rest of the season, B36 named Allan Mørkøre who was coach at rock-bottom AB Argir. That’s pure logic of course. AB will now be coached by Sámal Erik Hentze who was appointed to assistant Mørkøre a couple of weeks ago in an attempt to save AB from relegation.
Mørkøre was in charge of B36 for the first time on Wednesday and got off to a winning start as they beat FC Suðuroy 1-0.
Allan Mørkøere is the younger brother of Kurt Mørkøre who was coach at B36 in 2007 when they competed with NSÍ for the title which NSÍ won for the first time in their history. Both of the Mørkøre brothers played in the national team that beat Austria in 1990.
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No Sorin Anghel in the Faroese national team
Brian Kerr has named his squad for the international qualifiers against Serbia and Italy, but it's without Rumanian Sorin Anghel, who isn’t eligible to play after all.
Earlier in the month we wrote that 31-year old Rumanian Sorin Anghel had attained Faroese (or Danish) citizenship and would therefore be eligible to play for the Faroe Islands, but it has since turned out that this was not quite the case, however, as Anghel has only attained a permanent visa. That does not qualify him to play for the Faroe Islands as he needs a Faroese passport to do that.
Anghel, who has played for the Rumanian U-21 team, joined EB/Streymur in 2001 where he mostly plays as a forward, but occasionally in defence where he is one of the very best in the country.
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The squad
The Faroese team selected for the qualifiers against Serbia at home on 3 September and away to Italy on 7 September is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Gunnar Nielsen (Tranmere Rovers FC), Tórður Thomsen (HB Tórshavn)
Defenders: Johan Troest Davidsen (NSÍ Runavík), Einar Hansen (NSÍ Runavík), Jónas Tór Næs (B36 Tórshavn), Hendrik Rubeksen (HB Tórshavn), Atli Gregersen (Ross County FC), Egil á Bø (EB/Streymur), Pól Jóhannus Justinussen (B68 Toftir), Bartal Eliasen (ÍF Fuglafjørður)
Midfielders: Bogi Løkin (NSÍ Runavík), Jann Ingi Petersen (NSÍ Runavík), Jústinus R. Hansen (NSÍ Runavík), Fróði Benjaminsen (HB Tórshavn), Símun Samuelsen (HB Tórshavn), Daniel Udsen (EB/Streymur), Christian L. Holst (Silkeborg IF)
Forwards: Jóan Símun Edmundsson (Newcastle United FC), Christian Høgni Jacobsen (NSÍ Runavík), Christian R. Mouritsen (B36 Tórshavn)
New in the squad is the Dane Daniel Udsen who is eligible to play for the Faroe Islands because of his Faroese grandmother. Also Pól Jóhannus Justinussen from B68 has been picked for the first time. He has so far been playing for the U-21 team, mostly in the central defence, but against Andorra in midfield.
20 August, 2010
FIFA president Sepp Blatter visits Faroe Islands
The Faroese Football Association has announced that FIFA president Sepp Blatter will visit the Faroe Islands on the 15th and 16th of September.
We'll probably not be invited, but would like to ask the man to please stop his ridiculous thoughts of introducing the Golden Goal again. Another issue we'd like to enlighten him on is technology. A discussion on corruption would also be amusing…
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Goalkeeper Símun Rógvi Hansen to AB Argir on loan
AB Argir have hired 23-year old HB Tórshavn goalkeeper Símun Rógvi Hansen on loan for the rest of the season to replace Heðin Stenberg who broke his hand a week ago.
Hansen, who has just recovered from an appendix operation, came to HB from B71 Sandoy in 2009 and was no. 1 goalkeeper for most of the season. This season he had mostly been playing second fiddle to Polish goalkeeper Marcin Dawid. And as HB have recently acquired Tórður Thomsen – from AB – who has become first choice keeper, Hansen had fallen to no. 3 in the pecking order.
13 August, 2010
Jóan Símun Edmundsson signs permanent deal with Newcastle
19-year old striker Jóan Símun Edmundsson, who has been at Newcastle United for the last half a year on a loan contract, has now signed a full contract with the Premier League club, with the option of an extension of a further year. Edmundsson has played for the reserves during his loan-period but recently played 20 minutes in the first-team in pre-season.
On Wednesday, Edmundsson became the first goalscorer in the new qualifying campaign for the European championships in Ukraine and Poland in 2012, as he put the Faroe Islands ahead in the match against Estonia; the very first match of the qualifying tournament.
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AB Argir hit by typical "relegation-faith"
It's almost the norm, that teams who are struggling in the relegation zone are hit by all sorts of problems in addition to their problems in getting points.
During the week, goalkeeper Heðin Stenberg broke his hand in training and will be out for at least two months – and possibly for the rest of the season, which ends in late October.
Although AB just recently brought in 18-year old goalkeeper Thomas Juul Thomsen from HB's second team to be reserve goalkeeper, AB are apparently searching for a more experienced shot-stopper to replace Stenberg.
Early in the season, one of AB’s then reserve keepers, Bárður Johannesen, was loaned out to B71 to replace their normal 1st choice keeper Predrag Markovic, who had become injured. B71 earned 8 points in 8 matches while Johannesen was there. But although Markovic has returned to B71 again, Johannesen will apparently not be AB’s emergency goalkeeper as AB have said that they most likely will find a goalkeeper from abroad.
Sámal Erik Hentze to assist coach Allan Mørkøre
AB have announced that they have appointed last season's championship-winning coach at HB Tórshavn, Sámal Erik Hentze, to assist current coach Allan Mørkøre in the quest of saving AB from relegation.
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Jógvan Martin Olsen also Víkingur-coach in 2011
Víkingur have announced that they have extended the contract of the coach, Jógvan Martin Olsen, with a further year so that the contract runs until the end of 2011.
10 August, 2010
Faroe Islands coach Brian Kerr calls upon Jákup á Borg for one final bow as the Faroe Islands open the 2012 European Championships qualifying campaign away to Estonia on Wednesday 11 August.
It won’t be the most experienced Faroese team that will play against Estonia on Wednesday as several players have entered the team for the first time, replacing more experienced players that have pulled out of the squad because of different reasons.
Most noticeable is the absence of midfielder Súni Olsen who has withdrawn through injury. To replace him, Kerr has asked 30-year old Jákup á Borg, who just recently announced his retirement from the national team, to make one final appearance in the Faroese shirt. Á Borg has earned more than 60 caps for the Faroe Islands and has scored two goals.
Another noticeable absentee is midfielder Atli Danielsen (36 caps) who will be taking an examination in Denmark around the time of the match.
In total 6 of the players in the squad are still eligible to play for the U21 team which take on Andorra, also on Wednesday. These players are Johan Troest Davidsen, Bogi Løkin, Einar Hansen, Christian R. Mouritsen, Jóan Símun Edmundsson and Karl Løkin. Karl Løkin, who is the younger brother of Bogi Løkin, was originally selected for the U21 team this time, but was later selected for the senior team. Troest Davidsen, Bogi Løkin and Einar Hansen have been an integral part of the senior team for a couple of years already.
Three of the players have been selected for the senior team for the first time. These are Jústinus R. Hansen, Karl Løkin and Hendrik Rubeksen who used to be a forward, but has been used as an emergency left back at HB Tórshavn this season and has apparently caught the coach’s eye.
Goalkeeper Tórður Thomsen has earned no cap for the Faroes, but was included in the squad that played against Luxembourg in June.
The team to face Estonia on Wednesday is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Gunnar Nielsen (Tranmere) and Tórður Thomsen (HB Tórshavn).
Defenders: Jóhan Troest Davidsen (NSÍ Runavík), Einar Hansen (NSÍ Runavík), Jónas Tór Næs (B36 Tórshavn), Egil á Bø (EB/Streymur), Atli Gregersen (Ross County), Hendrik Rubeksen (HB Tórshavn)
Midfielders: Fróði Benjaminsen (HB Tórshavn), Símun Samuelsen (HB Tórshavn), Rógvi Poulsen (HB Tórshavn), Jann Ingi Petersen (NSÍ Runavík), Bogi Løkin (NSÍ Runavík), Jústinus R. Hansen (NSÍ Runavík), Christian Lamhauge Holst (Silkeborg), Jákup á Borg (B36), Karl Løkin (ÍF Fuglafjørður)
Forwards: Christian Høgni Jacobsen (NSÍ Runavík), Christian R. Mouritsen (B36 Tórshavn), Jóan Símun Edmundsson (Newcastle)
(Some of the midfielders could maybe be named forwards as well as some forward could maybe be named midfielder)
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Faroe Islands U21 to reach double figures?
Should the Faroese U-21 team beat Andorra on Wednesday, they will reach 11 points in the table and will be the first ever Faroese football team in international competition to reach double digits in the table.
The away match last November ended 1-1 which was a bitterly disappointing result for the Faroe Islands who had expected a win.
The win will be the goal again this time around, but the team is somewhat hampered by the fact that so many of the eligible U21 players have entered the senior team; for example 19 year old striker Jóan Símun Edmundsson who has scored 3 of the 5 Faroese goals. Another key player who has come through the ranks to the senior team is attacking midfielder Christian R. Mouritsen who last month had a trial at Tranmere Rovers together with centre-back Pól Jóhannus Justinussen, who will play in the defence against Andorra on Wednesday.
Faroe Islands Football News
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