Andy Webster
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrew Neil Webster | ||
| Date of birth | 23 April 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Dundee, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre Back | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Coventry City | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2001 | Arbroath | 17 | (1) |
| 2001–2006 | Heart of Midlothian | 149 | (6) |
| 2006–2008 | Wigan Athletic | 4 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Rangers (loan) | 1 | (1) |
| 2008–2011 | Rangers | 1 | (0) |
| 2008 | → Bristol City (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → Dundee United (loan) | 26 | (3) |
| 2011–2013 | Heart of Midlothian | 73 | (5) |
| 2013– | Coventry City | 55 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003 | Scotland U21[1] | 2 | (0) |
| 2003-09 | Scotland B[2] | 5 | (1) |
| 2003– | Scotland[3] | 28 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 02:04, 1 November 2014 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Andrew Neil "Andy" Webster (born 23 April 1982 in Dundee, Scotland) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a centre back for Coventry City. He has previously played for Arbroath, Heart of Midlothian (two spells), Wigan Athletic, Rangers, Bristol City and Dundee United. Webster has represented Scotland since 2003.
Webster is also known for the transfer saga in which he invoked updated FIFA transfer regulations to leave Heart of Midlothian, a move which has been compared to the landmark Bosman ruling and is now known as the Webster ruling.
Club career
Arbroath
Webster began his career at Arbroath in the Scottish Second Division. He made his debut aged 17, against Stirling Albion in the League Cup on 24 August 1999. He went on to make 24 appearances in total over nearly two seasons. His first and only goal for the club came on 17 March 2001 during a league match against Queen's Park which Arbroath won 2–0.
Little over a week later, Scottish Premier League club Dundee United confirmed they had had a "five-figure bid accepted", with the bid to be completed at the end of the season.[4] Two days later, Webster phoned manager Alex Smith to inform he had turned down the chance to move to Tannadice.[5]
Hearts
Shortly afterwards he was signed to Hearts by then manager Craig Levein on 30 March for a reported £75,000. During his time with the Jambos he established himself as a regular at the heart of defence playing alongside club captain Steven Pressley and also became a fixture in the Scotland national team.[6] He was a regular for the side and made 184 appearances for the Jambos but in 2006 he was left out of the match against Dundee United because of a disagreement over contracts, with chairman Vladimir Romanov, who later suggested to many that Webster would leave soon.
Contract dispute
Webster made football transfer history when he was the first player to invoke a loophole in Article 17 of new transfer regulations FIFA had adopted to bring football's transfer system into line with EU law. This enabled him to cancel his contract with Hearts in the third year of a four-year deal, with the proviso that he join a club in a foreign country and that sufficient notice be given to his former employers. Webster's transfer to Wigan Athletic was ratified by FIFA on 4 September 2006, seemingly creating a legal precedent for the conduct of international football transfers.[7]
In May 2007, FIFA ruled that Webster had cancelled the contract "without just cause" and without the required full 15-day notice. FIFA suspended him for the first two matches of the 2007–08 season. They also ordered him to pay £625,000 to Hearts.[8]
On 30 January 2008, Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Heart of Midlothian Football Club were to be awarded £150,000 for Webster's breach of contract. This amount was to be paid by Webster to the club. The arbitration board reduced the compensation from previous amount of £625,000 that Hearts appealed against.[9][10]
Wigan Athletic
Webster made his Wigan debut in a league match in a 4–0 win against Manchester City, as a second-half substitute for Fitz Hall, on 21 October 2006.[11] He went on to start the next three matches but found the switch to the English Premier League difficult. His time with Wigan was short-lived and, after just four appearances, he was deemed surplus to requirements
Rangers
On 4 January 2007, the day Paul Le Guen left Rangers, the BBC reported that Webster would sign for the Glasgow club on a loan deal, which was confirmed the following day.[12] Soon after, Hearts issued a formal complaint to FIFA and the SFA regarding Webster's registration. The Edinburgh club contended that Webster was unable to play for another Scottish team within 12 months of leaving Tynecastle.[13] However, FIFA decided that Webster's move to Rangers was in order and this ruling was followed by the SFA.
Webster missed the rest of the 2006–07 season due to an injury suffered during his first training session with Rangers. He made his debut in a post-season friendly match in May 2007, against LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center, coming on as a substitute for Karl Svensson.
On 29 June 2007, Webster's loan deal at Rangers was extended to last until January 2008.[14] He made his first official appearance for Rangers in September that year, scoring in a win 4–0 home win against newly promoted Gretna.[15] Shortly after this match he was sidelined with an ankle injury and then it was revealed that he would be out until the new year after further surgery on his previously injured knee.[16] On 9 June 2008, Webster's loan deal from Wigan Athletic was made permanent for an undisclosed fee despite Webster only being fit enough to make one appearance during his loan tenure.[17]
As he continued to struggle with injuries and played very little first-team football he was loaned out when fit. A brief spell at Bristol City was followed by a season long loan at Dundee United.
He returned to Rangers with renewed hope following an impressive season at Tannadice but upon his return to Ibrox he was once again dogged by injuries and struggled to break into the first-team ahead of David Weir and Madjid Bougherra and was subsequently released when his contract with the club was cancelled on 31 January 2011, allowing him to sign outside the transfer window for another club as a free agent.[18]
Bristol City
Webster signed a six-month loan deal with English Championship club Bristol City on 18 August 2008.[19] He made his debut against Coventry City. He returned to Rangers on 29 December 2008.
Dundee United
Over eight years after nearly joining Dundee United, Webster finally made the move to Tannadice in July 2009, joining on a season-long loan.[20] While on loan his performances earned him a nomination for SPFA Players' Player of the Year and he also was captain of the team that won the Scottish Cup.
Return to Hearts
After four-and-a-half injury-plagued years away, on the 3rd of February 2011 Webster returned to Hearts. He turned down a contract offer from city rivals Hibernian to sign a two-and-a-half year contract, tying him to the Tynecastle club until 2013. He described the club as "the club that gave me the base for a successful club and international career."[21][22] He made his debut on the 12 of February away from home against Hamilton. On only his third appearance for Hearts he was withdrawn after only thirty minutes with a groin injury. It was thought his torrid time with injury had followed him to Hearts however it was later discovered after a scan it was only a minor strain.[23] Webster helped Hearts win the 2011–12 Scottish Cup, before leaving the club at the end of his contract in 2013.
Coventry City
On 10 August 2013, Webster signed a two-year deal with Coventry City. He scored his debut goal for the club against Bradford City on the 17th November 2013.[24]
International career
Webster has won 28 Scotland caps during his career. He made his debut in a friendly match during the Berti Vogts era, a 2–0 defeat to Austria. His first and only goal to date came in a friendly against the United States during a 1–1 draw at Hampden Park on 12 November 2005.
On 6 May 2009, Webster was selected for a Scotland B team match against a Northern Ireland B team. He played the full 90 minutes and scored the opening goal in a 3–0 win for Scotland.[25]
On 22 February 2010, Webster was called up to the Scotland national team for the first time in four years. He was called up alongside uncapped Dundee United duo Paul Dixon and Garry Kenneth. Webster then spent another two years out of the national team before being recalled by Craig Levein in May 2012.[26]
International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 12 November 2005 | Hampden Park, Glasgow |  United States | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly match |
Career statistics
Stats according to [27]
- As of 1 November 2014
- A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals (including substitutes) in the 1999–2000 Scottish Challenge Cup, 2000–01 Scottish Challenge Cup, 2003–04 UEFA Cup, 2004–05 UEFA Cup, 2011–12 UEFA Europa League and 2012–13 UEFA Europa League.
Honours
-
Scottish Cup
- 1: 2012
- Scottish Cup
- 1: 2010
Personal awards and achievements
- Hearts Players' Player of the Year: 2012[28]
- Scottish Premier League Young Player of the Month: April 2003
- Scottish Premier League Player of the Month: November 2009[29]
Notes
References
- ↑ "Webster, Andy (U21)". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
- ↑ "Webster, Andy (B)". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
- ↑ "Webster, Andy (A)". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
- ↑ "WEBSTER BID PROGRESSES". Dundee United FC. 26 March 2001. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
- ↑ "WEBSTER 'NO' TO UNITED MOVE". Dundee United FC. 28 March 2001. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
- ↑ "Jambos in new move for Webster". Daily Record. 29 March 2001.
Docherty, John (29 March 2001). "Jambos in a Spin for Web Star; Andy snubs United for Tynecastle". Daily Record.
McLeman, Neil; Haggerty, Anthony (31 March 2001). "Top-Six Race Could Cost a Boss His Job". Daily Record.
"Hearts catch Andy in a Web". Daily Mirror. 31 March 2001. - ↑ "Fifa allows Webster to join Wigan". BBC Sport. 4 September 2006.
- ↑ "Webster must pay Hearts £625,000" BBC Sport. 4 March 2007.
- ↑ "Hearts demanding £5m for Webster" BBC Sport. 31 March 2007.
- ↑ "Hearts get £150,000 for Webster" BBC Sport. 30 January 2008.
- ↑ "Wigan 4–0 Man City" Soccerbase. 21 October 2006.
- ↑ "Webster checks in as loan Ranger". BBC Sport. 4 January 2007.
- ↑ "Romanov in fight to block Webster move to Rangers". Scotsman. 11 January 2007.
- ↑ "Webster extends Ibrox loan deal". BBC Sport. 29 June 2007.
- ↑ "Rangers 4–0 Gretna". BBC Sport. 1 September 2007.
- ↑ "Webster injury jinx strikes again". BBC Sport. 28 October 2007.
- ↑ "Webster completes Rangers switch". BBC Sport. 9 June 2008.
- ↑ McLauchlin, Brian (2 February 2011). "Hibs and Hearts make contract offers to Andy Webster". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 3 February 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ↑ "Bristol City land Webster on loan" BBC Sport. 18 August 2008.
- ↑ "Rangers' Webster joins Dundee Utd". BBC Sport. 15 July 2009.
- ↑ Webster back at Hearts Sky Sports 3 February 2011
- ↑ Andy Webster signs for second time at Hearts BBC Sport 3 February 2011
- ↑ "Andy's injury relief". Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ↑ "City sign Scottish international Webster". CCFC Official Site. 9 August 2013.
- ↑ "Scotland B 3–0 N Ireland B" BBC Sport. 6 May 2009.
- ↑ Halliday, Stephen (15 May 2012). "Scotland squad: Andy Webster return thrills Craig Levein". The Scotsman (Johnston Press). Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ↑ Andy Webster career statistics at Soccerbase
- ↑ Hearts players' player of the year Andy Webster eager to add Scottish Cup winner's gong to medal haul
- ↑ "Nov 2009 awards". Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
External links
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