So these two were the newly promoted – they were to replace Vasteras SK and Orebro SK.
Vasteras SK were another modest club, which generally meandered between first and second division. Nothing really surprising they finished 14th – last in First Division. They were not hopeless outsiders, but still lost – 18 points was simply one point short of safety.
Orebro SK also finished with 18 points, but with better goal-difference than Vasteras SK. Did not matter… they too went down. Unlike Vasteras SK, Orebro had good reputation and it appeared a bit surprising to see them relegated. But Swedish football hardly had ‘big’ clubs and ups and downs were frequent. A decline or just temporary bad luck – it was hard to say.
Decline was the situation of another club: Atvidabergs FF. Champions in the beginning of the 1970s, having few of the brightest young stars of the time, they were too small to be able to stay on top – the stars left and the club gradually went down. Lower every next year, but still staying in First Division. They barely survived this season – 12th with 19 points – but the future was obviously dark. Relegation was easy to see coming. The stars were coming back to play in Sweden – but not for their former club.
Most of the league shuffled depending on momentary squad – ups and down were the norm.
Halmstads BK were great a few years back – now they were 8th. So was the case of most clubs – often the availability of bright player or his departure spelled the fate of a club in a particular season. Things could change the next – for better or worse – and then again after that. Halmstads BK were relatively down, but they were to play a local derby the next season. At least that.
The top competed largely for silver and bronze medals – Kalmar FF finished 4th with 31 points. Worse goal-difference left them without medals, but the club enjoyed strong period.
IFK Goteborg clinched third place. If Atvidabergs FF was clearly in decline, IFK Goteborg was rising. The 1970s were bleak years for the club – they won absolutely nothing since 1969. Now there was a sign of improvement – not just the odd good season, but long-lasting.
IFK Goteborg already had the great Bjorn Nordquist, they had a bunch of talented youngsters, and they recruited another star in 1977 – Ralf Edstrom. The club appeared ambitious and serious – they seemingly wanted to become a major force in Swedish football. They seemingly had the financial means to invest in long-term project: Edstrom was not cheap. On the surface it looked like the wonderful forward was fading away, but he was still young, still a national team player, and even he was no longer considered good enough for big European clubs, he had a lot to contribute at home. Perhaps going to IFK Goteborg revived his career, but the benefits for the clubs were obvious: the international success in the early 1980s was forged in the late 1970 – this was just the beginning. As for ending… so far, there is no sign of ending. IFK Goteborg are still the strongest Swedish club – the project started around 1978 was very good one. But it was still in its early days – and IFK Goteborg made its first move by winning bronze medals.
One point left them without silver – second place was won by Malmo FF. Remarcably long-lasting squad – almost the same players made Malmo FF the most successful Swedish club in the 1970s. Still no sign of wearing out, still a force. They were not real contender this year, but maintained their leading position nevertheless.
The champions were new – and overwhelming.
Osters IF (Vaxjo) were relatively familiar name, but not really the first coming to mind. Founded in 1930, they had a single trophy so far: Swedish champions in 1968. Ten years later they won their second title and overwhelmingly so: 6 points more than second-placed Malmo FF. They lost half the number Malmo FF had – only 3 losses, but the most wins in the league – 15. They did not have the best defense – Malmo FF had it, receiving 15 goals to Osters 20; their attack was topped by Djurgardens IF – 50 goals to Osters’ 46; but they had the best goal-difference by far: +26. The second-best, Malmo FF, was +14. Much deserving champions.
And also typically Swedish champions – no big stars here. The players are largely unfamiliar. A new striker was recruited for this season – the 25-years old national player of Island Teitur Thordarson. Foreigners were still few in Sweden and the new striker did not even come from first league football – he arrived from the second division Jonkoping. He was a national team player since 1972, but Islandic players meant nothing in the 1970s. Yet, Thordarson is significant – one of the early successful players from the island, one of those making Islandic players respectable and desired by European clubs. He helped Osters to their title, a nice addition. The other one was a debutant, whose name was even more obscure than Thordarson’s: a very young goalkeeper, named Thomas Ravelli. Only 18 years old. One perhaps would make a mistake pointed him at the photo: the known Ravelli had little hair on his head… but this is Goran Hagberg on the picture. Of course, nobody knew in 1978 that Ravelli will be the most capped Swedish player… What a great beginning of exceptionally long career – a title in its very first season. Ravelli stayed with Osters 10 years and he called it quit also in his original club in 1999. Ravelli was still years away of any possible records – he earned his first cap for Sweden in 1981. The fantastic 148 appearances would not be even a dream in the 1970s.