Football Legend

Veteran Solano set for Leicester City after Newcastle and Colchester opt out

2010-01-22T09:48:00.000-05:00

High hopes: Solano wants a return to England
Leicester City have followed Colchester United and Newcastle in running the rule over veteran midfielder Nolberto Solano.
The 35-year-old Peruvian is available on a free transfer after parting ways with home-country outfit Universitario de Deportes.
The classy midfielder enjoyed spells at Newcastle, twice, Aston Villa and West Ham but left Upton Park for Greek outfit Larissa in 2008. He returned to Peru a year later.
The South American winger is now hoping to secure a return to his England.
Colchester had initially been impressed with Solano but failed to produce a contract allowing Newcastle to swoop in. They too saw promise but have stalled on making their former player an offer.

Promotion-chasing Leicester are the Championship's surprise package this term having only gained promotion last season.
Manager Nigel Pearson, who worked alongside Solano at St James' Park, is keen to bolster his side with some international experience and is hopeful of securing the talented playmaker's services until the end of the season.
'He's got a lot of quality,' he said. 'He'd be a good acquisition at this moment in time.'
Portsmouth accept offer of £1m from Newcastle for Mike WilliamsonMan United defender Simpson set for permanent switch to NewcastleThe List: Sportsmail's top 50 free transfers, Nos 30-21JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW 2010: All moves at every Premier League club

United delay Berbatov decision

2010-01-15T09:12:00.000-05:00

SIR Alex Ferguson is crossing his fingers record signing Dimitar Berbatov can make it to the end of the season without needing knee surgery. Berbatov has been struggling with the injury since November and Ferguson revealed last week the advice has been for the £30.75million forward to have an exploratory operation so medical staff can work out the extent of the problem. That is not a route the 28-year-old is keen to go down, especially as he did not feel any reaction this week during United's warm weather training camp in Qatar. Ferguson admitted there may come a point when United have to "make a decision" about whether to put Berbatov under the knife should symptoms persist. However, as it has previously been suggested that could rule him out for three months during a period when United are hardly over-burdened with in-form forwards, Ferguson is desperately hoping to avoid that scenario. "If we could see it through until the end of the season it would be better," said the Reds chief. "The advice was to have an exploratory operation but Dimitar wants to play through it. "Sometimes he feels it and sometimes he doesn't. Maybe the climate helped but he didn't feel it when we went away, so he trained every day. "It is a difficult one and if he is feeling OK it is not a problem. "But if he is keeps continually coming up against a problem we would have to make a decision on it." United could certainly do with Berbatov performing consistently at the level Ferguson felt he was capable of when he lured him north from Tottenham 18 months ago. Ferguson view Although the Scot was prevented from entering into any discussion about the Old Trafford outfit's debt mountain - and their plans to tackle it, which he backed seven days ago - due to "regulatory compliance" - United could certainly do with some of the heat being taken off the club by the team putting a consistent run of results together. On the face of it, an FA Cup home defeat by League One Leeds, followed by a draw at Birmingham does not achieve that objective. Yet Ferguson was actually quite pleased with the manner of his side's performance at St Andrew's, and their tenacity at fighting back once Cameron Jerome had put the hosts in front. "It was not an easy game and I wasn't upset about the performance in any way," he said. "You are looking for consistency but you can't think you are going to steamroller a team like Birmingham, who have got themselves to eighth in the league, when you are 1-0 down at half-time." Nevertheless, this was supposed to be a spell in which United exerted themselves in their usual manner prior to the encounter with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on January 31. The likely return of Edwin van der Sar, who has missed 12 successive matches, initially due to a knee injury suffered against Everton on November 21, then because his wife Annemarie suffered a stroke back home in Holland, should help bring some stability to United's defence, which Ferguson believes is crucial to any change in fortune. Yet United must also take a far greater percentage of their chances, starting tomorrow against a Burnley side whose depressing run of away results - just one point so far this season - is being balanced out by impressive home form that began with that shock defeat of tomorrow's opponents at Turf Moor in August. "It was a great emotional night for them and everyone was caught up in it," said Ferguson. "We created a lot of chances but when you miss as many as that you can't say you deserve to win." Will United beat Burnley? Have your say.

England footballer Jermain Defoe fined for speeding

2010-01-15T09:10:00.001-05:00

Premier League footballer Jermain Defoe has pleaded guilty to speeding while driving in Portsmouth.

The England and Tottenham Hotspur striker did not attend the hearing at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court.

He admitted the charge through his barrister Dean George but denied a second charge of failing to give details, which the prosecution dropped.

Defoe, 27, was fined £400, ordered to pay £45 costs, a £15 victim surcharge and given four points on his licence.

Driving ban

The former Portsmouth striker admitted driving at 45mph in a 30mph zone in Anglesea Road, Portsmouth, on 8 May 2008.

The court was told that Defoe is already disqualified from driving for six months for other speeding offences.

Mr George said of this offence, which involved a Land Rover 4x4: "It was 1.08am, there was no other traffic on the road, there were no other aggravating features."

Defoe's other driving offences were four points for speeding on 4 October 2008 and six points for speeding on 18 April 2009.

He was disqualified from driving for six months on 14 July 2008 and received a further six-month ban on 10 July 2009.

Road safety campaigners have criticised the level of the latest fine and said Defoe should have been more responsible.

A spokeswoman for road safety charity Brake said: "It's setting an extremely bad example when someone who is looked up to by many people obviously has no respect for the law and safety of others on the roads.

"For a footballer who earns thousands a week to be given a fine of just a few hundred pounds - it is not much of a deterrent.

"We would like to see courts being able to link fines to how much offenders earn."

Birmingham track 65m Janko but loan move for Pavlyuchenko in doubt

2010-01-14T00:42:00.002-05:00

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is considering a fresh approach for Red Bull Salzburg striker Marc Janko.
McLeish has hit a few brick walls with moves for Liverpool's Ryan Babel, Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones, Schalke's Kevin Kuranyi and Hugo Rodallega at Wigan, but the Scot has been alerted to the fact that Janko is available for £6.5million.
Wings: Red Bulls ace Marc Janko (right)
Salzburg had warned clubs that they would not consider offers until the summer unless those clubs were competing in the Champions League but, aware of Janko's desire to play in the English top flight, they have relented and will consider letting him go now as long as their valuation is matched.

Janko has scored 67 goals in 92 games for Salzburg and has a one in two record for Austria. At 6ft 5in, he has been easy to spot for Europe's top scouts but the main concern has been the standard of Austria's league.
However, his price represents decent value and at 26 that will only increase if he proves a success in the Barclays Premier League.
McLeish has monitored the Austrian for more than a year and knows there will be pressure for success on any striker he brings in with Carson Yeung's money.
McLeish is also interested in a loan deal for Tottenham's Roman Pavlyuchenko but Harry Redknapp would prefer to sell unless the Russian is still on their books come the last day of the transfer window.
Birmingham winger Gary McSheffrey is being chased by Hull City and S heffield United.
Alex McLeish admits Birmingham's fine form will give Michel time to settleKenwyne Jones could still be on Stoke radar as chairman refuses to rule out move for Sunderland striker

Liverpool 1 Reading 2- Long goodbye - Shanes winner has Rafa reeling

2010-01-14T00:41:00.000-05:00

Shane Long's first goal since April condemned Rafa Benitez to yet more humiliation in a season that has already been full of it.
Benitez gambled by taking off skipper Steven Gerrard at half-time with his side 1-0 up at Anfield, only to see Long win the last-gasp penalty that Gylfi Sigurdsson converted to take this FA Cup third-round replay into extra time. Long then added the winner 10 minutes into the added half-hour.
Stunner: Substitute Shane Long nods in Reading's winner
Long had not scored in 15 games this season but he was perfectlypositioned when Brynjar Gunnarsson beat Yossi Benayoun and thennutmegged Emiliano Insua before crossing to the near post.

Liverpool must have thought they had done enough to secure a fourth-round tie ukagainst Burnley when, with 90 seconds remaining, they still led through Ryan Bertrand's own goal just before half-time.
But Long, an 80th-minute substitute, had his heels clipped by Benayoun and Sigurdsson converted the spot-kick low to Diego Cavalieri's right. It was only what the Championship side deserved after having suffered the cruellest of blows in conceding a most unfortunate own goal.

Advantage Liverpool: Steven Gerrard sees his shot deflect off Ryan Bertrand

As well as being forced into extra time, Liverpool's big guns, Gerrardand Fernando Torres, both limped off. Gerrard, who did not reappear forthe second half, had admitted his misfiring side had been lucky toescape with a draw at the Madejski Stadium, and they continued in thesame vein at Anfield last night.
Reading made all the early running and went close through Grzegorz Rasiak and the lively Simon Church.
But Liverpool gradually shook themselves out of their lethargy and wentahead against the run of play in first-half injury time. Gerrard drilled the ball goalwards from the right and Bertrand, 20, turned the ball into his own net as he stretched to cut it out.
Can't look: Liverpool sub Ngog can't believe what he's seeing
Worryingly for Liverpool, Torres had hobbled off in the 29th minutehaving been clattered by centre back Matthew Mills in the secondminute. Gerrard stayed off at half-time, presumably as a precautionagainst aggravating his troublesome groin.
There were huge gaps at the Anfield Road end as the FA Cup again failed to attract anything close to a full house.
Mills appeared determined to ensure there would be no gaps in theReading defence, judging by a crunching early foul on Torres that leftthe Liverpool striker in a heap inside his own half.
Feeling down: Kuyt looks dejected after Insua miss
The Championship side produced one or two moments that suggested they could cause Liverpool problemswith the quality of their football. Sigurdsson provided reservegoalkeeper Cavalieri with an early test as he unleashed a fierce10th-minute free-kick that was turned behind for a corner at the nearpost.
Church might have done better with a weakly struck shot straight at Cavalieri from the edge of the area in the 11th minute and Rasiak needed no telling that he should have done far better with a golden opportunity 11 minutes later.

Under pressure: Out of the Champions League, out of the Cups and outside the top four, Rafa Benitez has endured a disastrous season

Jamie Carragher made a hash of dealing with Church's dangerousknee-high cross from the right, swinging his left boot at it andmissing completely. It left Rasiak with a free shot at goal that hespooned over from six yards.
Reading continued to force the pace and show the greater initiative, leading to another near-miss in the 26th minute.

The new boy: Maxi Rodriguez was unveiled before kick off

Church launched himself at a right-wing cross whipped in with pace byJobi McAnuff and would surely have scored with the slightest ofcontacts as Cavalieri stood rooted to the spot and saw the cross fly narrowly wide of the far post.
As if Liverpool did not have enough to contend with, they lost dangerman Torres in the 29th minute with a twisted knee. Clearly stilltroubled by Mills's early contact, he trudged off to be replaced byDavid Ngog.

FIVE CUP CALAMITIES Worcester City 2 Liverpool 1(FA Cup third round, January 15, 1959)Liverpool were in the second division, but this defeat by a Southern League club was still a stunner. Worcester took the lead through Tommy Skuse before an own goal doubled their advantage. A Liverpool penalty came too late.
Liverpool 0 Wimbledon 1(FA Cup Final, May 14, 1988)One of the great FA Cup upsets. Dennis Wise's free kick was nodded in by midfielder Lawrie Sanchez, then keeper Dave Beasant saved John Aldridge's penalty on the hour.
Liverpool 0 Bristol City 1(FA Cup third round replay, January 25, 1994)After a 1-1 draw at Ashton Gate, BrianTinnion won the rematch.
Burnley 1 Liverpool 0(FA Cup third round, January 18, 2005)Left-back Djimi Traore's comical own goal decided Rafa Benitez's first FA Cup match as Liverpool boss.
Liverpool 1 Barnsley 2(FA Cup fifth round, February 16, 2008)Barnsley's Brian Howard scored adramatic, injury-time winner. Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool ahead but Stephen Foster levelled.
Reading's sprightly form was doing caretaker-manager Brian McDermott'schances of a full-time appointment no harm, and the former Arsenalmidfielder looked to be in his element as he repeatedly acknowledged calls for a wave from travelling supporters.
After playing second fiddle for much of the first half, Liverpool began showing belated signs of life with two raids on Reading's goal in the space of a few seconds.
Benayoun met a Philipp Degen pass with a first-time shot that curledpast Adam Federici's despairing dive but just wide in the 40th minute.
Referee Phil Dowd added only one minute at the end of the half but itwas enough for Liverpool to steal the lead. Gerrard exchanged passeswith Ngog and hit a low cross-shot that Bertrand turned past Federici.
Liverpool began to assert themselves in the second half but continued tofind Reading hard to break down, for all the industry and enterprise ofBenayoun and Degen down the flanks.
Reading should have equalised when McAnuff burst through from inside his own half, beating threedefenders on the way and committing Cavalieri with a deft feint. Butinstead of scoring what might have been the goal of the season, McAnuff side-footed inches wide.
Rafa rocked: Reading's dramatic win puts Liverpool boss Benitez on brinkSurely manager Rafa Benitez must now goLiverpool chief reveals: We will never sell star pair Torres and GerrardLiverpool will get the best out of Maxi Rodriguez, says Rafa BenitezLIVERPOOL FC

Bale hopes hard work pays off

2010-01-13T07:50:00.002-05:00

Tottenham Hotspur left-back Gareth Bale is determined to try and secure a regular run in the first team at White Hart Lane, having been forced to play a back-up role in recent times.

The 20-year-old Wales international has started just four games this season, none of which have been in the Premier League, with Benoit Assou-Ekotto manager Harry Redknapp's first choice.

Bale was handed a rare opportunity against Peterborough United in the third round of the FA Cup just over a week ago and hopes to have done enough to keep his place.

He told the club's official website: "I've been working hard in training and every time I've been given a chance I've tried my best and I'll keep doing that.

"I needed to improve on certain aspects of my game and I've been working on that with the coaching staff. The main thing I've worked on is my defending.

"Every player needs to improve, we've worked on a lot of things and hopefully it's coming together.

"Obviously it's not been easy sitting on the bench, but it's an experience I've learnt from - I'll take it all on board and it will do me better for the future. I just want to keep playing and hopefully I'll get a run in the team now."

Palacios thanks Spurs for helping him cope with death of his brother

2010-01-13T07:49:00.000-05:00

Tottenham midfielder Wilson Palacios has given a frank account of his traumatic year when he was persuaded out of retirement after his brother was killed by kidnappers.
Palacios still has fears for his family following the death of Edwin but has vowed to carry on playing and has thanked Spurs boss Harry Redknapp and other staff at White Hart Lane for their support during the ordeal.
Remarkably, when the 25-year-old heard about his brother's death in the middle of the night on the eve of the clash against Everton in May, he stayed in the hotel until the morning to ask Redknapp permission to return home.

Tough times: Wilson Palacios tussles with Liverpool's Andriy Voronin
Redknapp was stunned by his player's character in the face of tragedy.
'It was all about having respect, not just for my manager but also my team-mates,' Palacios said. "I had to wait for the right moment to ask my permission to leave the party and I just thought it was the right thing to do."
There were more decisions to follow for Palacios, namely whether to carry on in a career that took him from Honduras to the Barclays Premier League but also led to a family member being held captive and killed even after a ransom was paid.
"It's true, I did come close to retiring but the reason why I carried on, firstly it's always been my dream to be a footballer but mainly it was my family and friends giving me advice and saying 'keep going, keep going'.
"It has been an extremely tough year. But all you can do is keep focused and keep moving forward. You have to remember that you're playing for a club - Tottenham.
"To tell you the truth everybody at the club has really helped me. My team-mates, the management, even through to the directors have been really helpful." Other things have kept Palacios going, including qualification for the World Cup this year, the first time Honduras have made the finals since 1982.
It led to the president of the country holding a banquet to celebrate and kept Palacios away from England longer than expected.
Redknapp was amazed that his midfielder went straight from the airport to Fratton Park in time to come off the bench in the victory over Portsmouth. Faith in God and speaking to his family have helped him off the pitch.
Now there is a real possibility of another brother, Johnny, making the move to England if he plays the required games for his country to earn a work permit. "
All four brothers are and were professional footballers," he said.
"It would be nice to see Johnny playing here. I'm not just saying that because he is my brother.
"I could talk all day about him and say how fantastic he is. He can play central defence or in the centre of midfield. He's very stylish and elegant on the ball. He's quick and is bright and intelligent."
Palacios and his brothers, naturally, dedicate their football to the memory of Edwin.
Full of praise: Harry Redknapp admires Palacios bravery
"Not just on the football field but everywhere, we know he is with us all the time," said the former Wigan midfielder.
"We left it in the hands of the law enforcement agency in Honduras and they did their job, and we left it in the hands of God, because we know that is where my brother is now, with God."
Unfortunately, Palacios' profile means he still worries about the safety of his family in South America.
He added: "It is a worry, I have to tell the truth, but we're hoping things are on the mend in my country.
"What we are aware of now is that maybe my family take a bit more care with the way they go about their lives. Certainly it's something which is on your mind.
"In particular it is a problem in Honduras. You will be aware of David Suazo who plays in Italy. Fortunately they found his brother, the same thing happened but they found him after three weeks."
As Redknapp would explain, it says plenty about Palacios' characterthat his form has never been affected and he has grown into one of themost fearsome central midfielders in the Premier League, clatteringinto challenges and starting attacks.
They were the qualities that caught the eye of Arsene Wenger duringa trial before Palacios was recommended to Steve Bruce at Birmingham.
That was just after Patrick Vieira left Arsenal, then Wenger saw Lassana Diarra, Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva leave, so Palacios would have fitted perfectly into the Frenchman's current team.
"I've got to tell the truth, they treated me very well there, I've got to be honest despite the rivalry," he said. "But obviously I'm extremely happy where I am now at Tottenham." Keane will stay at Spurs - unless we receive huge offer, says RedknappDes Kelly: Chill wind of debt keeps clubs away from January salesCompetition: Win a pair of tickets for Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City on January 16 - courtesy of BarclaysTOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC

Sandro confident over Spurs

2010-01-13T07:48:00.002-05:00

The agent of Internacional midfielder Sandro is confident that his client will leave Brazil to join Tottenham Hotspur in the coming weeks.

The 20-year-old Brazil international has been targeted by a number of clubs in Europe, but Spurs appear to have won the race for his signature.

Agent Luiz Paulo Chignall told The Guardian: "We have now agreed all of Sandro's personal terms - his salary, the length of his contract and so on, although nothing can yet be signed.

"Sandro is happy and ready to join Tottenham. We liked the offer. All that remains is for Tottenham and Inter to finalise the small details, including the transfer fee.

"I know that (Spurs chairman) Daniel Levy is speaking to (Inter president) Vittorio Piffero."

Chignall is also confident that there will be no problem with the 30 per cent stake in the player which is owned by a third party.

He added: "Third-party ownership is very common in Brazil. Transfer fees are paid to the club and then they have to settle up with the third parties."

Birmingham City sign Sporting Gijon midfielder Michel

2010-01-12T09:09:00.001-05:00

Birmingham City have signed playmaker Michel from Sporting Gijon for £3m after the 24-year-old passed a medical.

The Spaniard is boss Alex McLeish's first signing of the transfer window.

Michel has made 138 appearances and scored seven times for the La Liga outfit since breaking into Gijon's side during the 2006/06 season.

"He is in a great age group and has got good legs and a lovely touch as you would imagine from a Spanish player in La Liga," said McLeish.

Michel was named as the Asturian outfit's player of the season during each of their last two campaigns and is unlikely to be McLeish's only acquisition during the current transfer window.

McLeish has been told he has between £20m-£40m to spend by the club's new owner Carson Yeung.

The Blues have already had bids for Celtic winger Aiden McGeady and Liverpool forward Ryan Babel turned down and are also said to be interested in Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones.

Regarding further new arrivals, McLeish insisted there was nothing imminent but that he "remains interested in one or two players".

But he also pointed to inflated prices at the start of January and bigger price tags on the continent as reasons why the market as a whole - and Birmingham's activity - has not yet taken off.

"If there's £20m to spend then I'm sure Carson means that but whether I spend that remains to be seen," he said.

"I would probably need to bring four or five players in to get through that money. I'm certainly not going to spend it on one player because I don't think we're ready for that step.

"There are a few clubs that are desperate for cash and we're aware of that as well.

"So prices can be inflated at the beginning of the month and they start to see sense towards the end of January."

BBC

Roman Pavlyuchenko can leave Spurs for right price

2010-01-11T21:48:00.000-05:00

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is willing to sell disenchanted striker Roman Pavlyuchenko if the club receive a suitable offer for the Russian.

The 28-year-old Russian international has started just one League game this season as well as one Carling Cup tie.

"If he wants to leave and somebody wants to come in and pay the money for him that he's worth we would have to look at it," said Redknapp.

"I'm not crazy to shift him out. He's a good player and a talented footballer."

Pavlyuchenko, who joined Tottenham from Spartak Moscow for £14m in August 2008, has scored just two goals this season, once for Spurs in the 5-1 Carling Cup win over Doncaster and once for Russia in a World Cup qualifier against Wales.

Payluchenko has featured rarely for Spurs this season

"I had a chat with him a couple of weeks ago and he said he felt he wanted a move," added Redknapp.

"But somebody has to come and make an offer that the club accepts and is a good enough for us to even look at it, otherwise there is no chance of him leaving.

"He's been unlucky. Jermain Defoe is in great form, while Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch have been fantastic.

"What can I do? We're sitting in the top four and I pick the side that is the best team I think there is. That is all I can do. He has to keep working hard and when his chance comes he has to take it."

In November, Pavlyuchenko told Russia's Sport Express newspaper it was "impossible" for him to stay at White Hart Lane.

And more recently he was quoted by Russia media claiming Redknapp was "mocking" him by telling him he would play in the Carling Cup tie at Manchester United and then not using him.

"Somebody has always got something to say to the press," said Redknapp, dismissing the suggestion he had "mocked" Pavlyuchenko.

"If players have a problem then come and see me. The club is going great, we sitting in the top four, playing great football, winning football matches galore, it's never been better here.

"I wouldn't let one person who wants to run to a newspaper destabilise that."

News BBC

David Dunn set for summer Ewood exit after rejecting Blackburn contract offer

2010-01-11T21:44:00.002-05:00

Blackburn midfielder David Dunn has put Barclays Premier League clubs on alert after refusing to sign the new deal he has been offered by manager Sam Allardyce.
Dunn, 30, is out of contract and therefore a free agent in the summer.
He is Blackburn's top scorer this season with six in all competitions and was even tipped for an England recall by some observers after a strong start to the season.
Injuries interrupted his progress, however, although the playmaker did start in Monday night's 4-1 reverse at Manchester City.
Free agent: David Dunn (right) is out of contract at the end of the season
Manchester City 4 Blackburn 1: Don't look now Sir Alex... Manchester United old boy Carlos Tevez fires City into title race Big Sam calls on Blackburn to score more as Rovers' boss fears for survival BLACKBURN ROVERS FC

Kenwyne Jones price is not right taunts Sunderland boss Steve Bruce

2010-01-11T21:15:00.002-05:00

Big challenge: Black Cats forward Kenwyne Jones
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has claimed Birmingham and Stoke could not afford to buy Kenwyne Jones, even if he wanted to sell the Trinidad and Tobago striker.
But after seeing off bids from his Barclays Premier League rivals last week, Bruce has admitted the centre forward is providing him with a big challenge.
Bruce inherited the former Southampton star when he arrived at the Stadium of Light and he has seen the frustrations which drove Roy Keane and Ricky Sbragia to distraction.
And a year after Sunderland turned down a £10million Spurs offer, Bruce has rejected similar bids from Birmingham boss Alex McLeish and Stoke's Tony Pulis.
Bruce, who has taken Jones, 25, and the rest of his squad to Portugal ahead of Saturday's clash at Chelsea, has been in talks with Schalke frontman Kevin Kuranyi but is keen to hold on to Jones, too.

Bruce said: 'Everybody's got their price, whether you're Steven Gerrard or Cristiano Ronaldo, and if something out there blows your brains.
'But with no disrespect to Stoke or Birmingham, can they afford him? I very much doubt it. It's not just the fee but wages, all the rest of it. I just can't see it.
'On his day, you can look at Kenwyne and say he's worth £40m, then on another day you'll think, "Come on". That's Kenwyne.
'He tests your skills as a manager. He's a big, genuine, nice lad. It's always the challenge - to get the best out of him.'
Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi's demands are too rich for SunderlandSunderland beat the big freeze as Steve Bruce takes players to Portugal ahead of Chelsea clashSUNDERLAND FC

Mick McCarthy enters race for 15m Leeds hot-shot Jermaine Beckford

2010-01-11T21:14:00.003-05:00

Wolves are set to offer £1.5m for Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford but Newcastle are still leading the fight to sign the 26-year-old.
Wolves forward Stefan Maierhofer is out for a month after a groin operation.
The club have also rejected a bid from Sheffield United to take midfielder Greg Halford on loan.
In form: Jermaine Beckford scores against Manchester United
Manager Mick McCarthy already has a £3m bid on the table for Hull City's Stephen Hunt.
Wolves are also interested in Aston Villa midfielder Craig Gardner.
Furious Grayson tells Beckford to focus on Leeds - not NewcastleLeeds were marching on together then along came Wycombe to stop themWOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS FC

Everton striker Louis Sahas wage demands wonx268217t scare off Arsenal

2010-01-11T21:14:00.000-05:00

Arsenal are weighing up a move for Everton striker Louis Saha after it became clear his contract negotiations have hit an impasse.
Everton are thought to be unhappy at the Frenchman's demands for a new £60,000-a-week deal that would span up to three more years.
While Saha is Everton's top scorer with 12 this season, he is still hindered by injuries and the club would prefer to present him with a shorter deal with bonus payments.
In talks: Louis Saha (centre) is out of contract in the summer
Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool have all been monitoring his situation, knowing that he is a free agent in the summer.
Saha is 31 but Arsenal are willing to compromise their stance on offering just one-year contracts to players over 30 and would look at a two-year deal with a one-year option.
Manager Arsene Wenger hailed Saha last week when discussing strikers for France's World Cup squad.
He said: 'When Saha plays 10 games on the trot you can compare him with any striker.'
Everton have expressed an interest in a loan deal for Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa.
Arsenal and Liverpool target Chamakh vows quick decision on his futureFran Merida rubbishes reports he's in talks about leaving ArsenalARSENAL FC

by football.co.uk

Chelsea lead Arsenal and Manchester City in chase for Sergio Canales

2010-01-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

Chelsea are chasing Spain's latest young superstar Sergio Canales and hope to have a deal in place before the end of the month.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder from Racing Santander has shot to prominence in recent weeks with four goals in his last three games, including two in the club's surprise 2-1 win over Sevilla on Saturday.
He is out of contract in the summer but has a clause which automatically gives him a one-year extension should he play 450 minutes of football.
Shot to prominence: Racing Santader's Sergio Canales is in hot scoring form
That time is up over his next three games and a clutch of clubs are frantically talking to Santander in the hope of sealing his signature over the coming weeks.
Canales's father and agent Angel would prefer him to stay in Spain but there is a complication because another La Liga club, Deportivo La Coruna, own 50 per cent of his rights from a deal between the clubs in 2006 and they want to cash in.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester City have all shown interest but Chelsea are at the fore should they get the go-ahead to trade.
'Shattered' Chelsea star Drogba says Africa Cup of Nations must go onChelsea and United target Ribery wants future sorted before World CupVeron sensation: United flop claims to have snubbed Manchester City CHELSEA FC

Michael Bridges

2009-12-28T08:41:00.000-05:00

Michael Bridges (born 5 August 1978) is an English football striker who is currently playing with the Newcastle Jets.

Sunderland

Bridges emerged as one of the Premier League's most promising young strikers during the 1996–97 season at Sunderland, but was unable to save them from relegation. Two years later he helped them return to the Premiership and joined Leeds United for £5million soon afterwards.

He made a total of 79 Appearances at Sunderland, and scored 16 Goals

Leeds United

In his first season at Elland Road, Bridges scored 19 Premiership goals including a hat-trick against Southampton. Bridges also helped his side finish third in the Premiership, qualify for the Champions League and reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. Bridges was seriously injured in the 0-0 draw with Beşiktaş J.K. and was plagued with injuries over the next 4 seasons of his Leeds United career, only making 10 appearances and not scoring any goals.

Newcastle United

As a result of his injuries he was loaned out to Newcastle United in January 2004 in order to help alleviate their striker crisis. After only making a single start for Newcastle, on the right wing as opposed to in his favoured striking role, Bridges was out of contract in the summer of 2004 with his contract not being renewed due to his injury problems, he made only 6 appearances for Newcastle, and failed to score in any of those matches.

Carlisle United

His spell at Ashton Gate ended in November 2005, and he joined Carlisle United, becoming perhaps their most influential player in their successful promotion charge into League One. Bridges' 15 goals made him very popular in Carlisle and thanks to them he reestablished his football career, but the fans were sad when he decided to leave Brunton Park on transfer deadline day, 31 August 2006. It was reported that Hull City had a £250,000 bid for Bridges turned down, and that because of this, Bridges handed in a transfer request. Hull returned with an improved bid of £350,000, and this was accepted.

Niall John Quinn

2009-12-28T08:39:00.002-05:00

Niall John Quinn (Irish name: Niall Seán Ó Cuinn) (Honorary) MBE (b. 6 October 1966 in Dublin, Ireland) is a former Irish international footballer, and the current chairman of Sunderland AFC. He is also heavily involved in the management side of horse racing. In 2003 Niall received the prestigious Beacon Fellowship Prize for his contribution to medical and children's charities.

Club career

He played as a youth for Irish club Manortown United, which was based at Greentrees Park, adjacent to Robert Emmets GAC (it not being unusual in Dublin to play two separate codes of football). He signed professional forms with English club Arsenal in 1983. He scored on his first-team debut against Liverpool in December 1985, against the mighty pairing of Hanson and Lawrenson earning himself the nickname "Mighty Quinn" and made the headlines on the back page of Sunday World Ireland's biggest selling tabloid- the original plate of which is still in his mother's home, but his form for the rest of that season was decidedly patchy.

Prior to being recruited to the Arsenal youth team Quinn played in the 1983 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship final with Dublin.

Quinn took time to find form, but by 1986-87 had become a regular in the Arsenal side, helping them reach and then win the 1987 League Cup final. However, the arrival of fellow centre-forward Alan Smith that summer forced Quinn out of the Arsenal first team, and he became a fringe player. In all he scored 20 goals in 94 matches for the Gunners. He missed out on a league title winner's medal in 1989 after failing to appear in enough games.

Manchester City signed Quinn for £800,000 in March 1990. He scored 22 times in his first full season, and he went on to spend six years at the club, scoring 78 goals in 245 appearances; his time at City was hampered by a cruciate ligament injury in 1993-94.

His most notable game for City was 20 April 1991 when he scored early on and saved a Dean Saunders penalty as City beat Derby County 2-1, relegating Derby in the process. City goalkeeper Tony Coton had been sent off before half time for fouling Saunders to concede the penalty. At this time teams rarely, if ever, named goalkeepers as substitutes, so Quinn replaced Coton in goal.

Quinn finished his career with a highly successful spell at Sunderland, joining the north-east club in 1996, although he missed six months of his first season due to a knee injury - similar to the one which ruined his World Cup chances three years earlier. His partnership with striker Kevin Phillips was one of the most prolific in the Football League and helped the club to promotion to the Premiership. Quinn also has the distinction of being the first player to score at Sunderland's Stadium of Light, against Manchester City in 1997. He became a local legend at Sunderland, winning both the Sunderland and North East Sportswriters' Player of the Year awards in 1999 after scoring 21 goals in Sunderland's record-breaking Division One title-winning season.

George McCartney

2009-12-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

George McCartney (born April 29, 1981 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an international footballer for Northern Ireland. He currently plays for Sunderland where he is an attacking left full back.

Sunderland

McCartney joined Sunderland as a trainee in 1998[1] and made his debut against Luton in the Worthington Cup in 2000. He was made team captain in 2003/04 after Jason McAteer suffered a long-term injury and in 2004/05 was voted Player of the Season by Sunderland fans during the successful Championship winning campaign, narrowly beating left sided partner and fan favourite Julio Arca. During the season his excellent performances earned him the title "Mr. Consistent" from manager Mick McCarthy. McCartney missed a large percentage of Sunderland's ill-fated 2005-06 season due to injury. He showed glimpses of his potential once he had regained his fitness, but in truth, his return came far too late in the season for him to have any meaningful impact on the team's dreadful run of results. He made 157 appearances for Sunderland in all competitions.

West Ham

On August 8, 2006 McCartney moved to West Ham in a four year deal, in exchange for Clive Clarke and an additional £600,000. He made his debut in the team's 2-1 defeat to Chesterfield in the League Cup on October 24, 2006. After initially spending most of his time as substitute, he eventually became a first team regular under Alan Curbishley and his strong forward runs played a crucial role in West Ham's eventual escape from relegation. He went on to make 25 appearances in all competitions for West Ham during the 2006/07 season. McCartney scored his first goal for the hammers, a strong back post header, in a friendly against Roma one week before the start of the 2007/08 season. He scored his first Premier League goal for West Ham in the 1-1 home draw with Bolton Wanderers on November 4, 2007 with a magnificent volley. At the end of the 2007/2008 season McCartney received the runner up Hammer of the Year Award, having played in all 38 Premiership games.

Tore André Flo

2009-12-28T08:36:00.000-05:00

Tore André Flo (born 15 June 1973) is a Norwegian football striker, who is currently unattached after being released by the Milton Keynes Dons. His brothers Jostein Flo and Jarle Flo, and cousin Håvard Flo are also professional footballers. Tore André Flo is from the village of Flo in the municipality of Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. He has participated in the Norwegian version of Dancing with the Stars, finishing second after Lene Alexandra Øien on November 2008.[citation needed].

He was considered to be a free scoring striker, with excellent control and finishing abilities despite his large height. At points in his career, he was described as a 'super sub' due to his habit of scoring vital goals after coming off the bench.

Chelsea

Flo was bought for the relatively small fee of £300,000 by the English Premier League team Chelsea in the summer of 1997. Flo would have become a Bosman player at the end of the year, which influenced the small transfer fee. Everton had made a bid of around tenfold, but then Everton manager Joe Royle fell out with his boardroom over the proposed transfer and shortly afterwards resigned. Also, the leaders of economically struggling Brann claimed to have a gentlemen's agreement with Flo that he should not exploit his Bosman status in a transfer, although it is rare that exploiting one's Bosman status in this manner raises controversy in more recent times[citation needed].

Flo made his debut for Chelsea against Coventry City, and scored in a 3-2 loss for his side. He scored 15 goals in his debut season for Chelsea, including a hat-trick in a 6-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and two in a 6-2 win over Crystal Palace as Chelsea finished 4th in the FA Premier League and won the League Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup. Flo made a particularly important contribution in the latter tournament, hitting two away goals against Real Betis in the quarter-finals.

A year later, as Chelsea challenged for the title, Flo hit ten league goals, but constantly found his playing opportunities limited by manager Gianluca Vialli's squad rotation policy and the signing of Italian striker Pierluigi Casiraghi. The Blues eventually finished 3rd, high enough for their first ever UEFA Champions League qualification. Flo scored 19 goals in the 1999-00 season, making him Chelsea's top scorer and helping the club win the FA Cup and reach the Champions League quarter-finals, where he scored twice in a 3-1 win over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. He scored another at the Camp Nou in the return game against Barca, though the team ultimately lost 5-1. By the start of the 2000-01 season, Chelsea had signed strikers Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Eiður Guðjohnsen, again forcing Flo onto the substitutes' bench, and he requested a move away. He made 163 appearances for Chelsea (69 of which were as a substitute) and scored 50 goals.

Dwight Eversley Yorke

2009-12-28T08:34:00.000-05:00

Dwight Eversley Yorke (born 3 November 1971 in Canaan, Tobago) is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland. He is the assistant manager of the Trinidad and Tobago national team until the completion of the qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Along with compatriot Russell Latapy and Pat Jennings, the former Northern Ireland goalkeeper, Dwight Yorke holds the record number of participations in different World Cup competitions, including qualifying stages - six in total (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010). Dwight Yorke was nicknamed The Smiling Assassin because of his goal scoring abilities as well as the fact that he is constantly smiling.

Aston Villa

Dwight Yorke was first discovered by Graham Taylor, at the time the Aston Villa manager, on a tour of the West Indies in 1989. Yorke appeared in a team that played a friendly match against Aston Villa, Taylor was impressed and offered Yorke a trial at Villa. Yorke was subsequently given a permanent contract and he made his First Division debut for Aston Villa against Crystal Palace on 24 March 1990: the game ended 0-1.

During his time with Aston Villa, from 1989 to 1998, Yorke played initially as a right winger until the 1995-96 season, he then switched to centre forward and quickly established himself as one of the Premiership's top strikers. Yorke was an integral member of the Villa team that reached the League Cup Final in 1996. Villa won 3-0 with Yorke getting on the scoresheet. On 30 September 1996 he scored a brilliant hat-trick against Newcastle United in a 4-3 defeat. Newcastle were leading 3-1 at half-time and Aston Villa were down to ten men, with Mark Draper being sent off late in the first half. Yorke showed great character in leading his team in a brave fight back by scoring two more goals in the second half to complete his hat-trick, although it was to no avail as Aston Villa still lost the game. Yorke scored a fourth goal to equalise the game at 4-all, only for his goal to be ruled offside. It was performances like this that led to interest from Manchester United in August 1998. Yorke appeared for Aston Villa on 231 occasions, scoring 97 times. He also has the distinct honour of being the last ever Villa player to score in front of the old Holte End standing terrace, notching both goals in a 2-1 victory on the final day of the 1993-94 season, 7 May 1994.

The circumstances of his departure from Aston Villa were very controversial; Manchester United were accused of making an illegal approach for the player. John Gregory, Aston Villa manager at that time, made it known that the club did not want to sell Yorke to Manchester United unless they were prepared to exchange Andy Cole, a striker at Manchester United. Yorke then approached Gregory to state that he wanted to leave the club, to which Gregory was famously attributed to saying that he would shoot Yorke if he had had a gun in his office. Yorke played in a match for Villa at Everton early in the season in August 1998, however it appeared he made no effort during the match as he was unhappy at not being allowed to leave the club. Aston Villa was left with no option but to sell the player and he was transferred to Manchester United for £12.6 million in August 1998. Despite spending 9 years at Villa he is disliked by some of its fans for his behaviour at the time he left the club and also because he later joined Birmingham City, the arch-rivals of Aston Villa, but he is also widely regarded in the hearts of Aston Villa fans as one of the clubs greatest ever goalscorers.

Years Team Apps† (Gls)†

1989–1998 Aston Villa 232 (73)

1998–2002 Manchester United 95 (47)

2002–2004 Blackburn Rovers 60 (12)

2004–2005 Birmingham City 13 (2)

2005–2006 Sydney FC 21 (7)

2006–2009 Sunderland 58 (6)

Total 479 (147)

================

1989–2009 Trinidad and Tobago 72 (19)

Alessia Ventura

2009-12-20T00:32:00.002-05:00

Lisa Lazarus

2009-12-20T00:32:00.001-05:00

Elisabetta Gregoraci

2009-12-20T00:31:00.001-05:00

Brooklyn Decker

2009-12-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

Gemma Atkinson

2009-12-20T00:29:00.000-05:00

Dioni Tabbers

2009-12-16T09:26:00.001-05:00

Jessica Gomes

2009-12-16T09:24:00.002-05:00

Marisa Miller

2009-12-16T09:24:00.001-05:00

Paris Hilton

2009-12-16T09:23:00.000-05:00

Blake Lively

2009-12-16T09:21:00.000-05:00

Kerry Michael Dixon

2009-12-11T12:16:00.001-05:00

Kerry Michael Dixon (born 24 July 1961, in Luton) is a retired English professional footballer who played most notably for Chelsea and England.

Early years

A tall and athletic striker who had pace, an impressive heading ability and was effective with both feet, Dixon started out as an apprentice with Tottenham Hotspur but was released before ever playing for the club.

Reading

After spells with Chesham United and Dunstable, he got his first taste of League football with Reading, who signed him for £20,000 in 1980. He scored 51 league goals in 116 appearances for the then Third Division club, including four in a 7-5 defeat at Doncaster Rovers in September 1982.

Chelsea

After his Reading days, Dixon signed with Chelsea in August 1983 by manager John Neal. Chelsea chairman Ken Bates initially hesitated when faced with the £150,000 transfer fee plus a £25,000 clause if Dixon ever played for the England national side, but relented and the deal went ahead. Dixon arrived as part of Neal's radical re-building of the side and was joined in the same summer by Pat Nevin, Nigel Spackman, Joe McLaughlin and Eddie Niedzwiecki.

Dixon's impact at Chelsea was immediate; he scored two goals on his debut against Derby County and added 32 more through the season as the club romped to promotion as Second Division champions. Chelsea clinched promotion with a 5-0 win against Leeds United, in which Dixon scored a hat-trick. He struck up an impressive partnership with fiery Scot and fellow striker David Speedie, despite initial personal problems between the two, and also linked up well with winger Nevin; between them the trio scored almost 200 goals over the next three years. His impact on the First Division the following season was equally impressive, scoring with a memorable volley in the opening match against Arsenal at Highbury in a 1-1 draw. Dixon eventually finished up as joint top scorer (alongside Gary Lineker) with 24 league goals while Chelsea finished 6th in the final table. In the same season, he hit a further eight goals in the League Cup as Chelsea reached the semi-finals, where they surprisingly lost to Sunderland. In his first two seasons at Chelsea he scored a total of 70 goals in just 101 games.

Chelsea challenged for the title in the 1985-86 season but Dixon suffered torn stomach muscles during an FA Cup tie against Liverpool in January, which did much to damage their chances. They eventually finished 6th again, though he did score twice in a 2-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. The injury also took away much of Dixon's pace and he was never quite the same player again.

Chelsea struggled in the following years after a series of clashes between key players and the management saw the promotion-winning side gradually broken up. Dixon himself was dropped from the side after losing form and was close to joining Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal, though the deal eventually collapsed after Bates' intervention. Chelsea were relegated in 1988, an event which, ironically, rejuvenated his career with the club. He scored 25 league goals as Chelsea returned to the First Division as champions at the first attempt in 1988-89. A year later he scored a further 26, including a final day hat-trick against Millwall, to help Chelsea finish 5th, their highest league position since 1970.

With 193 goals in total to his name, Dixon is Chelsea's second highest goal scorer of all time, behind only Bobby Tambling. He is also 7th in the club's all-time appearances list.

Southampton

Dixon left Chelsea in 1992 and joined Southampton in a £575,000 deal, where he briefly linked up with Speedie again, though not with the same success. During his time at Southhampton he only managed 9 league appearances and 2 goals.

Luton Town

He left Southampton in February 1993 to join Luton Town on a free transfer. The highlight of his time at Luton was reaching the FA Cup semi-finals in 1994, where he faced his old side Chelsea and lost 2-0. He scored 20 goals in 88 appearances for Luton.

Milwall and Watford

In March 1995, Dixon joined Millwall in a £5,000 transfer deal. After 31 appearances and nine goals, he was sold to Watford for £25,000 in the January transfer window of 1996. Dixon appeared in 11 matches for Watford.

Doncaster Rovers

The final league club he played for was Doncaster Rovers during the 1996-97 season. He appeared in 16 matches for the Rovers, scoring three times.

Robert William "Robbie" Savage

2009-12-11T12:11:00.000-05:00

Robert William "Robbie" Savage (born 18 October 1974 in Wrexham, Wales) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. He currently plays for and captains Derby County, and formerly played for the Welsh national team.

He gained notoriety for his playing style; in particular, his close-at-the-heels defending tends to wind up both opposition players and fans.

Savage has two sons with his wife Sarah.

Leicester City

Savage was transferred to Premier League side Leicester City for a fee of £400,000, managed by Martin O'Neill, in July 1997. Savage spent five years at Leicester, where he made his name as a reliable, competitive and fiery midfielder. In 1999, Leicester reached the League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur. In a controversial incident, Savage made a poor tackle on Tottenham's Justin Edinburgh who retaliated by swinging his arm out. Contact was minimal, but Savage fell to the ground. Edinburgh was sent off for raising his arms, and although Tottenham went on to win the final, many Spurs fans still hold a grudge against Savage for the incident to this day. However, a year later Savage reached the League Cup final again, this time winning 2-1 against Tranmere Rovers. The cup win is Savage's first and only winners medal to date.

==================
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1993–1994 Manchester United 0 (0)
1994–1997 Crewe Alexandra 77 (10)
1997–2002 Leicester City 172 (8)
2002–2005 Birmingham City 82 (11)
2005–2008 Blackburn Rovers 76 (1)
2008– Derby County 58 (2)
2008 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 6 (0)
=================
1995–2005 Wales 39 (2)

Daniel John "Danny" Mills

2009-12-11T12:09:00.001-05:00

Daniel John "Danny" Mills (born 18 May 1977 in Norwich, Norfolk) is a former English professional footballer. His main position was right-back, though he could also play as central defender. On 7 August 2009 he announced his retirement from the game at the age of 32.

Leeds

Fifteen months later, Mills signed for Leeds United in a £4.1 million transfer in what he later described as a "dream move" to "the club I love". He played a part in helping Leeds reach the 2000/01 Champions League Semi-Final. Mills Champions League debut came in Leeds' 4-0 defeat by Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
Mills spent the 2003-04 season on loan at Middlesbrough, where he played in the 2004 Football League Cup Final to help Middlesbrough to their first ever major trophy.
Following relegation from the Premier League at the end of 2003-04, Leeds could no longer afford to retain Mills' services, and he moved to Manchester City on a free transfer in the close season, signing a five year contract.[5] As part of his severance package with Leeds, Mills continued to receive part of his wages from the Yorkshire club for the duration of his original Leeds contract.[6] Mills has often said he would like to go back to Leeds again (along with Olivier Dacourt), but this has never happened. Mills has been seen at Leeds games with his young son since the club's relegation into the Championship.

Manchester City

Mills made his Manchester City debut in the opening fixture of the 2004-05 season, a 1-1 draw against Fulham at the City of Manchester Stadium.. He started the majority of matches in his first season at Manchester City, but was dropped from the first team when Stuart Pearce replaced Kevin Keegan as manager in March 2005. He regained his place for the start of the 2005-06 season, and on 2 October 2005, he scored his first and only goal for Manchester City, a powerful shot from 25 yards (23 m) against Everton. One month later, he sustained a shin injury which resulted in a fifteen game absence. The injury coincided with the emergence of Micah Richards who deposed him as first choice right-back; after Richards made his debut, Mills made only five further first team appearances in the remainder of the season.

On 14 September 2006 he joined Hull City in a two month loan deal. He returned to Manchester City in January and was on the verge of being sent on loan to Hull City again or Leeds United, but a decision was made to keep him at City. Following the appointment of Sven-Göran Eriksson as Manchester City manager, Mills was transfer listed. He re-joined former club Charlton on a loan deal until the end of 2007.
He joined Premier League strugglers Derby County on loan, in January 2008 until 2 May. However, he was injured in only his second game for the Rams, returning to City shortly after. On 1 July 2009, he was released by Manchester City as his contract expired.

Ian Patrick Harte

2009-12-11T12:07:00.001-05:00

Ian Patrick Harte (born 31 August 1977) is an Irish international footballer, with 64 international caps and who currently plays as a left back for Carlisle United. Best known for his spell at Leeds United and also his ability to score goals from long range, including being a free kick specialist.

Leeds United

Born in Drogheda, Harte joined Leeds United from Home Farm in 1995. He played for Leeds for nine seasons and was an integral part of their team and cult hero alongside his uncle Gary Kelly. When Leeds bought Dominic Matteo it looked as though Harte might become second choice. Matteo though ended up playing at centre half and Harte kept his place on the left. In the 1999–2000 season he helped Leeds reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, playing twelve games, scoring one goal. He then helped them reach the same stage of the UEFA Champions League in the 2000–01 season, playing 17 games and scoring three goals in the competition.

Harte is also a proficient left-footed free kick and penalty taker, which was demonstrated in the vital league game against Arsenal in the 2002-03 season, where he scored Leeds' second goal from a 25-yard free kick. Leeds went on to win that game 3-2 and barely avoided relegation.

Harte scored at Highbury 3 seasons in a row, 00/01, 01/02 and 02/03. Harte's most memorable moment at Leeds was arguably scoring a freekick against Deportivo in the Champions League quarter final first leg at Elland Road. Harte's later career at Elland Road, wasnt as successful as his lack of pace was exposed and his goals started to dry up. He did score a penalty against Portsmouth but Leeds went on to lose that game and it was during his last season at Leeds, they were relegated to The Championship.

Levante

Despite rumours, earlier in his career, that clubs including Barcelona and A.C. Milan were offering Leeds as much as £11 million for his services, in the end it was Spanish La Liga club Levante that signed him from Leeds United in 2004, following the financial crisis at Leeds.

Harte scored Levante's first La Liga goal in 41 years in a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad. Unfortunately, Harte suffered a groin injury in January which sidelined him for most of the remainder of the season. Levante, in their first season in La Liga since 1965, were up to 5th position at one point (when Harte was healthy), but they still suffered relegation on the final day of the 2004-05 La Liga season due to a loss to Villareal. The following season in the Segunda División was successful for both Harte and Levante as Harte was consistently first choice left back, he scored nine goals in all competitions, and Levante were promoted back to La Liga at their first attempt. However in the following season in La Liga, Harte was injured in August and failed to regain his place in the team once he returned from injury in January. This time though Levante finished in 15th place and were safe from relegation.

Before the start of the 2007-08 La Liga season, Levante coach Abel Resino told Harte that he was not in his plans, and Harte and the club agreed to terminate the remaining 12 months of his contract.

Paolo Di Canio

2009-12-11T12:04:00.001-05:00

Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Active in Italy, Scotland and England, Di Canio made over 500 league appearances in his career, scoring over 100 league goals.

Club honours

Lazio

* Serie B: Promotion 1987-88
* Supercoppa Italiana: runner-up 2004

Juventus

* Serie A: runner-up 1991-92
* Coppa Italia: runner-up 1992
* UEFA Cup: Winner 1993

Milan

* Serie A: Champion 1995-96
* UEFA Champions League: runner-up 1995
* European Super Cup: Winner: 1994
* Intercontinental Cup: runner-up 1994

Celtic

* Scottish Premier Division: runner-up 1996-97

West Ham United

* UEFA Intertoto Cup: Winner 1999

======================
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1985–1990 Lazio 54 (4)
1986–1987 → Ternana (loan) 27 (2)
1990–1993 Juventus 58 (6)
1993–1994 Napoli 28 (5)
1994–1996 A.C. Milan 37 (6)
1996–1997 Celtic 37 (15)
1997–1999 Sheffield Wednesday 41 (23)
1999–2003 West Ham United 118 (48)
2003–2004 Charlton Athletic 31 (4)
2004–2006 Lazio 50 (11)
2006–2008 Cisco Roma 46 (14)
====================

Joseph Kevin Keegan

2009-12-09T18:43:00.001-05:00

Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE (born 14 February 1951), commonly known as Kevin Keegan, is a former international footballer, and former manager of several English clubs and the England national football team.

He began his playing career at Scunthorpe United in 1968, before moving to Liverpool of Division One in 1971. At Liverpool, Keegan won three First Division titles, two UEFA Cups, two FA Cups and the European Cup. He also gained his first England cap in 1972, and moved to German top-flight club Hamburger SV in the summer of 1977. At Hamburg he was crowned European Footballer of the Year in both 1978 and 1979, won the Bundesliga title in 1978–79, and reached the European Cup final the following year. Keegan moved to Southampton that summer, and spent two seasons at the club before a transfer to second-tier Newcastle United in 1982. He helped Newcastle to promotion in his second season, and retired from football in 1984, having been capped 63 times for England, scoring 21 goals.

He moved into management at Newcastle in 1992, again returning the club to the top-flight, as champions. After promotion, Keegan's Newcastle finished second in the Premier League in 1995–96, after leading the table most of the season. After a spell at Fulham, he took charge of the England team in 1999 but resigned in the autumn of 2000, following a loss against Germany in World Cup qualification (this was also the last game at the old Wembley Stadium). He then became manager of Manchester City in 2001 and spent four years at the club before resigning in 2005. He had been out of football for almost three years when he returned to Newcastle United for a second spell as manager in January 2008. This spell lasted only eight months, however, as Keegan resigned on 4 September 2008 following days of speculation regarding a dispute with the club directors.

Newcastle United (1982–1984)

Keegan joined Newcastle United and spent two seasons there, during which time he was extremely popular with the supporters. He played 78 times, scored 48 goals and helped them to promotion from the Second Division in 1984, within a team which also contained Peter Beardsley, Chris Waddle and Terry McDermott. His contribution to Newcastle's promotion, which ended their six-year absence from the First Division, earned him iconic status on Tyneside.

Keegan announced his retirement prior to the end of the 1983–1984 season. His last league game came against Brighton and Hove Albion, scoring in a 3–1 victory. Keegan's final appearance for Newcastle came in a friendly against Liverpool some days later, leaving the pitch in a helicopter whilst still dressed in his kit. He moved with his family to Spain, stating that he would never enter football management, although he did carry out occasional work as a football pundit for British television.

Glenn Victor Roeder

2009-12-09T18:41:00.001-05:00

Glenn Victor Roeder (born 13 December 1955 in Woodford, Essex) is an English football manager and former player, most recently in charge at Norwich City. As a player, Roeder represented England B on 7 occasions.

Gillingham

Roeder spent one season as player-manager of Gillingham, during which time he led the side to 13 wins in 51 games and saw them finish second from bottom of the Football League, escaping relegation after winning against bottom club Halifax Town in the penultimate fixture of the season.

Watford

After Steve Perryman left to join Tottenham Hotspur, Roeder was hired as the new manager of his former club Watford at the start of the 1993–94 season. In his second season with Watford he almost took the side to the play-offs, eventually finishing just two places outside them. However, he was sacked in February 1996 as the side were struggling at the bottom of the First Division. His replacement, Graham Taylor, was unable to prevent the side from being relegated. During his time at Vicarage Road he signed Kevin Phillips from local Hertfordshire team, Baldock Town for only £10,000.

Burnley

Roeder followed his tenure at Watford by taking a season away from the limelight, assuming a back seat role as Chris Waddle's assistant manager at Burnley. The partnership did not prove to be successful and the pair narrowly avoided steering Burnley into the bottom tier of English football. Only a home victory over Plymouth Argyle on the last day staved off the spectre of relegation. Roeder proved to be both an unpopular and controversial figure to the Burnley fans, hitting a low point when he was reported to have said that star-player Glen Little was "not fit to lace the boots" of manager Chris Waddle. Roeder left his role at Burnley alongside Waddle when the pair departed the club after only a single season in charge.

Peter Andrew Beardsley

2009-12-09T18:39:00.000-05:00

Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE (born 18 January 1961, Newcastle upon Tyne) is an English former footballer of the 1980s and 1990s, who once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain.

Newcastle United

Beardsley signed for Newcastle for a fee of £150,000, although when they had let him go earlier they could have signed him for nothing. The pacey, incisive and skillful forward made his debut for the Magpies the day after he signed, 24 September, in the 1–1 2nd division draw with Barnsley at Oakwell. Beardsley was an instant hit with the Newcastle supporters, scoring and setting up spectacular goals. He went on to celebrate promotion with his team-mates, who were captained by Kevin Keegan in his final season as a player. They finished in the final promotion spot behind winners Chelsea and runners-up Sheffield Wednesday. He scored 20 league goals that season and formed an exciting strike partnership with former England striker Kevin Keegan who had also won major honours with Liverpool. Beardsley's career would have echoes of that enjoyed by Keegan, who retired at the end of that promotion campaign.

Beardsley scored his first goal for the Magpies on 19 October 1983 in their 2–0 victory over Cardiff City at Ninian Park. His first goals at St James' Park came in Newcastle's next fixture, against Manchester City. United beat City 5–0 and Beardsley scored his first ever hat-trick.

In his first season in the First Division division, Beardsley scored 17 goals in 38 league games as Newcastle finished in 14th position. During the following campaign he played in all of Newcastle's 42 league matches, scoring 19 goals. In one fixture against West Ham United, Beardsley ended the game as a stand-in goalkeeper. The game ended in an 8-1 defeat for Newcastle, with Beardsley concededing the last 3 goals. However, apart from a brief run of fine form early in the 1985-86 season which saw a few observers tip them as dark horses in the title race, Newcastle never looked like winning anything major during Beardsley's first spell in the team, and he was soon being targeted by bigger clubs.

Upon returning from the 1986 World Cup, Beardsley helped Newcastle to another mid-table finish (11th), scoring 11 goals in 27 appearances, and won a further six caps for his country, before Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish made a national record £1.9million offer to Newcastle for Beardsley's services. Manager Willie McFaul accepted the offer and Beardsley was on his way to Merseyside after four seasons on Tyneside which had brought a total of a 61 goals (all in the league), his transfer completed on 30 June 1987.

12 years later, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson revealed in his autobiography that he had made a £2million bid for Beardsley, but McFaul had rejected the offer and told him that he wouldn't sell the player even if Ferguson offered £3million.

Everton

Liverpool's derby rivals, Everton succeeded in gaining 30-year-old Beardsley's signature when he joined them on 5 August 1991 for a fee of £1 million. Ironically, they had tried to sign Dean Saunders (the player who effectively replaced Saunders at Anfield) just weeks earlier, and soon afterwards Beardsley was joined by Mo Johnston, who had been a Liverpool transfer target just before Beardsley's transfer.

He made his debut on 17 August in a 2–1 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Beardsley crossed the city to join Everton, a move which would normally incur the antipathy of the Liverpool supporters. However, he was forgiven because the fans were unhappy that Beardsley had not been retained and blamed the club, rather than the player. He played well and scored freely for the blue half of Merseyside, though Everton never achieved anything greater than a mid table finish in the league during his time there.

During this two-spell he became, along with David Johnson one of only two players to have scored for both sides in a Merseyside derby. He finished as the club's top scorer by the end of his first season at Goodison Park and again showed his dynamic quality during his second season, but off the field Everton were suffering financial difficulties and when former club Newcastle offered Everton £1.5 million for Beardsley it was a sum they couldn't turn down for a 32-year-old player.

After 95 matches for Everton, scoring 32 goals, he was on his way back to his home town club Newcastle after six years away.

Andrew Alexander Cole

2009-12-09T18:36:00.001-05:00

Andrew Alexander Cole (born 15 October 1971 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire) is a retired English footballer. He is most well known by the name Andy Cole (by which he was universally known in the 1990s), but in 2000, he asked to be known as Andrew Cole. He currently works as a forwards coach at Huddersfield Town under his former Newcastle United and Fulham team-mate Lee Clark.

A former England international, Cole is the second-highest goalscorer in Premier League history; in his career, Cole has scored a total of 187 Premier League goals, placing him behind Alan Shearer who has 260 goals. Cole has the distinction of being one of the few players in England to have swept all possible honours in the English game, including the PFA Young Player of the Year award, as well as the coveted UEFA Champions League title. Cole was also capped fifteen times for England between 1995 and 2001, scoring once, against Albania in a World Cup Qualifier. He announced his retirement from football on 11 November 2008.

Newcastle United

In February 1993, Division One leaders Newcastle United splashed out a then club record £1.75 million for his services. He then scored 12 goals in as many league games.

After David Kelly was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers, manager Kevin Keegan brought in Peter Beardsley as Cole's strike-partner for the 1993-94 Premier League campaign. Cole scored 34 goals in 40 games during Newcastle's first Premier League season as they finished third and qualified for the UEFA Cup. Cole scored a total of 41 goals in all competitions - breaking the club's goalscoring record which had been set by Hughie Gallacher nearly 70 years earlier (Gallacher still holds the record for the highest number of league goals in a season with 36). 22-year-old Cole was subsequently voted PFA Young Player of the Year for that season.

Cole then scored nine Premier League goals in 18 games for Newcastle after the start of the 1994-95 season, and also scored a hat-trick against Royal Antwerp in the UEFA Cup.[3]

In all Cole hit 68 goals in 84 games for Newcastle giving him a strike rate of 81%. In terms of goal potency per game for Newcastle only Hughie Gallacher has a better record.

Playing honours

Newcastle United

* Football League First Division
o Winner (1): 1992-93

Manchester United

* Premier League
o Winner (5): 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01
* FA Cup
o Winner (2): 1995-96, 1998-99
o Runner-up (1): 1994-95
* FA Community Shield
o Winner (2): 1996, 1997
o Runner-up (3): 1998, 1999, 2000
* UEFA Champions League
o Winner (1): 1998-99
* UEFA Super Cup
o Runner-up (1): 1999
* Intercontinental Cup
o Winner (1): 1999

Blackburn Rovers

* Football League Cup
o Winner (1): 2001-02

=====================
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1989–1992 Arsenal 1 (0)
1991 → Fulham (loan) 13 (3)
1992–1993 Bristol City 41 (20)
1993–1995 Newcastle United 70 (55)
1995–2001 Manchester United 195 (93)
2001–2004 Blackburn Rovers 83 (27)
2004–2005 Fulham 31 (12)
2005–2006 Manchester City 22 (9)
2006–2007 Portsmouth 18 (3)
2007 → Birmingham City (loan) 5 (1)
2007–2008 Sunderland 7 (0)
2008 → Burnley (loan) 13 (6)
2008 Nottingham Forest 10 (0)
=====================
1992–1993 England U21 8 (4)
1994 England B 1 (1)
1995–2002 England 15 (1)

Les Ferdinand

2009-12-09T18:29:00.002-05:00

Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE (born 8 December 1966 in Paddington, London) is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Reading, Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England. He became the first player to score for 6 different Premier League clubs.

He is the cousin of current Premier League players Rio and Anton Ferdinand and his son Aaron currently plays for Harrow Borough in the Isthmian League. Popularly nicknamed Sir Les, he was made an MBE in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
On 5 November 2008 Ferdinand joined fellow ex-Spur Tim Sherwood on the coaching staff of Tottenham Hotspur, utilising his experience to work with the strikers.

Newcastle United

Ferdinand was sold to Newcastle in 1995 for £6 million, with Hayes receiving £600,000 due to a sell-on clause agreed following his move to QPR (with the money received Hayes built a function suite and named it 'The Ferdinand Suite' in his honour). This was arguably Ferdinand's most successful club tenure. He scored 29 goals in his first season with Newcastle, and significantly contributed to the side's getting within touching distance of the Premiership title in the 1995–96 season.

In both of his seasons on Tyneside, Ferdinand collected runners-up medals in the Premier League. In the second season, they had contested a four-horse race with Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool before Manchester United won the title. In the first season, however, Newcastle had led the league by 12 points at one stage, but were overhauled by United in the final three months of the season.

Ferdinand scored 50 goals in only 84 games at Newcastle, forming a successful partnership with Alan Shearer. He was and indeed is still very highly thought of by Newcastle United and received a standing ovation when he came on as a substitute at Alan Shearer's testimonial and subsequently scored.

Tottenham Hotspur

In 1997 Ferdinand was bought by Tottenham Hotspur, the club he supported as a boy, again for £6 million. Injuries heavily disrupted his first season at the club, but towards the end of the campaign he formed a good partnership with Jürgen Klinsmann, and the pair's goals saved Spurs from relegation from the Premiership. Ferdinand helped Spurs win the League Cup in 1999, defeating Leicester City 1–0 in the final at Wembley, but injuries restricted him to just 12 goals in his first three seasons at the club.

He scored 10 goals in the 2000–01 season and 15 in 2001–02. He played in a second League Cup final for the club, against Blackburn Rovers, but was thwarted by three saves by Rovers' goalkeeper Brad Friedel as Spurs lost 2–1. Ferdinand scored the 10,000th goal in Premiership history on 15 December 2001 for Spurs against Fulham.

Playing honours

Club

Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü

* Süper Lig: runner-up 1988-89
* Türkiye Kupası: 1989
* Turkish Super Cup: 1989
* TSYD Cup: 1989

Newcastle United F.C.

* FA Premier League: runner-up 1996-97, 1997-98
* FA Charity Shield: runner-up 1996

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

* League Cup: 1999

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

* Premier League Asia Trophy: 2005

Leslie Mark Hughes

2009-12-08T22:50:00.000-05:00

Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963 in Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales), nicknamed Sparky, is a former Welsh international football player and currently manager of Manchester City. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals.

During his playing career he was most noted for two spells at Manchester United, but he also played for Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as the English clubs Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and finally Blackburn Rovers, before retiring in 2002.

He won a host of medals during his playing career, including two Premier League title medals, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two European Cup Winners' Cups. He also collected an FA Cup runners-up medal and a League Cup runners-up medal.

His reign as Wales manager was his first managerial post; he was appointed in 1999 and remained in the role until 2004. He failed to qualify for a World Cup or European Championship during his five years in charge, although he came close to securing European Championship qualification in 2004.

Honours

* Inducted into English Football Hall of Fame
Manchester United

* Premier League winner: 1992–93 and 1993–94
* FA Cup winner: 1984–85,1989–90 and 1993–94
* League Cup winner: 1991–92
* F.A. Charity Shield: 1993, 1994
* European Cup Winners Cup winner: 1990–91
* UEFA Super Cup winner: 1991

Chelsea

* FA Cup winner: 1996–97
* League Cup winner: 1997–98
* European Cup Winners' Cup winner: 1997–98

Blackburn Rovers

* League Cup winner: 2001–02

===================
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1980–1986 Manchester United 89 (37)
1986–1988 Barcelona 28 (4)
1987–1988 → Bayern Munich (loan) 18 (6)
1988–1995 Manchester United 256 (82)
1995–1998 Chelsea 95 (25)
1998–2000 Southampton 52 (2)
2000 Everton 18 (1)
2000–2002 Blackburn Rovers 50 (6)
=================
1984–1999 Wales 72 (16)
=================

Daniel Vasile Petrescu

2009-12-08T22:48:00.001-05:00

Daniel Vasile Petrescu (born 22 December 1967 in Bucharest, Romania) is a former Romanian international football player most famous for having played for the English Premiership club Chelsea. Other clubs included Steaua Bucureşti and Sheffield Wednesday. Petrescu received 95 international caps for the Romanian national side. He is currently the manager of Romanian Liga 1 team Unirea Urziceni.

Honours

Steaua Bucureşti

* Romanian League: 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89
* Romanian Cup: 1987, 1988, 1989
* European Cup runner-up: 1989
* Bruges Matins Trophy: 1987

Chelsea F.C.

* FA Cup: 1997
* FA Community Shield runner-up: 1997
* League Cup: 1998
* UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1998
* UEFA Super Cup: 1998

FC Naţional

* Romanian Cup runner-up: 2003

Individual

* Overseas Team of the Decade - Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992/3 - 2001/2)

================
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1985–1991 Steaua Bucureşti 95 (28)
1986–1987 → FC Olt Scorniceşti (loan) 24 (0)
1991–1993 U.S. Foggia 55 (7)
1993–1994 Genoa C.F.C. 24 (1)
1994–1995 Sheffield Wednesday 39 (3)
1995–2000 Chelsea 151 (17)
2000–2001 Bradford City 17 (1)
2001–2002 Southampton 11 (2)
2002–2003 Naţional Bucureşti 20 (0)
================

Stephen John "Steve" Perryman

2009-12-08T21:49:00.000-05:00

Stephen John "Steve" Perryman MBE (born 21 December, 1951 in Ealing, London) is a former English international football player and current manager who is best remembered for his successes with Tottenham Hotspur during the 1970s and early 1980s. Perryman was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1982 and made a club record 854 first team appearances for Tottenham Hotspur.

Playing career

A midfielder and occasional defender, Perryman played in a club record 854 first team appearances, in all competitions for Tottenham Hotspur between 1969 and 1986. During his seventeen year career with the north London club, Perryman collected many medals, winning the UEFA Cup in 1972 and 1984, the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982 and the League Cup in 1971 and 1973.

After leaving White Hart Lane Perryman moved to Oxford United in 1986, then Brentford as player-manager in the same year, before retiring in 1990.

Honours

Tottenham Hotspur

* Football League Cup winner: 1971, 1973
* FA Cup winner: 1981, 1982
* UEFA Cup winner 1972 & 1984

* Perryman was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1982.

================
Years Club App (Gls)
1969–1986 Tottenham Hotspur 655 (31)
1986–1987 Oxford 170 (7)
1987–1990 Brentford 53 (0)
================
1982 England 1 (0)

Daniel Joseph (Danny) Thomas

2009-12-07T21:46:00.001-05:00

Daniel Joseph (Danny) Thomas (born 12 November 1961 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England) is a former professional footballer most notable for helping Tottenham Hotspur win the 1984 UEFA Cup, despite missing his penalty in the shootout in the final against Anderlecht.

Club career

He made his debut for Coventry City during the 1979/80 season, making 3 appearances that season. Over the next three seasons he was a regular for the first team. In June 1983 be transferred to Tottenham for a fee of £250,000. He made his Tottenham league debut on 27 August 1983 in a 3-1 defeat at Ipswich Town.

======================
Years Club App (Gls)
1972–1983 Coventry City 98 (4)
1983–1988 Tottenham Hotspur 087 (1)
=====================
1983 England 02 (0)

Paul Kevin Allen

2009-12-07T21:45:00.000-05:00

Paul Kevin Allen (born 28 August 1962 in Aveley, Thurrock, Essex) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Luton Town, Stoke City, Swindon Town, Bristol City and Millwall in the 1980s and 1990s. He won three caps for England at under-21 level.
At 17 years and 256 days old, Allen's appearance for West Ham United against Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup Final made him the youngest player to appear in an FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, though James Prinsep played at a younger age at Kennington Oval in 1879. Both records have since been broken.

Allen went on to play in two FA Cup finals for Tottenham Hotspur, on the losing side in 1987 but victorious in 1991.

After retiring from playing football he worked for the Professional Footballers' Association.

======================
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1979–1985 West Ham United 152 (6)
1985–1993 Tottenham Hotspur 292 (23)
1993–1995 Southampton 43 (1)
1994 → Luton Town (loan) 4 (0)
1995 → Stoke City (loan) 17 (1)
1995–1997 Swindon Town 37 (1)
1997 Bristol City 14 (0)
1997–1998 Millwall 28 (0)

Ian Michael Walker

2009-12-07T21:41:00.002-05:00

Ian Michael Walker (born 31 October 1971 in Watford) is an English footballer whose former clubs include Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers. Walker is the son of former Wales goalkeeper, and Norwich City and Everton manager Mike Walker.

Career honours

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Winner

* 1998–99 League Cup

Leicester City

* Football League First Division runner up 2003

Club career

Walker was for many years the primary goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur, starting out with them as a trainee and having two loan spells, for Ipswich and Oxford. Walker made 240 premiership appearances for Tottenham, but was transferred to Leicester City in July 2001 for £2,500,000, after the signing of Neil Sullivan.

Walker spent four years at Leicester before being released on 6 May 2005 and joining Bolton on a one year contract. Walker was the goalkeeper for Bolton's first ever European match away from England against Bulgarian team Lokomotiv Plovdiv In May 2006 ,Walker was rewarded for his patience in not playing a single league game by being given a further two year contract.

In May 2008, and still without a league appearance to his name, Walker was offered a new deal by Bolton manager Gary Megson. However, on 11 December 2008, Ian Walker had his Bolton contract terminated by mutual consent.[1] It is likely that Ian has retired from football although no official announcement was ever made.

==================
Years Club App (Gls)
1989–2001 Tottenham Hotspur 260 (0)
2001–2005 Leicester City 140 (0)
=================
1996–2004 England 04 (0)

Christopher Peter "Chris" Armstrong

2009-12-07T00:49:00.002-05:00

Christopher Peter "Chris" Armstrong (born June 19, 1971 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear) is an English former England B international football player who has played as a striker for Wrexham (twice), Millwall, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers between 1989 and 2005.

After short spells with Wrexham and Millwall, Armstrong found a home at Selhurst Park, where he top-scored with 23 league goals as Palace were promoted to the Premiership.

In March 1995, Armstrong tested positive for cannabis, becoming the first ever Premiership player to fail a drug test. However, he had returned to the game within a month after attending a brief rehab programme. He finished the season on 16 goals, not enough to save the Eagles from relegation.[1]

He then joined Tottenham for a fee of £4.5 million, and became, and remained for some time, Tottenham's biggest transfer, replaced only by the signing of Les Ferdinand for £6 million in 1997 (he was record-holder for Palace's most expensive player sold for even longer - only Andrew Johnson, sold for £8.6 million in 2006, has surpassed him).

Armstrong's time at Spurs was not as successful as he might have hoped. Although a reasonably frequent scorer, he never managed to gain the level of popularity that the likes of Gary Lineker and Teddy Sheringham had during their time at the club. He rounded out his career with two more unsuccessful spells, at Bolton and back at Wrexham, before retiring.
=========================
Years Club App (Gls)
1989–1991 Wrexham 60 (13)
1991–1992 Milwall 28 (5)
1992–1995 Crystal Palace 118 (45)
1995–2002 Tottenham Hotspur 141 (48)
2002–2003 Bolton Wanderers 0 (0)
2003–2005 Wrexham 59 (13)
========================

David Anthony O'Leary

2009-12-07T00:46:00.000-05:00

David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. He is currently without a job, after leaving his position as manager of Aston Villa in July 2006. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. The majority of his playing career (19 years) was spent as a defender at Arsenal and his 722 appearances for them are a club record.

Arsenal

O'Leary signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in 1973. He soon progressed through the ranks at Highbury, playing in the reserves at the age of 16. He made his debut for Arsenal against Burnley on August 16, 1975, and despite being only 17, went on to make 30 appearances that season. For the next ten years he was ever-present in the Arsenal side, playing more than 40 matches a season (except for 1980-81, where he was injured and only played 27).

A calm and collected centre half, O'Leary was noted for his good positioning and elegant style of play. He was nicknamed by Arsenal fans "Spider" because of his long legs intercepting passes from the opposition. He won his first major honour with Arsenal when he played in their 3-2 win over Manchester United in the 1979 FA Cup Final. He also played in the 1978 and 1980 Cup finals, and the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup final, all of which Arsenal lost. In 1982 O'Leary became club captain, but reliniquished it to Graham Rix eighteen months later.

O'Leary broke numerous appearance records at Arsenal; he was the youngest person to reach the 100 and 200 match milestones, and he made his 400th appearance while still only 26. He passed George Armstrong's all-time record of 621 first-team games in November 1989. By this time, O'Leary was no longer automatic first choice (with the partnership of Tony Adams and Steve Bould at the centre of George Graham's defence), but he still turned in over 20 appearances as Arsenal won the 1988-89 First Division title thanks to a 2–0 win at Anfield on the final day of the season.

O'Leary won another League title in 1991 and an FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993, though by this time he was mainly used as a sub. He holds Arsenal's all-time record for appearances, with 722 first-team games, and over 1000 games at all levels, in a twenty-year long association with the club.

Leeds United

He joined Leeds on a free transfer in 1993 after 19 years at Highbury. Throughout 1993-94, O'Leary was a regular player in the Leeds side until he suffered an achilles injury, which ruled him out for the whole of the following season. He was still on the club's payroll at the beginning of the 1995-96 season but that September he gave in to his injury and announced his retirement from football at the age of 37, after only 14 appearances in all competitions.

Honours

Arsenal

* European Cup Winners' Cup
o Runners-up:1980

* Football League First Division
o Champions:1988–89, 1990–91

* FA Cup
o Winners:1979, 1993
o Runners-up:1978, 1980

* Football League Cup
o Winners:1987, 1993
====================
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1975–1993 Arsenal 558 (11)
1993–1995 Leeds United 12 (0)
===================
1976–1993 Republic of Ireland 68 (1)

Martin Raymond Keown

2009-12-05T11:29:00.002-05:00

Martin Raymond Keown (born 24 July 1966 in Oxford, England) is a former English footballer, who spent much of his career at Arsenal, with stints at Aston Villa and Everton as well. He is now a part-time scout and coach for Arsenal, as well as a pundit for the BBC.

International career

Martin played U16 and U18 for England. When it was learnt that both his parents were Irish, Jack Charlton enquired about his availability to play for the Republic of Ireland but found that he was not eligible due to his underage games.[citation needed] He made his England debut in 1992 against France. With an injury to Mark Wright he was called up into England's squad for Euro '92, and played in all three of England's matches.

Keown's early ascension to the England team under Graham Taylor did not continue under Terry Venables, who ignored him completely. Keown earned a recall from Glenn Hoddle in 1997, and went to the 1998 World Cup, but did not play. Keown became a regular under Kevin Keegan (captaining the side against Finland) and played in two of England's Euro 2000 matches. By the time Sven-Göran Eriksson became manager, Keown's age was starting to count against him, though he went to the 2002 World Cup, again as a non-playing squad member. In all he played 43 times for England, scoring two goals.

Honours

* Premiership Championship Winner 1998, 2002 & 2004
* FA Cup Winner 1998, 2002 & 2003
* FA Community Shield: 1998, 1999 & 2002
* UEFA Cup Runner-Up 2000
* FA Cup Runner-up 2001
* 43 England caps
===========
Years Club App (Gls)
1984–1986 Arsenal 22 (0)
1985 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 23 (1)
1986–1989 Aston Villa 112 (3)
1989–1993 Everton 96 (0)
1993–2004 Arsenal 311 (4)
2004–2005 Leicester City 17 (0)
2005 Reading 05 (0)
==============
1992–2002 England 043 (2)

Paul Charles Merson

2009-12-05T11:23:00.003-05:00

Paul Charles Merson (born March 20, 1968 in Harlesden, London, England) is a retired English football player, and former player-manager of Walsall. His playing career has included spells at Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Portsmouth. He also played for England 21 times. He was a forward who later in his career dropped more into the midfield.

Arsenal

Born in Harlesden, London, Paul Merson started his career at Arsenal, joining the club as an apprentice in 1984. After a loan spell at Brentford, then under manager Frank McLintock, he made his debut for the Gunners on 22 November 1986 against Manchester City, and gradually established himself in George Graham's successful Arsenal side of the late 1980s. By the 1988-89 season he was a regular on the right wing, at the end of which Arsenal secured the First Division title with a last gasp Michael Thomas goal in the final game of the season against Liverpool. Merson scored ten times that season, made his debut for the England U21 side, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.

With Merson, Arsenal bagged another league championship in 1991, both the FA Cup and League Cup in 1993 (Merson scoring the first goal of the League Cup final), and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. He also made his debut for the full England side, in a friendly against Germany on 11 September 1991.

Paul Merson's career was put on the line in November 1994 when he admitted to being an alcoholic and cocaine addict. The Football Association arranged for Merson to undergo a three-month rehabilitation programme and he returned to the side in February 1995, just before the dismissal of George Graham as manager. Under caretaker manager Stewart Houston, Merson helped Arsenal reach the Cup Winners' Cup final for the second season in a row.

In 1995-96, Merson remained a regular first team player under Arsenal's new manager Bruce Rioch and continued to play regularly in 1996-97 following the appointment of Arsène Wenger. In a somewhat surprising move, at the end of the 1996-97 Premiership campaign, in which Arsenal finished third, Merson was sold to relegated Middlesbrough in a £5 million deal - making him the most expensive player ever signed by a non-Premiership club. Whilst Arsene Wenger had offered a new two year contract, Middlesbrough offered double the salary available at Arsenal. In all Merson played 423 times for Arsenal, scoring 99 goals.

Years Club App (Gls)
1985–1997 Arsenal 327 (78)
1987 → Brentford (loan) 7 (0)
1997–1998 Middlesbrough 48 (12)
1998–2002 Aston Villa 117 (18)
2002–2003 Portsmouth 45 (12)
2003–2006 Walsall 77 (6)
2006 Tamworth 1 (0)
==========
1991–1998 England 021 0(3)

Kevin Richardson

2009-12-05T11:18:00.002-05:00

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne and played for Montague and North Fenham Boys club from where Richardson joined Everton as a schoolboy in 1978, turning professional in 1980. A versatile midfielder, the young Richardson often had to be content with deputising for the likes of Paul Bracewell, Peter Reid and Kevin Sheedy. However, he still carved out a semi-regular place, and figured in the Everton side that won the FA Cup in 1984, and he won a First Division winner's medal the following year. He made 113 appearances for the Toffees, scoring 16 goals.

He moved at the start of the 1986-87 season to Watford, but only spent a season there before moving on to Arsenal for £200,000. Richardson succeeded Graham Rix on the Arsenal left wing, before moving over to the right for Arsenal's 1988-89 title-winning season to cover for the injured Paul Davis. Now a Championship winner at two different clubs, Richardson continued to be a regular the following season at Arsenal; however, he never totally got on with Gunners manager George Graham,[citation needed] and he was transferred to Real Sociedad for £750,000 in the summer of 1990. He made 121 appearances for Arsenal, and scored 8 goals.

Richardson's time at Real was short and relatively unsuccessful. He moved back to England in the summer of 1991, signing for Ron Atkinson's Aston Villa for £450,000, and was an ever-present in his first season at the club. Richardson became Villa's captain, and led the club to runners-up spot in the inaugural FA Premier League season of 1992-93 and a League Cup final win over Manchester United in 1994. While at Villa, he also won his one and only cap for England, a 5-0 friendly victory over Greece on 17 May 1994.

Richardson followed his old boss Atkinson to Coventry City in 1995, and spent the next two and a half years at the Sky Blues repeatedly fending off relegation under Atkinson and his successor, Gordon Strachan. He left Coventry in September 1997, and had spells at Southampton, Barnsley and finally Blackpool. Richardson retired from playing in 2000, his career finishing on a low after Blackpool were relegated to the Third Division in his final game.

After retirement, Richardson took up coaching, becoming youth team manager at Sunderland, and then Carlton Palmer's assistant at Stockport County in 2001. He returned to Sunderland as reserve team coach in 2004 and became first team coach following the club's takeover by a consortium headed by Niall Quinn. Incoming manager Roy Keane initially retained Richardson in this capacity before replacing him with former Manchester United coach Neil Bailey. Richardson then went to Newcastle United Academy as a team coach. On 5 October 2009 Richardson was appointed as assistant manager to Steve Staunton at Darlington.

============
Years Club App (Gls)
1980–1986 Everton 109 (16)
1986–1987 Watford 39 (2)
1987–1990 Arsenal 96 (5)
1990–1991 Real Sociedad 37 (0)
1991–1995 Aston Villa 141 (13)
1995–1997 Coventry City 78 (3)
1997–1998 Southampton 028 (0)
1998–2000 Barnsley 30 (0)
2000 → Blackpool (loan) 11 (1)
Blackpool 9 (0)
===================
1994 England 001 0(0)

Kevin Joseph Campbell

2009-12-02T02:07:00.002-05:00

Kevin Joseph Campbell (born 4 February 1970 in Lambeth, London) is an English former football player who played as a striker.

Playing career

Campbell began his career as a trainee with Arsenal, joining the club on schoolboy forms in 1985. He had a prolific run in the club's youth team (with whom he won the FA Youth Cup and scored 59 goals in a single season), but despite making his first-team debut against Everton on 7 May 1988, the Arsenal forward positions were usually taken by Paul Merson and Alan Smith.

Campbell came to prominence during a loan spell at Leyton Orient in 1989, when he scored 9 goals in 16 games; Orient manager Frank Clark wanted to make the move permanent but Arsenal refused to sell the talented young striker. After a poor start to the 1989-90 season he was again loaned out, this time to Leicester City. However, the following season (1990-91), Campbell established himself in the Arsenal team, scoring eight times in ten matches during the run-in to the club's First Division title win.

Despite Arsenal signing Ian Wright in September 1991, Campbell continued to play for Arsenal, although he was often overshadowed by his more prolific partner. Nevertheless, he scored some crucial goals for Arsenal, including last-minute equalisers against Millwall and Derby County in Arsenal's successful FA Cup and League Cup campaigns in 1992-93. The following season he scored 19 goals (his best single season for the Gunners) and won the Cup Winners' Cup, but his form deserted him in 1994-95, and the arrivals of John Hartson and Dennis Bergkamp threatened his place in the side further. In all he played 224 times for Arsenal, scoring 59 goals.

In the summer of 1995 Campbell was sold to Nottingham Forest for £3m, where he spent three seasons. He was part of the team that was relegated in 1997, but his 23 goals the following season helped the side to return to the top flight at their first attempt. However, Campbell left Forest at the end of that season to join Turkish side Trabzonspor. His time in Trabzon was brief; he left the club after only 7 months after a racist incident involving the president of Trabzonspor, Mehmet Ali Yılmaz, who called him a "discoloured cannibal" and also criticised him by saying "We bought him as a goal machine, but he turned out to be a washing machine". He was very popular during his time at the club with the fans. To show solidarity with him when he asked to leave following this incident, the two club captains, Ogun Temizkanoglu and Abdullah Ercan, were with him during his press conference in which he stated his reasons for leaving.

Everton, who were battling against relegation from the Premier League, signed Campbell on loan in March 1999. His impact on the side was immediate as he scored 9 goals in 8 games, making him Everton's top goalscorer that season despite spending barely a month with the club. His tally of 6 goals in his first 3 games earned him the April player of the month, he was the first on-loan player ever to win the award.

Campbell's move to Everton was made permanent in the summer of 1999 for a fee of £3m. He was to be Everton's leading goalscorer for both of the following two seasons with the club, scoring 12 goals and 9 goals respectively. After scoring only 4 goals during the 2001-02 campaign, he was once again the club's top goalscorer the following year when he scored 10 times. This would prove to be Campbell's final season as first-choice for Everton as he struggled to battle both injuries and the emergence of a number of strikers, in particular Wayne Rooney. Campbell left Everton in January 2005 to join West Bromwich Albion, who were bottom of the Premiership, on a free transfer. He was appointed as the team's captain shortly after his arrival and he successfully led the club to Premiership survival (this was the first time that a club which had been bottom of the league on Christmas Day has survived relegation).

However, in May 2006, after WBA's relegation to the Championship, Campbell was released by the club. He signed for Cardiff City on a free transfer on 2 August 2006. He scored his first and only goal for the first team in an FAW Premier Cup quarter-final match away at Carmarthen Town on February 13, 2007, and was released by the club in May 2007, subsequently retiring from the game to pursue business interests.

Campbell earned 1 cap for the England U-21s and 4 for England B. He has the distinction of being the English player who has scored the most goals in the Premier League without earning an England cap.

Lee Michael Dixon

2009-12-02T02:02:00.002-05:00

Lee Michael Dixon (born 17 March 1964) is a former English professional footballer. Born in South Manchester, England he attended Old Moat Junior School, Withington at the same time as Eric Nixon of Manchester City and Tranmere Rovers fame.

He formed part of the highly-respected Arsenal defence from the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, until 2002; Capped 22 times for England, scoring once.

Lee currently works for the BBC's Match of the Day (and MOTD2) as a football pundit and writes a corresponding column for their website. At one point he had played at 91 one of the 92 Football League grounds - every one except Craven Cottage.

Honours
Team

* First Division/Premier League: 1988-89, 1990-91, 1997-98, 2001-02
* FA Cup: 1993, 1998, 2002
* League Cup: 1993
* FA Charity Shield/FA Community Shield: 1991(shared), 1998, 1999
* European Cup Winners Cup: 1994

Individual

* PFA Team of the Year: 1990

==============
Years Club App (Gls)
1982–1984 Burnley 04 (0)
1984–1985 Chester City 57 (1)
1985–1986 Bury 45 (5)
1986–1988 Stoke City 71 (5)
1988–2002 Arsenal 458 (24)
=============
1990–1999 England 22 0(1)

David Andrew Seaman

2009-12-02T01:58:00.001-05:00

David Andrew Seaman MBE (born 19 September 1963 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire) is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal and most recently with Manchester City. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury. He was awarded the MBE in 1997 for services to the sport.

The peak of his career was during his period as Arsenal and England goalkeeper in the 1990s and early 2000s; during his time at Arsenal he won many medals including three league championships (1991, 1998, 2002), four FA Cups (1993, 1998, 2002, 2003), the League Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994. During this time he also played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and Euro 96 and Euro 2000, and is England's second-most capped goalkeeper with 75 caps, after Peter Shilton.

Seaman's career highs came in his successful performance in UEFA Euro 96 and in Arsenal's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Premier League and FA Cup (including a superb save from Paul Peschisolido in the FA Cup 2002–03) campaigns in the mid-90s and early-2000s. Notable lows came with two costly errors, both from long-range efforts - conceding a last-minute goal in the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final to Nayim and conceding to a Ronaldinho free-kick in the 2002 FIFA World Cup quarter-final.

Seaman is left-handed, but throws the football with his right arm and kicks with his right foot.

Years Club App (Gls)
1982–1984 Peterborough United 91 (0)
1984–1986 Birmingham City 75 (0)
1986–1990 Queens Park Rangers 141 (0)
1990–2003 Arsenal 405 (0)
2003–2004 Manchester City 19 (0)
==============
1988–2002 England 75 (0)

Ian Edward Wright

2009-12-02T01:54:00.002-05:00

Ian Edward Wright, MBE (born 3 November 1963) is an English former professional footballer, turned television and radio personality.

Wright enjoyed great success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. He is considered as something of a legend at both clubs. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major domestic trophies. As well as playing 581 league games, scoring 387 goals for seven clubs in both Scotland and England, he also earned 33 caps for the English national team.

After retiring from the game he has been active in the media, usually in football related TV and radio shows. He has also kept the footballing connections running through his sons Shaun and Bradley Wright-Phillips.

Arsenal

Wright signed for Arsenal in September 1991 for £2.5m, which was at the time a club record fee. He scored on his debut against Leicester City in a League Cup tie, and then scored a hat-trick on his League debut against Southampton. He won the Golden Boot in his first season by scoring 29 league goals, five of which were for Palace, and 31 in all competitions. He scored a hat-trick in the final game of the season against Southampton; his third goal being the last ever scored in the old First Division. As of 2007, only Wright and Teddy Sheringham (1992-93 season) have won the top-flight goalscoring award having scored for two different clubs during the season in question.

Wright went on to be the club's top scorer for six seasons in a row. He played a major part in the club's success during the 1990s, winning an FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993; he scored in both the FA Cup final and the final replay against Sheffield Wednesday. Wright also helped Arsenal reach the 1994 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final, although Wright was suspended for the final in which Arsenal beat Parma 1-0. That season they finished fourth in the Premiership.

Wright scored in every round but the final of Arsenal's 1995 Cup Winners' Cup campaign, and was a strong goalscorer in the Premiership, but it was a difficult time for Arsenal following the dismissal of manager George Graham over illegal payments, and under caretaker Stewart Houston they could only manage a 12th place finish in the league.

The arrival of Bruce Rioch heralded a bleaker time; the two did not get on and eventually Wright handed in a transfer request (which he later retracted). The arrival of Dennis Bergkamp, however, heralded a brief but fruitful striking partnership, and in their first season as a partnership they helped Arsenal finish fifth in the league and qualify for the UEFA Cup - they also reached the Coca-Cola Cup semi-finals, where they went out on away goals to eventual winners Aston Villa.

By the time Arsène Wenger had arrived at Arsenal in September 1996, Wright was nearly 33. Despite his age, he continued to score regularly (being the second highest Premiership scorer in 1996-97 with 23 goals), and on 13 September 1997 he broke Cliff Bastin's Arsenal goalscoring record with a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers (a record since surpassed by Thierry Henry in October 2005). A couple of months later he suffered a bad hamstring injury which ruled him out of the club's run-in to a League and Cup Double; Wright was named as a substitute in the cup final against Newcastle United but did not play.

Wright scored a total of 185 goals for Arsenal in 279 starts and 9 substitute appearances. His final goal at Highbury came on 4 October 1997 against Barnsley and was his 300th career goal for both Crystal Palace and Arsenal. He scored his final goal for Arsenal on 6 January 1998 in a League Cup quarter-final victory against West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground. In his absence, Arsenal were eliminated from the League Cup in the semi-final by Chelsea, ending their hopes of a unique domestic treble.

Honours

Personal

* MBE (2002)
* PFA Team of the Year (1993, 1997)
* Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame (2005)

Crystal Palace

* English Second Division (old) playoffs winner (1988/89)
* FA Cup runner up (1990).
* Full Members Cup winner (1991).
* Golden Boot (leading scorer in English First Division Championship (old)) (1991-92).
* Highest goalscorer for Crystal Palace post-war with 117 goals. He is third-highest overall.
* Voted as fans' "Player of The Century".

Arsenal

* Golden Boot (leading scorer in English First Division Championship (old)) (1991-92).
* FA Premier League title (1997-98).
* FA Cup winner (1993, 1998).
* FA Charity Shield runner up (1993).
* Cup Winners' Cup winner (1994), Runner Up (1995).
* European Super Cup runner up (1994)
* League Cup winner (1993).
* Wright is Arsenal's second highest goalscorer, with 185 goals in 288 games in all competitions; he held the top goalscorer record from 13 September 1997 until 18 October 2005, when Thierry Henry surpassed his total.

Burnley

* Football League Second Division runner up (1999-00).

England

* Tournoi de France 1997 winner
* 1991 England Challenge Cup winner
* 1998 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament runner up
* 33 caps, 9 goals
* Debut 6 February 1991 vs Cameroon at Wembley
* Last cap 18 November 1998 vs Czech Republic at Wembley

Years Team Apps (Gls)†
1985–1991 Crystal Palace 225 0(90)
1991–1998 Arsenal 221 (128)
1998–1999 West Ham United 022 00(9)
1999 → Nottingham Forest (loan) 010 00(5)
1999–2000 Celtic 008 00(3)
2000 Burnley 015 00(4)
===============
1989–1992 England B 003 00(0)
1991–1998 England 033 00(9)

Ray Parlour

2009-11-30T11:59:00.002-05:00

Raymond "Ray" Parlour (born 7 March 1973 in Romford, Essex, England) is a former England international footballer. He spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hull City. During his Arsenal career he was nicknamed "The Romford Pelé"; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but unglamorous image. Nonetheless he has been described as an "unsung hero" and praised as a "fans' favourite" for his high-energy performances. He is now a pundit on television, as well as on radio stations BBC Radio 5 Live and Talksport, and is a professional poker player.

Honours

Arsenal

* FA Premier League - winner 1998, 2002, 2004
* FA Cup - winner 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003; runner-up 2001
* League Cup - winner 1993
* European Cup Winners Cup - winner 1994; runner-up 1995
* UEFA Cup - runner-up 2000

Middlesbrough

* UEFA Cup - runner-up 2006

England U21

* Toulon Tournament - winner 1994

Years Club App (Gls)
1992–2004 Arsenal 339 (22)
2004–2007 Middlesbrough 046 (0)
2007 Hull City 015 (0)
=========================
1992–1994 England U21 12 (0)
1998 England B 1 (0)
1999–2000 England 010 0(0)
=========================

Fredrik Ljungberg

2009-11-30T11:56:00.001-05:00

Karl Fredrik "Freddie" Ljungberg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈfreːdrɪk ˈjɵŋˌbærj]) (born 16 April 1977 in Vittsjö) is a Swedish professional footballer currently playing for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.

Ljungberg has spent the majority of his career playing as a winger in Europe, either on his preferred right side or occasionally on the left, although in MLS he often plays as a central midfield playmaker. He was the captain of the Swedish national team until he announced his international retirement after Euro 2008.

Ljungberg is also a male model, and was a model for Calvin Klein underwear until 2007. Previously he represented brands such as Nike, Procter & Gamble, L'Oreal. Currently he represents Puma, ESPN and Pepsi as well as runs his own blog since October 2009 called www.freddie.speaksup.com.

Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1994–1998 Halmstad 79 (10)
1998–2007 Arsenal 216 (46)
2007–2008 West Ham United 25 (2)
2009– Seattle Sounders FC 22 (2)
================
1998–2008 Sweden 75 (15)

Nwankwo Kanu

2009-11-30T11:53:00.001-05:00

Nwankwo Christian Nwosu Kanu (born 1 August 1956 in Owerri, Nigeria), usually known simply as Old Man Kanu and nicknamed The oldest man in football, is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Portsmouth and also for the Nigerian national team. He is best friends with Obafemi Martins, with whom he shares an alotment, and a passion for Werthers Originals.

He is a member of the Igbo ethnic group, his name, Nwankwo, meaning "Babyboy born on Nkwo market day" in the Igbo language. He is the most highly-decorated African footballer in footballing history, having won a UEFA Champions League medal, a UEFA Cup medal, three FA Cup Winners Medals and two African Player of the Year awards amongst others. He is the only current Premier League player to have won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, Premier League, FA Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal. He is also a UNICEF ambassador. He is also a keen fundraiser for English Charity Help the Aged, something he feels close to having personally received help from this charity in the past.

Years Team Apps (Gls)†
1991–1992 Fed Works 035 (20)
1992–1993 Iwuanyanwu Nationale 025 (15)
1993–1996 Ajax 054 (25)
1996–1999 Internazionale 011 0(1)
1999–2004 Arsenal 119 (30)
2004–2006 West Bromwich Albion 053 0(7)
2006–2009 Portsmouth 087 (15)
==================
994–2009 Nigeria 079 (13)

Lauren Etame Mayer

2009-11-30T11:51:00.001-05:00

Laureano Bisan Etame-Mayer (born 19 January 1977 in Londi Kribi), more commonly known as Lauren, is a Cameroonian footballer of Equatoguinean origin, who last played for English Premier League team Portsmouth until his release at the end of the 2008–09 season. He plays internationally for Cameroon.

Arsenal

Lauren was transferred to Arsenal in the summer of 2000 for a fee of £7,200,000. Lauren provided cover for both midfield or defence. He made his Arsenal debut against Sunderland on August 19, 2000. However his first season in English football season was blighted by injuries. Although at first Lauren was unable to gain a regular place in the Arsenal side, he eventually ended up becoming the club's first-choice right back, replacing veteran Lee Dixon (and leapfrogging Ukrainian international Oleh Luzhny in the process). By the time Arsenal had won the Double in 2001-02, Lauren was an integral part of the Arsenal defence.

In 2002-03, Lauren suffered a calf injury and again missed part of the season, but nevertheless recovered in time and won an FA Cup winners medal that season, as Arsenal beat Southampton 1-0.

Lauren was a consistent member of the Arsenal first team during 2003-04, but his season was marred by his verbal abuse towards Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy after van Nistelrooy had missed a penalty late on in the match between the two sides at Old Trafford. Lauren was banned by the Football Association for four matches and fined £40,000. Nevertheless, he made his 150th appearance for Arsenal during that season, as Arsenal won the Premier League title unbeaten, giving Lauren his second League winners' medal.

Lauren won a third FA Cup winners' medal in 2005, as Arsenal beat Manchester United on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the final; Lauren scored the first of Arsenal's spot-kicks. However, during 2005-06, Lauren suffered a knee injury against Wigan Athletic in a League Cup semi-final match on January 21, 2006. He spent nearly a year out of the game as a result, and it wasn't until December 19 that Lauren was included in a playing squad, for Arsenal's match against Liverpool in the League Cup quarter-finals; this match was later postponed due to heavy fog. Lauren was not called up for Arsenal again.

During his absence Lauren's position had been covered by, amongst others, Emmanuel Eboué and Justin Hoyte, leading to media speculation that Lauren would leave Arsenal for another club, possibly West Ham United. On January 12, 2007 Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger confirmed Arsenal would allow Lauren to leave, if he chose to do so. On January 18, 2007, Lauren completed a move to Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee.

Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1995–1996 Utrera 30 (5)
1996–1997 Sevilla 17 (3)
1997–1998 Levante 34 (6)
1998–2000 RCD Mallorca 62 (4)
2000–2007 Arsenal 159 (7)
2007–2009 Portsmouth 25 (0)

================

1998–2009 Cameroon 34 (2)

Alan Shearer

2009-11-29T10:32:00.002-05:00

Alan Shearer, OBE DL (born 13 August 1970) is a retired English footballer.

He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team. He is widely considered as one of the greatest English strikers of all time, being both Newcastle's and the Premier League's record goalscorer. After retiring as a player, Shearer worked as a television pundit for the BBC. Toward the end of his playing career, Shearer worked towards gaining the UEFA Pro Licence, and expressed a desire to eventually become a manager. In 2009 he briefly left his BBC role to become Newcastle United's manager in the last eight games of their 2008–09 season, in an unsuccessful attempt to save them from relegation.

A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, Shearer made his professional debut with English top-flight club Southampton in 1988, scoring a hat-trick in the process. During several years on the south coast, he became known for his classic style of play, strength and goalscoring ability; he soon received an international call-up along with a transfer to Blackburn Rovers in 1992. Shearer established himself as a player in northern England; he became a regular in the England squad, and his 34-goal tally helped Blackburn secure the Premier League title in 1994–95. He was named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1994 and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1995. The 1995–96 season saw Shearer make his first Champions League appearances and finish as the top scorer in the Premier League with 31 goals. He was also top scorer at Euro 1996 with England, scoring five goals, and in the 1996–97 Premier League, with 25 goals.

A world-record £15 million move to his boyhood heroes, Newcastle United, followed the Euro '96 tournament, and Shearer spent the remainder of his career with the club. While he would never emulate the success of his time at Blackburn Rovers, Shearer won runners-up medals in the Premier League and FA Cup with Newcastle, and a second PFA Player of the Year award. After being named England's captain in 1996 and Newcastle's captain in 1999, he retired from international football following Euro 2000, having amassed 63 appearances and 30 goals for his country.

As well as his media work, he has raised substantial amounts of money for various national and local charities, both within and outside of sports. Shearer is an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), a Deputy Lieutenant of Northumberland, a Freeman of Newcastle upon Tyne and an honorary Doctor of Civil Law of Northumbria University.

===============
Years Team Apps (Gls)†
1988–1992 Southampton 118 0(23)
1992–1996 Blackburn Rovers 138 (112)
1996–2006 Newcastle United 303 (148)
===============
1990–1992 England U21 011 0(13)
1992 England B 001 00(0)
1992–2000 England 063 0(30)

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Dennis Bergkamp

2009-11-29T10:29:00.001-05:00

Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp (born 10 May 1969 in Amsterdam) is a retired Dutch professional footballer. He was named after Manchester United footballer Denis Law (although the traditional spelling had to be observed for the legal satisfaction of the registrar). At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, Arsenal and also represented the Netherlands at international level. Bergkamp played most of his best games as a support striker, where his tactical awareness and deft passes made him a great exponent of the game from the 'hole'.

He was selected by Pelé as one of the FIFA 125 greatest living players and is widely regarded as one of the English Premier League's all-time greatest players. In 2007 he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame, the first and thus far only Dutch player ever to receive the honour. He has also finished third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice.

Arsenal

After two unhappy seasons at Inter, Bergkamp was signed by Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch in June 1995 for £7.5m. Bergkamp made his debut against Middlesbrough on 19 August 1995 but had to adapt to the English style of play. It took him seven games before he finally managed to score his first goal, against Southampton. Slowly but surely, Bergkamp's stature grew, playing as a forward behind the main striker, Ian Wright. They soon formed a strong partnership which was one of the finest in the Premier League. Bergkamp has been regarded by many football pundits such as Alan Hansen as being the greatest foreign player to grace the English game.

Bergkamp's arrival at Arsenal was significant, not only as he was one of the first world-class foreign players to join an English club since the lifting of the Heysel ban in 1990, but also because he was a major contributor to the club's return to success after a brief period of mediocrity in the mid-1990s.

Bergkamp hit his best form for Arsenal after the arrival of Arsène Wenger in September 1996. Arsenal won an FA Premier League and FA Cup double in the 1997-98 season (although Bergkamp missed the cup final with an injury), and Bergkamp was voted PFA Player of the Year. In September 1997, he became the first and so far the only player to have come first, second and third in Match of the Day's Goal of the Month competition, for a hat trick against Leicester City. He scored 16 times that season, as well as being involved in setting up many more. At the end of that same season, he helped the Netherlands to a fourth-place finish at the 1998 World Cup. In that competition, he scored one of the greatest goals of all time in a quarter final win against Argentina, after receiving a 60 yard pass from Frank de Boer. During the 2001/02 campaign, Dennis once again scored a truly memorable goal that would go on to win Premier League Goal of the Season. On the 3rd of March 2002, Arsenal took on Newcastle in a league encounter. With just 10 minutes on the clock, Robert Pires sent in a low pass from the left flank to Bergkamp standing on the edge of the opponent area with his back to goal. With an ingenious flick of the ball with the inside of his left foot, he dumbfounded defender Nikos Dabizas who was marking him tightly. He swiveled the other way, brushing the defender aside, and coolly slotting the ball past an onrushing Shay Given.

While his subsequent form did not match the spectacle of that season, Bergkamp continued to be a regular in the Arsenal team. He won the double again in 2002, the FA Cup in 2003 and the Premier League for a third time in 2004. The club's domestic success was not matched in European competition, the closest to winners' medals coming when they lost the 2000 UEFA Cup final to Galatasaray on penalties and the 2006 Champions League final loss to Barcelona; Bergkamp traveled overland to Paris for his competitive farewell, only to be an unused substitute.

In 2005, due to Arsenal's reluctance in offering him a new deal, there was speculation that Bergkamp would leave the club, and possibly football altogether. Bergkamp had said that he would retire from football if not offered a new contract with Arsenal for the 2005-06 campaign, despite interest from his former club Ajax. Following Arsenal's penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup Final in Cardiff though, it was revealed he would sign a one-year contract extension, which was custom by the manager Arsène Wenger for players over 30 years of age, keeping him at the London club for their final season at the Arsenal Stadium at Highbury.

On 16 April 2006, the home match against West Bromwich Albion, the Arsenal supporters dedicated the original "Supporter's Day" match theme (one of the designated theme days Arsenal prepared to celebrate their last year at Highbury before moving to the Emirates Stadium) to "Dennis Bergkamp Day", to commemorate Bergkamp's time at Arsenal. Bergkamp came on as a second half substitute, setting up the winning Robert Pirès goal, after Nigel Quashie had equalized just after he came on. He scored a curler himself at the 89th minute, as Arsenal ran out 3-1 winners. That goal proved to be the last goal Bergkamp scored in Arsenal colours and in competitive football.

Bergkamp officially retired from competitive football after the 2006 Champions League final game against FC Barcelona on 17 May 2006. The last game he played in Arsenal colours was also the last game at Highbury, against Wigan Athletic on 7 May 2006—the final Premier League game of that season. Bergkamp scored 120 goals for Arsenal in 424 appearances, and set up a further 166 goals in his Arsenal career. This makes him one of the top assist makers in Premier League history.
====================
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1986–1993 Ajax 185 (103)
1993–1995 Internazionale 52 (11)
1995–2006 Arsenal 316 (87)
===================
1990–2000 Netherlands 79 (37)

Gary Lineker

2009-11-27T11:56:00.000-05:00

Gary Winston Lineker OBE (born 30 November 1960) is a retired English international football striker and is currently a sports broadcaster for the BBC and Eredivisie Live. He remains England's top scorer in the World Cup finals, with 10 goals.

Lineker began his football career at Leicester City and became known as a prolific goalscorer, despite failing to score in his first ten games he finished as the First Division's joint top goalscorer in 1984-85 and earning his first England cap. He moved to Everton where he remained a clinical finisher, scoring 38 goals in 52 games. His first team honours came at Barcelona where he won the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1989. He returned to England in 1989, joining Tottenham Hotspur, and over three seasons he scored 67 goals in 105 games and won the FA Cup. Lineker's final club was Nagoya Grampus Eight and he retired in 1994 after two seasons at the Japanese side.

Lineker made his England debut in 1984 and over the following eight years earned 80 caps and scored 48 goals, finishing as England's all-time second highest scorer. His international goals-to-games ratio remains one of the best for the country and he is regarded as one of the all-time best English strikers. He was top scorer in the 1986 World Cup and received the Golden Shoe, the only time an Englishman has achieved this feat. He is also the only player to have won the English golden boot with 3 different clubs (Leicester City, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur). During his professional career, Lineker is noted for never having been cautioned or sent off by a referee.

After his retirement from football he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. He moved in to broadcasting, working at the BBC, firstly working as a pundit on Match of the Day before he went on to present the flagship show. Lineker also worked on other programmes at the BBC. He led a consortium that invested in his old club Leicester, saving it from bankruptcy, and was appointed honorary vice-president. Since 1994, Lineker has featured in several television commercials for Walkers Crisps. He has four sons with his ex-wife Michelle and is now married to model Danielle Lineker.

In 2009, Leicester City fans voted him as the club's greatest ever player in a poll by Sky Sports. He received 37% of votes; more than double that of his closest competitor, legendary goalkeeper Gordon Banks.
==============
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1985 Leicester City 194 0(95)
1985–1986 Everton 041 0(30)
1986–1989 Barcelona 103 0(43)
1989–1992 Tottenham Hotspur 105 0(67)
1992–1994 Nagoya Grampus Eight 023 00(9)
Total 461 (239)
=============
1984-1992 England 080 0(48)

Darren Anderton

2009-11-26T12:00:00.002-05:00

Darren Robert Anderton (born 3 March 1972 in Southampton) is a retired English footballer who spent most of his career with Tottenham Hotspur as a midfielder. He played 30 times for the England national football team, scoring 7 goals.

Tottenham Hotspur: 1992–2004

After a slow start, Anderton settled at Tottenham, forming part of an exciting attacking trio along with Teddy Sheringham and the young Nick Barmby. Two years later Terry Venables gave Anderton his England debut against Denmark in 1994. Anderton soon became a regular in the national side and turned down a move to Manchester United in the summer of 1995 following an exciting season spent playing with the likes of Jürgen Klinsmann at Tottenham, a decision that he later regretted.[4] Despite missing most of the 1995–96 season through injury, Anderton played an important part in the Euro 96 England team that reached the semi-finals and included compatriots like Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, Steve McManaman and Teddy Sheringham. In the semi final against Germany, the match went to golden goal extra time. Anderton came within inches of putting England into the final when his shot hit the post.

Injuries then limited Anderton's international appearances considerably. He missed most of the 1997–98 season but was recalled for Glenn Hoddle's squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, starting on the right wing in the first two matches ahead of an out-of-sorts David Beckham. Hoddle later said in his World Cup Diary that he thought Anderton was equally as good as Beckham at crossing and was a better defender. Hoddle said he had waited 18 months to play Beckham and Anderton together on the right side of midfield. It finally happened as David Batty was dropped and the now-focused Beckham was recalled for the third game against Colombia and played inside of Anderton. Anderton and Beckham were the England heroes as they both scored spectacular goals. The following year Anderton won the League Cup with Tottenham, and signed a new reported £24,000 week contract in March.[5] After being sidelined during Euro 2000 with an Achilles tendon injury,[6] an extended run of fitness saw Anderton vying for a permanent place in the national team again. He played in England's 1-1 draw away to France in September 2000 and also featured against Italy the following November.

Anderton's good form for Glenn Hoddle's Spurs during the early part of the 2001–02 season earned his first call-up to Sven-Göran Eriksson's England squad for a friendly against Sweden in November. Anderton was again selected by Eriksson for England's next game, a friendly against Holland, in February 2002. He would have started the game but was forced to withdraw through injury. One notable statistic about Anderton's England career is that his last five caps were given to him by five different managers. These were: vs Czech Republic (18/11/98) by Glenn Hoddle, vs France (10/02/99) by Howard Wilkinson, vs France (02/09/00) by Kevin Keegan, vs Italy (15/11/00) by Peter Taylor and vs Sweden (10/11/01) by Sven-Göran Eriksson.

Anderton continued to struggle badly with injuries for the rest of that season, missing out on a World Cup place. That summer the new Leeds United boss Terry Venables tried to recruit Anderton, but he turned down the move out of loyalty to Tottenham. In the summer of 2003 Portsmouth and West Ham made attempts to sign him, but Anderton was not interested. He made a bright start to the 2003/04 season, scoring against Tottenham's bitter rivals Arsenal. However Hoddle was soon sacked and Spurs were in turmoil. Anderton remained at Tottenham until the summer of 2004. He was keen to remain at the club and was promised a new contract by David Pleat but the club, under the advice of incoming manager Jacques Santini, reneged. In all, he appeared in 364 games for Spurs, scoring 51 goals.
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Years Club App (Gls)
1985–1987 Itchen Saints FC 32 0 (24)
1990–1992 Portsmouth 062 0(7)
1992–2004 Tottenham Hotspur 299 (34)
2004–2005 Birmingham City 20 0(3)
2005–2006 Wolverhampton Wanderers 24 0(1)
2006–2008 Bournemouth 066 (12)
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1992–1993 England U21 12 0(5)
1998 England B 01 0(0)
1994–2001 England 030 0(7)

Teddy Sheringham

2009-11-26T11:51:00.001-05:00

Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE (born 2 April 1966) is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham plays as a striker, and has had a successful career at club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester United in the 1998-99 season, the pinnacle of his career being both scoring and setting up the two last-minute goals in the European Cup final. Sheringham also represented England at international level. He was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in June 2007. He retired from competitive football at the end of the 2007-08 season with Colchester United, at the age of 42.
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Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1983–1991 Millwall 220 (93)
1985 → Aldershot (loan) 5 (0)
1985 → Djurgårdens IF (loan) 21 (13)
1991–1992 Nottingham Forest 47 (14)
1992–1997 Tottenham Hotspur 166 (76)
1997–2001 Manchester United 104 (31)
2001–2003 Tottenham Hotspur 70 (22)
2003–2004 Portsmouth 32 (9)
2004–2007 West Ham United 76 (28)
2007–2008 Colchester United 19 (3)
2009 Beckenham Town 0 (0)
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1988 England U21 1 (0)
1993–2002 England 51 (11)

Sol Campbell

2009-11-26T11:43:00.002-05:00

Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell (born 18 September 1974) is an English professional football player last attached to Notts County. A central defender, Campbell has also played for the English domestic clubs Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Portsmouth, as well as the English national team.

Born in East London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's professional debut was at age 18 for FA Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in December 1992. Campbell spent nine years at Tottenham, scoring 10 goals in 255 appearances, and captaining the team to victory in the 1999 Football League Cup Final against Premier League side Leicester City. In 2001 he controversially joined Tottenham's North London derby rivals Arsenal, the first high profile free transfer in the Premier League under the Bosman ruling. In his five years and 135 appearances at Arsenal he won two Premier League winners medals and three FA Cup winners medals, encompassing the 2001-02 League and FA Cup double, and being part of the team that became known as The Invincibles for their undefeated 2003-04 Premier League campaign. Campbell was also part of the side that lost 2-1 to Barcelona in the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. In August 2006 he joined Premier League side Portsmouth on a free transfer; his three years with the club included captaining them to success in the 2008 FA Cup Final against Championship side Cardiff City.

At the end of the 2008-09 season he made the surprise move of dropping down three levels of the English football pyramid to join League Two side Notts County on a free transfer, signing a five year deal at the club where his former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson had recently become Director of Football. In another surprise however, in September 2009 Campbell left the club by mutual consent, having played just one game.

Campbell gained his first full England cap for the England national football team aged 21. In May 1998 Campbell became what was then England's second-youngest captain, after Bobby Moore, aged 23 years 248 days. Campbell's first and only goal for England came in the 2002 World Cup in the opening group game against Sweden. In 2006 Campbell become the only player to have represented England in six consecutive major tournaments, playing in the tournament stages of the 1996, 2000 and 2004 European Championships, and the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups, and he has a career total of 73 England caps. He was named in the official Teams of the Tournament for the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Championship.

Campbell's honours in the game include being in the Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year three times, in 1999, 2003 and 2004.
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Youth career
1989–1992 Tottenham Hotspur Academy
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Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–2001 Tottenham Hotspur 255 (10)
2001–2006 Arsenal 135 (8)
2006–2009 Portsmouth 95 (2)
2009 Notts County 1 (0)
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1994–1996 England U21 11 (2)
1994–2006 England B 2 (0)
1996-2009 England 73 (1)

David Ginola

2009-11-23T12:02:00.002-05:00

David Ginola (English pronunciation: /ˈdʒɪnəlɑː/; born 25 January 1967 in Gassin, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) is a former French international football player who has also worked as an actor and model.

He began his football career in his native France before moving to England in 1995 when he signed for Newcastle United and stayed in the country until retiring seven years later, having subsequently turned out for Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Everton. He was also a regular player for the French national team during the 1990s.

During his career he cultivated a reputation as a stylish maverick, often clashing with his coaches. Since his retirement from the game in 2002 he has become involved in several new pursuits, including acting.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hostpur signed Ginola in July 1997 for £2.5m, where he was joined by Newcastle team-mate Les Ferdinand. In 1999, he was named PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year, while playing for Tottenham Hotspur. He is still the only player in Premiership history to have won the award whilst at a club who finished the season outside of the top 4. He also won his only English domestic trophy with Spurs, the 1999 League Cup with a 1-0 victory over Leicester City at Wembley Stadium. Ginola is fondly remembered by Spurs fans, for his extravagant forward play and personality off the pitch. He played an integral role in their 1999 League Cup win, setting up the winner for Allan Nielsen in the final and scoring a long range goal in a 3-1 win against Manchester United in a previous round. The respect and fondness Tottenham fans have for Ginola was shown when he was given one of the biggest cheers on their 125th anniversary when legends were paraded on the pitch. It has been announced that Ginola will be in inducted into the Tottenham Hostpur Hall of Fame on 11th December.

Years Club App (Gls)
1985–1988 Toulon 82 0(4)
1988–1990 Racing Club Paris 61 (8)
1990–1992 Brest 50 (14)
1992–1995 Paris Saint-Germain 115 (33)
1995–1997 Newcastle United 58 (6)
1997–2000 Tottenham Hotspur 100 (13)
2000–2002 Aston Villa 32 0(3)
2002 Everton 5 (0)

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1990–1995 France 17 0(3)