- Molde FK
-
Molde 
Full name Molde Fotballklubb Nickname(s) BlåHvit (Blue-Whites) Short name MFK Founded 19 June 1911 Ground Aker Stadion
Molde
Norway
(Capacity: 11,800 [1])Chairman Erik Berg Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær Coach Mark Dempsey League Tippeligaen 2011 Tippeligaen, 1st 
Home coloursAway coloursThird colours
Current seasonMolde Fotballklubb is a football club from Molde, Norway. It was founded on 19 June 1911. They currently play in Tippeligaen, the Norwegian top division. Molde's home matches are played at Aker Stadion (inaugurated 1998), which holds a record attendance of 13,308 (vs Rosenborg BK, 1998)[1]. Aker Stadion's maximum capacity now is 11,800 attendants. The club's record attendance was 14,615 (vs Moss, 1987)[2][3] at the former Molde stadion, which they spent most of their existence at.
The club was Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær's first professional club (where he scored thirty-one goals in forty-two matches), and in January 2011 he returned to manage the club.[4] Molde are one-time league champions and two time Norwegian Cup winners, and have finished 2nd in Tippeligaen a further seven times. Another highlight in the history of the club is the participation in the UEFA Champions League in the 1999/2000-season, when Real Madrid, Porto and Olympiacos visited Molde.
Contents
History
Molde FK was founded on June 19th 1911, and named International because the opponents were primarily visitors from cruise ships or trading vessels. The rising interest and activity in football in neighbouring towns caused the club to change its name to Molde Fotballklubb.
Until the beginning of the 70s, the club mainly played in local lower division leagues, except from a short visit to the top division in the 1957-58 season. In 1974 Molde was back in the premier division following the entrance of a series of young talented players in the first team, coinciding with the return of top level players adding new skills to the team. Jan Fuglset, Åge Hareide, and Harry Hestad, amongst others, played at Molde at the time.
Since then, Molde has generally stayed in the top division and has become one of the nations leading clubs. The club has produced a respectable number of national team players, and players who have gone professional in foreign leagues. Among these is the famous Manchester United star Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
Molde have been close on many occasions to winning the league title, which they finally achieved for the first time in the 2011 season. Before that, the 1987 season was the closest Molde had come to winning the league championship, when a draw at home against Moss would have ensured the title. In spite of Molde delievering an excellent game with lots of great opportunities, Moss won the game 2-0 at Molde stadium, thus winning the league championship as well. The attendance of 14,615 set the record at the old Molde stadium. Overall, before their 2011 success Molde had won the silver medal for runners-up spot on seven separate occasions, in 1974, 1987, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2009.
Molde played in the cup finals in 1982, and 1989, but lost both. In 1994 finally Molde succeeded in winning the title by defeating Lyn 3-2 at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo.
The new stadium of the club was inaugurated in 1998. The finest stadium of Norway, by the seashore of central Molde, cost approximately £20,000,000 and was constructed thanks to the investors Kjell Inge Røkke and Bjørn Rune Gjelsten who donated the necessary funds. The attendance record at the new Molde stadium is 13,308 against Rosenborg in 1998. The official name of the new stadium was Molde Stadion unntil May 3rd 2006, when it change name to Aker Stadium due to sponsorship reasons.
The club has been one of the leading in exporting players, which has given the club a substantion amount of funds, especially in the late 90s. Harry Hestad, Åge Hareide, Kjetil Rekdal, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Petter Rudi, Trond Andersen, Andreas Lund, Jo Tessem, Rob Friend, Mame Biram Diouf and Pape Pate Diouf are all among those who have been sold from Molde to foreign clubs.
One of Norways best-regarded coaches, Åge Hareide, coached Molde in the periods 1987-1991 and 1993-1997. He has since then been in charge of Helsingborg, Brøndby, Rosenborg, the national team of Norway, Örgryte and is now the coach of Viking.
Solskjær became manager before the start of the 2011 season. Despite starting with a heavy loss to newly-promoted Sarpsborg 08 and a 2-2 draw with Tromso IL, Molde eventually won their first championship title with two rounds of matches remaining after Rosenborg, the only team that could mathematically have still beaten them to first place, lost 6-3 at home to SK Brann.
Today the club has approximately 900 members and around 55 teams in three departments[5].
Stadium
Main article: Aker StadionSee also: Molde IdrettsparkMolde's current stadium is the Aker Stadion, formerly known as Molde Stadion, and is located at Reknes, by the seashore of central Molde. It cost NOK 212 million, most of which was paid for by the investor Kjell Inge Røkke—after whom the ground has been nicknamed "Røkkeløkka". The official name of the new stadium was Molde Stadion until 3 May 2006, when the stadium name changed to Aker Stadion following a sponsorship deal with Røkke's company Aker. The stadium was inaugurated on 18 April 1998, when the stadium was officially opened by Prime Minister and Molde-fan Kjell Magne Bondevik.[1] In the opening match, Molde beat Lillestrøm 4–0 in their first home game of the season, attracting 13,010 spectators.[6] Tommy Berntsen scored the first goal on Aker Stadion with an own goal, while Daniel Berg Hestad was the first Molde-player to score a goal on the new stadium.[7] The all-time spectator record was set on 26 September, when Molde hosted Rosenborg in front of 13,308 people.[8] When Molde qualified for the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League group stage the stadium was converted to an all-seater, with seats being installed on the lower sections of the short end stands. This reduced the attendance capacity permanently, because the club chose to not remove the seats afterwards.[9] Today the capacity of Aker Stadion is 11,800.[1]
Before moving to Aker Stadion in the beginning of the 1998 season, Molde had been playing their home games at Molde Idrettspark (at the time called Molde stadion, and Gamle Molde stadion since 1998), a municipal-owned multi-use venue[10], since 1955. Gamle Molde stadion was inaugurated on 28 August 1955, when Kristiansund was beaten by 1-0.[11] 2,500 spectators attended the inaugural match.[11] The first top-tier league match was played here on 28 July 1957, when Molde managed a 1-1 draw against Sandefjord in the first round of 1957–58 Norwegian Main League.[11] When Molde earned promotion to the 1974 Norwegian First Division, the main stand got expanded.[11] The record attendance at Gamle Molde stadion was 14,615 (vs Moss, 1987)[2][3], which still is a club record. Today Molde Idrettspark is used by Træff and Molde 2.
Supporter club - Tornekrattet
Tornekrattet (Eng: Thorn thicket) is an independent and unpolitical supporter club for Molde FK. They are the main singers and flag users on Molde matches. «Tornekrattet» where started after the 1994 cupfinal, by a group called «The Granlia gang». On Molde Idrettspark (Old Molde Stadium) Tornekrattet was situated in the upper corner of left standing stand. Today the supporter club stands in the lower right corner at the west side of Aker Stadium. Today, Tornekrattet is one of the oldest supporter clubs in Norway. Today the supporter club counts about 1100 members.[citation needed]
Players and staff
Current squad
- As of 18 August, 2011[12]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No. Position Player 1 
GK Espen Bugge Pettersen 2 DF Kristoffer Paulsen Vatshaug 5 DF Vegard Forren 6 MF Daniel Berg Hestad (Captain) 7 MF Magnus Wolff Eikrem 8 
MF Makhtar Thioune 9 
MF Mattias Moström 10 MF Magne Hoseth 11 FW Jo Inge Berget 12 GK Knut Dørum Lillebakk 13 MF Pål Erik Ulvestad 14 DF Christian Steen 15 MF Magnus Stamnestrø 17 DF Børre Steenslid No. Position Player 18 DF Magne Simonsen 19 
FW José Mota 20 
FW Davy Claude Angan 21 DF Krister Wemberg 22 
MF Josh Gatt 23 DF Knut Olav Rindarøy 25 DF Sean Cunningham 26 GK Elias Valderhaug 27 
FW Daniel Chima Chukwu 30 MF Zlatko Tripic 31 MF Mamadou Gando Ba 32 MF Abdou Karim Camara 33 FW Vini Dantas Players on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No. Position Player 4 MF Thomas Holm (on loan to Tromsø)[13] 16 DF Jacob Falch Meidell (on loan to Kristiansund)[14] 24 DF Torjus Aaland (on loan to Kristiansund)[14] Coaching staff
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær Coach Mark Dempsey Goalkeeper coach Richard Hartis Administrative staff
Chairman Erik Berg Director Tarje Nordstrand Jacobsen Achievements
Domestic
- Norwegian Football Cup: [5]
- Winners (2): 1994, 2005
- Runners-up (3): 1982, 1989, 2009
Non-official
- La Manga Cup:
- Winners (1): 2010
Records
Accomplishment Record Most matches Daniel Berg Hestad 698 (at the end of the 2010 season) Most goals Jan Fuglset 164 Most goals scored in a league-game 6, Jan Fuglset vs. Strømsgodset in 1976 Longest unbeaten run 21 games in 1998 Greatest victory in Tippeligaen 8-0 Moss in 1996 Heaviest loss in Tippeligaen 0-8 Stabæk in 2006 Source: [3]
European History
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate 1975/76 UEFA Cup First Round Öster 1–0 0–6 1–6 1978/79 UEFA Cup First Round 
FC Torpedo Moscow 3–3 0–4 3–7 1988/89 UEFA Cup First Round 
K.S.V. Waregem 0–0 1–5 1–5 1995/96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Qualifying Round 
Dinamo-93 Minsk 2–1 1–1 3–2 First Round 
Paris Saint-Germain 2–3 0–3 2–6 1996/97 UEFA Cup Qualifying Round 
FC Dinamo Tbilisi 0–0 1–2 1–2 1998/99 UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round 
PFC CSKA Sofia 0–0 0–2 0–2 1999/00 UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round 
CSKA Moscow 4–0 0–2 4–2 Third Qualifying Round 
Mallorca 0–0 1–1 1–1(a) Q Group Stage Round 1 and 5 
Porto 0–1 1–3 N/A Group Stage Round 6 and 2 Real Madrid 0–1 1–4 N/A Group Stage Round 4 and 3 
Olympiacos 3–2 1–3 N/A 2000/01 UEFA Cup First Round Rayo Vallecano 0–1 1–1 1–2 2003/04 UEFA Cup Qualifying Round 
KÍ Klaksvík 2–0 4–0 6–0 First Round União de Leiria 3–1 0–1 3–2 Second Round Benfica 0–2 1–3 1–5 2006/07 UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round 
Skonto 0–0 2–1 2–1 First Round 
Rangers 0–0 0–2 0–2 2010/11 UEFA Europa League Second Qualifying Round Jelgava 1–0 1–2 2–2(a) Third Qualifying Round 
Stuttgart 2–3 2–2 4–5 - (Q) – Qualified for Group Stage
Source: [16]
Recent history
Main article: List of Molde FK seasonsSeason League Cup Europe Top goalscorer Division Pos G W D L GS GA Pts Name Goals 2007 Div 1 
130 22 3 5 62 28 69 R1 Mame Biram Diouf 10 2008 Prem 9 26 8 6 12 39 43 31 SF José Roberto Rodrigues Mota 12 2009 Prem 2 30 17 5 8 62 35 56 Final Mame Biram Diouf 16 2010 Prem 11 30 10 10 10 42 45 40 R3 UEFA Europa League – 3QR Baye Djiby Fall 16 2011 (in progress) Prem 1 28 16 7 5 50 35 55 QF Pape Paté Diouf 12 2012 Prem R1 UEFA Champions League – 2QR List of Molde FK managers
As of 24 October 2011[17]
Team Nat From To Record G W D L GF GA Win % Reidar Vågnes March 2003 March 2005 59 19 14 26 77 86 32.20 Bo Johansson March 2005 March 2006 33 15 6 12 57 55 45.45 Arild Stavrum April 2006 November 2006 31 8 6 17 54 73 25.81 Kjell Jonevret April 2007 30 Agust 2010 125 61 27 37 233 172 48.80 Uwe Rösler 31 August 2010 9 November 2010 8 6 2 0 11 3 75.00 Ole Gunnar Solskjær 9 November 2010 Present 32 20 6 6 73 38 62.50 History of league positions (since 1963)
1963–
19701971–
19731974–
19781979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984–
19931994 1995–
20062007 2008– Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Molde also briefly appeared among the championship contestants in 1958, but the league was differently organized at the top levels until 1963.[18]
Notable former players
Cup champions for Molde 1994
- Morten Bakke, Trond Strande, Sindre Rekdal, Flaco, Knut Anders Fostervold, Ulrich Møller, Tarje Nordstrand Jacobsen, André Nevstad, Kjetil Rekdal, Daniel Berg Hestad, Tor Gunnar Johnsen, Ole Bjørn Sundgot, Arild Stavrum, Berdon Sønderland, Jan Berg, Petter Rudi.[19]
Cup champions for Molde 2005
- Marcus Andreasson, John Andreas Husøy, Matej Mavric, Rob Friend, Tommy Eide Møster, Toni Kallio, Knut Dørum Lillebakk, Stian Ohr, Magnus Kihlberg, Kai Røberg, Trond Strande, Mitja Brulc, Øyvind Gjerde, Daniel Berg Hestad, Thomas Mork, Petter Rudi, Dag Roar Ørsal, Øyvind Gram, Torgeir Hoås, Martin Høyem, Lars Ivar Moldskred, Erlend Ormbostad, Madiou Konate, Johan Nås, Torgeir Ruud Ramsli, Petter Christian Singsaas.[19]
Molde players who have played for the Norwegian national team
- Harry Hestad
- Magne Hoseth
- Arne Legernes
- Øyvind Leonhardsen
- Andreas Lund
- Ulrich Møller
- Roger Nilsen
- Stian Ohr
- Odd Inge Olsen
- Espen Bugge Pettersen
- Kjetil Rekdal
- Knut Olav Rindarøy
- Petter Rudi
- Ole Gunnar Solskjær
- Arild Stavrum
- Ole Bjørn Sundgot
References
- ^ a b c d "Aker Stadion" (in Norwegian). stadionsiden.com. http://www.stadionsiden.com/index.asp?stadium_id=297. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Molde Idrettspark". stadionsiden.com. http://www.stadionsiden.com/index.asp?stadium_id=323. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ a b c "MFK factsheet" (in Norwegian). MFKweb.org. http://www.mfkweb.org/fakta.php. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ "Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appointed Molde manager". The Sport Review. 09 November 2010. http://www.thesportreview.com/tsr/2010/11/ole-gunnar-solskjaer-molde-manager/. Retrieved 01 August 2011.
- ^ a b c "Molde Fotballklubb - Klubbfakta". Molde FK. http://www.moldefk.no/index.php?page_id=33. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
- ^ "MFK vår 1998" (in Norwegian). Molde FK. http://www.moldefk.no/historikk/?m=i&p=1998&e=m1990. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
- ^ "Visste du at..." (in Norwegian). MFKweb.org. http://www.mfkweb.org/visstedu.php#31. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ "MFK høst 1998". Molde FK. http://www.moldefk.no/historikk/?m=i&p=1998-2&e=m1990. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
- ^ "Om Molde stadion". MFKweb.org. http://www.mfkweb.org/anlegg.php?vis=stadion. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ "Nytt stadion" (in Norwegian). Molde FK. http://www.moldefk.no/historikk/?m=i&p=his-nyttstadion. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Om Molde idrettspark" (in Norwegian). MFKweb.org. http://www.mfkweb.org/anlegg.php?vis=idrettspark. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ "Molde Fotballklubb - Spillerstall". Molde FK. http://www.moldefk.no/index.php?page_id=20157. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ "Molde-spiller leies ut til Tromsø". TV 2 (Norway). http://www.tv2.no/sport/fotball/tippeligaen/moldespiller-leies-ut-til-tromsoe-3548585.html. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Molde låner ut spillere". Aftenposten. http://fotball.aftenposten.no/eliteserien/article195995.ece. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Molde Fotballklubb - Organisasjon". Molde FK. http://www.moldefk.no/kontakt. Retrieved 01 August 2011.
- ^ "Kamper i Europacupene" (in Norwegian). MFKweb.org. http://www.mfkweb.org/ymsestat.php?vis=results-europe. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ "Soccerway". soccerway.com. http://www.soccerway.com/teams/norway/molde-fotballklubb/. Retrieved 06 August 2011.
- ^ "Ligaplasseringer siden 1937" (in Norwegian). MFKweb.org. http://www.mfkweb.org/ymsestat.php?vis=results-league. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Norgesmestere Menn 1902-2010" (in Norwegian). NFF. http://www.fotball.no/Landslag_og_toppfotball/Statistikk/Norgesmestere-menn-1902-2010/. Retrieved 01 August 2011.
- ^ "Spillere som har representert Molde i A-landskamper" (in Norwegian). MFKweb.org. http://www.mfkweb.org/ymsestat.php?vis=individual-cappedplayers. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ Søfting, Thomas. "Landslaget" (in Norwegian). http://www.home.no/greenriver/landslaget.html. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
External links
- Molde F.K.
- MFKWeb - Frequently updated independent supporter site
- Tornekrattet supporter club — formerly official, now independent
Molde FK The club Seasons • PlayersGrounds Tippeligaen 2011 Brann · Fredrikstad · Haugesund · Lillestrøm · Molde · Odd Grenland · Rosenborg · Sarpsborg 08 · Sogndal · Stabæk · Start · Strømsgodset · Tromsø · Viking · Vålerenga · AalesundFootball in Norway League competitions Cup competitions Playoff competitions To the First Division (1996–2000) · To the Second Division (2001–2010) · To the First Division (women)National teams Lists and categories Football Association of Norway Categories:- Molde FK
- Association football clubs established in 1911
- 1911 establishments in Norway
- Norwegian football clubs
- Sport in Molde
- Sport in Møre og Romsdal
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