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(16.12.06) Webmaster for Vaulen.com,
Jostein Jensen, har også en avstandsforelskelse til Grimsby Town.
Nylig fikk han en helside i lokalavisen Grimsby Telegraph.
Under følger transkript
av reportasjen.
MIGHTY MARINERS: Grimsby
Town er sjef. |
Liverpool, United? Nor-way!
Give me Grimsby
PREMIERSHIP giants Manchester
United and Liverpool can easily boast fans across the globe and most notably
in Scandinavia.
But in some corners of Norway,
the name of Grimsby Town is just as fervently followed.
A recent visit to Blundell
Park by Norwegian youngster Tobias Lea showed that the Mariners gospel
has successfully spread across the North Sea.
But the 15-year old from
Åsgårdstrand isn't alone in his adoration of all things Town.
Jostein Jensen from Stavanger is also Mariners-mad and has been following
Town's fortunes from afar for more than 20 years - despite only ever seeing
his heroes in the flesh in pre-season friendlies.
While his friends following
the big Premiership sides in England. 28-year old Jostein keeps the faith
with the Mariners, despite their barren run in the last few years.
And he isn't about to switch
his allegiance and follow the glory of the big boys.
Jostein told the Telegraph:
"I discovered Grimsby as a kid in the late 80's.
"A friend had borrowed a
book about English football and when I read through it iI got a fascination
of the name.
"A 10-year-old find such
things entertaining I suppose.
"But it was in 1991 with
the promotion to Division Two (now the Championship) when I first started
to follow the club properly as my local paper started to print the results.
"I started to look everywhere
for information about the club and the town and couldn't get enough.
"An underdog team that played
the finest football (which Alan Buckley represented at the time) - what
more could you ask for?
"I was perhaps the last
AM radio user in Norway as I kept track with BBC Five Live for years.
"Then I had to buy soccer
magazines from England to find out the latest team news. "The last few
years I have trawled through the whole internet with my thirst for Grimsby!"
Jostein's addiction to Town
has never waned and he has even set up his own website in Norway for like-minded
Scandinavians.
He reckons there are at
least 28 other Norwegian Mariners fans who log on regulary to the site
at http://grimsbynorge.blogspot.com/.
And without a recognised
supporters' club, they keep in touch through that.
Jostein went on: "I have
run websites about Grimsby since 2000 - the same day as I bought a computer
for the first time!
"I update the news here
in Norwegian.
"There was a fan club in
the mid-80s before I noticed it, but it just disappeared.
"With the introduction of
my website. I started a list where I asked every Grimsby fan in Norway
to sign up on.
"Today that list includes
28 members.
"The fan club don't do much,
but we try to stay in touch through the website, e-mail or MSN.
"In Scandinavia, all people
with an interest for football have a favourite team in England.
"I have heard about several
Town fans in Denmark and Sweden, but I think the club has its largest fanbase
in Norway.
"To follow lower league
clubs here isn't that unusal. "We got 28 registred Norwegian fans, I think
there are many more.
"In addition to that I know
it's a fact that many people support a Premier team, but have a second
team down in the divisions and Grimsby are very popular.
"Sadly my friends support
the big clubs - United and Liverpool are the big ones."
Jostein is certainly as
avid as the Blundell Park faithful but his biggest regret so far is that
he has never had the chance to visit Cleethorpes and join them for a game.
One day he is hoping to
follow fellow Norwegian fan Tobias and live out his dream.
But until then he is determined
to stay true to the cause from his Stavanger home.
He added: "Embarrassingly,
I have only seen Grimsby live during the trips to Scandinavia so far.
"I see all the games on
Sky TV, but of course I hope to travel to Grimsby.
"Several other Norwegian
fans have.
"It would be great to see
my heroes.
"There have been so many
over the years.
"My boyhood favourite was
perhaps Gary Childs for his trickery down the flanks.
"The last few years have
seen so many changes, but John McDermott's got a high regard at the club
so he is my favourite.
"I also like to see young
players come through."
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