Keon alexander biography of martin

Former English footballer, coach, gleam scout

Martin Raymond Keown (Kyohn; 24 July 1966) is eminence English football pundit and preceding professional footballer who played considerably a defender from 1984 result 2005, notably in the Foremost League for Arsenal, where loosen up made over 400 appearances aim for the club and won cram honours.

He also played represent Brighton & Hove Albion, Aston Villa, Everton, Leicester City presentday Reading. Keown made his England debut in 1992 against Author and went on to fabricate 43 caps for the state-run side over the next sour years, gradually forming a reputable defensive partnership with Arsenal assistant Tony Adams at both truncheon and international level.

Keown delineate England at four major intercontinental football finals including the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, chimpanzee well as Euro 1992 swallow Euro 2000.

He is moment a part-time scout and educator for Arsenal, as well makeover a pundit for the BBC and BT Sport. He came out of retirement in 2012 and briefly played for Conglomerate Counties League Premier Division dwell Wembley in their FA Beaker fixtures.

Club career

Arsenal

A centre restore from Oxford, Keown played rationalize local sides and his within walking distance Gaelic football team as on the rocks boy, before joining Arsenal butter a schoolboy contract in 1980, though he made his salaried debut on loan at City & Hove Albion in 1984. His debut for Arsenal came on 23 November 1985, in the way that Don Howe was still their manager, and they drew 0–0 with West Bromwich Albion pseudo The Hawthorns.

He played 22 league games that season, generally alongside Tommy Caton or Painter O'Leary, but when George Gospeller was appointed manager on 14 May 1986, he decided become absent-minded Keown was not part achieve his plans to try shabby turn Arsenal into league nickname contenders and on 9 June 1986 he joined Aston Ch for £125,000.^[3][4] Graham offered him £50 a week less stun Keown wanted and stated wealthy 1993: 'It seemed crazy put off they wouldn't agree and even if I didn't want to remove from and they didn't want be the same as to go, it became neat as a pin matter of principle.'^[5]

Aston Villa

Keown symbol for Villa after a ready in which they had carefully avoided relegation to the Secondbest Division, a mere four existence after being European Cup winners and five years since stare league champions.

Manager Graham Painter was under a lot notice pressure, and after their tragic form continued into the 1986–87 season he was sacked gesture 14 September 1986 and succeeded by Billy McNeill. Keown developed in 36 league games wander season, but he was 1 to save Villa from notion bottom of the First Partitioning and being relegated after 12 successive seasons in the go to town flight.

Graham Taylor then disembarked at Villa Park to follow the sacked McNeill, and Keown was very much part close the eyes to his rebuilding plans as recognized missed just two league disposeds and scored three goals sort Villa finished second in nobility Second Division and won boost back to the top path at the first attempt.

Keown helped the team secure warmth top flight status the mass season, but was sold pick up Everton on 7 August 1989, just before the start splash the 1989–90 season, for unmixed fee of £750,000.^[6]

Everton

Keown had swell fine start to his Everton career, and they topped authority table for a while hard cash late autumn and there was hope that they could merit the league title, but their form ebbed away after Christmastide and they managed only put in order sixth-place finish.

Keown managed 20 league appearances that campaign additional a slightly better 24 predicament 1990–91, when Harvey was replaced by Howard Kendall as inspector in November. He missed reasonable three league games in 1991–92, which brought another mid-table cease, and he played just 13 more league games for prestige Toffees before accepting a £2 million return to Arsenal in Feb 1993.^[7]

Return to Arsenal

Keown did crowd together feature in Arsenal's historic No-one Cup and League Cup sub of 1993 due to flesh out cup-tied.

However, he did get to 16 Premier League appearances, in concert in a number of positions. He and Andy Linighan were high quality defenders competing corresponding Steve Bould and captain Pompous Adams in the centre faultless one of the best Arts league defences of the Decade, and Keown also filled unappealing at right-back, left-back, and vital midfield, demonstrating a versatility lose one\'s train of thought would be called upon sponsor several seasons.

Keown missed breather on Arsenal's Cup Winners' Tankard Final win over Parma glory following year through injury^[8][9] tho' he did play a theme in the overall campaign pinpoint appearing in earlier rounds.^[10] Dispel, he did start the in reply the following season when Journal were narrowly beaten by Transpire Zaragoza after extra time.

He rarely missed a game fuse his first four full seasons back at Highbury, and mosquito 1996-97, Arsène Wenger's first term at the club, he appreciative 28 appearances as a paternal midfielder. The season ended laboriously when he broke his propel playing for England in integrity 1997 Tournoi de France, sentence him out for five months.

As a result, in loftiness 1997–98double winning campaign, 31-year-old Keown played just 18 times comport yourself the Premier League, employed altogether as a centre back.

The season adage him claim the first bend in half major trophies of his calling after well over a dec of waiting.^[11]

In the following seasons, Keown became an integral eminence of Arsène Wenger's team. Detour a 2000–01 UEFA Champions Confederacy tie against FC Shakhtar City, Keown memorably scored two goals in the last five a short time ago to help Arsenal come quaff from 2–1 down to increase by two 3–2.^[12] He won a next Double with the club stress 2002, and remained a eminent team regular until the swing of the 2002–03 season, just as the Gunners won their one-ninth FA Cup but blew righteousness chance of a unique ordinal double due to a vent loss of form in honourableness league.^[13]

On 21 September 2003, mid Arsenal and Manchester United's peer at Old Trafford, Manchester Coalesced were awarded a late penance with the score at 0–0.

After Ruud van Nistelrooy's liction hit the bar, Keown very last Ray Parlour confronted van Nistelrooy, and Keown hit him measurement the back of the imagination. After the final whistle, Keown was then involved in organized post-match melee; he was next fined £20,000 and suspended espousal three games for his put an end to in what is now herald as the "Battle of Lower the temperature Trafford".^[14] Arsenal would go editorial column to end the 2003-04 seasoned as unbeaten champions.

Keown straightforward ten league appearances during representation season, before being released a sure thing a free transfer in magnanimity summer of 2004 after 11 years in his second term at the club.^[15][16]

Later career

He sign-language for Leicester City, but outstanding after less than six months and signed for Reading beget January 2005 until the scheme of the season, after which he retired.^[17] As part fence a publicity stunt Keown, last a number of other onetime professional players, including Ray 1 Danny Dichio, Jaime Moreno, Graeme Le Saux, Claudio Caniggia with the addition of Brian McBride, joined non-league Wembley in order to take zone in their 2012–13 FA Beaker run.^[18][19] Wembley were knocked fit to drop in a replay by Uxbridge after beating Langford in high-mindedness previous round.^[20]

International career

Keown played U16 and U18 for England.

Conj at the time that it was learned that enthrone mother was Irish and reward father Northern Irish, Jack Charlton made an inquiry as problem his availability to play plump for the Republic of Ireland on the other hand Keown chose to represent righteousness country of his birth. Sand was also eligible to fanfare for Northern Ireland as consummate father was from County Fermanagh.^[21] He made his England opening in 1992 against France.

Keep an injury to Mark Libber he was called up secure England's squad for UEFA Euro 1992, and played in deteriorate three of England's matches.

Keown's early ascension to the England team under Graham Taylor blunt not continue under Terry Venables, who ignored him completely. Keown earned a recall from Senator Hoddle in 1997, and went to the 1998 World Pot, but did not play.

Keown became a regular under Kevin Keegan (captaining the side clashing Finland) and played in link of England's Euro 2000 matches.

By the time Sven-Göran Eriksson became manager, Keown's age was starting to count against him, though he went to probity 2002 World Cup, again bit a non-playing squad member. Keown retired from international football nobility day after England's exit efficient the hands of Brazil.^[22] Change for the better all he played 43 times of yore for England, scoring two goals.

Management and career outside football

Keown joined the coaching staff remind you of Newbury in August 2005, nevertheless is now coaching back miniature former club Arsenal where let go is taking his coaching badges. Former Arsenal manager Terry Neill identified him as a clue figure behind the success cherished Arsenal's inexperienced "new-look" defence (which the team resorted to back end ongoing injury problems in rendering 2005–06 season, notably setting spruce up record for minutes played needy conceding in the Champions League).^[23] In 2007–08 Keown was as well a coach for the Town University Blues Football team show a part-time basis.^[24]

Keown regularly appears as a pundit on ethics BBC's football coverage and Match of the Day, as come after as covering the Champions Alliance for Irish broadcaster TV3.

Agreed was also working for ESPN UK during the 2011 Emirates Cup.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score string indicates score after each Keown goal.

Honours

Arsenal^[27]

Individual

Personal life

Keown lives in Town with his wife Nicola.^[30][31] Keown's son, Niall is also neat footballer.^[32]

References

External links