Erik Bo Andersen
Encyclopedia
Erik Bo Andersen is a Danish
former professional footballer who played six matches for the Danish national team
and represented Denmark at the 1996 European Championship
. He played in the striker
position and won the 1995 Danish Superliga
championship with Aalborg Boldspilklub, the Double
of Scottish Premier League
and Scottish Cup
twice with Rangers F.C.
, and the Norwegian Cup
with Odd Grenland. Andersen also played for German
club MSV Duisburg
, as well as Odense BK
and Vejle BK in Denmark.
In November 2005, Andersen was elected to represent the Danish Liberal Party in the Randers municipality
council.
, Erik Bo Andersen started his career at the local amateur team Dronningborg Boldklub. He moved to Aalborg Boldspilklub (AaB) in the top-flight Danish Superliga
championship in January 1992 and made his Superliga debut in April 1992.
In his first year at AaB, Andersen spent his time in the reserve team improving his technique, before he got his national breakthrough when he scored two goals in a Danish Cup
game against BK Frem in March 1993. He soon displayed his goal scoring abilities, which earned him the nickname Red Romario, alluding to Brazil
ian striker Romario
and Andersen's red hair
. In the 1994–95 Superliga
season, Andersen scored two hat-trick
s, and even scored four goals in a 5–0 win against AGF Aarhus. He was league topscorer with 24 goals as AaB won the 1994–95 Superliga championship, the first championship in club history. He played the first half of the 1995–96 Superliga
season, scoring 13 goals in 20 games, including another two hat-tricks. In February 1996, Andersen was bought in a transfer deal worth £ 1,2 million by Rangers F.C.
in the Scottish Premier League
. At Rangers, he would play alongside fellow Dane Brian Laudrup
.
. Perhaps his most infamous moment at Rangers was when he shot the ball over the bar from four yards in a Premier League match against Dundee United. His best Rangers moment was when he came on as a substitute and scored twice in the 3–1 victory over arch rivals Glasgow Celtic at Ibrox Stadium
. It was the goals to make it 2–1 and 3–1, which he delivered. Rangers won the Scottish Premier Division titles in both 1996 and 1997, but he could not establish himself in the Rangers starting line-up, and was eventually not allowed to train with the first team.
When Rangers bought striker Marco Negri
in the summer 1997, Andersen left the club shortly thereafter. He scored 15 goals in 23 league games for the club. A number of clubs were interested in Andersen, but the transfer fee demands of Rangers proved too high, and Andersen had to rescind the sign-on fee of £300,000 Rangers still owed him from the Aalborg BK transfer, before an offer was accepted. He later regretted having caved in to Rangers, claiming he should have played hard-ball in order to get the money owed to him, inspired by the approach of Peter Møller
. During pre-season training Paul Gascoigne
had urinated on Andersen. Team-mate Lorenzo Amoruso
was surprised that the Dane responded with meek acceptance.
battlers Odense Boldklub (OB) honoured the Rangers demand, and paid £800,000 for Andersen in October 1997. Andersen scored six goals in 16 Superliga games, but could not prevent Odense from being relegated at the end of the season. Andersen moved abroad once more, as OB sold him for DKK 9.6 million to MSV Duisburg
in the German Bundesliga
in July 1998, to play alongside fellow Dane Stig Tøfting
. Andersen suffered an injury during the pre-season training, and had to undergo a one-and-a-half month recovery. When he recovered he was relegated to a substitute role, and Andersen never found his goal scoring form in Duisburg. Following two goals in 25 games, Andersen was loaned out
to Superliga relegation battlers Vejle Boldklub
from January to and including June 2000, to play under his former AaB coach Poul Erik Andreasen
. Despite seven goals in 14 games from Andersen, Vejle were relegated at the end of the season. Andersen did not want to return to Duisburg, and moved to Odd Grenland in the Norwegian Premier League
in July 2000.
At Grenland, Andersen was seen as the replacement of Norwegian international
Frode Johnsen
who had just been sold, and Andersen joined former AaB team-mate Christian Flindt Bjerg at the club. He was bought for DKK 2.8 million, a transfer fee record for Odd Grenland. After a few games for Odd Grenland, including winning the 2000 Norwegian Cup
tournament, Andersen suffered a knee injury in fall 2000. He did not return to playing football until August 2001. After complications with the injured knee, he underwent another half year of recovery. During his injuries, Grenland did not have the medical staff to care for Andersen, and he was left to tend to the injuries himself, and was helped by his former club AaB. He eventually paid Odd Grenland to let him go in December 2001, and returned to play for AaB in January 2002. He did not become a part of the starting line-up due injuries, and when he suffered yet another knee injury in spring 2003, he decided to end his career. Andersen played a combined total of 142 games and scored 66 goals for AaB in all competitions.
and made his international debut in an April 1995 match against Macedonia, when he replaced AaB teammate Peter Rasmussen
at half time. While at Rangers, he was selected for the Danish squad at the 1996 European Championship
, and played three minutes as Denmark won 3–0 against Turkey
. This would be his last national team game. Erik Bo Andersen played a total six national team games but did not score any goals.
While at Odense BK, Andersen was once more in the periphery of the national team for a short period of time, as he played four games for the Danish league national football team, a selection of the best Danish Superliga players in January 1998.
In the 2005 Danish municipality elections, Andersen was a candidate for the Danish Liberal Party in the Randers municipality
. He received 217 personal votes, and was elected for the Randers municipality council by a margin of 13 votes.
He started the developing company EBA Invest, and invested in a real estate development project near Dronningborg. In 2004, Andersen staked all his football earnings in buying a field outside Randers, which he developed into a fully working residential area, before selling it off in 65 building plots.
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...
former professional footballer who played six matches for the Danish national team
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...
and represented Denmark at the 1996 European Championship
1996 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...
. He played in the striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
position and won the 1995 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 with Aalborg Boldspilklub, the Double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
of Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
and Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
twice with Rangers F.C.
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, and the Norwegian Cup
Norwegian football cup
The Norwegian Football Cup is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football tournament in the country. The tournament is commonly known as Cupen or NM, an acronym formed...
with Odd Grenland. Andersen also played for German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
club MSV Duisburg
MSV Duisburg
MSV Duisburg is a German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed "the Zebras" for their traditional striped jerseys, the club was one of the original members of the Bundesliga when it was formed in 1963.-Early years:...
, as well as Odense BK
Odense BK
Odense Boldklub is a Danish professional football club based in the town of Odense. The club has won three Danish championships and five Danish Cup trophies. OB play in the Danish Superliga and their home field is TRE-FOR Park in Odense on Funen...
and Vejle BK in Denmark.
In November 2005, Andersen was elected to represent the Danish Liberal Party in the Randers municipality
Randers municipality
Randers Municipality is a municipality in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 793 km², and has a total population of 94,750 . Its mayor is Henning Jensen Nyhuus, a member of the Social Democrats...
council.
AaB
Born in Dronningborg near RandersRanders
Randers is a city in Randers municipality on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 60,656 . Randers city is the main town of the municipality and the site of its municipal council.-Overview:Randers municipality has 94,750 inhabitants...
, Erik Bo Andersen started his career at the local amateur team Dronningborg Boldklub. He moved to Aalborg Boldspilklub (AaB) in the top-flight 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 in January 1992 and made his Superliga debut in April 1992.
In his first year at AaB, Andersen spent his time in the reserve team improving his technique, before he got his national breakthrough when he scored two goals in a 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...
game against BK Frem in March 1993. He soon displayed his goal scoring abilities, which earned him the nickname Red Romario, alluding to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian striker Romario
Romário
Romário de Souza Faria , better known simply as Romário , is a former footballer who played striker,manager and current politician where is currently running for a mayor like position in his hometown...
and Andersen's red hair
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
. In the 1994–95 Superliga
Danish Superliga 1994-95
The 1994-95 Danish Superliga season was the 5th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....
season, Andersen scored two hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
s, and even scored four goals in a 5–0 win against AGF Aarhus. He was league topscorer with 24 goals as AaB won the 1994–95 Superliga championship, the first championship in club history. He played the first half of the 1995–96 Superliga
Danish Superliga 1995-96
The 1995-96 Danish Superliga season was the 6th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....
season, scoring 13 goals in 20 games, including another two hat-tricks. In February 1996, Andersen was bought in a transfer deal worth £ 1,2 million by Rangers F.C.
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
in the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
. At Rangers, he would play alongside fellow Dane Brian Laudrup
Brian Laudrup
Brian Laudrup is a Danish former football player and current football commentator, pundit and analyst on TV3+. Along with former international goalkeeper Lars Høgh, Laudrup manages a football academy for marginalized youth...
.
Rangers
During his time at Rangers, Andersen's technical shortcomings and awkward playing style earned him the nickname BambiBambi
Bambi is a 1942 American animated film directed by David Hand , produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten...
. Perhaps his most infamous moment at Rangers was when he shot the ball over the bar from four yards in a Premier League match against Dundee United. His best Rangers moment was when he came on as a substitute and scored twice in the 3–1 victory over arch rivals Glasgow Celtic at Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
. It was the goals to make it 2–1 and 3–1, which he delivered. Rangers won the Scottish Premier Division titles in both 1996 and 1997, but he could not establish himself in the Rangers starting line-up, and was eventually not allowed to train with the first team.
When Rangers bought striker Marco Negri
Marco Negri
Marco Negri is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker for Cosenza, Perugia, Rangers, Bologna and Livorno.- Career :...
in the summer 1997, Andersen left the club shortly thereafter. He scored 15 goals in 23 league games for the club. A number of clubs were interested in Andersen, but the transfer fee demands of Rangers proved too high, and Andersen had to rescind the sign-on fee of £300,000 Rangers still owed him from the Aalborg BK transfer, before an offer was accepted. He later regretted having caved in to Rangers, claiming he should have played hard-ball in order to get the money owed to him, inspired by the approach of Peter Møller
Peter Møller
Peter Møller-Nielsen is a Danish former professional football player who became a sports journalist after ending his football career in December 2005. He won three Danish Superliga championships for the rival clubs Brøndby IF and F.C. Copenhagen, and became the most scoring Superliga player ever...
. During pre-season training Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
had urinated on Andersen. Team-mate Lorenzo Amoruso
Lorenzo Amoruso
Lorenzo Pier Luigi Amoruso is a former Italian Assocation footballer who played for seven teams during his footballing career but is perhaps best known for his six-year spell with Glasgow side Rangers...
was surprised that the Dane responded with meek acceptance.
Plagued by injury
Superliga relegationPromotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
battlers Odense Boldklub (OB) honoured the Rangers demand, and paid £800,000 for Andersen in October 1997. Andersen scored six goals in 16 Superliga games, but could not prevent Odense from being relegated at the end of the season. Andersen moved abroad once more, as OB sold him for DKK 9.6 million to MSV Duisburg
MSV Duisburg
MSV Duisburg is a German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed "the Zebras" for their traditional striped jerseys, the club was one of the original members of the Bundesliga when it was formed in 1963.-Early years:...
in the German Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
in July 1998, to play alongside fellow Dane Stig Tøfting
Stig Tøfting
Stig Tøfting , nicknamed Tøffe, and The Lawn Mower, is a former Danish professional footballer and assistant coach, who most recently was the assistant of Erik Rasmussen at AGF....
. Andersen suffered an injury during the pre-season training, and had to undergo a one-and-a-half month recovery. When he recovered he was relegated to a substitute role, and Andersen never found his goal scoring form in Duisburg. Following two goals in 25 games, Andersen was loaned out
Loan (football)
In sports, a loan involves a particular player being allowed to temporarily play for a club other than the one he is currently contracted to. Loan deals may last from a few weeks to all season-long....
to Superliga relegation battlers 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....
from January to and including June 2000, to play under his former AaB coach Poul Erik Andreasen
Poul Erik Andreasen
Poul Erik Andreasen is a Danish ex-football player and manager, who managed the Danish Superliga side Aalborg BK during their 1994-95 Superliga victory. In 1996-1999 he coashed Norwegian Viking FK from Stavanger. He is currently a youth coach at AaB...
. Despite seven goals in 14 games from Andersen, Vejle were relegated at the end of the season. Andersen did not want to return to Duisburg, and moved to Odd Grenland in the Norwegian Premier League
Norwegian Premier League
Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official...
in July 2000.
At Grenland, Andersen was seen as the replacement of Norwegian international
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
Frode Johnsen
Frode Johnsen
Frode Johnsen is a Norwegian footballer who plays for Odd Grenland. He can play in several positions, but preferably as a striker or midfielder. Johnsen is 188 cm tall, and is a good header of the ball...
who had just been sold, and Andersen joined former AaB team-mate Christian Flindt Bjerg at the club. He was bought for DKK 2.8 million, a transfer fee record for Odd Grenland. After a few games for Odd Grenland, including winning the 2000 Norwegian Cup
Norwegian football cup
The Norwegian Football Cup is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football tournament in the country. The tournament is commonly known as Cupen or NM, an acronym formed...
tournament, Andersen suffered a knee injury in fall 2000. He did not return to playing football until August 2001. After complications with the injured knee, he underwent another half year of recovery. During his injuries, Grenland did not have the medical staff to care for Andersen, and he was left to tend to the injuries himself, and was helped by his former club AaB. He eventually paid Odd Grenland to let him go in December 2001, and returned to play for AaB in January 2002. He did not become a part of the starting line-up due injuries, and when he suffered yet another knee injury in spring 2003, he decided to end his career. Andersen played a combined total of 142 games and scored 66 goals for AaB in all competitions.
International career
Andersen was called up for the Danish national teamDenmark 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...
and made his international debut in an April 1995 match against Macedonia, when he replaced AaB teammate Peter Rasmussen
Peter Rasmussen (footballer)
Peter Rasmussen is a Danish former association football player. He won the 1995 Danish Superliga with AaB and played 254 games and scored 68 goals in two stints with the club, abrupted by two seasons with VfB Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga. He ended his career with Viborg FF in 1998...
at half time. While at Rangers, he was selected for the Danish squad at the 1996 European Championship
1996 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...
, and played three minutes as Denmark won 3–0 against Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
. This would be his last national team game. Erik Bo Andersen played a total six national team games but did not score any goals.
While at Odense BK, Andersen was once more in the periphery of the national team for a short period of time, as he played four games for the Danish league national football team, a selection of the best Danish Superliga players in January 1998.
Retirement
At his retirement, Andersen moved back to coach his childhood club Dronningborg Boldklub in the lower leagues of Danish football.In the 2005 Danish municipality elections, Andersen was a candidate for the Danish Liberal Party in the Randers municipality
Randers municipality
Randers Municipality is a municipality in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 793 km², and has a total population of 94,750 . Its mayor is Henning Jensen Nyhuus, a member of the Social Democrats...
. He received 217 personal votes, and was elected for the Randers municipality council by a margin of 13 votes.
He started the developing company EBA Invest, and invested in a real estate development project near Dronningborg. In 2004, Andersen staked all his football earnings in buying a field outside Randers, which he developed into a fully working residential area, before selling it off in 65 building plots.
Honours
- Danish SuperligaDanish SuperligaThe 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...
: 1995 - Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
: 1996 and 1997 - Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
: 1996 and 1997 - Norwegian CupNorwegian football cupThe Norwegian Football Cup is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football tournament in the country. The tournament is commonly known as Cupen or NM, an acronym formed...
: 2000