Hans Backe
Backe in 2011
Personal information
Full name Hans Roland Backe
Date of birth (1952-02-14) 14 February 1952 (age 71)
Place of birth Luleå, Sweden
Position(s) Defender, midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
AIK
1973–1976 Spånga 88 (21)
1977–1978 Brommapojkarna 32 (7)
1979–1981 Bro
Managerial career
1982–1984 Djurgården
1985 Molde FK
1986 Tyresö
1987–1988 Hammarby IF
1989–1993 Östers IF
1994–1995 AIK
1996–1997 Stabæk
1998–2000 Aalborg
2000–2001 SV Salzburg
2001–2005 FC Copenhagen
2006 Panathinakos
2007–2008 Manchester City (assistant)
2008–2009 Mexico (assistant)
2009 Notts County
2010–2012 New York Red Bulls
2016 Finland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Hans Roland "Hasse" Backe (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈhɑːns ˈhâsːɛ ˈbâkːɛ]; born 14 February 1952) is a Swedish football manager and former player who most recently led Finland's national team. Prior to this he managed the New York Red Bulls.

He has coached clubs in Sweden, Norway, Greece, England and the United States, and achieved his greatest successes in Denmark at FC Copenhagen and Aalborg BK.

Playing career

Backe's playing career lasted through the 1970s, mostly in the Swedish lower divisions, including one stint with Brommapojkarna in 1977–1978. He took up coaching while playing for Bro IK, and led them from the fifth to the third tier.

Managerial career

Early career in Scandinavia

Backe began his managerial career with Djurgårdens IF in his native Sweden from 1982 to 1984, compiling a record of 38 wins, 20 draws and only 12 losses, which included a first-place finish in the 1982 Division 2 Norra. Following his early success with Djurgårdens IF he went on to manage Molde FK, Hammarby IF, Östers IF, AIK and numerous other top Scandinavian clubs. In 1989, he led Öster to a first-place finish in Division 1 Södra in which the club ended the season unbeaten in all 26 league matches and gained promotion to the Swedish Allsvenskan.

Denmark

He enjoyed his greatest success in Denmark, having won three Danish titles with FC Copenhagen and Aalborg BK. In his first season in Danish football Backe led Aalborg BK to the 1998–99 Danish Superliga title. He also helped guide the club to consecutive Danish Cup finals in his two years at the club. During the 2001 season Backe returned to Denmark to lead top side FC Copenhagen. During his time at the club the Danish side would enjoy one of the club's most successful spells. During this period Backe led Copenhagen to two Danish Superliga titles, one Danish Cup title, and two Danish Super Cup titles, which included a treble winning season during the 2003–04 season.

Panathinaikos

Backe was the manager of Panathinaikos in Athens until 14 September 2006, when he was fired after just three games due to the team's poor performance in this time. Although Panathinaikos won two of three league matches, a 2–0 home loss to Ionikos and a 1–1 draw at home in a UEFA Cup tie against Ukrainian side Metalurh Zaporizhzhia led to his dismissal.

Assistant to Sven-Göran Eriksson

In July 2007, he was appointed as assistant manager at Manchester City in the Premier League, working alongside fellow countryman Sven-Göran Eriksson. Prior to being appointed as Manchester City assistant manager, he worked as a senior advisor for Östers IF as well as a football analyst and commentator for Swedish TV4. Backe briefly resigned his position at Manchester City after a family crisis in Sweden forced him to take compassionate leave shortly into his time at the club, but after a month was able to return at his former post. Along with Eriksson, Backe and first-team coach Tord Grip parted company with Manchester City, joining Mexico with the two Swedes.

Notts County

On 27 October 2009, Backe was appointed as manager of Notts County; the Swedish coach signed a three-year contract with the club.[1][2] He resigned just seven weeks later, on 15 December after a dispute about wages not being paid was announced. During his time with Notts County, Backe compiled 4 wins (including two FA Cup wins), 3 draws, and 2 losses.

New York Red Bulls

On 7 January 2010, Backe was named manager of New York Red Bulls.[3] After a blistering start to the 2010 season, club fans began to create shirts and flags with his likeness, and these honors culminated in the birth of the Hans Backe Viking Army, an offshoot of the Empire Supporters Club and Garden State Supporters. In his first season with New York he coached the team to an Eastern Conference first-place finish.[4] Then on 9 November 2012, it was announced that Backe would not extend his contract with the Red Bulls.[5]

Finland

On 12 August 2015, Backe was named manager of Finland national football team, starting on 1 January 2016.[6] His first official match with the team was held on 10 January 2016 and ended in a 0-3 defeat by Sweden.[7] Backe was fired as head coach of Finland's national football team 12 December 2016.[8] Finland did not win one single game during Backe's time as head coach; 11 matches resulted in 9 defeats and 2 draws.

Managerial statistics

Statistics accurate as of match played 11 June 2017.
Team Nat From To Record
P W D L GF GA Win %
Djurgården  Sweden January 1982 December 1984 70 38 20 12 124 58 054.29
Molde FK  Norway April 1985 October 1986 22 7 7 8 25 33 031.82
Hammarby IF  Sweden January 1987 December 1988 44 11 13 20 56 67 025.00
Östers IF  Sweden January 1989 December 1993 134 60 44 30 253 170 044.78
AIK  Sweden January 1994 June 1995 52 18 17 17 76 75 034.62
Stabæk  Norway April 1996 October 1997 52 22 13 17 80 80 042.31
Aalborg BK  Denmark 1 January 1998 30 June 2000 66 29 26 11 122 77 043.94
SV Salzburg  Austria 1 July 2000 10 September 2001 45 16 13 16 59 56 035.56
F.C. Copenhagen  Denmark 17 September 2001 31 December 2005 199 110 56 33 336 179 055.28
Panathinaikos  Greece 1 July 2006 14 September 2006 3 2 0 1 5 3 066.67
Notts County  England 27 October 2009 15 December 2009 7 2 3 2 12 8 028.57
New York Red Bulls  United States 7 January 2010 9 November 2012 98 41 31 26 145 119 041.84
Finland  Finland 1 January 2016 12 December 2016 13 0 3 10 6 25 000.00
Total 806 356 247 203 1,310 957 044.17

Honours

Manager

Djurgården
Öster
Aalborg BK
F.C. Copenhagen
New York Red Bulls

References

  1. ^ "Notts County appoint Hans Backe as Manager". Archived from the original on 2009-10-29. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
  2. ^ County confirm Backe
  3. ^ RBNY names Hans Backe head coach[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Red Bulls clinch Eastern Conference". Archived from the original on 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
  5. ^ "Red Bulls Announce Contract for Hans Backe Will Not Be Extended". New York Red Bulls. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  6. ^ Hans Backe appointed head coach of Finland men's national team
  7. ^ "Backen debyytti Huuhkajissa päättyi murskatappioon". yle.fi (in Finnish). Yle Uutiset. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  8. ^ "Markku Kanerva A-maajoukkueen päävalmentajaksi" (in Finnish). Suomen Palloliitto. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
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