2015 Tippeligaen
# 2015 Tippeligaen

The 2015 Tippeligaen was the 71st completed season of top-tier football in Norway. The competition began on 6 April 2015, one week later than in the previous season. A short summer-break in June was scheduled between the rounds played on 12 July and 26 July, and the decisive match was played on 8 November 2015. Molde were the defending champions. Sandefjord, Tromsø and Mjøndalen joined as the promoted clubs from the 2014 1. divisjon. They replaced Brann, Sogndal and Sandnes Ulf who were relegated to the 2015 1. divisjon.

## Teams

The league was contested by 16 teams: the 13 best teams of the 2014 season; the two teams who won direct promotion from the 2014 1. divisjon, Sandefjord and Tromsø; and Mjøndalen, who won the promotion/relegation play-off finals against Brann.

### Stadia and locations

    Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.

| Team | Ap. | Location | Arena | Turf | Capacity |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Aalesund | 14 | Ålesund | Color Line Stadion | Artificial | 10,778 |
| Bodø/Glimt | 21 | Bodø | Aspmyra Stadion | Artificial | 7,354 |
| Haugesund | 9 | Haugesund | Haugesund Stadion | Natural | 8,754 |
| Lillestrøm | 52 | Lillestrøm | Åråsen Stadion | Natural | 12,250 |
| Molde | 39 | Molde | Aker Stadion | Artificial | 11,800 |
| Mjøndalen | 19 | Mjøndalen | Isachsen Stadion | Artificial | 4,350 |
| Odd | 34 | Skien | Skagerak Arena | Artificial | 12,500 |
| Rosenborg | 52 | Trondheim | Lerkendal Stadion | Natural | 21,166 |
| Sandefjord | 5 | Sandefjord | Komplett.no Arena | Natural | 6,000 |
| Sarpsborg 08 | 4 | Sarpsborg | Sarpsborg Stadion | Artificial | 4,700 |
| Stabæk | 19 | Bærum | Nadderud Stadion | Natural | 7,000 |
| Start | 39 | Kristiansand | Sør Arena | Artificial | 14,563 |
| Strømsgodset | 28 | Drammen | Marienlyst Stadion | Artificial | 8,935 |
| Tromsø | 28 | Tromsø | Alfheim Stadion | Artificial | 6,859 |
| Vålerenga | 55 | Oslo | Ullevaal Stadion | Natural | 28,000 |
| Viking | 66 | Stavanger | Viking Stadion | Natural | 16,600 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - |
| Aalesund | Trond Fredriksen (interim) | Umbro | Sparebanken Møre |
| Bodø/Glimt | Jan Halvor Halvorsen | Diadora | Sparebank 1 Nord-Norge |
| Haugesund | Jostein Grindhaug | Macron | Sparebanken Vest |
| Lillestrøm | Rúnar Kristinsson | Legea | DNB |
| Molde | Ole Gunnar Solskjær | Nike | Sparebanken Møre |
| Mjøndalen | Vegard Hansen | Umbro | Sparebanken Øst |
| Odd | Dag-Eilev Fagermo | New Balance | Skagerak Energi |
| Rosenborg | Kåre Ingebrigtsen | Adidas | SpareBank 1 SMN |
| Sandefjord | Lars Bohinen | Macron | Jotun |
| Sarpsborg 08 | Geir Bakke | Select | Borregaard |
| Stabæk | Bob Bradley | Adidas | Sparebank 1 Oslo Akershus |
| Start | Bård Borgersen (interim) | Umbro | Sparebanken Sør |
| Strømsgodset | Bjørn Petter Ingebretsen | Diadora | DNB |
| Tromsø | Bård Flovik (interim) | Select | Sparebank 1 Nord-Norge |
| Vålerenga | Kjetil Rekdal | Adidas | DNB |
| Viking | Kjell Jonevret | Diadora | Lyse |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | Table |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Aalesund | Jan Jönsson | Mutual agreement | 30 November 2014 | Pre-season | Harald Aabrekk | 1 January 2015 | Pre-season |
| Lillestrøm | Magnus Haglund | Mutual agreement | 30 November 2014 | Pre-season | Rúnar Kristinsson | 1 January 2015 | Pre-season |
| Sarpsborg 08 | Brian Deane | Mutual agreement | 30 November 2014 | Pre-season | Geir Bakke | 1 January 2015 | Pre-season |
| Aalesund | Harald Aabrekk | Sacked | 28 April 2015 | 16th | Trond Fredriksen (interim) | 28 April 2015 | 16th |
| Strømsgodset | David Nielsen | Mutual agreement | 26 May 2015 | 9th | Bjørn Petter Ingebretsen | 26 May 2015 | 9th |
| Molde | Tor Ole Skullerud | Sacked | 6 August 2015 | 7th | Erling Moe (interim) | 7 August 2015 | 7th |
| Molde | Erling Moe | Caretaker period ended | 21 October 2015 | 7th | Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 21 October 2015 | 7th |
| Tromsø | Steinar Nilsen | Sacked | 18 August 2015 | 15th | Bård Flovik (interim) | 18 August 2015 | 15th |
| Start | Mons Ivar Mjelde | Mutual agreement | 7 September 2015 | 13th | Bård Borgersen (interim) | 7 September 2015 | 13th |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Rosenborg (C) | 30 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 73 | 27 | +46 | 69 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Strømsgodset | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 67 | 44 | +23 | 57 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Stabæk | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 54 | 43 | +11 | 56 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Odd | 30 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 61 | 41 | +20 | 55 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 5 | Viking | 30 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 53 | 39 | +14 | 53 | |
| 6 | Molde | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 62 | 31 | +31 | 52 | |
| 7 | Vålerenga | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 49 | 41 | +8 | 49 | |
| 8 | Lillestrøm | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 45 | 43 | +2 | 44 | |
| 9 | Bodø/Glimt | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 53 | 56 | −3 | 40 | |
| 10 | Aalesund | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 42 | 57 | −15 | 38 | |
| 11 | Sarpsborg 08 | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 34 | |
| 12 | Haugesund | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 33 | 52 | −19 | 31 | |
| 13 | Tromsø | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 36 | 50 | −14 | 29 | |
| 14 | Start (O) | 30 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 35 | 64 | −29 | 22 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 15 | Mjøndalen (R) | 30 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 38 | 69 | −31 | 21 | Relegation to First Division |
| 16 | Sandefjord (R) | 30 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 36 | 68 | −32 | 16 | Relegation to First Division |

* ↑ Rosenborg qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round by winning the 2015 Norwegian Cup. However, since they already qualified for European competition based on their league position, the spot awarded to the cup winners was passed down the league.
* ↑ Lillestrøm started the season with a one point deduction due to poor financial reporting.

## Positions by round

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Rosenborg | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Strømsgodset | 14 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Stabæk | 7 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Odd | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Viking | 12 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Molde | 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Vålerenga | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Lillestrøm | 16 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Bodø/Glimt | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Aalesund | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
| Sarpsborg 08 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Haugesund | 6 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Tromsø | 11 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Start | 10 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Mjøndalen | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Sandefjord | 2 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |

* Leader
* 2016–17 UEFA Europa League First qualifying round
* Relegation play-offs
* Relegation to 2016–17 1. divisjon

## Relegation play-offs

### Final

The 14th-placed team, Start, took part in a two-legged play-off against Jerv, the winners of the 2015 1. divisjon promotion play-offs, to decide who would play in the 2016 Tippeligaen.

Start won 4–2 on aggregate and retained their place in the 2016 Tippeligaen; Jerv remained in the 1. divisjon.

## Results

| Home \ Away | AAL | BOD | HAU | LSK | MIF | MFK | ODD | RBK | SF | S08 | STB | IKS | SIF | TIL | VIF | VIK |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Aalesund | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–4 |
| Bodø/Glimt | 1–0 | — | 1–2 | 0–3 | 5–1 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 6–1 | 5–1 | 3–5 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Haugesund | 3–1 | 2–4 | — | 3–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–6 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| Lillestrøm | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Mjøndalen | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–4 | — | 0–3 | 3–6 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Molde | 5–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | — | 1–2 | 1–0 | 6–1 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 |
| Odd | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 1–2 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 |
| Rosenborg | 5–0 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | — | 5–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Sandefjord | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 2–4 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 |
| Sarpsborg 08 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | — | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–6 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Stabæk | 1–4 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 4–0 | 0–0 | — | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Start | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 4–1 | — | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 0–3 |
| Strømsgodset | 3–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 |
| Tromsø | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–6 | — | 4–5 | 3–1 |
| Vålerenga | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | — | 2–4 |
| Viking | 4–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–4 | — |

## Season statistics

### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals | Games | Average |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Alexander Søderlund | Rosenborg | 22 | 27 | 0,81 |
| 2 | Adama Diomande | Stabæk | 17 | 21 | 0,81 |
| 3 | Olivier Occéan | Odd | 15 | 27 | 0,56 |
| 4 | Ola Kamara | Molde | 14 | 29 | 0,48 |
| 5 | Pål André Helland | Rosenborg | 13 | 21 | 0,62 |
| 5 | Alexander Sørloth | Bodø/Glimt | 13 | 26 | 0,50 |
| 5 | Trond Olsen | Bodø/Glimt | 13 | 29 | 0,45 |
| 5 | Leke James | Aalesund | 13 | 29 | 0,45 |
| 9 | Mohamed Elyounoussi | Molde | 12 | 28 | 0,43 |
| 10 | Marcus Pedersen | Strømsgodset | 11 | 10 | 1,10 |
| 10 | Veton Berisha | Viking | 11 | 14 | 0,79 |
| 10 | Fred Friday | Lillestrøm | 11 | 26 | 0,42 |
| 10 | Iver Fossum | Strømsgodset | 11 | 30 | 0,37 |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Fred Friday | Lillestrøm | Mjøndalen | 4–1 (A) | 3 April 2015 |
| Tommy Høiland | Molde | Start | 4–0 (H) | 10 May 2015 |
| Adama Diomande | Stabæk | Sandefjord | 4–0 (H) | 13 May 2015 |
| Mohamed Elyounoussi | Molde | Sandefjord | 6–1 (H) | 30 May 2015 |
| Ola Kamara | Molde | Sarpsborg 08 | 4–1 (A) | 3 July 2015 |
| Christian Gytkjær | Haugesund | Lillestrøm | 3–3 (H) | 4 July 2015 |
| Christian Gytkjær | Haugesund | Aalesund | 3–1 (H) | 9 August 2015 |
| Alexander $Sørloth^4$ | Bodø/Glimt | Start | 5–1 (H) | 9 August 2015 |
| Marcus Pedersen | Strømsgodset | Mjøndalen | 4–2 (A) | 30 August 2015 |
| Alexander Sørloth | Bodø/Glimt | Stabæk | 6–1 (H) | 8 November 2015 |
| Fredrik Nordkvelle | Odd | Lillestrøm | 5–0 (H) | 8 November 2015 |

**Notes**

$^4$ Player scored 4 goals (H) – Home team (A) – Away team

### Top assists

| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Mike Jensen | Rosenborg | 12 |
| 2 | Ernest Asante | Stabæk | 11 |
| 2 | Yassine El Ghanassy | Stabæk | 11 |
| 4 | Christian Grindheim | Vålerenga | 10 |
| 5 | Anders Trondsen | Sarpsborg 08 | 9 |
| 6 | Fredrik Midtsjø | Rosenborg | 8 |
| 6 | Espen Ruud | Odd | 8 |
| 6 | Gustav Wikheim | Strømsgodset | 8 |
| 9 | Daniel Bamberg | Haugesund | 7 |
| 9 | Bentley | Odd | 7 |
| 9 | Per-Egil Flo | Molde | 7 |
| 9 | Pål André Helland | Rosenborg | 7 |
| 9 | Olivier Occéan | Odd | 7 |
| 9 | Joackim Olsen Solberg | Mjøndalen | 7 |

### Discipline

**Player**

* Most yellow cards: 8
   * Michael Christensen (Start)
* Most red cards: 1
   * 25 players

**Club**

* Most yellow cards: 52
   * Sandefjord
* Most red cards: 3
   * Lillestrøm
   * Molde

### Attendances

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Rosenborg | 270,589 | 21,401 | 13,779 | 18,039 | $+29.6%^†$ |
| 2 | Viking | 154,080 | 14,463 | 7,086 | 10,272 | $+2.6%^†$ |
| 3 | Vålerenga | 151,486 | 20,958 | 6,908 | 10,099 | $+3.5%^†$ |
| 4 | Molde | 134,275 | 11,113 | 8,141 | 8,952 | $−3.1%^†$ |
| 5 | Odd | 118,674 | 9,073 | 6,769 | 7,912 | $+10.5%^†$ |
| 6 | Strømsgodset | 105,450 | 8,468 | 6,180 | 7,030 | $+4.8%^†$ |
| 7 | Aalesund | 100,435 | 8,287 | 5,655 | 6,696 | $−11.9%^†$ |
| 8 | Start | 92,326 | 9,239 | 4,683 | 6,155 | $+3.2%^†$ |
| 9 | Lillestrøm | 82,913 | 9,071 | 3,881 | 5,528 | $−6.3%^†$ |
| 10 | Haugesund | 80,790 | 6,634 | 4,533 | 5,386 | $−3.5%^†$ |
| 11 | Sandefjord | 61,882 | 6,174 | 3,269 | 4,125 | $+53.5%^1$ |
| 12 | Stabæk | 58,204 | 4,938 | 3,293 | 3,880 | $+1.2%^†$ |
| 13 | Sarpsborg 08 | 58,060 | 5,137 | 3,151 | 3,871 | $−1.9%^†$ |
| 14 | Tromsø | 54,534 | 5,862 | 3,080 | 3,636 | $+30.9%^1$ |
| 15 | Bodø/Glimt | 47,762 | 6,114 | 2,286 | 3,184 | $−5.9%^†$ |
| 16 | Mjøndalen | 39,131 | 4,150 | 1,949 | 2,609 | $+125.9%^1$ |
| | League total | 1,610,591 | 21,401 | 1,949 | 6,711 | $−3.6%^†$ |

Updated to games played on 26 October 2015 Source: nifs.no, fotball.no Notes: 1: Team played last season in 1. divisjon

## Awards

### Annual awards

| Award | Winner | Club |
| - | - | - |
| Player of the Year | Ole Selnæs | Rosenborg |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Ørjan Nyland | Molde |
| Defender of the Year | Jonas Svensson | Rosenborg |
| Midfielder of the Year | Ole Selnæs | Rosenborg |
| Striker of the Year | Alexander Søderlund | Rosenborg |
| Manager of the Year | Bob Bradley | Stabæk |
| Young Player of the Year | Iver Fossum | Strømsgodset |
