Right from the start Helsingborg were keen to prove that they weren't just in the Allsvenskan to make up the numbers after finally casting off the wilderness years and getting promoted back to the top flight. The 3-1 win over Norrkoping on the opening day was full of promise, and their eventual tenth place finish should surely be celebrated. But the campaign itself was rather more messy than that, with two managerial changes leaving a bitter taste to what should have been a celebratory return.
Henrik Larsson was the second of those casualties, returning to the club where he was abused on the first occasion when overseeing their Allsvenskan relegation. But for it to happen again is absolutely criminal and his resignation in the summer cast a sad shadow on the state of the Helsingborg fans. Their demands surely didn't fit the rebuilding process and their impatience hindered the club rather than helping it. Olof Mellberg came in and he has done a decent job stabilising for next season.
Helsingborg will want to push on next season, but the pressure on Mellberg to deliver success might yet again work against the club. It's important to establish what the fans would see as successful. A top table finish would perhaps satisfy the restless supporters, but finishing tenth is a pretty good return on their Allsvenskan return. It's a club that believes they should be in the upper echelons of the league, and having such a high opinion of themselves without doing the hard work first will not work in their favour.
