Derek Riordan
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| Derek Riordan | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Derek George Riordan | |
| Date of birth | January 16, 1983 | |
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | |
| Playing position | Forward | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Celtic | |
| Number | 14 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2001-2006 2003 2006- |
Hibernian → Cowdenbeath (loan) Celtic |
123 (54) 2 (3) 24 (5) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2005 | Scotland | 1 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Derek George Riordan (born 16 January 1983 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish footballer currently employed by Scottish Premier League club Celtic F.C, having signed in the close season of 2006 from Hibernian F.C.
Contents |
[edit] Club career
[edit] Hibernian
Riordan signed for Hibs in 2000 and made his debut the following year. It took a few years for Riordan to establish himself in the first team, and he spent a brief spell on loan at Cowdenbeath in January 2003.
He was finally given an opportunity towards the end of the 2002/03 season, as Hibs finished in the bottom half of the Scottish Premier League. He took this opportunity well, and he was the club's top goalscorer for each of the next three seasons, with 18, 23 and 20 goals respectively.
This success earned him recognition in the form of the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2005, and selections for the full Scotland international squad during 2005.
At the end of the 2004/05 season, Riordan rejected an offer of an extension to his contract, and Hibs decided to place him on the transfer list. In August 2005, a £1 million fee was agreed between the clubs for his transfer to Football League club Cardiff City, but Riordan rejected the move.
Riordan caused controversy when he appeared in a video making "racist chants" about Rudi Skácel, who was then a Hearts player. The video, which was recorded by a fan using a mobile phone, involved singing a song to the tune of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine about Skácel being a "refugee". (Skácel is from the Czech Republic.) Riordan later apologised for the incident[1].
During the January 2006 transfer window, Rangers had a bid turned down for Riordan worth £450,000 on transfer deadline day January 31, 2006. Two bids from foreign clubs were accepted, but Riordan rejected these potential moves.
[edit] Celtic
Despite further interest from clubs including PSV Eindhoven, Anderlecht, Kaiserslautern, Crystal Palace, Burnley, Leeds United and Charlton Athletic, Riordan signed for Celtic in a £200,000 deal in June 2006. The fee was reduced from the previous offers because Riordan's contract with Hibs was due to expire in October 2006, and Riordan had already made a pre-contract agreement to sign for Celtic on a free transfer in January 2007.
Riordan has had difficulty obtaining a place in the Celtic side. As of October 4, 2006, he had only played three minutes in league matches for Celtic out of a possible 810. He has sometimes even not been selected as a substitute. He finally made his full debut for Celtic against St. Mirren in the CIS Cup, as Gordon Strachan fielded a side containing many players who are not first team regulars.
Riordan has publicly aired his disappointment at not being given more opportunities in the Celtic first team, and speculated that he may move to another club in the January transfer window in order to play regularly. On November 14, 2006, BBC Online reported that Norwich manager Peter Grant (a former Celtic player) had made enquiries to sign Riordan.
However, Riordan finally made his mark by scoring against Motherwell on December 30, 2006, scoring a further two goals the following month.
Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric revealed on August 11, 2007 that the club were interested in securing the services of Riordan, who has struggled to pin down a regular place since arriving from Hibernian last summer, but on August 20, manager Martin Allen decided not to make an approach for the player.[2]
In November 2007, the BBC reported that Hearts and English Championship side Bristol City had expressed an interest in the player[3], while Championship side Burnley were also linked with the player during the January transfer window.
Celtic are allegedly asking around £1million for Riordan, which has put off many potential buyers.
[edit] References
- ^ Daily Record story
- ^ Riordan's Leicester hopes fade BBC Sport 20 August 2007
- ^ BBC Sport 10 November 2007
Riordan is currently in talks with burnley about a possible £750,000 move to turf moor
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Stephen Pearson |
Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year 2005 |
Succeeded by Shaun Maloney |
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