Claus Bech Jørgensen
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Claus Bech Jørgensen (born 27 April 1976) is a Faroese former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who is a
youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
coach at AaB. Born in Denmark, he represented the Faroe Islands national team between 2004 and 2006. He first established himself as a player in the Danish Football League with Holstebro BK, AGF Aarhus and
AC Horsens Alliance Club Horsens (), commonly referred to as AC Horsens () or simply Horsens, is a Danish professional football club based in Horsens, Central Denmark Region. Founded in 1994, as a superstructure on Horsens fS (founded 1915), Stensballe ...
, though did not make the Superliga. In 1999, he joined
the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
in England. He later made over 100 appearances for
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
and
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
, as well as more than 50 appearances for Bradford City and Coventry City. He was named Bournemouth's Player of the Year for the 1999–2000 season. He helped Blackpool to win
promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
out of League One via the play-offs in
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
. He ended his career in 2010 after brief spells with Port Vale and Fleetwood Town. He went on to coach at Coventry City, Tamworth and AaB.


Club career


Early career in Denmark

Jørgensen is an attacking midfielder who started his career in his native
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
with Holstebro BK. The club lost their
Danish 1st Division The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991, the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the for ...
(second tier) status in 1995–96. He ended up at
AC Horsens Alliance Club Horsens (), commonly referred to as AC Horsens () or simply Horsens, is a Danish professional football club based in Horsens, Central Denmark Region. Founded in 1994, as a superstructure on Horsens fS (founded 1915), Stensballe ...
via AGF Aarhus. In 1998–99, he struck 17 goals for Horsens, becoming the joint-fourth top scorer in the 1st Division that season.


Move to England: AFC Bournemouth

In 1999, he joined the English Second Division club
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
, becoming a professional footballer at the age of 23. On 7 August, he made his debut in the English game; the
Dean Court Dean Court, currently known as Vitality Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England, and is the home ground of AFC Bournemouth. The stadium has a capacity of 11,307. History I ...
faithful witnessed a 2–1 victory over
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
. Two weeks later came his first goal; his team dished out a 4–0 thrashing of
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
. He played 53 games for the "Cherries" in 1999–2000, picking up a total of six goals along the way, and became the club's Player Of The Year. On 2 September 2000, he had a mixed time at Layer Road, scoring in the 44th minute, he was sent off on the 69th, bringing Bournemouth down to nine men. He finished the season strongly, however, making 48 appearances and bagging nine goals, including a run of five in seven games. The last of those goals – the second in a 2–0 home win over
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
on 28 April 2001 – was also the last goal ever at the old Dean Court before it was demolished and rebuilt.


Bradford City

At the end of the season he switched clubs for First Division Bradford City. He was limited to twenty appearances in 2001–02, though did score a late equaliser against
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
at
Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...
on 20 March. During the 2002–03 season, although starting the season out of favour and rebuffing interest from both Hull City and
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
, he remained at the club. He ended up scoring in eight successive league away games. This unusual feat almost equalled the record held by Dixie Dean, who scored nine goals in nine successive league games. He hit a shot against the post in what would have been the ninth; Bradford lost the game 1–0 to Gillingham on 21 April. His run also picked up nine points for the "Bantams". Overall, he struck eleven times in 34 games that season. There was talk of an exodus from
Valley Parade Valley Parade, currently known as University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater association football, football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium was built in 1886 as the home of Manningham F.C. ...
as the cash-strapped club struggled to offer new deals to its players.


Coventry City

Rejecting a new
contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
, the player became available on a free transfer in the summer as he was out contract, he drew attention from
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
and Burnley, before signing for Coventry City in the summer. After making just nine appearances in the first half of the 2003–04 season, he joined old club Bournemouth on a one-month
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
in January 2004. The loan was twice extended as he impressed back at
Dean Court Dean Court, currently known as Vitality Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England, and is the home ground of AFC Bournemouth. The stadium has a capacity of 11,307. History I ...
. He played 17 games for the "Cherries" before returning to the
Highfield Road Highfield Road was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City for 106 years. History It was built in 1899 in the Hillfields district, close to the city centre, and staged its final game on 30 ...
for an end of season clash with Crystal Palace. In 2004–05 he once again was on the sidelines, partly due to a rib injury he suffered while playing for the Faroe Islands in their World Cup qualification game away to Cyprus. Making just twenty appearances, he managed to find the net on three occasions. In June 2005, he put pen to paper on a new contract. Jørgensen became the first ever player to score at the
Ricoh Arena The Coventry Building Society Arena (often shortened to the CBS Arena or just simply Coventry Arena, and formerly known as the Ricoh Arena) is a complex in Coventry, West Midlands, England. It includes a 32,609-seater stadium which is currentl ...
, on 20 August 2005, in a 3–0 win against
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
. He played a more respectable 31 games in 2005–06, picking up three goals – and one
red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or di ...
, along the way.


Blackpool

He left Coventry at the end of the season, signing with League One
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
. The 2006–07 season was highly successful for the "Tangerines". Jørgensen played 39 games, including their 2–0 victory over Yeovil Town at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
in the
play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...
final. On 7 May 2008, he was offered a new contract by the club. He made 38 appearances in 2007–08, his four goals were important to a club hovering above the
relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
zone. He made his 100th league appearance for the "Seasiders" on 3 May 2009, the final day of the 2008–09 season, in a 1–0 win over Swansea City at the
Liberty Stadium The Swansea.com Stadium (; formerly Liberty Stadium) is an all-seated multi-use sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales, hosting both rugby union and football. The stadium opened in 2005 and was name ...
. On 9 June, Blackpool confirmed that Jørgensen had not been offered a new deal and was being released. He had made exactly 100 league appearances for the club.


Later career

In August 2009 he joined League Two club Port Vale on trial – he had served under manager
Micky Adams Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer and football Manager (association football), manager. As a player, he was a Full-back (football), full back, and made a total of 43 ...
at Coventry. He quickly joined on a non-contract basis, in order that he might be selected for first-team football, this meant he could not be paid for his services. The club offered Jørgensen a contract in September 2009, but he rejected the offer, deciding to look for a contract elsewhere. On 8 September 2009, he signed for
Conference North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 o ...
side Fleetwood Town. His debut came later the same day in a 2–0 win over Farsley Celtic at Throstle Nest. He left the club in late October after four league and one FA Cup appearances. In November, he began training with League Two side
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...
. "Robins"
caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...
John Schofield explained that as Jørgensen lives relatively locally, the club were having a look at him and that "If Claus is happy with what he sees from us and we are happy with what we see, there may be a chance he could stay around a bit longer." He spent the summer of 2010 training with Conference club Tamworth, after manager Gary Mills seemed keen to offer him a contract. No deal materialized however, and he retired from playing to focus on football coaching along with running his restorative floor cleaning company, Unique Floorcare. In the April 2012 edition of the football magazine FourFourTwo, fans of both Bournemouth and Blackpool voted him the 'Best Foreigner In The club's History', describing him as 'dominating games in midfield' and 'his box-to-box play was integral in Blackpool defying expectations by staying in the Championship'.


International career

Jørgensen elected to play for the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
, the homeland of his mother, as he believed he would probably never play for
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. He won all of his caps whilst playing for Coventry City. His only international goal, a glancing header into the far corner of the net, came in a 2–2 draw at
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
'
GSP Stadium The GSP Stadium () is a association football, football stadium in Strovolos, Nicosia District, Cyprus. Although small by international standards, it is the largest stadium in Cyprus, with a capacity of 22,859 and was opened in 1999. It serves as ...
on 9 October 2004. It was an important goal as it ensured the only point in the Island's World Cup qualification campaign. He won eight of his other caps in that same campaign, playing in both defeats to
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, as well as a home defeat to Cyprus and the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
. His final international was in a
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2008 finals tournament took place between August 2006 and November 2007. Fifty teams were divided into seven groups. In a Round-robin tournament, double round-robin system, each team played against each of the others ...
match against
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
on 16 August 2006. The Georgians ran out 6–0 winners at Svangaskarð. He quit the international scene the following month, after he was benched for a qualifier with
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.


Coaching career

Having coached at Coventry City's Academy for two years, Jørgensen joined
National League North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...
club Tamworth as
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
of the
youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
, after being recruited by former teammate Andy Morrell. He holds the UEFA A Licence. He returned to Denmark to coach the AaB under-15 team in July 2019.


Personal life

He is married to Lorna, a
hairdresser A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A hairdresser may also be re ...
, and has three children. He is also a qualified helicopter pilot.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours

Blackpool * League One play-offs:
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
Individual *
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
Player of the Year: 1999–2000


References


External links

* (Blackpool stats not included) * (Blackpool stats only)
Unique Floorcare
business set up by Jørgensen {{DEFAULTSORT:Jorgensen, Claus Bech 1976 births Living people Footballers from Holstebro Men's association football midfielders Faroese men's footballers Faroe Islands men's international footballers Faroese people of Danish descent Holstebro Boldklub players Aarhus Gymnastikforening players AC Horsens players AFC Bournemouth players Bradford City A.F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Fleetwood Town F.C. players Danish 1st Division players English Football League players National League (English football) players Association football coaches Coventry City F.C. non-playing staff Tamworth F.C. non-playing staff Expatriate men's footballers in England