Viking just about finished in the top half of the table labouring into 8th place after a poor 2-0 home defeat against Valerenga in the final game. It did little to silence the fears that the team are in a slump both on and off the field as another season of patchy mediocrity was brought to an end. A club of Viking's stature should perform better than this, but Kjell Jonevret has done all he can to stave off the negativity, and there have been flashes of the team's potential through the 30 league games. But ther crushing disappointment is the complete lack of consistency that undoes all their hard work at every turn. This is a team that has no problem beating Molde both home and away convincingly, but can lose 4-1 to Haugesund or let three goals slip in at home to Aalesund. There has been no time when Jonevret and Viking have been able to put a convincing run of results together and that is why they have finished 8th.
There's plenty of talent at the club and the pick of the bunch was again Samuel Adegbenro, the Nigerian attacking midfielder who once again proved so vital to everything positive in Viking's season. The club will surely hope to retain the services of defensive stalwarts like Karol Mets, while Joackim Jorgensen and Kristoffer Haugen have proved equally influential at the back. In terms of new signing Chris Dawson was a gamble that has yet to pay off completely, although the young English midfielder showed more promise than previous gambles like Kiefer Moore. And the addition of Steffen Ernemann for next season arriving from Sarpsborg 08 is a positive one, provided that it doesn't mean someone else is on their way out of similar important stature in the middle of the park.
With the financial uncertainty around the club threatening to go on and on well into the next season again, it's tough for the club to make plans set in stone when the parameters keep changing. And for Jonevret the brief will be the same as this season and the season before last- to make the most out of the resources at his disposal, and unearth a few cheap gems and nurture the club's young players. And there are young players like Mathias Bringaker who look set for a great career in the top flight. But with youth there must be experience otherwise it just won't work as Bodo/Glimt found out so painfully this season with their relegation. There needs to be a plan for Viking next season and, with a shrewd head coach still apparently ready to give his all for the club, they have at least the touchline leadership needed even if the size and shape of the squad will continue to fall short because of the lack of financial muscle.
