Open-hearted praise tells about difficult times and frost in Germany – opens for the return of Bodø / Glimt – VG

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However, it didn’t go as the 29-year-old hoped and it eventually turned into a nightmare.

– You feel bad in football when it becomes that way. You feel your confidence disappearing and that no matter how hard and how well you train, they won’t look at it or give it a chance. You are really just forgotten by them. It’s almost as if the coach simply says “do it all” every day, because he expects you to disappear, says Lode.

Schalke 04 wrote in a statement to the VG that they have begun the first talks with Lode about their future at the club.

– This is to give him the opportunity to consider other options at the start of the season. Until his contract was terminated, he was a regular member of the team’s run-up, like all the other players. We broke up on a good note, writes the club, and boasts of how professional Lode was, who was part of the team that won the 2. Bundesliga last season and at the same time wishes all the best for the future.

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When Jærbuen arrived at the club, the club was under the direction of Greek manager Dimitrios Grammozis. The negative results left the manager with a knife to his throat, making it difficult to bring in new players when every match had to be won to avoid being fired.

Eventually, Grammozis had to go, and then Mike Büskens walked out of the youth and reserve squad to temporarily lead the squad. He wanted to give the young people he had worked with a chance, while Lode remained on the bench.

But then he made his way into the team. When Lode delivered two scoring passes in the 2-1 win over Hannover, things looked bright. He continued to play, first one game, then another. But before the third consecutive start things went wrong: he tested positive for the coronavirus.

– After returning, I only had a cold shoulder and was not allowed to play another minute later, he states – and continues:

– I tried to talk to them and ask what happened. When teammates and other people asked me why I wasn’t allowed to play, I wasn’t sure what to say. I was very confused. When you end up in such a situation, you lose faith in yourself. There I could have pushed myself to a higher level, but I struggled a bit with new people and a new culture.

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Gradually, according to the Norwegian, the Germans became more and more desperate. They must have wanted to get rid of Lode to cut costs.

– When the preparation began, I was told that they had taken two young players who would play a lot in the Bundesliga. Also, they would bring in a defense manager, so I could really only find a new club. They pressed very hard almost every day, every other day, and asked me if I’d found a new club, says Lode.

– The first four or five weeks after the holidays were very pleasant. They smile and all, but it looks very fake when you know what their starting point is. They almost just try to keep a small facade to be polite, because you know what they really want and they think of you, he believes.

– At a training session it was me and two others who also wanted out of the club, who were only allowed to warm up and “possession”, and then he was immediately off the pitch to work with a physical trainer. They tried to put the coup de grace on me to make me unhappy. They said I had to find a new club and that I couldn’t continue like this here, says the 29-year-old.

– When I finally came and offered them to terminate the deal, they weren’t that interested as I asked for a severance package. It might be a solution to go on a full-fledged loan, but for me it’s a little bit of belonging. You never know if you are going to have a good time, and besides, you are not owned by the club which makes it very easy to sacrifice yourself. They eventually agreed on a termination with severance pay, so I’m free to choose clubs and shape my future.

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He says “it’s hard not to be successful when you get a chance to try something new.” At the same time, he recorded that there were many opinions on his choice of him of the club. Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen was among those who believed that Lode had made the wrong choice.

– I can say I’ve never looked for money. Then I would never have gone to Schalke, because there were clubs that had offers two and three times higher, but that was not what I wanted at the time. Ultimately, it’s about experiencing things. I understood this in many ways at Schalke with the promotion and playing in front of 60,000 fans at home, but you are measured on the playing time and what you do, and there was not everything.

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When Lode is now faced with a new career choice, he feels it is extremely crucial to make the right choice. He describes himself as a “late flowering”, but at the age of 29 he has to hit the mark.

– It’s difficult. I don’t feel unfairly treated, I don’t want to go that far, but I think it’s a shame I never got a chance to show what I was good at. It doesn’t seem to me that the level was that damn high. I feel we’ve shown some of this with Glimt in Europe as well, he says – and continues:

– Now there has been a lot of attention that the players coming from Glimt are not good enough. Obviously it is a shame that it went like this. I can’t just say it’s random when there are so many different examples, but at the same time I think there are more and more sides to an issue and it’s not as black and white as it is.

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He confirms that there is a dialogue with Bodø / Glimt about a return to Norway, as well as the fact that he has permanent offers from the English league, the Dutch honor division and other leagues in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, among others.

– The desire to still try something abroad is still there on my part, and to show that I have something to do there, but at the same time for the experience part of being abroad.

– But it also tempts the Champions League with Bodø / Glimt, right?

– It is very tempting to be part of such an adventure. It really is a story without parallel. It is a unique adventure to be part of now in Bodø. The huge carrot of the Champions League, possibly the Europa League, is historic for Bodø / Glimt. It’s not easy to know what’s right for me and my career. I know that I fit well into the Bodø system and collective and it will be absolutely essential for me in my next step, to be able to play football again regularly.

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He has full confidence that Bodø / Glimt will defend the 1-0 win from Aspmyra, eliminate Dinamo Zagreb and qualify for Europe’s most prestigious tournament.

– I have a lot of faith. In the first game you could see that they have a lot of good individual players, but I think the Bodø / Glimt collective in a game like tomorrow’s will have the upper hand. They have already played in a big stadium with a lot of pressure, like when they faced a very hostile crowd, so it won’t be anything new for them. In general, I think they have the qualities to catch them both in open play, but also on the counterattack. It is Dinamo Zagreb that must step forward, says Lode – and adds:

– One thing is certain: I think it will be a “great” fun experience. It’s funny that so many people cancel Bodø / Glimt after “only” 1-0 at home. This is how I feel that the Norwegian population, but also Dinamo Zagreb, think. They allow themselves to be completely surprised, she says, before allowing themselves to dream a little.

– Imagine seeing Mbappé, Salah or van Dijk in Bodø …

– Van Dijk has already been to Bodø!

– Yes, but we have to bet that he will not have such a pleasant experience as that of a wedding, says Lode, referring to the fact that the Liverpool stopper was a guest at the wedding of former Celtic team-mate Stefan Johansen in 2017.

The match between Dinamo Zagreb and Bodø / Glimt will be played at Stadion Maksimir at 21:00 on Wednesday evening and will air on TV 2 and TV 2 Play.

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