With just four wins in their last ten games, Valerenga are stuttered over the finish line in the end, but Ronny Deila will be quietly pleased with their sixth place finish. They looked on course for the bottom half of the table after several lacklustre displays, so he'll be happy that his side managed to get it together for their final home game and overtake new boys Ranheim in the table.
This has been a wasted season for Deila's men though, who while they never flirted with relegation as they did last year briefly have not managed to flirt with anything else in 2018 either. It has been tepid and disappointing mostly, and despite new players being brought in to strengthen nothing has worked this autumn.
It's a shame because the club have shown promise in patches, but the lack of consistency has let them down time and time again this year. On their day they were capable of beating Brann and spoiling their championship quest, while on another they could completely fall apart against the likes of Kristiansund. In the last few weeks they looked like a team going through the motions for 90 minutes knowing that the season is already one of insignificance.
There will be the usual bluster ahead of next year, with promises being made. But the Oslo club need to deliver on the pitch for once, and if they can keep hold of the likes of Sam Johnson and Bard Finne, and build on their best players already there, then they might be going places.
