Kristofferson: A cultural carrier who never sought the spotlight
Players and managers came and went. But Bear Carlson has passed.
When Bertan, despite the loss, bid farewell worthy of the greatest AIK of all time.
After 438 games and 19 years at the only club in Bear Carlsons Heart, on Sunday it’s time to say goodbye.
When I sat on friends and saw the staggering salutes of AIK supporters, the Great Hurricane and the cheers that might still be going on, I thought of a day in the fall of 2009.
It was in the middle of the Golden Battle, a golden battle in which the best Carlson in the world was a regular starter, and thanks to his strong defensive play would eventually ensure Gnaget won the treble.
It was another time
This was at a time when Karlberg was still wide open. The fans could watch every training session, and the guys on the bench were basically present at every training session and could talk about anything and everything. Same thing for us reporters. It was a time when coaches and sporting directors weren’t worried about leaking who would play at right-back or who caught a cold.
When I came down to see another in the AIK training series, I came across another AIK legend, Daniel Tjernström.
In Karlskoga, the maid cheerfully asked:
– Who are you here to talk to next?
– Bojan Djordich and Jos HoifeldI replied.
– The ones who talk the most. It’s not possible to talk to me, it’s mostly a clichéTjirna said with a laugh.
AIK has had many culture bearers over the years. But the top three, Nils Eric Johansson, Daniel Tegernstrom and Per Carlson, were all humble. He did not ask for the lights. They were rarely the main subjects of the interview. But Bertan has grown up with the mission, so to speak, and as of late it has always seemed like he’s thoughtful and has something important to say when he talks.
He became more confident over the years. Just take our colleague Per Bowman’s interview last week. He talks about important issues for AIK in the future as well as Dulee Johnson’s talk about threesomes (maybe not as important).
And when I have to bring up some special memories I remember of Pertan, not many specific situations come up. Except for this match, which was his farewell performance. Sentimental greeting over nearly 100 minutes, where it was all about the same. It was nice to see how much he was greeted by the fans. But otherwise? He broke the split on Kepa Sesay in the derby against Djurgården in the 2009 single. His first goal with AIK, which came a bit late. Gold SM.
Get a little poverty
No, the thing about Bertin is that I remember him because he was always there. Regardless of whether the wind is light at AIK, or whether the club celebrates successes. AIK is clearly losing a small piece of his soul when he quits now and the Allsvenskan would be a little poorer without the best Karlsson in the world.
About 13 years later that autumn day in Karlberg, I arrived at the AIK training facility for another interview. Also this time with “the one who talks”. John Gidity. Bear Carlson stood at the side of the field and watched the practice.
He wasn’t able to play because of the concussion and quickly explained that he wasn’t doing well and that he might be over for the year. But he stated with hope that Alexander Milosevic, who had experienced the same, was driving and that if Milo returned it would be extremely important for the team. Then it could be a really good season after all. Even there, when he realized for a long time that there would be no more matches in AIK, he focused on the team rather than himself.
Everything about Bear Carlson says just that.
