| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Jason Green | ||
| Date of birth | 10 April 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Pontefract, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Derby County | ||
| Number | 32 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Doncaster Rovers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2008 | Doncaster Rovers | 277 | (33) |
| 2008– | Derby County | 107 | (10) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2010– | Republic of Ireland | 9 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:38, 2 January 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Paul Jason Green (born 10 April 1983 in Yorkshire) is an English-born Irish professional footballer who plays for Football League Championship side Derby County. He is a full Republic of Ireland international, having made his debut in May 2010.
Before joining Derby, Green spent 7 years at Doncaster Rovers, where he played over 250 matches and earned three promotions in five years (from the non-league to the Football League Championship) as well as winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. A central midfielder, Green can also play at right-back in emergencies.[1]
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Green started his professional career as a trainee with Doncaster Rovers, making his debut at 19 in a 2–2 draw with Northwich Victoria in the Conference on 19 March 2002. His first career goal came three days later in a 5–2 home win against Hayes (who have sinced merged with Yeading). Over the following seasons Green played a key role in several promotions with Doncaster. He first achieved promotion into the Football League following a 3–2 win over Dagenham & Redbridge in the Conference Play-off Final in the 2002–03 season and then won the League Two title the following season. He was again a key player in the side that achieved another play-off promotion, this time from League One into the Championship after a 1–0 win over Leeds United at Wembley in the 2007–08 season. He also won the Johnstone's Paint Trophy whilst with the club in 2006–07.
Green's contract with Doncaster was completed at the end of the 2007–08 season. Despite being offered a new deal,[2] Green opted to leave Doncaster and join fellow Championship side Derby County on a free transfer,[3] where he has signed a three-year contract. Prior to his departure he was the last remaining player in the squad from the Doncaster Rovers team that won promotion from non-league football in 2003.
In total, he played 277 games for Doncaster, netting 33 goals.
Green made his first appearance in a Derby shirt at home to his former club Doncaster Rovers in a 1–0 defeat on 9 August 2008. He scored his first goal for his new club away at Bristol City in a 1–1 draw on 19 August, and grabbed his second in a 1–0 League Cup win at Preston on 26 August. Green established himself well in the Derby side and was the clubs' only remaining ever-present when he played his fourteenth consecutive game, a 3–2 defeat to Blackpool on 21 October. He played 40 out of Derby's first 45 fixtures, including both legs of Derby's League Cup semi-final against Manchester United, before breaking his fifth metatarsal whilst sprinting in a training session on 6 March 2009. He was predicted to be out for 6 to 8 weeks, and missed the remainder of the season.[4] He finished the season with six goals in all competitions.
Green began the 2009–10 season well, playing in six of Derby's opening seven games, and scoring in Derby's 3–2 defeat to Scunthorpe United on 15 August 2009. However, he picked up a slight foot injury in the first game of the season, a 2–1 win over Peterborough on 8 August.[5] He continued to play through the injury with painkilling injections,[6] and had appeared to be recovering.[7] However, his start against Sheffield United on 12 September[8] would prove to be his last appearance for almost two months as his foot injury flared up again.[9] After having another operation on his foot on 18 September, Green was predicted to return to action in four weeks.[10] However, Green suffered a setback in his recovery[11] and his comeback was delayed until 6 November.[12] Following his return, Derby's form improved and he helped The Rams to 8 wins and 5 draws in the next 18 games he played, scoring the equaliser in Derby's 2–1 win over Reading on 28 November.[13] Whilst Derby's form did not hold, winning only 1 of their next 8 games, Green did hold his place in the first team for the remainder of the season, until he pulled a muscle in the warm-up for the penultimate game of the season at Bristol City which cut Green's season slightly short.[14] He finished the campaign with 2 goals from 37 appearances in all competitions. Green's performance, alongside his first international caps for the Republic of Ireland, attracted the interest of Celtic, though Derby quickly dismissed the rumours, describing Green as "untouchable."[15] He signed a one year extension to his contract in March 2010, to take him through until the end of the 2011/12 season.[16]
Green started the opening nine league fixtures of Derby's 2010–11 campaign, only missing out in the League Cup due to an international call-up, and scored his first goal of the season in a 5–0 thumping of Crystal Palace on September 25, 2010. Although primarily playing as one of the three advanced midfielders behind a loan forward in Derby's new 4–2–3–1 formation, he moved to right back for a 3–1 victory over Middlesbrough as injuries left Derby short in defence.[17] Despite Derby's inconsistent form, Green was almost an ever present throughout the season and was linked with moves to the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers[18] and Blackpool[19] in the January 2011 Transfer Window. Green remained at Derby and remained a key figure in the side before picking up a cruciate and mediate ligaments injury in a 4-1 defeat at Cardiff City which ruled him out for the subsequent six to nine months.[20] As a result, Green missed the rest of the 2010-11 season and the first 16 games of the following season, returning to action in a reserve fixture against Sheffield United on 15th November 2011.[21] He was allocated squad number 32 upon his return.[22]
Despite being born in England, Green chose to represent the Republic of Ireland at international level. He qualified to play for Ireland through his grandfather on his mother's side, who is from Westport, County Mayo.[23][24] Green was called up to Giovanni Trapattoni's Irish training camp squad taking place in Malahide, Dublin, in May 2010.[25] He was called up to the full squad for friendlies against Paraguay and Algeria,[26] before playing the full 90 minutes of a Republic of Ireland XI vs Irish amateur match.[27] On 25 May 2010, Green won his first full cap in a 2–1 win against Paraguay at the RDS Arena, coming on in the second half.[28] Three days later he made his first international start, against Algeria, and scored his first international goal in the 32nd minute in a 3–0 win.[29] His first competitive start came in a 1–0 win over Armenia in September 2010. His performance for his fifth cap, a 3–2 defeat to Russia, saw him earn a place in Goal.com's Worst Team of the Round team, who said he "did absolutely nothing to help put pressure on the haemorrhaging wound that was Ireland's central midfield. Failed to sufficiently close down Russia's full-backs who were allowed to whip in crosses at their leisure."[30]
Green and fiancée, Claire, have a daughter, Ruby.[10]
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