Allan Kuhn
Encyclopedia
Allan Hjortdal Kuhn known simply as Allan Kuhn, is a Danish
association football coach and former player. He is the assistant manager of Randers FC
in the Danish Superliga
championship. He was the head coach of FC Midtjylland
from 2009 to 2011. He is also a former assistant coach and caretaker head coach of Aalborg BK, and was the assistant of head coach Erik Hamrén in the 2008 Superliga-winning season.
In his active career, Kuhn was known as a hard-working attacking midfielder. He played a total 204 games for Lyngby BK, winning the 1990 Danish Cup
trophy and the 1992 Superliga championship with the club. He also played for Danish clubs B 1903 and Hvidovre IF
, and won the 2000 Swedish Cup with Örgryte IS
. He represented the Denmark national under-19 football team
five times.
, Kuhn started his playing career with local team Rønne IK. While at Rønne IK, he made his international debut as a forward when he played five games and scored two goals for the Denmark national under-19 football team
in 1985. He got his senior debut for Rønne IK in 1987, and was soon off to Copenhagen
club Lyngby BK in the Danish 1st Division
. He also played for 1st Division rivals B 1903, before getting his national breakthrough when he moved back to Lyngby BK in 1990, playing alongside his older brother Hasse Kuhn.
against AGF. He did not score in the 6–1 final win, but was hailed as one of the best players of the game, alongside later Danish international
midfielders Morten Wieghorst
and Peter Nielsen
. In a September 1990 game against Vejle Boldklub
, Allan was sent off
when he pushed a Vejle player who had elbowed and knocked out several of Hasse Kuhn's teeth without any reprimand from the referee
. Allan underwent surgery in the summer 1991 to mend a right knee injury, and only played six of 32 games as Lyngby won the 1991–92 Superliga championship under manager Kent Karlsson
.
During the reign of new Lyngby manager Michael Schäfer
, Kuhn eventually moved into the position of attacking midfielder, a hard-working player with good dribbling. In the following seasons, Lyngby settled in the lower half of the league. In the last game of the 1994–95 Superliga season in June 1995, Kuhn suffered a rash tackle by Danish international defender Jacob Laursen
, resulting in a left knee injury with an anticipated one-year recovery time. He returned to the Lyngby side in April 1996, and played seven of 33 games as Lyngby finished fourth in the 1995–96 Superliga season under new manager Benny Lennartsson
. As he had a hard time forcing his way into Lennartsson's starting line-up, Kuhn sought to leave the club in the summer 1997. He played a total 204 games and scored 25 goals for the club in all competitions for Lyngby BK.
, under manager Karl-Gunnar Björklund. He started well in the last half of the 1997 Allsvenskan season, but only played few minutes in the first half of the 1998 Allsvenskan season, under new manager Bo Backman. He stated he wanted to leave Örgryte in June 1998, but returned to the starting line-up shortly thereafter and scored his first Allsvenskan goal in August 1998. Under new head coach Erik Hamrén, Kuhn emerged as somewhat of a father figure in Örgryte, working hard and encouraging his teammates with good humour, and he was named team captain. He won the 2000 Swedish Cup with the club. In September 2000, Kuhn agreed a move to Danish club Hvidovre IF
at the end of the 2000 Allsvenskan season.
He joined Hvidovre in the Danish 1st Division
in January 2001, and was named team captain. However, he did not start out strong for his new team, and was soon dropped from the starting line-up by manager Jan Sørensen
. He was put on the transfer list, but was not sold and went on to play a number of additional games for Hvidovre, before he left the club in the summer 2002.
club FC Bornholm in the summer 2002.
coaching, which AaB goalkeeper Karim Zaza
credited as a main factor in the aggregate 6-1 win against Deportivo de La Coruña
in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup.
In the fall of 2008, Allan Kuhn was appointed caretaker head coach
for AaB, after new head coach Bruce Rioch
was sacked on October 23 2008. In this period, Kuhn guided the team to a third-place finish in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League group E, ahead of Celtic
, through a series of successful matches including a win over Celtic and a tie with Manchester United
on Old Trafford
. He also led AaB from 11th to 6th place in the league, as he was undefeated in his seven Superliga games as head coach.
Kuhn expressed the desire to continue as AaB head coach, but AaB sports director Lynge Jakobsen saw a risk in the transition in role from assistant to head coach, as the players were too used to see Kuhn in the assistant role. From January 2009, he returned to his old position as assistant coach, now with Magnus Pehrsson
as new AaB head coach. It was later revealed, that Kuhn engaged in advanced talks to replace Ove Christensen
as head coach at Superliga rivals Vejle Boldklub
, but eventually declined the offer.
(FCM). He replaced Thomas Thomasberg
as head coach, who was fired following four points in the first four games of the 2009-10 Danish Superliga season. FCM lost the first four games of Kuhn's reign, but rallied to eventually finish the season in fifth place. In the 2010-11 Danish Superliga, FCM was second placed following the first half of the season.
In the 2010 winter break, FCM sports director Jens Ørgaard decided that all FCM teams should play the same offensive possession-based game, from youth teams to the Superliga team, in order to ease the integration of youth players into the first team squad. In March and April 2011, FCM went five games without winning. Kuhn announced his decision to leave the club prematurely on 15 April 2011, as he found the work load of a head coach was incompatible with his family life.
On 26 April 2011, he was contracted as an assistant coach of Superliga rivals Randers FC
for the remainder of the 2010-11 season, working under new head coach Peter Elstrup.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
association football coach and former player. He is the assistant manager of Randers FC
Randers FC
Randers FC is a Danish professional football team based in Randers, which plays in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship. Founded as a merger on January 1, 2003, the club builds upon the license of Randers Freja, a former three-time Danish Cup winning team...
in the Danish Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
championship. He was the head coach of FC Midtjylland
FC Midtjylland
FC Midtjylland is a professional Danish football team from Herning and Ikast. The team is a result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad...
from 2009 to 2011. He is also a former assistant coach and caretaker head coach of Aalborg BK, and was the assistant of head coach Erik Hamrén in the 2008 Superliga-winning season.
In his active career, Kuhn was known as a hard-working attacking midfielder. He played a total 204 games for Lyngby BK, winning the 1990 Danish Cup
Danish Cup
The Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...
trophy and the 1992 Superliga championship with the club. He also played for Danish clubs B 1903 and Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF is a Danish football club, founded on 15 October 1925 in Hvidovre.- Current squad :As of 2011-03-21...
, and won the 2000 Swedish Cup with Örgryte IS
Örgryte IS
Örgryte IS, also commonly referred to as ÖIS, is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg.-History:The club was founded on 4 December 1887 and participated in the first football match in Sweden on 22 May 1892. Örgryte IS has won 12 national championship titles and one national cup title. After...
. He represented the Denmark national under-19 football team
Denmark national under-19 football team
The Denmark national under-19 football team was founded in 1950 as a under-18 team. In 2001, it was changed to a under-19 team.-Competitive record:...
five times.
Playing career
Born on BornholmBornholm
Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is...
, Kuhn started his playing career with local team Rønne IK. While at Rønne IK, he made his international debut as a forward when he played five games and scored two goals for the Denmark national under-19 football team
Denmark national under-19 football team
The Denmark national under-19 football team was founded in 1950 as a under-18 team. In 2001, it was changed to a under-19 team.-Competitive record:...
in 1985. He got his senior debut for Rønne IK in 1987, and was soon off to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
club Lyngby BK in the Danish 1st Division
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark...
. He also played for 1st Division rivals B 1903, before getting his national breakthrough when he moved back to Lyngby BK in 1990, playing alongside his older brother Hasse Kuhn.
Lyngby Boldklub
During his second stint with Lyngby, he helped the team win the 1990 Danish CupDanish Cup
The Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...
against AGF. He did not score in the 6–1 final win, but was hailed as one of the best players of the game, alongside later Danish international
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
midfielders Morten Wieghorst
Morten Wieghorst
Morten Wieghorst is a Danish association football manager and former player. He is the manager of the Denmark national under-21 football team and the former manager of FC Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga whom he guided to the 2010 and 2011 Danish Cup trophy.During his active career, Wieghorst...
and Peter Nielsen
Peter Nielsen (footballer)
Peter Nielsen is a Danish former football player, now a coach. He won 10 international caps and scored one goal for the Denmark national football team, with whom he won Euro 1992, though he didn't play at the tournament....
. In a September 1990 game against Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub is a Danish football club with proud traditions from the town of Vejle. The club has won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six times....
, Allan was sent off
Penalty card
A penalty card is used in many sports as a means of warning, reprimanding or penalising a player, coach or team official. Penalty cards are most commonly used by referees or umpires to indicate that a player has committed an offense. The referee will hold the card above his or her head while...
when he pushed a Vejle player who had elbowed and knocked out several of Hasse Kuhn's teeth without any reprimand from the referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
. Allan underwent surgery in the summer 1991 to mend a right knee injury, and only played six of 32 games as Lyngby won the 1991–92 Superliga championship under manager Kent Karlsson
Kent Karlsson
Kent Karlsson is a Swedish football coach and former player.He was capped 38 times for the national team and played at the 1974 FIFA World Cup....
.
During the reign of new Lyngby manager Michael Schäfer
Michael Schäfer
Michael Schäfer is a Danish former football player and now manager. In his active career, he played 482 games for Danish club Lyngby BK, as well as three games for the Denmark national football team. At the moment he is a teacher at Virum Skole in Denmark.-Biography:Born in Rødovre in eastern...
, Kuhn eventually moved into the position of attacking midfielder, a hard-working player with good dribbling. In the following seasons, Lyngby settled in the lower half of the league. In the last game of the 1994–95 Superliga season in June 1995, Kuhn suffered a rash tackle by Danish international defender Jacob Laursen
Jacob Laursen
Jacob Thaysen-Laursen is a Danish retired professional football player, who played as a defender. He most notably played for English club Derby County and won the Danish Superliga championship with Silkeborg IF and F.C. Copenhagen...
, resulting in a left knee injury with an anticipated one-year recovery time. He returned to the Lyngby side in April 1996, and played seven of 33 games as Lyngby finished fourth in the 1995–96 Superliga season under new manager Benny Lennartsson
Benny Lennartsson
Benny Lennartsson is a Swedish football coach.He has managed Örebro SK, Lyngby FC and Bristol City among others.-References:...
. As he had a hard time forcing his way into Lennartsson's starting line-up, Kuhn sought to leave the club in the summer 1997. He played a total 204 games and scored 25 goals for the club in all competitions for Lyngby BK.
Örgryte IS
In July 1997, Kuhn moved abroad to play for Swedish club Örgryte ISÖrgryte IS
Örgryte IS, also commonly referred to as ÖIS, is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg.-History:The club was founded on 4 December 1887 and participated in the first football match in Sweden on 22 May 1892. Örgryte IS has won 12 national championship titles and one national cup title. After...
, under manager Karl-Gunnar Björklund. He started well in the last half of the 1997 Allsvenskan season, but only played few minutes in the first half of the 1998 Allsvenskan season, under new manager Bo Backman. He stated he wanted to leave Örgryte in June 1998, but returned to the starting line-up shortly thereafter and scored his first Allsvenskan goal in August 1998. Under new head coach Erik Hamrén, Kuhn emerged as somewhat of a father figure in Örgryte, working hard and encouraging his teammates with good humour, and he was named team captain. He won the 2000 Swedish Cup with the club. In September 2000, Kuhn agreed a move to Danish club Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF is a Danish football club, founded on 15 October 1925 in Hvidovre.- Current squad :As of 2011-03-21...
at the end of the 2000 Allsvenskan season.
He joined Hvidovre in the Danish 1st Division
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark...
in January 2001, and was named team captain. However, he did not start out strong for his new team, and was soon dropped from the starting line-up by manager Jan Sørensen
Jan Sørensen
Jan Vang Sørensen is a retired Danish football player, turned professional poker player from Odense. He has won two bracelets at the World Series of Poker....
. He was put on the transfer list, but was not sold and went on to play a number of additional games for Hvidovre, before he left the club in the summer 2002.
Managerial career
During his injury lay-off from 1995 to 1996, Kuhn began youth team coaching, and undertook coaching courses. Allan Kuhn began his career as head coach in Denmark SeriesDenmark Series
The Denmark Series is the 4th tier of football in Denmark. Teams are divided into three pools of fourteen teams each. The top two teams in each pool are promoted to the Danish 2nd Division West or Danish 2nd Division East, as is appropriate for each club geographically...
club FC Bornholm in the summer 2002.
Aalborg BK
He went on to coaching in the Superliga with Aalborg BK (AaB) in January 2004, as he was appointed the assistant of new head coach Erik Hamrén, whom Kuhn knew from his days at Örgryte. Under Kuhn and Hamrén, AaB won the 2007–08 Superliga championship. During his time at AaB, he was praised for his set pieceSet piece (football)
The term set piece or set play is used in association football and rugby to refer to a situation when the ball is returned to open play following a stoppage, particularly in a forward area of the pitch. Most often, the term is used to refer to free kicks and corners, but sometimes throw-ins. Many...
coaching, which AaB goalkeeper Karim Zaza
Karim Zaza
Karim Zaza is a Danish-Moroccan professional footballer, who currently plays for the Danish 1st Division side FC Hjørring. Born in Denmark to Moroccan parents, he established himself as one of the top goalkeepers of Danish football with three consecutive Danish Goalkeeper of the Year awards from...
credited as a main factor in the aggregate 6-1 win against Deportivo de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup.
In the fall of 2008, Allan Kuhn was appointed caretaker head coach
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
for AaB, after new head coach Bruce Rioch
Bruce Rioch
Bruce David Rioch is an English-born football manager and former player. He was manager of Aalborg BK in the Danish Superliga, until his sacking on 23 October 2008....
was sacked on October 23 2008. In this period, Kuhn guided the team to a third-place finish in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League group E, ahead of Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, through a series of successful matches including a win over Celtic and a tie with Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
on Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
. He also led AaB from 11th to 6th place in the league, as he was undefeated in his seven Superliga games as head coach.
Kuhn expressed the desire to continue as AaB head coach, but AaB sports director Lynge Jakobsen saw a risk in the transition in role from assistant to head coach, as the players were too used to see Kuhn in the assistant role. From January 2009, he returned to his old position as assistant coach, now with Magnus Pehrsson
Magnus Pehrsson
Magnus Pehrsson is a Swedish former football player and the current head coach of Allsvenskan team Djurgårdens IF.-Playing career:...
as new AaB head coach. It was later revealed, that Kuhn engaged in advanced talks to replace Ove Christensen
Ove Christensen
Ove Christensen is an Association football manager, who is the head coach of Viborg FF in the Danish 1st Division. He has managed a number of Danish Superliga clubs, and won the Danish women's championship with Fortuna Hjørring....
as head coach at Superliga rivals Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub is a Danish football club with proud traditions from the town of Vejle. The club has won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six times....
, but eventually declined the offer.
FC Midtjylland
In August 2009, Kuhn was named new head coach at Superliga rivals FC MidtjyllandFC Midtjylland
FC Midtjylland is a professional Danish football team from Herning and Ikast. The team is a result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad...
(FCM). He replaced Thomas Thomasberg
Thomas Thomasberg
Thomas Thomasberg is a former Danish football player. He is currently the manager of Danish football club FC Fredericia.-External links:*...
as head coach, who was fired following four points in the first four games of the 2009-10 Danish Superliga season. FCM lost the first four games of Kuhn's reign, but rallied to eventually finish the season in fifth place. In the 2010-11 Danish Superliga, FCM was second placed following the first half of the season.
In the 2010 winter break, FCM sports director Jens Ørgaard decided that all FCM teams should play the same offensive possession-based game, from youth teams to the Superliga team, in order to ease the integration of youth players into the first team squad. In March and April 2011, FCM went five games without winning. Kuhn announced his decision to leave the club prematurely on 15 April 2011, as he found the work load of a head coach was incompatible with his family life.
On 26 April 2011, he was contracted as an assistant coach of Superliga rivals Randers FC
Randers FC
Randers FC is a Danish professional football team based in Randers, which plays in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship. Founded as a merger on January 1, 2003, the club builds upon the license of Randers Freja, a former three-time Danish Cup winning team...
for the remainder of the 2010-11 season, working under new head coach Peter Elstrup.