Henning Berg

Henning Stille Berg (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈhɛ̂nːɪŋ ˈstɪ̂lːə ˈbærɡ]; born 1 September 1969) is a Norwegian football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Cypriot First Division club Pafos FC.[2]

Henning Berg
Berg as a coach of Legia Warsaw in 2014
Personal information
Full name Henning Stille Berg[1]
Date of birth (1969-09-01) 1 September 1969
Place of birth Eidsvoll, Norway
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1978–1986 KFUM
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1988 KFUM
1988–1991 Vålerenga 66 (2)
1992–1993 Lillestrøm 20 (1)
1993–1997 Blackburn Rovers 159 (4)
1997–2000 Manchester United 66 (2)
2000 → Blackburn Rovers (loan) 17 (0)
2000–2003 Blackburn Rovers 74 (3)
2003–2004 Rangers 20 (0)
Total 422 (12)
National team
1992–2004 Norway 100 (9)
Teams managed
2005–2008 Lyn
2008–2011 Lillestrøm
2012 Blackburn Rovers
2014–2015 Legia Warsaw
2016–2017 Videoton
2018–2019 Stabæk
2019–2022 Omonia
2022– Pafos FC
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

His career lasted from 1988 to 2004, most notably in the Premier League where he won titles with both Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United, becoming the first player to win the Premier League with two clubs.[3] He also played in his native land for Vålerenga and Lillestrøm before finishing his career in the Scottish Premier League with Rangers. He was capped 100 times by Norway, scoring nine goals.

Berg became a manager in 2005 with Lyn and then Lillestrøm. He returned to Blackburn as manager in 2012, but was sacked after just 57 days in the post. In January 2014, he became the new coach of Legia Warsaw, with whom he won the Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup. He then managed Videoton and Stabæk, before moving to Cyprus, where he managed Omonia, and led them to their first championship in over a decade. In June 2022, he was announced as the new coach of Pafos FC.

Club career

Born in Eidsvoll, Berg played for Vålerenga and Lillestrøm before coming to England. Blackburn Rovers manager Kenny Dalglish attended a match between England and Norway at Wembley on 14 October 1992 to scout Tore Pedersen, but Pedersen was injured during the match and replaced by Berg. Dalglish was so impressed with Berg that he later offered him a contract.[4] Berg joined Blackburn in January 1993 for £400,000.[5]

Berg made his debut for Blackburn on 2 February 1993, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 Premier League home defeat to Crystal Palace.[6] He soon made the right-back position his own in the Rovers side and played a vital role in Blackburn's successful title-winning season under manager Kenny Dalglish in 1994–95, missing only two games throughout the season. Also a competent centre-back, Berg's versatility and consistent performances for Blackburn earned him a move to Manchester United in 1997 for a fee of £5 million – at the time the joint-highest fee ever paid for a defender by a British club.[7][8]

Berg had supported Manchester United as a boy and manager Alex Ferguson had first wanted to sign Berg for United nine years earlier when he was a teenager, but the move fell through because United could not obtain a work permit.[9] Berg was a regular choice in the Manchester United line-up during the 1997–98 season, but the arrival of Jaap Stam in July 1998 meant he was restricted to just 16 Premier League appearances in 1998–99 as the team won the Treble of the Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. Berg missed the 1999 FA Cup Final and the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final through injury,[8] but still picked up a medal for both, having been involved in most of the team's matches on the way to the final. With the league title in 1999, Berg became the first player to win the Premier League with two clubs,[10] a feat he would be alone with until 2010, when it was matched by Ashley Cole and Nicolas Anelka. Gael Clichy, Kolo Touré, Carlos Tevez, Robert Huth, James Milner, N'Golo Kanté and Riyad Mahrez have all since matched the feat as well.[11] Berg regained his place in the side during the 1999–2000 season, when Ronny Johnsen was injured.

Berg rejoined Blackburn Rovers in September 2000, initially on loan for three months, before securing a permanent transfer under manager Graeme Souness. Rovers were promoted back to the Premier League in 2000–01. Further success followed for Berg in the following season, when Blackburn won the League Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with Berg lifting the trophy as captain.[12]

Berg later moved on from Blackburn and had a season at the Scottish club Rangers in 2003–04, where he played his last game professionally.

International career

At international level, Berg was part of the Norwegian national team at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, as well as Euro 2000. He made his debut for Norway in a friendly against the Faroe Islands in May 1992 and earned a total of 100 caps over a period of 12 years, scoring nine goals.[13] His final international match was a friendly against Wales in May 2004, in which he was substituted early on by Claus Lundekvam to mark the end of his Norway career.

Managerial career

Lyn

On 22 April 2005, Berg was appointed manager of Lyn at the age of 35, signing a four-year contract with the Oslo side. His first game with Lyn was against Start two days later, getting a 1–1 draw, followed by a 6–1 win against Molde the next week. Lyn finished third that season.

Lillestrøm

On 19 August 2008, Lyn announced that Berg had accepted an offer from Lillestrøm, where he had last played in 1992. He signed a five-year contract and took over as head coach on 21 October 2008. On 27 October 2011, Berg was sacked three matches before the end of the season as investor Per Berg promised fresh funds for acquiring quality players after the season.

Blackburn Rovers

While working as a pundit for Norwegian TV, Berg had made a withering assessment of Blackburn Rovers' owners, Venky's. He said: "There are no real managers with credibility who would accept a job like that."[14] On 31 October 2012, Blackburn Rovers announced that Berg had accepted an offer for a three-year contract to manage the club.[3] He became Blackburn's first foreign manager. Berg said of his previous comments about the club's owners, Venky's: "That was me looking at it from the outside without knowing really what was going on in the inside. I think this club at the moment is going in the right direction."[14]

Berg's first match in charge of Blackburn came on 3 November 2012, a 2–0 defeat away to Crystal Palace.[15] His first and only win was on 17 November 2012, a 4–1 victory away to Peterborough.[16] That was to prove to be his only win as Blackburn manager, as Berg was sacked on 27 December, after just 57 days in the post.[17]

On 14 February 2013, the LMA lodged legal proceedings to the high court against Blackburn Rovers for non-payment of wages to Berg.

After leaving Blackburn Rovers, Berg has worked as a scout on an informal basis for Norwich City, looking at matches in both England and Germany.[18]

Legia Warsaw

On 19 December 2013, it was announced that he will be new manager of Legia Warsaw starting from 1 January 2014.[19] In his first full season as coach, he led the team to the Polish Ekstraklasa title. On 5 October 2015, he was sacked while sitting second in the league, following a 2–2 draw against Górnik Zabrze.[20]

Videoton

On 5 May 2016, Berg signed a two-year contract with Székesfehérvár-based Hungarian League club Videoton FC.[21][22] He was sacked at the end of the season despite having been a contender for the title until the last matchday.[23]

Omonia

On 6 June 2019, Berg signed a two-year contract with Omonia FC in Cyprus, which he would later renew for another year.[24][25]

Berg was responsible for Omonia's return to the Champions League, as they were ranked first in the domestic league when the 2019–20 season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[26] The following year, he led Omonia to win the 2020-21 Cypriot First Division, their first in 11 years, as well as the Super Cup. Although he led Omonia to the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage (the first time the club had made it to a European group stage) and the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage, a dismal 2021-22 league campaign, which saw the club out of the top six, meant he was released on the 28th of February 2022.[27]

Berg's work at Omonia was widely praised by pundits, fans and even other managers in the league, not only for restoring success to the club, but for his tactics, the team's exceptional defense, and most importantly, for trusting the local talent in a league notorious for its high percentage of foreign players.[28][29] Several Cypriot players broke through under Berg, including Loizos Loizou, Marinos Tzionis and Ioannis Kousoulos.[30][31]

Pafos FC

On 12 June 2022, Berg joined Cypriot club Pafos FC as their new head coach.[32]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental[33] Other[34] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Blackburn Rovers 1992–93 Premier League 40––40
1993–94 40100––401
1994–95 421000000421
1995–96 370000000370
1996–97 3622030––412
Total 159410016000001854
Manchester United 1997–98 Premier League 27120007100362
1998–99 16050305010290
1999–2000 221–0012030371
2000–01 100000000010
Total 6627030231401033
Blackburn Rovers (loan) 2000–01 Premier League 1700010––180
Blackburn Rovers 2413000––271
2001–02 3412020––381
2002–03 161100020–191
Total 913603020–1023
Rangers 2003–04 Scottish Premier League 200300070–300
Total 3364260220321404205

Managerial
As of match played 29 October 2022
Team Nat From To Record
GWDLWin %
Lyn 22 April 2005 9 September 2008 89 37 23 29 041.57
Lillestrøm 21 October 2008 26 October 2011 90 28 28 34 031.11
Blackburn Rovers 31 October 2012 27 December 2012 10 1 3 6 010.00
Legia Warsaw 1 January 2014 4 October 2015 97 60 16 21 061.86
Videoton 5 May 2016 3 June 2017 33 18 8 7 054.55
Stabæk 4 July 2018 6 June 2019 23 5 7 11 021.74
Omonia 6 June 2019 28 February 2022 113 58 29 26 051.33
Pafos FC 1 July 2022 Present 10 8 2 0 080.00
Total 465 215 116 134 046.24
Year Team Pos Pl W D L GF–GA +/− Pts Cup Notes
2005 FC Lyn Oslo 3rd 26 12 8 6 37–21 +16 44/78 3rd Round
2006 FC Lyn Oslo 7th 26 10 5 11 33–36 −3 35/78 4th Round UEFA Cup 1st Qual. Round.
2007 FC Lyn Oslo 9th 26 10 4 12 43–46 −3 34/78 Qtr Final
2008 FC Lyn Oslo – 19 8 5 6 27–23 +4 29/57 Qtr Final Left by mutual consent.
2009 Lillestrøm SK 11th 30 9 10 11 43–50 −7 37/90 4th Round
2010 Lillestrøm SK 10th 30 9 13 8 51–44 +7 40/90 3rd Round
2011 Lillestrøm SK – 27 9 5 13 45–49 −4 32/81 4th Round Sacked after 27 rounds

(Three matches before the end of the season)

2012 Blackburn Rovers – 10 1 3 6 10–18 −8 6/30 – Sacked after 10 rounds
2013–2014 Legia Warsaw 1st 16 12 2 2 31–13 +18 38/48 Round of 16
2014–2015 Legia Warsaw 2nd 37 21 7 9 64–33 +31 70/111 Winner
2015–2016 Legia Warsaw – 11 4 5 2 24–13 +11 17/33 – Sacked after 11 rounds
2016–2017 Videoton 2nd 33 18 8 7 65–28 +37 62/99 3rd round Sacked after end season
2018 Stabæk 14 30 6 11 13 37–50 −4 29/90 3rd round Signed on 4 July 2018
2019 Stabæk 15 8 2 1 5 6–13 −7 7/90 – Signed with AC Omonia on 6 June 2019

Honours

As a player

Blackburn Rovers

Manchester United

  • Premier League: 1998–99, 1999–2000[35]

Individual

  • Kniksen's Honour Award: 2004[37]

As a manager

Legia Warsaw

  • Ekstraklasa: 2013–14, Runner-Up 2014–15
  • Polish Cup: 2014–15

Omonia Nicosia

  • Cypriot First Division: 2020–21[38]
  • Cypriot Super Cup: 2021[39]

See also
  • List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps

References
  1. "Henning Stille Berg" (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  2. Holm, Jan. "Henning Berg". Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian). Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  3. "Blackburn Rovers: Henning Berg appointed manager at Ewood Park". BBC Sport. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  4. Gaughan, Jack (1 November 2012). "Blackburn Rovers opt for untried former fan favourite Henning Berg to lift the gloom". The Independent. London. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  5. "Berg joins Blackburn". New Straits Times. 30 January 1993. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  6. Cryer, Andy (2 November 2012). "Berg believes in Blackburn Rovers ambition". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  7. Nixon, Alan (12 August 1997). "Berg makes £5m move to United". The Independent. London. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  8. Flanagan, Chris (1 November 2012). "Berg was big part of a great era at Ewood". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  9. "United land Berg after nine years". New Straits Times. 12 August 1997. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  10. "Treble Icons: Henning Bergs". Manchester United. 18 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  11. "Players Won Premier League Title With Two Clubs". The MALESTROM. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  12. "Blackburn Rovers: Henning Berg appointed manager at Ewood Park". BBC Sport. BBC.
  13. Søfting, Thomas. "Norway – Record International Players". Rec Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  14. Farrell, Dominic (1 November 2012). "Berg rows back on criticism of Blackburn owners as he takes charge". Independent IE. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  15. "Crystal Palace 2–0 Blackburn". BBC Sport. BBC. 3 November 2012.
  16. "Peterborough 1–4 Blackburn". BBC Sport. 17 November 2012.
  17. "Henning Berg: Blackburn Rovers sack manager after 57 days". BBC Sport. BBC. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  18. "Transfer news: Henning Berg reveals he is filling scouting role for Norwich". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  19. "Henning Berg trenerem Legii Warszawa". Legia Warsaw. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  20. "Ex-United defender Berg sacked as Legia manager". Eurosport. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  21. "Videoton: bejelentették Henning Berg érkezését – hivatalos". Nemzeti Sport. 5 May 2015.
  22. "Henning Berg a Videoton FC új vezetőedzője". Official Website of Videoton FC. 5 May 2015.
  23. "NBI Team by Team End of Season Review". HungarianFootball. 19 June 2017.
  24. "Νέος προπονητής ο κ. Henning Berg!". www.omoniafc.com.cy (in Greek). AC Omonia. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  25. "Χένινγκ Μπεργκ και του χρόνου στην Ομόνοια". AlphaNews.Live (in Greek). Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  26. "Οριστική διακοπή χωρίς πρωταθλητή και κυπελλούχο". Οριστική διακοπή χωρίς πρωταθλητή και κυπελλούχο. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  27. "Omonia sack Henning Berg". www.financialmirror.com. Financial Mirror. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  28. Solutions, BDigital Web. "Ομόνοια: Η κληρονομιά του Μπεργκ και το ιδανικό σενάριο για τον επόμενο". 24sports.com.cy. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  29. "ΤΣΟΡΝΙΓΚΕΡ για ΜΠΕΡΓΚ: «Ένας προπονητής που βοήθησε πολύ το κυπριακό ποδόσφαιρο»". PROTATHLIMA. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  30. "Ο Μπεργκ φτιάχνει το κυπριακό ποδοσφαιρικό μέλλον". 11 August 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  31. Toumbas, Panayiotis (21 January 2022). "Οι Κύπριοι έχουν χώρο, χρόνο, ρόλο και τόπο στην ενδεκάδα!". Omonoianews.com. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  32. "HENNING BERG JOINS PAFOS FC AS NEW HEAD COACH – Pafos FC". pafosfc.com.cy. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  33. Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup
  34. Includes FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup
  35. "Henning Berg: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  36. "Cole strike stuns Spurs". BBC Sport. 24 February 2002. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  37. "Henning Berg". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  38. "Summary - 1. Division - Cyprus - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  39. "Omonia Nicosia vs. Anorthosis - 13 July 2021 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
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