Steve Stone (footballer)
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| Steve Stone | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven Brian Stone | |
| Date of birth | August 20, 1971 (age 35) | |
| Place of birth | Gateshead, England | |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in | |
| Playing position | Midfielder (Retired) | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| Nottingham Forest | ||
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1989-1999 1999-2002 2002 2002-2005 2005-2006 |
Nottingham Forest Aston Villa → Portsmouth (loan) Portsmouth Leeds United |
193 (23) 90 (4) 5 (1) 68 (8) 12 (1) |
| National team | ||
| 1995–1996 | England | 9 (2) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Steven Brian Stone (born 20 August 1971 in Gateshead, England) is an English former footballer. He played on the right side of midfield player but could also play at full back.
Stone began his career at Nottingham Forest, where despite suffering three broken legs, he managed to establish himself as a vital team player, and also earned a call up to the England squad, making his international debut in 1995 against Norway. He went on to earn nine caps, scoring twice, and was part of Terry Venables' squad for Euro 96.
However, another serious leg injury meant he missed the entire 1996-97 season. Despite this he fought his way back into the Forest team.
Following the club's relegation from the Premier League, he moved to Aston Villa for £5.5 million in 1999, having made 229 appearances for Forest. He soon became a vital team player under then manager John Gregory. However, following Gregory's dismissal, Stone failed to impress new manager Graham Taylor and, having failed to land a place in Manchester United two seasons earlier, he was transferred to Portsmouth for the 2002-03 season, having played in 121 games for Villa.
A famous crowd chant dedicated to him went: "Stevie Stone. Stevie Stone, Stevie Stevie Stone. He's got no hair but we don't care. Stevie Stevie Stone".
Despite continued injuries he established himself as a regular in the Portsmouth team. He was an invaluable part of the team that won promotion to the Premier League, and then achieved mid-table finishes the following two seasons. However, when his contract expired in June 2005 new manager Alain Perrin decided to release Stone, and he signed for Leeds United.
Stone's career at Leeds was short-lived. He was injured in training as soon as he joined the club and it took him most of his first season to recover from the injury to his knee. Stone played a few matches at the end of the 2005-06 campaign and continued to play at the start of the 2006-07 campaign. Injuries however struck again and Steve retired early on 15 December[1].
