Dean Ashton

Dean Ashton
Dean ashton.jpg
Personal information
Full name Dean Ashton
Date of birth 24 November 1983 (1983-11-24) (age 25)
Place of birth    Swindon, England
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club West Ham United
Number 9
Youth clubs
Stoke City
Crewe Alexandra
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2000–2005
2005–2006
2006–		 Crewe Alexandra
Norwich City
West Ham United		 159 (61)
044 (17)
046 (15)   
National team2



2004–2005
2008–		 England U17
England U19
England U20
England U21
England		 001 0(1)
006 0(5)
002 0(0)
009 0(4)
001 0(0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 23:31, 13 September 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 20:56, 28 August 2008 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Dean Ashton (born 24 November 1983 in Swindon, Wiltshire) is an English professional footballer who plays for West Ham United as a forward. He has made over 240 appearances in the Football League and Premier League for Crewe Alexandra, Norwich City and West Ham United.

Contents

Club career

Crewe Alexandra

Ashton was a product of Crewe Alexandra's renowned youth development policy under manager/coach Dario Gradi. He signed scholarship forms as a 16-year-old in 2000 before making his first team debut later that year in Crewe's 1-0 win over Gillingham and became one of the youngest players to represent the club. He waited three months for his second appearance, again as substitute, in a 3-1 victory over Grimsby Town, and his first goal for the "Railwaymen" was in their 4-2 victory against Burnley. His first start arrived in an FA Cup clash against Cardiff City in January 2001. He finished his first season at the club with eight goals, including crucial ones against Bolton Wanderers, Portsmouth, Gillingham and Wimbledon towards the end of the season as Crewe secured their First Division status.

His second season at the club was disrupted by injury and a temporary loss of form,[1] but in spite of this he scored ten times and began to win international honours with England at Under-16, Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 level. Ashton scored sixteen more times in the 2002-03 season as the club bounced back to the First Division after just one season in the Second Division. Ashton had a number of notable displays for Crewe, one of which was in 4-0 win against Luton Town, where he scored 2 goals and set up David Vaughan's goal. Crewe manager Dario Gradi said that "These have been his best performances and people are right to say he has a bright future in the game".[2]

In the 2003-04 season, he became the first player in the club's history to score 20 goals in the First Division. One of Ashton's games secured his first Football League hat-trick in a 3-2 win at the JJB Stadium against Wigan Athletic (6 March 2004) - a game in which he converted two penalties. During the season, Ashton was reportedly linked to a number of clubs, Wolves were among the clubs interested in signing the striker at the time, however Dario Gradi regarded all the rumours as just speculation.[3] Having previously played for England at Under-19 level, he stepped up to the Under-21 side that season, scoring against the Netherlands and Sweden.

Ashton scored 18 times for Crewe in the 2004-05 season prior to becoming Norwich City's record signing at £3 million.[4]

Norwich City

Ashton joined Norwich City from Crewe Alexandra for a fee of £3 million in January 2005, breaking the club's transfer record previously held by the £1 million deal that brought Jon Newsome to Norwich City from Leeds United in 1994, although this record was later broken by the £3.5m transfer of Robert Earnshaw to Carrow Road from West Bromwich Albion. Additionally, Crewe inserted a 20% sell-on clause, meaning that the South Cheshire club would receive 20% of the fee if Norwich sold the striker to another club.

He scored on his home debut for Norwich City against Middlesbrough in an exciting 8 goal thriller, Norwich came back from 4-1 down to draw the game 4-4. In February, Ashton scored an impressive goal against Manchester City, which later achieved second place in the BBC's Goal of the Month for February, Thierry Henry's goal against Crystal Palace won the award.[5] Many of the pundits believed that Ashton would be the key to Norwich's survival.[6] Ashton scored many important goals in Norwich's fight for survival, including the deciding goals against Newcastle and Birmingham. Norwich however, were relegated in 2005 and even with a host of Premier league clubs interested in him, Ashton decided to stay at the club in the next season in an attempt to try and win promotion back into the Premiership. Later that year Ashton scored his first and only hat trick for Norwich City against Southampton, in a 3-1 win at Carrow Road.[7]

With Norwich out of the top flight there was much speculation surrounding Ashton's future at the club, with some people believing a player with his qualities merited a place in the Premiership. Many clubs, including Manchester City and Charlton. The Addicks manager, Alan Curbishley, was reportedly prepared to axe six of his players to buy the Norwich youngster.[8] West Ham were also among the clubs interested in buying the striker.[9] Nigel Worthington attempted to quash these rumours, saying that Ashton would only be sold for a price which matched his value to the club. Wigan manager, Paul Jewell, was put off considering a move for Ashton because of this price.[10] Dean Ashton re-stated his commitment to the club in the summer of 2005 by signing a contract-extension until 2009.[11] By December, it looked likely that a Premiership club would bid for Ashton, as boss Nigel Worthington said that Ashton would be allowed to leave in January of that year - if the club are happy with the fee.[12] After playing 46 games for Norwich, in which he scored 18 goals, he was transferred to West Ham on 22 January 2006 for a fee of £7 million,[13] rising to £7.25 million with two £125,000 bonuses dependent on a future England call-up and possible European qualification while Ashton is at West Ham.[14] Norwich also negotiated a 15% sell-on clause.

West Ham United

Ashton in action for West Ham

Norwich accepted West Ham's bid after apparently having been in negotiations with them for a few weeks. Ashton said "I have had a great year at Norwich and would like to sincerely thank the fans and everyone I have worked with at Carrow Road. West Ham are a big club, I am ambitious and at the end of the day the chance of a swift step up to the Premiership is too good to turn down".[15] On 22 January, 2006, the day the transfer was announced, Ashton agreed personal terms with the club and underwent a medical later in the day. He was unveiled at a press conference prior to the West Ham vs Fulham match on Monday 23 January.

Ashton made an impressive start to his West Ham career, making his debut in the Hammers' 3-2 victory away to Arsenal,[16] and scored some key goals in West Ham's following fixtures, including two goals in the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City, which was vital in continuing the team's inspiring FA Cup run in 2006.[17] In West Ham's semi-final against Middlesbrough, Ashton broke 'Boro goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer's cheekbone. He caught Schwarzer with his elbow in an aerial challenge in the first half. This incident did not go well with the Middlesbrough fans, who booed Ashton for the remaining time he was on the field. Ashton however, made an apology to Schwarzer and to 'Boro fans and said that it was accidental and that no malice was intended.[18]

To cap off a pivotal season in Ashton's career, he scored a goal and was a thorn in the usually solid Liverpool defence in the 2006 FA Cup Final, which eventually ended (after a 3-3 draw) in a 3-1 penalty shootout victory for the Merseysiders. Ashton had been a doubt in the build-up to the game after picking up a hamstring injury in the Premiership tie versus West Bromwich Albion.[19] However, despite not participating in any intensive training before the final, Ashton declared himself fit, and duly produced one of the most impressive displays in his short time at West Ham. Despite not managing to secure a place in Sven-Göran Eriksson's England 2006 World Cup squad, Ashton impressed sufficiently to draw praise from football pundit Alan Hansen.[20] and then West Ham manager, Alan Pardew.[21] He scored 6 goals in 16 appearances in his first half-season with the club. During the summer of 2006, Ashton was linked with moves away from Upton Park, one club that was mentioned the most was Newcastle United. However, Alan Pardew claimed Ashton "[would] be going nowhere".[22]

Ashton in a match against Everton, December 2007.

Ashton suffered a broken ankle while on England duty in August 2006, which meant that he was forced eventually to miss the whole of the 2006-07 season. In his absence, West Ham were fighting relegation for virtually the whole season, which led to speculation that Ashton would leave if the club was relegated. Eggert Magnusson, the club's chairman, stated in March 2007 that Ashton would not be allowed to leave until the following January at the earliest if the club were to go down.[23] In the event, the club avoided relegation on the final day of the 06-07 season. Ashton returned to the West Ham team on 14 July 2007 in a pre-season friendly against Dagenham & Redbridge where he played for 45 minutes. He admitted he had doubted whether he would ever return to top class football and was excitedly looking forward to next season, saying, "I don't think there will be a hungrier player in the Premier League this season than me".[24] He scored his first goals for a year in the pre-season games against Leyton Orient[25] and A.S. Roma.[26] He made his return to the Premier League on 11 August 2007 against Manchester City, coming on as a substitute for George McCartney at the 65th minute,[27] and went on to make 35 league and cup appearances in the 2007–08 season, scoring 11 goals,[28] most notably a overhead kick against Manchester United. Ashton signed a new five-year contract at West Ham in June 2008, keeping him at the club until 2013.[29] Ashton started the 2008 / 2009 Premiership campaign in blistering form, scoring both goals in the 2-1 home win against Wigan. But quickly found himself back, for a month on the Hammers' burgeoning injury list with after spraining his ankle in manager Gianfranco Zola's first training session.[30]

International career

Ashton has progressed through the England youth set up, racking up an impressive goal-to-game ratio. In August 2006, Ashton was first called up the England senior squad for their friendly against Greece, part of new manager Steve McClaren's first team.[31] However, just a day before the match, the striker suffered a heavy tackle from Shaun Wright-Phillips which resulted in a broken ankle in training and missed out on a chance to make his England debut against the Greeks.[32] He then later was ruled out for more than a year and missed the whole of the West Ham season. Since then, he has been recalled again to the England squad and fit to face Estonia. However, a few days later, it was announced that he had been ruled out of action for up to six weeks with a sprained medial knee ligament, forcing him to once again miss out on making his international debut for a second time.[33] In May 2008, Ashton was named in McClaren's successor, Fabio Capello's, squad for the USA and Trinidad and Tobago friendlies.[34]

He finally made his debut, more than two years after his first call up, in the game against Trinidad & Tobago on 1 June 2008.[35]

Style of play

Dean Ashton's main asset is his strength, along with his ability to use both feet, his aerial prowess and his natural eye for goal. These attributes are not dissimilar to those of Alan Shearer,[36] and it is not surprising that some pundits believe Ashton will one day fill the boots left by the Newcastle United striker in the England team. When Alan Pardew signed Ashton for West Ham, he conceded that he believed the club may have spent over the odds, but most football experts believe that this investment in a player of Ashton's talent will pay dividends in the future, provided he manages to overcome his persistent injury problems.

Club statistics

Club Season Domestic
League		 FA Cup League Cup Other
competition		 Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
West Ham United 2007–08 31 10 2 0 2 1 0 0 35 11
2006–07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005–06 11 3 5 3 0 0 0 0 16 6
Total 2006–08 42 13 7 3 2 1 0 0 51 17
Norwich City 2005–06 28 10 0 0 2 1 0 0 30 11
2004–05 16 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 7
Total 2005–06 44 17 0 0 2 1 0 0 46 18
Crewe Alexandra 2004–05 24 18 0 0 3 2 0 0 27 20
2003–04 44 19 1 0 2 1 0 0 47 20
2002–03 38 9 2 2 1 0 3 5 44 16
2001–02 32 7 4 3 1 0 0 0 37 10
2000–01 21 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 23 8
Total 2000–05 159 61 9 5 7 3 3 5 178 74
Career Totals 2000–08 245 91 16 8 11 5 3 5 275 109

Career honours

Crewe Alexandra

West Ham United

References

  1. ↑ "Crewe hit by Ashton injury", BBC Sport (August 2, 2001). Retrieved on 2006-06-30. 
  2. ↑ "Gradi salutes Ashton", BBC Sport (March 23, 2003). Retrieved on 2006-06-30. 
  3. ↑ "Norwich secure £3m Ashton signing", BBC Sport (January 10, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-06-30. 
  4. ↑ "Goal of the month", BBC Sport (April 13, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-07-03. 
  5. ↑ "Newspaper pundits rate City's chances", BBC (February 18, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-07-03. 
  6. ↑ "Norwich 3-1 Southampton", BBC (December 19, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-07-06. 
  7. ↑ "Thursday's gossip column", BBC Sport (December 29, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-06-30. 
  8. ↑ "Pardew to go back in for Ashton", BBC Sport (January 19, 2005). Retrieved on 2008-08-17. 
  9. ↑ "Ashton price too high says Jewell", BBC Sport (December 30, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-07-05. 
  10. ↑ "Ashton commits himself to Norwich", BBC Sport (August 25, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-07-06. 
  11. ↑ "Norwich may consider Ashton bids", BBC Sport (December 9, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-07-06. 
  12. ↑ "Hammers complete Ashton transfer", BBC Sport (January 23, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-30. 
  13. ↑ "Canaries collect Ashton windfall", BBC Sport (April 24, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-07-05. 
  14. ↑ "Ashton introduced at West Ham", BBC Sport (January 23, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-01. 
  15. ↑ "Premiership clockwatch", BBC Sport (February 1, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-07-03. 
  16. ↑ "Man City 1-2 West Ham", BBC Sport (March 20, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-30. 
  17. ↑ ORourke, Peter (April 24, 2006). "Ashton makes apology", Sky Sports. Retrieved on 2006-07-06. 
  18. ↑ "West Ham duo winning fitness race", BBC Sport (May 10, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-07-03. 
  19. ↑ Hansen, Alan (May 13, 2006). "Alan Hansen's Cup final verdict", BBC SPort. Retrieved on 2006-06-30. 
  20. ↑ Livie, Alex (May 15, 2006). "Pards backs Deano for England", Sky Sports. Retrieved on 2006-07-06. 
  21. ↑ "Ashton going nowhere, says Pardew", BBC Sport (July 18, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-01. 
  22. ↑ Clarke, Nigel (March 28, 2007). "Ashton is told he must stay", Express, The (London).  "West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson said: "Dean is here to stay as I see it. He hasn't played all season and he has to be involved in games before he can interest other clubs. First he has to reach the level he was at before he was injured." That means Ashton would have to remain at Upton Park until the transfer window reopened on January 1."
  23. ↑ "Ashton had doubts over comeback", BBC Sport (2007-07-15). Retrieved on 2007-07-17. 
  24. ↑ "Ashton confidence boosted by goal", BBC Sport (2007-07-24). Retrieved on 2007-08-05. 
  25. ↑ "Ashton shows glimpse of class in return", The Sunday Times (2007-08-05). Retrieved on 2007-08-05. 
  26. ↑ "West Ham 0-2 Man City", BBC Sport (2007-08-11). Retrieved on 2007-08-11. 
  27. ↑ "West Ham 2007/2008 player appearances". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  28. ↑ "Ashton signs long-term contract", BBC Sport (2008-06-04). Retrieved on 2008-06-04. 
  29. ↑ "Ashton blow for Hammers", Sky Sports (2008-09-18). Retrieved on 2008-09-18. 
  30. ↑ "Ashton receives England call-up", BBC Sport (2006-08-11). Retrieved on 2006-06-14. 
  31. ↑ "Ashton breaks ankle in training", BBC Sport (2006-08-15). Retrieved on 2008-05-12. 
  32. ↑ Bright, Richard (2007-10-10). "Dean Ashton hit for six by knee injury", Telegraph. Retrieved on 2008-05-12. 
  33. ↑ "Hart & Jagielka in England squad", BBC Sport (2008-05-11). Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  34. ↑ Trinidad & Tobago 0-3 England
  35. ↑ FA Cup Semi Final: Middlesbrough v West Ham United - The fans view (15th Paragraph)SquareFootball.net. Retrieved 5 July 2006

External links

Awards
Preceded by
Nick Chadwick
Mark Whiteman		 Milk Cup Junior Goldenboot
1998		 Succeeded by
Liam Fox
Paul Keegan
Adrian Orr
West Ham United F.C. – current squad

1 Green • 2 Neill • 3 Ilunga • 4 Gabbidon • 5 López • 7 Dyer • 8 Parker • 9 Ashton • 10 Bellamy • 11 Etherington • 12 Cole • 13 Boa Morte • 15 Upson • 16 Noble • 17 Mullins • 18 Spector • 19 Collins • 20 Faubert • 21 Behrami • 22 Stokes • 24 Laštůvka • 25 Tristán • 27 Davenport • 29 Bowyer • 31 Collison • 32 Di Michele • 33 Sears • 34 Štěch • 35 Eyjólfsson • 40 Widdowson • 41 Hines • –– Jeffery • Manager: Zola
Persondata
NAME Ashton, Dean
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ashton, Dean, Deano
SHORT DESCRIPTION English footballer
DATE OF BIRTH 1983-11-24
PLACE OF BIRTH Swindon, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH