Whilst, again thanks to Dodge, we now know exactly why Gudjon was so highly thought of as international boss in Iceland, we have been blessed once more with an excellent report from our Icelandic talent as to what happened before the thrills and spills of Gudjon’s international days.
Dodge’s report begins as follows…
The Rebuilding begins
The year 1990 remains the lowest of years in the history of IA Akranes Football Club as, on September 8th of that year, Iceland’s greatest club was condemned to play First Division football following relegation from the Premiership.
The title won in 1984 had been the last in a dozen-strong anthology of Icelandic Premiership titles, this besides their five cup triumphs. Now, things were different, and hard times loomed for IA.
|
The IA Akranes chairman knew if there was one man who could bring back the glory days, it was Gudjon Thordarson, and so the club made it their priority to bring in Gudjon.
Succeeding in their mission, Thordarson was appointed manager of IA before the 1991 season, with the club still in the Icelandic First Division. Expectations were high and the thought of the club staying in the first division for more than one season was dismissed as a no-go.
With Gudjon at the helm, the club was bound to succeed.
Thordarson wanted to restore the clubs pride and turn it into the biggest club in the country again. No- one could have expected what was to follow.
Right from the off, IA Akranes looked unbeatable. Playing organised and flowing football that simply blew their opponents away, their early season record made for interesting reading. Winning their first six matches, the season’s outcome was very much set out for the club, with IA Akranes well on top, and deservedly so.
Gudjon had restored the pride in emphatic fashion, winning fourteen of eighteen league games; drawing once and losing just three; scoring fifty five goals in the process. The team in second place finished eight points behind.
The top-scorer for Akranes with 18 goals that season was a striker called Arnar Gunnlaugsson, who later played for Bolton, Leicester City and Stoke City. Gudjon had proved how good a manager he was and the IA Akranes supporters couldn't wait to see what the team would do back in the Premiership.
History made
The 1992 season was a historic season in Icelandic football. For as Gudjon Thordarson led IA Akranes the Premiership title, they became the first newly promoted side to win the Premiership title at the first time of asking. Gudjon had made history once again.
Arnar Gunnlaugsson was also to re-write the record that year, as he finished top-scorer of the Icelandic Premiership, netting fifteen goals. No player had finished as the First division and subsequently the Premiership top-scorer in consecutive seasons.
|
After eight years without a Premiership trophy, the club was again at the very peak of Icelandic football, with Gudjon very much responsible for their dizzy climb to the top.
Historians that look back at that particular season are amazed at how quickly Gudjon brought the winning mentality into the club. The side was very young and extremely inexperienced and hadn’t won a major trophy for quite some time. IA Akranes finished top by winning twelve games; drawing four; and losing only twice.
The club’s fiercest rivals – KR Reykjavik – had finished three points behind, a battle that would ultimately be decided just a few years later.