Clubname	Notts County
Fullname	Notts County Football Club
Nickname	The Magpies
Founded	1862
Ground	Meadow LaneNottingham
Capacity	17,271 Limited by council licence. Design capacity 21,300
Owner	Ray Trew
Chairman	Ray Trew
Manager	Paul Ince
Mgrtitle	Manager
League	League One
Season	2009–10
Position	League Two, 1st (Champions)
Pattern la1	_notts1011h|pattern_b1=_notts1011h|pattern_ra1=_notts1011h|pattern_sh1=_manutd1011a|pattern_so1=_nzl10a
Leftarm1	H84BC4|body1=ffffff|rightarm1=ffffff|shorts1=000000|socks1=000000
Pattern la2	_bra10h|pattern_b2=_bra10H|pattern_ra2=_bra10H|
Leftarm2	FFDF00|body2=FFDF00|rightarm2=FFDF00|shorts2=FFDF00|socks2=FFDF00
Current	2010–11 Notts County F.C. season}}

Notts County Football Club (often known as Notts or County or by their nickname The Magpies) are an English professional football club. They are the fifth oldest professional football league club in the world, having been formed in 1862. They start the 2010–11 season in League One of The Football League, having won promotion as champions of League Two the previous season. County play their home games at Meadow Lane in black and white striped shirts.

The club has had several spells in the top division of English football, most recently in 1991-92, when County played in the old First Division. Notable former managers of Notts County include Jimmy Sirrel, Neil Warnock, Howard Kendall and Sam Allardyce.

The club has had several owners. In the 21st century a series of financial problems has seen the club owned by a Supporters' trust, who sold the club to Munto Finance - a subsidiary of Qadbak Investments. Further monetary difficulties saw the club sold, for a nominal fee, to Peter Trembling, who then sold the club to Ray Trew for £1 after the club had been served with two winding up petitions from HM Revenue and Customs due to demands for a late PAYE payment of around £500,000.

History

Formation and early years

Notts County are the oldest professional league club in the world having been formed in 1862, The Nottingham Guardian from 28 November 1862 reporting:

County pre-dated the The Football Association and initially played a game of its own devising, rather than association football. At the time of its formation, Notts County, like most sports teams, were considered to be a "gentlemen-only" club. Notts County are considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern game and are the oldest of the world's professional association football clubs (there are older professional clubs in other codes of football, and Sheffield F.C., an amateur club founded in 1857, are the oldest club now playing association football).

The club initially played at Park Hollow in the grounds of the old Nottingham Castle. In December 1864, the decision was made to play games against outside opposition, and it was decided that the club needed to find a bigger venue. After playing at several grounds, The Magpies settled at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in 1883. In November 1872, the Notts County full-back Ernest Greenhalgh played for England against Scotland in the first-ever international match, thereby becoming the club's first international player.

Football League

from the inaugural season in 1888–89 to 2007–08 when Notts County came 21st in League Two.]] In 1888, Notts County, along with eleven other football clubs, became a founding member of The Football League. They finished their first league season in 11th place, but avoided the dubious honour of the wooden spoon, which went to Midlands rivals Stoke. However, Notts County did achieve their highest ever league finish of 3rd in 1890-91, an achievement they repeated ten seasons later.

FA Cup Finals

On 25 March 1891, Notts County reached the FA Cup final for the first time. The Magpies were defeated 3–1 by Blackburn Rovers at The Oval, despite having beaten the same side 7-1 in the league only a week earlier.

Notts County made up for this on 31 March 1894, when they won the FA Cup at Goodison Park, defeating Bolton Wanderers 4-1 in a game in which Jimmy Logan scored the first hat-trick in FA Cup final history. This achievement is also memorable for Notts County becoming the first club outside the top division to win the FA Cup: Notts County finished 3rd in Division Two that season.

1920s

Notts County were relegated in 1926 in what was to be their last season in the English top flight for over half a century. The 1925–26 season was the last season that famed giant goalkeeper Albert Iremonger played for the club. Legend among Notts County supporters it has been said he had 'hands like the claws of a JCB and was a seven foot tall monster'

World War II to the 1950s

The club suspended all fixtures during the 1941–42 season after Meadow Lane was hit by enemy bombing. In the 1946–47 season, the ground was used temporarily by Nottingham Forest after the River Trent flooded both Meadow Lane and the City Ground. Forest again used Meadow Lane in 1968, after fire destroyed the main stand at the City Ground. The 'golden age' of the club came just after the end of World War II. County stunned the footballing world by signing Tommy Lawton from Chelsea for a then-record fee.

Lawton's arrival increased crowds by over 10,000. One incident during this period saw 10,000 fans locked outside the ground. In the 1949-50 season, Notts County clinched the Third Division (South) championship. Crowds averaged 35,000 as The Magpies held off Nottingham Forest in a thrilling championship race. The 1950–51 season was to be the last season in which Notts County would compete in a higher league than their city rivals.

As the 1950s drew to a close, Nottingham Forest replaced Notts County as the city's biggest club. After the 1957–58 season, the two clubs would not play each other again for sixteen years.

1960s to 1990s

Jimmy Sirrel era

The Magpies struggled during the 1960s, being on the brink of financial ruin and striving to avoid the indignity of having to apply for re-election to the league. This situation continued until Jack Dunnett, a local Member of Parliament, took control of the club. He appointed Jimmy Sirrel, a charismatic Scot who had once played for Celtic F.C., as manager in November 1969. In the 1970–71 season, The Magpies clinched the Fourth Division title in record-breaking style, remaining unbeaten at Meadow Lane.

Two seasons later, Notts County were again promoted, this time to Division Two. It marked an amazing turnaround in form under Sirrel and would also renew meetings with old adversaries Forest. Sirrel departed for Sheffield United in October 1975 but returned two years later.

Sirrel completed the remarkable transformation of Notts County in May 1981. He had turned The Magpies from Fourth Division strugglers to a top division side in little over a decade, ending an absence of fifty-five years from the top flight. This achievement was with the same chairman (Jack Dunnett), captain (Don Masson), and trainer (Jack Wheeler) throughout the decade.

In one of the most famous moments in the club's modern history, Notts County visited newly crowned champions Aston Villa on the opening day of the season. The Villa team had paraded their League Championship trophy to an expectant crowd before kickoff, but against all odds, County came away with a 1–0 victory. Notts County were relegated three seasons later, but not before reaching the FA Cup quarter-final, which they lost to Everton. Sirrel also retired at the end of that season. He came out of retirement a few months later in an unsuccessful attempt to save Notts County from a second consecutive relegation. Sirrel finally retired in 1987, bringing to a close one of the most successful and memorable periods in Notts County's history.

Neil Warnock era

In late 1988, a new manager arrived. Neil Warnock had previously led Scarborough into the Football League as champions of the Football Conference. At the end of his first full season, Warnock had led Notts County to promotion back to Division Two. The club anthem The Wheelbarrow song originated during this season, stemming from the club's historic first game at Wembley Stadium in a 2–0 win over Tranmere Rovers. A famous 1–0 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup booked them a place in the quarter-final, which they lost to eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur. Notts County also booked their second successive visit to Wembley and their second successive promotion. The Magpies defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 3–1 in front of 60,000 spectators, 25,000 of which were Notts County fans.

The following season was disappointing, seeing Notts County relegated from the top flight after just one season back there. Their first game of that season was a prestigious visit to Manchester United at Old Trafford, where they lost 2-0. However, they did manage to hold the Reds to a 1-1 draw in the return game at Meadow Lane just after the turn of the year, as United began a dismal second half of the season which ultimately cost them the league title. County's relegation came shortly after the sale of strikers Paul Rideout and Tommy Johnston, which raked in nearly £2million in total and contributed towards a £5million stadium revamp which saw Meadow Lane rebuilt on three sides shortly afterwards.

With the introduction of the Premier League, County were relegated from the old Division One to the new Division One. Warnock was dismissed in January 1993 and was succeeded by Mick Walker. Walker successfully averted a second consecutive relegation.

Mick Walker era

The Magpies narrowly missed the play-offs for promotion to the Premiership. The season is most remembered for a 2–1 victory over arch rivals Nottingham Forest in which Charlie Palmer scored the winning goal with just four minutes remaining. This has become a celebrated event among Notts County fans, who have dubbed 12 February (the anniversary of the game) Sir Charlie Palmer Day. This game was the last competitive Nottingham derby fixture to date. In March 1993 Notts County lost the Anglo-Italian Cup to Brescia.

Walker was surprisingly sacked in September 1994. This event triggered a dramatic decline in the club's fortunes that has persisted to the present. Notts won the Anglo-Italian Cup at Wembley in March 1995, but ended the season relegated to Division Two. County made another visit to Wembley Stadium in the 1996 play-off final, but missed the chance of a return to Division One with a 2–0 defeat to Bradford City.

Sam Allardyce era

The following season ranks among the club's worst, as they managed just seven victories all season and finished in the bottom position of the league table. Relegation to the league's basement division happened just six years after promotion to the top flight. However, success followed relegation under Sam Allardyce. The Magpies secured the Division Three title in March 1998 by a record margin of seventeen points. They became the first side since World War II to win promotion in mid-March, with six games still remaining.

2000s

Financial crisis and relegation battles

Allardyce left in October 1999 to join his old team Bolton Wanderers. In September 2003, Notts County faced the real possibility of dissolution. Crippling debts and an increasingly impatient Football League board combined to leave the future of the league's oldest club in doubt. However, the considerable efforts of a group of local businessmen and the club's loyal and upbeat supporters helped save the club from extinction. But despite new ownership, the club were unable to avoid relegation back to the bottom division in 2004. In a similar circumstance as their relegation in 1992, due to the rebranding of the Football League, County went from Division Two to League Two.

Ian Richardson replaced Gary Mills as manager in November 2004. Richardson managed to guide the club away from the relegation zone and held the manager's job until the end of the season when Gudjon Thordarson became the club's sixth manager in five years. The 2005–06 season began well for the Magpies, they won or drew their first seven league games and were top of the table in September. But their form dropped, and they escaped relegation on the final day of the season with a 2–2 draw against , whilst lost and went down. The Magpies' 21st place in League Two and in 89th place overall, was the lowest position the club had ever finished, and at the end of the season both the chairman and the manager left, a long-standing youth squad programme was ended, and many of the first-team players were out of contract or nearing contract maturity.

Former assistant manager Steve Thompson was appointed as manager and he led the team to a 13th place league finish in 2006–07. The following season started with poor results for Notts, including early exits from the League Cup and the Football League Trophy, and Thompson was sacked in October 2007, to be replaced by Ian 'Charlie' McParland. The team's poor form continued and safety from relegation was only secured in the penultimate match of the season. McParland parted company with the club in October 2009 with Notts fifth in League Two and 4 points from the top of the table; youth team manager Michael Johnson and Assistant Manager Dave Kevan were installed as joint caretaker managers.

Middle East investment

In June 2009, it was announced that Notts County were in talks on a takeover by Munto Finance, a Middle Eastern consortium owned by Qadbak Investments and represented by Nathan Willett and Peter Willett. Speculated by the British media and supported in part by various press releases, the club are believed to be given multi-million pound backing and were linked during the takeover's initial planning stages with the Qatari royal family by British tabloids; however, the latter claim was denied by the family. The Supporters' Trust, who owned the majority 60% share in the club, voted in favour of the takeover. On 14 July 2009, the takeover was confirmed, with Peter Trembling being appointed as Executive Chairman. A week later former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson was announced as the club's new Director of Football.

On 20 October 2009, the Football League announced that Notts County's owners had met its "fit and proper persons" regulations, and that while their structure was "complicated" and featured "both offshore entities and discretionary trusts", it had provided "extensive disclosure" to the League on their ownership structure. The League also stated that public disclosure of their ownership structure was a "matter for the club". On 12 December 2009 Peter Trembling purchased the club for a nominal fee from Munto Finance. After two months without a permanent manager, Steve Cotterill was given the Notts County job until the end of the 2009–2010 season in February 2010. Cotterill lead the club to the League Two title after a 5–0 away against the already-relegated , becoming the third club to win the fourth tier of English football three times and the second to win it under its three different names. A month after winning the title Cotterill stated that he would not be renewing his contract at Meadow Lane, and he was replaced by Craig Short who was relived of duties along with Dave Kevan on 24 October 2010.

On 28 October 2010 Paul Ince was appointed manager, and on 29 October 2010 Alex Rae was appointed assistant manager.

Colours and crest

Notts County's first known colours were amber and black hooped shirts, dating from the 1870s. This was followed by short spells playing in amber, then chocolate and blue halves. In 1890 the club adopted black and white striped shirts, and have played in these colours for most of the rest of their history.

Juventus F.C. shirts

The Italian football club Juventus F.C. derived its famous black-and-white striped kits from Notts County. Juventus have played in black and white striped shirts, with white shorts, sometimes black shorts since 1903. Originally, they played in pink shirts with a black tie, which only occurred due to the wrong shirts being sent to them, the father of one of the players made the earliest shirts, but continual washing faded the colour so much that in 1903 the club sought to replace them. Juventus asked one of their team members, Englishman John Savage, if he had any contacts in England who could supply new shirts in a colour that would better withstand the elements. He had a friend who lived in Nottingham, who being a Notts County supporter, shipped out the black and white striped shirts to Turin.

Rivalries

Notts County view their main rivals as neighbours Nottingham Forest. However, during recent stints in the lower levels of the Football League, rivalry has increased with Nottinghamshire neighbours Mansfield Town. Other clubs sharing local rivalries with Notts County are Derby County, Leicester City, Burton Albion, Lincoln City, and Chesterfield.

Players

:As of 14 January 2010.

Current squad

Coaching staff

Paul Ince}} Alex Rae}} Carl Muggleton}} Ben Rome}} Michael Johnson}} Paul Godfrey}} Mick Leonard}}

Ups and downs

With a total of thirteen promotions and fifteen relegations, no club has moved between the divisions of the Football League on more occasions than Notts County.

Promotion year 1897 1914 1923 1931 1950 1960 1971 1973 1981 1990 1991 1998 2010

Relegation year 1893 1913 1920 1926 1930 1935 1958 1959 1964 1984 1985 1992 1995 1997 2004

Honours

FA Cup

*Winners: 1894

*Finalists: 1891

Second Division (1892–1992), First Division (1992–2004), The Championship (2004–present)

*Champions: 1896–97, 1913–14, 1922–23

*Runners-Up: 1894–95, 1980–81

*Play-off Champions: 1990–91

Third Division (1958–92), Second Division (1992–2004), League One (2004–present)

*Runners-Up: 1972–73

*Play-off Champions 1989–90

Third Division South (1921–58)

*Champions: 1930–31, 1949–50

Fourth Division (1958–92), Third Division (1992–2004), League Two (2004–present)

*Champions: 1970–71, 1997-98, 2009-10

*Runners-Up: 1959–60

Anglo-Italian Cup

*Winners: 1994–95

*Runners-Up: 1993–94

Records

Highest Attendance 47,310 vs York City, FA Cup 6th Round, 12 March 1955

Highest Gate Receipts £124,539 vs Manchester City, FA Cup 6th Round, 16 February 1991

Record League Victory 11-1 vs Newport County, Division Three South, 15 January 1949

Record Cup Victory 15-0 vs Rotherham Town, FA Cup 1st Round, 24 October 1885

Most League Points (2 for a win) 69, Division Four 1970–71

Most League Points (3 for a win) 99, Division Three 1997–98

Most League Goals 107, Division Four 1959–60

Highest Scorer in One Season Tom Keetley, 39, Division Three South 1930–31

All Time Top Scorer (League) Les Bradd, 124, 1967–78

All Time Most Appearances (League) Albert Iremonger, 564, 1904–26

Youngest player (League) Tony Bircumshaw, 16 years and 54 days, 3 April 1961

Most appearances

Most goals

Notable former players

{| |- style="vertical-align:top" | Daniel Allsopp Jeff Astle Radojko Avramović Joe Bacuzzi Les Bradd Sol Campbell David Calderhead Steve Carter Trevor Christie Henry Cursham Dixie Dean Meindert Dijkstra Mark Draper Steve Finnan | Hughie Gallacher Eddie Gannon Ernest Greenhalgh Tony Hateley Albert Iremonger Tom Johnston Tommy Johnson Brian Kilcline Tommy Lawton Jason Lee Jimmy Logan Gordon Mair Arthur Mann Don Masson | Iain McCulloch Ian McParland Gary McSwegan David Needham Martin O'Neill Dennis Pearce Jermaine Pennant Kasper Schmeichel Jackie Sewell Mordecai Sherwin Craig Short Phil Turner Dave Watson Nigel Worthington |}

see also

References

External links

Notts County Official Website

Notts County Supporters Trust

A fans view of Notts County FC

Category:Association football clubs established in 1862 Category:English football clubs Category:Football League clubs Category:Football League founder members Category:Sport in Nottingham Category:FA Cup winners Category:Nottinghamshire football clubs

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:People from Smethwick Category:English footballers Category:England semi-pro international footballers Category:Association football forwards Category:Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players Category:West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Category:Coventry City F.C. players Category:Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Category:Blackpool F.C. players Category:Notts County F.C. players Category:Premier League players Category:The Football League players Category:Conference National players Category:People convicted of alcohol-related driving offenses

Playername	Paul Ince
Fullname	Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince
Dateofbirth	October 21, 1967
Cityofbirth	Ilford, London
Countryofbirth	England
Height
Position	Midfielder
Currentclub	Notts County (Manager)
Youthyears1	1982–1986 |youthclubs1 = West Ham United
Years1	1986–1989 |clubs1 = West Ham United |caps1 = 72 |goals1 = 7
Years2	1989–1995 |clubs2 = Manchester United |caps2 = 206 |goals2 = 25
Years3	1995–1997 |clubs3 = Internazionale |caps3 = 54 |goals3 = 10
Years4	1997–1999 |clubs4 = Liverpool |caps4 = 65 |goals4 = 14
Years5	1999–2002 |clubs5 = Middlesbrough |caps5 = 93 |goals5 = 7
Years6	2002–2006 |clubs6 = Wolverhampton Wanderers |caps6 = 115 |goals6 = 10
Years7	2006 |clubs7 = Swindon Town |caps7 = 3 |goals7 = 0
Years8	2007 |clubs8 = Macclesfield Town |caps8 = 1 |goals8 = 0
Totalcaps	609 |totalgoals = 72
Nationalyears1	1989 |nationalteam1 = England U21 |nationalcaps1 = 2 |nationalgoals1 = 0
Nationalyears2	1992 |nationalteam2 = England B |nationalcaps2 = 1 |nationalgoals2 = 0
Nationalyears3	1992–2000 |nationalteam3 = England |nationalcaps3 = 53 |nationalgoals3 = 2
Manageryears1	2006–2007 |managerclubs1 = Macclesfield Town
Manageryears2	2007–2008 |managerclubs2 = Milton Keynes Dons
Manageryears3	2008 |managerclubs3 = Blackburn Rovers
Manageryears4	2009–2010 |managerclubs4 = Milton Keynes Dons
Manageryears5	2010– |managerclubs5 = Notts County

Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince (born 21 October 1967 in Ilford, Greater London) is an English football manager and a former professional player. He has managed Blackburn Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons (twice) and Macclesfield Town. He is currently manager of Notts County.

As a player he won numerous honours with Manchester United, became the first black player to captain the England team and was also the first black Briton to manage a team in the highest tier of English football. His career saw him play for seven English clubs, including stints at Manchester United and Liverpool, as well as the Italian side, Internazionale.

Club career

West Ham United

Ince grew up as a West Ham United supporter. He was spotted playing, aged 12, by West Ham manager John Lyall around the time that the club was in the Second Division and achieved a surprise FA Cup final triumph over Arsenal.

He signed for the Hammers as a trainee, aged 14. Lyall helped Ince through troubled school times eventually signing him as a YTS trainee, on leaving school, in 1984. He is a product of the West Ham youth team and made his debut in English football on 30 November 1986 against Newcastle United in the First Division. He became a regular player in 1987–88, proving himself to have all-round qualities of pace, stamina, uncompromising tackling and good passing ability. He also packed a powerful shot, and was awarded with England under-21 honours to go with the youth caps he acquired as an apprentice. He firmly established himself as the successor in West Ham's midfield for the veteran Billy Bonds, who retired at the end of the 1987–88 season. Unfortunately for Ince, West Ham were not enjoying one of their best spells when he broke into the team. Despite having won the FA Cup in 1980 and finished third in the league in 1986, they had failed to sustain their challenge for major honours and finished 15th in 1987 and 16th in 1988, and worse was to follow.

In August 1988, an eventful season for Ince began. In a struggling West Ham side, he shot to national recognition with two stunning goals in a shock 4–1 win over defending league champions Liverpool in the League Cup, and continued to score goals as the Hammers reached the semi-finals while having real trouble finding any form in the League. West Ham lost to Luton Town in the semi-finals and, despite frequent displays of individual brilliance from Ince, were relegated at the end of the season, a disappointment which cost manager John Lyall his job after 15 years at the helm.

Manchester United

Ince played just once in the Second Division the following season before completing a highly controversial transfer to Manchester United for £1 million. Ince had been photographed in a Manchester United kit long before the transfer was complete, which appeared in the Daily Express. Ince received hateful abuse from West Ham United fans for many years afterwards. The initial move was postponed after he failed a medical, but was quickly completed on 14 September 1989 after he later received the all-clear.

In a recent article in Four Four Two magazine, when answering questions about his career from readers, he got his chance to explain the story:

"I spoke to Alex Ferguson and the deal was close to being done. I then went on holiday, and my agent at the time, Ambrose Mendy, said it wasn't worth me coming back to do a picture in a United shirt when the deal was completed, so I should do one before I left, and it would be released when the deal was announced. Lawrence Luster of the Daily Star took the picture and put in the library. Soon after, their sister paper, the Daily Express, were looking for a picture of me playing for West Ham, and found the one of me in the United shirt in the pile. They published it and all hell broke loose.

"I came back from holiday to discover West Ham fans were going mad. It wasn't really my fault. I was only a kid, I did what my agent told me to do, then took all the crap for it."

Ince eventually made his Manchester United debut in a 5–1 win over Millwall, though his next game for United came in a 5–1 hammering at the hands of Manchester City and became a strong presence in the midfield alongside long serving captain Bryan Robson and (when he wasn't out of the team injured) fellow new midfielder Neil Webb.

United won the FA Cup in his first season, defeating Crystal Palace 1–0 in a replay at Wembley after initially drawing 3–3. In both of these games, Ince was selected at right-back in favour of Viv Anderson, with his favoured central midfield position being occupied by Mike Phelan.

Over the next four seasons, Robson's United career gradually wound down until he finally left to manage Middlesbrough in 1994. During this time, Ince found himself playing alongside several other different central midfielders, including Mike Phelan, Neil Webb and Darren Ferguson. The arrival of striker Eric Cantona in November 1992 saw Brian McClair become Ince's regular central midfield partner until the arrival of Roy Keane the following season.

Meanwhile, Ince became United's key midfielder, with snapping tackles, raking passes and some tremendously hit shots, though he was not too prolific a goalscorer. One of his best games came in January 1994, when he scored twice in a 2–2 away draw with former club West Ham in the Premier League.

He won his second winners' medal when United defeated Barcelona in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup in Rotterdam in 1991 and received his third another year later when United beat Nottingham Forest in the 1992 League Cup final.

The next year, Manchester United were competing in the inaugural Premiership season with Ince and his best friend at the time, Ryan Giggs at the fore and part of a now legendary team that included Mark Hughes, Eric Cantona, Peter Schmeichel, Andrei Kanchelskis, Steve Bruce and Denis Irwin. Seeking a first League title for 26 years, United won it and Ince completed his domestic medal set just three years after joining the club.

Manchester United continued to dominate the domestic game in 1993–94 and Ince was the midfield general in the side which won the "double" of Premiership and FA Cup in 1994. A year later and Ince suffered more of the all too familiar chants of "Judas" when he and Manchester United went to West Ham on the last day of the season, needing a win to retain their Premiership crown. Sadly for them, they could only draw the game and Blackburn Rovers took the title. It went from bad to worse as Ince featured then in the United team which also lost the FA Cup final to Everton. During that season, his central midfield partner Roy Keane had missed 17 of United's 42 league games due to injury, meaning that Ince often found himself partnered with Brian McClair and – particularly towards the end of the season – the 20-year-old Nicky Butt.

In the summer of 1995, Ferguson sold him to Internazionale of Milan for £7.5 million – at the time one of the costliest transfer fees involving an English player. Ferguson had long sustained a tempestuous relationship with Ince, labelling him a "bottler" and a "fucking big-time Charlie", which many fans saw as the prime reason for Ince being sold, rather than on footballing or economic grounds. Ince's sale caused massive unrest among United supporters, and the discontent deepened when United turned to the much younger Nicky Butt as his successor rather than buying a more experienced player. A similar uproar followed the subsequent sale of Ince's team mates Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis, although the younger players who filled their places in the team contributed greatly to United's "double double" success in the 1995–96 season as well as the triumphs of subsequent seasons.

While at United, Ince had collected two Premier League title medals as well as two FA Cup winner's medals and one winner's medal each in the European Cup Winners' Cup and Football League Cup. He had also collected runners-up medal's in the League Cup twice and the FA Cup once.

Internazionale

In the 1995/1996 season Inter failed to challenge for a 14th scudetto, finishing seventh in the Serie A. Ince, though, had a successful first season, playing in all but four of Inter's league matches and performing well after a slow start which had started speculation of a November transfer window move to Arsenal. The next year, Ince had another successful season with the nerazzurri, scoring 6 times in 24 matches in the championship – in which Inter finished third – and also playing his part in Inter's run through to the UEFA Cup Final. Ince scored in the third round second-leg match away to Boavista as Inter swept all before them before meeting Schalke in the Final. Ince didn't play in the away first-leg as Inter lost 1–0 but he returned to the line-up for the home match which the Italians won 1–0 thanks to a goal from Ivan Zamorano. Penalties were again a heart breaker for Ince though, as Schalke won 4–1 in the resulting penalty shootout.

Despite being offered a new, improved contract by club president Massimo Moratti, Ince decided that after two years away it was time to move home and he left Inter.

Liverpool

After two seasons in Italy, Ince returned to England in the summer of 1997 in order for his son, Thomas, approaching his fifth birthday, to attend an English school. He joined Liverpool for more than £4 million – a move which surprised many because of the long history of rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool, and few players had ever appeared for both of these clubs during their careers. Indeed, only one player (Phil Chisnall, who was signed by Liverpool in the 1960s) has ever been transferred between the two clubs.

According to Graham Le Saux's autobiography, Ince's homophobic taunting and Le Saux's reaction during a 1997 Liverpool – Chelsea match has resulted in a long running coolness between the two players, despite the fact that Le Saux is not actually gay.

Ince won no honours in his first season with Liverpool as his new club were in the midst of a transitional period where they were cast as 'nearly men' and, rather derogatorily, 'Spice Boys' – a term coined to describe the likes of team mates and good friends of Ince's like Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Jason McAteer and Jamie Redknapp as underachieving playboys in the game; the term itself is derived from the name of the contemporary pop-group, the Spice Girls.

Ince's second season with Liverpool was again trophyless (seventh place in the league meant they wouldn't even be competing in the UEFA Cup the following season) but he achieved a personal high point when he scored a late equalizer against Manchester United at Anfield and celebrated with some ferocity in front of the Spion Kop, though it wasn't enough to deprive United of the Premier League title that formed part of their treble success.

Middlesbrough

In the summer of 1999, however, Liverpool coach Gérard Houllier put Ince on the transfer list and the 31-year-old signed for Middlesbrough for £1 million, who were still managed by Ince's former team-mate Bryan Robson.

As club captain, Ince played three seasons making 106 appearances with 9 goals at Middlesbrough before he was given a free transfer in 2002.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Ince joined Wolverhampton Wanderers and was playing outside a national top division for the first time since his one brief appearance there for West Ham in 1989, prior to his move to Manchester United. That said, Ince was in the Wolves team which won promotion to the Premier League as Division One playoff winners in his first season. They were relegated after just one season in the top flight (their first since 1983–84), but Ince helped them beat his old club Manchester United 1–0 in mid January and chose to stay with Wolves despite their relegation.

Ince was expected to retire at the end of the 2004–05 season, but he changed his mind halfway through the season following the appointment of Glenn Hoddle as manager of a Wolves side who were struggling at the wrong end of a league they had been expected to win promotion from. In June 2005, he signed a new one-year contract with Wolves. In April 2006, he announced that he wanted to continue playing for Wolves for a further season after speaking with his close friend Teddy Sheringham. However, following Ince's failure to get the manager's job at Wolves in July 2006 on Hoddle's resignation, the newly appointed manager, Mick McCarthy, decided not to offer Ince a new contract. Upon leaving, Ince declared his intention to return, at some point in the future, as manager of Wolves.

International career

Ince made his debut for the full England team in September 1992 in a friendly match against Spain in Santander. England lost 1–0 but Ince proved a success. He was duly awarded his second cap a month later in a disappointing 1–1 draw with Norway in a qualifying match for the 1994 World Cup.

Success at international level was not forthcoming. Ince was booked in a crucial World Cup qualifier against Poland, which caused him to be suspended for a critical 2–0 loss to Norway. However, Ince made history during England's summer tour of the U.S. when, in a match against the host nation, he became England's first black captain in the absence of David Platt and Tony Adams. England lost 2–0.

Ince won his tenth England cap in a 3–0 win over Poland which kept alive their World Cup qualification hopes, though required a victory over the Netherlands in Rotterdam a month later. In a controversial match, Holland beat England 2–0 and qualification hopes had gone. Ince scored twice – his first and only international goals – as the qualifying campaign ended with a 7–1 thumping of San Marino in Bologna. England had needed to win by seven clear goals and hope the Netherlands lost to Poland. Neither occurred, and England failed to qualify.

During Euro 96 Ince was a member of Terry Venables' England team as the midfield ball winner and got the label of "Gazza's minder" whose job was to create room for Paul Gascoigne to exploit with his natural ball skills. Though the first group game ended in a disappointing 1–1 draw at Wembley against Switzerland, England went on to defeat the old enemy Scotland 2–0 and then put on a display regarded as "total football" against (ironically) the Netherlands, the team whose performances at the 1974 World Cup had first prompted the phrase's coining. Ince was fouled for a penalty which gave England the lead and helped them towards a 4–1 win; he also picked up a yellow card which rendered him unavailable for the quarter final against Spain, which England won on penalties.

Venables put Ince back in the side for the semifinal against Germany, replacing the suspended Gary Neville as England switched systems to a back three, accommodating Ince in central midfield with Paul Gascoigne and David Platt. Ince and England played superbly but could only manage a 1–1 draw and England lost the penalty shootout. Ince received criticism for not taking a penalty (the crucial missed kick from Gareth Southgate was England's sixth) and for spending the whole shootout sitting down in the centre circle with Steve McManaman with their backs to goal.

Another new England coach came on the scene in Glenn Hoddle and Ince kept his place for the next six internationals, which included five crucial qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup in France. England won four of them but lost 1–0 at home to Italy. During the first of these qualifiers against Moldova in Chişinău, a famous photograph of Ince was taken as he tried to climb a wall at the stadium, only for Gascoigne to pull his tracksuit trousers down, revealing Ince's bare buttocks in front of an army of cameras.

Ince won his 30th England cap in May 1997 as England beat Poland 2–0 in Chorzow to leave them with an opportunity to get through to the World Cup provided they could beat Moldova at Wembley and then not lose to Italy in Rome. Moldova were duly dispatched 4–0 and Ince, in an incident reminiscent of Terry Butcher against Sweden seven years earlier, started the Italy match with a white England shirt and ended it with a red one after his own blood soaked the shirt following a deep cut to his head. The game ended goalless and England had qualified.

Ince was selected in the England squad for the World Cup in 1998, winning his 40th cap in the opening group game against Tunisia in Marseille. England got through the group but succumbed in the second round to Argentina, again after a penalty shootout. This time Ince did take a penalty but saw it saved.

Due to a red card against Sweden in England's first qualifying match for Euro 2000 Ince was suspended for three matches by UEFA. After initially failing to displace Tim Sherwood and David Batty in Kevin Keegan's new-look side, Ince returned to the XI for the two legged play-off with Scotland as England sealed its place in the Netherlands and Belgium.

In a warm up match for Euro 2000 against Malta Ince came on as a substitute and won his 50th cap. He duly played in all three of England's group games of the tournament – winning a penalty against Romania in the last game – but England lost two of three matches and were eliminated. Ince immediately retired from the England scene.

Managerial career

Swindon Town (player-coach)

After much speculation and prolonged discussions – On 31 August 2006, Paul Ince signed a one-year contract with Swindon Town as a player/coach. Swindon were rumoured to have beaten the likes of Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion for his signature. A key factor in the transfer was Ince's long standing friendship with Town manager Dennis Wise, who had played alongside him occasionally in the England team during the 1990s. He made his full debut for Swindon in the 2–1 victory over MK Dons on 12 September 2006.

Ince only played one other game for Swindon after the MK victory – before the club announced that Ince had felt he could not fulfil his playing duties with the club and that his contract had been terminated by mutual consent, although he continued coaching at the club to complete his coaching badges.

Macclesfield Town

On 23 October 2006, Ince was confirmed as the new player-manager of Macclesfield Town in succession to Brian Horton. However, he was ineligible to play for the Silkmen until January when the transfer window opened, as Swindon Town still held his registration. He joined Macclesfield with the club bottom of League Two, seven points off their nearest rivals. He then revived confidence and after a 3–0 win against Chester they managed to climb off the bottom of the table. They subsequently avoided relegation, albeit on the last day of the season. On 4 January 2007 Ince was named as League Two Manager of the Month for December. Ince played his last game of professional football on 5 May 2007 in Macclesfield's 1–1 home draw with Notts County coming off the substitute bench to replace Alan Navarro in the 85th minute of play.

Milton Keynes Dons (2007–08)

Ince was unveiled as the new Milton Keynes Dons manager along with his assistant Ray Mathias and fitness coach Duncan Russell on 25 June 2007. The Dons reached the top of their Division in September 2007 and other clubs began to take a serious interest. In October and November 2007, he denied rumours that he was being linked with managerless Premiership teams Wigan, Derby County and Championship team Norwich City.

Ince was named as League Two "manager of the month" in October and December 2007, and again in April 2008.

Ince's first silverware as manager came in the Football League Trophy Final at Wembley on 31 March 2008, with the MK Dons defeating Grimsby Town 2–0. He then secured the Dons' return to Coca-Cola League 1 in April 2008 after they beat 3–2. On 26 April, the Dons became League Two champions after they beat 2–1.

Blackburn Rovers

In the close-season it was speculated that Ince had been contacted by Blackburn Rovers in their search to appoint a new manager, something that Ince himself denied. However, the BBC reported that Ince would be named as Blackburn manager by the end of the week of 19 June. He was appointed on 22 June and became the first black British manager in England's top division. On the first day of the 2008–09 FA Premier League season, Blackburn Rovers faced Everton at Goodison Park – this was Paul Ince's first premiership game with Blackburn Rovers. David Dunn opened the scoring for Ince's side and Roque Santa Cruz and Andre Ooijer later scored in a 3–2 win. Ince's 2008 summer signings included England international goalkeeper Paul Robinson, Danny Simpson (Loan), Vince Grella, Carlos Villanueva (Loan), Robbie Fowler, Mark Bunn and Keith Andrews.

After winning just three games in 17, Ince was sacked on 16 December 2008 after just six months in charge. Ince had been with Blackburn only 177 days, one of the shortest reigns of a Premier League manager. Blackburn fans had been demanding his removal following a 5–3 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Carling Cup on 3 December 2008. At the game, the crowd could be heard chanting "You don't know what you're doing" and "We want Incey out" as well as singing the name of their former manager Graeme Souness.

Ince cited his failure at Blackburn Rovers as being due to a lack of financial backing, conditions that were known to Ince at the time of signing for the club. Ince did, however, spend over £10 million on Paul Robinson, Vince Grella and Keith Andrews regardless of these restrictions.

Milton Keynes Dons (2009–10)

On 3 July 2009, Ince signed again for Milton Keynes Dons on a two-year deal. However on 16 April 2010, he announced that he would leave the job a year early, at the end of the 2009–10 season.

Notts County

Ince returned to management on 28 October 2010, signing a three year eight month deal with Notts County.

Statistics

Player

|- |1992||3||0 |- |1993||9||2 |- |1994||3||0 |- |1995||1||0 |- |1996||10||0 |- |1997||9||0 |- |1998||9||0 |- |1999||4||0 |- |2000||5||0 |- !Total||53||2 |}

Manager

Updated on 15 January 2011

Honours

Manchester United

Premier League (2): 1992–93, 1993–94

FA Cup (2): 1989–90, 1993–94

League Cup (1): 1991–92

Charity Shield (3): 1990, 1993, 1994

Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1990–91

UEFA Super Cup (1): 1991

Wolverhampton Wanderers

First Division play-offs (1): 2002–03

Individual

Domestic Team of the Decade – Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992/3 – 2001/2)

Managerial honours

With Milton Keynes Dons

Football League Trophy (1): 2008

Football League Two (1): 2008

Personal life

Ince's son, Thomas, is currently a member of the England national under-17 football team and plays club football for Ince's former club Liverpool. On 1 November 2010, Ince put through a two month loan deal to bring Thomas to Notts County.

References

External links

Category:1967 births Category:People from Ilford Category:Living people Category:Black British sportspeople Category:Association football midfielders Category:English footballers Category:England under-21 international footballers Category:England B international footballers Category:England international footballers Category:English expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Italy Category:West Ham United F.C. players Category:Manchester United F.C. players Category:F.C. Internazionale Milano players Category:Liverpool F.C. players Category:Middlesbrough F.C. players Category:Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Category:Swindon Town F.C. players Category:Macclesfield Town F.C. players Category:The Football League players Category:Premier League players Category:Serie A footballers Category:Macclesfield Town F.C. managers Category:Milton Keynes Dons F.C. managers Category:Blackburn Rovers F.C. managers Category:Notts County F.C. managers Category:Premier League managers Category:UEFA Euro 1996 players Category:1998 FIFA World Cup players Category:UEFA Euro 2000 players

Playername	Kasper Schmeichel
Fullname	Kasper Peter Schmeichel
Dateofbirth	November 05, 1986
Cityofbirth	Copenhagen
Countryofbirth	Denmark
Height
Position	Goalkeeper
Currentclub	Leeds United
Clubnumber	1
Youthyears1	2002–2006 |youthclubs1 = Manchester City
Years1	2006–2009 |clubs1 = Manchester City |caps1 = 8 |goals1 = 0
Years2	2006 |clubs2 = → Darlington (loan) |caps2 = 4 |goals2 = 0
Years3	2006 |clubs3 = → Bury (loan) |caps3 = 15 |goals3 = 0
Years4	2006 |clubs4 = → Bury (loan) |caps4 = 14 |goals4 = 0
Years5	2007 |clubs5 = → Falkirk (loan) |caps5 = 15 |goals5 = 0
Years6	2007–2008 |clubs6 = → Cardiff City (loan) |caps6 = 14 |goals6 = 0
Years7	2008 |clubs7 = → Coventry City (loan) |caps7 = 9 |goals7 = 0
Years8	2009–2010 |clubs8 = Notts County |caps8 = 43 |goals8 = 0
Years9	2010– |clubs9 = Leeds United |caps9 = 16 |goals9 = 0
Nationalyears1	2004–2005 |nationalteam1 = Denmark U19 |nationalcaps1 = 8 |nationalgoals1 = 0
Nationalyears2	2006 |nationalteam2 = Denmark U20 |nationalcaps2 = 1 |nationalgoals2 = 0
Nationalyears3	2007–2008 |nationalteam3 = Denmark U21 |nationalcaps3 = 17 |nationalgoals3 = 0
Pcupdate	12:13, 3 May 2010 (UTC)
Ntupdate	08:53, 15 August 2009 (UTC)

Kasper Peter Schmeichel (born 5 November 1986 in Copenhagen) is a Danish professional football goalkeeper, and son of Peter Schmeichel. He played 17 games for the Denmark under-21 national team and joined Leeds United on 1 July 2010.

Schmeichel began his career with Manchester City, for whom his father, Peter Schmeichel, was playing at the time, but he had loan spells with Darlington, Bury and Falkirk before he made his City debut. Although Schmeichel appeared to have made the City #1 jersey his own at the start of the 2007–08 season, the emergence of Joe Hart resulted in Schmeichel being loaned to Cardiff City. He expressed an interest in remaining with Cardiff, but the departure of Andreas Isaksson meant that Schmeichel was recalled from his loan spell. The signing of Republic of Ireland international Shay Given in January 2009 meant that Schmeichel fell even further down the pecking order at City, and in August 2009, he was allowed to link up with former manager Sven-Göran Eriksson at Notts County.

Club career

Manchester City

Schmeichel joined Manchester City in 2002 on a long-term contract. He joined League Two side Darlington on a loan deal in January 2006, where he made his professional first team debut against Peterborough United at the 96.6 TFM Arena on 14 January 2006. Darlington won the game 2–1, with Schmeichel conceding a goal to Peterborough striker James Quinn. He gained his first clean sheet three days later against Grimsby Town. He made two further appearances before returning to Manchester City.

One month after returning to Manchester City he was loaned out again, this time to Bury in February, where he made 15 appearances in a three-month loan spell. He returned to Bury for a further three months the following season.

Schmeichel joined Scottish Premier League side Falkirk on loan from January 2007 until the end of the 2006–07 season. He was named man of the match against Rangers on 18 February 2007. He revealed in May he would have liked his loan at Falkirk extended and Falkirk expressed an interest in signing him.

Schmeichel made his Manchester City debut against West Ham United in August 2007. He played against City's rivals and his boyhood team Manchester United on the 19 August 2007 and kept a clean sheet in City's 1–0 home win. Schmeichel saved a penalty from Arsenal's Robin van Persie on 25 August 2007 at the Emirates Stadium. Despite City losing 1–0 to Arsenal he was named man of the match. He played the first seven of Manchester City's games in the 2007–08 Premier League season, keeping clean sheets against Manchester United, West Ham, Aston Villa and Derby County conceding only five goals.

He signed a new four-year deal with City in September 2007. This was then followed up with an agreement to go on a one-month loan with Championship side Cardiff City on 25 October 2007. He made his debut for Cardiff on 27 October 2007 in a 1–1 draw with Scunthorpe United. He was named 2007 Danish under-21 Talent of the Year.

Towards the end of the loan spell Schmeichel requested that he would be allowed to stay on at Cardiff for a longer period and on 22 November the loan spell was extended until the new year with manager Sven-Göran Eriksson stating that he could possibly stay at the club for the rest of the season providing Manchester City do not suffer an injury crisis. However, after Eriksson named Joe Hart as the number one goalkeeper at Manchester City, Andreas Isaksson requested a transfer. This meant that Eriksson would not allow Cardiff to keep Schmeichel after his initial loan period ended on the 2 January. On 31 December Eriksson threw Cardiff a lifeline by opening talks for Schmeichel to stay at Ninian Park. Schmeichel would be allowed to stay for two more matches should Andreas Isaksson not move until late in the January transfer window. Schmeichel had since stated he would like to play for Cardiff again in the future. On 3 January 2008, Schmeichel returned to Manchester City.

He joined Coventry City on loan until the end of the season on 13 March. Towards the end of the season his father, Peter Schmeichel, commented during a TV interview that his son was not happy at Manchester City and was set to leave following the end of the season.

Despite wanting to leave, Schmeichel returned to the City of Manchester Stadium at the end of the season and changed to the number 16 shirt. He repeatedly stated that he wanted to leave City and regretted signing a four year contract.

On 16 November, Schmeichel entered a game as a substitute after Joe Hart injured his ankle in the 14th minute. City went on to a 2–2 result with Hull City. In December 2008, Schmeichel played his last game for Manchester City in the UEFA Cup against Racing Santander. On 4 January 2009, he stated in the Daily Mail newspaper that he was ready to quit the football club after falling down the pecking order at Eastlands Stadium.

Notts County

On 14 August 2009, Schmeichel signed for Football League Two side Notts County in a deal that is believed to have broken the club's previous transfer record. The transfer reunited Schmeichel with his former Manchester City manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson, who had recently been appointed Director of Football at Notts County. He was the highest paid player at the club, being paid 1 million pounds annually. He made his debut on 22 August and kept a clean sheet in the side's 3–0 win against Dagenham & Redbridge. In September 2010 Schmeichel almost scored with an audacious overhead kick against Morecambe when he came up from a corner late on in the game.

A fine string of performances in October earned Schmeichel the Player of the Month. During Schmeichel's stay at The Magpies, the club have conceded only 0.7 goals per League 2 match. Schmeichel's clean-sheets-to-game-ratio at Notts County is 52.7 percent (20 out of 38 appearances as of 19 April 2010). On 27 April, Schmeichel and Notts County secured the 2009–10 League Two trophy and promotion for the Football League One with a 5–0 win against already relegated Darlington. Shortly before the game, it was announced that Notts County agreed to release Schmeichel at the end of the season despite having four years left on his contract. The reasoning behind this was financial; with Schmeichel earning a reported £15,000 a week having been signed during the brief ownership period of high-spending Munto Finance in the summer 2009. Schmeichel agreed to forgo all his future wages – something which chairman Ray Trew described as "a huge concession by such a young man".

Leeds United

On 27 May 2010, having been linked with both Premiership and Bundesliga clubs, Schmeichel signed a two year contract with Leeds United. He joined the club on 1 July 2010. In the 2010–11 squad number announcement Schmeichel was given the number 1 shirt at Leeds. After much speculation during the pre-season over who would be Leeds' first choice goalkeeper for the forthcoming season, it was Schmeichel who was given the nod ahead of Shane Higgs. He made his debut for the club on Saturday 7 August 2010 in Leeds United's opening Football League Championship match against Derby County. Despite Leeds losing 2–1, Schmeichel put in an impressive performance, making several crucial saves during the match. After a string of impressive games for Leeds, Schmeichel was nominated for the August Championship Player of the month award but lost out to Q.P.R winger Adel Taarabt.

After picking up a tendon injury in his foot, Schmeichel missed the game against Swansea City and has been ruled out of Leeds' next few games. Whilst out injured Schmeichel appeared on Soccer AM as one of the guests on the show After just under 2 months out, Schmeichel returned to the Leeds starting lineup against Cardiff City Schmeichel was set to play against Coventry City on 6th November, but due to the birth of his first child the night before, he missed the game.

On 8 January 2011 Schmeichel helped Leeds earn a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the FA Cup 3rd round match at the Emirates Stadium. Leeds were 1-0 up when Robert Snodgrass scored a second half penalty, and Arsenal equalised in the 90th minute when Cesc Fabregas scored a late penalty. Moments later, a long rage shot from Denílson would have won Arsenal the match if not for a save from Schmeichel. After the match,the Arsenal captain Fabregas said that Kasper Schmeichel should get the match ball for his performance.

International career

While at Manchester City, Kasper Schmeichel was called up for the Danish under-19 national team in August 2004, and made his international debut in a 0–0 draw with Northern Ireland on 2 September 2004. He went on to play eight under-19 internationals until March 2005, competing with Kenneth Stenild and Michael Tørnes for the goalkeeping spot. He was called up for the under-20 team in October 2005, but did not play for the team until October 2006, during his time at Bury. The day after his under-20 debut, Schmeichel was asked to train with the senior Denmark national football team and was called up as a replacement for injured Theis Rasmussen in the Danish under-21 national team squad.

He was one of the leading players in the team, and was named Danish under-21 Talent of the Year in November 2007, following three clean sheets in the previous four under-21 games. Schmeichel stated that he would only ever play for Denmark. Former Notts County manager Hans Backe praised Schmeichel and said he should earn a call up to the full Danish national side.

In December 2010 Schmeichel stated that he was hoping to impress Danish national coach Morten Olsen after his impressive form for Leeds United

Goalkeeping range

Schmeichel signed an ambassadorial agreement with Precision Goalkeeping on 17 August 2010 which will include the release of the "Schmeichel" Goalkeeping Range.

Personal life

Schmeichel is the son of former Denmark international and Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who finished his career with Manchester City. Kasper spent most of his childhood living in England, due to his father's playing career, and speaks with an English accent. He attended Hulme Hall school in Cheadle and he also attended at Saint Julian's School in Portugal while his father played in Sporting Clube de Portugal. When Alex Bruce joined Kasper at Leeds United, the move saw the two players re-unite after both previously played football together on the streets as children after school.

Honours

Club

Notts County

League Two: 2009–10

Individual

2007 Danish under-21 Talent of the Year

League Two Player of the Month: October 2009

PFA League Two Fans' Player of the Year 2009/2010

'''League 2 PFA Team of the Year: 2009–10

Career statistics

:Last updated 2010-11-07 |- |rowspan="3"|2005–06||Manchester City||Premier League||0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0 |- |Darlington (loan)||rowspan="3"|League Two||4||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||4||0 |- |rowspan="2"|Bury (loan)||15||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||15||0 |- |2006–07||14||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||14||0 |- |2006–07||Falkirk (loan)||Scottish Premier League||15||0||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||17||0 |- |- |rowspan="3"|2007–08||Manchester City||Premier League||7||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||7||0 |- |Cardiff City (loan)||rowspan="2"|Championship||14||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||14||0 |- |Coventry City (loan)||9||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||9||0 |- |2008–09||Manchester City||Premier League||1||0||0||0||1||0||1||0||3||0 |- |2009–10||rowspan="1"|Notts County||rowspan="1"|Football League Two||35||0||5||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||40||0 |- |2010–11||Leeds United||Championship||12||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||13||0 100||0||5||0||2||0||1||0||107||0 15||0||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||17||0 115||0||6||0||2||0||1||0||124||0

References

External links

Kasper Schmeichel: Official Twitter Page

Kasper Schmeichel: Official Facebook Page

Danish national team profile

Manchester City F.C. profile

Kasper Schmeichel Leeds United A.F.C Player Profile

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:People from Copenhagen Category:Association football goalkeepers Category:Danish footballers Category:Denmark under-21 international footballers Category:Danish expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Expatriate footballers in Scotland Category:Manchester City F.C. players Category:Darlington F.C. players Category:Bury F.C. players Category:Falkirk F.C. players Category:Cardiff City F.C. players Category:Coventry City F.C. players Category:Notts County F.C. players Category:Leeds United A.F.C. players Category:Premier League players Category:The Football League players Category:Scottish Premier League players Category:Danish people of Polish descent

Alan Gow (born 9 October 1982 in Clydebank) is a Scottish footballer who is currently playing for Notts County. He can play as either a striker or an attacking midfielder.

Gow started his senior career with his hometown club Clydebank, but moved to Airdrie United in 2002 after Clydebank went out of business. Gow then moved to Scottish Premier League club Falkirk in 2005, and his performances there earned him a transfer to Rangers. Gow failed to break into the Rangers first team, however, and after loan spells with Blackpool and Norwich City, Gow moved to Football League Championship club Plymouth Argyle. Gow fell out of favour at Plymouth after a managerial change; he was loaned to Hibernian and was then released from his contract during the 2010 close season. Gow then played for Motherwell, but left the club after his contract expired in January 2011.

Club career

Early career

Born in Clydebank, Gow started his career at Yoker boys club before joining Clydebank, his hometown club. He joined Airdrie United on 30 August 2002, as Airdrie took Clydebank's place in the Scottish Football League. Gow remained with Airdrie for three years, helping them to win the Scottish Second Division championship in 2004. Gow played 98 matches and scored 33 goals for the Diamonds.

Falkirk

Gow joined Falkirk in June 2005, following their promotion to the Scottish Premier League from the Scottish First Division in the 2004–05 season, on a two year contract where he became an important member of their squad, helping them retain their SPL status in 2005–06. His performances in the 2006–07 season led to interest from Rangers, Celtic, Hibernian, Aberdeen. English club Wolverhampton Wanderers also had a bid turned down for Gow. On New Year's Day 2007 he scored a hat-trick as Falkirk won 5–1 at Dundee United, which led to the club's manager John Hughes saying of him, "I think he is destined for the Premiership". He also tipped him to earn a full Scotland cap.

Gow marked his 81st and final appearance for the Bairns by scoring in a 3–0 win against relegated Dunfermline Athletic.

Rangers

On 26 January 2007, Falkirk turned down an improved bid from Gow's boyhood heroes Rangers for the striker. While the first offer was £100,000, Falkirk manager John Hughes was said to have been holding out for £500,000 in the hope of selling him before he could leave on a free transfer in the summer. After failed late attempts to sign Gow before the January transfer window closed, Rangers signed him for three years on a pre-contract agreement for him to join the club in the summer.

After being granted special permission by Falkirk, Gow made his Rangers debut in a post-season friendly match against MLS club Los Angeles Galaxy at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, United States, coming on as a half time substitute for Nacho Novo. His first competitive match was four months later, on 26 September 2007, when he played in a League Cup match against East Fife.

On 17 June 2008, English Championship club, Burnley accepted a £3 million offer from Rangers for striker Kyle Lafferty, with Gow due to go the other way as part of the deal. However, Gow opted to stay with Rangers, but the deal for Lafferty still went ahead. Later in June, Gow visited Carrow Road to have talks over a possible move to another Championship club, Norwich City. Despite the player and his agent expressing interest in the move, the club did not pursue its interest in Gow. And on 1 September 2008 he signed for the Seasiders on loan until 1 January 2009, with a set fee already in place to sign him permanently should he impress. Gow said of the move, "Obviously it hasn't worked out the way I thought it should have at Rangers but I need to go out, play some games and get my fitness back." He also confirmed that SPL club Hearts had been interested in signing him. He scored his first goal for the Seasiders on 4 October 2008 against Cardiff City. After coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute he scored the equaliser deep into the fifth minute of injury time as the clubs drew 1–1 at Bloomfield Road.

He made his first start for the Seasiders on 21 October 2008 scoring a goal as Blackpool beat Derby County 3–2 at Bloomfield Road. With long term injuries to two of the club's strikers, Daniel Nardiello and Stephen McPhee, coupled with a short term injury to Steve Kabba, Gow was used as a striker. And after scoring his third goal in eight games for the Seasiders, when he again struck in injury time, in the 92nd minute, to seal a 4–3 win over Watford at Vicarage Road, the club's manager Simon Grayson confirmed that he wanted to sign Gow permanently. Grayson said of him, "When he keeps performing like that, we'd like to get something sorted. He had opportunities to go to Norwich and Birmingham and turned them down and came here. There's a fee agreed with Rangers and we've talked about it in the last few weeks." At the end of his loan spell, on 31 December 2008 he returned to Rangers.

In January 2009 Rangers confirmed that they were in negotiations with Wolverhampton Wanderers over a proposed move for the player. Gow agreed to join the Championship side in a two-and-a-half year deal on 6 January 2009 for an undisclosed fee, around £250,000, pending a medical, however the medical subsequently revealed an issue that caused Wolves to pull out of the deal.

Norwich City loan move

On 2 February 2009, Gow joined Norwich City on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut for the club as a substitute in a 3–3 draw away to Wolverhampton Wanderers – whom he almost joined earlier in the transfer window – the following day.

Plymouth Argyle

Rangers accepted a £200,000 bid for the player from Plymouth Argyle in August 2009. Gow completed the deal on 14 August, signing a two-year contract with the Championship side. He scored his first goal during his debut in a 3–1 home defeat to Cardiff due to a late penalty given away by former Argyle player Tony Capaldi, who received a second yellow card for the offence. He scored again in his second appearance for the club against Sheffield Wednesday.

Gow fell out of favour at Plymouth after the departure of manager Paul Sturrock. On 1 February 2010, Gow joined Hibernian on loan until the end of the season. SPL rivals Hearts and Aberdeen were also interested in signing Gow, but his relationship with manager John Hughes, who had previously managed him at Falkirk, influenced Gow in his decision. Gow scored a goal on his debut for Hibs, the final goal in a 5–1 Scottish Cup win against Montrose. He has subsequently suffered from hamstring injuries, which have restricted his appearances. Gow expressed a desire to stay at Hibs and to leave Plymouth permanently, Gow was released by Plymouth in July 2010.

Motherwell

It was reported by the Swindon Advertiser that Gow had agreed personal terms and completed a medical with Football League One club Swindon Town on 30 August 2010, before demanding a "considerable rise" on the agreed basic wage. Three days later, Gow signed for SPL club Motherwell on a six-month deal. After signing for Motherwell, Gow responded to the criticism from Swindon by stating that he had not agreed a contract with them. He scored his first goal for the club when he scored a late winning goal against Dundee United, in a League Cup tie on 26 October 2010. He would only score one other goal during his time at the Fir Park club, with new Motherwell manager Stuart McCall then deciding against offering Gow a new deal.

Notts County

Alan Gow signed for Notts County on 14 January 2011.

Statistics

International career

On 30 January 2007, Alex McLeish named Gow in the Scotland B team to play Finland B at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock on 7 February. Gow came on as a substitute in the 61st minute and scored three minutes later as the teams drew 2–2.

References

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:People from Clydebank Category:Association football forwards Category:Scottish footballers Category:Scotland B international footballers Category:Clydebank F.C. players Category:Airdrie United F.C. players Category:Falkirk F.C. players Category:Rangers F.C. players Category:Blackpool F.C. players Category:Norwich City F.C. players Category:Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Category:Hibernian F.C. players Category:Motherwell F.C. players Category:Notts County F.C. players Category:Scottish Football League players Category:Scottish Premier League players Category:The Football League players