Anthony Gardner

Anthony Gardner

Personal information
Full name	Anthony Derek Gardner[1]
Date of birth	19 September 1980[1]
Place of birth	Stone, England[2]
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[1]
Playing position	Centre back
Youth career
000?–1998	Port Vale
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1998–2000	Port Vale	41	(4)
2000–2008	Tottenham Hotspur	114	(2)
2008	→ Everton (loan)	0	(0)
2008	→ Hull City (loan)	0	(0)
2008–2011	Hull City	32	(0)
2010–2011	→ Crystal Palace (loan)	28	(1)
2011–2012	Crystal Palace	28	(0)
2012–2014	Sheffield Wednesday	42	(0)
National team
2001	England U21	1	(0)
2004	England	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 3 May 2014 (UTC). † Appearances (goals)

Anthony Derek Gardner (born 19 September 1980) is an England international football defender, who is a free agent after being released by Sheffield Wednesday. A tall centre-back, he has played once for England and been bought and sold for millions in the domestic transfer market. However, his career has been dogged with injuries, limiting his appearances.

Starting his career with Port Vale in 1998, within two years he earned a million-pound move to Tottenham Hotspur. He spent eight years at the Premier League club, making 142 appearances over all competitions. In 2008 he spent time on loan at both Everton and Hull City, before signing permanently with the latter that Summer for £2.5 million. He spent the 2010–11 season on loan at Crystal Palace, before joining the club permanently the next season. He signed with Sheffield Wednesday in June 2012, and stayed with the club for two years.

Club career

Port Vale

Born in Stone, Staffordshire, Gardner started his career with First Division club Port Vale, making his debut under John Rudge in October of the 1998–99 season. He scored his first senior goal on 1 May 1999, in a 2–0 win over Queens Park Rangers. He made fifteen league appearances in 1998–99.

He made 29 appearances in 1999–2000 under new boss Brian Horton, scoring goals at Queens Park Rangers, Huddersfield Town, and Sheffield United. At the end of the season Vale were relegated into the Second Division, but by that time Gardner had already left the club.

Tottenham Hotspur

Gardner signed for George Graham's Tottenham Hotspur in January 2000 for £1 million. He worked his way up through the reserves before making his debut as a substitute against Derby County in March 2001. He finished the 2000–01 campaign with eight appearances to his name. However he suffered knee ligament damage at the back end of the season which ruled him out until December. He played nineteen games in 2001–02.

Gardner scored his first goal for Tottenham in a 3–2 victory over local rivals West Ham United in September 2002.^[3] However he was limited to just thirteen appearances in 2002–03. He managed to play forty games in 2003–04, with 33 of these games being in the Premier League. He scored his second "Spurs" goal in a League Cup tie against Oldham Athletic on 22 September 2004.^[4] However he made just seven league appearances in 2004–05. Injury restricted to just seventeen league matches again in 2005–06.^[5][6] and made just sixteen appearances in 2006–07, of which eight were in the league.^[7]

At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, Gardner found himself on the teamsheet due to the ongoing injuries of Ledley King and Michael Dawson. He did manage to make an impact – in vain – by scoring his team's only goal in their second Premier League game of the season at home to Everton on 15 August 2007, which "Spurs" went on to lose 3–1.^[8] On 25 October he was injured playing against Getafe in the UEFA Cup. He was stretchered off with a suspected broken ankle in the 42nd minute. On 31 January 2008, Gardner signed for Everton on loan for the remainder of the season,^[9] but did not make a single appearance. Over the course of the campaign he played just five competitive games for Tottenham.

During his time at White Hart Lane he made 142 competitive appearances in all competitions, and played under seven different managers.

Hull City

Gardner was loaned to Premier League newcomers Hull City at the start of the 2008–09 season.^[10] The initial deal was to last until January 2009,^[11] but Hull had the option of purchasing him at any point during the loan period.^[12] Hull exercised their purchase option to make the loan move permanent in August for a fee of £2.5 million, which at the time was a club record signing.^[13] On 23 March 2009, it was revealed that Gardner would miss the remainder of the season after x-rays revealed four fractured vertebrae in the base of his spine.^[14] The injury was sustained in the 2–1 defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup at the Emirates Stadium six days earlier.^[15] Hull avoided relegation, however Gardner only played eight games in 2008–09.

Gardner played 24 games in 2009–10, as the "Tigers" suffered relegation into the Championship after finishing in 19th place. He made a further three appearances in 2010–11, before leaving the club.

Crystal Palace

On 31 August 2010, he moved to Crystal Palace on a five-month loan deal, which was later extended to the end of the season. He scored his first goal for Palace in a 2–1 win at Norwich City on 19 October.^[16] Gardner made a total of 28 Championship appearances for Palace over the course of the campaign. At the end of the season, Gardner was not offered a new contract by Hull.^[17] This allowed him to sign for Crystal Palace on a one-year contract in August 2011.^[18]

Gardner was then an important part of Crystal Palace's defence in the 2011–12 season. He played all 120 minutes of Palace's "stunning extra-time victory at Old Trafford" on 30 November 2011, as they defeated Premier League champions Manchester United 2–1 to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup.^[19][20] He scored with his head for the home side at both Selhurst Park and the Cardiff City Stadium in the semi-finals, leaving the tie level at 1–1 after two legs; Cardiff City won the subsequent penalty shoot-out to deny Palace a place at the final.^[21][22] Gardner was short-listed for the club's Player of the Year award at the end of the season, though the award instead went to fellow defender Jonathan Parr.^[23] Palace decided to offer him a new contract, but it quickly became apparent that Gardner would instead be moving to a new club.^[24]

Sheffield Wednesday

He signed a two-year contract with Championship newcomers Sheffield Wednesday on 20 June 2012; manager Dave Jones said that he "is a quality player and a leader, with Championship and Premiership pedigree".^[25] He made his "Owls" debut on 13 August, in a 4–2 League Cup win over Oldham Athletic.^[26] He made 38 appearances in the 2012–13 season, and was twice named on the Championship Team of the Week.^[27][28]

Gardner played six games before being ruled out for the 2013–14 season after requiring surgery on an Achilles injury in September.^[29] He was released by new manager Stuart Gray in May 2014.^[30]

International career

Gardner represented England at under-21 level, gaining one cap under David Platt.

Gardner began to impress during the 2003–04 season, and earned his England call-up as cover for Gareth Southgate in a friendly against Denmark in March 2004.^[31] He won his first and only England cap against Sweden on 31 March 2004, after Sven-Göran Eriksson used him as a half-time substitute for John Terry.^[32]

Personal life

His cousin, Jordan Fincher, took part in Sky1's Football's Next Star in 2010.^[33]

Statistics

As of 3 May 2014.^[34]

Season	Club	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other[35]		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1998–99[36]	Port Vale	First Division	15	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	1
1999–2000[37]			26	3	1	0	2	0	0	0	29	3
Total			41	4	1	0	2	0	0	0	44	4
1999–2000[37]	Tottenham Hotspur	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2000–01[38]			8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
2001–02[39]			15	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	19	0
2002–03[40]			12	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	13	1
2003–04[41]			33	0	3	0	4	0	0	0	40	0
2004–05[42]			17	0	5	0	2	1	0	0	24	1
2005–06[43]			17	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	18	0
2006–07[44]			8	0	4	0	3	0	1	0	16	0
2007–08[45]			4	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	6	1
2007–08[45]	Everton		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total			114	2	14	0	13	1	3	0	144	3
2008–09[46]	Hull City	Premier League	6	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
2009–10[47]			24	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24	0
2010–11[48]		Championship	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
Total			32	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	35	0
2010–11[48]	Crystal Palace	Championship	28	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	29	1
2011–12[49]			28	0	0	0	5	1	0	0	33	1
Total			56	1	1	0	5	1	0	0	62	2
2012–13[50]	Sheffield Wednesday	Championship	37	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	38	0
2013–14[51]			5	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
Total			42	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	43	0
Career total			285	7	18	0	23	2	3	0	329	9

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
2. Hugman, Barry J. (ed) (2008). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008–09. Mainstream. ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8.
3. "Spurs sink West Ham". BBC. 15 September 2002. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
4. "Oldham 0–6 Tottenham". BBC. 22 September 2004. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
5. "Tottenham 2005/2006 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 April 2007.
6. "Anthony Gardner Tottenham Hotspur Player Profile". 4thegame.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2007.
7. "Tottenham 2006/2007 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 April 2007.
8. "Tottenham 1–3 Everton". BBC. 14 August 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
9. "Everton seal Gardner loan switch". BBC Sport. 31 January 2008. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
10. "Gardner eager to shine for Tigers". BBC Sport. 29 July 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
11. "Hull sign Spurs' Gardner on loan". BBC Sport. 29 July 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
12. "Gardner: It was an easy decision". Hull Daily Mail. 28 July 2008. Archived from the original on 30 July 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
13. "Hull make Gardner record signing". BBC Sport. 14 August 2008. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
14. "Gardner will miss rest of season". BBC Sport. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
15. Brooks, James (23 March 2009). "Gardner – X-Ray reveals broken back". hull.vitalfootball.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
16. "Norwich 1 – 2 Crystal Palace". BBC. 19 October 2010. Archived from the original on 25 January 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
17. "Tigers Allow Four To Leave". Hull City A.F.C (Hull City A.F.C). Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
18. "Anthony Gardner returns to Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
19. Sheringham, Sam (30 November 2011). "Man Utd 1 - 2 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
20. Taylor, Daniel (30 November 2011). "Palace's Glenn Murray knocks Manchester United out of Carling Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
21. Magowan, Alistair (10 January 2012). "Crystal Palace 1 - 0 Cardiff". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
22. "Cardiff 1 - 0 Crystal Palace (agg 1 - 1)". BBC Sport. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
23. Moody, Graham (15 May 2012). "Parr named Eagles' player of the year". This Is Local London. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
24. "Owls clinch third signing of the summer". The Star. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
25. "Gardner heads to Hillsborough". swfc.co.uk. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
26. "Chris O'Grady scored twice against his former club as Sheffield Wednesday came from behind to beat Oldham Athletic in the League Cup". BBC Sport. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
27. "Championship Team of the Week". Football League. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
28. "Championship Team of the Week". Football League. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
29. "Sheffield Wednesday: Anthony Gardner faces Achilles surgery". BBC Sport. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
30. "Sheffield Wednesday offer Chris Kirkland new deal as eight go". BBC Sport. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
31. "Anthony Gardner". BBC Sport. 11 November 2003. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
32. "England National Football Team Match No. 811". englandfootballonline.com. 31 March 2004. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
33. "Football: Stafford teenager hoping to win contract with Inter Milan". The Sentinel. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
34. "Player statistics: Anthony Gardner". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
35. Includes other competitive competitions, including European competitions.
36. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
37. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
38. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
39. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
40. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
41. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
42. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
43. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
44. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
45. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
46. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
47. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
48. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
49. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
50. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
51. "Games played by Anthony Gardner in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 September 2012.

External links

• Anthony Gardner career statistics at Soccerbase