Rikard Norling
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| Rikard Norling | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rikard Olof Norling | |
| Date of birth | June 4, 1971 | |
| Place of birth | Unknown, Sweden | |
| Position | Manager | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | AIK | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (goals) |
| ?-1986 1987-1991 |
IK Bele Brommapojkarna |
*{*) *(*) |
| Teams managed | ||
| 1992-1993 1994-1995 1996-1997 1998-1999 2000-2001 2002-2003 2004 2005-present |
Brommapojkarna (Youth) IK Bele AIK (Youth) AIK (Assistant) AIK (Youth) Väsby IK GIF Sundsvall AIK |
|
|
* Professional club appearances and goals |
||
Rikard Norling, born June 4, 1971 in Stockholm, Sweden, is the current manager of AIK from said town. He was appointed to this position on November 11, 2004 following AIK's relegation from the top level in Swedish football, the Allsvenskan, the same year. He led the team to a quick promotion by winning the second level, the Superettan, in style clinching the berth with three games still to play. He has during the current season put his team in a position to become the first newcomer to snatch the league title in 38 years.
Norling was a player at IK Bele together with Celtic star Johan Mjällby during his early teens. He then switched to Brommapojkarna where he remained until a back injury forced him to retire as a player at the age of 21. He then returned to Bele where he took the reigns at the senior team, leading them to a top position in the league (Swedish fourth division) after the team had just been promoted.
Norling then headed to AIK to train the youth team in 1996. In 1998 new manager Stuart Baxter appointed Norling his assistant. Together they witnessed the first league title for AIK in six years in 1998. The following year AIK reached the UEFA Champions League group stage. Norling also saw the pinnacle of his coaching career. With Baxter suspended after verbally abusing the fourth official during the first round group match againt FC Barcelona, Norling saw himself at the helm when AIK played Arsenal at Wembley Stadium. No other Swedish club team has ever played there before or since, and thus Norling is the only person to have managed a Swedish club side at the stadium.
Norling remained as Baxter's assistant during the 2000 campaign, but the returned to the position of youth team manager the following year when Baxter resigned. In 2002 he took charge of third division side Väsby IK. He led the team to two straight league wins, but failed twice in the promotion play-offs. In 2004 he was appointed joint manager of Allsvenskan side GIF Sundsvall whom he led to their best position ever, finishing seventh. After the 2004, he signed for AIK where he has remained.
Norling is known for his perfectionism, never letting luck influence his result. He is also known as a demanding coach, sometimes having to take time-outs not to ennerve his surroundings. Because of what he has achieved with the club since taking over, he has garnered a fair degree of popularity amongst the fans.
| AIK Fotboll - Current Squad |
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1 Örlund | 2 M. Karlsson | 3 Sandberg | 4 P. Karlsson | 6 Östlundh | 7 Haynes | 8 Tjernström | 9 Burgic | 10 Figueiredo | 11 Hulsker | 13 Arnefjord | 14 Pavey | 15 Catovic | 16 Moström | 17 Tamandi | 18 Jonsson | 19 Åhman-Persson | 22 Bergh | 23 Rubarth | 24 Carlsson | 25 Nouri | 26 Mendes | 27 Saraiva | 28 Bengtsson | 29 Özkan | 30 Johnson | |
