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 le ...
who is now a youth team 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
Aarhus Gymnastikforening (; commonly known as AGF ), is a professional sports club based in Aarhus, Jutland, Denmark. Founded in 1880, it is one of the oldest clubs in the country and gymnastics and fencing are featured as its main sports. Howev ...
and
AC Horsens, 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, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
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 competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
and
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
, as well as more than 50 appearances for
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
and
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
. He was named as Bournemouth's Player of the Year for the 1999–2000 season. He helped Blackpool to win promotion out of
League One via the play-offs in
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
. He ended his career in 2010 after brief spells with
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
and
Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...
. 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
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
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 forma ...
(second tier) status in
1995–96. He ended up at
AC Horsens via
AGF Aarhus
Aarhus Gymnastikforening (; commonly known as AGF ), is a professional sports club based in Aarhus, Jutland, Denmark. Founded in 1880, it is one of the oldest clubs in the country and gymnastics and fencing are featured as its main sports. Howev ...
. 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 English
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
club
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
, becoming a professional footballer at the age of 23. On 7 August he made his debut in the English game; the
Dean Court faithful witnessed a 2–1 victory over
Cambridge United. Two weeks later came his first goal; his team dishing out a 4–0 thrashing of
Colchester United. 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
Layer Road was a Football League stadium in Colchester, England. It was only used for football matches and was the home ground of Colchester United before being replaced by the Colchester Community Stadium. The stadium held spectators and was ...
, 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 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
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
. He was limited to twenty appearances in
2001–02, though did score a late equalizer against
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, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
at
Turf Moor 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, he remained at the club and ended up scoring in eight successive league away games. This unusual feat almost equalled the record held by
Dixie Dean
William Ralph "Dixie" Dean (22 January 1907 – 1 March 1980) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward. He is regarded as one of the greatest centre-forwards of all time and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in ...
, 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 as the cash-strapped club struggled to offer new deals to its players.
Coventry City
Rejecting a new contract, the player became available on a free transfer in the summer as he was out contract, he drew attention from
Norwich City and Burnley, before signing for
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
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 January 2004. The loan was twice extended as he impressed back at
Dean Court. He played seventeen games for the "Cherries" before returning to the
Highfield Road 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, on 20 August 2005, in a 3–0 win against
Queens Park Rangers. He played a more respectable 31 games in
2005–06, picking up three goals – and one red card, along the way.
Blackpool
He left Coventry at the end of the season, signing with
League One Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
. The
2006–07 season was highly successful for the "Tangerines". Jørgensen played 39 games, including their
2–0 victory over
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
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 north-west Londo ...
in the play-off 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
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
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
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
at the
Liberty Stadium
The Swansea.com Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Swansea.com; formerly Liberty Stadium) is an all-seated sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium opened in 2005 and was named the Liberty Stadium. It ...
. On 9 June, Blackpool confirmed that Jørgensen had not been offered a new deal and that he was being released.
He had made exactly 100 league appearances for the club.
Later career
In August 2009 he joined
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
club
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
on trial – he had served under manager
Micky Adams 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 side
Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...
.
His debut came later the same day in a 2–0 win over
Farsley Celtic
Farsley Celtic Football Club is a football club based in Farsley, West Yorkshire, England. The club was founded in 1908, but folded in 2010 and were reformed as Farsley AFC before returning to the name Farsley Celtic in 2015. at
Throstle Nest
The Citadel, previously known as Throstle Nest, is a football ground situated in Farsley, in the Metropolitan District of the City of Leeds in England, and is the current home of Farsley Celtic. It has a capacity of 3,900, 400 of which are seated ...
. 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. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
. "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 (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...
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 ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
, the homeland of his mother, as he believed he would probably never play for
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. 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 ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
'
GSP Stadium 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
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, as well as a home defeat to Cyprus and the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
.
His final international was in a
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against
Georgia on 16 August 2006. The Georgians ran out 6–0 winners at
Svangaskarð
Svangaskarð (pronounced ), also referred to as Tofta Leikvøllur, is a multi-purpose stadium in Toftir, Faroe Islands with two football fields and a sports arena for athletics around the lower field. It is currently used mostly for football match ...
. He quit the international scene the following month, after he was benched for a qualifier with
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
Coaching career
Having coached at Coventry City's Academy for two years, Jørgensen joined
National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...
club
Tamworth as head coach of the youth team, after being recruited by former teammate
Andy Morrell. He holds the
UEFA A Licence
UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are is ...
. He returned to Denmark to coach the
AaB under-15 team in July 2019.
Personal life
He is married to Lorna, a
hairdresser, and has three children. He is also a qualified helicopter pilot.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Blackpool
*
League One play-offs:
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
Individual
*
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
Player of the Year:
1999–2000
References
External links
* (Blackpool stats not included)
* (Blackpool stats only)
Unique Floorcarebusiness set up by Jørgensen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jorgensen, Claus Bech
1976 births
Living people
People from Holstebro
Sportspeople from the Central Denmark Region
Association football midfielders
Faroese footballers
Faroe Islands international footballers
Faroese people of Danish descent
Holstebro BK 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