Garry Flitcroft
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| Garry Flitcroft | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Garry William Flitcroft | |
| Date of birth | December 6, 1972 | |
| Place of birth | Bolton, England | |
| Height | 6'0" | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1991–1996 1992 1996–2006 2006 |
Manchester City → Bury (loan) Blackburn Rovers Sheffield United |
116 (13) 12 (0) 248 (14) 6 (0) |
| National team | ||
| 1993 | England U21 | 10 (3) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Garry William Flitcroft (born November 6, 1972 in Bolton, Lancashire, England) is a former English football player.
Flitcroft's career started in 1991 with Manchester City, for whom he had played for most of his career, albeit having a brief spell at Bury in March 1992. After five years at with City, having played 142 games, some as captain, he joined Blackburn in March 1996 for £3.5m. The combative midfielder was signed after Rovers' talks with rising French star Zinedine Zidane broke down. Despite being sent off after just three minutes of his debut, he went on to serve as Blackburn's captain, and was a very tenacious, albeit technically ungifted midfielder.
During the 2001-02 season however, he was unmasked in the newspapers as allegedly having had an extramarital affair. The lawsuit resulting from this allegation, A v B (A Company), was notable for the way it weighed personal privacy rights against the right to freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights (applicable since the Human Rights Act 1998 came into force in 2000).
The allegations of infidelity did not halt Garry's career, as he continued to make appearances for the club, his 250th coming during the 2003-04 season. Blackburn allowed him to join Sheffield United on a free transfer on January 12 2006 where his Premiership experience was expected to make him a permanent figure in United's midfield. However, due to a persistent knee injury and a lack of form, Flitcroft was forced to retire in July 2006 after just a handful of games for the club.
Garry's brother, David, was also a midfielder who played in the lower divisions for clubs including Chester City, Bury and Rochdale, where he is now assistant manager.
[edit] External links
- A v B & C 2002 EWCA Civ 337, a discussion of Garry's lawsuit
[edit] Clubs
| Season | Club | Apps (Sub) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–1992 | Bury F.C. | 12 (0) | 0 |
| 1992–1993 | Manchester City F.C. | 28 (4) | 6 |
| 1993–1994 | Manchester City F.C. | 19 (2) | 3 |
| 1994–1995 | Manchester City F.C. | 37 (0) | 5 |
| 1995–1996 | Manchester City F.C. | 30 (0) | 1 |
| 1995–1996 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 3 (0) | 0 |
| 1996–1997 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 30 (1) | 4 |
| 1997–1998 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 31 (6) | 0 |
| 1998–1999 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 10 (0) | 3 |
| 1999–2000 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 18 (1) | 0 |
| 2000–2001 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 48 (1) | 5 |
| 2001–2002 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 29 (3) | 1 |
| 2002–2003 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 39 (1) | 4 |
| 2003–2004 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 31 (2) | 3 |
| 2004–2005 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 20 (3) | 0 |
| 2005–2006 | Blackburn Rovers F.C. | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 2005–2006 | Sheffield United F.C. | 3 (3) | 0 |
