AIK, Malmö FF and IFK Norrköping have all sacked their coaches.
Elfsborg slips into Allsvenskan and shocked by exit from the Sweden Cup. Jamie Thelin, 44, surviving.
– We know what we are doing for the long term, says club director Stefan Anderson.
The 0-1 loss in the Swedish Cup against the bottom team in the first division, Oskarshamn, on Thursday evening reinforced the downward trend of the first team Elfsburg.
Last year, Allsvenska’s table had not won a fourth since June 27, and is now up to twelve games without a win.
There will be no group stage in the Cup until spring and no new medal or European place in the Svenskan for Elfsburg, currently 16 points behind third place in Hammarby’s table and nine points behind Degerfors in qualifying position.
After a cupout train, supporters on site and across social media once again demanded Jimmy Thelin’s resignation.
Club director Stefan Andersson is now talking about the situation.
– I don’t really like the wording, because in other contexts it becomes an empty cliché, but it is not so for us: we have complete confidence in Jimmy Thelin as the manager and sportingly responsible for If Elfsburg.
Is development going in the right direction?
The match and the loss to Oskarshamann was a huge disappointment for everyone – players, leaders, supporters, board of directors, sponsors. Now it is up to the players and leaders to deal with this disappointment and work to recharge the match against Malmö FF on Sunday.
The question is more than just one match, or a few weeks, says Anderson.
“I have raised Thelin Elfsborg”
But it’s hard to see a positive trend even over a longer period, isn’t it?
– Then we end up in a discussion about the long and short term. Jimmy Thelin took charge four years ago and raised the Wesburg to high positions in the Allsvenskan, a good game and developed young players. The association would like to be at the helm of the Allsvenskan every year, but you may not be able to count on that. There you can look at other teams that are also experiencing setbacks. Some years you don’t get where you want to go.
– There is still a third of the series to play. Then we can summarize the season mathematically.
Financially, the club is doing well. We’ve turned the audience around and drawn more spectators, not least to our runway,” says Stefan Anderson.
Since Jimmy Thielen took over as coach/manager after Magnus Haglund in 2018, he has a 12, 8, 2 and 4 score streak at Allsvenskan. Now, Elfsborg is in tenth place.
Elfsborg extended his contract with Jimmy Thelin in December 2021 to cover the 2025 season.
Shouldn’t your team perform better?
We believe in our squad but there are other teams with high ambitions. Some are succeeding and gaining momentum – but we believe once again in Jimmy Thelin’s competence and ability to bring it together for the long term with the rest of the management staff.
Entering a new four-year term
Doesn’t it look like Thelin will be fired after losing to Malmö FF on Sunday?
Jimmy Tillen is a sports director and official. We want the challenge, but if we don’t do it in some years, we’ll survive. After two years of rebuilding, he led us to second and fourth place in the Allsvenskan. We are now entering a new four-year period.
Does he have the players’ confidence too?
We don’t have the structure in which I, as a club manager, can run and ask the players about it. As a club manager, I obviously have relationships in all the different parts of the federation, but Jimmy Tillen is sportingly responsible. It is the board of directors with me who appoints our directors.
AIK, MFF and Norrköping all changed coaches due to poor results. Did they make a mistake?
– I can’t comment on how the other associations work. They do what is best for them, and we do what is best for Elvesburg, says Stefan Andersson, and adds:
We’ve had ups and downs before, and the only thing I know is that Elfsburg will always come back.
After losing the cup to Oskarshamn, Boros Tiding asked Jimmy Thelin how he saw his weak position:
– It’s not something I’m thinking about right now. Only in the Malmö game.
– I am the coach and our crew is sportingly responsible. Tellin told Boras Tidning that players have to take responsibility when they are reliable to play and move forward in these situations.