Cratz takes over at Helsingborg

Helsingborgs IF fired coach Nanne Bergstrand on Sunday and appointed former Hammarby IF FF coach Soren Cratz to lead the team in next season's Allsvenskan.

Impressive CV
Cratz, who took Hammarby to the Swedish first division title this year, has signed a two-year contract with the 1999 title winners and will take over the reins from 1 December.

'A great challenge'
"It is obviously a great challenge to take over a team like Helsingborg," Cratz said. "When I got the offer I did not need to think about it for very long. It's actually a dream to take over Helsingborg right now - a team with good organisation and big resources combined with a clearly motivated squad. There could hardly be a better state of affairs."

UEFA Cup exit
Helsingborg chairman Claes Johansson put Bergstrand's dismissal down to a failure to live up to the high goals the club set itself last season. The side finished fifth in the Allsvenskan campaign that finished last weekend and were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Ipswich Town FC on Thursday, but Cratz believes the future is bright.

'We will win every game'
"I saw the away game against Ipswich and if we play like that every time we will win every game in the Allsvenskan," he said. "My role will be to get a little bit more out of each and every player."

'On the right track'
Central defender, and players' spokesman, Ola Nilsson welcomed the appointment of a coach with a proven track record. "We all know that this year did not bring what we had hoped for and all you can say is we have come to a standstill somewhat. Perhaps a change of coach is exactly what we need to get us back on the right track."