Today’s proud exhibit from the collection represents one of the truly great, iconic names in European club football, the mighty Strømsgodset of Drammen, of whom I became aware courtesy of their 0 – 11 loss to Liverpool in a first round match in the 1974-75 Cup-Winners’ Cup & have remained devoted to, obviously, ever since, such was the resonance of that fabulous Wagnerian name, with the exotically-accented ‘o’, intensified by the club’s home town, & that scoreline, guaranteed to inspire affection, admiration & support.
A subsequent visit to England, for a UEFA Cup tie in 1998, experienced via the magic of radio, saw Strømsgodset take a thrilling early 2-goal lead at Aston Villa & hold it for an hour before 3 late ripostes resulted heartbreakingly in a 2 – 3 defeat (even from the off, I never understood the concept of supporting English clubs in Europe, or being urged to favour them by the broadcast & print media, from a purely nationalistic standpoint), but such reversals of fortune only seem to strengthen the faith, which has been rewarded this year in particular as Godset, rather wonderfully, have but a month ago won the Norwegian Tippeligaen championship, by a mere point from Rosenborg Trondheim (another fine name, & who also registered early on the radar as they coincidentally shipped an aggregate of 12 goals to Hibernian in the 1974-75 UEFA Cup first round, as Strømsgodset were succumbing similarly to Liverpool), for only the second time in their history: what a lovely warm glow one feels (& watch out Champions’ League next season! The anticipation starts here…).
The badge itself, an object of profound desire finally acquired very recently, is a thing of aesthetic grandeur indeed, with the deep red & blue of the club’s crest offsetting the gold details to perfection, to be worn upon the lapel – as it is being today - with style & great pride. Note the accessorizing 'Nordic' patterned seasonally-sported tie, too: these outfits aren't just thrown together.
Postscript:
A deeply dispiriting article headline in ‘The Guardian’ sports pages today – ‘Inside Bayern: a club’s bid for world domination’. Good God forbid, & shoot us now. And shame on Werder Bremen for their part in that 0 – 7 (at home!) at the weekend: the celebration of their badge will have to wait for the ignominy to wear off a bit…
