Liam Ridgewell

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Liam Ridgewell
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Ridgewell lining up for the Portland Timbers in 2015
Personal information
Full name Liam Matthew Ridgewell[1]
Date of birth (1984-07-21) 21 July 1984 (age 39)[1]
Place of birth Bexleyheath, England
Height Script error: No such module "person height".
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Brighton & Hove Albion
(on loan from Portland Timbers)
Number 33
Youth career
1999–2001 West Ham United
2001–2002 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2007 Aston Villa 79 (7)
2002 → Bournemouth (loan) 5 (0)
2007–2012 Birmingham City 152 (9)
2012–2014 West Bromwich Albion 76 (2)
2014– Portland Timbers 47 (2)
2015 → Wigan Athletic (loan) 6 (0)
2016– → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 1 (0)
International career
2002 England U19 1 (1)
2004–2005 England U21 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:33, 13 January 2016 (UTC)

Liam Matthew Ridgewell (born 21 July 1984) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion, on loan from Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. He is primarily a centre back but can also play at left back.

Ridgewell began his senior career with Aston Villa, spending a spell on loan at A.F.C. Bournemouth in 2002, before moving to Villa's local rivals Birmingham City in 2007, where he was part of the 2011 Football League Cup Final-winning team. He spent two and a half seasons with West Bromwich Albion, who released him at the end of 2013–14. He then joined the Portland Timbers, whom he captained to victory in MLS Cup 2015.

Internationally, he has eight caps for England at under-21 level.

Club career

Early career

Ridgewell was born in Bexleyheath, London.[3] He began his career with West Ham United, but moved to Aston Villa in February 2001.[4] He was part of the team that won the 2002 FA Youth Cup final against Everton.[5]

Aston Villa

The day after scoring for England Under-19s in a 2–2 draw against Yugoslavia in October 2002, he was loaned to A.F.C. Bournemouth of the Third Division, for whom he made his debut in the Football League in a 2–1 win over Hartlepool United on 13 October and played five games in his month's loan spell.[6][7]

His debut for Aston Villa's first team came on 4 January 2003, in a 4–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup third round, when he came on as a substitute to replace Rob Edwards after 69 minutes.[8] His first Premier League appearance came on 28 December 2003, as a 62nd-minute replacement for Mark Delaney in a 3–0 win over Fulham at Villa Park; he made 11 appearances over the season.

On 15 January 2005, Ridgewell scored his first professional goal, heading in Nolberto Solano's cross in the ninth minute to open a 3–0 win over Norwich City.[9] On 10 April, in a 1–1 draw with rivals West Bromwich Albion, he and opponent Jonathan Greening were sent off for headbutting each other.[10]

In the following Premier League campaign, Ridgewell recorded five goals in 32 games, including two in a 3–3 draw at Fulham on 28 December 2005.[11] He scored his only goal of the 2006–07 season against his former club West Ham United on 10 September 2006.[12]

Birmingham City

Ridgewell completed a move to Birmingham City for a fee of £2 million on 3 August 2007, becoming the first player to transfer between the bitter rivals since Des Bremner in 1984.[13]

File:Liam Ridgewell cropped.jpg
Ridgewell in October 2010

In the absence through injury of regular captain Damien Johnson, Ridgewell was given the captain's armband. He described his appointment as "a real honour".[14] Though concerns were expressed over how some fans might react to a player signing from Aston Villa, Ridgewell's performances won over the doubters.[15] He scored his first goal for the club in their 3–2 win against Wigan Athletic at St Andrew's in October,[16] but then scored an own goal in the Birmingham derby two weeks later, also at St Andrew's.[17]

In April 2009, Ridgewell suffered a broken leg after a challenge by Plymouth Argyle midfielder Jamie Mackie.[18] He made an unexpectedly quick return to the side five months later, playing in the less familiar position of left back.[19] He continued in that role because of the form of preferred centre-backs Roger Johnson and Scott Dann,[20] and played there as Birmingham went on a club-record 12-match unbeaten run in the top division[21] and set a Premier League record by fielding the same starting eleven for nine consecutive games.[22] He scored a 91st-minute equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur on 30 January 2010 which ensured that Birmingham remained unbeaten at home since the previous September.[23]

Ridgewell continued his goalscoring form with a stoppage-time winner against Derby County to send Birmingham through to the quarter finals of the FA Cup,[24] had a goal disallowed in the quarter-final match against Portsmouth when the ball had "clearly crossed the line",[25] and scored an equalising goal against Liverpool in the league.[26]

In June 2010, Ridgewell signed a new contract with Birmingham, to expire in June 2013.[27] He played the full 90 minutes as Birmingham defeated favourites Arsenal 2–1 in the 2011 Football League Cup Final,[28] thus earning qualification for the Europa League. In the absence of several midfielders through injury, Ridgewell played in the play-off round first leg against Portuguese club Nacional, Birmingham's first participation in major European competition for nearly 50 years, in an unfamiliar holding midfield position.[29] As the August 2011 transfer deadline approached, Ridgewell submitted a transfer request which was rejected by the club, and despite late interest from Premier League clubs including Newcastle United, he remained with Birmingham.[30]

West Bromwich Albion

Ridgewell signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Premier League club West Bromwich Albion on 31 January 2012. The transfer fee was undisclosed.[31] On 12 February, he made his debut in a 5–1 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.[32] He made his home debut a week later as West Brom beat Sunderland 4–0 at The Hawthorns.[33] He scored his first goal for West Brom on 7 April in a 3–0 home win against Blackburn Rovers.[34]

On 16 May 2014, West Bromwich Albion announced that they would not take up the option of extending Ridgewell's contract and he was released from the club.[35]

Portland Timbers

File:Timbers players after playoff game vs Dallas 2015.jpg
Ridgewell (right, wearing the British flag) celebrating the Timbers' victory over FC Dallas in the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Ridgewell was signed as a Designated Player for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer on 25 June 2014.[36] He made his MLS debut on 18 July, the 62nd consecutive sellout at Providence Park, and a comeback 2–1 victory over the visiting Colorado Rapids.[37] Ridgewell was named in the MLS All-Star team for the 2014 MLS All-Star Game against Bayern Munich as a replacement for the injured Kyle Beckerman.[38] He scored his first Timbers goal, the equaliser against the New England Revolution on 16 August 2014, after a 45-yard (41 m) solo run.[39]

On 8 January 2015, Ridgewell signed for Wigan Athletic on a six-week loan deal.[40] He made six appearances for the Latics, who ended the season with relegation from the Championship.

Ridgewell was sent off on 25 June 2015 in a 5–0 loss at LA Galaxy, for a kick at Alan Gordon.[41] The Timbers qualified for the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, in which Ridgewell opened the scoring in a 3–1 first leg win over Western Conference regular season champions FC Dallas on 22 November, as the team eventually reached MLS Cup 2015.[42] In the decisive match on 6 December away to the Columbus Crew at Mapfre Stadium, he captained the Timbers to a 2–1 win.[43]

On 30 December 2015, Ridgewell signed for Championship team Brighton & Hove Albion on a short-term loan to expire before February 21, 2016, in time for the second half of the Timbers' preseason.[44]

Career statistics

As of match played 12 January 2016
Club statistics
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Aston Villa 2002–03[7] Premier League 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2003–04[45] Premier League 11 0 0 0 2 0 – 13 0
2004–05[46] Premier League 15 1 1 0 1 0 – 17 1
2005–06[47] Premier League 32 5 2 0 3 0 – 37 5
2006–07[12] Premier League 21 1 1 0 3 0 – 25 1
Aston Villa total 79 7 5 0 9 0 0 0 93 7
A.F.C. Bournemouth (loan) 2002–03[7] Division Three 5 0 – – – 5 0
Birmingham City 2007–08[16] Premier League 35 1 1 0 1 0 – 37 1
2008–09[48] Championship 36 1 1 0 2 0 – 39 1
2009–10[49] Premier League 31 3 5 1 1 0 – 37 4
2010–11[50] Premier League 36 4 2 0 5 1 – 43 5
2011–12[34] Championship 14 0 1 0 0 0 4[lower-alpha 1] 0 19 0
Birmingham City total 152 9 10 1 9 1 4 0 175 11
West Bromwich Albion 2011–12[34] Premier League 13 1 – – – 13 1
2012–13[51] Premier League 30 0 1 0 1 0 – 32 0
2013–14[52] Premier League 33 1 0 0 0 0 – 33 1
West Bromwich Albion total 76 2 1 0 1 0 – 78 2
Portland Timbers 2014[53][54] Major League Soccer 15 2 0 0 – 1[lower-alpha 2] 0 16 2
Portland Timbers 2015[55][56] Major League Soccer 32 0 1 0 – 5[lower-alpha 3] 1[lower-alpha 4] 38 1
Wigan Athletic (loan) 2014–15[57] Championship 4 0 – – – 4 0
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 2015–16[58] Championship 1 0 1 0 – – 2 0
Career total 354 20 18 1 19 1 10 1 373 23
  1. ↑ Appearances in Europa League
  2. ↑ Appearance in CONCACAF Champions League
  3. ↑ Appearance in 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs
  4. ↑ Goal in 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs

Honours

Club

Aston Villa

Birmingham City

Portland Timbers

Individual

  • MLS All-Star: 2014

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. ↑ http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2015/12/6/9858868/timbers-crew-2015-mls-cup-final-score-results
  60. ↑ http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2015/11/29/portland-timbers-first-cascadia-club-reach-mls-cup-close-capturing-first-trophy-we

External links

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