Kevin Kilbane

Kevin Kilbane
Personnel
Surname	Kevin Daniel Kilbane
birthday	1st February 1977
place of birth	Preston ,  England
size	183 cm
position	Defense , defensive midfield
Juniors
Years	station
	Preston North End
Men's
Years	station	Games (goals) 1
1995-1997	Preston North End	48 0(3)
1997-1999	West Bromwich Albion	106 (15)
1999-2003	Sunderland AFC	113 0(8)
2003-2006	Everton FC	104 0(4)
2006-2009	Wigan Athletic	76 0(2)
2009–2012	Hull City	51 0(2)
2011	→  Huddersfield Town  (loan)	24 0(2)
2011	→  Derby County  (loan)	9 0(1)
2012	Coventry City	9 0(0)
National team
Years	selection	Games (goals)
1996-1997	Ireland U-21	9 0(1)
1997-2011	Ireland	110 0(8)
1 Only league games are given.

Kevin Daniel Kilbane (born February 1, 1977 in Preston ) is a retired Irish football player . As a trained left winger , who could also be used on the defense side, in the central defensive midfield or in the defense center, he completed 110 international matches for the Irish national team and took part in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea . He was also active in English football for numerous clubs, including Preston North End , West Bromwich Albion , Sunderland AFC , Everton FC , Wigan Athletic and Hull City .

Athletic career

Club career

Preston North End (until 1997)

Kevin Kilbane began his career in the youth of his home club Preston North End . After being promoted to the professional team in July 1995, he gained his first experience there in the 1995/96 season. To win the fourth division championship he contributed eleven league appearances, where he made his debut on January 30, 1996 against FC Darlington (2-1) by substitution against Torquay United (4-0) after his debut on October 14, 1995 - Four days later he scored the first goal in a 1-0 win against Wigan Athletic . Overall, he showed particular strengths in direct running duels and with crosses, with which he caused problems as a left winger in the opposing defensive rows closely staggered.

Coupled with groin problems, he lost a little his form in his second year, but this did not prevent the second division West Bromwich Albion from a transfer offer. The initial offer of 900.00 pounds was rejected by Preston, but at the beginning of June 1997 he switched to the "Baggies" for a million pounds, which exceeded their transfer fee record of 1979 for Peter Barnes .

West Bromwich Albion (1997-1999)

He scored the first competitive goal of the 1997/98 season for the new club. With his agile style of play, he quickly became a crowd favorite and shortly after his arrival became an Irish national team player. Although the performances often lacked consistency, he knew how to please the home crowd with his commitment, as well as through goals in the 1998/99 season against the Bolton Wanderers (later awarded the club as "Goal of the Season") and for the 2nd: 0 derby win against Wolverhampton Wanderers .

In the first half of the 1999/2000 season he was one of the best players on his team. He scored some important goals, making him recommended for the top English league. Ultimately, as coach of Sunderland AFC in December 1999 , Peter Reid took the opportunity in the winter transfer period and behind the £ 2.5m commitment was that Kilbane should replace Reid's disgraced Allan Johnston in Sunderland .

Sunderland AFC (1999-2003)

Kilbane immediately made a good impression in Sunderland and after his substitution in the first game against Southampton FC he not only repeatedly fooled his direct opponent, but also provided the template that Kevin Phillips used to make the decisive 1-0. However, this was the last win until March 2000 and Kilbane was also the subject of criticism in the total of 17 winless games. In addition to the new club environment, it was very difficult for him to acclimatize to the Premier League, which was new to him, despite a high level of commitment . In addition, his predecessor Johnston was very popular with the fans and the comparisons Kilbane held up little; besides his unconventional running style, he always seemed a little weak.

Kilbane experienced similar ups and downs in the 2000/01 season. After a remarkable goal against Derby County , which he scored from the unfamiliar right wing position, his form deteriorated again to such an extent that he found himself on the bench for a long time before he scored three goals in the final phase against Tottenham Hotspur , made Southampton FC and Charlton Athletic talk positive again. In the appendix of the "Black Cats" Kilbane was not one of the favorites, although his performances in the 2001/02 season were characterized by more consistency and he is now internationally on the way to the 2002 World Cup thanks to his leading role in the Irish national team had drawn attention.

The abuse from the supporters of Sunderland AFC continued into the 2002/03 season. They were initiated in a test match in Belgium in the summer of 2002, when a group in the audience booed Kilbane every time he hit the ball and Kilbane responded by showing the middle finger, contrary to his usual habit. In terms of sport, the year ended just as disappointingly with the relegation to the second division as a beaten bottom in the table and Kilbane had been used in various positions - on the left side of defense, in the central midfield or even in the attack center. He had scored a single goal of the season against Everton and shortly after the start of the subsequent 2003/04 season, he was drawn to the same club on September 2, 2003 for the transfer fee of 750,000 pounds, which was coached by David Moyes and which in turn was still had played on the same team as Kilbane in Preston.

Everton & Wigan (2003-2009)

In view of the critical voices that had become loud in Sunderland and which had been Kilbane's "Premier League ability" again and again, the transfer was initially received with skepticism in Everton. But he quickly showed himself to be an asset to the left with the “Toffees”. In addition to dribbling and crosses, he also contributed four goals of his own in the first year and was often a source of trouble in opposing penalty areas with his headball strength in standard situations. With the exception of an injury break in the closing stages of the second half of the season, he was a regular player straight away and in the first seven months he missed only one Premier League game. In his second year he established himself in the team and after thirteen years was again an Everton outfield player who did not miss a league game in an entire season. In the end, his own supporters voted him the best player, and he was particularly strong in the important home victories in April 2005 against Crystal Palace (4-0) and Manchester United (1-0), which were decisive for reaching the Champions League Qualification were. There he failed with his men, however, early at Villarreal , and otherwise the 2005/06 season was mixed with slipping into the lower half of the Premier League table, especially since he was without his own goal. There were only two league games at the beginning of the 2006/07 season before league rivals Wigan Athletic signed him for two million pounds in late August 2006. He " said goodbye" to Everton FC in the last game at Tottenham Hotspur (2-0) with a yellow and red card .

Shortly after his arrival Kilbane celebrated his debut for the "Latics" against ex-club Everton. In the following period he played the majority of the games and against Tottenham he scored 3: 3 in April 2007, the only goal in the 2006/07 season. After the sale of Leighton Baines , Kilbane usually occupied the unfamiliar position of left-back in the 2007/08 season. He showed himself consistently in the defensive performances and made occasional offensive advances for danger. There was also a remarkable header to the 1-0 win against West Ham United . In his third year for Wigan Athletic Kilbane came rarely to the train, and after just three appearances in the starting line-up as a left midfielder, he was allowed to move to first division promoted Hull City for £ 500,000 on the background of the expiring contract in January 2009 .

Career finale (2009-2012)

In Hull he met his former Wigan teammates Caleb Folan and Marlon King and due to his versatility he played on the left side in defense and midfield as well as in the last two games temporarily in central defense. His position in the team was quickly raised and in the away game against Fulham FC he served the team for the first time as captain in October 2009. In the 1: 4 against Burnley FC he scored his first goal for the "Tigers", but despite his generally good form he could not avoid relegation to the second division . There he was used until shortly before the end of 2010, before he was loaned to the third division Huddersfield Town in January 2011 for the remaining games of the season. In the "Terriers" he replaced Damien Johnson in midfield center and together with his new team he reached the play-off final, which was lost 3-0 to Peterborough United . Immediately after his return to Hull followed in August 2011 another four-month loan period at the second division Derby County . Until the end of his contract term in summer 2012, he was no longer an active player for Hull City, which was also due to the fact that he had undergone back surgery in December 2011 and only recovered at the end of the season. At the same time, he started as a trainer in the youth division of the "Tigers" from February 2012; in addition, he oversaw the last eight games of the season for the reserve team. However, when head coach Nick Barmby had to leave the club, Kilbane's continued whereabouts were also questioned, especially since he had promised not to necessarily end his own career.

At the beginning of the 2012/13 season he signed a new one-year contract with third division club Coventry City . There he immediately took over the captaincy, but after only twelve competitive matches he announced his retirement from active professional sport in early December 2012.

Irish national team

Kilbane (right) in a duel with Lionel Messi .

Due to the Irish nationality of both parents, the English-born Kevin Kilbane focused on the Irish national teams from an early age . From 1996 to 1997 he played nine games for the U-21 youngsters and scored one goal. On September 6, 1997, he then made his A international debut against Iceland . From then on he was able to assert himself as a regular under coach Mick McCarthy and his first success was qualifying for the finals for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. There he completed all four games in left midfield, including the round of 16. There they failed on penalties to Spain after the Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas had saved the penalties from Kilbane and David Connolly and Matt Holland had made another miss.

After the tournament, Kilbane scored the first goal in the reign of new coach Brian Kerr and despite having had a difficult time in Sunderland, he remained a fixture on the Irish national team. He now often played in midfield and for 2004 the Irish FAI voted him “National Player of the Year”. After three missed final qualifications for world or European championships, he and his men narrowly failed to participate in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa . The relegation in France , in which he, like Shay Given, set Steve Staunton's record with his 102nd international match for Ireland , was lost very unhappily through the goal of William Gallas , which was prepared by hand by Thierry Henry . Kilbane and Given were on March 2, 2010 in the game against Brazil together the sole record national players of Ireland, before first Given alone and later Robbie Keane took over the record. His last appearance was on June 4, 2011 in a 2-0 win over Macedonia in Skopje, before a back injury led him to the end of his national team career. He had played a total of 110 international matches, 66 of them in a row.

Alongside and after an active career

After the end of his own football career, Kilbane began to appear increasingly as a sports expert in various media formats. He had completed a two-year training course in sports journalism at Staffordshire University . At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa , he was already involved in the coverage of the Irish broadcaster RTÉ Sport , and from 2012 he analyzed games in the Champions League and the Europa League for TV3 . In addition, from 2013 appearances in England for the BBC program Match of the Day .

In October 2013 he published his autobiography "Killa". He made the profit from this book project available to various aid organizations in connection with Down's syndrome - his oldest daughter was born with this intellectual disability.

successes

• Irish International of the Year (1): 2004

Web links

• Kevin Kilbane in the weltfussball.de database
• Kevin Kilbane in the soccerbase.com database
• All international matches on rsssf.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1996-97 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1996, ISBN 1-85291-571-4 , pp. 137 .
2. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1997-98 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1997, ISBN 1-85291-581-1 , pp. 155 .
3. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1998-99 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1998, ISBN 1-85291-588-9 , pp. 170 .
4. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1999-2000 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1999, ISBN 1-85291-607-9 , pp. 173 .
5. ↑ ^{a b} "On Second Thoughts: Kevin Kilbane" (The Guardian)
6. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 2000-2001 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2000, ISBN 1-85291-626-5 , pp. 185 .
7. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 2001-2002 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2001, ISBN 0-946531-34-X , pp. 172 .
8. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2002/2003 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2002, ISBN 1-85291-648-6 , pp. 235 f .
9. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2003, ISBN 1-85291-651-6 , pp. 244 .
10. ↑ ^{a b} Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2004/2005 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2004, ISBN 1-85291-660-5 , pp. 232 .
11. ↑ ^{a b} Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2005, ISBN 1-85291-662-1 , pp. 232 .
12. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2006-07 . Mainstream Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1-84596-111-0 , pp. 232 .
13. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2007-08 . Mainstream Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84596-246-3 , pp. 232 .
14. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008-09 . Mainstream Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8 , pp. 244 .
15. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009-10 . Mainstream Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0 , pp. 234 .
16. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010-11 . Mainstream Publishing, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0 , pp. 235 f .
17. ^ "Hull's Kilbane makes the loan journey to Huddersfield" (Tribal Football)
18. ↑ Derby Move To Sign Kilbane ( Memento of the original from July 30, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (dcfc.co.uk) 
19. ^ "Hull City: Kevin Kilbane in limbo after Nick Barmby's exit" ( Memento of the original from March 6, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Hull Daily Mail) 
20. ^ "Coventry City sign Kevin Kilbane on one-year deal" (BBC Sport)
21. ↑ "Kevin Kilbane: Coventry City captain retires" (BBC Sport)
22. ^ "Ex-Sunderland and Everton favorite Kevin Kilbane to donate book proceeds to charity" (Daily Express)