Summary: Phil and Anto are joined by former Norway international striker Jan Age Fjørtoft who began his career in Norwegian club football and was able to leave his mark in Austria, England and Germany with a number of teams including Rapid Vienna, Swindon Town, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Barnsley and Eintracht Frankfurt. Jan gives us a load of insight into football in Norway, his post career with Lillestrom and his continued work in the media inside Germany and his home country. We start on the matter of the great influence of Norwegian players on English football and we also explore the emerging players that football fans need to consider as Norway heads toward Brazil 2014 and World Cup qualification. We also examine the recent drama surrounding Ole Gunnar Solskjær as a surprise candidate for the Aston Villa job and what exactly the back story was with Molde FK, including a look at Magnus Eikrem who wan the Tippeligaen this season. This leads into where Norway finds itself matched up in Group E and whether it can reach the second slot for the playoff round for Brazil 2014 as Egil Olsen looks to finish his tenure in charge of the national team. Then we look back at a wonderful career with Swindon Town where Jan made the transition from Austria, which was difficult early, but became very successful once the turn of the year came. We also look back at his time at Middlesbrough where Jan was paired up with Brazilian superstar Juninho and forged a special partnership during some very heady times for the club in the early days of the Premier League. We also cover the YouTube viral sensation that is electroshock football - a viral sensation worth the look - the impressions Jan has of the Spanish national team and what may be the missing piece for Germany who failed surprisingly to reach the final match. This is the first appearance for Jan Age Fjørtoft on Beyond The Pitch and be ready to be both informed and entertained by a figure who played for some tremendous football clubs, featured more than 70 times for his country and now works at Viasat as an anchor for the Champions League, the English FA Cup, national games and the European League.
