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Robert Earnshaw

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Robert Earnshaw
Earnshaw in action for Wales
Personal information
Full name Robert Earnshaw
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Cardiff City
Number 10
Youth career
1997–1998 Cardiff City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2004 Cardiff City 203 (105)
2000 → Greenock Morton (loan) 4 (2)
2004–2006 West Bromwich Albion 50 (17)
2006–2007 Norwich City 47 (27)
2007–2008 Derby County 25 (2)
2008–2011 Nottingham Forest 111 (43)
2011– Cardiff City 6 (3)
International career‡
1998–2001 Wales U21 10 (1)
2002– Wales 56 (16)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:45, 27 August 2011 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11:40, 8 Sep 2011 (UTC)

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.

Early life

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]

Club career

Cardiff City

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. At the end of 2003–04, Earnshaw was named in the First Division team of the year.[5] 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.[6]

West Bromwich Albion

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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] It took Earnshaw seven games to notch his first Albion goal, netting twice in the 2–2 draw at Southampton on November 6, 2004.[10] His first and only Premier League hat-trick came against Charlton Athletic on 19 March 2005. 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.[11] 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.

Norwich City

On transfer deadline day, 31 January 2006, Earnshaw signed for Norwich City for a fee of £2.75 million (rising to £3.5 million).[12] He opened his Norwich goalscoring account with a brace, late on in Norwich's 3–0 home win against Brighton on 14 February 2006. 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.[13] However he returned to first team action in April 2007 to score his 18th and 19th goals of the season against Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday respectively to cap off a truly remarkable recovery from the injury.

Derby County

Robert Earnshaw

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.[14] He made his debut for the Rams in a 2–2 draw against Portsmouth on 11 August 2007.[15] 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, by which time the man who signed him, Billy Davies, had left the club and been replaced by Paul Jewell.[16] 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.[17] 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[18] later revealed to be Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United,[19] bringing to an end what Earnshaw later stated was one of his worst seasons in football.

Nottingham Forest

In May 2008, less than a year after signing for Derby, Earnshaw joined Nottingham Forest for £2.65m, signing a three year deal.[20] He made his competitive debut in a 0–0 draw with Reading on 10 August 2008,[21] scoring his first competitive goals for Forest in their League Cup first-round tie at home to Morecambe, getting two on 13 August 2008.[22] 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. He scored his first hatrick for Nottingham Forest on 5 December 2009 in a 5–1 win over local rivals Leicester City.[23][24]

The 2010-11 season saw Earnshaw struggle to find his feet early on despite some good performances, scoring only 1 in 13. His scoring has picked up though, and has scored six goals in the last twelve games. This included 2 goals in the 5-2 win against Derby County at the City Ground, as well as the only goal in Forest's first ever victory at Pride Park Stadium against Derby. 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.

In total he has scored 35 goals in 87 appearances for Forest, making him one of their most successful strikers in recent years.

Return to Cardiff City

On 6 July 2011, Earnshaw rejoined boyhood club Cardiff City on a free transfer,[25] 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.[26] 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.[27]

International career

Earnshaw made his international debut at the Millenium Stadium in May 2002, scoring the winning goal against Germany. He has represented Wales on more than 50 occasions scoring a hat-trick for his country in a win against Scotland in February 2004 and in 2011 captaining the side against Scotland in their Home Nations tie. On 6 September 2011, in a Euro 2012 qualifyer against England, he came on as a substitute with his team 1-0 down, and missed an open goal from 6 yards. England held on to win the match 1-0. He is said to contemplating international retirement.

International goals

# 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

Career statistics

[28] Template:Football player statistics 1 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |1997–98||rowspan="3"|Cardiff City||rowspan="2"|Third Division||5||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||5||0 |- |1998–99||5||1||1||0||colspan="2"|-||6||1 |- |1999–00||Second Division||6||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||1 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |1999–00||Greenock Morton||First Division||3||2||1||0||colspan="2"|-||4||2 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |2000–01||rowspan="5"|Cardiff City||Third Division||36||19||4||6||1||0||41||25 |- |2001–02||rowspan="2"|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||colspan="2"|-||1||1||5||2 |- |2004–05||rowspan="2"|West Bromwich Albion||rowspan="2"|Premier League||31||11||3||3||colspan="2"|-||34||14 |- |2005–06||12||1||1||0||3||2||16||3 |- |2005–06||rowspan="2"|Norwich City||rowspan="2"|Championship||15||8||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||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||rowspan="3"|Nottingham Forest||rowspan="4"|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||rowspan="1"|Cardiff City||5||2||0||0||0||0||5||2 |-

Template:Football player statistics 3403||166||25||15||16||15||439||200 Template:Football player statistics 43||2||1||0||colspan="2"|-||4||2 Template:Football player statistics 6406||168||24||15||16||15||443||200 Template:Football player statistics end

Honours

Cardiff City

Individual

Hat-trick record

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.[29]

  • Premiership, West Brom vs Charlton, 19 March 2005
  • Division 1, Cardiff vs Gillingham, 13 September 2003 and Nottingham Forest v Leicester City, 5 December 2009
  • Division 2, Cardiff vs Q.P.R., 29 November 2002 and Tranmere Rovers 14 March 2003
  • Division 3, Cardiff vs Torquay United, 2 December 2000
  • FA Cup, Cardiff vs Bristol Rovers, 19 November 2000
  • League Cup, Cardiff vs Boston United, 11 September 2002, and Leyton Orient, 12 August 2003
  • International, Wales vs Scotland, 18 February 2004

References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Official Robert Earnshaw Website – My Early Life". The Official Robert Earnshaw website. Robert Earnshaw. 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  2. ^ "Earnshaw seals historic win". BBC Sport. 2002-05-14. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
  3. ^ "Wigan dominate PFA team". BBC Sport. 2003-04-28. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  4. ^ "Earnie sends records tumbling". BBC Sport. 2003-03-22. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  5. ^ "Henry retains PFA crown". BBC Sport. 2004-04-25. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  6. ^ "Robert Earnshaw returns to Cardiff City". BBC Sport. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  7. ^ "Earnshaw signs for Baggies". BBC Sport. 2004-08-30. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
  8. ^ Conn, David (2007-07-17). "Agent fined £12,000 by FIFA for dual role in Earnshaw move". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  9. ^ "Liverpool 3–0 West Brom". BBC Sport. 2004-09-11. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
  10. ^ "Southampton 2–2 West Brom". BBC Sport. 2004-11-06. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
  11. ^ "Wallwork wins Player-of-the-Year award". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 2005-05-18. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  12. ^ "Norwich finalise Earnshaw switch". BBC Sport. 2006-01-31. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
  13. ^ "Earnshaw likely to sit out season". BBC Sport. 2007-01-18. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  14. ^ "Derby sign £3.5m striker Earnshaw". BBC Sport. 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
  15. ^ "Derby County vs Portsmouth". Derby County F.C. 2007-08-11. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
  16. ^ "I'd rather be in a winning team". Derby County F.C. 2008-01-26. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  17. ^ "Derby County vs Arsenal". Derby County F.C. 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  18. ^ "Rams accept bid for Earnshaw". Sky Sports.com. 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  19. ^ "Duo Battle for Earnshaw". Sky Sports.com. 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  20. ^ "Earnshaw Swoop Delights Chairman". Nottingham Forest F.C. 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  21. ^ Kell, Tom (2008-08-10). "Stalemate at City Ground". Setanta Sports. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
  22. ^ "Nottingham Forest 4–0 Morecambe". BBC. 2008-08-13. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  23. ^ "Nottingham Forest 3–2 Watford". Sporting Life. 2008-08-23. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  24. ^ "Earnshaw on the mark for Forest". thisisNottingham.co.uk. 2008-08-24. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
  25. ^ "EARNIE REJOINS CARDIFF CITY". Cardiff City Football Club. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  26. ^ "West Ham 0 - 1 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 7 August 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  27. ^ "Rob Earnshaw proud to reach goals landmark". BBC Sport. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  28. ^ Robert Earnshaw | Nottingham Forest | Team | Player Profiles
  29. ^ [1] Robert Earnshaw | Nottingham Forest | Team | Player Profiles

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