Bjorn Kristensen has revealed that seeing Newcastle United players drinking beer after matches and eating fish and chips on the way back from away games was a culture shock when he arrived at St James' Park in 1989. The former midfielder, who signed for £260,000 under Jim Smith, said the warmth of the Geordie public made him feel at home as he moved from Aarhus to Cramlington.
From Denmark to Tyneside
Kristensen, who could also play in defence, quickly adapted to life in the city despite the club being relegated just eight weeks into his stay. He became a fan favourite, making 90 appearances and scoring four goals. Reflecting on his arrival from the Danish top flight, he told Chronicle Live: "It was a culture shock. Jim Smith signed me and Frank Pingel from Denmark."
He added: "All the internationals, like Peter Schmeichel talked about the English culture shock like beers on the bus or fish and chips on the way home! What I found was that I could always find culture in Newcastle and loved it. At the time, the economy in England compared to Denmark was poor and the interest rate was raised. I bought a house in Cramlington and should never have done it, but maybe if I'd kept it would be worth a few quid now!"
Relegation and Play-Off Heartbreak
Kristensen stayed at the club after relegation to Division Two, despite teammate Frank Pingel returning to Denmark. He said: "I'd won everything there was to win in Danish football and got eight medals. I just wanted to go abroad and play, and Newcastle became home."
He described the pain of losing to Sunderland in the play-offs, saying: "Losing to Sunderland hurt a lot, especially as in seasons before finishing third would have got you up, but the play-offs were in full swing by then. I understood how much it hurt the supporters. They reacted and went berserk, losing at home with fans trying to pull the goalposts down and running on the field."
Scouting Andy Cole
Kristensen, now 63, also revealed that while on loan at Bristol City, Kevin Keegan asked him to scout a young striker. He said: "Kevin being Kevin, though, had a plan up his sleeve and he told me to look at a young striker called Andy Cole. He said 'Benny have a look at him for us and let me know what he's like'. I watched on Coley and reported back to tell Kevin to buy him."
Cole was signed for a club record £1.7million and scored 42 goals in his first full season. Kristensen eventually left for Portsmouth in 1993 and is now a successful businessman in Denmark. Speaking at a Remembrance Day event for NUFC Matters that raised more than £1,000 for Age UK, he said: "I hadn't been back for many years. We were supposed to go with a big group of footballers on a trip from Denmark, just before Covid. So I didn't get the chance to come back to Newcastle. So I was very happy to get this opportunity to come back to see the place."
