ROALD JENSEN debut 56 years ago - an article by Roger Kvarsvik

[scott herbertson]

Roger Kvarsvik, a Norwegian journalist, contacted me a few days ago a he was intending to publish an article on Roald Jensen today on Facebook. I provided him some links from this site and I understand he also contacted a few others who post here

 

Here is a copy of his article, which I hope will provide those who remember Roald with an interesting perspective on his career and in particular his time with Hearts.

 

Do any Kickbackers recognise their signatures to the letter from Tynecastle School?

 

Link to the facebook page here:

 

https://www.facebook.com/roger.kvarsvik

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, 56 years ago, Roald Jensen who died with his National shirt and boots on - made his debut for Hearts against Dunfermline and Alex Ferguson

 

 

A Good debut

 

January 2, 1965, exactly 56 years ago, Roald “Kniksen” Jensen made his debut for the Scottish football club Heart of Midlothian, away against Dunfermline Athletic FC.

 

The 20 000 at East End Park watched a lively match where the 21 year old Norwegian got good reviews in a match which maybe cost Hearts the championship. This was midway through the season which would eventually prove to be one of the most dramatic seasons in Hearts history. Alex Ferguson who scored the first goal in the in the match, later stated that Jensen was a player they feared and that the team’s tactics were mostly to stop “Super-Jensen.” Roald became now the first foreigner to wear the maroon shirt and the first Norwegian to play professionally in Great Britain.

 

Alex Ferguson scored in 16th minute, and the home team held a comfortable 3-0 lead into the 88th minute. The Scottish journalist, Ian Brown, wrote a match report where he found (…) Norwegian Roald Jensen – their best attacker- at outside right.” The headline of the report was “Hearts incredible finish is in vain.” Hearts good finishd was not enough: “Two minutes from the time Ford pounced on the ball to push it beneath Harrior. With seconds to go, Gordon headed a cross from Johnny Hamilton inside the right-hand post. Until those late slips Dunfermline were great, with a solid defence that spiked off into a lightning-fast attacks. Hearts were poor on the rock-hard surface and could well have been more soundly beaten.

 

Bergens Arbeiderblad, a newspaper from Roald’s hometown Bergen, wrote two days later that Roald “Kniksen” Jensen had a great debut for Hearts. “Kniksen” is a local word from Bergen meaning something like “juggler,” and that was exactly what he did in his first match for Hearts. The newspaper was not shy when they wrote that nearly 50 000 people (at least 30 000 more than it was) at the stadium, repeatedly shouted “Jensen – Jensen.” Roald told the newspaper after the match that “I have not experienced anything like this in my time as a football player. And I was greatly inspired when they cheered me on like that.”

 

Kniksen – Norway’s new king

 

Managerial legend Tommy Walker said, “Jensen is the greatest talent to join Hearts in ages”. Mr. Walker watched Roald live several times before signing him and saw a great talent. In Norway Kniksen had been a “phenomenon” and one of the first superstars of football. He was early on a very promising player, and his skills attracted big crowds before he got his debut for the first team in 1960. In October 1959 when he was 16 years, 10 269 spectators came to Brann stadium, his home arena his to see him beat Skeid 2-0 in the National junior Cup (NM). After the match many believed that Roald was good enough to play for the national team and the media loved the schoolboy who told a journalist that he “subscribes to British football magazines and studies them in depth.” He initially wanted to complete high school, but thought professional football could be exciting, though he was aware that that such an offer did not “grow on trees.”

 

The next season, in June 1960 against Austria, Roald got his debut at 17 years and 161 days. In Nordic Cup September 18, Norway beat Sweden 3-1. The 17 years old Kniksen got his national breakthrough in this match and the newspapers were full of admiration. The Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter wrote “Kniksen – Norway’s new king,” and Stockholms-Tidningen was sure that “He is the biggest Nordic football talent seen in several years.” Aftenposten, from Norway, wrote that “Jensen got the big, strong Swedish bear, Parling, dizzy.” Sigvard “Sigge” Parling (1930-2016) was a great defender. He was strong, a great tackler and good with the ball. On the field he was known to not be nice and two years earlier he had won silver in the World Cup after losing against Pele and Brazil. In 2014 Parling told me that he and his teammates never had heard about Kniksen before the match. In the World Cup Final, he played against the great striker Vavá and thought that the young unknown Norwegian boy would be an easy target. “Kniksen was fast and had a good technique” remember Parling and laughed when he said to me that “he ran between our feet.”

 

A street footballer makes magic on the pitch

 

Kniksen began now to get a name outside Norway, and in September 1962, Brann played a training match home against Hearts. They lost 0-4, but Kniksen did impress. In November 1962 Brann played Hearts in Edinburgh and lost 2-8 against the Scottish professionals. The home supporters applauded Roald’s great skills several times during the match, and especially when he dribbled the Hearts defence and put the ball behind the goalkeeper. The newspaper Bergens Tidende wrote that “He is a player of top international class,” and he used “some tricks you only can see in the street football home in Bergen.” Alan Andersen, the captain at Hearts that time, told me in 2014, that Kniksen “gave us trouble in both matches,” and Mr. Walker “saw that this guy had something extra.” The manager wanted Kniksen to join Hearts in 1962, but it was not the right time for Roald.

 

Home in Norway, Roald attracted bigger crowds than usual when Brann played games. Arnfinn Espeseth, from Aalesund who later became a teammate of Kniksen, was 16 years old when he watched Roald play for Brann, at a 4th round match at Askla Stadium September 6, 1962. That day 11 000 people came to watch the match. The shops in the city closed early so people could go to the match, and a record attendance witnessed a Kniksen in superb form. Brann won 2-1, and Sunnmørsposten (the newspaper from the Aalesund-area), wrote “Kniksen – a different class!” Many came to the match just to watch Kniksen, and “we were not disappointed,” tells Espeseth. Brann had a great team “but the highlight was without a doubt the magician from Bergen”, remember Espeseth.

 

About 7 months later, June 4, 1963 something magic happend on Roald’s home ground - Brann Stadium. Norway surprisingly beat Scotland 4-3 and Roald played a great game in front of his “own” against opponents who were regarded as one of the best in Europe at that time. Edgar Stakset, teammate with Roald that evening, who was known as a VERY hard player, told me in 2014 that Kniksen was tremendous, but he dribbled sometimes too much” and that match “was the wildest I ever had experienced by a crowd.” There was a pitch invasion after the match, and as Edgar told me “this was the first and last time a Trønder (a person from Trøndelag who a county in the central part of Norway) is carried on (gullstol) the shoulders by the crowd at Brann Stadium.”

 

Spitting on his opponent and called the coming Norwegian minister of Finance a spoiled brat

 

All over Norway people talked about Kniksen in the 1960s, and the younger boys wanted to see him live if they had the opportunity. In 2014 Sigbjørn Johnsen, born in 1950, told me that he was one of them. The boy who himself became a famous politician and Norwegian minister of Finance in the periods 1990-1996 and 2009-2013, stood in 1963 face to face with Roald Jensen. Sigbjørn lived at a place called Stavsjø, not far away from Gjøvik and was a big supporter of Gjøvik-Lyn. The team won the Norwegian Cup (NM) in 1962 and got promoted to the highest division in Norway in 1963. On April 27, a sunny Saturday the new-promoted Gjøvik-Lyn played home in the first match of the season against Brann.

 

Sigbjørn remember he cycled down to the ferry which took him over Norway's largest lake, Mjøsa to Gjøvik. Sigbjørn and his friends got to the stadium in good time before the match and secured a place by the fence between the sitting and standing grandstand. The boys got a great view to the entire field and saw that the grass on the field was in unexpectedly good condition this day. Usually the boys collected autographs before the match, but now they decided to wait until after the game. This was an unusual day at Gjøvik, and the boys from Stavsjø together with about 11 000 others in the crowd saw Knut Solbrækken man-mark Kniksen in trying to stop Brann. “Never has a player been so marked at Gjøvik Stadium,” Solbrækken told me in 2014. Solbrækken will forever remember this match which he had orders to follow Kniksen everywhere and be a maximumof half a meter way. Solbrækken, normally a winger, was told: “ No matter what he says to you, do not answer. No matter what he physically does to you, you should not retaliate. You must deal with it hard but fair.”

 

During the match, Kniksen tried to bring Solbrækken out of mental balance with calling him ugly things, and in the second half, right on the side-line, Kniksen spat on him. Knut was lucky because at that moment he had his hand up his forehead to dry his sweat. Later in the match he tackled Kniksen hard and the referee blew for a free kick. “Before the judge reached us, I bent over Kniksen, and said what I meant. I remember to this day what I said…” When the match was over, I went away from Kniksen, without provoking the situation by thanking him for the match,” Solbrækken told me. The local newspaper Oppland Arbeiderblad wrote after the match that is was Solbrækkens “credit that the Kniksen had a quiet mach. Only a couple of times did see some of what he can do in his best moments.” Bergens Tidende wrote also that Kniksen was very quiet in the match, much thanks to the man-marker who was like a “coat” on Jensen.

 

To get man-marked was not something new for Kniksen. In 1985 after his retirement, he said to a newspaper that since he put his boots on for his team as a 11-12 years boy in 1953, “I got to feel what it would say to be get a rough treatment. I should be taken hard at any cost.” He had ever since been man-marked. Kniksen meant that he had been man-marked about 240 times at the A-team “some were tougher and uglier than others.”

 

When I asked Solbrækken how good Kniksen was with the ball, he told me “that it was almost impossible to take the ball from him. With his eminent technique, he brought his right leg over the ball and then his upper body so deep down to the left that it was impossible for the opponent not to follow in the same direction. Then he exploded! With his right leg, he now kicked the ball to the right, and the body followed in an incredibly fast motion. We knew that this would happen, but still it was impossible to prevent.”

 

That day at Gjøvik, Kniksen was barely near the ball and Gjøvik-Lyn won surprisingly 2-0. Though, later this season Brann and Kniksen won the league, and Gjøvik-Lyn got relegated. A happy young Sigbjørn learned maybe an important lesson this day which he could later use in politics, and that is – always ask for something when your opponent is in good mood. After the match Sigbjørn asked Kniksen for an autograph, but Sigbjørn tells me that the star “was in a very bad mood” and that Kniksen said to Sigbjørn and the other kids that he did not want to write autographs to “snørrunger,” as he called them, meaning something like spoiled brats.

 

Roald and Hearts lose the title race.

 

The loss against Alex Ferguson's Dunfermline made the 1964-1965 season the closest finishes ever seen in a league competition in Britain. Hearts played Kilmarnock at Tynecastle on the last day of the season, holding a two-point lead over the Ayrshire club and a slightly better goal average. Kilmarnock had to beat Hearts by 2–0, or by a greater winning margin, to win the title. Any result better than a 2–0 defeat for Hearts, including other two goal losing margins where Hearts scored one goal or more (e.g. 1-3 or 6-8) would have made Hearts champions. Kilmarnock needed to win by two clear goals or more without conceding. Roald hit the post twice and Kilmarnock defeated Hearts 2-0, giving them a goal average of 1.878 as against Hearts' 1.836. If goal difference had been the rule Hearts would have won the title. This was also the first and only time that neither of the Old Firm clubs finished in the top four of the top flight.

 

Just as much a reserve team player as a first team player

 

Many Norwegians, and especially “Bergensere” (people from Bergen) think that his period in Scottish football was a great success. It depends on how you define success. From January 2, 1966 to the last season finished in 1971 (6 and a half season) Hearts played about 300 matches in the league, and in different cups such as the League cup and Scottish Cup. Roald played 74 League games with 19 goals. (there were 34 league games in a season). He played 16 League Cup games with 3 goals, and 11+1 sub Scottish Cup games with 3 goals. This means that Jensen played about 102 competitive appearances with 25 goals. Though he was a firm fans’ favourite, he made almost as many reserve (B-team) performances as he did for the first team during his years in Scotland. Still, he got known as a great player and called “Super-Jensen.” Kniksens subsequent seasons at Tynecastle were marred by injuries, managerial conflict and a team who had some bad seasons, except a 4th place in the 1969-1970 season. In Norway Kniksen was used to getting man-marked and it was not always easy to handle this tactic for him, but it was not easy for Roald during his six and a half year in Scotland either. The “kick and run football” here, meant that players who liked to dribble got KICKED. They were therefore tough years for the young man from Bergen who was about 63 kilos and only 173 centimetres tall. After 15 years in charge, manager Walker was relieved of his duties in 1966 and his replacement, John Harvey, was less than impressed by his flamboyant, yet fragile winger. “I guess he just didn’t like me,” Jensen said later, while maintaining that he had “been treated very unfairly.”

The Reserve Football in the UK in the 1960's consisted of players from your first team pool. At that time only one substitute was allowed in matches and you played against the reserves of whichever club your first team were playing that day. The reserve league was run in the same way as the Scottish First Division and had its own champions at the end of the season. There were also two Cup competitions for reserve league teams but except for the all-powerful Celtic and Rangers reserve games, crowds were seldom more than several hundred strong.

 

A hero for the boys

 

Many young boys in Edinburgh and all over Scotland did see Roald play both for the first and second team. Ken Stott, the well-known television and film actor was born in 1954 and grew up in Edinburgh. He became a big Hearts supporter and when he was asked in 2012 to name his Hearts dream team, Roald got the right wing. “(…) on his day, he was better than anyone I had ever seen, with maybe the exception of the great Jimmy Johnstone,” said Sctott.

 

Another one is Scott Herbertson, who was a young boy living in Edinburgh when Roald played at Hearts. The Norwegian was one of Scott’s heroes, partly because of the name, he tells me. Scott don’t have many concrete memories of games he played, he tells me he “had just a sense of grace when Roald was ghosting down the wing.” He also says that Roald had some injuries towards the end of his time, so he faded from the team and that would be the period when he played in the reserves a lot.

 

Tom Cairns from the city of Dundee is another boy who saw Kniksen. He began supporting Dundee United in 1961 at the age of 12 years. Since then he has hardly missed a home game and attended many away matches through his years. Tom told me in 2014 that he has a great memory for games and players of the 1960's, and “no football fan of the mid to late 60's could fail to remember Roald Jensen.” As Tom recall he saw Roald play several times against Dundee United, and against their local rivals Dundee FC. “I don’t think Roald played as many first team games for Hearts as he would have liked and therefore I saw him play in reserve games at both Dundee grounds and certainly at Tannadice Park. Tom remembers that Roald was not very tall and one of several small but talented wingers in Scottish Football at that time, with for example Jimmy Johnstone of Celtic and Willie Henderson of Rangers. “Roald was most certainly well known in Scotland as a clever player. He was a very fine and fast right winger who caused many Scottish defender’s headaches and some young supporters at Dundee United,” says Tom.

One of the finest goals in the history of the club came when he scored at home against Partick Thistle November 9, 1968. He was receiving the ball on the left wing, dribbled five defenders and the goalkeeper before scoring. Toms main memory of Roald is though in a home game in Dundee at Tannadice Park a week later, onNovember 16, 1968. 7 000 saw Roald play a great game and score one goal in a game Hearts lost 2-4. “Roald Jensen gave Tommy Millar a mighty uncomfortable afternoon, but his trickery was too often wasted by the ineptitude of some of his mates,” a newspaper wrote. But it was the episode towards the end of the match Tom recalls best. “Roald became involved with Alex Reid of United and after both pushing each other Alex Reid hit Roald Jensen with a right hook more suitable for a Boxing Ring rendering him apparently unconscious and was immediately ordered off. After treatment from the trainer Roald got to his feet, only to follow the United midfielder off the park being also sent off by the referee Mr. Ian Foote.” In the newspaper some days later, we can read that Roald got suspended 21 days and got a 25 pounds fine by the league committee. There is no secret that Roald had a temperament, and this was his fourth appearance before the committee. He had been up before on two three caution charges and an ordering off offence. Tom told me that sending offs in those days were rare and even being “booked” was a big part of a match report. Although by the end of the 1960's it became more frequent culminating in regular games with six bookings and an Oordering off isadly.

 

Roald`s breath-taking magnificence at Celtic Park

 

A game which older Hearts fans never forget was amatch which is regarded as one of Hearts greatest games, was played 8th November 1969 at Celtic Park. Hearts steady slide from a team that dominated Scottish football in the 1950s to mid-table mediocrity in later decade swas perhaps accelerated by the emergence of one of finest teams in Scottish football history – the Celtic side of the late 1960s. Jock Stein, the manager of Celtic had built a team of local players and would lead them to nine successive league championships – and won the European Cup in 1967. Hearts had a bad season and met Celtic at a time at Celtic Park where the home attackers were a couple of the so called “quality street” kids from Celtic`s youth system – 20 years old Lou Macari and an unknown 18-year old boy, Kenny Daglish who played one of his first matches for Celtic. Just before the half-hour mark, Kniksen took delivery from Donald Ford. He raced forward but was closely shepherded by full-back Gemmell. From about a yard in front of the touchline, Kniksen managed to defy the odds and fire in ferocious shot that swung beyond the keeper and into the net to give Hearts a lead they fully deserved. It was a goal of breath-taking magnificence. The Glasgow Herald`s William Hunter wrote that Kniksens attempt at goal came “along a line which does not exist in any formal geometry.” Hearts scored again later in the match and Hearts got a very unexpected win

 

A goodbye from Tynecastle School

 

In 1971 Roald left Hearts to go home to Bergen and play as an amateur for his old hometown club Brann. In 2014, I interviewed Roald’s wife Eva, and she showed me a letter which I got permission to take a picture of. The letter is to Roald from 53 schoolboys from class 3B2 Tynecastle School, Edinburgh. They wrote a goodbye letter when they heard that he was going home to Norway and it easy to see that Roald meant a lot for many supporters in Edinburgh, whether they were young or old, and as we read he treated the fans good. The idea of the nice letter is from a boy called Brian Stanfield. (I have attached the letter which all the names are written).

 

Dear Roald,

 

As the season ends we heard that you were returning home to Norway. I on the behalf of all Heart of Midlothian fans, would like to thank you for the hours of skilful, open and graceful soccer you have shown us, and we shall always remember you for the dazzling run across field left to right and vice-versa. Good luck when you return to Brann as an Amateur, and I hope you treat the fans like you did here.

 

Goodbye Roald Jensen

 

 

The hall of famers remember “Super-Jensen”

 

In 2014 I talked to three players who are highly regarded in the club and played together with Roald. They are all included in the Heart of Midlothian Hall of Fame, and Alan Anderson, the team captain who played centre-half during Roald’s period in the club, told me that Roald “was tricky and a very good player. As good as any in the league,” and that “the supporters loved him.” Jim Jeffries, who later became a manager for the club, told me the same year that Roald “was a great player, and was very professional and well-liked by his teammates.”

 

Donald Ford, another Hall of Famer, scored in Roald’s debut. Ford signed as an amateur in 1964, and the young Ford played a few games in the charge to the title of ’64-’65. Ford enjoyed a hugely successful domestic career with Hearts playing 11 season, 254 games and scoring 93 goals. He also went to the 1974 football World Cup in West Germany as part of a Scotland squad which included Denis Law, Billy Bremner and Kenny Dalglish.

 

In 2014 I interviewed Donald Ford about Roald and his time at the club. He never forgot his former teammate and has neither forgotten the match against Kilmarnock where Roald could have secured the Championship. Donald, who was sitting in the stand in this match - like every other Hearts’ supporter - could scarcely believe that Kilmarnock managed to secure the ONE score line which would see them overtake Hearts to win the Championship. Having said that, however, Ford remain convinced that the Hearts’ players were at the wrong psychological level for such a vital game. Donald thinks that the team probably took the field that day believing that all they had to do was turn out at 3.00 o’clock and saunter to the title comfortably. At least one of the players at the Hearts team should not have played as he wasn’t fit but didn’t tell management about how he felt, says Donald. The team never really commanded the game as all expected it to do and some slackness allowed Kilmarnock to score the two goals. It was a heart-rending afternoon, Donald told me.

 

In his first time at Hearts, Donald was studying to become a Chartered Accountant and still had two years of his degree course to complete, so he only trained on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Roald trained with the full-time squad daily, so Donald didn’t see much of him. The first time he heard about Roald would be in 1964, just before Donald signed for Hearts himself.

 

“If I recall correctly, I think that Mr. Walker was keen to sign him, and he was mentioned in the local Press. It was just the speculation that there might be interest in signing him. In these days, VERY few players from Europe - or further afield - came to the UK, never mind Scotland! As with all new signings, there was a fair level of high expectation; reports from Norway indicated that he had something “special”. It was clear that he had exceptional skills and pace. Like myself, he was small and slightly built but had superb balance and a very low “centre of gravity”, which all outstanding ball players enjoyed. As I was signed as a right-winger myself, I was obviously going to play second fiddle to someone with Roald’s abilities. It was never a concern, however - he was obviously more skilful than me!“

 

Donald told me that Roald was feared among opponents: “His ability and reputation as a very skilled footballer were well established. He was so quick, however, that there were times when it was impossible for the rest of the team to work out where HE was going!”

 

As a person, Donald told me that “Roald was quite shy…..even a little nervous at meeting people. Particularly for the first time. And he tended to keep his thoughts to himself. Roald had a hard time regarding relationships to some of his teammates. There were a couple of Hearts players for whom he had a personal dislike. They were quite aggressive towards him verbally and his nature did not allow him to stand up for himself. He simply took the verbal criticism and swallowed his resentment, I think.”

 

The club had great times before Roald came, but after this season thing began to go bad. Ford tells me that the decline of the club had probably started in the couple of years before Roald signed for Hearts. Although the club was desperately unlucky not to win the League Championship in 64/65, there were a few “older” players at the club who would soon be past their best and the “conveyor belt” of new young players was not performing well. In addition, the Board of Directors was clearly not keen to spend money on big fees to attract quality players from other clubs. A succession of “cheaper” deals had started, which saw players coming to Tynecastle whose best days may well have been behind them. It might also be true that Mr. Walker was beginning to feel the strain after a long number of successful years as manager, said Donald.

 

“A bit like Messi” - the last years at Brann

 

Arnfinn Espeseth, from Aalesund played for Brann in the period 1969-1973. He got his debut on the national team in 1970 and played with Kniksen after the pro came back to Brann from Edinburgh in 1971. In 1972 Arnfinn was the captain when he, Kniksen and the rest of the team lifted the Norwegian Cup (NM) Trophy in 1972 after beating Rosenborg.

 

Arnfinn tell me that after Roald came home from Hearts, people would easily think that he was blasé and high above the rest of the Brann players, but he never was like that, says Arnfinn. “He was genuinely happy to play football. He was very modest but had a fierce temper – on and off the football field. As a person, Kniksen was a bit introvert, he might seem little nervous, and he could sometimes come up with some typical humour boys (tjuagutter) from Bergen had. He never came with negative comments about others and was a sympathetic person.”

 

Espeseth say that “Kniksen flourished, and he played some great matches together with the rest of the team in this period. The Kniksen-magic was still alive when I played together with him.” I asked Espeseth in 2014 which player Roald can be compared with, regarding to his style of playing, and Arnfinn say like many any others I have talked to, “that was a bit like Messi” though Espeseth “must admit that Messi is probably a more complete football player.” In 1973, the 30 years old Roald retired after disagreement with the new coach Billy Elliot who proved to be a strong and conversional leader. Bergen and Brann said now goodbye to a “phenomenon” they never have seen since.

 

A royal reception at Tynecastle Stadium

 

In the end of April 1986, exactly 21 years since Roald and Hearts lost the title against Kilmarnock, he returned to Edinburg and Tynecastle Stadium. He saw Hearts beat Clydebank, in a season his old club was fighting to win the title for the first time since the 1964-1965. When Roald came to the stadium he “received a royal reception,” wrote Bergens Aftenblad. The groundsmen forgot their work and wanted to talk with him about the old days. During the match he sat in the directors' box, and before the match the club took him out on the green grass. Here he was greeted with standing ovations from his old supporters, just as they cheered hoarsely for his sake 20 years earlier. He smiled like a little boy and knew that they had by no means forgotten him. Roald said to a journalist at the stadium: “Hearts is the club in my heart, (…) and Yes, i am thinking back to 21 years ago on our last match against Kilmarnock when our nerves took over. After that season we were never stable enough to get involved in the top. We did good in big matches against Celtic and Rangers, but later we not even come close. Fifteen years ago, I left an ordinary Scottish top club. We did not fight for titles; the club was in many ways going in wrong direction. I do not regret my years in Edinburgh, though I missed the opportunity to play on the national team and tempting professional offers from Holland and Spain.”

 

Just amateurs could play on the Norwegian national team before 1969. Kniksen was 20 just years and the youngest player to reach 25 national matches for the national team. It meant a lot to him to get “Gullklokka” (a gold watch – for playing 25 matches).

 

Was Scotland the right country for Roald?

 

The ones in Norway who know that he made almost had as many reserve matches as first teams matches during his years in Scotland, have perhaps later wondered if the Scottish league was the right place for such a great little technician as him.

 

Before he signed with Hearts there was interest from Germany, Holland, Spain and Italy. In an interview in 1980, Roald himself said that “My style of playing suited much better for example in Holland and Vest-Germany. I have never liked football which is physical. It was though in Scotland, no doubt about that, but I liked Edinburgh as a city.”

 

Lennart Wing, a swede who played against Kniksen for Sweden and for Tom Cairns Dundee United, told me in 2014, that “Kniksen was a copy of Messi,” and it was hard to play in the Scottish league in that period. On Swedish he said that “Kniksen fick mycket stryk,” which means he got kicked a lot.

 

The famous Per Bredesen who won the league with Milan in 1957, told to me in 2014: “He would have been perfect for Italy, and what a success he had would been there!” Rolf Birger Pedersen (1939-2001), nicknamed “Pesen”, played 335 first time matches for Brann. With a total of 245 recorded goals, he is Brann's top scorer of all time. “Pesen” was, together with Roald, a dangerous pairing in Norwegian football and they became league champions for Brann in 1962 and 1963. “Pesen” was also a very good friend of Kniksen and told in 1987 that Roald was “a better player before he went to Scotland,” and “I think Kniksen would have done better as a professional in other countries. The tough Scottish style did not suit him,” according to Pedersen who maybe knew Kniksen ability’s best.

 

We want a comeback

 

In august 1987, about halfway through the season, Brann were playing not particularly well. Some people in the city of Bergen wanted Kniksen to make a comeback. They wanted “entertainment” and Rune Larsen, a well-known artist and music producer for his company “Noah” was one of them. Larsen wanted to make a cassette and use the income from sale to help Kniksen, so he could take two months off from work to get in shape. Roald himself said “give me two months and I can play nearly 90 minutes. I am not scared off the level in 1. Division and I have also discovered that the technique there is not overly good.” Even though Kniksen was 44 years old, and retired a long time ago, he believed in himself, and told the media also that: “If someone thinks I still have something to contribute to the team, I should happily take half a day at work and play football beside. I still think I have a lot undone in Norwegian football, the standard is not that good.” Head coach at Brann, Tony Knapp, thought that a comeback would be difficult, but “he (Kniksen) is welcome on training with us, and if he has something to offer, we will listen, see and possiblylearn.”

 

The genius is gone, but still dribbling

 

The comeback never came, but he played football so long as he could. On 6th October 1987, nine o'clock in the evening, 1 year, 5 months and 10 days after he was cheered as a King in Edinburg, the 44-year-old Roald collapsed while football training with Brann's old-boys' team. Some of his teammates tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but he was not breathing. The ambulance drives him to the hospital and he dies here wearing his old national team shirt and with his boots on. At home sat his wife Eva and their two children who waited in vain.

 

People from all over Bergen came to his funeral in Fyllingsdalen church. The church was packed, and you could see old wives, young girls, and boys. Old man with grey haired, and a group of children with backpacks on their backs, and many others in the age group of Kniksen. There were also people from Great Britain at the funeral, and all of them came to say goodbye to a great player and a great man. Serval hundred people walked in the funeral procession, and there has been long time since a sorrow like that had affected people in Bergen so hard.

 

Kniksen is not gone. You can meet him outside Brann Stadion on a shelf in form of a big bronze statue. From 1995 he has dribbled and looked down at all sorts of people of any ages and gender from different nations. He has also seen older men travel from Edinburgh just to touch him with tears in their eyes. Today exactly 56 years ago, many Scots began a love affair with Roald Jensen – a affair which still is going on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scott herbertson]

I should also mention that Roger said he had had helpful responses from Davy Allan and David Speedie

[NotTheHoople]

Great to read that article and remember the genius that was Roald Jensen, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise mediocre team.

Interestingly, just recently I read about an interview with Egil Olsen - arguably Norway's greatest manager - who mentioned his dog's name was Knicksen. When asked about the reason, he stated it was "called after Norway's finest player and my hero, Roald Jensen."

[maroonsgotop]

Really good article, thanks for posting. Loved Jensen and tragic that he died so young

[maroonsgotop]

was at Parkhead when he scored in that 2-0 win with Ford scoring the other. A very rare win through there . 

[WorldChampions1902]

A solo Jensen goal against Falkirk in a 5-2 win over Falkirk March 1965.

 

 

 

 

[copa-mundial]

There is a Norwegian bar in Gran Canaria. In the quieter part of the island. 

It has football memorabilia all over the walls and ceiling. 

 

The old guy that owned the bar. A native Norwegian. Really nice old guy. I asked him about Roald Jensen. To which he replied "Kniksen" 

He then went on to talk about him, saying what an incredible footballer he was. A Norwegian hero! The very first.  

 

Certainly from knowing and reading our history of Jensen, and what others have had to say about him. He must have been some player. 

 

One of our hall of fame players for sure. 

[Locky]

Excellent stuff. Never realised Jensen's death was so tragic.

 

I'm part of the the Norwegian football forum on Reddit and have shared it there. Hopefully Roger doesn't mind. Always had a passing interest in Nordic football, and found myself watching a lot of Norwegian football over summer. I found myself leaning towards Brann already, but when it was brought to my attention the Jensen connection, and the statue at their stadium, that settled that.

 

Bergen and Norway is definitely high on my list of destinations when I'm allowed to freely travel again. Hope to get a picture with the statue.

[Horatio Caine]

Did there not used to be a poster on here whose user name was Roald Jensen?  Lived abroad iirc (Malta? Cyprus?)   Whatever happened to him?

[scott herbertson]

24 minutes ago, Locky said:

Excellent stuff. Never realised Jensen's death was so tragic.

 

I'm part of the the Norwegian football forum on Reddit and have shared it there. Hopefully Roger doesn't mind. Always had a passing interest in Nordic football, and found myself watching a lot of Norwegian football over summer. I found myself leaning towards Brann already, but when it was brought to my attention the Jensen connection, and the statue at their stadium, that settled that.

 

Bergen and Norway is definitely high on my list of destinations when I'm allowed to freely travel again. Hope to get a picture with the statue.

 

PM me when you are going - I have a mate (Scottish married to a Bergen lass) who lives there and  he can help you I am sure

[Locky]

19 minutes ago, scott herbertson said:

 

PM me when you are going - I have a mate (Scottish married to a Bergen lass) who lives there and  he can help you I am sure

Nice one mate, appreciated. Hopefully a case of sooner rather than later.

[willie wallace]

I liked   Jensen but  unfortunately I always seem to remember him hitting the post in the Killie game more than anything else.🥺

 

 

 

 

 

[Thomaso]

17 minutes ago, willie wallace said:

I liked   Jensen but  unfortunately I always seem to remember him hitting the post in the Killie game more than anything else.🥺

 

 

 

 

 

Me too 😪

[Gorgie Boot boy]

1 hour ago, WorldChampions1902 said:

A solo Jensen goal against Falkirk in a 5-2 win over Falkirk March 1965.

 

 

 

 

I would of saw him play, to young to remember him though.

[dbusby6]

Great article. One of my favourite Hearts players when I was just starting to follow Hearts. I witnessed the goals mentioned against Partick and Celtic. Both brilliant. What a player.

[colinmaroon]

Loved him but he often got shepherded into running across the park.  

 

That post!!!

[niblick1874]

Thanks very much for that Scott. My name is there.

 

He was there from the off for me when I was very young and every time I saw him I was in awe. He was a one off and a very cool guy as well. 

[bobskeldon]

Here I am in my duffle coat getting his autograph on his arrival at Tynie.

[John Findlay]

Great article. Just before my time as in remembering games properly at Tynecastle. 69/70 is when I start remembering games properly. Despite my dad taking me to my first game in December 65 when I was 2yrs 8 months old.

[willie wallace]

3 minutes ago, John Findlay said:

Great article. Just before my time as in remembering games properly at Tynecastle. 69/70 is when I start remembering games properly. Despite my dad taking me to my first game in December 65 when I was 2yrs 8 months old.

I remember asking my dad why are there so many Killie fans here when they have no chance of winning😭

[Kiwidoug]

Games against Dunfermline were terrific in that era, particularly at Dunfermline.

 

That league championship was a 4 way tussle between us, Hibs, Dunfermline and Kilmarnock.  Absolutely neck and neck until the last 3 or 4 weeks.

 

Guess who hibsdt first?

 

Jenson was a very exciting player.  Such a shame he hit the post against Kilmarnock.

[Gorgie Boot boy]

27 minutes ago, bobskeldon said:

Here I am in my duffle coat getting his autograph on his arrival at Tynie.

Did you win the race ?

[1953]

I'm sure my dad took me to that Dunfermline game particularly to see Jensen. Those were the days when we always played Hibs on new years day then Dunfermline on the second. Imagine asking today's pros to play on consecutive days 😄

[dode]

He was my first Hearts hero , even though I never saw him play much, Jensen was always who “I was” when playing football with my mates.... suppose at 59 I should “go”someone else . 

[Rab WL]

Very interesting article ( would have been even better if we had scored v Killie that day) - any Norwegian fans always remember Jensen and us Jambos always argued with our OF friends that he was better than Henderson and Johnstone 

[DesertDawg]

28 minutes ago, Rab WL said:

Very interesting article ( would have been even better if we had scored v Killie that day) - any Norwegian fans always remember Jensen and us Jambos always argued with our OF friends that he was better than Henderson and Johnstone 

 

Would have been a complete game changer for Roald Jensen and the club if his shot that hit the post at the school end against Kilmarnock had gone in.

 

I did enjoy seeing his first game at Dunfermline and his goal at against Celtic but the one that I really remember well was his penalty against Morton on a cold Wednesday night at Hampden to put us in the Scottish Cup Final.

 

  

 

[bobskeldon]

2 hours ago, Gorgie Boot boy said:

Did you win the race ?

Didn’t matter, the thrill was always in the chase GBB. It is actually a piece of video I discovered (by accident) online from an article written by a Norwegian journo. Couldn’t believe it.

[Gorgie Boot boy]

Just now, bobskeldon said:

Didn’t matter, the thrill was always in the chase GBB. It is actually a piece of video I discovered (by accident) online from an article written by a Norwegian journo. Couldn’t believe it.

Brilliant photo mate.

I counted a few boys in Duffel coats, saw the lad a at the front. Good on you for finding yourself and maybe some old faces. Can we see the video ?

[bobskeldon]

1 minute ago, Gorgie Boot boy said:

Brilliant photo mate.

I counted a few boys in Duffel coats, saw the lad a at the front. Good on you for finding yourself and maybe some old faces. Can we see the video ?

I think I may have put it on another post about RJ but I will check.

[Gorgie Boot boy]

4 minutes ago, bobskeldon said:

I think I may have put it on another post about RJ but I will check.

Thanks

[bobskeldon]

https://www.nrk.no/vestland/xl/roald-_kniksen_-jensen_-skapte-massehysteri-og-dode-ifort-landslagsdrakten-1.13786475

[bobskeldon]

4 minutes ago, Gorgie Boot boy said:

Thanks

Done, hope you are in it😁😁😁

[niblick1874]

19 hours ago, bobskeldon said:

Didn’t matter, the thrill was always in the chase GBB. It is actually a piece of video I discovered (by accident) online from an article written by a Norwegian journo. Couldn’t believe it.

 

I was not putting two and two together as well as being a tad distracted yesterday when reading Scotts post, then all of a sudden I was looking at my name in the letter. For me, it was a bit Twilight Zone-ish . It was not the same as your experience, and I'm sure nowhere near as powerful. It must have been quite the thing for you when you came across yourself in that way.  😲 😀 

[Section Q]

On 02/01/2021 at 13:58, maroonsgotop said:

was at Parkhead when he scored in that 2-0 win with Ford scoring the other. A very rare win through there . 

I was there that day. Our train home was pelted with bricks.....!

[Gorgie Boot boy]

No mate, i am not in it. According to my mother i was at the cup final in 68 aged two.

[Section Q]

On 02/01/2021 at 14:05, WorldChampions1902 said:

A solo Jensen goal against Falkirk in a 5-2 win over Falkirk March 1965.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Section Q

[bobskeldon]

2 hours ago, niblick1874 said:

 

I was not putting two and two together as well as being a tad distracted yesterday when reading Scotts post, then all of a sudden I was looking at my name in the letter. For me, it was a bit Twilight Zone-ish . It was not the same as your experience, and I'm sure nowhere near as powerful. It must have been quite the thing for you when you came across yourself in that way.  😲 😀 

It was lovely and very powerful seeing me as a 10 year old in a video, unlike today’s 10 yr olds whose life is well documented on film. I am sure you enjoyed your ‘experience’ as much as it’s uniquely yours. 

[dannymack]

[scott herbertson]

Great man's autograph on the bottom right

 

[The Real Maroonblood]

13 minutes ago, scott herbertson said:

Great man's autograph on the bottom right

 

 

👍

Interesting looking at some of the names. 

[scott herbertson]

5 minutes ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

👍

Interesting looking at some of the names. 

 

 

Yes - a few less well kent names there.

 

I think my Aunt ( a big Hearts fan who used to write poems for the programmes in the late 40s/ early 50s) gave me the book for my birthday or something - think we sent it in to Tynie and it came back signed.

[Francis Albert]

1 hour ago, scott herbertson said:

Great man's autograph on the bottom right

 

 

 

 

On 02/01/2021 at 13:01, NotTheHoople said:

Great to read that article and remember the genius that was Roald Jensen, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise mediocre team.

Interestingly, just recently I read about an interview with Egil Olsen - arguably Norway's greatest manager - who mentioned his dog's name was Knicksen. When asked about the reason, he stated it was "called after Norway's finest player and my hero, Roald Jensen."

You say mediocre team and it was of course compared to the team of the 50s with which it was inevitably compared but some of the names there remind me that there were a lot of players at that time that I really looked forward to watching - Jensen of course (one of my all time favourites) but also Ford, Cruickshank, George Fleming, the excellent Arthur Mann, "Tricky" Tommy Traynor and maybe a few less legible ones. 

 

And of course that "mediocre" team came within one goal of winning the title. What would we give for that sort of mediocrity today?

 

Surprised he played relatively few games in his time with us. Like all great wingers of his type he was not consistent and the brutal tackling by  the hammer throwers in the game  back then did not help.  There is a famous picture of him after one game, his legs completely covered in bruises ... and that was with shin pads!

 

Have posted before how often Jensen's came up when visiting Norway on business in the 80s and 90s. He was clearly a superstar, and much loved, in his home country, and of course particularly in Bergen.

 

Great article, great memories and great "mediocre" times!

[The Real Maroonblood]

17 minutes ago, Francis Albert said:

 

 

You say mediocre team and it was of course compared to the team of the 50s with which it was inevitably compared but some of the names there remind me that there were a lot of players at that time that I really looked forward to watching - Jensen of course (one of my all time favourites) but also Ford, Cruickshank, George Fleming, the excellent Arthur Mann, "Tricky" Tommy Traynor and maybe a few less legible ones. 

 

And of course that "mediocre" team came within one goal of winning the title. What would we give for that sort of mediocrity today?

 

Surprised he played relatively few games in his time with us. Like all great wingers of his type he was not consistent and the brutal tackling by  the hammer throwers in the game  back then did not help.  There is a famous picture of him after one game, his legs completely covered in bruises ... and that was with shin pads!

 

Have posted before how often Jensen's came up when visiting Norway on business in the 80s and 90s. He was clearly a superstar, and much loved, in his home country, and of course particularly in Bergen.

 

Great article, great memories and great "mediocre" times!

Good post.

[Bazzas right boot]

Nice op. 

Interesting.