Svein Fjælberg Explained

Svein Fjælberg
Fullname:Svein Fjælberg
Birth Date:12 January 1959
Birth Place:Sola, Norway
Position:Defender
Youthclubs1:Sola
Years1:1979–1990
Clubs1:Viking
Caps1:128
Goals1:2
Nationalyears1:1979–1986
Nationalteam1:Norway
Nationalcaps1:33
Nationalgoals1:0
Manageryears1:1990–1991
Managerclubs1:Viking (ass. coach)
Manageryears2:2000–2001
Managerclubs2:Viking (ass. coach)
Manageryears3:2010–2011
Managerclubs3:Viking (ass. coach)

Svein Fjælberg (born 12 January 1959) is a Norwegian former football defender. He played 11 seasons for the Norwegian club Viking, where he won the league twice as well as two cup titles. Fjælberg was capped 33 times for Norway. After his retirement he served as the assistant coach of Viking on three occasions.

Player career

Club career

Fjælberg was born in Sola, and started playing football for Sola FK.[1] As a 17-year-old, Anbjørn Ekeland and Viking wanted his services, but he stayed at Sola a couple more years until he moved to Viking in 1979. Viking paid Sola 45,000 for the transfer, which was Viking's most expensive transfer at the time.[2] [3] Fjælberg played in every match during his first season at Viking when they won the double, and his good performances at the club made him a candidate for the national team.[3] [4]

Viking and Fjælberg again won the Norwegian league in 1982, and in 1983 Fjælberg was awarded "Norwegian Player of the Year".[5] Fjælberg also won the award "Viking Player of the Year" in 1983 and 1985.[6] Fjælberg was the captain of Viking later in his career, and played for the club in the second tier after they got relegated in 1986. He was still with the club when they were promoted to the First Division again in 1988, and he lifted the trophy when the club won the Norwegian Cup in 1989 by beating Molde in the final. Fjælberg retired after the 1989 season, and in total he played 128 league matches for the club, scoring two goals.[4] [5]

International career

On 26 September 1979 he made his debut for Norway in an Olympic qualifying match against West Germany, and three years later he played his first non-Olympic national match in the friendly match against Sweden on 11 August 1982.[7] Fjælberg also competed for Norway in the football tournament of the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.[8] In total he was capped 33 times for Norway, and his last international match was the UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying match against East Germany on 24 September 1989.[7]

Coaching career

After he retired Fjælberg started to work as assistant coach under head coach Benny Lennartsson, a position he had from 1990 to 1991. This makes him the last assistant coach to win the league with Viking as they won in 1991.[9] When Lennartsson returned to Viking as head coach in 2000, he again wanted Fjælberg as assistant coach.[10] On 9 August 2007, Fjælberg was unveiled as Viking's new "youth development coach" while Kjell Inge Olsen was presented as the new head scout.[2] [11] In 2009, he was again hired as assistant coach, this time under head coach Åge Hareide.[10] Following the changes in Viking's coaching staff ahead of the 2012 season, Fjælberg was given a new position as "administrative leader" of the first team.[12]

Career statistics

SeasonClubDivisionLeagueCupEuropeTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1979Viking1. divisjon2217120312
19801000000100
19811305000180
19821103010150
19831802020220
19841304100171
19851704000210
19861014000141
19872. divisjon10000010
198820000020
19891. divisjon1106000170
Career Total1282352501684
Source:[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Svein Fjælberg . Norwegian . snl.no . . Jan . Holm . 17 March 2012 . 17 March 2012.
  2. Web site: Låser døra og starter talentjakten . Norwegian . aftenbladet.no . . Odd Rune . Askeland . 22 August 2007 . 17 March 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20130222203129/http://www.aftenbladet.no/nyheter/lokalt/article499371.ece . 22 February 2013 . dmy-all .
  3. Web site: 1970–1979 . Norwegian . viking-fk.no . . 17 March 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111124072225/http://www.viking-fk.no/newsread/dokument.aspx?docid=19443 . 24 November 2011 .
  4. Web site: FJÆLBERG, SVEIN . Norwegian . viking-fk.no . . 17 March 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807123647/http://www.viking-fk.no/newsread/dokument.aspx?docid=11124 . 7 August 2011 .
  5. Web site: 1980–1989 . Norwegian . viking-fk.no . . 17 March 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111124072640/http://www.viking-fk.no/newsread/dokument.aspx?docid=19453 . 24 November 2011 .
  6. Web site: Hvem er Årets Viking? . Norwegian . rogalandsavis.no . . 1 November 2011 . 17 March 2012 .
  7. Web site: Søfting . Thomas . Svein Fjælberg . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . 17 March 2012 .
  8. Web site: Svein Fjælberg . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418034822/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fj/svein-fjaelberg-1.html . dead . 18 April 2020 . Sports-reference.com . 17 March 2012 .
  9. Web site: Fjælberg ny assistenttrener . Norwegian . viking-fk.no . . Eirik . Arntsen . 7 December 2009 . 17 March 2012 .
  10. Web site: Fjælberg: – Vi hater begge å tape . Norwegian . aftenbladet.no . 100% Fotball . Bernhard . Veland . 7 December 2009 . 17 March 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100825033854/http://fotball.aftenbladet.no/eliteserien/article157095.ece . 25 August 2010 .
  11. Web site: Olsen og Fjælberg ansatt . Norwegian . viking-fk.no . . Eirik . Arntsen . 9 August 2007 . 17 March 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120305052233/http://www.viking-fk.no/newsread/aktuelt_arkiv.aspx?docid=15139 . 5 March 2012 .
  12. Web site: Nyttår: Gammel ringrev i ny stilling . Norwegian . viking-fk.no . . 2 January 2012 . 17 March 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120302165049/http://www.viking-fk.no/newsread/aktuelt.aspx?docid=23067 . 2 March 2012 .