Jan Mølby

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Jan Mølby
Personal information
Full name	Jan Mølby
Date of birth	July 4, 1963 (age 43)
Place of birth	Kolding, Denmark
Playing position	Central Midfielder
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1981-1982 1982-1984 1984-1996 1995 (loan) 1995 (loan) 1996-1998	Kolding IF Ajax Liverpool Barnsley Norwich City Swansea City	40 (?) 57 (11) 218 (44) 5 (0) 3 (0) 41 (8)
National team
1982-1990	Denmark	33 (2)
Teams managed
1996-1997 1999-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004	Swansea City Kidderminster Harriers Hull City Kidderminster Harriers
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Jan Mølby (born July 4, 1963 in Kolding) is a former Danish professional football player who spent much of his career at English club Liverpool, even acquiring something of a Scouse accent in the process.

He is a cousin of Euro 1992 winner Johnny Mølby. He was voted the second best player to ever play in the English Premier League, only losing out to Matthew Le Tissier.

Contents 1 Club career 2 International career 3 Management career 4 Other Information 5 Statistics 6 Honours as player 7 Honours as manager 8 External links

[edit] Club career

Mølby started his senior playing career at the biggest football club of his hometown of Kolding (Kolding Football Club) where he became team captain at the age of 19. Mølby transferred to Liverpool on the 22 August 1984 after a short spell at Ajax Amsterdam, he made his debut 3 days later on the 25th in the 3-3 league draw with Norwich City at Carrow Road. While at Liverpool, he scored a total of 62 goals, 42 of which were from penalties. His first goal for the Reds came on the 1 December '84 in the 3-1 league defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He once scored a hat-trick of penalties in a Littlewoods Cup 4th round replay at Anfield against Coventry City on the 26 November 1986, this achievement was witnessed by a young 6 year-old lad attending his first ever Liverpool match, his name, Steven Gerrard. During Mølby's time with Liverpool he only missed one penalty.

For many Mølby's finest season was the double winning 1985/86 campaign which culminated in a man of the match performance in the first ever all Merseyside FA Cup final. Having lost out in the league to the Reds a week earlier derby rivals Everton were looking for revenge and took a 1-0 lead into the half-time break courtesy of a Gary Lineker strike. Liverpool looked a different side and began to make inroads into the Blues defence lead by the skillful Mølby. In the 57th minute weaved his magic to set up the equaliser for Ian Rush and followed that up just 6 minutes later setting up Craig Johnston for a much deserved lead. In the 84th minute Rush latched on to a stunning chipped pass from Ronnie Whelan to put the showpiece final out of Everton's reach and complete the historic double.

On the 21 February 1995, after 292 appearances for Liverpool, Mølby retired from football to pursue a career in coaching.

[edit] International career

He made his debut in the Danish international side at the age of 18, as did the other Danish super talent of his generation; Michael Laudrup. Both players made their international debut's against Norway on the 15 June 1982.

Mølby played 33 matches for the Denmark national football team from 1982 to 1990, scoring two goals in the process.

He was an integral part of the "Dynamite" Danish international side which lit up the 1984 European Championship and 1986 World Cup.

[edit] Management career

He became manager of Swansea City in February 1996 but was sacked in October 1997. Surprisingly, no offers of managerial jobs were forthcoming for some time. Pursuing a career as a TV pundit, Mølby was finally offered the Manager's job at Kidderminster Harriers, then in the Nationwide Conference. Utilising the existing squad of players, but adding his own in a few key positions (ex-Liverpool team-mate Mike Marsh was drafted in to great success) Harriers won the Conference title (and promotion to Nationwide Division 3) in Mølby's first season in charge.

Two seasons of professional league football followed before overtures from Hull City prompted Mølby's departure for Humberside. His tenure was brief however, as internal strife and the need for instant success cast a shadow over his brief term in charge. A return to Kidderminster in 2003 was unsuccessful, ending in his resignation late in 2004, pre-empting Kidderminster's relegation back to Conference football at the end of the 2004-05 season.

Following Kenny Jackett's resignation as Swansea manager in early 2007, Mølby was linked with a return to the club. However, Mølby has responded by saying that he is unlikely to ever return to football management. [1]

[edit] Other Information

In 1988 Mølby was jailed for three months for reckless driving after crashing his car outside a nightclub.

He currently serves as a commentator of Danish national team games broadcast on the Danish TV 2 channel, and is known for his crass, but honest, comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the national team.

Regarded as one of the most skillful players to have adorned the red shirt of Liverpool, Mølby was voted in at, a more than respectable, 16th position in the 2006 poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop which was conducted by the official Liverpool Football Club web site.110,000 supporters worldwide voted for their favourite 10 players of all time. Mølby's 16th spot made him the highest placed oversea's player on the list, an honour in itself.

Jan is one of the main players for the Liverpool veterans side that has dominated the Sky Sports Masters series in recent years. Although a 'large' man, a problem he had to deal with during his career, Mølby's brain and passing ability means that he is able to control the speed of the short sided matches enabling the Reds to win a lot more games than they lose.

[edit] Statistics

Club Performance

Club	Season	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Others		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Swansea City	1997-98	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	1996-97	28	6	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	30	6
	1995-96	12	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	2
Norwich City Loan	1995-96	3	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	5	1
Barnsley Loan	1995-96	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Club	Season	Premiership		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Others		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Liverpool	1995-96	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	1994-95	14	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	16	2
	1993-94	11	2	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	13	3
	1992-93	10	3	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	13	3
Club	Season	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Others		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Liverpool	1991-92	26	3	6	1	3	0	5	1	0	0	40	5
	1990-91	25	9	7	0	2	0	-	-	0	0	34	9
	1989-90	17	1	0	0	3	0	-	-	0	0	20	1
	1988-89	13	2	3	0	2	1	-	-	1	1	19	4
	1987-88	7	0	1	0	0	0	-	-	0	0	8	0
	1986-87	34	7	3	0	7	5	-	-	3	0	47	12
	1985-86	39	14	8	3	5	2	-	-	6	2	58	21
	1984-85	22	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	24	1
Club	Season	Eredivisie		Dutch Cup		---------		Europe		Others		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Ajax	1983-84	28	5	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	28	5
	1982-83	29	6	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	29	6
Club	Season	Danish League		Danish Cup		Liga Cup		Europe		Others		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Kolding IF	1982	13	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	13	?
	1981	27	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	27	?
Total		364	63	28	4	31	10	7	1	12	3	442	81

[edit] Honours as player

Ajax

• 1982/83 Dutch League Championship
• 1982/83 Dutch Cup

Liverpool

• 1985/86 League Championship (Level 1)
• 1985/86 FA Cup
• 1986/87 Charity Shield Shared
• 1988/89 Charity Shield
• 1989/90 Charity Shield
• 1989/90 League Championship (Level 1)
• 1991/92 FA Cup

[edit] Honours as manager

Kidderminster Harriers

• 1999/00 Football Conference

[edit] External links

• National team profile
• Career information at ex-canaries.co.uk

	Denmark squad - 1986 FIFA World Cup
1 Rasmussen | 2 Sivebæk | 3 Busk | 4 M. Olsen | 5 I. Nielsen | 6 Lerby | 7 Mølby | 8 J. Olsen | 9 Berggreen | 10 Elkjær Larsen | 11 Laudrup | 12 Bertelsen | 13 Frimann | 14 Simonsen | 15 Arnesen | 16 Qvist | 17 K. Nielsen | 18 Christensen | 19 Eriksen | 20 Bartram | 21 Andersen | 22 Høgh | Coach: Piontek

Preceded by Jimmy Rimmer	Swansea City A.F.C. manager 1996-1997	Succeeded by Micky Adams
Preceded by Phil Mullen (caretaker)	Kidderminster Harriers F.C. manager 1999-2002	Succeeded by Ian Britton
Preceded by Brian Little	Hull City A.F.C. manager 2002-2002	Succeeded by Peter Taylor
Preceded by Ian Britton	Kidderminster Harriers F.C. manager 2003-2004	Succeeded by Stuart Watkiss