Simon Strand was unexpectedly poked in the opener against Kalmar FF.
But the crowd favorite in Hammarby makes no big deal of Kim Hellberg’s surprising move in the back line.
– As long as we win the matches, I am happy, says the 30-year-old to FotbollDirekt.se.
On the left, Shaquille Pinas was home and on the right, Hammarby’s new coach Kim Hellberg chose to throw in 20-year-old Hampus Skoglund from the start, the talent’s first Allsvenskan match in his career.
This meant that seasoned Simon Strand was relegated to the bench.
Unexpected, given that Strand was a key player in the Hammarby he was signed from Elfsborg before last year’s season.
When FD asks Strand about the poke after Hammarby’s 3-1 victory, he is very few words at first.
– You can ask the coach, but we have many good players. That’s how it is, says Strand, who was replaced by Skoglund in the 69th minute.
– It felt good to get a few minutes in the legs.
What do you think about the chances of starting the next match when you face Malmö?
– We’ll see, there’s a week until then and I’ll drive hard this week just like I did all pre-season. I’m always ready.
Simon Strand became a crowd favorite among the Hammarby fans last year and despite the fact that the fullback has now found himself in a strange position with a bench spot in the Allsvenskan premiere, he does not intend to keep his mouth shut.
– As long as we win, I will be damn happy.
Is this a seat you can imagine, to start sometimes and jump in sometimes?
– I see no problem with that. It is up to the coach to select players. If I play or am on the sidelines but we win, no, it’s not a problem for me.
Is that so?
– One hundred percent. As long as we win the games then why not.
So it was a victory in the premiere against Kalmar, a bit of redemption after the exit in the Swedish Cup’s group stage, according to Strand.
– It feels liberating. We’ve had a bit of a rough start this year so this was absolutely nice.
