Hammarby secured three points from an away fixture against Halmstad following a late winner from Noah Persson, leaving the club sitting nine points behind league leaders Sirius and one point behind second-placed Djurgården in the standings, Fotbollskanalen reported.
Hammarby Navigating a Generational Shift in the Squad
Following the victory at Halmstad, Hammarby head coach Henrik Rydström appeared on TV4’s studio coverage to discuss his team’s current trajectory. When asked about closing the gap on league leaders Sirius, Rydström initially quipped that the chase was on before quickly pivoting to the broader developmental phase ongoing within the club.
“All coaches who come in during the season like I have done now navigate not changing too much and continuing what has been good,” Rydström told TV4. “Then I have my vision of how I want my team to play and you try to portion that out.”
The Hammarby manager pointed out that the club is currently working through a transition phase involving younger and older squad members. Pointing to the return of midfielder Tesfaldet Tekie—who featured in the starting lineup against Halmstad after spending a spell out of the team—Rydström emphasized the need to balance tactical integration with squad development.
“At the same time, there is a small generational shift in the squad at Hammarby and I am trying to navigate that correctly,” Rydström said. “Today ‘Tes’ played and I think he is really good, after having had to give way for a while.”
Addressing Recent Controversy Following the Stockholm Derby
Rydström also used his television appearance to address the turbulence that followed the recent Stockholm derby against Djurgården. Headlines during the week centered around a derogatory chant initiated by Djurgården player Daniel Stensson, which targeted the Hammarby coach and a close relative.
“An ‘unfortunate chant’ I heard that it was from the Djurgården side. It was unfortunate,” Rydström said, letting out a laugh before pushing back against the idea that he should remain the focal point of the controversy.
“Not so much me,” he added. “I would rather say that it is Djurgården, their players and their communication department that have ended up in focus.”
The Hammarby manager expanded on his stance regarding supporter culture and accountability within Swedish football, stating that representatives of clubs must be willing to address unacceptable behavior publicly.
“I am pro-supporters and I love Swedish supporter culture. The supporters are Swedish football,” Rydström said. “On the other hand, I think that players, coaches and representatives of clubs must stand up against sexism and racism. If you don’t do that, you have to look at yourself in the mirror.”
Rydström expressed disappointment with how the incident was handled by figures within the opposing club, noting a lack of accountability following the public backlash.
“I hope that people who are in football think: ‘Can’t we have some backbone, that didn’t turn out well, I apologize.’ But that has not been the case in this instance,” he said.
Next Steps in the Allsvenskan Standings
Hammarby’s narrow victory on the road keeps the team firmly in the upper tier of the Allsvenskan table. With the win secured, Rydström emphasized that the squad’s immediate priority remains internal stability and continued tactical progress on the training pitch.
“We need to become stable, train well and I must continue to explain to the players what football I believe we can play and what success we can have,” Rydström said. “Then we do the best we can here and now and then it feels good to win.”
Hammarby sits in third place in the Allsvenskan table with 39 points after 22 matches, trailing second-placed Djurgården by one point and league leaders Sirius by nine points.
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