Football Season Guide

HamKam enjoyed a pretty good season as a whole as they stayed in a comfortable position in mid-table and certainly maximised their talent level, getting wins at a consistent basis. Three losses at the end moved them closer to the relegation zone but they were never really in such a danger and it was a case of job well done by Jacob Michelsen and his men. Now the Green and Whites embark on a fourth consecutive campaign at the top-flight and will be naturally looking to match their achievement from last year and keep up on punching above their weight in a league where only a couple of teams have a smaller wage budget. They have made a few smart additions during the off-season in Swedish centre-back Gustav Granath and lankly striker Kristian Strømland Lien, joining on loan from Groningen. The club bid goodbye to a few experienced players who have been an integral part of the success of recent years in John Olav Norheim and Kristian Onsrud, while left-back Vegard Kongsro and Henrik Udahl are two important departures as well. These losses present a challenge to Michelsen as he will need to unearth a couple of gems from the academy to keep up the relative quality in the squad and ensure depth in all positions but he has been keen to promote young players and give them a chance and has a track record of that. As a whole, HamKam are likely to oscillate around the 33-point mark for the season ahead given their talent level and it will be fine margins that will decide if they end up in the bottom three or not.