Ramon Hunter i en strek i Namdalsavisa

Hvilke minner får du når vi nevner: Kleppen?

Kleppen. Not a good stadium compared with Norwegian standards. The grounds men worked hard for us to give us a good playing surface and training conditions.  The stand and clubhouse come all too late.  Never the less it was a place where I enjoyed working and have so many good memories from.

For 30 år siden kom du til Namdalen og ble en trenerlegende for Overhalla og Namsos.  Jeg som helgelending fulgte selv din utvikling.  Fortell hva som skjedde, kan du oppsummere?

I came to Namsos and worked at Haviks Building from there I met Reidar Klykken, Overhallas best player.  We talked football and he introduced me to O.I.L.  I was anything but impressed with Namdal football.  Football was a big part of my life so this was a place to start with a club with ambition to get promoted.
 

 Var det en kvinne som var årsak til at du valgte Namdalen?

I met a Norwegian lady from Namsos. I and Jane lived in England for three years, After Tove-Elizabeth was born we decided to move to Norway. It was not easy for me but when I became involved with football life became a lot easier.

Hvilken trenerutdanning har du fra England?

I attended my first FA coaching course in 1964 when I was still active as a player. I had many good coaches as a player. I learned a lot from the coaches I played under and thought I knew much about the coaching side of the game. But this course opened my eyes, there was so much more to learn.

Fra sesongen 1978 trente du Overhalla som spilte i den tidens 4.divisjon.  Du ble seriemester med dem, og fikk senere sparken.  Kan du si litt om de åra?

Season 1979 Overhalla I.L. had ambition to get promotion, we were league winners but 5 teams had to play for the one place in division 3. We won against Tronda-Froya, Følling and Fosen, but lost 0-1 to Sverresberg, the first game to be played on Svenningmoen.

Season 1980 the league winners got direct promotion. Grong I.L. also had promotion hopes but had to settle for second place behind Overhalla I.L.

We held our place in the 3rd division in 1981 but football fever was growing in Overhalla and we had good support for our home games at Svenningmoen. In 1982 Namsos were relegated so we played in the same division. 2500 met up at Svenningmoen to see Overhalla beat Namsos 2-1.

At the end of that season a coach named Arnstein Holmvik moved to Overhalla. He took contact with the committee and convinced them that the system I played was wrong. He would change the system to make Overhalla a second division team.

My last training session, no players met for training all were at a meeting with Holmvik. We all know the outcome NIL OIL 6-2, the return match OIL NIL 0-4. Overhalla were relegated and Namsos promoted to Division 3.

It was a very amateur way to terminate my contract after so many happy times. After the last match there were a few tears in my eyes when I drove home to Namsos.  

I 1983 var Namsos et lag som besto av spillere som var middels, men hadde potensial.  Kan vi si det?

Season 1983 Namsos became known as the confirmant team most of the squad were first year seniors, 3 juniors and a few players with experience. We were not given a chance. After losing every training match, we lost only 2 matches while gaining promotion to division 2. The last deciding game away to Tydal we won 1-9 playing the second half with 10 men. After the game the referee Sjøvold came and congratulated me and said we had played 1st division football.

Praktiserte du streng disiplin, kombinert med mye kondisjonstrening?

The players had all been involved with the NFF skills system. Most had very good skills. I trained hard with tactics and condition. Also a strong line of discipline was needed. This was the correct training to give success.

Ramon Hunter i en strek i Namdalsavisa, fra 1988

Perioden i 2.divisjon (nåtidens 1.div) har du vel gode fotballminner fra? Namsos var i 2.divisjon fra 1986 til 1990. Et av høydepunktene måtte vært i juni 1989 da Namsos tronet på toppen av tabellen. Hva gikk galt det året da dere ikke rykket opp og da dere ledet halvveis foran Fyllingen?

Season 1989 I played a 3-5-2 system. This required flankplayers with exceptional condition. Tor Lian and Jan Ove Gulstad were good in this position. We played half the season without losing a match and only 5 goals against us. Then things started to go wrong. First Tor Lians injury. It was not easy to find a replacement.

Also the opposing teams were aware of how we played. Their coaches done their homework and we did not function the same. It’s easy to be wise after the event; I should have reverted to 4-4-2. Our first loss was against Fyllingen whose tactics were to play the ball back to their own keeper. Their tactics being very defensive. They relied on a long throw-in to produce a goal and this worked for them. But their foot ball was anything but attractive. We were the first team to win at Fyllingen on their astroturf pitch the last game of the season 2-3.

Hvorfor ble dere så gode?

Most coaches in Norway copy the system played by the top teams. To me football is a creative game. I have always done my own thing. A coach should look at his players and play the system that suits to give the best results.

Kan du plukke ut ditt all star Namsos lag?

A difficult question. Havård Moen, Jan Laugen, Kolbjørn Ekker, Per Ivar Fornes, Leif Nordli  and Yngve Helmersen all played in the Tippeleague. Kolbjørn Ekker was a cup winner with Bryne in 1987. Leif Nordli was a league winner with RBK in 1990, but there were many other players that were good enough for the Tippeleague.

I can add many names to your list Torgeir Gaving Havård Moen, Pål Avatsmark, Jan Ole Ertsås, Stig Holm.  All were important for Namsos football. I could think for hours but not come up with an answer as to who was best.

Ramon Hunter i en strek i Namdalsavisa

Da dere slo Viking ut av cupen i 1986 og tapte for Rosenborg i neste runde, si litt om de kampene.

A great experience. When I put Jan Ole Ertsås on he promised me he would score. The rest is history. In the game against R.B.K we were out played in the first half and were losing 1-0 at half time. In the dressing room I told the players that Rosenberg were not so much better than us. We showed too much respect. Let’s go out there and give them a game to remember. We have better condition.

We gave Rosenborg problems in the second half and Per Ivar scored a perfectly good goal only to be disallowed when Ole By Rise cried out to the referee for a foul and got what he asked for. A bad refereeing decision but that’s football.

Du fikk sparken i 1990. Vil du si noe om den prosessen

After Per Olav Glømmenn  and Lasse Hansen retired from the game, Yngve Helmersen and Leif Nordli went to Mjøndalen and R.B.K. It was crystal clear we would find it hard season 1990. We struggled and after 10 games I was called in to the foreman. We had easier games in front of us and I was sure we would survive at the end of the season.

Once again Arnstein Holmvik came into the picture, a repeat of the Overhalla saga. Again he made promises to the foreman Johnny Korsgård. A foreman who had nothing to do with football and new even less about how to treat people. In my estimation “A first class Idiot” He sacked me on the spot. Namsos were relagated and Arnstein Holmvik continued to be a relagation expert.

I had been very loyal to Namsos and had refused many good offers from other well known clubs.

 Er du namsosing, sandefjording eller engelskmann?

First I am English. Second I am a Brit. Thirdly I am a Londoner (real Cockney)

Hva blir Ramon Hunt husket for om 20 år? Tøff i stilen og nesten opprykk i 89?

The players and myself will and are remembered for those “Golden Years” We were ambassadors for Namsos. Namsos Kommune could and should have done more for us. They gave us nothing. Today I meet people in Sandefjord who can remember Namsos from the “Golden Years” era. I often go back to Namsos and are well received. Last summer I went to Havård Moen`s 50th birthday. It was a good feeling I felt like Namsos`s No 1 son or perhaps that’s Åge?

Kan Namsos rykke opp i 1. divisjon igjen?

I hope so but have my doubts. It’s now 18 years since the “Golden Years”. I mean that N.I.L. should be one division higher. Also I sincerely hope that someone will take the responsibility and arrange a reunion for “The Boys from The Golden Years” that would be very nice to meet up again.

Today I have it good in Sandefjord, a beautiful place to live. After my wife Jane died of cancer in 1994. I continued to live in Namsos until Tove-Elizabeth and Francis left home to study. I then moved to Sandefjord in 2002.

Tove-Elizabeth has just this year finished her Medicine studies, and Francis Ramon is in his second year at Befals School. He has also played 8 games for Norway`s national team at Rugby.

After being a widower for over 11 years I met a lovely lady Petra, a Trønder who had spent much of her life in Trofors. We enjoy good holidays and travel much. I work with talent development here in Sandefjord.

I don’t miss Namsos or England just all the lovely friends I have made in that beautiful game called Football

Relevante lenker

"Den glemte Fotballklubben Namsos og Ramon Hunt" - Kommentar av Tor Erlend Nordhuus