This is an accepted version of this page
 Graham in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Anthony William Graham[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-08-12)12 August 1985 (age 40)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Gateshead, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ?–2003 | Chester-le-Street Town | ||
| 2003–2004 | Middlesbrough | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2007 | Middlesbrough | 15 | (1) |
| 2004 | →Darlington (loan) | 9 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | →Derby County (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2006 | →Leeds United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2006 | →Blackpool (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2007 | →Carlisle United (loan) | 11 | (7) |
| 2007–2009 | Carlisle United | 89 | (29) |
| 2009–2011 | Watford | 91 | (38) |
| 2011–2013 | Swansea City | 54 | (15) |
| 2013–2016 | Sunderland | 37 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | →Hull City (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 2014 | →Middlesbrough (loan) | 18 | (6) |
| 2014 | →Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2016 | →Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 18 | (7) |
| 2016–2020 | Blackburn Rovers | 158 | (45) |
| 2020–2021 | Sunderland | 14 | (0) |
| Total | 558 | (154) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005 | England U20 | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Daniel Anthony William Graham (born 12 August 1985) is an English former professionalfootballer who played as astriker.[4]
Graham started his professional career atMiddlesbrough in 2003, making his debut for the club in aPremier League match againstManchester United the following year. He later represented England atunder-20 level. During his four years at Middlesbrough, Graham made just one first team start. He was loaned out to clubs in all three divisions ofthe Football League, before joining his final loan clubCarlisle United on a two-year deal in 2007.
At the end of his contract, he joinedChampionship sideWatford, who were subsequently ordered to pay compensation. Graham was Watford's top-scorer inboth of his seasons atVicarage Road, as well as the club'sPlayer of the Season award and the Championship's overall top scorer in the2010–11 season. In July 2011, Graham transferred to newly promotedPremier League teamSwansea City for £3.5 million, where in his first season he was their top goalscorer with 12 league goals. In January 2013, he moved toSunderland, but his stint at the Wearside club was mixed; his first and only goal came over two years after his arrival, and he was often loaned out to other clubs. He was released in June 2016. He moved toBlackburn Rovers permanently where he would win promotion as well as being named in thePFA Team of the Year for the 2017–18 season. He won the club's Player of the Season award in the following season. Graham left Blackburn in 2020 and returned to Sunderland before retiring in 2021.
Born inGateshead,Tyne and Wear,[2] Graham attendedHeworth Grange Comprehensive School, and represented the Gateshead Schools FA team.[5] He started his career atChester-le-Street Town, in theNorthern League, before joiningMiddlesbrough on a permanent transfer in 2003.[6]
In the 2003–04 season, he spent time on loan at Division Three side Darlington.[7] The move to Darlington on loan was initially unlikely, but thanks to supporters funded the move, allowing Graham joining Darlington on loan to happen.[8][9] Graham made his debut, where he came off the bench forNeil Teggart in the 79th minutes, in a 1–1 draw againstDoncaster Rovers on 20 March 2004.[10] Graham made his full start on 3 April 2004, in a 1–0 loss againstBoston United and score his first goal, in a 3–2 loss againstSouthend United on 12 April 2004.[11] Despite managerDavid Hodgson's outrage over a 3–2 loss, he praised Graham's performance and scoring his first goal.[12] Following this, Graham's loan spell with Darlington was later extended until the end of the season.[13] He would go on to score two goals in nine league appearances.
Despite assistant managerMartin Gray's hints of Graham rejoining Darlington on a season-long loan,[14] Graham stayed and he made his Middlesbrough debut on 3 October 2004, as a late substitute in a 1–1Premier League draw againstManchester United. He scored his first goal for the club three weeks later, againstCoventry City in the League Cup,[15] and scored his first Premier League goal on 27 February 2005 againstCharlton Athletic.[16] On 9 March 2005, Graham signed a new contract with Middlesbrough on a two-year deal, that would keep him until 2007.[17] The following season, Graham was loaned toDerby County[18] andLeeds United,[19] but did not score a league goal for either club. Despite having played for Middlesbrough in both the Premier League andUEFA Cup, Graham was unable to secure a place in the starting lineup; his only league start for the club came in a 1–0 defeat to Fulham at the end of the 2005–06 season.
In July 2006, Middlesbrough confirmed they were willing to let the once-hot prospect leave the club. Graham subsequently went on loan to Blackpool at the start of the 2006–07 season, scoring once in the league againstBristol City.[20]
At the end of 2006, Graham moved toCarlisle United on loan.[21] He returned to Middlesbrough on 5 February 2007, after playing only two matches due to a leg injury,[22] but returned toBrunton Park after recovering to complete a three-month loan.[23] The final match of his loan was againstBristol City, where he scored Carlisle's only goal in a 3–1 defeat. During two loan spells at Carlisle, he scored 7 league goals in 11 matches.
Graham was released by Middlesbrough on 10 May 2007,[24] and signed a two-year deal with Carlisle United on 6 June 2007.[25]
Graham started the 2007–08 season in good form, and was the division's top goalscorer from August until October, including one against his former loanee club Leeds United. However, after his goal on 13 October 2007, Graham did not score again until 2 February 2008. He made his 100th career appearance playing for Carlisle United againstNottingham Forest at theCity Ground on 3 March 2008, scoring the winning goal in a 1–0 victory, in a match broadcast live onSky Sports.[26]
Graham also started the 2008–09 season in goalscoring form, netting 13 goals between August and December, including scoring a hat-trick, in a 4–1 win overYeovil Town on 30 August 2008.[27] Following this, Graham was awarded League One Player of the Month for August.[28] At the end of the season, Graham scored fifteen goals in the 2008–09 season despite the club managed to survive relegation. Graham was then offered a new two-year contract to stay at the club.[29] However, Graham turned down a new contract to stay at the club and will be leaving.[30]
After several failed attempts by Carlisle to renew Graham's contract, he joinedWatford on a two-year contract on 2 July 2009.[31] A tribunal later decided that Watford should pay an initial £200,000 in compensation to Carlisle, which eventually rose to £350,000.[32]
Graham scored several goals for Watford in pre-season, and scored on his competitive debut for the club in a 1–1 draw withDoncaster Rovers atVicarage Road.[33] On 5 April 2010, Graham scored from 25 yards out to give Watford the lead in their 1–1 draw withWest Bromwich Albion.[34] Graham finished the season as Watford's top scorer, with 14 league goals.[35]
In 2010–11 season, Graham started his season when he scored twice, in the opening match of the season, as Watford beatNorwich City.[36] In September 2010, Graham signed a three-year contract.[37] On 15 January 2011, againstDerby County, Graham equalled the Watford record for the most goals scored in consecutive matches, finding the net for the seventh successive match.[38] Graham sustained his good goal-scoring form, finishing as Championship top-scorer for the 2010–11 season, with 24 goals in the league.[39] He was named in the 2010–11 ChampionshipPFA Team of the Year,[40] and was also votedWatford Player of the Season.[41]
Watford received and rejected a £2.5 million bid fromQueens Park Rangers for Graham's services in May 2011.[39] On 4 June 2011, the club accepted a £3.5 million bid fromSwansea City.[42]
On 7 June 2011, Graham completed his £3.5 million move to newly promotedPremier League sideSwansea City.[43] He scored his first unofficial goal on 6 August 2011, in a pre-season friendly againstLa Liga sideReal Betis at theLiberty Stadium.[44]
He scored his first competitive goal on 2 October 2011, in a 2–0 win at home toStoke City.[45] Following this, Graham says he is aiming to score more goals.[46] As the following week, Graham started to score four goals in four matches, starting with scoring his second goal for Swansea in a 3–1 defeat to Norwich City.[47] then scored his third goal on 22 October, in a 2–2 draw withWolverhampton Wanderers;[48] his third came on 29 October, he scored his fourth goal in as many matches in a 3–1 win againstBolton Wanderers, having also scored an own goal earlier on in the match.[49]
Graham scored his fifth goal on 10 December againstFulham, after coming on as a substitute forLeroy Lita.[50] His sixth goal of the season came on 27 December 2011, against Queens Park Rangers. His seventh goal of the season came on 15 January 2012, against Arsenal, which turned out to be a winner.[51]
Graham also scored the winner for Swansea in a 2–1 away win at West Bromwich Albion in snowy conditions on 5 February 2012.[52] On 11 February 2012, he scored two goals against Norwich City in a 3–2 defeat, the first a curling effort and the second a penalty.[53] He scored Swansea's fourth in a 4–4 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 28 April and then scored the winner, his twelfth and final goal of the season, in the 86th minute, on 13 May againstLiverpool to lift the Swans to 11th place in the Premier League.[54][55]
Graham started the2012–13 season by scoring againstWest Ham United in Swansea's first home match of the season. But shortly afterwards, he found himself starting matches on the bench due to the emergence of Spanish strikerMichu. In late December, an injury to Michu gave Graham a chance to impress, and he scored his first goal in 4 months in a 2–1 victory atFulham.[56] Graham continued to hit the back of the net from then on, with goals in the next three consecutive matches, including a last minute goal in a 2–0 victory away atChelsea, in the first leg of theLeague Cup semi-final.[57] Even with these good performances, his playing minutes continued to decrease as Michu flourished as Swansea's single striker, leading to transfer speculation from other Premier League clubs. Despite local reports suggesting that Graham could leave the club,[58] he stated that he was committed to stay.[59] Then in mid-January, managerMichael Laudrup stated there were offers to sign Graham.[60]
Graham signed forSunderland on 31 January 2013 for £5 million on a three-and-a-half-year contract.[61] Graham also attracted interests from his former club, Middlesbrough.[62] However, his move to Sunderland was controversial; Graham is a fan ofNewcastle United, Sunderland's rival.[63]
He made his debut on 2 February, coming on as a substitute in the 79th minute to replaceStéphane Sessègnon in a 2–1 defeat away toReading.[64] In his last match for Swansea prior to joining Sunderland, Graham was booed and jeered by the club's supporters, as he came on as a substitute, though he described it as "it never once put [me] off in terms of wanting to move here."[65] Despite playing 11 matches for Sunderland in his first half season at the club, Graham was unable to score his first goal for Sunderland and loaned out to Hull City the following season. Graham admitted he didn't do very well and his form had dropped badly since his arrival in January.[66]
Upon returning to Sunderland, managerGus Poyet said placing Graham in the first team ahead of the2014–15 season would be very difficult.[67] Graham made a return to Premier League football as a late substitute in Sunderland's 1–0 home loss against Liverpool on 10 January 2015. He also appeared as a substitute againstTottenham Hotspur the following week. Graham was credited with his only Sunderland goal on 9 May 2015, after aJordi Gómez shot hit him in a 2–0 victory atEverton.[68] It was to be his only goal for Sunderland, as he was released a year later on 10 June 2016, having spent the second part of the season at Blackburn Rovers.
Graham joinedHull City on a season-long loan from Sunderland on 19 July 2013.[69] He made his debut on the first day of the 2013–14 season in a 2–0 loss away at Chelsea[70] and scored his first goal for the club on 9 December 2013 in a 1–1 draw at his former club Swansea City,[71] which was his first goal in 30 matches;[72] this turned out to be his only goal for the club.
On 31 January 2014, his loan spell at Hull was terminated and was instead loaned to Championship side Middlesbrough for the rest of the season.[73][74] He made his debut on 3 February 2014, as a substitute in a goalless draw atDoncaster.[75] On 8 March 2014, Graham scored both goals in a 2–0 home win againstIpswich Town to open his account for Boro,[76] and ended his loan stay with six goals in total.[77]
Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Middlesbrough entered into talks to sign Graham, but no agreement was ultimately reached.[78] He was also linked with a loan move toBrentford, but this too did not come to fruition.[79]
On 14 November 2014, a loan deal was agreed with Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers.[80] During five appearances for the club, he scored once (againstAFC Bournemouth) before his loan expired at the end of the year.
On 20 January 2016, Graham signed a loan deal withBlackburn Rovers for the remainder of the 2015–16 season.[81] He scored his first goal for Blackburn in a 3–0 win overFulham on 16 February 2016.[82] His second goal came on 1 March 2016, in a 2–1 victory over Middlesbrough.[83]
On 23 June 2016, Graham signed a two-year permanent deal with Blackburn reserving the option to extend for a third year.[84] In August, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat againstCardiff City, which also sawShane Duffy scoring two own goals.[85] In November, he scored a brace in a 3–2 victory overBrentford. He scored his first goal in the 15th minute which equalisedScott Hogan's first-minute goal. He scored again five minutes later from the penalty spot which was awarded to Rovers following a foul onCorry Evans.[86] He ended the season scoring 13 goals in the league although the club was relegated toLeague One. In August 2017, it was reported by the media thatQueens Park Rangers were interested in signing him.[87]
He entered into talks for a new contract with Blackburn at the end of the 2017–18 season. Graham signed a new contract on 11 June 2018, with the option of a further 12 months.[88] He left the club at the end of the 2019–20 season[89]
Graham returned to Sunderland after signing with them on 7 September 2020.[90]On 1 February 2021, Graham leftSunderland via mutual consent and subsequently retired from professional football.[91][4]
In January 2018, he donated £2,500 to a crowd-funding page to helpHartlepool United who were at risk of administration.[92] After retirement he has worked as a self-employed performance advisor to young players. In November 2022, he crashed his Land Rover into aCo-op while being almost3 times over the legal alcohol limit, forcing the shop to close for five days and causing damage estimated at £32,000. Graham was banned from driving for 2 years, given a 12-monthcommunity order, and given a 90-day alcohol ban,monitored by a tag.[93]
Graham wascapped once by England atunder-20 level, starting a 2–0 victory against Russia on 4 February 2005.[94]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Darlington (loan) | 2003–04[95] | Third Division | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| Middlesbrough | 2004–05[96] | Premier League | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2[a] | 0 | 17 | 2 |
| 2005–06[97] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2006–07[98] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||
| Derby County (loan) | 2005–06[97] | Championship | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Leeds United (loan) | 2005–06[97] | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Blackpool (loan) | 2006–07[98] | League One | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Carlisle United (loan) | 2006–07[98] | League One | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 7 |
| Carlisle United | 2007–08[99] | League One | 47 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2[b] | 1 | 53 | 17 |
| 2008–09[100] | League One | 44 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 49 | 16 | |
| Total | 91 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 102 | 33 | ||
| Watford | 2009–10[101] | Championship | 46 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 14 |
| 2010–11[102] | Championship | 45 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 27 | |
| Total | 91 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 41 | ||
| Swansea City | 2011–12[103] | Premier League | 36 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 14 |
| 2012–13[104] | Premier League | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 7 | |
| Total | 54 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 21 | ||
| Sunderland | 2012–13[104] | Premier League | 13 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15[105] | Premier League | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |
| 2015–16[106] | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | ||
| Hull City (loan) | 2013–14[107] | Premier League | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| Middlesbrough (loan) | 2013–14[107] | Championship | 18 | 6 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 18 | 6 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 2014–15[105] | Championship | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 2015–16[106] | Championship | 18 | 7 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 18 | 7 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2016–17[108] | Championship | 35 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 13 |
| 2017–18[109] | League One | 42 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 48 | 17 | |
| 2018–19[110] | Championship | 43 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 16 | |
| 2019–20[111] | Championship | 38 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 4 | |
| Total | 158 | 45 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 173 | 50 | ||
| Sunderland | 2020–21[112] | League One | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | 17 | 1 |
| Career total | 560 | 155 | 28 | 9 | 20 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 617 | 174 | ||
Swansea City
Blackburn Rovers
Individual
