Joe Bell (Viking FK | Norway)

It might be some consolation (or maybe not) for Bell that his two Viking-alumni teammates are also struggling to get minutes at Brøndby. Sebastian Sebulonsen's last league minutes also came in that August 29th defeat against Midtjylland, having been a fixture in the lineup before that. He's even dropped completely out of the last couple matchday squads. Henrik Heggheim hasn't made a league matchday squad since that defeat either. At least Bell hasn't been discarded to that extent. Though the two Norwegians didn't help themselves by being two of the guys dragged in the 39th minute in that 0-4 cup defeat in their chance to impress the other day. Brøndby are on an eight-match unbeaten league streak since August 29th, but only three are wins, so their position was the same prior to today's game as it was after their last defeat.

Either way there might be a few annoyed looks from the north-west, given Viking could very much use those three guys if Brøndby won't. They've only managed one win their last 12 league matches, and now sit 11th out of 16, after finishing in the bronze medal position last year. Old mate Stensness made his comeback from a long injury off the bench on the 10th, and has started the three subsequent league matches. All his appearances have come at centre-back, so despite some assertions on here that he opted against NZ because of Hay playing him as a centre-back, he seems to play his club football exclusively there.

Hear he's linked with a move back to Viking in the January transfer window.

edit: found a link

mrsmiis

Hear he's linked with a move back to Viking in the January transfer window.

edit: found a link

That's a bit surprising for me. He's only been in CPH for less than a year, and while he hasn't had many minutes of late, he's still had a lot of minutes in total. He still has the same Head Coach and Director of Football that brought him in, so they know his qualities to sign him and give him a contract until 2026. Denmark is a step up on the Eliteserien, but surely you don't leave at the first sight of bad fortunes/lack of game-time?

Even if he wants to leave, that contract is a long one, so Brøndby would probably ask for a decent fee, that might stretch a budget like Viking's. He had a good time in Stavanger, but he left for a reason, and he left a better Viking side than they have now. They don't have star goal-scorer Veton Berisha (brother of Melbourne City's Valon) anymore and are much closer to relegation than the European places. If he has to go back to Norway, I'd rather see him at least try a Molde, Bodø/Glimt or even Rosenborg.

The move has not worked for him, and to be fair even for NZ he has seemed a little lost lately.

Perhaps going back is not a bad move, get some confidence back and then look to move again.

Brondby (10th) travel to OB (4th) 

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2022/11/06/denmark/superliga/odense-boldklub/brondby-if/3795554/

Unused sub in a 1-1 draw. Socceroo Joel King also rides the pine for OB

From Flying Kiwis.

The big news outta BIF lately is that they’ve sold a majority stake in their club to a consortium of American investors. Not that it does anything to help Joe Bell who is currently stuck on the bench watching his team sink to third to last on the table, (albeit also only three points and some goal difference of third, such is the cluttered table right now). Bell has been an unused substitute in the past five games in a row and has only played 11 minutes in total since the last international break. Free Joe Bell!

Brondby (10th) host Viborg (2nd).

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2022/11/13/denmark/superliga/brondby-if/viborg-ff/3795556/

A 0-2 loss. Bell continues his unused sub role

Pity AWs didn’t get some Nov friendlies. He’d be keen on some playing time

Got a start in a 1-1 draw at The Den verus Millwall.

Et lille galleri fra dagens træningskamp på The Den 📸#Brøndby pic.twitter.com/51L0LAoN0d

— Brøndby IF (@BrondbyIF) November 26, 2022

Brøndby escaping the Danish winter, play another friendly later tonight, against Spanish Segunda Division club Tenerife in the sunny Canary Islands.

Danish Superliga doesn't restart until late February.

Started in a 4-0 win over Tenerife.

Joe Bell efter dagens 4-0-sejr over Tenerife 🎙

Du kan se hele interviewet med midtbanemanden lige nu på Brøndby TV 📺#Brøndby pic.twitter.com/PxCyAOGCXS

— Brøndby IF (@BrondbyIF) December 4, 2022

From Flying Kiwis.

Elsewhere in Denmark, Joe Bell’s got himself a new manager. Jesper Sørensen has been announced as head coach of Brøndby following Niels Frederiksen’s departure late last year. They held firm with Freideriksen for longer than most clubs would have in honour of his past success with the team but a wildly inconsistent season wasn’t getting any better so it had to happen eventually. Sørensen is a former assistant to Frederiksen but he left prior to Bell’s arrival and had been working with the Denmark U21s. Bell had fallen out of favour over the last few months of 2022 so hopefully this change is what he needed to get rolling again.

So Bell's Brondby are getting ready for the restart of Danish Superliga season (20th Feb), by playing the Trans Atlantic Cup tourney on the Algrave in Portugal.

Tourney also involves Bell's former club Viking (Norway), Stamenic's FCK & some Swedish top flight clubs.

Bell played in a 2-1 win over AIK (Sweden), then skipped the 2-0 win over Halmstad (Sweden). For what little it's worth the Danish teams have been beating the Swedish ones, but the Danes are in a mid winter break, whilst the Swedes are getting ready for a brand new season. Brondby play Viking 11th Feb, so a bit of banter no doubt for Joe Bell. 

As in the Stamenic thread, looks like he will play out the Superliga season with FCK, before then moving to Red Star on a free. Stamenic's been subbed on late in both a 4-1 win over Elfsborg (Sweden) and a 1-0 loss to Viking.

Brondby with a 3-2 win over Bell's old joint Viking, in Portugal. Bell started for Brondby & Nic D'Agostino for Viking. No Stensness though.

Elsewhere at same tourney FCK beat AIK from Sweden 2-1. Stamenic was subbed on at 81 mins.

Brondby & FCK play each other next in a warmup game.

From Flying Kiwis. Brondby have restarted the season with a new manager, and looks like Bell is back in (starting) favour. Good to see

𝗙𝗢𝗞𝗨𝗦: Rejsen 🛫

Se indslaget med Joe Bell på Brøndby TV+, som fortæller om sin fodboldrejse fra New Zealand til USA som ganske ung og videre gennem Skandinavien og New Zealands landshold.

Se hele afsnittet her 👉 https://t.co/1XxKydV1Lp#Brøndby🔵🟡 pic.twitter.com/734QTcKree

— Brøndby IF (@BrondbyIF) February 14, 2023

So it was that as BIF took on Horsens in the resumption of the Danish Superliga for both teams... Joe Bell was named in central midfield for Brøndby and Elijah Just also got the start for ACH. Happy days. Granted it wasn’t the most memorable day at the office for either. The match worked out a lot better for Bell than it did for Just but even then there was one major slide: an own goal from Bellinho. One of those ones where a cut-back was whipped into his shins as he dangled a leg out (to keep Eli Just from getting onto it) and the unlucky deflection went against his name.

Quiet game from Just although there were moments of flash in there. Bell was able to be much more assertive in a fluid midfield trio.

Brondby (9th) travel to Midtjylland (5th).

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/02/27/denmark/superliga/fc-midtjylland/brondby-if/3795571/

Bell off at 87 mins (1-0) in a 1-0 win. Good to see him back as a starting regular.

Brondby 2 wins to restart the season. They climb to 5th. The 6 teams from 4th to 9th are only seperated by 3 points. A League like.

3 more rounds before a top 6, bottom 6 seperation.

Brondby (6th) travel to Lyngby (12th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/03/05/denmark/superliga/lyngby-boldklub/brondby-if/3795577/

Bell starting 

Edit - off at 78 mins (1-0) in a 1-0 loss

Brondby (9th) host Silkeborg (6th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/03/12/denmark/superliga/brondby-if/silkeborg-if-fs/3795580/

2-1 win Brondby. Bell off at 71 mins (1-1)

Brondby (5th) travel to Nordsjalland (1st)

https://au.soccerway.com/matches/2023/03/19/denmark/superliga/fc-nordsjalland/brondby-if/3795589/

Bell starts

Edit - Bell off at 63 mins (1-1) in a 2-1 loss

coochiee

Bell starts

Edit - Bell off at 63 mins (1-1) in a 2-1 loss

Brøndby were however the winners of the various permutations as to see who would make the Championship Phase and who would make the Relegation Phase. As Brøndby lost, they needed other results to go their way, namely Odense failing to beat AGF and the Silkeborg-Midtjylland match ending in a draw - had either of those two won they would take sixth. Those two finished third and second last year respectively, so good sides. All up five of the twelve teams could have made it/dropped out of the Championship Phase today in the last of the 22 matchdays.

Ultimately, the second goal Brøndby conceded was inconsequential, a win was required to have their fate in their own hands, as Silkeborg would move sixth with a win and a Brøndby draw. Joe Bell only getting an hour probably pleased Bazeley, but playing much of a role on Thursday night could be a bit tough - he'll probably only get to Auckland on Wednesday.

It could've gone a lot differently though. Midtjylland took the lead on three occasions against Silkeborg, only to be pegged back each time - the first of which was scored by Tonni Adamsen who scored 15 goals for Helsingør last season. That was his seventh of the season for SIF and his departure would undoubtedly been felt by Helsingør just as much, if not more than, as those of Just and Jordan. Even then, Midtjylland thought they had won it in the added time, until the goal was ruled out for offside on VAR review.

If the DBU Pokalen is won by Copenhagen or Nordsjælland, then Brøndby will be able to get the European playoff position (against top of the Relegation Phase) by just finishing fourth out of the six teams in the next phase. AGF currently have that spot five points ahead of them.

Nordsjalland scored their 2nd goal for the win at 90 mins. If Brondby had held on for the draw. Stamenic's FCK would head into the Championship phase top of the table.

Brondby (6th) host Viborg (3rd).

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/04/02/denmark/superliga/brondby-if/viborg-ff/4058255/

Subbed off at HT (0-1), one of 2 HT subs made by Brondby. Down on energy after returning from NZ?
Didn't help as they went on to lose 0-3.

Brondby (6th) travel to Nordsjalland (2nd)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/04/10/denmark/superliga/fc-nordsjalland/brondby-if/4058260/

Bell off the bench at 77 mins (2-1) in a 2-1 loss.

Brondby (6th) host AGF (4th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/04/16/denmark/superliga/brondby-if/agf-aarhus/4058262/

Full game in a 1-0 win.

Brøndby (6th) can't win the title and can't be relegated. Some chance of a Europa Conference playoff spot - 7 points off 3rd spot.

Brondby (6th) host Randers (5th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/04/23/denmark/superliga/brondby-if/randers-fc/4058265/

Off at 60 mins (0-2) in a 0-4 loss.

Kiwi & Copenhagen derby. Though Stamenic will likely just watch on, as Bell runs around.

FCK (1st) host Brondby (6th).

https://au.soccerway.com/matches/2023/04/30/denmark/superliga/fc-kobenhavn/brondby-if/4058268/

Both AWs midfielders on the bench for this one.

Edit - Brondby grab an upset 1-0 win. Dent to FCK’s title hopes. The away Brondby fans will be well pleased. Both Kiwis ride the pine. 

Luckily for FCK, Nordsjalland also lost 0-1 at home, so FCK stay top by 2 pts. Viborg who could never get out of the 2nd tier when Nikko Boxall was there,  a serious title contender only 3 pts behind FCK. All very different to Serbia!

Brondby (6th) travel to Randers (5th).

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/05/07/denmark/superliga/randers-fc/brondby-if/4058270/

Bell on the bench.

Unused sub in a 3-1 win. Unfortunately for Bell, Brondby have found a run of form without needing him

Copenhagen derby. Brondby (6th) host FCK (2nd).

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/05/14/denmark/superliga/brondby-if/fc-kobenhavn/4058273/