Earnshaw playing for Wales |
|||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Robert Earnshaw | ||
Date of birth | 6 April 1981 | ||
Place of birth | Mufulira, Zambia | ||
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
Playing position | Striker | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Cardiff City | ||
Number | 10 | ||
Youth career | |||
1997–1998 | Cardiff City | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
1998–2004 | Cardiff City | 183 | (86) |
2000 | → Greenock Morton (loan) | 3 | (2) |
2004–2006 | West Bromwich Albion | 43 | (12) |
2006–2007 | Norwich City | 45 | (27) |
2007–2008 | Derby County | 22 | (1) |
2008–2011 | Nottingham Forest | 98 | (35) |
2011– | Cardiff City | 10 | (3) |
National team‡ | |||
1998–2001 | Wales U21 | 10 | (1) |
2002– | Wales | 57 | (16) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:46, 22 Oct 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
Robert Earnshaw (born 6 April 1981) is a Welsh footballer who plays for Cardiff City and Wales. He is the only player to have scored a hat-trick in the English Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two (or the divisions under their previous names), the League Cup, the FA Cup and for his country at International level.
Earnshaw was born in Mufulira, Zambia to an English father and a Zambian mother. He spent the first four years of his life in Mufulira, before moving to Bedwas, south Wales with his mother in 1985. Earnshaw began his professional playing career with Cardiff City in 1998, having joined the club as a YTS trainee the previous year. During his first spell at Cardiff he made 205 first team appearances, scoring 105 goals. Eligible to represent either Zambia or Wales, Earnshaw made his debut for the latter in 2002.
Moving up two divisions in 2004, Earnshaw joined Premier League side West Bromwich Albion, finishing the 2004-05 season as top goalscorer. Earnshaw signed for Norwich City during the January 2006 transfer window, staying at Carrow Road until the end of the 2006-07 season. At Derby County the following season, Earnshaw spent what he called his worst season in football, scoring one goal in his 22 appearances. Earnshaw's three year contract with Nottingham Forest expired in June 2011. During his time at Forest, Earnshaw scored 35 goals in 87 appearances. In June 2011, Earnshaw left Forest on a free transfer and signed a two year contract with his old club, Cardiff City. Since leaving Cardiff City in 2004, Earnshaw's transfer fees totalled £12,650,000.
Contents |
Earnshaw, was born on the outskirts of the north central Zambian mining town of Mufulira on 6 April 1981. When he was five, his family moved to Malawi where David Earnshaw took charge of another coal mine and his youngest son began school. Again, the family's stay was to be a short one. In September 1990, following the death of her husband, Rita moved the Earnshaw family to Bedwas, a small Welsh town to the north of Cardiff, where they lived initially with her sister. Earnshaw still has a house there.[1]
"It was the first time I had been away from Africa." he recalls. "It was just completely different, from one extreme to another. It was much colder as well, just every little thing was different, everyone spoke English over here and although I could speak a little bit I had to learn. But when you're a kid you just get on with it."[1]
It was in Wales that he began playing football, kicking a ball around with friends between and after classes at Cardinal Newman RC School, Pontypridd, the school he moved on to after a spell at St. Helen's Primary. Cardinal Newman's was a rugby union-playing school so Earnshaw's first organised football match came at the age of 12 with local youth side Llanbradach. "We didn't win anything, we weren't the best," he says. "I only played one year and then I moved to GE Wales, which was a better team and we won a few local titles. I scored a lot of goals, 80 one season, 60 another when I was 14, 15, 16."[1]
In 1997 Gavin Tait, then Cardiff City youth team coach, invited Earnshaw to training and, on 1 August, he signed a one-year YTS contract at Ninian Park.[1] He came through the club's youth development programme and became a full-time professional in August 1998, despite the attentions of his heroes Manchester United. Earnshaw made his mark immediately with a superb equaliser at Hartlepool United on the opening day of the season. Earnshaw was loaned to Greenock Morton by Frank Burrows to gain experience and toughen up. He also at one stage had a trial at Middlesbrough under Bryan Robson. The experience gave Earnshaw the motivation to succeed and on his return he soon became one of the Bluebird fans' biggest heroes. He had already been capped by Wales at youth and under-21 level, but his exploits in Cardiff City's promotion campaigns attracted the attention of national coach Mark Hughes. Earnshaw duly exploded onto the international scene, scoring the winning goal on his debut for Wales against Germany at the Millennium Stadium in May 2002; he was also named man of the match.[2] A few months later Earnshaw was named Young Welsh Footballer of the Year, and was named in the PFA Division Two Team of the Year for 2002–03[3] after a prolific season saw him score 35 goals in all competitions, with 31 scored in the league meaning he broke the 56-year old club record of Stan Richards.[4] Earnshaw became a key member of the Wales squad during the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign. He staked his claim for a regular slot in the starting line-up with a hat-trick in the 4–0 friendly win over Scotland in February 2004.[5] At the end of 2003–04, Earnshaw was named in the First Division team of the year.[6] Several top clubs including Manchester United, Liverpool and Celtic sent their scouts to look at Earnshaw as his reputation spread. He scored 105 goals in his 205 first team appearances for Cardiff City, including numerous hat-tricks in Divisions Two and Three, as well as the FA Cup and League Cup.[7]
In 2004 Earnshaw was transferred from Cardiff to West Bromwich Albion for £3 million, a fee that could have reached a maximum of £3.62 million with performance-related add-ons.[8] His agent Mel Eves was fined 30,000 Swiss francs (£12,250) by Fifa in July 2007 over his role in the transfer. Eves was found guilty of acting for both his client (Earnshaw) and the buying club (Albion) in the deal.[9] Earnshaw made his Albion début in a 3–0 defeat at Liverpool on 11 September 2004, coming on as a second-half substitute but making little impact.[10] It took Earnshaw seven games to notch his first Albion goal, netting twice in the 2–2 draw at Southampton on November 6, 2004.[11] His first and only Premier League hat-trick came against Charlton Athletic on 19 March 2005.[12] Although key goals such as these helped the club retain their Premiership status, manager Bryan Robson preferred to use him from the bench as an impact player rather than as a starter. Nevertheless, Earnshaw finished as Albion's top goalscorer for that season with 14 goals, earning him the Ronnie Allen trophy.[13] He remained in the squad for 2005–06, albeit that West Brom signed several additional forwards including Diomansy Kamara and Nathan Ellington and competition was even more fierce. In December 2005, Earnshaw submitted two transfer requests, and both were rejected.[14][15] However in January 2006 manager Bryan Robson said that Earnshaw would be allowed to leave, assuming there was a fair transfer fee on offer.[16]
On transfer deadline day, 31 January 2006, Earnshaw signed a three-and-a-half year contract for Norwich City for a fee of £2.75 million (rising to £3.5 million).[17][18] He opened his Norwich goalscoring account with a brace, late on in Norwich's 3–0 home win against Brighton on 14 February 2006.[19] Earnshaw scored six more goals in the remaining matches of the 2005–06 season. By January 2007, Earnshaw was top-scorer in the division with 17 goals, but suffered a severe groin injury in training, that looked to have put him out of action for the rest of the season.[20] However he returned to first team action in April 2007 to score his 18th and 19th goals of the season against Leicester City[21][22] and Sheffield Wednesday[23] respectively to cap off a truly remarkable recovery from the injury.
Derby County broke their transfer record, previously held by the £3 million transfer of Seth Johnson from Crewe Alexandra, by signing Earnshaw from Norwich City for a fee of £3.5 million on 29 June 2007.[24] He made his debut for the Rams in a 2–2 draw against Portsmouth on 11 August 2007.[25] Earnshaw struggled to make an impact at Derby and was in and out of the side at the start of the season before being dropped. His first goal for the club came in a in a 4–1 FA Cup defeat to Preston North End on 26 January 2008,[26] by which time the man who signed him, Billy Davies, had left the club and been replaced by Paul Jewell. It wasn't until 28 April 2008 that he scored his first Premier League goal for the club, in the 6–2 home defeat to Arsenal.[27] In a torrid season, Earnshaw made just seven starts in his debut season at Derby, with a further 17 appearances as sub. He was left out of the squad for the final game of the season against Reading when it was revealed that Jewell had accepted a bid from two unspecified clubs[28] later revealed to be Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United,[29] bringing to an end what Earnshaw later stated was one of his worst seasons in football.
In May 2008, less than a year after signing for Derby, Earnshaw joined Nottingham Forest for £2.65m, signing a three year deal.[30] He made his competitive debut in a 0–0 draw with Reading on 10 August 2008,[31] scoring his first competitive goals for Forest in their League Cup first-round tie at home to Morecambe, getting two on 13 August 2008.[32] Earnshaw's first League goal for Forest came in their 3–2 victory over Watford in the Championship, at the City Ground on 23 August 2008.[33][34][35] He scored his first hatrick for Nottingham Forest on 5 December 2009 in a 5–1 win over local rivals Leicester City.[36][37]
The 2010-11 season saw Earnshaw struggle to find his feet early on despite some good performances, scoring only one in thirteen matches. His scoring picked up though, and he scored six goals in the last twelve games. This included two goals in the 5-2 win against Derby County at the City Ground,[38][39] as well as the only goal in Forest's first ever victory at Pride Park Stadium against Derby.[40] Earnshaw scored Forest's only goal in the 3-1 loss to Swansea City in the away leg of their play off semi final, also hitting the post in the dying minutes of the game, which would have levelled the scoreline at 2-2.[41]
In total he has scored 35 goals in 87 appearances for Forest, making him one of their most successful strikers in recent years.
On 6 July 2011, Earnshaw rejoined boyhood club Cardiff City on a free transfer,[7][42] following unsuccessful talks with Nottingham Forest regarding contract renewal. Earnshaw would become new Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay's fourth free transfer signing since joining the Bluebirds from Watford. Earnshaw made his second Cardiff debut in a 1-0 win over West Ham United on 7 August.[43] Earnshaws' first goal since his return to the Bluebirds came the following Sunday in a 3-1 home victory over Bristol City in the Severnside derby. He scored his 200th career goal in a 1-1 draw with Burnley on 20 August, scoring the equaliser.[44] A change of the system at Cardiff and an off form Earnshaw saw him dropped to the bench to make way for Kenny Miller in a single man attack.
Earnshaw made his international debut at the Millenium Stadium in May 2002, scoring the winning goal against Germany.[2] He has represented Wales on more than 50 occasions scoring a hat-trick for his country in a win against Scotland in February 2004[5] and in 2011 captaining the side against Scotland in their Home Nations tie.[45] On 6 September 2011, in a Euro 2012 qualifier against England, he came on as a substitute with his team 1-0 down, and missed an 'open goal' from six yards.[46] England held on to win the match 1-0. He is said to contemplating international retirement.
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 14 May 2002 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | Germany | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
2. | 12 February 2003 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
3. | 11 October 2003 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | Serbia and Montenegro | 2–3 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2004 Qual. |
4. | 18 February 2004 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | Scotland | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
5. | 2–0 | 4–0 | ||||
6. | 3–0 | 4–0 | ||||
7. | 31 March 2004 | Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest, Hungary | Hungary | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
8. | 8 September 2004 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | Northern Ireland | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
9. | 13 October 2004 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | Poland | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
10. | 27 May 2006 | UPC-Arena, Graz, Austria | Trinidad and Tobago | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
11. | 1–2 | 1–2 | ||||
12. | 11 October 2006 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | Cyprus | 2–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 Qual. |
13. | 17 October 2007 | Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino | San Marino | 1–0 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 Qual. |
14. | 29 May 2009 | Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli, Wales | Estonia | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
15. | 25 May 2011 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland | Scotland | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2011 Nations Cup |
16. | 27 May 2011 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland | Northern Ireland | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2011 Nations Cup |
Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
1997–98 | Cardiff City | Third Division | 5 | 0 | - | - | 5 | 0 | ||
1998–99 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 6 | 1 | |||
1999–00 | Second Division | 6 | 1 | - | - | 6 | 1 | |||
Scotland | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
1999–00 | Greenock Morton | First Division | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 4 | 2 | |
England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
2000–01 | Cardiff City | Third Division | 36 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 25 |
2001–02 | Second Division | 32 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 15 | |
2002–03 | 49 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 55 | 35 | ||
2003–04 | First Division | 46 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 49 | 26 | |
2004–05 | Championship | 4 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | ||
2004–05 | West Bromwich Albion | Premier League | 31 | 11 | 3 | 3 | - | 34 | 14 | |
2005–06 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 3 | ||
2005–06 | Norwich City | Championship | 15 | 8 | - | - | 15 | 8 | ||
2006–07 | 30 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 19 | ||
2007–08 | Derby County | Premier League | 22 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 2 |
2008–09 | Nottingham Forest | Championship | 32 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 36 | 17 |
2009–10 | 34 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 17 | ||
2010–11 | 36 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 9 | ||
2011-12 | Cardiff City | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | |
Total | England | 408 | 167 | 25 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 445 | 201 | |
Scotland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 4 | 2 | |||
Total | Club | 412 | 169 | 24 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 449 | 201 |
Individual
He is the only player to have scored hat-tricks in the Premiership, Divisions 1, 2 and 3, the FA Cup, the League Cup and in an international.[47]
|
|