Monday, June 01, 2009

Scandalous Brøndby

In the last few games of the Danish season Brøndby has managed to throw all away and end the season an appalling way. It all started to go wrong when they were destroyed 0-4 by FC Copenhagen in the match that in reality decided the title. But even after the debacle in Copenhagen, Brøndby should have managed to remain in second position ahead of Odense B. However, yesterday, Brøndby lost 2-4 at home to FC Midtjylland, and were surpassed by OB, who won well-deserved silver medals.
Brøndby on the other hand ended as a pathetic team whose season will be sadly remembered for hooliganism and players that were simply not up to the challenge when it was called for. In any other club with great ambitions such a horrible season would be a wake-up call for drastic changes, but I am afraid that Brøndby's leadership is not up to it, since the leadership itself is one of the problems. Brøndby is still led by Per Bjerregaard, the emperor of Brøndby, who quietly pulls all the strings of the club - did so succesfully for some years, but the last few meager seasons for a club of great ambitions should call for a new leadership, who will look into some of the deeper problems of the club.
Firstly, they need to have a serious discussion with the coach, Kent Nielsen. I would often be the first to argue that the coach should be the first to be fired, but the problem is that except for Lars Olsen from OB (who will be unlikely to leave OB for now), I see no alternative to Kent Nielsen. Also, although I feel that he has been too careful and unable to motivate the players, I am not sure whether the problem is Kent Nielsen, or the lack of players. No matter what, Kent Nielsen will have to reconsider his style and approach entering next season, or Brøndby will seriously have to start looking for a new coach.
The second aspect that needs to be looked at are the players. Some are simply not up to this level, most notably the strikers: Morten Duncan and Ousman Jallow are simply not good enough and should go. In midfield there should also be a major resturcturing: Michael Krohn-Dehli may have been one of Brøndby's best players, but truth is that he is a player who only performs when it goes well, and is unable to lift a team. Samuel Holmén should also be taken out, while they need to look for a strong midfielder with good technique, and with strong leadership skills. Finally, a they need a more wide selection of defenders: the only one with any quality is Max von Schleebrügge, and guys like Mikkel Bischoff and Daniel Wass are simply not good enough for this level.
The final aspect that I hope Brøndby looks at in detail next season is the small group of very bad fans that again and again have behaved violently wherever Brøndby plays. The club leadership apparently keeps believing that this has nothing to do with the club, and does not seem eager to want to register and ban people from its games. The club leadership should be much more resolute in tackling this issue if they are not to be seen as accomplices to the violence.
It has been a depressing season yet again for any Brøndby fan, and I hope that next season the club will start showing again what it is all about: Brøndby the best!

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