by Tony Attwood
On this day, John Jensen scores – Arsenal 1 QPR 3
John Jensen was a defensive midfielder, a cult hero, and the man whose transfer ultimately brought down George Graham.
When we bought him he had already been Danish Player of the Year, and played in a UEFA cup semi final with Brøndby. He was signed by Graham following the departure of David Rocastle and was in the 1992/3 Cup Double side.
He played 132 senior games for Arsenal, but as his search for a goal went on, the songs about being there when Jensen scores multiplied. The one and only goal scored came on this day in 1994 and finally allowed the stockpile of I saw John Jensen score tee-shirts to be released and sold.
But that goal came just before the end, as the story broke that the move for Jensen was accompanied by a secret exchange of money paid by Rune Hauge to George Graham for buying players Hauge represented.
Graham was sacked as manager of Arsenal and was banned from all football activities for a year. John Jensen was found not culpable and he stayed at Arsenal for another 18 months before he rejoined his old club, Brøndby IF.
He then moved into management and won the top league in Denmark in his first season. Next, he moved as assistant to Michael Laudrup at Brøndby IF, and later at Getafe in Spain.
His first English management period came as assistant to Steve Kean with Blackburn but despite signing a second one year deal in May 2011 he left in September and became a consultant for Brøndby in October 2012.
Of course, we might also note that none of this folklore is of any interest in Denmark where he is remembered for scoring the opening goal in Denmark’s 2–0 victory over Germany in the final of the 1992 European Championship.
Here are the anniversary files for December.
- 30 December 1893: Arsenal’s first ever away victory in the league!
- 29 December 2012: Media ignores Arsenal’s sensational seven goal triumph
- 28 December 1997: Arsenal going nowhere… except…
- 27 December 1915: How Arsenal helped expose Liverpool and Man U match fixing
- 26 December 1992: Remembering Jack Crayston
- 24 December 1932 – the most extraordinary Arsenal Christmas ever
- 23 December 1978: Brady scores the wonder goal, Tottenham smashed, father happy.
- Arsenal on 22 December 1973: the strike, the chaos, the win…
- 21 December 1956: Jack Crayston takes over as Arsenal manager
- 20 December 1913: Enter the Hill-Woods
- 19 December: Arsenal second in the league but no one seems to notice.
- 18 December: The passing of Arsenal’s founding father – Jack Humble
- 17 December 1969: when we started to wake up that something was happening.
- 16 December 1991: Thomas leaves Arsenal for Liverpool
- 15 December 1934: 62 goals in 19 games but not top of the league!
- 14 December: when Arsenal were ordered to play two first team games at once
- 13 December 2012: Stewart Robson denounces Wenger on Sky
- 12 December: Arsenal sign a 35 year old who became a goalscoring sensation
- 11 December 1886 Arsenal’s birthday, and the birth of a famous early player
- 10 December: The Arsenal Archives. Signing a superhero from 113 years ago
- 9 December: the first mention of the drilled back four who move up together
- 8 December, 10th in the league. And by the end of the season…
- 7 December: marking the anniversary of the death of Arsenal’s most prolific goalscorer
- 6 December 1997: the day when no one even contemplated a second double.
- 5 December 1921 & 1960: women’s football banned, and the London Cup final
- 4 December 1926: Henry Norris takes on the FA over its total lack of morals
- 3 December 1949 When the media claimed Arsenal players came onto the pitch smoking
- 2 December: Pat Rice makes his debut
- 1 December 1992: On the way to the first ever cup double.
