Kenwyne Jones – Sunderland’s Striker
Kenwyne Joel Jones (born 5 October 1984 in Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago) [1] is a Trinidadian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Sunderland. He previously played for Southampton, Stoke City, Sheffield Wednesday, W Connection and Joe Public.
He began his football career with Joe Public in his native Trinidad and Tobago. He moved to W Connection in 2002,[2] and he was a utility player in the Trinidad and Tobago team in 2003 against Finland. In 2004, he joined Southampton, where he was converted to a striker.[3] He was later loaned to Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City during the 2004–05 season.
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kenwyne Joel Jones | |
| Date of birth | 5 October 1984 (age 25) | |
| Place of birth | Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1?2 in) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Sunderland | |
| Number | 17 | |
Sunderland
On 29 August 2007, it was confirmed that he had joined Sunderland in a deal valued at £6 million with fellow-Trinidadian Stern John moving to Southampton.[19][20] The Trinidadian stiker made his debut for Sunderland on 1 September in a 1–0 defeat to Manchester United and scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 home win over Reading on 15 September.[21]
Jones was linked with a £12 m player move to Liverpool in November 2007, with Peter Crouch moving to Sunderland.[22][23] Jones was again linked with high profile clubs on 21 December 2007, including Chelsea and Liverpool, but Sunderland manager Roy Keane insisted that he would be going nowhere.[24] Jones scored his fifth goal at the Stadium of Light, with a header from the near post off a corner kick, in Sunderland’s 3–1 win over Bolton on 29 December.[25] Chelsea captain John Terry praised Jones, saying: “Jones was fantastic and I have played against him twice now. He is a very good player, very hard working and probably the best in the air in the entire Premier League, he really is that good” after Chelsea had won the match 1–0 on 15 March 2008.[26]
On 1 June 2008, Jones suffered a knee ligament injury in a collision with Goalkeeper David James in the seventh minute of Trinidad & Tobago’s 3–0 defeat against England.[27] He made his first appearance of the 2008–09 season playing for 60 minutes in Sunderland reserve team’s 2–0 victory against Wigan Athletic.[28], followed by a return to Sunderland’s first team in the Tyne-Wear derby on 25 October 2008 as a second half substitute, when he helped Sunderland to secure a 2–1 victory over their local rivals.[29] His first goal following his return came on 12 November in a 2–1 League Cup defeat against Blackburn Rovers.[30] He continued his recovery from injury with a goal, again against Blackburn, on 15 November 2008 as Sunderland won 2–1.[31]
Jones put an end to speculation linking him with a move to Tottenham Hotspur by signing a 4 and a half year contract at the Stadium of Light on 27 January 2009.[32] After a spell of six games without a goal, Jones scored against Manchester United in a 2–1 defeat.[33]
On 22 August Jones contributed to Sunderland’s 2–1 victory over Blackburn Rovers scoring two goals. Jones again contributed with two goals for Sunderland when they were at home to Wolves on 27 September, in a 5–2 win. One goal being the highlight of the game, curling the ball home from 22yards out.[34] Jones scored his fifth goal of the season with a header against Manchester United, out jumping Ben Foster to give Sunderland a 2-1 lead but in the dying moments of the match at Old Trafford, Patrice Evra’s shot was deflected in for an own-goal by Anton Ferdinand to level it up and end the match as a 2-2 draw.
Source: Kenwyne Jones, Sunderland F.C., English Premier League News, Sunderland Striker information at wikipedia.org.
Clint Dempsey – Fulham’s Midfielder
Clint Dempsey – Midfielder / Striker / Winger of Fulham F.C. – English Premier League Football Club
Clinton Drew “Clint” Dempsey (born March 9, 1983, in Nacogdoches, Texas) is an American soccer player who plays for Fulham in the English Premier League and for the United States national team.
Youth
Dempsey was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, a small town roughly halfway between Dallas and Houston. For much of his childhood, Dempsey’s family lived in a trailer park, where Clint and his siblings grew up playing soccer with the local Mexican immigrant children.
His older brother Ryan was offered a tryout for the Dallas Texans, one of America’s elite youth soccer clubs, but young Clint, who had come along, was noticed and recruited while passing time juggling a ball on the sidelines. Dempsey became a standout on the team at an early age, but had to quit due to his poor family’s time and money constraints as his eldest sister Jennifer was becoming a ranked youth tennis player. But several parents of his teammates with the Texans offered to assist the Dempseys with expenses and travel, allowing him to rejoin the club. He went on to be the captain and high scorer of the Texans and was honored with MVP in the Tampa Bay Sun Bowl tournament.
Dempsey studied the play of Argentina, especially Diego Maradona. Clint was heartbroken when the news came to Nacogdoches that Maradona would not be playing in the 1994 FIFA World Cup game played in the Cotton Bowl.
Dempsey attended Furman University as a health and exercise major and a key player for the Paladins. In his three seasons at Furman, Dempsey started 61 out of 62 games in central midfield and scored 17 goals.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Clinton Drew Dempsey | ||
| Date of birth | March 9, 1983 (1983-03-09) (age 26) | ||
| Place of birth | Nacogdoches, Texas, United States | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger/Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Fulham | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
At Fulham F.C.
In December 2006, Fulham offered MLS a $4 million transfer fee for Dempsey, then the largest amount ever offered for an MLS player. The league agreed to the transfer; however, Dempsey still needed to receive a work permit from the United Kingdom Home Office. On January 10, 2007, the Home Office granted Dempsey the work permit, thus allowing him to play in England.
Dempsey made his first appearance for Fulham shortly thereafter, coming on as a late substitute in Fulham’s match against Tottenham Hotspur on January 20, 2007. However, for the remainder of the spring of 2007 Dempsey was used only sparingly by a relegation-threatened Fulham. On May 5, 2007, Dempsey scored his first and only goal of the 2006-07 season for Fulham after coming on as a 54th minute substitute against Liverpool, in a vital match which Fulham won 1-0. The goal ensured Fulham’s top flight status for the 2007-08 season.
Dempsey was a key part of the starting squad for Fulham during the 2007-08 Premier League season. His six goals, all scored in the Premier League, made him Fulham’s top scorer in league play and tied for the club lead in all competitions. In May 2008, Dempsey received an automatic contract extension from Fulham that would have kept him at the club through 2010.
Dempsey scored his first goal on the 2008-2009 campaign on October 26, 2008, against Portsmouth. Coming on as a 70th-minute sub, Dempsey volleyed home an Erik Nevland cross past David James to tie the game at 1-1. On December 28, 2008, Dempsey started in the SW6 Derby against Chelsea and scored both goals for Fulham, one a chest and flick past Petr ?ech that put Fulham ahead, and the other an 89th-minute equalizing header off a Simon Davies corner. On April 12, 2009, Dempsey was voted Man of the Match in a 3-1 win over Manchester City at Eastlands, in which he scored two goals.
On August 13, 2009, Dempsey signed a contract extension to remain with Fulham through 2013. On August 20, 2009, he scored his first goal in European competition, in the newly formed Europa League, netting Fulham’s second goal in a 3–1 win against Amkar Perm in the play-off round.
Source: Fulham Midfielder, Fulham Winger, Fulham Striker, Clint Dempsey information at wikipedia.org.
Fernando Torres – Striker’s Liverpool
Fernando Torres – Striker’s Liverpool F.C. – English Premier League Football Club
Fernando José Torres Sanz (born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool and the Spanish national team as a striker.
Torres started his career with Atlético Madrid, progressing through their youth ranks. He made his professional debut in 2001 and finished his career with the club having scored 75 goals in 174 La Liga appearances, earning the nickname El Niño (“The Kid”). Prior to his La Liga debut, Torres played two seasons in the Segunda División, making 40 appearances and scoring seven goals. He joined Liverpool in 2007, after signing for a club record transfer fee. He marked his first season at Anfield by being Liverpool’s first player, since Robbie Fowler in 1995–96, to score more than 20 league goals in a season.
Personal information
Full name : Fernando José Torres Sanz[1]
Date of birth : 20 March 1984 (1984-03-20) (age 25)[2]
Place of birth : Madrid, Spain
Height : 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[3]
Playing position : Striker
Club information : Liverpool
He is also a Spanish international and made his debut for the country against Portugal in 2003. He has since participated in three major tournaments, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. He did not score a goal at Euro 2004, but he scored three at World Cup 2006. Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in their 1–0 win over Germany in the UEFA Euro 2008 Final.
Source: English Premier League Football Clubs, Liverpool F.C., Fernando Torres, Strikers information at wikipedia.org
Bobby Zamora – Fulham’s Forward
Bobby Zamora – Fulham F.C. Forward – English Premier League Football Club
Robert Lester “Bobby” Zamora (born 16 January 1981 in Barking, Greater London) is a professional footballer who plays for English Premier League club Fulham.
Zamora played for the England national under-21 football team in his youth; he was called up to represent Trinidad at full international level in 2009, but did not appear due to injury.
Zamora’s Personal information
Full name : Robert Lester Zamora
Date of birth : 16 January 1981 (1981-01-16) (age 28)
Place of birth : Barking, England
Height : 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position : Forward
Club information : Fulham
Zamora’s Background
Zamora attended Little Ilford School before moving onto Barking Abbey Secondary School. As a boy, he played for the Senrab football club in east London, alongside John Terry, Ledley King, Paul Konchesky and Jlloyd Samuel. A life-long West Ham fan, he started his footballing career as an apprentice at the club’s famed “Academy of Football” but was released from the East London club on the same day as Jlloyd Samuel, Fitz Hall and Paul Konchesky, the latter of whom also returned to the Hammers. He is the second player to have scored eight goals against Arsenal: altogether in his career he has scored six for West Ham, one for Brighton and one for Tottenham in the Cup.
At Fulham F.C.
In July 2008, Zamora and team mate John Paintsil were signed by Fulham for a joint fee of £6.3 million. Since his move to Fulham, he has struggled to find the net, scoring just twice in the 2008/2009 season, despite generally playing well and playing a fairly important part in the teams success in his debut season. On the 15th July, Fulham and Hull City agreed a fee, which would see Zamora move to Hull for £5 million. But even though he had the chance to go to Hull and earn double his wages,[citation needed] he decided to stay with Fulham in order to attempt to prove his critics wrong. Shortly after he snubbed Hull City, he played in a friendly against Peterbrough and scored 2 goals. Then 4 days later he made his Europa League debut and scored once and set up two goals to give Fulham a 3-0 away advantage going into the next leg. He scored his first goal of the 2009-2010 campaign against Hull City A.F.C. on 19th October 2009 by heading in a rebound in the 43rd minute. Fulham won the game 2-0. On 31st October 2009, Zamora scored the first goal of the game to put Fulham ahead against Liverpool.
Source: English Premier League Football Club, Fulham F.C., Bobby Zamora, Fulham’s Forward information at wikipedia.org
Robbie Keane – Tottenham’s Captain
Robbie Keane – Captain / Forward / Striker of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. – English Premier League Football Club
Robert David “Robbie” Keane (born 8 July 1980 in Tallaght, Dublin) is the current captain of the Republic of Ireland national football team, and a first-team striker for Tottenham Hotspur F.C. He is the all-time record goalscorer for the Irish national side, as well as the 10th highest goalscorer in Premier League history.
He began his professional career at Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring twice in his first team debut aged 17. The following season he was the club’s leading goalscorer and scored his first international goal with Republic of Ireland. He changed club frequently between 1999 and 2002, breaking transfer fee records, but his brief spells at Inter Milan and Leeds United were unexceptional. He joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2002 and played there for six years. The 2007–08 season was the most fruitful of his career as he set a career record of 23 goals in a season, scored a landmark 100th competitive goal for Tottenham and won his first senior honour, the Football League Cup. He moved to Liverpool in July 2008 but he spent only six months at the club and soon returned to Tottenham, where he was made first team captain.
Keane is best known for his performances at Tottenham, where he gained repute as a consistent goalscorer and often finished the season having scored the most goals on his team. Keane’s pedigree was reinforced when he became Ireland’s record goalscorer in 2004 and Steve Staunton appointed him national team captain in 2006.
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert David Keane | |
| Date of birth | 8 July 1980 (1980-07-08) (age 29) | |
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| Number | 10 | |
| Youth career | ||
| 1995–1997 | Crumlin United Wolverhampton Wanderers |
|
| Senior career1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1997–1999 1999–2000 2000–2001 2001 2001–2002 2002–2008 2008–2009 2009– |
Wolverhampton Wanderers Coventry City Internazionale ? Leeds United (loan) Leeds United Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool Tottenham Hotspur |
73 (24) 31 (12) 6 (0) 18 (9) 28 (4) 197 (80) 19 (5) 23 (10) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1998– | Republic of Ireland | 93 (40) |
Return to Tottenham
Keane rejoined Tottenham on 2 February 2009, signing for a basic fee of £12 million, potentially rising to £19 million with add-ons.[42] The deal meant that the cumulative transfer fees paid for Keane over his career amounted to around £75 million.[43] He signed a four-year contract with the north London club.[44] Keane was one of three players to make returns to Tottenham during the transfer window, along with Jermain Defoe and Pascal Chimbonda.[28] He was also made Tottenham vice-captain a week later,>[45] after often deputising for Ledley King during his first spell there.[46][47][48][49][50] Keane scored his first goal since his return to the club on 4 March,[51] opening the scoring in the crucial 4–0 home victory against Middlesbrough.[52][53] He followed this up by scoring another vital goal, this time a last-minute equaliser, away to Sunderland in a 1–1 draw on 7 March.[54][55]
Soon after Keane’s return to White Hart Lane, railway service Virgin Trains ran an advertisement with the slogan “A Liverpool to London return faster than Robbie Keane.”[56] On his return to Liverpool on the final day of the season, he scored in a 3–1 defeat.[57] He received a generally warm reception from the fans despite scoring against them.
On 31 July 2009, Robbie captained Tottenham to winning the Premier League Asia Trophy in a pre-season competition in China. He scored twice in the 3-0 win over Hull City inside Beijing National Stadium. On 26 September 2009, Keane scored four goals in a 5-0 win over Burnley.[58] During Tottenham’s Carling Cup Fourth Round match, Keane scored one of two goals against Everton on 27 October 2009 at White Hart Lane
Source: English Premier League Football Club, Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Robbie Keane, Captains information at wikipedia.org
For other Captains of English Premier League Clubs, visit Captains