Bruun puts smile on Silkeborg faces

Silkeborg IF's revival continued over the weekend as they claimed their fourth successive win with a 4-0 dismantling of Vejle BK to move out of the relegation zone for the first time since the beginning of the season.

Fortunes revived
Less than a month ago, even the most optimistic Silkeborg supporter would have considered such a run of form impossible. But since former Danish international Morten Bruun took the helm at the struggling Jutland club - following the dismissal of coach Benny Johanssen - Silkeborg's season has seen a revival in fortunes.

'An adventure'
"This is an adventure," said Bruun after the Vejle match. "I have been smiling a lot lately and hopefully this will continue. I am going to have a very nice Christmas. It's great to be in Silkeborg at the moment."

Appearances record
Bruun, who played no fewer than 424 matches for Silkeborg - a club record, has restored the players' faith in themselves and Silkeborg, who bowed out of the UEFA Cup in the first round against Real Zaragoza, seem to have recaptured the form that saw them claim the Danish Cup last year in a dramatic match with Akademisk Boldklub.

Loss of key players
Silkeborg's problems this season do not come as a surprise to the objective observer. As most clubs in the Danish Superligaen, Silkeborg have been struggling financially and were consequently forced to offload three of their most influential players during the summer break. Danish international goalkeeper Peter Kjær decided to pursue his career in Turkey with Besiktas JK, Henrik 'Tømrer' Pedersen joined Bolton Wanderers FC in the FA Premiership and Thomas Röll Larsen moved to FC København.

Winning formula
This would have been enough to harm most clubs but after Johanssen's efforts to rebuild the side were not enough to lift Silkeborg off the bottom, Brunn looks to have recaptured the winning formula for a club that won the Danish championship in 1994. "Things seem to be looking up", says Bruun. "We have had a tough autumn season and now we will lose Bora Zivkovic to FCK. It won't be easy to replace him but I hope that I can continue to make miracles in the year to come."