Ryan Tafazolli

Ryan Tafazolli
Personal information
Full name Ryan Sirous Tafazolli[1]
Date of birth (1991-09-28) 28 September 1991
Place of birth Sutton, England
Height 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current team
Mansfield Town
Number 15
Youth career
2005–2011 Southampton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2011 Southampton 0 (0)
2009Salisbury City (loan) 9 (0)
2011Salisbury City (loan) 5 (0)
2012– Mansfield Town 94 (6)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 04:30, 9 February 2016 (UTC).

† Appearances (goals)

Ryan Sirous Tafazolli (born 28 September 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for League Two club Mansfield Town. Born in Sutton, London, he was originally a member of the Southampton youth system, and plays primarily as a centre back.

Early life

Ryan Tafazolli has Iranian ancestry.[2]

Club career

Early career

Ryan Tafazolli originally joined the Southampton Academy in 2005. Tafazolli went on to captain the successful Under-18 youth team and also the reserve team.[3]

His first taste of first team football came after he joined Conference Premier team Salisbury City on a one-month loan starting October 2009,[3] His professional debut against York City on 10 October 2009 was a disaster for Tafazolli, as he was sent off in the second half. Nevertheless, Sainsbury City won the match 1–0.[4] Despite the sending-off, Tafazolli later made five league games and one FA Cup fixture[5] before returning to his parent club in December.[6] Still not breaking into the squad at Southampton, he returned to Salisbury in 2011 for three months, playing three times in the FA Trophy.[5]

After being released by Southampton,[7] Tafazolli went on trial with Eastleigh[8] and Reading in an effort to win a contract with the club.[9] However, Tafazolli's best efforts to win a contract with these clubs failed.[10]

Mansfield Town

2012–13

After a year out in football, Tafazolli signed for Conference club Mansfield Town on 20 August 2012.[11][12] Tafazolli made his Mansfield Town debut on 15 September 2012, in a 2–0 win over Braintree Town.[13] Despite being injured his hamstring for most of the campaign,[14] during which time he only picked up five league appearances, at the end of Mansfield's title-winning season he was offered a new contract with the club.[15][16]

2013–14

At the start of the 2013–14 season, Tafazolli changed his number shirt from number thirty-two to twelve.[17] Tafazolli remained on the bench at the start of the season until he made his first start as a centre back in a 3–0 win over Northampton Town on 21 September 2013.[18] Adding further appearance, Tafazolli soon suffered a knee injury that kept him out for a month.[19] Though recovering from a knee injury, Tafazolli made his return on 29 December 2014, where Mansfield Town won 2–1 against Cheltenham Town.[20] From that point on, Tafazolli established himself as a centre back defence and joined up with various partnership in defence. Tafazolli then scored his first goal for the club on 8 March 2014, in a 2–1 win over Newport County[21] and scored another goal in a 3–0 win over Rochdale a week later.[22] At the end of the 2013–14 season, Tafazolli won three Player of The Season Awards; Fans player of the season, Chairman and Directors player of the season and the Stags Association player of the season award despite making twenty-four appearance.[23]

On 18 June 2014, Tafazolli accepted a new offered contract by the club.[24]

2014–15

In the pre-season of the 2014–15 season, Mansfield turned down a bid from Scottish Professional Football League side Dundee United for Ryan Tafazolli.[25] The club would explained the decision on the club's website, stating that the less income of compensation Mansfield Town would receive.[26] Despite this, Tafazolli switched shirt again from twelve number to six number shirt.[27] Tafazolli scored his first goal for the club, at the start of the season, in a 2–1 win over Oxford United.[28] Things went well for Tafazolli until he injured his hamstring during a match against Accrington Stanley in early October, which Mansfield Town lost 1–0.[29] This left him on a sideline until he made his return on 15 November 2014, in a 2–0 loss against Shrewsbury Town.[30] Tafazolli was sent-off after a second bookable offence, in a 1–1 draw against Hartlepool United on 26 December 2014.[31] Though served one match ban, Tafazolli suffered a virus that kept him out for weeks[32] and made his return to the first team, in a 0–0 draw against Wycombe Wanderers on 24 January 2015.[33] Towards the end of the 2014–15 season, Tafazolli made forty-two appearance and scoring once in all competitions despite injury plagued. Despite his uncertainties future at Mansfield Town,[34] Tafazolli signed a contract with the club after they activated the options of his contract for next season.[35]

2015–16

Tafazolli scored in a 2–0 league win over Stevenage on 29 September 2015.[36]

References

  1. "The Football League Limited: Club list of registered players as at 16th May 2015" (PDF). The Football League. 16 May 2015. p. 5. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. Reed, Tom (2014-08-12). "Gripped by the Cobblers: The Tom Reed column - Northampton Town show match-winning credentials | Northampton Herald & Post". Northampton-news-hp.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  3. 1 2 "Loan Move for Ryan". Southampton F.C. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  4. "Salisbury City 1–0 York City". BBC Sport. 10 October 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Ryan Tafazolli". FootballDatabase.eu. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  6. "Weymouth v Salisbury City preview / Tafazolli returns to Saints". Southampton Daily Echo. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  7. "Southampton duo prepare for talks". BBC Sport. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  8. "Eastleigh hand trial to ex-Saint Ryan Tafazolli". Southampton Daily Echo. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  9. "Why Aaron Martin is a great incentive?". Southampton Daily Echo. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  10. "Eastleigh Make Late Signings". The Official Football Conference League Website. 15 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  11. "Mansfield Town sign defender Ryan Tafazolli". BBC Sport. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  12. "Mansfield Town sign former Southampton trainee Ryan Tafazolli". Mansfield and Ashfield Chad. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  13. "Tafazolli set for debut". Mansfield Town F.C. 15 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  14. "Cox will play strongest side v Slough". Mansfield Town F.C. 1 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  15. "Mansfield Town give defender Ryan Tafazolli new deal". This is Nottingham. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  16. "Mansfield Town: Lee Beevers one of 11 offered new deals". BBC Sport. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  17. "Squad numbers announced". Mansfield Town F.C. 18 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  18. "Two changes for Cobblers clash". Mansfield Town F.C. 21 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  19. "Preview: Torquay vs Stags". Mansfield Town F.C. 18 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  20. "Match Report: Cheltenham Town 1 – 3 Mansfield Town". Mansfield Town F.C. 29 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  21. "Mansfield Town 2–1 Newport County". BBC Sport. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  22. "Mansfield Town 3 – 1 Rochdale". BBC Sport. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  23. "In pictures: Annual Dinner Awards". Mansfield Town F.C. 8 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  24. "Duo agree Football League deals". Mansfield Town F.C. 18 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  25. "Dundee United fail with bid for Mansfield defender Ryan Tafazolli". BBC Sport. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  26. "Stags reject bids for duo". Mansfield Town F.C. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  27. "Squad numbers confirmed for new campaign". Mansfield Town F.C. 5 August 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  28. "Mansfield Town 2 – 1 Oxford United". BBC Sport. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  29. "Defensive duo face spells on the sidelines". Mansfield Town F.C. 7 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  30. "Team news from Greenhous Meadow". Mansfield Town F.C. 15 November 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  31. "Mansfield Town 1 – 1 Hartlepool United". BBC Sport. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  32. "I’ve experienced the difference the fans can make says boss". Mansfield Town F.C. 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  33. "Mansfield Town 0 – 0 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  34. "Tafazolli casts eye to the future". Mansfield Town F.C. 1 May 2015. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  35. "Gaffer expects trio to stay". Mansfield Town. 9 June 2015. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  36. "Match Report". Mansfieldtown.net. Retrieved 2016-02-09.

External links

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