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aberdeenThe new sporting director, Lutz Pfannenstiel, has announced his intention to move on from the extravagant anecdotes of his past, including the infamous “borrowing”. penguinTo focus entirely on supporting embattled manager Jimmy Thelin.
Pfannenstiel, who had an unremarkable career, joined the Dons after a similar stint Major League Soccer Towards St. Louis City, which concluded in August.
The 52-year-old former goalkeeper has the unique distinction of being the first person to play for clubs from all six FIFA confederations.
His colorful history also includes a 101-day stint in Singapore prison In 2000, he faced allegations of match-fixing before ultimately being acquitted.
Additionally, while playing for Bradford Park Avenue in 2002 he stopped breathing three times on the pitch after a collision with Clayton Donaldson and had to be resuscitated.
These and other episodes, such as modeling for Armani and “borrowing” a penguin from a wildlife colony to keep for two days in a New Zealand bath, are detailed in her autobiography.
Addressing the media at his first Dons press conference on Tuesday, Pfannenstiel light-heartedly acknowledged his fascination with the past.
“Okay, before we start, I think you guys are very interested in my penguin stories and things like that,” he joked.
“So, yes, I had a penguin once, I didn’t steal it, I just borrowed it for a night! I was in prison too, and I died in Bradford too. I’ve written a wonderful book about it, so if you want one, I can get it out of the boot, 10 quid and you can have one.
“I’ve done a lot of other things since then, I think, it’s more than 25 years ago. I want to focus on Aberdeen, what’s happening now and in the future, and not just talk about sea birds.”
With Thelin facing pressure after a challenging start to the campaign, Pfannenstiel expressed confidence that his arrival would ease some of the burden on the head coach.
“I think it was good news for Jimmy that I came, because I think he can focus more on what he wants to focus on and really focus on the coaching stuff and really work on the on-field stuff,” the German explained.
Elaborating on his role, he said: “I think I can take a lot of pressure off them when it comes to recruitment, finding players.
“I think the head coach really needs to be able to focus on what’s happening on the field, what’s happening in the changing room, and I’m here to support Jimmy as best I can at the moment.”
Pfannenstiel emphasized the collaborative nature of his future work: “And then to talk about players, to make a short list of players who fit into that, and then that has to be discussed between me and the recruitment team and, of course, the manager, because it makes no sense if I sign three players the manager just doesn’t rate, so there will be a lot of conversations, daily meetings.
“And so far, every time we’ve talked, I’ve had a really good feeling about it. We see football exactly the same way and we’re on board with that.”