Brian Paldan Jensen (born 8 June 1975) is a Danish retired 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 ...
who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
. He is currently the first team goalkeeping coach at
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
. He played more than 300 English league games for
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
and
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
.
Jensen started his career with Danish lower-league club
B.93, before joining
Dutch Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
club
AZ Alkmaar
Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and host ...
in 1997. He made his senior breakthrough with West Bromwich Albion, playing a total of 50 games for the club. He joined Burnley in 2003 and played more than 300 games in all competitions, helping the club win promotion to the top-flight
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
in 2009.
Career
Early career
Born and raised in the
Nørrebro quarter of
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Jensen began playing football as a defender in the youth team of
B 93.
As the youth team goalkeeper lacked height, the keeper job was given to the "biggest and dumbest" player of the team, according to Jensen himself.
[Kaspar Steenbach, "Bæstet fra Blågårds Plads", '' B.T.'', 20 August 2000] He was a substitute to goalkeeper
Jan Hoffmann
Jan Hoffmann (born 26 October 1955) is a German figure skater who represented East Germany in competition. A four-time Olympian, he is the 1980 Olympic silver medalist, the 1974 & 1980 World Champion, and a four-time (1974, 1977–1979) Eur ...
at the B 93 senior team.
[
His goalkeeping talent caught the attention of Dutch outfit AZ when he was named best goalkeeper at a youth tournament in the Netherlands.][Niels Rasmussen, "Det populære udyr", '']Politiken
''Politiken'' is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been indepe ...
'', 19 March 2001 He was loaned out from Alkmaar to Danish club Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre Idrætsforening, more commonly known as Hvidovre IF () is a Denmark, Danish professional association football, football club based in Hvidovre. The club competes in the Danish 1st Division, the second tier of Danish football league syste ...
for eight months, while finishing his electrician
An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance ...
education, before going to play as a full-time professional for Alkmaar in February 1998. Jensen managed one appearance in the Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
championship in his time at Alkmaar, serving exclusively as a substitute for Dutch international
The Dutch International is an open international badminton tournament held in the Netherlands. The tournament annually held in Wateringen and organized by the VELO badminton since 2000. The Dutch International is a part of the European Badminton ...
keeper Oscar Moens
Oscar Moens (born 1 April 1973) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. After his retirement, he has held positions in the coaching staff of Sparta Rotterdam and Feyenoord.
Club career
Early career
A youth pro ...
.[
]
West Bromwich Albion
While waiting for his Alkmaar contract to run out, Jensen trained with Division One side West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
, where his imposing stature earned him the nickname "The Beast".[ When West Brom keeper ]Chris Adamson
Christopher Adamson (born 4 November 1978) is an English former football goalkeeper who played for 13 clubs in a 13-year career. Adamson is currently goalkeeping coach at Mansfield Town, as well as a coach at non-league side Bustleholme.
Ca ...
was asked to comment on Jensen, he told reporters he was "nothing but a beast".[Tommy Heisz and Peter Gisselmann, "Talent: Bæstet i buret", ]Aktuelt
''Det fri Aktuelt'' was a daily newspaper published in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 1871 and 2001. It was the first socialist and the earliest newspaper published by a labor union in the world. In addition, it was the last major social democrat n ...
, 29 January 2001 Jensen moved to West Brom for a fee of £80,000 in March 2000. He made his Albion debut on 7 March 2000 and kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory over Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
. He stayed at West Brom for three years, playing a total of 50 games. He helped the club survive in Division One in 1999–2000, and was a regular for much of the following season, until the arrival of Russell Hoult
Russell Hoult (born 22 November 1972) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He notably spent time playing in the Premier League and played for Leicester City, Derby County and West Bromwi ...
saw the end of Jensen's playing time for WBA in February 2001. Jensen never re-gained a regular place, playing only one match in Albion's 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 ...
season of 2001–02. He moved on in 2003, after West Brom were relegated, finishing 19th in the Premier League.
Burnley
He joined Burnley on 30 June 2003 on a free transfer. During his first season at Burnley, he was the only goalkeeper on their books. The club avoided relegation by just two points, finishing in 19th position in the First Division. After the arrival of Danny Coyne
Daniel Coyne (born 27 August 1973) is a Welsh football coach and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a goalkeeper who played between 1992 and 2018. He came through the youth ranks at Tranmere Rovers during the 1992–93 season. ...
in the summer of 2004, he found himself second choice keeper at Turf Moor
Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional footba ...
, but through good form and a serious injury to Coyne he earned his place back in the starting line-up. Following impressive form in autumn 2004, Jensen criticised national team manager Morten Olsen
Morten Per Olsen (born 14 August 1949) is a Danish football manager and former player. He was the head coach of the Denmark national team for 15 years from 2000 until 2015, guiding Denmark to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2004 European Championshi ...
for not having watched him play, when Jensen thought he had earned a place in the Danish national squad.
After a run of performances in which Jensen's form was found lacking by Burnley manager Steve Cotterill
Stephen John Cotterill (born 20 July 1964) is an English former footballer who played as a striker. He is currently the manager of side Shrewsbury Town.
Cotterill had a nine-year career as a footballer playing for Burton Albion, Wimbledon, ...
, goalkeeper Mike Pollitt
Michael Francis Pollitt (born 29 February 1972) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Club career
Manchester United
Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, Pollitt began his career at Manchester United turning profes ...
was brought on loan to Turf Moor in January 2007. In response to being left out of the Burnley team for a match at Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, Jensen wanted to leave the club, and on 22 January 2007 Burnley placed him on the transfer list. However, by April of that year, Jensen had not only re-established himself as the club's first-choice but his relationship with Cotterill had improved and he was taken off the transfer list.
Burnley brought in another goalkeeper, Gábor Király, before the 2007–08 season and Jensen found himself once again seemingly second choice, spending four months out of the team from mid-September. He returned to regular first team action in January 2008.[ He signed a new two-year contract with Burnley in June 2008. He saved two penalties to help Burnley beat Chelsea in the fourth round of the ]League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
. He played in the 2009 Football League Championship play-off Final, in which Burnley beat Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
1–0 at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
to earn promotion to the Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
. On 19 August 2009, he was named man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
in Burnley's 1–0 Premier League victory over Manchester United, which was Burnley's first top division win in 33 years. The performance included a range of saves as well as a penalty save against Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick (born 28 July 1981) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently head coach of Middlesbrough. He is one of the most decorated English footballers of all time and is best known for his 12-year p ...
. He signed a new two-year contract with the club in June 2010. Jensen played his 300th league game in a 4–0 win over Hull City on 28 September 2010. On 22 December 2010, Jensen officially handed in a written transfer request due to lack of games. However, Jensen decided to withdraw the transfer request. Jensen would then sign a one-year contract with the club.
On 6 May 2013, Jensen announced to his followers on Twitter that he was not going to be offered a new contract. Despite being released, Jensen told langebolde.dk in the interview that he ruled out retirement due to desire to play on for many years.
Bury
Jensen joined Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
on a short-term contract on 2 September 2013, and was named player-goalkeeper coach the following January. Having made seventeen appearances, Jensen signed a contract extension with the club until the end of the season.
At the end of the season, he was named Bury Player of the Season by both the fans of the club and by local newspaper Bury Times. Despite good performances, Jensen was released by the club in May 2014 after being told that he wouldn't be offered a new contract.
Crawley Town
On 27 May 2014, Jensen signed a one-year contract at Crawley Town under manager John Gregory. He was Crawley's second signing of the 2014–15 season. Jensen made 20 appearances for The Reds before dislocating his finger against MK Dons in January 2015.
Mansfield Town
On 24 June 2015, Jensen signed a one-year deal with League Two rivals Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...
on a free transfer as a player and goalkeeping coach. Jensen holds the record for being the oldest player to play for the club at the age of 40 years, seven months and nine days.
The Nottinghamshire club extended Jensen's term at Field Mill at the end of the 2015–16 season. He was released by Mansfield at the end of the 2016–17 season.
Crusaders
On 17 May 2017, Jensen signed a one-year contract with NIFL Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
side Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
.
Coaching career
After a playing career spanning over 25 years, Jensen launched a ne
GK Icon
youth goalkeeping academy in Sandbach
Sandbach (pronounced ) is the name of a historic market town and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements: Sandbach itself as the largest, Elworth, Ettiley Heath a ...
, Cheshire on 31 May 2016.
On 1 June 2018, it was announced that he had returned to Bury on a two-year contract as the first team goalkeeping coach, working with manager Ryan Lowe
Ryan Thomas Lowe (born 18 September 1978) is an English football manager and former professional player, who is manager of Championship side Preston North End. His playing career, as a striker, began at Burscough in 1999 and he became a Footbal ...
.
On 21 June 2019, Jensen joined the backroom staff as goalkeeping coach at League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
.
Career statistics
Recognition
A child born to Burnley fans in 2011 was named after Jensen, with thirteen middle names after other players on the team.
Honours
;Burnley
*Football League Championship play-offs
The English Football League Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , ...
: 2009
;Crusaders
*NIFL Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
: 2017–18
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Brian
1975 births
Living people
Footballers from Copenhagen
Danish footballers
Association football goalkeepers
Boldklubben af 1893 players
AZ Alkmaar players
Hvidovre IF players
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
Burnley F.C. players
Bury F.C. players
Crawley Town F.C. players
Mansfield Town F.C. players
Crusaders F.C. players
Bury F.C. non-playing staff
Mansfield Town F.C. non-playing staff
Eredivisie players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Shrewsbury Town F.C. non-playing staff
Crawley Town F.C. non-playing staff
Association football goalkeeping coaches