Graham Kavanagh

Graham Kavanagh

Kavanagh pictured in 2013
Personal information
Full nameGraham Anthony Kavanagh[1]
Date of birth2 December 1973[1]
Place of birthDublin, Republic of Ireland[1]
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Playing positionMidfielder
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1990–1991Home Farm
1991–1996Middlesbrough35(3)
1994→ Darlington (loan)5(0)
1996→ Stoke City (loan)3(1)
1996–2001Stoke City202(33)
2001–2005Cardiff City142(28)
2005–2006Wigan Athletic48(0)
2006–2009Sunderland14(1)
2007→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)7(1)
2008→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)16(1)
2008–2009→ Carlisle United (loan)14(3)
2009–2011Carlisle United50(4)
Total536(75)
National team
1992–1993Republic of Ireland U215(0)
1998–2006Republic of Ireland16(1)
Teams managed
2013–2014Carlisle United
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Graham Anthony Kavanagh (born 2 December 1973) is an Irish football manager and former professional player.

Kavanagh had a 19-year-long career and played for Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Cardiff City, Wigan Athletic, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday and Carlisle United. He also played 16 games for the Republic of Ireland national football team, scoring once.[1]

Club career

Kavanagh began his career at Home Farm, before joining Middlesbrough in 1991 but struggled to ever hold down a first team place and was sold to Stoke City in 1996, after a short loan spell at the club, for £250,000. In 1996–97 he made 41 appearances scoring four goals including the final goal at the Victoria Ground against West Bromwich Albion.[1] Kavanagh also had the honour of scoring Stoke's first goal at the Britannia Stadium in a League Cup match against Rochdale. He scored 10 goals in 1997–98 as Stoke suffered relegation to the third tier. In 1998–99 he top-scored with 13 goals as failed mount a sustained promotion challenge under Brian Little in 1998–99.[1] In 1999–2000 Kavanagh scored 10 goals as Stoke reached the play-offs where they lost to Gillingham.[1] He also played and scored in the 2000 Football League Trophy final as Stoke beat Bristol City 2–1. He was again a regular in 2000–01 as Stoke again failed in the play-offs this time losing to Walsall.[1] He left Stoke in the summer of 2001 after making 244 appearances scoring 45 goals.[1]

He joined Cardiff City in July 2001 for £1 million, and went on to score fifteen times in his first season at the club and help them to promotion the following year when they beat Queens Park Rangers in the Second Division play-off final. He scored one of Cardiff's goals as they memorably knocked out then Premiership Leeds United in the FA Cup third round in 2002.[2]

During the 2004–05 season Cardiff chairman Sam Hammam revealed that the club was in serious financial trouble and as such a number of players left the club to attempt to regain losses, including Kavanagh who signed for Wigan Athletic for a fee close to £400,000.[3] Whilst at Wigan he started in the 2006 Football League Cup Final. On 31 August 2006, he signed a three-year deal with Roy Keane's Sunderland for £500,000. During that season he played 14 games, scoring one goal against Leeds,[4] before he was ruled out for the majority of games due to lingering injury problems.

He joined Sheffield Wednesday on 21 September 2007 on a loan deal to regain his fitness[5] where he played seven games, scoring one goal against Watford on 2 October.[6] On 29 December, Leicester City made a bid for Kavanagh, together with Márton Fülöp.[7] However, on 31 January 2008 Kavanagh again joined Wednesday on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Kavanagh joined League One side Carlisle United on a month's loan on 10 October 2008.[8] This loan was extended for a further month on 7 November.[9] It was again extended on 18 December and would expire on 3 January 2009.[10]

Managerial career

On 9 January 2009, Kavanagh was released by Sunderland and returned to Carlisle on a permanent basis as a player-coach.[11] In April 2013, Kavanagh continued his post as Assistant Manager at the end of the 2012–13 season, after signing a new one-year deal. In September 2013 manager Greg Abbott was sacked and Kavanagh was installed as caretaker manager.[12] Kavanagh was then appointed manager on a permanent basis on 30 September 2013 signing a two-year contract.[13] Carlisle were 22nd on the ladder at the time of Kavanagh's caretaker appointment, and finished the 2013-14 season in the same position, to be relegated to League Two. After a poor start to the 2014–15 season Kavanagh left Carlisle on 1 September 2014.[14]

International career

Kavanagh earned 16 international caps for the Republic of Ireland, the last of which was on 16 August 2006 against the Netherlands.

Career statistics

Player

Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other[A] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Middlesbrough 1992–93 Premier League 100200000120
1993–94 First Division 112111040173
1994–95 First Division 70100020100
1995–96 Premier League 7100000071
Total 353411060464
Darlington (loan) 1993–94 Third Division 5000000050
Total 5000000050
Stoke City 1996–97 First Division 384102000414
1997–98 First Division 4350055004810
1998–99 Second Division 36112021214213
1999–2000 Second Division 4571041925910
2000–01 Second Division 437205041548
Total 205346018715424445
Cardiff City 2001–02 Second Division 41134210204815
2002–03 Second Division 435412030525
2003–04 First Division 307101000327
2004–05 Championship 283201000323
Total 14228113505016434
Wigan Athletic 2004–05 Championship 110000000110
2005–06 Premier League 350205000420
2006–07 Premier League 2000000020
Total 480205000550
Sunderland 2006–07 Championship 141000000141
Total 141000000141
Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 2007–08 Championship 232101000252
Total 232101000252
Carlisle United 2008–09 League One 345310000366
2009–10 League One 292401053395
2010–11 League One 1000000010
Total 6477110537711
Career Total 5367531531731762994
A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Anglo-Italian Cup, Football League play-offs, and Football League Trophy.

Managerial

As of 1 September 2014[15]
Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Carlisle United 9 September 2013 1 September 2014 52 13 14 25 25.00

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Stoke City 101 Golden Greats. Desert Islands Books. 2002. ISBN 1-874287554.
  2. ↑ "Cardiff stun Leeds". BBC Sport. 6 January 2002. Retrieved 6 September 1309. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ↑ "Wigan complete Kavanagh signing". BBC Sport. 2005-03-04. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  4. ↑ "Leeds 0–3 Sunderland". BBC Sport. 13 September 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  5. ↑ "Owls sign Kavanagh on loan deal". BBC Sport. 2007-09-21. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  6. ↑ "Watford 2–1 Sheff Wed". BBC Sport. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  7. ↑ "Leicester bid for Sunderland pair". BBC Sport. 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  8. ↑ "Kavanagh eager to prove his worth". BBC Sport. 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  9. ↑ "Kavanagh extends Carlisle spell". BBC Sport. 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  10. ↑ "Carlisle agree Kavanagh extension". BBC Sport. 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  11. ↑ "Kavanagh takes up Carlisle role" BBC Sport Retrieved on 9 January 2009
  12. ↑ "Carlisle United: Graham Kavanagh wants to be manager". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  13. ↑ "Carlisle United: Graham Kavanagh named as Greg Abbott successor". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  14. ↑ "CLUB: Official Statement". CUFC. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "Graham Kavanagh". Soccerbase. Retrieved 17 December 2013.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Kevin Nugent		 Cardiff City captain
2001–2005 		Succeeded by
Darren Purse