Rosenborg’s victory over defending champions Stabaek IF signalled the halfway checkpoint in the Norwegian Tippeligaen, delivering a chilling reminder to the chasing pack that their ten-point lead at the table summit will not be relinquished with fifteen matches remaining.
The unimposing consolation tag as ‘Best of the Rest’ is usually granted to the party who clamber across the finishing line in the wake of the dynamic favourites or heavyweights, salvaging several ounces of pride in doing so but effectively beleaguered in the knowledge that silverware will remain elusive. Falling into this catagory are recently-promoted Odd Grenland, who have accustomed back to the tune of the top-flight quite outstandingly and wisely stand in third position, as have current runners-up Molde FK, having leapt from a lowly-ninth in 2008, and IK Start.
Less excuses can be afforded by last season's top trio of Stabaek IF (7th), Fredrikstad FK (11th) and Tromso IL (13th), whom will in all probability even fail to land into the second-rate ensemble congregating behind Rosenborg. This, supplemented by the knowledge that four varying champions have graced the division in as many editions, acts as verification that the Tippeligaen notoriously suffers from an erratic temperament and a charming scale of competition and unpredictability.
Throughout the 1990s, Rosenborg menaced Norwegian club football and developed an unbreakable, virtually magnetic attraction with the championship. Thirteen titles were devoured in an uninterrupted winning sequence which stretched from 1992 to 2004, thus bringing regular continental club competition to the Lerkendal Stadion. Continuous access to the Champions League helped boost revenue figures and inevitably elevated Rosenborg to an unrivalled financial state in the country. Flamboyantly embellished with a grand inventory of decorations and accolades, Trondheim’s principal club have recently stuttered in their quest to replicate the supremacy exerted from the previous decade.
Two preceding seasons tangled astray in the mid-table wilderness, consisting of a couple of fifth-place finishes since their most recent league success in 2006, will be forgotten if Rosenborg persevere with their incredible unbeaten streak - ten victories and five draws which have yielded 35 points.
In the latest round of fixtures, Kris Stadsgaard quickly struck after sixteen minutes to ensure the entire points haul were heading into Rosenborg’s possession. Second-placed Molde FK relied on an injury-time winner from Rune Ertsas as Lillestrom SK were overseen by a slender one-goal advantage. Elsewhere, Odd Grenland won the clash of the promoted sides with a 2-1 victory over Sandefjord Fotball.
Where the halcyon days of besieging trophy after trophy are over, or in temporarily suspension, Rosenborg are still the key player on the continental front and have lived out the dreams that many can only harbour - the prominent highlights featuring a UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final feat in 1996/1997 and progressing as far as the group stages on eleven occasions between 1995 and 2006. Right now, though, reasserting their right to the domestic throne must be given top priority and, based on this season’s blistering form, Rosenberg are difficult to oppose as envisaged champions.
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