It is certainly easy to spot the almost two metre tall Brede Hangeland on the pitch at Fulham Football Club’s Motspur Park grounds. It is a rainy April morning and the team is just winding down after training. Eagerly waiting on the side is a selected group of fans with their autograph books and cameras ready. It is one of the four annual Open Days.

Height-wise, it is fair to say that Brede has his blonde head in the sky being 195cm tall, but in every other way he is extremely down to earth and approaches his admirers with a broad grin before he spends a few minutes cracking jokes while smiling (and crouching) before the camera.

The “tall and commanding” central defender, as he is described in his player profile, joined Fulham FC in 2007 where he is extremely well regarded. Rumours say he is also potentially their future captain, on top of his current captaincy of Norway’s national team, for which he has played over 40 games. But the story of the Texas-born defender began in Norway’s fourth largest city, Stavanger, where he made his first appearance on the football pitch at the age of six. During his teens he played for the local team Vidar FK, before he joined the city’s largest football team FK Viking in 2001. Four years later he signed with FC København where he stayed until signing with Fulham FC, thanks to his old manager Roy Hodgson who had just started at the club.

As a young boy, did you dream of becoming a professional footballer?

Like everybody else I was a big fan of Manchester United but at that age it’s not really a serious dream of course. The reason I started playing was because we lived 50 metres from the football pitch in Stavanger so it was just convenient.  During my years at Vidar FK I probably realised I had talent, but there were so many good players in my team so I didn’t view myself as any better than the others. It was a great place to improve.

What was it like being picked out for Fulham?

It had been the goal for a long time to come to England and play for the Premier League. For Scandinavians it is the dream, as English football has a special position.

What do you think is the reason for Fulham’s improvement this season?

I think it is mainly thanks to our manager Roy. From being almost at the bottom of the league we have now improved remarkably and that’s not bad for a small club. It’s going in the right direction.

What do you think about the club and the other players?

What is so nice about Fulham FC to me is that it really lives up to its reputation as a ‘family club’. It is very open and welcoming, and the team spirit is fantastic. I consider myself lucky to live in such a nice area of London close to both training ground and stadium, and it’s nice for my sambo (co-habitant partner) and young daughter too which is very important.

Are you happy about living in London?

London is a paradise. So much to see and do – almost too much! I am particularly fond of music concerts and restaurants. I’ve met players who don’t like the lifestyle but I think it’s fantastic. I thought Copenhagen had it all but London is 10 times better!

Are you in good shape?

I feel in great shape but it is definitely tough to get used to the long seasons here. In Scandinavia you get a summer and winter break every year, but here there’s only one. So now at the end of the season you feel it in your muscles. But that’s just the way it is.

Rumours say that you might be moving to another team: is that true?

There are always rumours, but you can’t waste too much energy on that. I say what I usually say and that is that right now I am very happy playing for Fulham FC, especially with the last year’s success, so it would be nice to stay for a while.

Do you think Premier League has too much money?

There are many ways to look at it and I understand people who aren’t interested in football, for them it must seem like utter idiocy, but on the other hand it’s easy to see the massive interest it creates in the world and it’s probably due to those market forces that there is lots of money around.

Do you know any of the other Norwegian players in the Premier League?

Yes, because there aren’t that many anymore, haha. I know Erik Nevland here at Fulham, John Carew at Aston Villa and Morten Gamst Pedersen at Blackburn. They are really good mates and we talk regularly on the phone.

What would you do if you didn’t play football?

That would be easier to answer if I had an education! Perhaps that’s what I regret, if anything, that I never went to university. I did a part-time course in economics but it was hard to focus 100 per cent on two things.

What about the future? Do you want to go back to Norway?

Well… The goal is to finish my career first, so if that means staying another 5-6 years or so is hard to say. Of course I miss Norway, especially the nature, and it’s difficult to keep in touch with your friends and family. But we go back every summer and just relax.

He smiles at the thought and tucks into his second energy drink. But there is a lot to smile about on this side of the channel too, as Fulham has reached its best position ever (8^th) in the Premier League – from nearly being suspended a year ago. Although Brede himself is the last to boast, many others (not just Fulham) would say that he is far from finished here. Norway will have to wait a while. And he does not seem to mind.

Peter Schmeichel is a man with no regrets, so he says, and as if that is not extraordinary enough he also happens to have been voted the world’s best goalkeeper – twice. The way to get there? According to the man himself, you have to let the safety net go; risking everything is the only way you will, as he practically did, win everything. With the European Championship one of his big triumphs and the Champions League another, Schmeichel seemed every inch a contented man when Scan Magazine met up with him outside London.

Although the 45-year-old retired almost six years ago, many still refer to him as the world’s best goalkeeper, and not just in Denmark. Schmeichel’s eight years with Manchester United probably made him even more popular in the UK than in his home country, where he played his career’s first ten years and 129 games for the national team, and the affection is mutual.

“For me it has always been English football and I don’t think that will ever change. You will not find the same intensity, the pace and commitment anywhere else,” Schmeichel enthuses. “When I was a little boy, every night I dreamt about playing an FA Cup final for Manchester United at Wembley.” His dream was fulfilled by United’s manager Alex Ferguson who spotted Schmeichel when playing for Brøndby in the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1991. In the UK, Schmeichel quickly became renowned for his ability to start quick counter-attacks, his loud manners and his impressive 1.91m blonde figure with which he vigorously guarded the goal.

The fame and number of titles grew simultaneously. Asked if he had ever reached a point when he felt he had achieved all he had dreamt of and thought “what now?”, Schmeichel answers with a resolved “yes I did” and leans forward a bit to continue. “A year before I stopped in United, I told the club that the upcoming season was going to be my last for the club. I was away all the time, so the pressure on me and my private life had become something I did not enjoy. That, added to the fact that when I put my football boots on, the stakes were always a matter of life and death, which is something you can live with, but only for a certain period of time.”

Schmeichel ended his career after two years in Portugal with Sporting CP, but after only a week of retirement an old-boys’ game changed his mind. “In that game I realised that I was not ready to retire or play old-boys’ football at all. So I called my agent, still in full match kit, and told him: listen I can’t do, this can you find me something in England?”

After two more years in English football playing for Aston Villa and Manchester City, 40-year-old Schmeichel was finally ready to retire. Last year, he and his wife Bente moved back to Denmark with their daughter, while their 22-year-old son Kasper stayed in the UK to pursue his career as a goalkeeper with Notts County.

By then Schmeichel had already taken the first steps in his new career on TV, hosting shows such as Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel and the Champions League show on Danish TV3.

Was it your plan all along to go into TV?

Well, the last two years I was playing, I started preparing myself to stay in football through managing courses and so on. But when I was at Aston Villa, I was asked to be an expert on the BBC’s football panel. At first I declined, but when they asked me again and promised to take good care of me, I tried it. They liked me and I was asked back for the rest of their FA Cup matches, including the final, and other things and then it just kind of slowly went that way. The thought of staying in football just became more and more distant to me. After a year I was asked to host the Champions League show in Denmark and that was one of my personal incitements to move back. Now I just keep going, I don’t think too much about being in football anymore but, of course, never say never.

Would you recommend young sportspeople to take an education to fall back on?

Well, if you have a special talent, I would say just go for it. You have nothing to lose. When you are just 17, you could actually be playing in a Premier League team, and if you give it five years, you will then still only be 22 years old, young enough to start getting an education. And trust me, by the age of 22 you’ll have known for a long time if you will make it or not.

What does it take to become a top athlete?

To become a sports star at the highest level, you MUST be100 per cent committed, and I don’t believe that you can study and have a professional career in any sort of top sport at the same time.

This is also one of the contributing factors why we, in Denmark, only have a handful of top class athletes who really rock the sports world. Our mentality says that you must have a safety net and I don’t think that is good for a top athlete. The effort you put into the moment in sport has to be the most important thing in your life and if you have a safety net, you also have an excuse, and at the very top level of sports, there can be no excuses. Some people will read this as a very hard and cynical statement, but I truly believe that that’s the way it is!

How big a loss is it to Manchester United that Ronaldo left for Real Madrid?

It is a big loss. You take all his goals away, you have to replace them. You take his presence away, you have to replace that. How do you replace the quality of the best player in the world?

Well, any other club would struggle, but United has recovered so many times after loosing great players, and I am sure that they will recover from loosing the best of them all as well.

Was it just a matter of time before he went?

I think deep down Sir Alex Ferguson knew he was going to lose Ronaldo sooner rather than later. Having 80 million pounds to invest in his team over the next three to four years, I’m sure he would take the money at this point, rather than fight what is essentially an uphill battle. I would have loved having Cristiano staying with United, but he always was going to join Real Madrid at some point, and it’s going to be interesting to see how he will do in the Spanish capital.

Was there more loyalty towards the club in your playing days?

Loyalty is slowly disappearing from the game. The top clubs can, in most cases, keep their players because they are the top clubs. But most players will seek the challenge and therefore they will move from club to club to play in better teams. But the money in the game these days also plays a major part, one move can set a player up for life, so in view of that, loyalty then becomes a non-issue.

Do you have any episodes in your career that you regret?

I have nothing, nothing at all that I regret. I have been lucky enough to play for Manchester United and other bigger clubs, played 129 matches for Denmark, and really, except for the World Cup, I have won virtually everything there is to win for a football player.  And more important, I have been lucky enough to play with some of the best players in the world, and that all the way until I was 40. I have had 20 fantastic years as a professional football player, and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

So it seems that even though Schmeichel decided to let go of his safety net to spend a whole career in front of another net, he is not downhearted by the absence of any of them at this stage of his life. And while his current laid-back contentment stands in stark contrast to his loud and energetic character on the football pitch, it did not seem out of place at all at the idyllic golf and country club where we said goodbye to him.

Five quick football facts:

Who will win the Premier League this year?

Manchester United! I am sure they will win again. United has the best team and the best squad, and that is what you need to win the Premier League. I do think, though, that Chelsea will push us all the way.

From the current Premier League line up, your favourite back four?

No doubt that it is Ferdinand and Vidic in the centre, Evra on the left and staying true to my United heart, I’ll pick Rafael on the right…!

Who is the best striker you have played against?

The most poisonous was Robbie Fowler, he is the one who scored the most goals against us – unfortunately.

Does Denmark have a chance at the World Cup next summer?

First we need to qualify, but we are well placed in our group. But we still have four very tough games left, three of them at home, so it is very much in our own hands. So far we have done well and I am sure we will be in South Africa next summer, and once we get there, well you know Denmark, anything can happen!

Will a Danish team ever make it to the knock out phase in the Champions League?

Well, last year Aab did really well and this year I have seen FCK play and it is like they have raised their game to a higher international level. But then it also depends on what the draw will bring. With both Aab last year and FCK two years ago, we saw that when they make it to the group stage, they do get the points.

]]> http://www.scanmagazine.co.uk/2009/09/peter-schmeichel-%e2%80%93-without-the-net/feed/ 0 http://www.scanmagazine.co.uk/2009/05/tuborg-%e2%80%93-from-new-to-old-markets/ http://www.scanmagazine.co.uk/2009/05/tuborg-%e2%80%93-from-new-to-old-markets/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 10:19:43 +0000 Mads http://scanmagazine.co.uk/new/?p=938 By Signe Hansen | Photos: Tuborg

In Scandinavia Tuborg has been regarded as an iconic brand for decades, and its green banners characterise numerous music festivals and venues. In the UK Tuborg has, on the other hand, only had two years to make its way into the music scene, but thanks to its world fame it is more than well on its way. This summer more than a million people will visit music festivals and venues sponsored and supplied by Tuborg.

The UK success is the result of a focused effort by Carlsberg UK, which owns and markets the Tuborg brand in England, to give Tuborg Music the same prominence in the UK as it has gained in other parts of the world. When it was chosen to re-launch Tuborg in the UK, 20 years after the market was first tried out, this was done on the back of a new partnership with the biggest music promoter in the world, Live Nation.

Bringing a world beer to the UK

One of the people behind the launch of Tuborg Music is Gareth Roberts, Director of Sponsorship and Media Relations at Carlsberg UK. He explains the background to the strategy for the re-launch: “Tuborg is very successful in Europe with music associations such as the Roskilde Festival in Denmark and Exit in Serbia. The music association is very powerful in Europe and we wanted to replicate that in the UK and give the brand a platform to work from immediately.”

Over the last two years, Tuborg has secured exclusive supply rights and sponsorship deals with the top music festivals and venues in the UK, including the Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds Festivals and most recently the Academy Music Group. But, according to Roberts, the new UK success is also due to a change in the market and Tuborg’s world beer status.

“As the world beer category continues to grow behind huge demand in the UK, this was a great opportunity to bring an established and well-respected brand in emerging markets such as Russia and Asia, and drive its credibility in the UK market.”

By world beer Roberts means beers that are known as international brands and widely recognised for their high quality. In the UK as in other places the market is growing for these kinds of beers because people want to drink brands that they can identify with. This means that Tuborg stands a good chance in an otherwise declining beer market. “People are looking for new ‘quality’ brands and new opportunities to sample. Being linked to Tuborg’s brand and what it says about the person being fun, social and premium is something they can get behind.”

A responsible brand

Being a social and fun person is also linked with responsible drinking. Carlsberg UK is therefore a committed member of Portman Group, which promotes and drives the marketing and selling of responsible consumption.

“Of course beer is one of the lowest alcohol-by-volume products on the market, but we still have an important role to play. So when we work with music festivals, we aim to ensure that people get the right education and information about what they are drinking throughout the festival. CSR is at the heart of Carlsberg’s daily life, from environmental issues through to ensuring our products are consumed responsibly.”

A good example of that amongst the music associations is the working relationship with the Glastonbury Festival. With a festival ethos of being ‘environmentally friendly’ Carlsberg UK assists with items such as biodegradable cups and comprehensive can collection and waste collection schemes, clearly endorsing the environmental agenda. “It is important that Carlsberg UK deliver on a social responsibility level across all elements of the business. This benefits our customers, our consumers and also creates a great opportunity for our employees to engage and contribute to their own local communities,” Roberts stresses.

Rocking the UK

Although the UK beer market has been declining for the last six years, Carlsberg has continued to build its market share to a level of around 14.5% per cent.

The explanation for this is, says Roberts, that people expect more from brands these days, in the way of quality and accessibility. “We are finding now that even at music festivals people expect a better quality all round, from facilities through to the acts that appear. Tuborg has been accepted extremely well because they feel that they are getting a quality and premium beer. If the quality of the festivals has been uplifted and you add a very premium quality beer brand, it completes and enhances the whole experience.”

The change in the market towards high profile brands and world beers has also meant that some of the regular English brands are suffering because they do not have that international flair. This obviously also plays a role in Tuborg’s success, but the advance of Tuborg Music has been the decisive factor. This year more than half a million people will visit the music festivals that Tuborg sponsors and supplies. Meanwhile around 750,000 will visit the different music venues and properties sponsored by Tuborg throughout the country.

It looks like the iconic combination of music, green banners and cold Tuborg is not only rocking Tuborg’s homeland and the new markets but now, 20 years after its first visit, also the UK.

Facts about Carlsberg UK and Tuborg (in separate box)-Carlsberg was first exported to the UK in 1868
-Carlsberg UK has two main breweries in Northampton and Leeds
-Carlsberg UK employs around 1,800 people
-Among Carlsberg UK’s brands are: Carlsberg, Carlsberg Export, Tuborg, San Miguel, Tetley’s, Holsten and Skol.
-Carlsberg UK is the UK’s fourth largest brewer

-More details on: www.carlsberg.co.uk or www.tuborgmusic.com or www.tuborg.co.uk