Tag: Denmark

Birds and Bees took Mikkel to help out in an emergency

GOALKEEPER Mikkel Andersen was one of five loan signings in Albion’s line-up for newly-appointed manager Russell Slade’s first match.

Alas the young Dane was unable to help the Seagulls to a much-needed win as they succumbed 2-1 at Leyton Orient on 7 March 2009.

The Danish giant, who came from Reading with a glowing endorsement from ex-Albion boss Steve Coppell, played five matches during Michel Kuipers’ absence through injury – and conceded 10 goals in four defeats.

The one victory he was part of was a convincing one: he was between the sticks when Albion trounced Slade’s previous employer Yeovil Town 5-0 at Withdean (two each for Dean Cox and Nicky Forster, the other a Glenn Murray penalty).

Andersen was still only 20 when he joined the Seagulls and at 6’5” he towered over most of his teammates.

The youngster had spent two years at Reading by then but had already been out on loan three times: to Torquay United and Rushden & Diamonds, where he played three times for each. Ironically, his debut for Rushden came against the club he’d just left, Torquay.

At Brentford, his one appearance for the then League Two Bees was to cover for the suspended Ben Hamer, who was also on loan from Reading.

It might have been brief but Andersen’s performance in Brentford’s 2-1 home win over Bradford City in December 2008 earned him the Man of the Match honour.

In a late flurry of goals, Marcus Bean put Brentford 1-0 up in the 88th minute only for Michael Boulding to equalise in the 89th minute. Bees won the match courtesy of a 90th minute winner from former Albion striker Nathan Elder.

At Brighton, Andersen was reunited with Tony Godden, who had only just succeeded Paul Crichton as Albion’s goalkeeper coach. Godden had previously worked with the Dane at Rushden & Diamonds.

Andersen told the matchday programme: “I was on an emergency loan and he was the coach. I really enjoyed it there and it was Tony who told Brighton about me.

“I’ve been at Reading for two years now and I’ve just signed another new deal for them so hopefully I’ll be there for another two years.

“But you need to play some league games to build up your experience and that is why I am here. I want to develop both as a player and a person – that is why I came to England in the first place, something I always wanted to do when I was growing up in Denmark.”

The month before he joined Brighton, Andersen had made his debut for Denmark’s under 21 international side having already been capped at under 19 and under 20 levels. The Danes beat Malta 1-0.

Albion made their move on Godden’s recommendation shortly before Slade took over from the departed Micky Adams. Caretaker boss Dean White, who completed the deal with chairman Dick Knight, told the Argus: “Mikkel is an up and coming young goalkeeper. He is a big presence and comes highly recommended by Steve Coppell.

“With the current situation as it is we need cover in this position. It’s an important position, Mikkel has played against us in the reserves this season and we know what he’s about.”

Born in the Copenhagen suburb of Herlev on 17 December 1988, Andersen started out with AB Copenhagen and became Denmark’s youngest ever goalkeeper to play senior football when he turned out for them at the age of 17.

It was while on a pre-season tour with AB Copenhagen, playing against a Reading XI at Palmer Park, a municipal multi-sports venue in Reading, he earned his break in the English game.

“AB is ten minutes from home,” he said. “I wanted to come to England to develop as a player and a person.

“I was on a training camp with AB and we played against Reading and after that they gave me a couple of trials. They signed me when I turned 18.”

Although Andersen had been on a pre-season tour with the Royals and been selected as goalkeeper back-up on the bench, there were several other loan spells away from Berkshire before he finally made his first team debut.

For much of his time at the club, he was behind Marcus Hahnemann and Adam Federici in the goalkeeping pecking order.

He spent almost the whole of the 2009-10 season at Bristol Rovers (playing 39 matches) and returned the following season when he featured a further 19 times, before returning to Reading.  He was awarded the League One side’s Young Player of the Year trophy and was named in the BBC Team of The Year.

In August 2012, he began a three-month loan spell at League One Portsmouth and he returned to Denmark for the whole of the 2013-14 season, playing for Danish Superliga team Randers Freja.

When he finally rejoined parent club Reading, by now under Nigel Adkins, for the 2014-15 season, his long-awaited first team debut came in September away to Sheffield Wednesday. 
Andersen made another four appearances for the Royals before the season’s close, after Steve Clarke succeeded Adkins.

Although he played in a memorable 1-0 FA Cup third round win at Huddersfield Town in January 2015, he was on the bench (Federici was no.1) as the Royals went right through to the semi-finals where they lost to Arsenal.

In June 2015, Andersen signed a two-year contract with Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland.

He played 11 UEFA games with the Danish side, when he was up against the likes of Rubin Kazan, Napoli, Club Brugge and Manchester United.

Following 42 appearances in two years with FC Midtjylland, Andersen made the switch to Lyngby, of Copenhagen. 

After a season there, he rejoined Midtjylland and in the 2020-21 campaign he was limited to just four games, although two were in the Champions League against Liverpool and Ajax.

In 2021 he stayed in Jutland and joined newly-promoted Viborg FC where he made only six appearances in two years. He then switched to Copenhagen-based Danish Second Division side Fremad Amager where he made 52 appearances over two seasons as goalkeeper and coach.

Former Gunner Raphael Meade a damp squib for the Seagulls

Meade best

ISLINGTON-born Raphael Meade joined Arsenal as a schoolboy and made it through the ranks to play more than 50 times for the Gunners.

A rather eclectic career saw him play in Portugal, Spain, Scotland, Denmark, Hong Kong and back in England.

Brighton boss Barry Lloyd had something of a penchant for picking up players from these shores who’d rather lost their way playing abroad and, while forwards Mike Small and John Byrne would count as great successes of that genre, Meade was largely a disappointment.

He played 40 times and scored 12 goals in the 1991-92 season, but the Albion were relegated to the third tier, so it was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Born on 22 November 1962, Meade was on the Gunners’ books from June 1977 to the summer of 1985.

The superb thegoldstonewrap.com unearthed the Arsenal annual for 1981 in its research; it said of the young Meade: “He’s got a hell of a lot of pace and is fantastically brave in the box. He’s got all the makings of a top player. However, he’s another one who has got to work on his control like Brian McDermott with tighter controls and lay-offs. But with his type of pace he will always be a threat.”

The reality was that with the likes of initially Alan Sunderland and John Hawley ahead of him in the pecking order, then Tony Woodcock and Lee Chapman, followed by the arrival of Charlie Nicholas and former Ipswich striker Paul Mariner, his first team chances at Highbury were restricted.

While he was prolific in the Reserves (24 goals in 27 league games in 1983-84), his first team appearances over four years were somewhat sporadic.

Manager Terry Neill handed him his debut in a 3-0 UEFA Cup away win against Panathinaikos on 16 September 1981 and he scored a spectacular goal with his very first kick! His league debut came a month later – and he scored again, netting the only goal in a 1-0 win at home to Manchester City. The 1981-82 season saw the majority of his first team involvement: he played a total of 22 games, scoring five times.

A cartilage injury sidelined him for a large part of the 1982-83 season but when he did return in February 1983 he scored twice against Brighton in a 3-1 win.

CN + RM braces v SpursThe following season, Meade scored a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Watford, which began Don Howe’s tenure as Arsenal manager, and he also earned a special place in Gunners’ fans hearts when scoring twice (pictured celebrating above with Charlie Nicholas, who also got two) in Arsenal’s 4-2 victory over arch-rivals Spurs on Boxing Day 1983.

Unfortunately, they were sporadic highlights and, in the summer of 1985, he was sold to Sporting Lisbon.

“Sporting Lisbon provided me with a great experience. I really enjoyed myself because the climate was great and, as well as finishing third in the league one season, we also reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup,” Meade said in a Shoot/Goal article.

He said it was the arrival of former Spurs boss Keith Burkinshaw that precipitated the end of his time in Portugal because he wanted him to play in an unfamiliar right midfield role.

Thus he was loaned to Spanish side Real Betis towards the end of his three-year contract, and, on his return, was transferred to Dundee United where he made 16 starts, plus six substitute appearances, scoring seven goals.

However, United boss Jim McLean made public his dissatisfaction with the striker and questioned his fitness. Meade hit back saying he was fit but being played out of position on the wing.

Subsequently a shoulder injury saw him sidelined and unable to regain his place and he joined a struggling Luton Town side for a £250,000 fee.

luton moveBut after only four games for the Hatters he was on his way again, this time to Odense BK in Denmark.

During two years on their books, he had loan spells back in the UK, playing once for Ipswich Town and five times for Plymouth Argyle.

As the 1991-92 season got under way, cash-strapped Brighton were forced to sell the previous season’s successful strike duo of Small (to West Ham) and Byrne (to Sunderland).

Byrne’s departure didn’t happen until October, and it was while playing alongside the popular Republic of Ireland international that Meade scored his first goal for the Seagulls, in a 3-1 home win over Port Vale.

He had found himself in the right place at the right time in only the fourth game of the season when an injury sidelined Bryan Wade, who had started the first three games alongside Byrne. smart Meade

Lloyd had watched the former Arsenal striker score in a 2-0 win for the reserves against Fulham and pitched him in against Wolves – a 3-3 thriller in which Mark Barham, Gary O’Reilly and John Robinson netted for the Albion.

“Ideally, I needed one or two games to get match fit but it was great to get the chance in the first team and I wasn’t going to waste it,” said Meade.

Meade in action with another former Gunner, and ex-Albion defender, Steve Gatting (in Charlton’s colours), and a man of the match award for a brace against Grimsby Town.

After Byrne’s departure to the north east, there was seldom a regular strike partner for Meade. The busy and bustling Mark Gall, signed from non-league Maidstone United for £45,000, managed 14 goals but was some way short of Byrne or Small’s quality. And another of Lloyd’s overseas ‘finds’- Mark Farrington from Feyenoord – was an almighty flop.

Meade cover boy

Meade popped up with the occasional goal and one of those rare glimmers of light in an otherwise dark season came in a game I went to see at Vicarage Road on 31 March 1992.

Although Albion were ultimately headed back to Division 3, a brief respite from that tumble came against the Hornets courtesy of a howler by David ‘Calamity’ James in their goal. James came to the edge of his area to collect a routine-looking through ball, spilled it rather than gathering it cleanly and Meade was on hand to pick up the loose ball, round the stranded ‘keeper and slot what turned out to be the only goal of the game.

Meade scored twice more before the season’s end but Albion lost four of the final six games and were relegated along with Port Vale and Plymouth. Meade elected to leave the club and head for Hong Kong.

After a season with Sea Bee, he returned to England and rejoined Brighton but only featured in three games. He moved on to Crawley Town in 1995-96, where he ended his playing days.

Pictures from various sources including the matchday programme, Shoot/Goal, and online.