Djurgarden will look back at 2016 and wonder what may have happened had Mark Dempsey arrived earlier at the club. The English coach, who was given the post of head coach after Pelle Olsson was sacked, lost just four times as Djurgarden coach in fourteen league matches. He turned his side from one which was fearing for its survival to a confident team who were able to beat Malmo, Norrkoping and IFK, three of the eventual top four. Under his tutorage winter signings Mathias Ranegie and Michael Olunga became one of the most feared duos in the league and the back four was strengthened with a couple of very shrewd signings that helped to bolster a back line which had looked below par in the first half of the season. It is hard to overstate the role that Dempsey played in making sure that Djurgarden were safe from relegation but he decided not to extend his contract and will leave the club at the end of the season. That does put their project into doubt for next season as the next manager has big shoes to fill. Clearly the quality is there for the whoever takes over, but whether they will be as effective at extracting it remains to be seen. Djurgarden have developed quite a well balanced squad throughout the season with the only weak area being the defence which needs a bit of strengthening. The real engine room of the team remains Alexander Faltsetas and Kevin Walker who are both important members of the squad. But Olunga and his 12 goals for the club is the stand out performance for the club and the management must look to keep him around for next season. The club also have a few other younger players who would form the basis of a very good side if DIF can keep their squad together.
