Brann started the season with determination to build a challenge for the top places without actually improving their squad. They actually had a pretty decent start, losing once in the first five.
But they had a nightmare of a game at early pace-setters Bodø/Glimt in which they suffered a 5:0 loss and things started to unravel pretty quickly after that. The team looked far too short of both attacking intent and ambition and Lars Arne Nielsen seemed averse to changing the system and mixing things up despite a mediocre run of five games without a win. The last loss in this run, to Vålerenga, saw him dismissed and the former Rosenborg coach Kare Ingebrigtsen took over.
He enjoyed a great start with a win at Molde but soon the problems in the squad, too many ageing players and lack of real consistency from the attackers, started to hold him back.
The long run without a home win became a real thing and some very worrying showings in September, including a 5:1 loss at Vålerenga and a 2:0 defeat to Mjøndalen really raised the prospect of anther disaster relegation like in 2015.
The squad was beset by internal fighting and injuries but the experienced Ingbrigtsen managed to somehow pull the players together and got a few good performances out of them. A stunning 3:2 win away at his former club in Trondheim with five rounds left proved crucial as the Bergen side mustered just about enough to avoid getting dragged into the bottom three.
Yet, this is hardly a cause of celebration for a side that is always aiming high and both the coach and management face a real challenge in getting the team back to their level from a few years ago.
