It wouldn’t have been exaggerated to headline the tribute with ‘miracle worker’ when describing Ebbe Skovdahl’s time as Aberdeen manager between 1999-2003
The popular Dons boss passed away last week at the age of seventy-five after a long battle with illness.
The view of the supporters is one of warmth for the former Benfica and Brøndby boss with members of the Red Army describing Skovdahl as a good appointment overall, ushering in homegrown players when the club had no money.
Skovdahl came to Aberdeen at a time when the club was in dire straights.
Financially compromised after the success of the 80s and 90s, Skovdahl’s first season in charge couldn’t have gone more wrong. Aberdeen finished bottom of the SPL and only avoided a relegation play-off against Falkirk because the First Division champions couldn’t meet Premiership stadium requirements.
There was a silver lining to that season reaching two cup finals, although that lining came round a heavy cloud with both finals lost to either side of the Old Firm – 2-0 to Celtic in the League Cup and 4-0 to Rangers in ‘THAT’ Scottish Cup (the Winters in goals debacle).
With the club’s hands tied by its accountants, Skovdahl was a canny choice in taking the Reds forward.
A manager of pragmatism rather than pyrotechnics, Skovdahl developed a reputation at Danish outfit Brøndby – which he took over when the club was almost bankrupt – as a man able to keep sinking ships a float.
He turned Brøndby’s strikers into harrying, high pressing, defensive shields for his weakened midfield and backline – decades before Mourinho was doing the same thing with Inter Milan – which created the foundations for the club to go and dominate Danish football for years to come.
It looked as though Skovdahl would do the same at Aberdeen when, within two seasons, he improved the clubs fortunes dramatically, going from tenth place in the 1999/2000 league campaign to fourth in 2001/02.
With the days of signing off big cheques for established names gone, Skovdahl brought in youth to the Aberdeen ranks introducing the likes of Kevin McNaughton, Russell Anderson and Darren Mackie to the first team.
Maybe motivation was lacking because it wasn’t a team from his home country. Seeing that the battle to keep Aberdeen at the upper echelons of the Scottish game would be long and hard Skovdahl’s appetite had already been filled by Brøndby and he resigned at the end of the 2002/2003 season with Aberdeen finishing eighth in the league.
Memorable match: 6-5 win v Motherwell, Fir Park, 20/10/1999
Everyone remembers Robbie Winters donning the gloves and stepping in goal for the majority of the Scottish Cup final against Rangers, but – on a better day for the Aberdeen forward under Ebbe Skovdahl – Winters’ hat-trick helped Aberdeen win a thrilling league game at Fir Park against Billy Davies’ Motherwell.
Andy Dow opened the scoring for the Dons, Robbie Winters scored five minutes later, Motherwell responded through John Spencer, then Winters scored his second of the game. Next came a beaut of a strike from Eoin Jess aided by a slight deflection. Don Goodman scored on the stroke of half-time to make it 4-2. Winters completed his hat-trick just before the hour mark, Spencer then finished after controlling the ball with his back, Paul Bernard would get Aberdeen’s sixth, Spencer would complete his hat-trick on seventy minutes and Motherwell’s Shaun Teale would make it a nervy last ten minutes for the Dons, scoring from the spot to make it 6-5.
Probably the most incredible thing about the game was the fact two of Scotland’s finest ever keepers were between the sticks – Jim Leighton for Aberdeen and Andy Goram for Motherwell.
Ebbe Skovdahl 1945-2020
Harry Jamshid Reporter Sports Pages 