Football manager who took on the Old Firm with Aberdeen
EBBE SKOVDAHL, who has died aged 75, was a highly successful manager in Danish football fondly remembered by fans and the Scottish media alike for his colourful stewardship of Aberdeen between 1999 and 2002.
Skovdahl had made his name by turning Brondby into the dominant force in the Danish game in the 1990s as the club bounced back from bankruptcy. In particular, Brondby’s elimination from the Uefa Cup in 1995 of a Liverpool side featuring John Barnes and Ian Rush – at Anfield – made headlines.
Aberdeen had endured years of turmoil since their glory days under Alex Ferguson. They appointed Skovdahl in the hope that he could replicate the Brondby model of a small club that was self-sustaining and capable of challenging the Old Firm duo of Celtic and Rangers.
Players and journalists alike responded to Skovdahl’s natural wit and relaxed manner, even if they scoffed at his European methods, such as weight training. An inveterate smoker, Skovdahl was always happy to give reporters a quote.
Perhaps the most memorable example of this came when he was informed that the shotsto-goal ratio of Aberdeen’s Norwegian striker Arild Stavrum was better than that of the league’s outstanding forward, Celtic’s Henrik Larsson. “Statistics are like miniskirts,” observed Skovdahl. “They give you good ideas but hide the important things.”
Even if his remarks did not always quite work in translation – winger Peter Lovenkrands was “as quick as a sack of cheetahs” – Skovdahl’s charm and evident dedication to his task won over the fans at Pittodrie. This was just as well, since the club finished bottom of the Premier League in 2000. Aberdeen were spared relegation as Falkirk’s stadium was held not to be of the standard required for them to take the Dons’ place.
Aberdeen had, however, reached the finals of both domestic cup competitions that year, albeit without enjoying victory on either occasion. Building on these signs of improvement with a mixture of young players and foreign imports, Skovdahl gradually hauled the team up the league until they finished fourth in 2002.
There were bumps along the way. Of a 7-0 defeat to Celtic in 2002, Skovdahl remarked that “the operation was successful but the patient died.” Nevertheless, there was genuine sadness when Skovdahl decided to leave early the following season, having achieved as much as he felt he could with the club’s resources.
Ebbe Skovdahl Hansen was born in Copenhagen on July 5 1945. He trained as a carpenter but even as a teenager was appearing as a defender for an amateur club, Vanlose. In 1971 he moved to Brondby, where he played as captain alongside his brother-in-law Finn Laudrup, whose famous footballing sons Michael and Brian were Skovdahl’s nephews.
He became coach of the club’s third team in 1977, made his mark by securing two promotions in a row for another club, Bronshoj, and was appointed manager at Brondby for the first time in 1986.
The team reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup and won the Danish championship that season – but by then Skovdahl had already left to manage the Portuguese giants Benfica.
This proved to be too hot a seat for him and he was soon back at Brondby, where stars such as Peter Schmeichel, Kim Vilfort and John Jensen helped the club to win four titles and three domestic cups over the next decade.
Skovdahl became known for the hard-pressing style of his teams and for repurposing players such as the striker-turnedmidfielder Vilfort into different roles on the pitch. His last job in management, between 2003 and 2005, was with Frem.
Ebbe Skovdahl is survived by his wife and two sons.