Scott Carson
Encyclopedia
Scott Paul Carson is an English footballer who plays for Bursaspor
as a goalkeeper.
He joined the Leeds United
football academy in 2002, making his full first team debut for Leeds against Manchester United
in February 2004. He made his first appearance for the England under-21 team
in the same month and later set a record of 29 caps
for the under-21 side.
In January 2005, he moved to Liverpool
for a transfer fee
of £750,000 and was called up for the England senior team
summer tour to the United States later that year. He made nine appearances for Liverpool, including the UEFA Champions League
quarter-final victory over Juventus
in April 2005, before going on loan to Sheffield Wednesday
, Charlton Athletic
and Aston Villa
to gain experience.
Following the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship
, Carson made his full debut for the England senior team against Austria
in November 2007. After his return to Liverpool from his loan spell at Aston Villa at the end of the 2007–08 season, he joined West Bromwich Albion for a £3.25 million fee in July 2008.
, Cumbria, Carson grew up in Cleator Moor
, where he attended Ehenside School. Although a promising rugby league
player as a youth, he instead chose to concentrate on football, playing in goal for his school team from the age of "about 11 or 12". He quickly rose through the youth teams at local side Cleator Moor Celtic
to play for the men's team when he was 15. He joined the Leeds United
football academy in July 2002 after impressing former Leeds defender Peter Hampton
while playing for non-league Workington
in the FA Youth Cup
. He spent less than a year in the academy and half a season with the reserves before making his first-team debut in January 2004, coming on as a late substitute after Paul Robinson
was sent off against Middlesbrough
. Two weeks later, he made his full debut, starting against Manchester United
in a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford
, and made one further appearance in the 2003–04 season against Chelsea
in May 2004. Robinson left Leeds in May 2004 and Leeds signed Scottish international goalkeeper Neil Sullivan
two months later to compete with Carson for a first-team place, and to help Carson develop and improve. Carson's contract was due to expire at the end of the 2004–05 season but Leeds were keen to retain him and in December 2004 offered him a new long-term contract. However, he chose to join Liverpool, who paid Leeds a transfer fee of £750,000 for him, in January 2005.
on a four-and-a-half year contract and was to provide competition for Jerzy Dudek
for a first-team place. He made his first team debut for Liverpool in March 2005 in a defeat to Newcastle United
, and made three consecutive appearances in April, including the home leg of the UEFA Champions League
quarter-final victory over Juventus
. He gained winner's medals after Liverpool were victorious in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final
and 2005 UEFA Super Cup
, although as an unused substitute he did not see action in either match.
on loan. Wednesday sought his services to help solve their goalkeeping crisis, while Carson was looking to gain more first team experience and to challenge for a place in the England 2006 FIFA World Cup
squad. He kept five clean sheets in nine games for Wednesday, whose assistant manager Kevin Summerfield
hailed his contribution as a key factor in helping the club escape relegation. He returned to Liverpool at the end of the season and in July 2006, extended his contract with Liverpool until 2011.
on loan for the 2006–07 season, after Charlton failed in a bid for Norwich City
goalkeeper Robert Green
. Carson explained that “Liverpool want me to get some experience and then hopefully I can go back next season and be challenging Pepe [Reina] for the number one spot. There were a couple of Championship clubs interested but I need to be playing Premiership football because Robert Green, Ben Foster and Chris Kirkland are going to be playing week in, week out so I need to be performing.” He played in 36 of 38 Premier League games, missing only the two matches against Liverpool due to the terms of his loan deal. Although he was unable to prevent Charlton from being relegated at the end of 2006–07, his outstanding form led him to be named as the Charlton Athletic Supporters' Club player of the year, the first loan player ever to receive the award.
confirmed that he would be part of the first-team squad for the 2007–08 season, saying “He must fight with Pepe Reina now for a starting place.” Carson remained second choice to Reina, however, and faced further competition following the signing of Charles Itandje
in August 2007; as a result, Carson was loaned out again, this time to Aston Villa
at a cost to Villa of £2 million. Benitez said of the deal, “We do not want to sell him, we are very happy with Scott. But he needs to play to keep up his England place.” Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill
preferred Carson to Thomas Sørensen
and Stuart Taylor, and Carson played in all but three of Villa's 38 league matches, missing the two games against Liverpool as he was ineligible to play, and kept 11 clean sheets during the 2007–08 season. He received the first red card of his career when he fouled Carlos Tévez
in Villa's 4–1 Premier League defeat to Manchester United
.
on a four-year contract for a £3.25 million fee, possibly rising to £3.75 million, with an option for the club to extend the contract by another year. Carson, who had played for five different clubs since making his debut for Leeds in 2004, explained that he wanted to get settled at one club, saying "I've been like a nomad for three or four years. It'll be good to get some roots and hopefully settle. I can see myself here for four or five years, even longer." He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Arsenal
in the opening game of the 2008–09 Premier League season. Despite relegation to the Championship
Carson kept his first team place and after the departure of captain Jonathan Greening
he was given the captaincy. West Bromwich Albion won promotion back to the Premier League, finishing second, 12 points clear of third place Nottingham Forest
with Carson keeping 15 clean sheets out of 43 games. He has since been playing regular football for the Midlands side, but in the 2010–11
season, his form seemed to dip and in January 2011, Carson was briefly dropped to the bench for Welsh goalkeeper Boaz Myhill
. After the appointment of Roy Hodgson
as West Bromwich Albion head coach, he swiftly found himself back in favour at The Hawthorns
.
Süper Lig club Bursaspor
for a fee of £2 million.
squad in October 2003, a month after his 18th birthday, for the UEFA Under-21 Championship 2004
qualifier against Turkey
. At the time he was yet to make his competitive debut for Leeds United's first team, and had previously played only four games for England at other levels. He made his under-21 debut in a 3–2 win for England against the Netherlands
in February 2004. He was selected in the squad for the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship
, and in the third game against Serbia
, he earned his 28th under-21 cap, eclipsing the record held by Gareth Barry
and Jamie Carragher
. His 29th and final cap came against the hosts, the Netherlands, in the semi-final, which finished level at 1–1 after extra-time. In the resultant shootout, he saved one of the 16 penalties
he faced and also scored one himself, but England lost 13–12. Carson has since been overtaken by James Milner
as the England Under-21 team's most-capped player.
In May 2005, while still a member of the under-21 side, Carson was called up to the England
senior team squad for the team's tour of the United States later that month. A year later, he came on as substitute for Robert Green
, who had suffered a serious injury, in the England B
international friendly against Belarus
in May 2006. The injury to Green, who had been named in the England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, led to Carson, who was on standby, being promoted to the England squad for the tournament, although he did not make any appearances. Carson continued to be selected for the England senior team squad, and in May 2007, made his second appearance for the England B team in a 3–1 win over Albania. Following the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championships, he made his full England debut in a friendly against Austria
in November 2007 when he kept a clean sheet. A week later, he made his competitive debut in a crucial match against Croatia
, in which England lost 3–2 and were eliminated from Euro 2008, with Carson being held particularly culpable for the first goal, when he failed to gather a speculative shot from 30 yards by Niko Kranjčar
that dipped and bounced before him and which he could only parry into the net. England coach Steve McClaren
was sacked the next day, as commentators criticised McClaren for selecting an inexperienced goalkeeper for the match.
New manager Fabio Capello
named Carson in his first England squad for the friendly match against Switzerland
in February 2008, but the goalkeeper did not make the final squad for the match against France
the following month due to injury. After failing to make Capello's squads for the next five internationals, Carson was recalled to the England squad in October 2008 for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
against Kazakhstan
and Belarus
. He won his third England cap in November 2008, in a friendly against Germany
in Berlin when he came on for the second half. In doing so he became the first West Bromwich Albion player to play for England for 24 years. He won his fourth cap as a second half substitute against Sweden on November 15th 2011.
; the couple have a son, Hayden.
West Bromwich albion
Individual
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="2"|Leeds United||rowspan="2"|Premier League||3||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||3||0
|-
|2004–05||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Leeds United Total
!3!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!3!!0
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="2"|Liverpool
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||4||0||0||0||0||0||1||0||5||0
|-
|2005–06||0||0||1||0||1||0||2||0||4||0
|-
|2005–06||→ Sheffield Wednesday
(loan)||Championship
||9||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||9||0
|-
|2006–07||→ Charlton Athletic
(loan)||rowspan="3"|Premier League||36||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||38||0
|-
|2007–08||→ Aston Villa
(loan)||35||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||36||0
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="3"|West Bromwich Albion
||35||0||4||0||0||0||0||0||39||0
|-
|2009–10
||Championship
||43||0||4||0||0||0||0||0||47||0
|-
|2010–11
||Premier League||32||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||32||0
|-
!colspan="3"|West Bromwich Albion Total
!110!!0!!8!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!118!!0
|-
197||0||10||0||3||0||3||0||213||0
|-
|2007||2||0
|-
|2008||1||0
|-
|2011||1||0
|-
!Total||4||0
|}
Bursaspor
Bursaspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, Bursaspor are nicknamed the Yeşil Timsahlar...
as a goalkeeper.
He joined the Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
football academy in 2002, making his full first team debut for Leeds against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in February 2004. He made his first appearance for the England under-21 team
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
in the same month and later set a record of 29 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for the under-21 side.
In January 2005, he moved to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
for a transfer fee
Fee
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup.Traditionally, professionals in Great Britain received a fee in contradistinction to a payment, salary, or wage, and would often use guineas rather than pounds as units of account...
of £750,000 and was called up for the England senior team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
summer tour to the United States later that year. He made nine appearances for Liverpool, including the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
quarter-final victory over Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in April 2005, before going on loan to Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
and Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
to gain experience.
Following the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship
2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 June 2007 to 23 June 2007. It is the 16th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship....
, Carson made his full debut for the England senior team against Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
in November 2007. After his return to Liverpool from his loan spell at Aston Villa at the end of the 2007–08 season, he joined West Bromwich Albion for a £3.25 million fee in July 2008.
Leeds United
Born in Cleator MoorCleator Moor
Cleator Moor is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Cumbria and within the boundaries of the traditional county of Cumberland....
, Cumbria, Carson grew up in Cleator Moor
Cleator Moor
Cleator Moor is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Cumbria and within the boundaries of the traditional county of Cumberland....
, where he attended Ehenside School. Although a promising rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player as a youth, he instead chose to concentrate on football, playing in goal for his school team from the age of "about 11 or 12". He quickly rose through the youth teams at local side Cleator Moor Celtic
Cleator Moor Celtic F.C.
Cleator Moor Celtic Football Club is an English football team founded in 1908–09. The club was founded by Irish immigrants employed in the local iron ore mines and is ideally situated in the centre of Cleator Moor...
to play for the men's team when he was 15. He joined the Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
football academy in July 2002 after impressing former Leeds defender Peter Hampton
Peter Hampton
Peter John Hampton is an English former footballer born in Oldham, Lancashire, who played as a left back in the Football League for Leeds United, Stoke City, Burnley, Rochdale and Carlisle United...
while playing for non-league Workington
Workington A.F.C.
Workington A.F.C. is an English football club from Workington, Cumbria. They are in the Conference North, and play their home matches at Borough Park, which has a capacity of 3,101 . The club play in red, and are known locally as the Reds...
in the FA Youth Cup
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
. He spent less than a year in the academy and half a season with the reserves before making his first-team debut in January 2004, coming on as a late substitute after Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson (goalkeeper)
Paul William Robinson is an English footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers as a goalkeeper in the Premier League. He had also been an England international and he earned 41 caps between 2003 and 2007 before his retirement from international football in August 2010.He joined Leeds United at 16...
was sent off against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. Two weeks later, he made his full debut, starting against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (football)
Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 75,811, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the eleventh-largest in Europe...
, and made one further appearance in the 2003–04 season against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in May 2004. Robinson left Leeds in May 2004 and Leeds signed Scottish international goalkeeper Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan is an English-born Scottish ex-international professional Association footballer. A goalkeeper, Sullivan currently plays for Doncaster Rovers after signing on a permanent basis from Leeds United at the end of the 2006–07 season, following two loan moves to Doncaster...
two months later to compete with Carson for a first-team place, and to help Carson develop and improve. Carson's contract was due to expire at the end of the 2004–05 season but Leeds were keen to retain him and in December 2004 offered him a new long-term contract. However, he chose to join Liverpool, who paid Leeds a transfer fee of £750,000 for him, in January 2005.
Liverpool
Carson joined LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on a four-and-a-half year contract and was to provide competition for Jerzy Dudek
Jerzy Dudek
Jerzy Henryk Dudek is a retired Polish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.After beginning his career in his home country, he went on to have successful spells in Netherlands and England, winning the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, appearing in 186 official games for the club over...
for a first-team place. He made his first team debut for Liverpool in March 2005 in a defeat to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, and made three consecutive appearances in April, including the home leg of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
quarter-final victory over Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
. He gained winner's medals after Liverpool were victorious in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final
2005 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Liverpool of England and Milan of Italy at the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on 25 May 2005...
and 2005 UEFA Super Cup
2005 UEFA Super Cup
The 2005 UEFA Super Cup was an association football match between Liverpool of England and CSKA Moscow of Russia on 26 August 2005 at Stade Louis II, Monaco, the annual UEFA Super Cup contested between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. Liverpool were appearing in the Super Cup...
, although as an unused substitute he did not see action in either match.
Sheffield Wednesday (loan)
Carson made only four appearances in the 2005–06 season, all in cup competitions, and in March 2006, was allowed to move to Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
on loan. Wednesday sought his services to help solve their goalkeeping crisis, while Carson was looking to gain more first team experience and to challenge for a place in the England 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
squad. He kept five clean sheets in nine games for Wednesday, whose assistant manager Kevin Summerfield
Kevin Summerfield
Kevin Summerfield is an English football coach and retired player.He began his career with West Bromwich Albion as a forward, making his first team debut in 1977, before joining Birmingham City five years later...
hailed his contribution as a key factor in helping the club escape relegation. He returned to Liverpool at the end of the season and in July 2006, extended his contract with Liverpool until 2011.
Charlton Athletic (loan)
In August 2006, Carson joined Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
on loan for the 2006–07 season, after Charlton failed in a bid for Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
goalkeeper Robert Green
Robert Green
Robert Paul Green is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United and the England national football team as a goalkeeper.-Norwich City:...
. Carson explained that “Liverpool want me to get some experience and then hopefully I can go back next season and be challenging Pepe [Reina] for the number one spot. There were a couple of Championship clubs interested but I need to be playing Premiership football because Robert Green, Ben Foster and Chris Kirkland are going to be playing week in, week out so I need to be performing.” He played in 36 of 38 Premier League games, missing only the two matches against Liverpool due to the terms of his loan deal. Although he was unable to prevent Charlton from being relegated at the end of 2006–07, his outstanding form led him to be named as the Charlton Athletic Supporters' Club player of the year, the first loan player ever to receive the award.
Aston Villa (loan)
Carson returned to Liverpool at the end of the season and in June 2007, Liverpool manager Rafael BenítezRafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
confirmed that he would be part of the first-team squad for the 2007–08 season, saying “He must fight with Pepe Reina now for a starting place.” Carson remained second choice to Reina, however, and faced further competition following the signing of Charles Itandje
Charles Itandje
Charles-Hubert Itandje is a footballer who plays for Atromitos as a goalkeeper.-RC Lens :Born in Bobigny, Paris of Cameroonian descent, Itandje began his professional career at French club RC Lens in 2001, for whom he made 170 league appearances and 21 appearances in European games...
in August 2007; as a result, Carson was loaned out again, this time to Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
at a cost to Villa of £2 million. Benitez said of the deal, “We do not want to sell him, we are very happy with Scott. But he needs to play to keep up his England place.” Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
preferred Carson to Thomas Sørensen
Thomas Sørensen
Thomas Løvendahl Sørensen is a Danish professional football goalkeeper, who plays for Premier League club Stoke City. He has previously represented Premiership teams Sunderland and Aston Villa....
and Stuart Taylor, and Carson played in all but three of Villa's 38 league matches, missing the two games against Liverpool as he was ineligible to play, and kept 11 clean sheets during the 2007–08 season. He received the first red card of his career when he fouled Carlos Tévez
Carlos Tévez
Carlos Alberto Tévez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Manchester City...
in Villa's 4–1 Premier League defeat to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
.
West Bromwich Albion
Carson returned to Liverpool at the end of the 2007–08 season but in July 2008 joined West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
on a four-year contract for a £3.25 million fee, possibly rising to £3.75 million, with an option for the club to extend the contract by another year. Carson, who had played for five different clubs since making his debut for Leeds in 2004, explained that he wanted to get settled at one club, saying "I've been like a nomad for three or four years. It'll be good to get some roots and hopefully settle. I can see myself here for four or five years, even longer." He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in the opening game of the 2008–09 Premier League season. Despite relegation to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
Carson kept his first team place and after the departure of captain Jonathan Greening
Jonathan Greening
Jonathan Greening is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Nottingham Forest.He began his career in 1996 with York City, but moved to Manchester United in 1998, with whom he won the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League as a non-playing substitute in the final...
he was given the captaincy. West Bromwich Albion won promotion back to the Premier League, finishing second, 12 points clear of third place Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
with Carson keeping 15 clean sheets out of 43 games. He has since been playing regular football for the Midlands side, but in the 2010–11
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...
season, his form seemed to dip and in January 2011, Carson was briefly dropped to the bench for Welsh goalkeeper Boaz Myhill
Boaz Myhill
Glyn Oliver Myhill , more commonly known as Boaz Myhill , is a footballer who plays for Birmingham City, on loan from West Bromwich Albion, and the Wales national team as a goalkeeper.-Early life:...
. After the appointment of Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson is a former English footballer and current head coach of West Bromwich Albion.Hodgson, who has managed sixteen different teams in eight countries, guided the Switzerland national team to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup and qualification for Euro 1996; Switzerland had not qualified...
as West Bromwich Albion head coach, he swiftly found himself back in favour at The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the...
.
Bursaspor
On 1 July 2011, Carson completed a move to TurkishTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Süper Lig club Bursaspor
Bursaspor
Bursaspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, Bursaspor are nicknamed the Yeşil Timsahlar...
for a fee of £2 million.
International career
Carson was first called up to the England under-21England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
squad in October 2003, a month after his 18th birthday, for the UEFA Under-21 Championship 2004
2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
UEFA U-21 Championship 2004 was the 14th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Germany between 27 May and 8 June 2004.Italy U-21s won the competition for the fifth time...
qualifier against Turkey
Turkey national under-21 football team
Turkey's national Under-21 football team , also known as Turkey Under-21s or Turkey U-21s, is the Under-21 years of age team of the Turkey national football team.-History:...
. At the time he was yet to make his competitive debut for Leeds United's first team, and had previously played only four games for England at other levels. He made his under-21 debut in a 3–2 win for England against the Netherlands
Netherlands national under-21 football team
The Netherlands national under-21 football team is the national under-21 team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association. The team competes in the European Under-21 Championship, held every two years....
in February 2004. He was selected in the squad for the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship
2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 June 2007 to 23 June 2007. It is the 16th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship....
, and in the third game against Serbia
Serbia national under-21 football team
The Serbia national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Serbia and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia....
, he earned his 28th under-21 cap, eclipsing the record held by Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry is an English footballer who plays for Manchester City and the England national football team.Barry moved to Aston Villa from Brighton & Hove Albion as a youngster, and spent 12 years at the club. He captained Aston Villa, and, at the end of his career with the club, lay eighth in...
and Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher
James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...
. His 29th and final cap came against the hosts, the Netherlands, in the semi-final, which finished level at 1–1 after extra-time. In the resultant shootout, he saved one of the 16 penalties
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
he faced and also scored one himself, but England lost 13–12. Carson has since been overtaken by James Milner
James Milner
Milner was described as a "first class" student at his school; he left with 11 GCSEs and an award for his performance in physical education. Milner also showed talent in cricket, sprinting and long-distance running...
as the England Under-21 team's most-capped player.
In May 2005, while still a member of the under-21 side, Carson was called up to the England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
senior team squad for the team's tour of the United States later that month. A year later, he came on as substitute for Robert Green
Robert Green
Robert Paul Green is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United and the England national football team as a goalkeeper.-Norwich City:...
, who had suffered a serious injury, in the England B
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
international friendly against Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
in May 2006. The injury to Green, who had been named in the England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, led to Carson, who was on standby, being promoted to the England squad for the tournament, although he did not make any appearances. Carson continued to be selected for the England senior team squad, and in May 2007, made his second appearance for the England B team in a 3–1 win over Albania. Following the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championships, he made his full England debut in a friendly against Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
in November 2007 when he kept a clean sheet. A week later, he made his competitive debut in a crucial match against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, in which England lost 3–2 and were eliminated from Euro 2008, with Carson being held particularly culpable for the first goal, when he failed to gather a speculative shot from 30 yards by Niko Kranjčar
Niko Kranjcar
Niko Kranjčar is a Croatian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur and the Croatia national team.He represented two of the biggest clubs in his homeland, playing for Dinamo Zagreb before sparking controversy by making a move to their fierce rivals Hajduk Split in 2005...
that dipped and bounced before him and which he could only parry into the net. England coach Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
was sacked the next day, as commentators criticised McClaren for selecting an inexperienced goalkeeper for the match.
New manager Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
named Carson in his first England squad for the friendly match against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
in February 2008, but the goalkeeper did not make the final squad for the match against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
the following month due to injury. After failing to make Capello's squads for the next five internationals, Carson was recalled to the England squad in October 2008 for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 6
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 6 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised Croatia, England, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.The group was won by England, who qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup...
against Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
and Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
. He won his third England cap in November 2008, in a friendly against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in Berlin when he came on for the second half. In doing so he became the first West Bromwich Albion player to play for England for 24 years. He won his fourth cap as a second half substitute against Sweden on November 15th 2011.
Personal life
Carson married Amiee Barton on 17 May 2008 in EgremontEgremont, Cumbria
Egremont is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria, England, south of Whitehaven and on the River Ehen. The town, which lies at the foot of Uldale Valley and Dent Fell, was historically within Cumberland and has a long industrial heritage including dyeing, weaving and...
; the couple have a son, Hayden.
Honours
Liverpool- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
(1): 2004–05 - UEFA Super Cup (1): 2005–06
West Bromwich albion
- ChampionshipChampionshipChampionship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
Runner up (1): 2009–10
Individual
- Charlton Athletic Supporters' Club Player of the Year (1): 2006–07
Club
- Statistics accurate as of 18:53, 22 May 2011.
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="2"|Leeds United||rowspan="2"|Premier League||3||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||3||0
|-
|2004–05||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Leeds United Total
!3!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!3!!0
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="2"|Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||4||0||0||0||0||0||1||0||5||0
|-
|2005–06||0||0||1||0||1||0||2||0||4||0
|-
|2005–06||→ Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
(loan)||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||9||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||9||0
|-
|2006–07||→ Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
(loan)||rowspan="3"|Premier League||36||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||38||0
|-
|2007–08||→ Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
(loan)||35||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||36||0
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="3"|West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
||35||0||4||0||0||0||0||0||39||0
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Football League Championship
The Football League Championship season 2009–10 is the sixth season of the league under its current title and eighteenth season under its current league division format...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||43||0||4||0||0||0||0||0||47||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...
||Premier League||32||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||32||0
|-
!colspan="3"|West Bromwich Albion Total
!110!!0!!8!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!118!!0
|-
197||0||10||0||3||0||3||0||213||0
|-
|2007||2||0
|-
|2008||1||0
|-
|2011||1||0
|-
!Total||4||0
|}
External links
- Scott Carson profile at the West Bromwich Albion website
- Scott Carson profile at Englandstats
- Premier League profile of Scott Carson
- BBC profile of Scott Carson