Some facts about Fram Reykjavik
Some facts about Fram Reykjavik
Monday 22 June 2009
Knattspyrnufelagio Fram, aka Fram Reykjavik, were one of the three lowest-rated opponents for The New Saints on the seeded side of the Europa League draw.
They play their home games at Iceland's national stadium - the Laugardalsvollur - which was built originally in 1958, but modernised and extended in 1997 and again in 2006.
The stadium's highest attendance was in 1963, when 18,000 watched a match between Valur FC and Benfica.
Fram are currently in-season in the Icelandic top flight, known as the Landsbankadeild.
The club won the second division in 2006 and finished 7th in the top flight in 2007 following their promotion.
Last season was their best-ever, with a third-place finish and qualification for Europe.
They are currently eight games into the new campaign and have lost four so far, leaving them in the bottom half of the table.
Their squad includes winger Joe Tillen (pictured in blue), a former Chelsea youth who was also with MK Dons, and his brother Sam who is a left-wided wing-back formerly also with the Chelsea academy and Brentford.
Other notable squad members include 35-cap defender Auaun Helgason and former Hearts winger Hjalmar Porarinsson.
They are managed by Toddy Orlygsson, a former international footballer who played for Nottingham Forest, Oldham and Stoke City and was once described by Brian Clough as the best signing he ever made.
Also at the club is central midfielder Paul McShane, who hails from Glasgow and started his career with Rangers before playing 147 times for another Icelandic club, Grindavik.
The only known previous connection between The New Saints and Iceland is that former TNS defender Michael Jackson left the club to play for Prottur in that country!
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