July 2010 Round-Up:


31 July, 2010

Brian Kerr has selected his team to face Estonia in the European qualifier on 11 August in Tallinn, but it's without Jákup á Borg who has retired from international football.

The 20 players selected are:

HB Tórshavn: Fróði Benjaminsen, Símun Samuelsen, Vagnur Mohr Mortensen, Rógvi Poulsen, Tórður Thomsen (goalkeepr)

NSÍ Runavík: Bogi Løkin, Jóhan Troest Davidsen, Einar Hansen, Jann Ingi Petersen, Christian Høgni Jacobsen

B36 Tórshavn: Jónas Tór Næs, Christian R. Mouritsen

EB/Streymur: Egil á Bø EB/Streymur

ÍF Fuglafjørður: Høgni Zachariasen

Víkingur: Súni Olsen

Roskilde (DK): Atli Danielsen

Silkeborg (DK): Christian Lamhauge Holst

Newcastle (Eng): Jóan Símun Edmundsson

Tranmere Rovers Gunnar Nielsen (goalkeeper)

Ross County (Sco) Atli Gregersen

It's questionable how big Súni Olsen's role will be as he has been injured since the middle of June now, and hasn't played in Víkingur's last three league matches and neither played in the Europa League against Besiktas

Jákup á Borg retires from the national team
Jákup á Borg has announced his retirement from the national team. Á Borg is 30 years old and has earned 62 caps for the Faroe Islands and scored two goals. Maybe his retirement was to be expected as he is getting more and more busy with different businesses he is running. That usually means retirement from football eventually...

Goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen joins Tranmere Rovers
23-year old Gunnar Nielsen has extended his contract with Manchester City with another year, so that it runs to the end of the 2012 season.

However, for the next six months Nielsen will be on loan to Tranmere Rovers in League One.

Nielsen's debut for Tranmere was on 21 July, just hours after his loan-signing, in a pre-season friendly with Nottingham Forrest. Nielsen kept his sheet clean as Tranmere won 2-0.

On 3 August, Tranmere play a friendly against a Liverpool XI.

Tranmer's first league game of the season is at home against Oldham Athletic on 7 August.

27 July, 2010

The league resumes today, Tuesday 27 July after a moth of summer break. The 16th round of the Vodafone Division looks like this:

27 July AB Argir – EB/Streymur
27 July FC Suðuroy – ÍF Fuglafjørður
27 July NSÍ Runavík – B68 Toftir
28 July HB Tórshavn – B71 Sandoy
29 July B36 Tórshavn - Víkingur

The transfer window closed at midnight on Tuesday. Let's take a look at some of changes that have been made:

AB Argir

Norwegian striker Stig-Roar Søbstad leaves
Troubled AB Argir have had to say goodbye to their Norwegian striker Stig-Roar Søbstad as they couldn’t hold on to him because of financial reasons. Søbstad, who is joint 2nd in the top scorer list with 6 goals, has switched to B36.

Striker Tróndur Sigurðsson returns
To – at least try to - fill the big Norwegian’s shoes, AB have acquired Tróndur Sigurðsson from HB, where he has only played a couple of matches for the 2nd team this season. Sigurðsson is no stranger at AB as he made a name of himself by scoring 25 goals in 25 matches in the 1st division in 2008, helping AB to promotion to the Vodafone division.

Four new players - one from Sweden - and one returning
21-year-old centre back Rói Danielsen, who was a regular for AB last season, but has been away in Denmark this season, has returned and will be available for the rest of the season.

AB have also signed inexperienced HB players Ingvard Vang, Yohan Andres Borðoy and goalkeeper Thomas Juul Thomsen, who is meant as backup. None of these players have ever played in the top division.

Additionally, AB have also signed a 19-year-old Swedish player, Magnus Berglud, who originally came on a trial at ÍF this summer, but later went to AB, where he apparently has made a bigger impression than at ÍF. – Or maybe AB are just more desperate as they lie 9th in the table.

Goalkeeper Tórður Thomsen leaves for HB
Goalkeeper Tórður Thomsen, who was the 1st choice keeper has moved to HB. Heðin Stenberg is now 1st choice.

B36 Tórshavn

Striker Søbstad joins B36
As mentioned above, B36 have signed Norwegian striker Stig-Roar Søbstad from AB. B36 claim that a proper striker has been the only missing ingredient in their team. Currently B36 have scored 4 goals less than HB who are 7 points ahead in second place and 9 goals less than NSÍ who ate 9 points ahead in 1st spot.

Jónas Tór Næss to B36
It has now been confirmed that Jónas Tór Næss, right back in the national team, has signed for B36. Næss has been at Danish 1st division club Frem during the last year.

B68 Toftir

Senegalese duo extend contracts to the end of 2011
B68 have announced that their Senegalese duo, striker Ahmed Keita and midfielder Ndende Adama Gueye will also play for B68 next season. Both of them have suffered from injuries this season, but both are expected to be at full strength when the league resumes on Tuesday, where B68 visit leaders NSÍ; by some described as the most intense local derby in the Faroes.

B71 Sandoy

Two FC Hoyvík-players for B71B71 have announced that they have signed two players from 1st division club FC Hoyvík, forward Thomas Hans Rubeksen and midfielder/forward Bogi Hermansen. Both of them have some experience from the top division for B36 and AB. Rubeksen additionally has played 1 match for HB’s first team – in a 2-2 draw against B71 in 2008 where he missed a last gasp sitter.

FC Suðuroy

Danish defender
Bottom team Suðuroy have bolstered their defence – or at least they hope the have – with 22-year-old Danish central defender Kasper Schultz who has played for Glostrup and Vanløse in the Danish 2nd division. Previously he has played for Brøndby’s reserves and youth teams.

EB/Streymur

Pauli G. Hansen available for EB/Streymur again
EB/Streymur have announced that midfielder Pauli G. Hansen has come out of retirement and will be available for EB/Streymur for the rest of the season. Hansen switched to EB/Streymur in 2008 after Skála had been relegated from the top flight. Hansen has played 1 match for Skála’s 2nd division team this season.

HB Tórshavn

Goalkeeper Tórður Thomsen joins the champions
As mentioned above, AB goalkeeper Tórður Thomsen has joined HB where he will compete for the place between the sticks with Polish keeper Marcin Dawid. As normal 2nd choice keeper Símun Rógvi Hansen had an appendix operation, HB were in need of a new reserve keeper.

Thomsen was given the chance in the 2nd leg Europa League match against Red Bull Salzburg where he held a clean sheet as HB beat the Austrian champions 1-0. It’s unclear whether Thomsen was “just” given an opportunity to play because nothing was at stake as such, or if Thomsen will be future 1st choice keeper. Overall he played a fine match and the coaches will surely be tempted to pick him for the match against B71 on Wednesday.

HB’s assistant coach Jóannes Jakobsen said in 2006, when he was coach at B68 where Thomsen played then, that Thomsen was the biggest goalkeeper-talent in the country (or something along those lines).

Tór-Ingar Akselsen rejoins 07 Vestur
When HB played the home match against Salzburg, winger/forward Tór-Ingar Akselsen was surprisingly not in the squad and was watching the match from the stands. There was a reason for this, as it shortly after was announced that Akselsen had rejoined 07 Vestur in the 1st division. Akselsen had found it difficult to get into HB’s starting line-up and was usually used as a sub. At 07 Vestur he will get a leading role and will be a decisive factor in getting 07 Vestur back on track in their quest for promotion after some hiccups lately.

Three homecomings
Attacking midfielder Rókur av Fløtum Jespersen who studies abroad usually returns to HB at this time of the year to get in on some of the action. He might leave again before the end of the season.

Also midfielder Páll Mohr Joensen, who has been hiking the world, has returned home and is ready to turn out for HB again.

And another player to return home is midfielder Ólavur í Ólavsstovu, who joined NSÍ ahead of the season, but never settled – partially because of injury.

ÍF Fuglafjørður

Bartal Eliasen back with ÍF
Bartal Eliasen, who has been in Denmark, has rejoined ÍF where he will be for the rest of the season. Eliasen can play in both defence and attack.

NSÍ runavík

Faroese international Bogi Løkin home again
Faroese international midfielder Bogi Løkin, who moved to Denmark to study before the season and at the same time played for 1st division club Frem, has returned to NSÍ and will be available for the current leaders for the rest of the season.

Víkingur

Faroe Islands U21 players to Vikingur
Víkingur have welcomed the return of defender Erling Jacobsen from Danish 2nd division Club Vanløse. Also striker Páll Klettskarð, who likewise has played for Vanløse, has joined Víkingur. Both of them play for the Faroe Islands U-21 team.

Andreas Lava Olsen – but is it only a flying visit?
Another player who has returned from Denmark is striker / attacking midfielder Andreas Lava Olsen, who has been played for Danish 1st division club Frem while he has been away studying. Lava Olsen was called home to help Víkingur in their Europa League matches against Besiktas, but played only in the last quarter of an hour in the first leg as he had been ill ahead of the match and didn’t play at all in the home-leg a week later. At the moment it’s not quite clear if Lava Olsen will be part of Víkingur’s continuing league campaign. Víkiingur visit B36 on Thursday.