Dictionary of Meaning
<<Back
Please select a letter:
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
0-9
Click here for Shopping
Alan Smith
*** Shopping-Tip: Alan Smith
:''This article is about the current
Manchester United footballer. For others, see
Alan Smith (disambiguation).''
{{Football player infobox| playername= Alan Smith
| image =
Image:Alan Smith DVD.jpg 175px|Alan Smith
| fullname = Alan Smith
| nickname = ''Smithy'', ''Chilli Pepper'',
''Smudger'', ''Yorkshire Terrier''
| dateofbirth =
28 October 1980
| cityofbirth =
Leeds
| countryofbirth =
England
| currentclub =
Manchester United
| position =
Midfielder
| youthyears =
1997-
1998
| youthclubs =
Leeds United
| years =
1998-
20042004-Present
| clubs =
Leeds UnitedManchester United
| caps(goals) = 151 (36)
31 (6)
| nationalyears = 2001 - 2005 (due to injury)
| nationalteam =
England national football team England (2001-)
| nationalcaps(goals) = 16 (1)
| pcupdate =
| ntupdate =
}}
'''Alan Smith''' (born
28 October 1980 in
Rothwell, West Yorkshire Rothwell,
Leeds,
England) is an English football player. He has played centre-forward for most of his career, but as of 2005 he is undergoing a conversion into a midfield role. He formerly played for
Leeds United F.C. Leeds United and now plies his trade for
Manchester United. He is 5'10" tall, and weighs 152 pounds.
Biography
Alan Smith is a hard-working footballer, who got his start with his hometown and future club at age 10, when he entered the
Leeds United Centre of Excellence. Smith eventually joined up with Leeds United properly in March 1998.
Career
His senior
FA Premier League Premiership debut was as a substitute for Leeds vs.
Liverpool F.C. Liverpool at
Anfield, where he displayed his natural scoring ability by scoring with his first touch of the ball. That goal helped propel him into the 1998/1999 season, as he was one-half of manager
David O'Leary's first-choice striker pairing, along with
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
Smith continued his run through the Leeds side, as the club began to grow in stature. Smith showed his class in 2001 while helping to lead the Leeds side through the much vaunted
UEFA Champions League Champions League, though his experience ended on a sour note as he was sent off in the semifinal. The following season saw Alan relegated to the midfield, his versatility working against him, as O'Leary tried to accommodate new signings. 2001 was also the year for Smith's break into the
England national football team England squad. An England youth international at multiple levels, Smith made his senior England debut in May 2001. Unfortunately, Alan did not make the final cut for the {{wc|2002}}, and accepted a starring role with the England Under-21 side.
A hometown hero and a teen idol for supporters of hometown club Leeds, Smith was the poster boy for the club for the 2002-2004 seasons, winning his supporter's "Player of the Year" award two years running, a first in Leeds' history. Though his goal tally was not excellent by any means, his willingness to play any role on the pitch and his tireless efforts to save "the Whites" from relegation for two seasons was met with love from his adoring public. Smith also caused controversy, when in a
League Cup game against
Manchester United he threw a bottle in the crowd after it was thrown on the field, incidentally hitting his best friend's sister. This incident got Smith in hot water with his club and
the FA. Smith announced his desire to leave Leeds due to relegation in May of 2004, ending his Leeds career by kissing the badge and crying at his last match. His transfer to bitter rivals Manchester United, however, led to controversy and his exit was marred by accusations of treachery{{citation needed}}.
Smith started the second chapter of his career on August 8th, 2004 at the
Community Shield clash against
Arsenal F.C., netting for the "Red Devils" with a swerving volley in the 55th minute. Smith has impressed at
Old Trafford (football) Old Trafford since his arrival, with several prominent former players hailing him as something akin to the next
Mark Hughes{{citation needed}}. Despite only being at the club for a few months, he developed a fearsome reputation for both long-ranged strikes such as his strikes against Arsenal and
Norwich City F.C. Norwich City, and more intelligent, 'poacher'-type goals, akin to those crafted by
Ruud van Nistelrooy, such as the double against
FC Dinamo BucureÅŸti Dinamo Bucharest in the UEFA Champions League.
An injury hampered his first season, causing him to miss out on several matches including the
Carling Cup semi-final against Chelsea. He missed out in the
FA Cup final against Arsenal at
Millennium Stadium as Manchester United lost out to penalties in the game. As the 2004/2005 season ended rumours were rife about Alan Smith's future, despite Smith saying he wanted to continue at United for his entire career{{citation needed}}. The forward managed a good return of 10 goals for his first season at Old Trafford. However, with
Wayne Rooney in sparkling form and Ruud van Nistelrooy back in the team after injury, Smith was relegated to the bench. However, he remained a fans' favourite.
In the summer of 2005 it emerged that Manchester United manager,
Alex Ferguson Sir Alex Ferguson, was grooming Alan Smith as a successor to
Roy Keane in the Manchester United midfield. Ferguson stated, "Roy sees characteristics in Alan that he saw in himself as a young player, which could help Alan develop into a very good player in that position."
[[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/4188370.stm Man Utd not planning Ballack bid], BBC Sport, 26 August 2005] Smith got his chance to prove his credentials as a replacement for Keane when the United skipper was injured early on in the 2005/2006 season. Smith began a prolonged run in the midfield 'anchor' role, with moderate effectiveness. However, as United began to stutter in the absence of several senior players, the midfield came under heavy flak from fans and pundits alike, and it was questioned whether Smith was cut out for the vital midfield role he was being asked to play{{citation needed}}. These criticism aimed at Smith and his team-mates reached its nadir with United's embarrassing 4-1 capitulation away to
Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough and the subsequent 1-0 defeat to
Lille OSC in the Champions League. Smith was believed to be one of several United stars who were heavily criticised by Roy Keane in an
MUTV interview that was thought too explosive to be aired and consigned to the cutting room floor by club officials. It seemed that Smith's performance in the crucial home match against league leaders
Chelsea F.C. Chelsea would be meticuluosly scrutinised in the light of Keane's damning words. Smith responded in spectacular fashion, giving a man-of-the-match performance as his side won 1-0. Following
Roy Keane's contract termination at Manchester United, Alan Smith looks to secure the role of central midfielder.
Image:Smith_injured.jpg right|Alan Smith being stretchered off the in the 1-0 loss to Liverpool
He has only one goal under his belt this season, that came in a 3-1 away win over
Charlton Athletic at The Valley. On
February 18, during a 1-0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield in the
FA Cup, Alan broke his leg and dislocated his ankle while attempting to block a free-kick from Liverpool's
John Arne Riise, an injury described by Sir Alex Ferguson as "one of the worst I've seen". Despite the rivalry between the two clubs, he was given an ovation by many of the Liverpool fans as he was stretchered off the pitch.
As a result of this injury, he now looks certain to miss out on his place in the England World Cup 2006 squad.
[[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/4727816.stm Injury described as "Horrific"], BBC Sport, 18 February 2006]. On the next day, it was confirmed that Smith would miss action for at least 12 months, after a successful operation on his ankle.
"I felt my leg go from under me as I went to block a free-kick," Smith told The Sun. "When I looked down, the leg was lying one way and my ankle was pointing towards Hong Kong so I knew I was in serious trouble." There was however, a small consolation for Smith and his club when United beat
Wigan Athletic 4-0 in the Carling cup final of the same season. United players toasted, with T-shirts emblazened with "For you Smudge", in homage to Smith and his horrific end to the 2005/06 season.
Career stats
International
*As of
14 November,
2005 Smith has played for England 16 times, and has scored 1 international goal.
{|border=1 align=center cellpadding=4 cellspacing=2 style="background: ivory; font-size: 95%; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; clear:center"
|+ '''
International Career Table'''
|- style="background:beige"
!rowspan="2"|National Team
!rowspan="2"|Year
!colspan="2"|Total
|- style="background:beige"
!Appearances
!Goals
|-
|rowspan="4" align=center valign=center|'''
England national football team England National Team
|2005 || 3 || 0
|-
|2004 || 7 || 0
|-
|2002 || 3 || 1
|-
|2001 || 3 || 0
|-
! style="background:beige"|Career Totals
! style="background:beige" colspan="1" |
! style="background:beige"| 16
! style="background:beige"| 1
|-
|}
Club
{|border=1 align=center cellpadding=4 cellspacing=2 style="background: ivory; font-size: 95%; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; clear:center"
|+ '''
All-Time Club Performance'''
|- style="background:beige"
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="2"|
FA Premier League FA
Premier
League
!colspan="2"|The
FA Cup
!colspan="2"|
League Cup
!colspan="2"|European
Competition
!colspan="2"|Total
|- style="background:beige"
!App
!Goals
!App
!Goals
!App
!Goals
!App
!Goals
!App
!Goals
|-
|rowspan="2" align=center valign=center|'''
Manchester United'''
[[http://www.manutdzone.com/playerpages/AlanSmith.htm ManUtdZone career stats]]
|2005-06 || 21 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 8
(UEFA Champions League UCL) || 0
!32
!1
|-
|2004-05 || 30 || 6 || 3 || 0 || 2 || 1 || 5
(UEFA Champions League UCL) || 2
!40{{ref label|charity|a|1}}
!10{{ref label|charity|a|2}}
|- style="background:lemonchiffon"
! Total!! !! 51 !! 7 !! 4 !! 0 !! 4 !! 1 !! 13 !! 2 !! 72 !! 11
|-
|rowspan="6" align=center valign=center|'''
Leeds United Leeds
United'''
[[http://www.leedsfans.org.uk/leeds/players/518.html LeedsFans career stats]]
|2003-04 || 35 || 9 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 0 || - || -
!38
!9
|-
|2002-03 || 33 || 3 || 4 || 1 || - || - || 6
(UEFA Cup EC3) || 5
!43
!10
|-
|2001-02 || 23 || 4 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 5
(UEFA Cup EC3) || 1
!31
!5
|-
|2000-01 || 33 || 11 || 2 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 16
(UEFA Champions League UCL) || 7
!51
!18
|-
|1999-00 || 26 || 4 || 4 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 8
(UEFA Cup EC3) || 1
!37
!6
|-
|1998-99 || 22 || 7 || 3 || 2 || - || - || - || -
!24
!9
|- style="background:lemonchiffon"
! Total!! !! 172 !! 38 !! 15 !! 4 !! 6 !! 0 !! 35 !! 14 !! 228 !! 57
|-
! style="background:beige"|Career Totals
! style="background:beige" colspan="1" |
! style="background:beige"| 223
! style="background:beige"| 45
! style="background:beige"| 19
! style="background:beige"| 4
! style="background:beige"| 10
! style="background:beige"| 1
! style="background:beige"| 48
! style="background:beige"| 16
! style="background:beige"| 299
! style="background:beige"| 68
|-
|}
Footnotes
a {{note|charity}}{{note label|charity|a|1}}{{note label|charity|a|2}} Includes the 2004
Charity Shield match, where Alan Smith scored one goal.
See also
*
Manchester United
*
Leeds United
*
FA Premier League
*
England national football team England
References
External links
-
TheFA.com profile
-
Alan Smith Unofficial Fan site
-
FootballDatabase career stats
Category:1980 births Smith, Alan
Category:England international footballers Smith, Alan
Category:English footballers Smith, Alan
Category:England international footballers Smith, Alan
Category:England under-21 international footballers Smith, Alan
Category:English Premiership players Smith, Alan
Category:Football (soccer) strikers Smith, Alan
Category:Living people Smith, Alan
Category:Manchester United F.C. players Smith, Alan
Category:Natives of Leeds Smith, Alan
Category:Teetotalers Smith, Alan
de:Alan Smith
fr:Alan Smith
nl:Alan Smith
ja:アラン・スミス
no:Alan Smith
sv:Alan Smith
vi:Alan Smith
zh:阿倫·�密夫
*** Shopping-Tip: Alan Smith
