Hayden Mullins

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Hayden Mullins
Personal information
Full name Hayden Ian Mullins
Date of birth March 27, 1979 (1979-03-27) (age 29)
Place of birth    Reading, England
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club West Ham United
Number 17
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1998–2003
2003
2003–		 Crystal Palace
→ West Ham United (loan)
West Ham United		 222 (18)
001 0(0)
162 0(3)   
National team
1999 England U21 003 0(0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 23:42, 27 May 2008 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Hayden Ian Mullins (born March 27, 1979 in Reading, Berkshire) is a English professional footballer currently playing for West Ham United in the English Premier League. He plays as sweeper and at right-back in addition to his preferred midfield-holding position.

Contents

[edit] Club career

[edit] Crystal Palace

Mullins joined Crystal Palace as a trainee in August 1996.[1] He was given his first team debut at the age of 18 by the Crystal Palace head coach, Terry Venables, in a 2-2 draw against Bolton in August 1998 and scored his first senior goal in only his third appearance, a 3-1 away defeat to Birmingham City, a week later.[1][2] He immediately established himself in the first-team, made 45 league and cup appearances in the 1998-99 season, was named "Player of The Year" and was capped for the England Under-21 team.[2][3][4] Mullins later acknowledged his debt to Venables, saying, "I learnt a lot from him. He took a lot of time with us on the training pitch. He taught us a lot about shape and formation, he's very detailed in that respect. He's very good man to man, and he made me feel totally comfortable about coming into the first team."[1]

Financial difficulties meant that the Crystal Palace were unable to make new signings for the 1999-00 season and relied on youngsters such as Mullins and Clinton Morrison and veterans such as Andy Linighan as they successfully battled against relegation from Division One.[5] Mullins made 49 league and cup appearances in that season and a further 51 appearances in the 2000-01 season as Palace reached the semi-final of the League Cup but narrowly escaped relegation.[2][6][7] He was transfer listed in October 2000 due to what manager Alan Smith described as a "bad attitude" but was taken off the list, offered and signed a new four-year contract two months later as his relationship with Smith improved.[8] Smith said of him in January 2001, "He's a really good footballer which means I can play him in any position. I like my young players to play in different positions. This season he's played full-back, midfield and sweeper. [We've] got to work on his defending, but he's got pace, he has good vision and he wants to play football."[9]

Mullins made 47 league and cup appearances in the 2001-02 season as Palace made an ultimately unsuccessful push for the Division One play-off places.[2][10][11] He was made captain in the 2002-03 season by manager Trevor Francis, who saw Mullins as being an integral part of the Palace squad, and made 52 league and cup appearances as Palace reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup and recorded a memorable 2-0 win over Liverpool in an FA Cup fourth round replay at Anfield.[12][13][14] He was named "Player of The Year" for a second time in 2003.[3]

An offer of £600,000 for Mullins made by an unnamed club in January 2003 was turned down as being "derisory".[15] With one year remaining on his existing contract, Mullins turned down the offer of a new contract in May 2003.[16] His agent said, ""It is no secret that Hayden believes he will not be able to fulfil his true potential at Palace. If the club wishes to get some financial reward for their role in his up bringing, then they need to sell him this summer."[16] In the following October, he joined West Ham United.[17] Mullins had made over 250 league and cup appearances for Palace, scoring 20 goals.[2]

[edit] West Ham United

Mullins playing for West Ham in November 2006.
Mullins playing for West Ham in November 2006.

Mullins was newly appointed manager, Alan Pardew, first signing for West Ham and initially joined on a short-term loan to enable him to play against Nottingham Forest on the same day.[17][18] The deal was then made permanent a day later for a fee of £600,000 rising to £800,000 should West Ham be promoted.[2][19] Pardew said of him, "...I have captured a player that I feel is going to add significantly to us. [He] can play in various positions and give us cover in a number of those [...] I think ultimately he is a central midfield player for us and I think his energy will be important; he will have to battle in the midfield. He is someone we are going to look to when we are up against it, to win the battle and give the room to [other players] to play. He is very much a destroyer and I think we are desperate for one of those."[17] Mullins made 34 league and cup appearances in his first season for West Ham, helping them to the Division One play-off Final in May 2004, where they were beaten by a single goal to nil by Mullins' former club Crystal Palace.[2][20] The following season, Mullins made 44 league and cup appearances as West Ham again reached the play-off final, this time beating Preston North End 1-0 to win promotion to the Premiership.[2][21]

West Ham exceeded expectations in the 2005-06 season, finishing in a mid-table position and reaching the FA Cup Final, which was won by Liverpool 3-1 on penalties.[22][23] Mullins, having made 42 appearances in that season, was however suspended for the final along with Luis García, after the pair had been sent off in a league fixture a few weeks earlier and an appeal against his dismissal was rejected by the Football Association.[2][24] Pardew said, "I feel very aggrieved and very upset because Hayden has had a fantastic season. He has been one of our best players. He was my first signing here, I'm very proud of him, of what he has done and achieved."[24] At the beginning of the 2006-07 season, West Ham completed the signing of Argentine international Javier Mascherano who, like Mullins, was a defensive midfielder.[25] However, after a brief period on the bench, Mullins re-established himself in the first team and scored the winning goal, in a 2-1 home win over Blackburn Rovers in October 2006, which put an end to the worst run of results for West Ham in 74 years.[26][27] Mullins made 32 league and cup appearances in the 2006-07 season as West Ham narrowly escaped relegation.[2][28]

Mullins made a good start to the 2007/2008 season, when playing in all of the first five games after impressing when coming on as a substitute in the opening day's defeat to Manchester City.

[edit] International career

Mullins has made three appearances for the England U-21 team against Poland U-21 in March 1999, Hungary U-21 in April 1999 and Bulgaria U-21 in June 1999.[29]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Edworthy, Sarah. "FA Cup On The Spot: Julian Gray & Hayden Mullins", Daily Telegraph, 2003-02-14. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hayden Mullins. Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved on 2007-09-08.
  3. ^ a b Players of the Year. The Holmesdale Online. The Palace Supporters' Website. Retrieved on 2007-09-08.
  4. ^ Hayden Mullins. The Official Website. Crystal Palace FC. Retrieved on 2007-09-08.
  5. ^ "Coppell pulls off Palace miracle", BBC Sport, 2000-06-29. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  6. ^ "Red-hot Liverpool steam through", BBC Sport, 2001-01-24. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  7. ^ "Palace survive at Stockport", BBC Sport, 2001-05-06. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  8. ^ Spall, Leo. "Palace gem Mullins regains his sparkle", Evening Standard, 2000-12-19. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  9. ^ Longmore, Andrew. "Football: Mullins' quality has to be believed", The Independent, 2001-01-21. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  10. ^ "Mullins targets play-offs", BBC Sport, 2002-02-12. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  11. ^ Crystal Palace. Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved on 2007-09-08.
  12. ^ "Mullins bid rejected", BBC Sport, 2003-01-09. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  13. ^ "Blades' dream lives on", BBC Sport, 2002-12-17. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  14. ^ "Palace stun Liverpool", BBC Sport, 2003-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  15. ^ "Mullins bid rejected", BBC Sport, 2003-01-09. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  16. ^ a b "Mullins on his way out", Croydon Guardian, 2003-05-28. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  17. ^ a b c "Pardew makes Mullins swoop", BBC Sport, 2003-10-22. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  18. ^ "Forest spoil Pardew party", Daily Telegraph, 2003-10-22. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  19. ^ "Mullins heads for West Ham", Croydon Guardian, 2003-10-30. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  20. ^ "Crystal Palace 1-0 West Ham", BBC Sport, 2004-05-29. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  21. ^ Mawhinney, Stuart. "Reds in seventh heaven", Football Association, 2006-05-13. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  22. ^ West Ham. Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved on 2007-09-08.
  23. ^ "West Ham 1-0 Preston", BBC Sport, 2005-05-30. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  24. ^ a b "Mullins & Garcia out of Cup final", BBC Sport, 2006-04-28. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  25. ^ "West Ham sign Tevez & Mascherano", BBC Sport, 2006-08-31. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  26. ^ "Pardew humiliated after cup exit", BBC Sport, 2006-10-25. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  27. ^ "West Ham 2-1 Blackburn", BBC Sport, 2006-10-29. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  28. ^ "Man Utd 0-1 West Ham", BBC Sport, 2007-05-13. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  29. ^ England's Under 21 Matches featuring Black Players. England Football Online. Retrieved on 2007-09-08.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Marc Edworthy		 Crystal Palace F.C. Player of The Year
1999		 Succeeded by
Andy Linighan
Preceded by
Dougie Freedman		 Crystal Palace F.C. Player of The Year
2003		 Succeeded by
Andrew Johnson
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