Espen Baardsen
| Date of birth | 07 December 1977 |
| Place of birth | San Rafael |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Weight | 88 kg |
| Height | 1.96 m |
| Position | Goalkeeper |
Having failed to make a senior appearance for Tottenham in 1999-2000, Espen moved on to Watford in the close season and went straight in the Hornets' first team. Still relatively inexperienced for a goalkeeper, he took a while to develop an understanding with his fellow-defenders. However, once he had settled in he had a frustrating time with injuries which caused him to be substituted three times during the campaign. Tall and strongly built, he impressed with his shot-stopping capabilities but then lost his place around the turn of the year when he seemed to suffer a dip in confidence. However he returned to the side in February with renewed assurance, only to be carried off at Grimsby in April with a groin injury that brought a premature end to his season.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco All Blacks | 16 Jul 1996 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 16 Jul 1996 | 03 Aug 2000 | |
| Watford | 03 Aug 2000 | 24 Dec 2002 | |
| Everton | 24 Dec 2002 | 18 Feb 2003 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Clean sheets | Conceded | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | Tottenham Hotspur | Premier League | 1 | 1 |
2 | |||
| 1997-98 | Tottenham Hotspur | FA Cup | 2 | 1 |
4 | |||
| 1997-98 | Tottenham Hotspur | Premier League | 9 | 3 | 10 | |||
| 1998-99 | Tottenham Hotspur | League Cup | 3 | 4 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Tottenham Hotspur | Premier League | 12 | 4 | 16 | |||
| 2000-01 | Watford | League Cup | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Watford | League Division 1 | 27 | 5 | 41 | |||
| 2001-02 | Watford | League Cup | 3 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2001-02 | Watford | League Division 1 | 14 | 3 | 23 | |||
| 2002-03 | Everton | Premier League | 1 | 4 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 2000 | Huddersfield Town v Watford | W | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 19 Aug 2000 | Watford v Barnsley | W | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 22 Aug 2000 | Watford v Cheltenham Town | D | 0-0 | League Cup | 1st round 1st leg |
| 26 Aug 2000 | Wimbledon v Watford | D | 0-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 28 Aug 2000 | Watford v Sheffield United | W | 4-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 05 Sep 2000 | Cheltenham Town v Watford | W |
0-3 Agg: 0-3 |
League Cup | 1st round 2nd leg |
| 09 Sep 2000 | Portsmouth v Watford | W | 1-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 12 Sep 2000 | Blackburn Rovers v Watford | W | 3-4 | League Division 1 | |
| 16 Sep 2000 | Watford v Crewe Alexandra | W | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 04 Nov 2000 | Watford v Grimsby Town | W | 4-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 07 Nov 2000 | Watford v Sheffield Wednesday | L | 1-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 11 Nov 2000 | Tranmere Rovers v Watford | L | 2-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 18 Nov 2000 | Watford v Preston North End | L | 2-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 03 Dec 2000 | Bolton Wanderers v Watford | L | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 09 Dec 2000 | Crystal Palace v Watford | L | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 16 Dec 2000 | Watford v West Bromwich Albion | D | 3-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 23 Dec 2000 | Watford v Huddersfield Town | L | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 26 Dec 2000 | Fulham v Watford | L | 5-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 17 Feb 2001 | Crewe Alexandra v Watford | L | 2-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 20 Feb 2001 | Watford v Blackburn Rovers | L | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 24 Feb 2001 | Watford v Stockport County | D | 2-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 02 Mar 2001 | Birmingham City v Watford | L | 2-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 07 Mar 2001 | Queens Park Rangers v Watford | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 10 Mar 2001 | Watford v Norwich City | W | 4-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 13 Mar 2001 | Watford v Burnley | L | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 31 Mar 2001 | West Bromwich Albion v Watford | L | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 03 Apr 2001 | Watford v Nottingham Forest | W | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 07 Apr 2001 | Watford v Crystal Palace | D | 2-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 14 Apr 2001 | Grimsby Town v Watford | L | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 11 Aug 2001 | Manchester City v Watford | L | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 18 Aug 2001 | Watford v Rotherham United | W | 3-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 21 Aug 2001 | Watford v Plymouth Argyle | W | 1-0 | League Cup | 1st round |
| 25 Aug 2001 | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Watford | L | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 27 Aug 2001 | Watford v Walsall | W | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 09 Sep 2001 | Watford v Wimbledon | W | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 12 Sep 2001 | Bristol City v Watford | W | 2-3 | League Cup | 2nd round |
| 15 Sep 2001 | Watford v West Bromwich Albion | L | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 18 Sep 2001 | Norwich City v Watford | L | 3-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 22 Sep 2001 | Crewe Alexandra v Watford | L | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 26 Sep 2001 | Watford v Birmingham City | D | 3-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 30 Sep 2001 | Watford v Preston North End | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 09 Oct 2001 | Watford v Bradford City | W | 4-1 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 13 Oct 2001 | Watford v Sheffield Wednesday | W | 3-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 20 Oct 2001 | Grimsby Town v Watford | W | 0-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 23 Oct 2001 | Watford v Nottingham Forest | L | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 27 Oct 2001 | Bradford City v Watford | L | 4-3 | League Division 1 | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Clean sheets | Conceded | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | Norway | B International | 1 | 3 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Norway | OT v Under-23 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Norway | Under-18 International Tournament | 1 | 1 |
1 | |||
| 1995-96 | Norway | Under-21 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Norway | Under-23 | 1 | |||||
| 1996-97 | Norway | International Friendly | 1 | |||||
| 1996-97 | Norway | UEFA Under-21 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 1996-97 | Norway | Under-20 | 1 | 1 |
1 | |||
| 1996-97 | Norway | Under-21 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Norway | Under-23 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Norway | B International | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 1997-98 | Norway | UEFA Under-21 | 6 | 2 | 4 | |||
| 1997-98 | Norway | Under-21 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Norway | Under-23 | 1 | |||||
| 1998-99 | Norway | International Friendly | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Norway | UEFA European Championship | 1 | 3 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Norway | UEFA Under-21 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1999-00 | Norway | International Friendly | 1 |
|||||
| 1999-00 | Norway | Nordic Championships | 1 | |||||
| 1999-00 | Norway | UEFA Under-21 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Feb 1996 | USA v Norway | L | 2-1 | OT v U23 | |
| 07 Feb 1996 | Mexico v Norway | L | 2-0 | U23 | |
| 26 Mar 1996 | Northern Ireland v Norway | L | 3-0 | B INTER | |
| 01 Apr 1996 | Switzerland v Norway | W | 1-3 | U18 INTER TOURN | |
| 03 Apr 1996 | Iceland v Norway | L | 3-0 | U18 INTER TOURN | |
| 30 May 1996 | Republic of Ireland v Norway | D | 1-1 | U21 | |
| 31 Jul 1996 | Poland v Norway | D | 2-2 | U23 | |
| 31 Aug 1996 | Norway v France | D | 1-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 3 |
| 08 Oct 1996 | Norway v Hungary | W | 4-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 3 |
| 31 Oct 1996 | Sweden v Norway | W | 0-1 | U21 | |
| 09 Nov 1996 | Switzerland v Norway | W | 3-7 | UEFA U21 | Group 3 |
| 13 Jan 1997 | Norway v Sweden | L | 1-2 | Under-20 | |
| 15 Jan 1997 | Norway v Sweden | W | 2-1 | Under-20 | |
| 13 Feb 1997 | Norway v Korea Republic | W | 4-0 | U21 | |
| 03 Apr 1997 | Lebanon v Norway | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 29 Apr 1997 | Norway v Finland | W | 3-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 3 |
| 20 Jul 1997 | Iceland v Norway | L | 2-0 | U21 | |
| 19 Aug 1997 | Finland v Norway | D | 0-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 3 |
| 09 Sep 1997 | Norway v Switzerland | W | 4-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 3 |
| 08 Oct 1997 | Norway v South Africa | W | 3-1 | U21 | |
| 29 Oct 1997 | France v Norway | W | 2-3 | UEFA U21 | Group 3 |
| 11 Mar 1998 | Greece v Norway | L | 1-0 | U23 | |
| 24 Mar 1998 | Belgium v Norway | D | 1-1 | B INTER | |
| 21 Apr 1998 | Scotland v Norway | W | 1-2 | B INTER | |
| 24 May 1998 | Norway v Sweden | W | 1-0 | UEFA U21 | Finals quarter-final |
| 27 May 1998 | Spain v Norway | L | 1-0 | UEFA U21 | Semi-final |
| 31 May 1998 | Norway v Netherlands | W | 2-0 | UEFA U21 | 3rd place |
| 06 Sep 1998 | Norway v Latvia | L | 1-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 2 |
| 09 Oct 1998 | Slovenia v Norway | W | 1-3 | UEFA U21 | Group 2 |
| 13 Oct 1998 | Norway v Albania | W | 4-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 2 |
| 20 Jan 1999 | Israel v Norway | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 28 Apr 1999 | Georgia v Norway | W | 0-3 | UEFA U21 | Group 2 |
| 18 Aug 1999 | Norway v Lithuania | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 03 Sep 1999 | Norway v Greece | W | 2-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 2 |
| 07 Sep 1999 | Norway v Slovenia | W | 3-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 2 |
| 08 Oct 1999 | Latvia v Norway | L | 2-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 2 |
| 13 Nov 1999 | Norway v Spain | L | 1-3 | UEFA U21 | Quarter-final |
| 16 Nov 1999 | Spain v Norway | L | 4-0 | UEFA U21 | Quarter-final |
| 31 Jan 2000 | Norway v Iceland | D | 0-0 | NORDIC CUP | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.