Tom Taiwo

Tom Taiwo

Taiwo in Carlisle United colours (October 2011)
Personal information
Full name	Thomas James William Taiwo[1]
Date of birth	27 February 1990
Place of birth	Pudsey, England
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team	Falkirk
Number	7
Youth career
1997–2000	Farsley Celtic
2000–2006	Leeds United
2006–2008	Chelsea
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2008–2010	Chelsea	0	(0)
2008	→ Port Vale (loan)	4	(0)
2009–2010	→ Carlisle United (loan)	19	(2)
2010–2012	Carlisle United	99	(5)
2012–2014	Hibernian	47	(2)
2014–	Falkirk	45	(1)
National team
2007	England U17	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 28 February 2016 (UTC). † Appearances (goals)

Thomas James William "Tom" Taiwo (born 27 February 1990) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Championship side Falkirk.

An England under-17 international, he graduated out of the Chelsea academy to turn professional in 2008, having switched from the Leeds United Academy two years earlier. He never appeared for the first team, and instead enjoyed a brief loan spell at Port Vale, before he joined Carlisle United on a loan deal that was made permanent in January 2010. He played in two consecutive Football League Trophy finals for the club, as Carlisle were defeated in 2010, before they won the tournament in 2011. He joined Scottish club Hibernian in September 2012, and stayed with the club for two seasons. He signed with Falkirk in July 2014.

Club career

Chelsea

Tom was a student at St. Mary's Catholic High School, Menston. He joined Chelsea from Leeds United along with Michael Woods in a controversial move after Ken Bates accused Chelsea of tapping up the youngsters.^[2] Leeds received £5 million in compensation for the pair after threatening to take Chelsea to court.^[3] He broke his leg two days before he was due to make his youth team debut for the "Blues", and later stated his regret at leaving Leeds for Chelsea.^[4] His parents were accused of taking backhanders to influence his decision; Taiwo stated that these "false claims" were highly "upsetting" to him.^[5]

Taiwo joined League Two club Port Vale on a month's loan in August 2008. He made his debut, coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute, at home to Bournemouth, in the 3–1 win on 30 August.^[6] Vale sent him back to Chelsea in September after they decided not to extend his loan.^[7] Taiwo went on a trial with the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer in March 2009.^[8]

Carlisle United

In July 2009, Carlisle United announced they had signed Taiwo on loan until the end of December.^[9] He impressed supporters with his "aggressive, tackle-heavy performances at the heart of the midfield."^[10] Taiwo scored his first goal for Carlisle in a 3–2 league victory over rivals Hartlepool United on 1 December.^[11] On 6 January 2010, Carlisle signed Taiwo from Chelsea permanently on a two-and-a-half-year contract, after paying the London club an undisclosed fee.^[12][13] He played a total of 35 League One games in 2009–10. He also featured in six of Carlisle's seven games in the 2009–10 Football League Trophy, including the final in front of 73,476 fans at Wembley, which ended in a 4–1 defeat to Southampton; he was a late substitute for captain Paul Thirlwell, with the "Blues" already 4–0 down.^[14]

He played five games of Carlisle's march to the Football League Trophy final in 2010–11; he also started the final against Brentford, which the "Cumbrians" won 1–0.^[15] In total he made 55 appearances in league and cup for Greg Abbott's side, scoring three goals. He scored three times in 41 games in 2011–12, as Carlisle finished eighth, missing out on the play-offs by a four-point margin. On 11 June 2012, Taiwo revealed he would not be signing a new contract with Carlisle, citing family reasons for his departure from Brunton Park.^[16][17] However Carlisle retained his registration and initially demanded a £200,000 transfer fee from other clubs – a prospect that ended a potential move to Yorkshire club Bradford City.^[18]

Hibernian

In September 2012, Taiwo signed a two-year contract with Scottish Premier League club Hibernian.^[19] "Hibs" manager Pat Fenlon said that he felt Taiwo was a quality signing, and would provide competition for central midfielders Jorge Claros and Gary Deegan.^[20] Speaking about his move, Taiwo stated his belief that the club could challenge for the league title.^[21] Carlisle manager Greg Abbott criticised Taiwo's move to Scotland, claiming it was a poor decision and that he had been badly advised.^[22] Taiwo made his "Hibs" debut on 6 October, in a 3–0 win over Dundee at Easter Road.

Early in the January 2014 window, BBC Sport reported that new manager Terry Butcher had made Taiwo available for transfer.^[23] Butcher refused to confirm the report, but said that allowing some players to leave would freshen the squad and that he was also looking to recruit some new players.^[24] Taiwo was released by Hibernian at the end of the 2013–14 season.^[25]

Falkirk

Taiwo joined Scottish Championship side Falkirk in July 2014 after manager Peter Houston sought to add experience to his midfield.^[26] He scored three goals in 41 appearances for the "Bairns" in the 2014–15 season, including one at Ibrox Stadium that effectively ended Rangers's chances of beating his former club Hibernian into second place.^[27]

International career

Although he has played for England at youth level, he is eligible to represent Nigeria through his paternal grandfather.^[28] He was named as a substitute in all of England's games at the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, however he did not feature in the defeat to Spain in the final. He did though make it off the bench in the 1–1 draw with Belgium and the 1–0 semi-final victory over France.^[29][30]

Style of play

Taiwo "has a reputation as a tough-tackling and wholehearted player".^[31]

Career statistics

As of 8 May 2015.

Club	Season	Division	League		Cup[note 1]		League Cup[note 2]		Other[note 3]		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Chelsea	2008–09[32]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2009–10[33]		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Port Vale	2008–09[32]	League Two	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
Carlisle United	2009–10[33]	League One	35	1	3	0	3	0	6	0	47	1
	2010–11[34]		45	2	3	0	1	0	6	1	55	3
	2011–12[35]		38	3	1	0	2	0	0	0	41	3
	Total		118	6	7	0	6	0	12	1	143	7
Hibernian	2012–13[36]	Scottish Premier League	26	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	30	1
	2013–14[37]	Scottish Premiership	21	1	2	0	2	0	2	0	27	1
	Total		47	2	6	0	2	0	2	0	57	2
Falkirk	2014–15[38]	Scottish Championship	31	1	4	0	3	0	3	2	41	3
	2015–16[39]		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			200	9	17	0	11	0	18	3	246	12

1. Includes FA Cup and Scottish Cup
2. Includes Football League Cup and Scottish League Cup
3. Includes other competitive competitions, including the Football League Trophy, UEFA Europa League and Scottish Challenge Cup.

Honours

Carlisle United

• Football League Trophy runner-up: 2010
• Football League Trophy winner: 2011

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. p. 397. ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0.
2. "Leeds lodge tapping-up complaint". BBC Sport. 3 August 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
3. Stewart, Rob (5 January 2010). "Chelsea's Tom Taiwo set to leave Stamford Bridge after Leeds United legal feud". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
4. Walker, Michael (20 October 2011). "I was let down, says former Chelsea starlet Taiwo". Daily Mail. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
5. "Hibs ace Tom Taiwo happy at Easter Road after seeing old Chelsea team mates fall by the wayside". Daily Record. 23 December 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
6. "Port Vale 3–1 Bournemouth". BBC Sport. 30 August 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
7. "Vale send Taiwo back to Chelsea". BBC Sport. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
8. "Seattle Sounders FC 2009 Trialists". Seattle Pitch. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
9. "Carlisle capture Taiwo". Sky Sports. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2009.
10. "Taiwo eyes extended Carlisle stay". BBC Sport. 12 October 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
11. "Carlisle 3 – 2 Hartlepool". BBC Sport. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
12. "Chelsea release Tom Taiwo three years after 'poaching' allegations". The Guardian. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
13. "Carlisle United sign Chelsea's Tom Taiwo". BBC Sport. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
14. Shemilt, Stephan (28 March 2010). "Carlisle 1 – 4 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
15. "Match Report". football-league.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
16. "Taiwo and Michalik quit Carlisle Utd – but three to stay". News & Star. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
17. "Taiwo turns back on Cumbrians". Sky Sports. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
18. "Bradford launch new bid for ex-Carlisle Utd star Tom Taiwo". News & Star. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
19. "Taiwo Situation Explained". www.hibernianfc.co.uk (Hibernian FC). 13 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
20. "Hibernian sign Tom Taiwo, former Chelsea prospect". BBC Sport. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
21. "Tom Taiwo: It's not impossible for Hibs to win the SPL". Daily Record. 22 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
22. "Tom Taiwo's move to Hibs is 'wrong decision', says Carlisle Utd boss". News and Star. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
23. "Hibs tell Vine, Taiwo, Clancy & Thomson to find new clubs". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
24. "Terry Butcher - Shedding players will freshen Hibs". Edinburgh Evening News (Johnston Publishing). 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
25. "Out of Contract Players". Hibernianfc.co.uk. Hibernian FC. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
26. "Falkirk: Jamie MacDonald one of five new arrivals". BBC Sport. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
27. Duncan, Colin (26 April 2015). "Queens will be kings: Tom Taiwo writes off Rangers and Hibs’ promotion chances as Falkirk dent Ibrox hopes". Daily Record. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
28. "Port Vale: New boy Tom keen to claim first-team place". The Sentinel. 6 September 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
29. "Belgium 1 – 1 England". uefa.com. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
30. "England 1 – 0 France". uefa.com. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
31. Bathgate, Stuart (13 September 2012). "Ex-Chelsea player Tom Taiwo joins Hibernian on two-year deal". Scotsman. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
32. "Games played by Tom Taiwo in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
33. "Games played by Tom Taiwo in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
34. "Games played by Tom Taiwo in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
35. "Games played by Tom Taiwo in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
36. "Games played by Tom Taiwo in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
37. "Games played by Tom Taiwo in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
38. "Games played by Tom Taiwo in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
39. "Games played by Tom Taiwo in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 September 2012.

External links

• Tom Taiwo career statistics at Soccerbase