John Jensen
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John Jensen (; born 3 May 1965), nicknamed Faxe (), is a Danish professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager and former player. A former
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, his playing career lasted almost two entire decades, including a stint with
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in England and three stints with Brøndby in Denmark. He scored four goals in 69
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for the Denmark national team, entering Danish footballing folklore during the 1992 European Championship tournament, when he scored the opening goal in Denmark's 2–0 victory over Germany in the final.


Club career


Early career

Jensen started his career at
Brøndby IF Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening (, usually abbreviated to Brøndby IF (), is a Danish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Brøndbyvester. Brøndby IF denotes the professional football section of Brøndbyernes ...
, and was an important part of the team which won the Danish championship in
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
, crowned by a call-up to the Denmark national team and the Danish ''Player of the Year'' award in 1987. After impressing in the
UEFA Euro 1988 The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany from 10 to 25 June 1988. It was the eighth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. France national football team, Fr ...
, he spent a brief, unhappy spell in the
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
team
Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), or HSV (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its Association football, football department. Though the current HSV was founde ...
, and was back with Brøndby in March 1990, where he took part in the club's successful 1991
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
campaign which reached the semi-final of the tournament.


Arsenal

In July 1992 Jensen was signed by George Graham for
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in a £1.1 million deal to succeed
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
bound David Rocastle in central midfield, after a bid to sign Geoff Thomas from Crystal Palace failed. In his first season at
Highbury Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington. Highbury Manor Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor hou ...
, after making his Arsenal League debut on the opening day of the season versus
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 ...
, he struggled at first to make any sort of impact within the English game and, although a great tackler and a work rate second to none, he found the pace of the Premier League too frenzied. He missed the 1993 Football League Cup Final versus
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
but bounced back to put in two sterling performances in the
FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official attendance of 89,472 ...
against the same opposition two months later. In 1993-94, he was of paramount importance to the side. His bustling, combative style was a vital influence in Arsenals midfield, until a knee ligament injury he received in an international friendly match with Denmark versus Hungary, which resulted him missing the 1994 European Cup Winners Cup Final, after playing in all previous ties. Along with
Ian Wright Ian Edward Wright (born 3 November 1963) is an English media personality and former professional footballer. Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal as a forward, spending six years with the former and seven year ...
he was later granted a medal. In 1994-95, although playing in 24 League games he had to endure the pain of missing yet another European Cup Winners Cup Final when not selected by caretaker
Stewart Houston Stewart Mackie Houston (born 20 August 1949) is a Scottish former association football, football player and coach (sports), coach who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, left-back. Born in Dunoon, he began his professional c ...
. Jensen also scored his first and only goal for Arsenal on his 98th appearance, 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 ...
on 31 December 1994. Officially, though, he also scored a shootout goal against his friend Peter Schmeichel of
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
in the 1993 FA Charity Shield. On 21 February 1995 George Graham, who had led Arsenal to six trophies in eight seasons, lost his job after a Premier League inquiry found he had accepted an illegal £425,000 payment from Norwegian agent Rune Hauge following Arsenal’s recruiting of Pål Lydersen and Jensen, two of Hauge’s clients. 14 February 1996 Jensen played his last game for Arsenal in the League Cup semi-final versus
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
, and left Highbury in March 1996, after 138 competitive appearances for the club.


Return to Denmark

After leaving Arsenal he rejoined his old club, Brøndby IF. In 1999, he moved on to
Herfølge Herfølge is a suburb of the town of Køge, Denmark, located about 5 kilometers south of central Køge, and is a part of Køge Municipality. The suburb is connected to Køge and Næstved by the Lille Syd railway line. Herfølge Church Herføl ...
, where he was part of the squad that won the 1999–2000 Danish Superliga.


International career

Jensen scored four goals in 69 appearances for the Denmark national team between 1987 and 1995. When he appeared at
Euro 1992 The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Denmark won the 1992 championship, having been inv ...
, he scored the first goal in the
Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
of an eventual 2–0 victory against
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. During the years he spent at Arsenal, Jensen scored two goals in 21 games for the Denmark national team: one against
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
in 1993 and one against
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
in 1994.


Coaching career

Jensen retired from full-time playing in 1999 and accepted the job of player/manager at Herfølge BK, a small Danish club, and immediately made a name for himself by winning the Danish Superliga on his first attempt. However, Herfølge's success was short-lived, and they were
relegated 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 ...
from the Superliga in the 2001 season. Jensen's reputation with his old club was good enough to secure him a move back to Brøndby IF, as assistant manager to
Michael Laudrup Michael Laudrup (, born 15 June 1964) is a Danish professional Association football, football coach and former player. Renowned for his composure, passing, vision, technical skills, ball control, and dribbling ability, Laudrup is widely regarded ...
, a position he held until June 2006, when Jensen and Laudrup did not extend their contracts with the club. When Laudrup in 2007 was named new manager at Spanish side
Getafe Getafe () is a municipalities in Spain, municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality. Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city c ...
, Jensen followed him as assistant manager. Laudrup quit Getafe after only one season, taking Jensen with him. On 12 January 2009, Jensen started as manager of
Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...
side
Randers FC Randers FC () is a professional association football, football club based in Randers, East Jutland metropolitan area, East Jutland, that plays in the Danish Superliga, the top flight of the Danish football league system. Founded on 1 January 200 ...
. On 6 October 2009, Jensen was sacked from Randers FC after a series of nine losses and two draws in 11 matches. On 12 January 2011, he signed a six-month contract with
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
to become assistant manager and work alongside Steve Kean. On 23 May 2011, he signed a new deal one-year deal to remain as Steve Kean's assistant at Blackburn. On 29 September 2011, he left Blackburn Rovers. On 11 October 2012, he was appointed consultant for
Brøndby IF Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening (, usually abbreviated to Brøndby IF (), is a Danish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Brøndbyvester. Brøndby IF denotes the professional football section of Brøndbyernes ...
by manager Auri Skarbalius. On 27 May 2014, he was named new manager of Danish club Fremad Amager replacing Tim Ilsø. In September 2018, it was announced that Jensen would take temporary charge of the Denmark national team for their replacement team's friendly match against
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
, following a dispute between the Danish Football Union and players, which also involved incumbent head coach Ã…ge Hareide. "When I say yes to help it's because I feel very strongly for the national team as an institution, and because the most important thing must be that the games will be played after all", said Jensen.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jensen goal.''


Honours


Player

Brøndby *
Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...
:
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
, 1988,
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
,
1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98 Arsenal *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
: 1992–93 * League Cup: 1992–93 *
European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
: 1993–94; runner-up: 1994–95 *
European Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...
runner-up:
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
Herfølge BK * Danish Superliga: 1999–2000 Denmark * European Championship:
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
Individual *
Danish Player of the Year The Danish Player of the Year award is an annual prize, which has been given to the best male Danish football (soccer), football player by the Danish Football Association since 1963. The winner is decided in a vote among the professional Danish fo ...
: 1987


Manager

Herfølge BK * Danish Superliga: 1999–2000 Individual * Danish Coach of the Year: 2000


References


External links

*
Brøndby IF manager profile

Brøndby IF 1996–1999 player statistics
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, John 1965 births Living people Footballers from Copenhagen Danish men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Brøndby IF players Hamburger SV players Arsenal F.C. players Herfølge Boldklub players Danish Superliga players Bundesliga players Premier League players Denmark men's under-21 international footballers Denmark men's international footballers UEFA Euro 1988 players UEFA Euro 1992 players UEFA European Championship–winning players Danish expatriate men's footballers Danish expatriate sportspeople in West Germany Danish expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in West Germany Expatriate men's footballers in England Danish football managers Herfølge Boldklub managers Getafe CF non-playing staff Blackburn Rovers F.C. non-playing staff Randers FC managers Denmark national football team managers Fremad Amager managers Danish Superliga managers Danish expatriate sportspeople in Spain Brøndby IF non-playing staff Danish 1st Division managers 20th-century Danish sportsmen