Hansen Carl “Skoma’r” Image 2 Glasgow Rangers 1922

Description

Centre forward Carl “Skoma’r” Hansen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. and began his football career with Østerbros Boldklub in 1913. He made himself an early reputation as a dangerous striker in the Copenhagen club Boldklubben 1903 (B 1903), playing in the amateur-only Danish championship from 1915 to 1921. He helped B 1903 win the first Danish Championship in club history in 1920. B 1903 played professional Scottish side Glasgow Rangers at Idrætsparken in the spring of 1921  during the club’s 1921 Danish tour, moving to them for a fee of £20. Hansen scored on his Scottish League debut in a 2-1 win over Dundee in December 1921.

However his chances at Rangers were limited despite scoring 14 goals in 23 appearances during four years at Ibrox, hampered by a broken leg. Despite this they won three Scottish League Championships during his time there. He was notable for his excellent attacking play and the attitude of a dignified professional. Hansen was very popular in Glasgow, and was referred to as “The Great Little Dane” and “The Little Shoemaker”, and was the first foreigner who scored in an Old Firm match.

He returned to Denmark and played for B 1903 before retiring in 1928. He also played 7 times for the Danish national team between 1918 and 1921, scoring 3 goals. After retirement he trained the junior team of AB with great success in the 1930’s; a team including later Danish international Knud Lundberg. Hansen coached the senior AB team to the 1937 Danish Championship, before he returned to B 1903. He joined B 1903 as a professional trainer, at a time when it was customary in Danish football for the coach to work as an amateur. He coached the club from 1943 to 1948.

During the Second World War, Hansen was arrested in 1943 and sentenced to four months imprisonment for having harassed a German. He spent four months in prison and in a German concentration camp in Neumünster. This experience later affected his nervous system greatly. He continued to manage football teams in Denmark after the War including BK93 from 1948 to 1952, and then in 1952 he coached the national team for the 1952 Olympics. Latterly he managed Boldklubben Frem before his eventual retirement.