{{short description|Norwegian footballer and manager (born 1969)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Geir Bakke | image = Geir Bakke under oppvarming (cropped).jpg | image_size = | caption = Geir Bakke in 2009 | fullname = Geir Bakke | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|10|23|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Hamar]], Norway | height = | position = | currentclub = none | youthyears1 = {{0}}{{0}}{{0}}{{0}}–1987 | youthclubs1 = [[Rælingen FK|Rælingen]] | years1 = 1987–1992|clubs1 = [[Strømmen IF|Strømmen]] |caps1 = |goals1 = | years2 = 1993–1994|clubs2 = [[Kongsvinger IL Toppfotball|Kongsvinger]] |caps2 = 27 |goals2 = 1 | years3 = 1995–1997 |clubs3 = [[Stabæk Fotball|Stabæk]] |caps3 = 39 |goals3 = 3 | totalcaps = |totalgoals = <!-- LEAGUE ONLY --> | nationalyears1 = |nationalteam1 = Norway U19 |nationalcaps1 = |nationalgoals1 = | manageryears1 = 1998–1999 |managerclubs1 = [[Skjetten SK|Skjetten]] | manageryears2 = 2006–2008 |managerclubs2 = [[Moss FK|Moss]] | manageryears3 = 2012–2013 |managerclubs3 = [[Kristiansund BK|Kristiansund]] | manageryears4 = 2015–2019 |managerclubs4 = [[Sarpsborg 08 FF|Sarpsborg 08]] | manageryears5 = 2020–2023 |managerclubs5 = [[Lillestrøm SK|Lillestrøm]] | manageryears6 = 2023–2026 |managerclubs6 = [[Vålerenga Fotball|Vålerenga]] }} '''Geir Bakke''' (born 23 October 1969) is a Norwegian [[Association football|football]] coach and former player. He was most recently the manager of Eliteserien club [[Vålerenga Fotball|Vålerenga]].
Geir Bakke was born at [[Hamar]], where he spent his infant years, before his family relocated to [[Rælingen]] when he was six.
==Playing career== Geir Bakke started his playing career at local club [[Rælingen FK|Rælingen]] before switching to nearby [[Strømmen IF|Strømmen]] in 1987 at 18 years of age. Having made two appearances in the top division with Strømmen in 1988, the following seasons at the club was spent outside the top flight. Ahead of the 1993-season, he transferred to [[Kongsvinger IL Toppfotball|Kongsvinger]] with whom he spent two seasons playing mostly at right-back in Eliteserien. Ambitious, newly promoted [[Stabæk Fotball|Stabæk]] signed him ahead of the 1995-season. He would spend three seasons at Stabæk. He was a regular at right-back during his first season at Stabæk, and played fifteen games in his second season. A troublesome knee prevented him from playing any games in his third and final season at the club.
==Managerial career== Upon retiring as a player, he then pursued a managerial career, having been educated at Norges idrettshøyskole and worked several years coaching young players at Wang Toppidrett. He was hired to coach Skjetten in 1998 and 1999.
===Vålerenga=== Bakke was assistant coach in Vålerenga from 1999 to 2005. He was assistant under [[Tom Nordlie]] in his first two seasons at the club. From 2001 to 2005 he was assistant under [[Kjetil Rekdal]]. Vålerenga won [[2005 Tippeligaen|Tippeligaen]], the Norwegian top flight, in 2005. Bakke quit his position in Vålerenga after the 2005 season to become head coach in [[Moss FK]].<ref name="Bakke to Moss">{{cite news |url=https://www.bt.no/100Sport/fotball/VIF-trener-til-Moss-33152b.html?r=3 |title=VIF-trener til Moss |publisher=Bergens Tidende |date=30 October 2005 |access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref>
===Moss=== As announced on 30 October 2005, he took over [[1. divisjon|second tier]] club [[Moss FK|Moss]] effecting from the start of the 2006 season.<ref name="Bakke to Moss"/> This was Bakke's first job as a head coach for a professional football team. Moss finished fifth in the [[2007 1. divisjon]]. Bakke resigned on 28 August 2008.<ref name="Bakke to Stabæk">{{cite news |url=https://www.aftenposten.no/100Sport/fotball/Geir-Bakke-til-Stabak-78169b.html |title=Geir Bakke til Stabæk |publisher=Aftenposten |date=29 August 2008 |access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref>
===Stabæk=== Geir Bakke was presented as assistant coach in Stabæk on 29 August 2008, the day after his resignation in Moss. He replaced [[Petter Belsvik]] and signed a three-year contract with the club.<ref name="Bakke to Stabæk"/> On 10 November 2011 it was announced that Bakke was leaving Stabæk to become head coach in [[Kristiansund BK]].<ref name="Bakke to Kristiansund">{{cite news |url=https://www.budstikka.no/stabak/sport/sport/geir-bakke-forlater-stabak/s/2-2.310-1.6602672 |title=Geir Bakke forlater Stabæk |publisher=Budstikka |date=10 November 2011 |access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref>
===Kristiansund=== Bakke was head coach at Kristiansund for two seasons, from 2012 to 2013. Kristiansund won [[2. divisjon|2. divisjon Group 2]] in Bakke's first season and were promoted to the [[2013 1. divisjon]]. The 2013 season was the first season in club history that Kristiansund played at the second highest level in Norwegian football. ===Molde=== On 17 January 2014, Bakke was presented as the new assistant coach at [[Molde FK]].<ref name="Bakke to Molde">{{cite news |url=https://www.dagbladet.no/sport/geir-bakke-blir-molde-trener/61664326 |title=Geir Bakke blir Molde-trener |publisher=Dagbladet |date=17 January 2014 |access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref> His partnership with head coach [[Tor Ole Skullerud]] turned out successfully, and Molde won the league title with 71 points (as of 2018 a league record). On 23 October 2014, it was announced that Geir Bakke was leaving Molde after the 2014 season to become head coach in [[Sarpsborg 08 FF|Sarpsborg 08]].<ref name="Bakke leaves Molde">{{cite news |url=https://www.aftenposten.no/100Sport/fotball/Skullerud-taus-om-ny-Molde-assistent-218723b.html |title=Skullerud taus om ny Molde-assistent |publisher=Aftenposten |date=23 October 2014 |access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref>
===Sarpsborg 08=== On 23 October 2014, Bakke was announced as head coach of Sarpborg 08. He signed a four-year deal with the club,<ref name="Bakke to Sarpsborg 08">{{cite news |url=https://www.abcnyheter.no/nyheter/sport/2014/10/23/210349/bakke-blir-ny-sarpsborg-trener |title=Bakke blir ny Sarpsborg-trener |publisher=ABC Nyheter |date=23 October 2014 |access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref> effective 1 January 2015. He led the team to their first ever [[Norwegian Football Cup|Norwegian Cup final]] in [[2015 Norwegian Football Cup Final|2015]], which they lost to [[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]] with the score 0–2. In the 2017 season, Sarpsborg 08 finished third in [[Eliteserien]]. The third-place finish secured their first league medal in club history and qualified the club for [[UEFA competitions|European football]] for the first time. On 10 May 2017, Bakke signed a new five-year deal, which would have made him Sarpsborg 08's head coach until the end of the 2022 season.<ref name="Long term contract Sarpsborg 08">{{cite news |url=https://www.aftenposten.no/100Sport/fotball/Sarpsborg-sjefen-skrev-under-pa-langtidskontrakt-235344b.html |title=Sarpsborg-sjefen skrev under på langtidskontrakt |publisher=Aftenposten |date=10 May 2017 |access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref> Instead Bakke left for then 1. division side Lillestrøm in 2019.<ref name="Geir Bakke finished in Sarpsborg">{{cite news|url=https://sportsbibelen.no/geir-bakke-ferdig-i-sarpsborg-klar-for-ny-norsk-klubb/ |title=Geir Bakke ferdig i Sarpsborg - klar for ny norsk klubb |publisher=Sports Bibelen |date=31 December 2019 |access-date=21 November 2022}}</ref>
===Lillestrøm=== On 31 of December 2019, Geir Bakke was announced as the new head coach of Lillestrøm SK,<ref name="Bakke appointed at LSK">{{cite news |url=https://www.lsk.no/nyheter/geir-bakke-ansatt-som-ny-lsk-trener |title=GEIR BAKKE ANSATT SOM NY LSK-TRENER |publisher=Lillestrøm Sportsklubb |date=31 December 2019 |access-date=21 November 2022}}</ref> which found themselves in the 1. division of Norwegian football. The following season, 2020, Bakke led the team to promotion back to the Eliteserien.<ref name="Lillestrøm promotion">{{cite news |url=https://www.tv2.no/sport/fotball/eliteserien/lillestrom-rykket-opp/11823661/ |title=Lillestrøm rykket opp |publisher=TV2 |date=7 December 2020 |access-date=21 November 2022}}</ref>
=== Return to Vålerenga === On 12 of July 2023, Geir Bakke became [[Vålerenga Fotball|Vålerenga's]] head coach on a deal that would last till 2027.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geir Bakke er Vålerengas nye hovedtrener |url=https://www.vif-fotball.no/nyheter/geir-bakke-er-valerengas-nye-hovedtrener |access-date=2026-05-30 |website=Vålerenga |language=nb-no}}</ref> Vålerenga were relegated to the [[OBOS-ligaen]] after they lost the Eliteserien relegation playoff to [[Kristiansund BK]], losing 4-5 on penalties after an aggregate score of 2-2.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vålerenga vs. Kristiansund Match Report – Sunday December 10, 2023 (Leg 2) |url=https://fbref.com/en/matches/8d51a87e/Valerenga-Kristiansund-December-10-2023-Norwegian-12-RelegationPromotion-play-offs-M |access-date=2026-05-30 |website=FBref.com |language=en}}</ref> Bakke led his team to promotion back to the [[Eliteserien]] in the 2024 season after finishing 1<sup>st</sup> in the league with 69 points.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Avslutta med uavgjort på hjemmebane |url=https://www.vif-fotball.no/nyheter/avslutta-med-uavgjort-pa-hjemmebane |access-date=2026-05-30 |website=Vålerenga |language=nb-no}}</ref> He finished the 2025 season in 6<sup>th</sup>, with top goalscorer [[Elias Sørensen]] scoring 12 goals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ray |first=James |date=2025-11-02 |title=15 goal contributions in 26 games: Player who Portsmouth sold after just half-a-season thriving with new club News |url=https://the72.co.uk/2025/11/02/portsmouth-elias-sorensen-starring-exit/ |access-date=2026-05-30 |website=The72 - Football League News |language=en-GB}}</ref> On 6 of May 2026, Geir Bakke was sacked as head coach and was replaced by [[Petter Myhre]], who served as the interim coach till a new coach was appointed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geir Bakke slutter |url=https://www.vif-fotball.no/nyheter/geir-bakke-slutter |access-date=2026-05-30 |website=Vålerenga |language=nb-no}}</ref> This came after a poor start to the season, with the team winning one of Bakke's last five matches.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-05-06 |title=Vålerenga has fired Geir Bakke after a disastrous start to the season |url=https://en.sporten.com/valerenga-has-fired-geir-bakke-after-a-disastrous-start-to-the-season/ |access-date=2026-05-30 |website=Sporten |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Managerial statistics== {{unreferenced|section|date=April 2026}} {{updated|match played 3 May 2025}} {| class=wikitable style="text-align: center" |+ Managerial record by team and tenure |- !rowspan=2|Team !rowspan=2|From !rowspan=2|To !colspan=5|Record |- !{{abbr|P|Matches played}}!!{{abbr|W|Matches won}}!!{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}!!{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}!!{{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}} |- |align=left|[[Moss FK|Moss]] |align=left|2006 |align=left|28 August 2008 {{WDL|89|38|26|25|decimals=1}} |- |align=left|[[Kristiansund BK|Kristiansund]] |align=left|1 January 2012 |align=left|31 December 2013 {{WDL|60|35|10|15|decimals=1}} |- |align=left|[[Sarpsborg 08 FF|Sarpsborg 08]] |align=left|1 January 2015 |align=left|31 December 2019 {{WDL|156|67|43|46|decimals=1}} |- |align=left|[[Lillestrøm SK|Lillestrøm]] |align=left|31 December 2019 |align=left|12 July 2023 {{WDL|102|55|21|26|decimals=1}} |- |align=left|[[Vålerenga Fotball|Vålerenga]] |align=left|12 July 2023 |align=left|6 May 2026 {{WDL|95|44|21|30|decimals=1}} |- !colspan=3|Total {{WDLtot|502|239|121|142|decimals=1}} |}
==Honours== ===Head coach=== '''Kristiansund''' *[[Norwegian Second Division|2. divisjon, group 2]]: [[2012 2. divisjon|2012]]
'''Sarpsborg 08''' *[[Eliteserien]]: Bronze [[2017 Eliteserien|2017]] *[[Norwegian Football Cup|Norwegian Cup]]: Runners-up [[2015 Norwegian Football Cup|2015]], [[2017 Norwegian Football Cup|2017]]
'''Lillestrøm SK''' *[[Norwegian Football Cup|Norwegian Cup]]: Runners-up [[2022–23 Norwegian Football Cup|2022-23]] *[[Norwegian First Division|1. divisjon]] : Runners-up [[2020 Norwegian First Division|2020]]
==== Vålerenga Fotball ====
* [[Norwegian First Division|1. divisjon]]: 2024
'''Individual''' *Norwegian Football Coaches Association: Coach of the year in 2017<ref name="Coach of the year 2017">{{cite news |url=https://www.vg.no/sport/i/vmQAdj/bakke-kaaret-til-aarets-trener-ingebrigtsen-vraket |title=BAKKE KÅRET TIL "ÅRETS TRENER" – INGEBRIGTSEN VRAKET |publisher=Verdens Gang |date=1 December 2017 |access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref> *[[Eliteserien]] Coach of the Month: [[2021 Eliteserien#Monthly awards|July 2021]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Stokstad|first=Morten|date=11 August 2021|title=Ble satt pris på: Lehne månedens spiller - Bakke månedens trener|url=https://www.lsk.no/nyheter/ble-satt-pris-pa-lehne-manedens-spiller-bakke-manedens-trener|language=no|publisher=Lillestrøm SK|access-date=26 August 2025}}</ref> [[2022 Eliteserien#Monthly awards|April 2022]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Synes du vinnerne fortjente prisen?|url=https://www.facebook.com/eliteserien/posts/pfbid034RPxMACxxoQ8ozHxPya6TZyxnCD3CVMPp8qZL82cxSjqu74RVM3ey45FM4QkaWedl|website=Facebook|language=no|publisher=Eliteserien|date=11 June 2022|access-date=19 September 2025}}</ref> *[[Norwegian First Division]] Coach of the Month: [[2024 Norwegian First Division#Monthly awards|June 2024]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Wulf|first=Tina|date=6 July 2024|title=Månedens trener i juni|url=https://www.vif-fotball.no/nyheter/manedens-trener-i-juni|language=no|publisher=Vålerenga Fotball|access-date=20 September 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.sarpsborg08.no/lag/geir-bakke Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720140548/http://www.sarpsborg08.no/lag/geir-bakke |date=20 July 2018 }} at Sarpsborg08.com
{{Navboxes | title = Managerial positions | list1 = {{Kristiansund BK managers}} {{Sarpsborg 08 FF managers}} {{Lillestrøm SK managers}} {{Vålerenga Fotball managers}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakke, Geir}} [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Norwegian men's footballers]] [[Category:Strømmen IF players]] [[Category:Stabæk Fotball players]] [[Category:Kongsvinger IL Toppfotball players]] [[Category:Eliteserien players]] [[Category:Norwegian football managers]] [[Category:Vålerenga Fotball non-playing staff]] [[Category:Moss FK managers]] [[Category:Stabæk Fotball non-playing staff]] [[Category:Kristiansund BK managers]] [[Category:Molde FK non-playing staff]] [[Category:Sarpsborg 08 FF managers]] [[Category:Lillestrøm SK managers]] [[Category:Eliteserien managers]] [[Category:Men's association football defenders]] [[Category:Footballers from Hamar Municipality]] [[Category:20th-century Norwegian sportsmen]]