Gary Naysmith
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| Gary Naysmith | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gary Andrew Naysmith | |
| Date of birth | November 16, 1978 | |
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | |
| Playing position | Defender | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Sheffield United | |
| Number | 3 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1991–1996 | Whitehill Welfare Colts | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1996–2000 2000–2007 2007– |
Hearts Everton Sheffield United |
96 (3) 134 (6) 38 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2000– | Scotland | 40 (1) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Gary Andrew Naysmith (born November 16, 1978 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a football defender, currently playing for Sheffield United in the Football League Championship.
Contents |
[edit] Club career
[edit] Hearts
Raised in Loanhead, Naysmith started his senior career with Hearts, whom he joined from local side Whitehill's Colts team. He made his professional debut, aged only 17, several months later in a League Cup tie with Celtic. His opportunity arose from a suspension crisis, the Maroons having no less than four defenders (Bruno, Weir, Ritchie and Pointon) sent off in their previous match at Rangers. Despite the patchwork nature of their defense, Hearts defeated Celtic 1-0, with Naysmith earning plaudits for his mature display. Within a year he had established himself as the side's first-choice left back, displacing Neil Pointon, and in 1998 helped the Tynecastle club end their 36-year trophy-jinx by lifting the Scottish Cup. That season he was also named Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year.
A transitional season followed as the loss of Weir, McCann (both transferred) and Cameron (injured) destabilised the side. Naysmith himself had to adapt to a change in the levels of expectation placed upon him, no longer allowed the defence of youthful naïveté. By 1999-2000 though he had rediscovered his confidence and was being touted for an international call-up. A particular highlight of that season was his display in a surprise 3-2 defeat of Celtic at Parkhead in February 2000. Hearts had trailed 2-0 before battling back to victory, with Naysmith striking a spectacular equalising goal.[2]
As one of Hearts most valuable assets, Naysmith was also the subject of transfer speculation. Financial concerns at the club heightened these and in October 2000 it appeared that Naysmith was bound for the West Midlands when Coventry City bid for him. However, their offer was bettered by Everton at the eleventh hour, and Naysmith moved to Merseyside instead, in a £1.7 million deal.
[edit] Everton
Naysmith first became a regular under Walter Smith and then under his successor David Moyes. He made 152 appearances for Everton, scoring six goals, although his Toffees career was disrupted by injury. In December 2002 he was the victim of a "blood curdling" tackle by Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.[3] A long term ankle injury in 2005 meant that Naysmith lost his first-team place at Everton to Alessandro Pistone in the 2004-2005 season, and in the 2005-2006 season Portuguese international Nuno Valente cemented himself as first choice left-back at Goodison Park.
Naysmith recovered from ankle surgery in time for the start of the 2006-07 season and an injury to Valente in the season's opening game saw him restored to the starting eleven. He kept his place after Valente returned to fitness, however it wasn't long before injury befell him again, a medial ligament strain in the game against Newcastle United on September 24, 2006 keeping him out for two months.
Throughout his time at Everton, Naysmith was linked to transfers away from the club, his skilled play frequently catching the eye of opposition scouts. At the end of the 2004-2005 season, it was rumoured that he would be leaving on a free transfer, before signing a new 3-year contract with the Blues.[4] Naysmith was widely rumoured to be a target for Scottish champions Celtic and German club VfB Stuttgart in the summer of 2006.[5] However, David Moyes denied any interest from Celtic [6] and the August 31st transfer deadline passed with no transfer for Naysmith.
On 5th May 2007 Naysmith scored the third goal in a 3-0 victory over Portsmouth The win practically guaranteed that Everton would be playing in the Europe during the 07/08 season due to Everton's considerably superior goal difference over Reading.
[edit] Sheffield United
As part of the deal that brought Phil Jagielka to Goodison Park on July 4 2007, Naysmith was given permission to speak to Sheffield United to discuss a possible move. He was signed by the Blades on July 5 for £1 million.
Naysmith, agreed terms with the Blades and signed a three-year deal at Bramall Lane ending a six-and-half-year stay with Everton.[7] He made his full first team debut in the opening game of the 2007-08 season in a 2-2 home draw with Colchester United.[8]
[edit] International career
Naysmith made his full Scotland debut in May 2000, in a 2-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.[9] He quickly established himself in the squad, becoming an automatic choice, when fit, for the left back berth and as a result had won 32 caps by January 2007. His only international goal came in 2002, during a Euro 2004 qualifying game with Iceland. Fielded in an unfamiliar central midfield role by Berti Vogts, Naysmith scored Scotland's second goal in a 2-0 win, with a right-footed volley from the edge of the box.
[edit] Scotland goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 12 October 2002 | Rekjavik, Iceland |  Iceland |
2–0 | 2-0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
[edit] References
- ^ Official profile at SUFC.
- ^ Celtic 2-3 Hearts. Hearts website.
- ^ Gerrard says sorry after horror tackle on Naysmith. The Guardian (23 December 2002).
- ^ Naysmith signs in. Everton website (14 June 2005).
- ^ Stuttgart target Naysmith. Sky Sports (14 June2006).
- ^ No Celtic interest. Everton website.
- ^ Naysmith seals £1m Blades switch., TEAMtalk.com, 5 July 2007.
- ^ Sheff Utd 2-2 Colchester. BBC Sport (2007-8-11). Retrieved on 2007-28-11.
- ^ Naysmith's Player Details. Scottish FA.
[edit] External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robbie Winters |
Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year 1998 |
Succeeded by Barry Ferguson |
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