Hermann Hreiðarsson

Hermann Hreiðarsson (2009)

Hermann Hreiðarsson ( born June 11, 1974 in Reykjavík ) is an Icelandic football player and coach. As a defensive player, which could be used mostly on the left side, but also frequently in central defense, he completed 15 years of his professional career in English football with clubs like Ipswich Town, Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth, before it pulled him back into the home and he there ÍB Vestmannaeyja 2013 in the office of the players coach took over.

Sports career

Club career

Beginnings in Iceland (1993-1997)

Hreiðarsson began his career at ÍB Vestmannaeyja in Iceland. There he spent the first five years of his footballing career, was there from 1994 regulars and part of the team that won the Icelandic championship in 1997. However, the crucial matches to win the title he missed because he was replaced before the end of the ausgetragenenen the rhythm of the calendar year season to England. Responsible for this was that it had discovered Scouts of the Ascended just getting into the Premier League London clubs Crystal Palace and he had signed a contract in England in August 1997.

Crystal Palace, Brentford and Wimbledon (1997-2000)

The tall, blond Icelandic international center-back and left-footed quickly established himself in the starting line- of "Palace" and stood after the debut by Substitutes against Blackburn Rovers (1:2) then later against his employer Wimbledon FC (1-0 ) in September 1997 first time in the starting lineup. Equipped with a good heading ability and high level of commitment he also struck by the fact that he demonstrated in addition to the defensive qualities of talent in the creative playmaking from the defense out. He was soon a crowd and with his performance against Dennis Bergkamp in the domestic duel with the upcoming champions FC Arsenal ( 0-0) he provided one of the few highlights in a season, in the Crystal Palace as a Table in a direct way the transition back had to play in the second division.

After seven second league games for Crystal Palace Hreiðarsson changed the end of September 1998, two leagues deep to Brentford FC. The somewhat surprising decision had much to do with Brent Ford's new chairman Ron Noades, who had previously worked at Palace as President and briefly as interim coach. Brentford could be of 850,000 pounds cost a record transfer fee and with performances that qualitatively clearly stood out from the league standard Hreiðarssons services, helped with this to realize about winning the fourth division championship promotion to the third-highest game checkout. Among them were four of its own league goals and end of the season, the players' union PFA him recorded as part of the "Team of the Year." That he would not permanently reside below the Premier League, was an open secret and so it went for Hreiðarsson in September 1999 back into the English elite league in which he in London hired again at FC Wimbledon.

The transfer fee was £ 2.5 million and Hreiðarsson was only one of numerous Scandinavian actors who committed the operating there Egil Olsen. Hreiðarsson needed no appreciable settling time in Wimbledon As with Crystal Palace. Similarly with his defensive qualities and the powerful offensive forays, he was quickly a leading player, but by the end of the 1999/2000 season was another relegation to the First Division. Against West Ham United in a 2-2 he had achieved his only goal for the " Dons " on Boxing Day 2000 and after the first round of the subsequent season 2000/ 01 he went for him in August 2000 for more than four million pounds on to Erstligaaufsteiger Ipswich Town.

Ipswich Town (2000-2003)

Immediately after signing the contract, he celebrated his debut for Ipswich against Tottenham Hotspur (1:3 ) and the following season he missed only two games ( as a result of a bailout against Leeds United, where he cleared the ball off the line). In addition to the defense headquarters he frequently occupied the position of the offensive left full-back ( as " Wingback " ) and at the end he reached with the new club the surprisingly good fifth place final table, bringing the team even qualified for the UEFA Cup. There he was part of the team that beat Inter Milan 1-0 at home, before they withdrew from the competition due to the 1:4 in the second leg ( in the round before, he had taken against Helsingborgs IF itself). In the Premier League, the sporty trend was clearly downwards and at the end of the season 2001/ 02 was for Hreiðarsson despite some successful offensive forays as a left-back ( where, after the game system conversion of coach George Burley from 5-3-2 to 4-4 - 2 mainly acted ) recorded a times but descent.

Back in more offensive function as a left wingback he played in the 2002/03 season, in which he often beaten by Thomas Gaardsøe forward balls either forwarded directly into the box or processed to flank runs. In the home match against Stoke City he injured his knee and while he recovered from it, came in March 2003, an agreement is reached with the first division side Charlton Athletic; this was the transfer fee of 800,000 pounds as "bargain", in spite of a further 100,000 pounds, which were later due to the successful relegation to the newcomer but nothing yet had been able to contribute.

Charlton Athletic (2003-2007)

In Charlton Hreiðarsson came mostly as a left-back to the train and changed in the last games of the season 2003/ 04 in the central defense to the side of Jonathan Fortune, after all alternatives had ceased to exist due to injury. Besides the usual flank runs he contributed two goals a decisive contribution to victory at Blackburn Rovers ( 1-0) and at home against Chelsea (4-2 ). Not least because of this " merit ", he finished in the internal association choice for player of the year past goalkeeper Dean Kiely went straight to second place. In his second year he showed that he was one of the most successful signings in the era of coach Alan Curbishley. He harmonize well on the left side with Paul Konchesky and occasionally placing his long throw-ins successfully a.

Somewhat surprisingly acted Hreiðarsson then in the season 2005/ 06 with the exception of a match against Arsenal exclusively in the central defense and after an injury -budgetary captain of Luke Young, he represented this from early April 2006 in this function. In his last year for Charlton he shuttled constantly between the two defensive positions. Initially he started in central defense, he moved to Djimi Traoré fracture on the left side. After his return, he briefly returned to central defense, before he had to help out left again after Traoré 's departure, as successor Ben Thatcher was not yet available. At the end of the fourth Hreiðarsson suffered relegation from the Premier League in his career, but a get-out clause in the event of a Down allowed him a free transfer in June 2007 at Portsmouth to hire.

Portsmouth FC (2007-2012)

Portsmouth was as a fresh Erstligaaufsteiger and as in the case of Ipswich succeeded Hreiðarsson there a surprisingly good result table space to prove ( with the eighth rank ). To this end, the victory in the FA Cup came to a final success against Cardiff City ( 1-0). What was remarkable was above all that he contributed to the defensive line to the fact that the team total of 22 clean sheets remained - as it were acting as left or central defender.

In the first half of the 2008/09 season he lost his place in the team, which was particularly true in mind that harmonized well on the left side of Armand Traoré and Nadir Belhadj. As the situation but dramatized under coach Tony Adams because of a sporty downward trend, the cries were so loud that he permanently returned to the team in late January 2009. Shortly afterwards, he scored in two consecutive games against Liverpool ( 2:3 ) and Manchester City (2-0 ) each have a goal and overall he made under Adams ' successor, Paul Hart for the necessary stability on the defensive, which partly responsible for the league was. In relegation in 2009/10 he initially missed the first 15 games, then scored against rivals Burnley FC (2-0 ) is an important goal, and ultimately missed the end of the season due to end of March 2010 erlittenenen hamstring injury from the match against Tottenham Hotspur. Thus he was also in the FA Cup final in 2010 against FC Cheslea, which was lost 0-1, not one of the party. First was not publicly whether Hreiðarsson would then remain in Portsmouth until the beginning of October 2010, the new signing a one-year contract was announced. After recovery manager Steve Cotterill familiar but then initially Players out on loan Carl Dickinson, before it was used against the end of season frequently, against Barnsley FC completed his 500th league game and extended the contract to a wide year in July 2011. Due to injury, he found, however, in Portsmouth largely not taken into account more and in January 2012, the club loaned him to the end of the contract from the second division rivals Coventry City.

About Coventry back to Iceland (since 2012)

Time in Coventry represented only a brief interlude and Hreiðarsson completed for the club just two competitive matches of the season 2011/12. Beginning of 2013, he then returned to his Icelandic home to take over the function of the player coach at his hometown club ÍB Vestmannaeyja.

Icelandic national

Hreiðarsson played 1996-2011 a total of 89 times in the Icelandic national football A- team, scoring five goals (mostly on the position of central defender ). He had given after six appearances for the U-21 youth in 1995 on 5 June 1996 against Cyprus (2-1) made ​​his debut. For the final round of a World Cup or European Championship, it was never enough from now on, but in qualifying for Euro 2004 failed to participate in the play-offs only just due to a 0-3 defeat against Germany on the final day ( with a simultaneous victory of Scotland ) - in the first leg was the runner-up recently wrested even a 0:0. Hreiðarssons last appearance for Iceland ended 10 August 2011 with a 0-4 defeat to Hungary. With 89 A- international matches he lined up behind record holder Rúnar Kristinsson one in second place.

Title / Awards

• Icelandic Championship ( 1): 1997
• English Cup ( 1): 2008
• Islands Footballer of the Year (3): 1997, 2000, 2007
• PFA Team of the Year (1): 1998/99