Hareide planning warm welcome

By Svend Frandsen

Three months ago he looked to be on the way to leading Brøndby IF to a ninth Danish league championship. Today he is back in his mother country waiting to replace Norwegian coaching legend Nils Arne Eggen as Rosenborg BK coach, when he retires at the end of this season. Aage Hareide is the talk of the town as the Trondheim team prepare to give the Danish champions a warm welcome in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.

Replaced by Köhlert
Back in May there were no indications that the Danish title race would develop into a thriller as Hareide's troops went into the second part of the season with a commanding ten-point lead over rivals FC København. When Brøndby hit a slump in form, however, FCK closed the gap and Tom Köhlert stepped in to replace Hareide and steady the Brøndby boat as they sealed the title on goal difference.

No ill will
However, despite being dismissed just as the former Manchester City FC and Norwich City FC defender was about to harvest the fruits of his hard work, Hareide bears no ill will towards his former club. "I had a wonderful time at Brøndby", said the 48-year old coach, who led Helsingborgs IF to the Swedish Allsvenskan title before joining Brøndby in January 2001.

'A more professional attitude'
Indeed Hareide, presently occupying an advisory role at Rosenborg, was one of the first people in the dressing room to congratulate his former side when Brøndby recorded a slim 1-0 home win against KS Dinamo Tirana in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie. Reflecting on his work at Brøndby, he said: "The thing I succeeded with most was that I introduced a more professional attitude among the players."

Laudrup link
Positives aside, the charismatic coach would doubtless relish getting one over on his old side and their new coach, Michael Laudrup. As a promising young Norwegian international, he received intense criticism after a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Denmark in Oslo in 1985 when his poor back pass allowed Laudrup to restore parity in a match the Danes won 5-1 to qualify for the finals in Mexico. "It's certainly not a moment in my career that I enjoy looking back on," said Hareide.

Tight affair
While he knows the opposition well, he is naturally hesitant about revealing Rosenborg's tactical intentions before the all-Scandinavian encounter but believes the match will prove a tight affair. "Rosenborg have so far performed below par in the Norwegian league and Brøndby still seem somewhat far from their best. Small margins will decide this," said Hareide.

Contrasting styles
Hareide believes Laudrup is putting more emphasis on individual skills and players, and less on the team's formation. "The Danes have more passion for the ball and what to do with it than Norwegians," he said. "They prefer to keep possession of the ball, and are not as interested in organising a team as we are in Norway. It will be interesting to see the two styles opposed each other and I hope we will be laughing at the end."