Sweden – modest as ever. It was a season of great international triumph and also an end of an era for Malmo FF. It was also an year confirming the rise of a famous coach – still unknown, but already showing his talents away from home. The rest was perhaps typical.
Mjallby AIF confidently won the South Second Division with a lead of 5 points.
Similar were the winners of the Northern Second Division – they won by 4 points, but had the best record in both second level leagues.
IK Brage finished with 43 points – Mjallby AIF had 38 – and won 20 of their 26 seasonal games.
Both winners had played in the top league before, but modestly and no one expected big surprises from them. The newly promoted mostly hoped to stay among the best.
The fairly equal Swedish football changed the fate of clubs on yearly basis – depending on who they had at particular moment. An old and generally successful club going down would be a big and may be upsetting news elsewhere, but not in Sweden.
AIK had a weak season and although they tried to escape, they failed and finished next to last. The fatal 13th place was theirs at the end, a point short of safety.
The dead last – and the real outsiders this year – was a club interesting as novelty.
IS Halmia were not really competing, so weak they were. 2 wins and 5 ties left them not only last, but last by far – AIK finished with 11 points more. Perhaps the poor losers should be left in peace, but still it was curious moment – they were the second club representing the city of Halmstad in the top division. Halmia was last and their city rivals… first.
More or less, five clubs tried to win the title – the group was somewhat reduced to two at the end. Perhaps giving too much attention to the European Champions Cup and suffering fatigue, but Malmo FF dropped from the race for the title and finished unusually low – at 4th place.
In Europe, Malmo FF had fantastic year, yet, so-so one at home. There were changes in the familiar squad – some may have said ‘changes at last’ – noticeably, the emergence of new star, Robert Prytz. The other interesting news was the very rare for the time appearance of Brazilian player in Sweden: some guy called… well, his name was and is often misspelled. Edson Rodrigues Monteiro. The confusion with his name is understandable – he was not only unknown player, but also failed to make impression and did not play much. He was not a starter at all. Either not good or adaptation to cold and snowy Sweden was difficult for him. The last news sad one: the maker of the excellent Malmo FF, who coached them steadily during the whole 1970s left this year – Bob Houghton went back to England to manage Bristol City. He had long and wonderful spell with Malmo FF, he led them to European final. Perhaps it was natural to look for new opportunity… yet, going to Bristol was hardly a recognition of great talent. It was an end of an era – for almost ten years Houghton and Malmo FF were one and the same.
IF Elfsborg (Boras) edged Malmo FF and finished 3rd.
An excellent season for Eleganterna (The Elegants), who hardly had anything good since 1961.
Second place for IFK Goteborg. They had the best goal-difference in the league and the second-best strikers (mid-table Hammarby IF were the top scorers), but a single point decided gold and silver.
IFK Goteborg was in the shadow of Malmo FF during the 1970s, but this year perhaps marked the beginning of the successful 1980s team. Young Dan Corneliusson was only a promising player and the name of also young coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was noticed only in Sweden. Yet.
The battle for the title was won by another young and not famous yet coach at the helm of the 1977 champions, Halmstads BK. Roy Hodgson was hired by the club in 1976 after recommendation from Houghton and already made the previously modest club champions twice in three years.
Third row, from left: Rutger Backe, Olle Sjödahl, Hans Selander, Lennart Ljung, Alf Peterson, Bo Mattsson.
Middle row: Stig Nilsson, Bertil Andersson, Stefan Larsson, Anders Westergren, Roland Johansson, Roy Hodgson – coach.
First row: Bengt Sjöholm, Peder Amberntsson, Claes Karlsson, Mats Jingblad, Sigge Johansson.
No famous players here and may be a bit conservative team – 12 wins, 12 ties, and 2 losses – but points count for everything and Halmstads BK had one more than IFK Goteborg. Champions for a second time and proving that young English coaches delivered in Sweden. But, following Houghton’s steps again, Hodgson left after winning the title. In 1980 he went to Bristol City as assistant of his friend Bob Houghton. As for the city of Halmstad, a strange years ended – pathetic Halmia was last, but Halmstads BK were champions.
Perhaps it was difficult to compete with the two Englishmen, but Sven-Goran Eriksson was determined to overcome them. IFK Goteborg reached the Cup final.
Atvidabergs FF were the other finalists. By 1979 the sensations of the early 1970s were already forgotten. They barely maintained a place in First Division, finishing 11th. The Cup final was more or less their last gasp before plunging into oblivion. As opposition, they were nothing… IFK Goteborg thrashed them 6-1!
Happy Cup winners and clearly a rising team. The world was yet to hear about them – and about their coach. In an ironic twist, Sweden depended on English coaches during the 1970s, but years later it was England hiring Sven-Goran Eriksson a national team manager.