 Carr in pre-season forBirmingham in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Carr[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1976-08-29)29 August 1976 (age 49) | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Right back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 198x–1991 | Stella Maris | ||
| 1991–1993 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–2004 | Tottenham Hotspur | 226 | (7) |
| 2004–2008 | Newcastle United | 78 | (1) |
| 2009–2013 | Birmingham City | 106 | (0) |
| Total | 410 | (8) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993–1994 | Republic of Ireland U18 | 6 | (0) |
| 1994–1997 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 12 | (1) |
| 1999–2007 | Republic of Ireland | 44 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stephen Carr (born 29 August 1976) is an Irish former professionalfootballer who played as aright-back, sometimes deputising at left-back orcentre back. He started his career withPremier League teamTottenham Hotspur in 1993 and remained with the club until 2004. He had a spell withNewcastle United until 2008. From 2009 until 2013 he stayed withBirmingham City, also captaining the side. He is a former international player with theRepublic of Ireland, having made 44 appearances.
Carr was born inDublin.[1] As a fifteen-year-old, he went on trial fromStella Maris toTottenham Hotspur and was signed up by then managerOssie Ardiles. He made his debut for the club on 26 September 1993 away toIpswich Town in the1993–94 FA Premier League season.[2] However he had to wait until the1996–97 season to establish himself as a regular first-team player, when he made 28 appearances that campaign.
He picked up aLeague Cup medal with Spurs in 1999 after contributing to a 1–0 win overLeicester City in the final. The 1999–2000 season was arguably his best ever as far as his performances are concerned, as well as scoring a "thunderous piledriver" against championsManchester United.[3]
His reputation continued to grow throughout the 2000–01 season, and other clubs were beginning to show interest in signing him. However, in the summer of 2001, he began to have problems with his knee and required an operation which he underwent in September of that year. He did not make any appearances in the 2001–02 season and also missed the2002 FIFA World Cup finals.[4] It was not until October 2002 that Carr was back fully fit. As he returned to form, interest from other Premiership clubs started to resurface. Carr was linked with Manchester United, and a move toNewcastle United was on the cards.[citation needed]
Carr signed for Newcastle United in August 2004 when then managerBobby Robson signed him for a fee of £2 million on a four-year contract. Soon after he signed Robson was sacked from his managerial post by chairmanFreddy Shepherd. He was replaced byGraeme Souness, who, like Robson, saw Carr as a first-team player. Carr's debut for the club came in a 2–2 draw againstMiddlesbrough on 14 August. He played in 26 league games in the2004–05 season, scoring once. His first goal for the club came from a "fierce shot from well outside the area" againstSouthampton.[5] He helped Newcastle reach the quarter-finals of theUEFA Cup and the semi-final of theFA Cup. Newcastle finished 14th, which put pressure on Souness.
In the 2005–06 season, he only managed to make 19 league appearances for the club as the persistent knee injury ruled him out for two months. The team finished 7th in the league under the new management ofGlenn Roeder, after Souness was sacked in January.
Carr was one of the many injury victims duringNewcastle's 2006–07 season and was out with a fractured foot for a few months. He returned for the 2–2 draw againstWest Ham United on 20 January 2007, filling in at an unfamiliar left-back position after impressive displays fromNolberto Solano at right-back during Carr's absence, putting question marks over his future at the club. He fell further down the pecking order during the 2007–08 season with the signings ofHabib Beye andGeremi. Beye's impressive form and Carr's inability to maintain fitness resulted inKevin Keegan deciding against renewing Carr's contract and he was released at the end of the season.[6]
Carr was linked with moves toEverton,West Ham United,Wigan Athletic,Hertha Berlin,Racing Genk andBohemians.[citation needed] He was also on trial with League One sideLeicester City where he would have linked up withNigel Pearson whom he played under at Newcastle.[citation needed] Having failed to find a suitable club, Carr announced his retirement from all forms of football on 1 December 2008.[7]
In February 2009 he began training withBirmingham City with a view to coming out of retirement,[8] and signed a one-month contract with the club on 23 February.[9] He made his debut the following day, playing the whole of the goalless draw away toCrystal Palace.[10] After impressing during the initial month, Carr signed an extension until the end of the season.[11] Following Birmingham's promotion to the Premier League, Carr signed a new two-year contract with the club.[12] Made actingcaptain in the absence through injury and squad rotation ofLee Carsley,[13] he was a member of the Birmingham team that went 15 games unbeaten in all competitions, including a club record 12 unbeaten in the top flight, during the2009–10 Premier League season.[14][15] Towards the end of the season Carr received a one-match suspension for improper conduct after making an "offensive gesture" towardsAston Villa supporters at the end of thelocal derby lost by Birmingham via a late, controversial penalty.[16]
He captained the team to victory in the2011 Football League Cup final as Birmingham defeated favouritesArsenal 2–1.[17] Carr played every game of the2010–11 Premier League season, at the end of which Birmingham were relegated to theChampionship, and the club took up the option of retaining his services for another year.[18]
Carr made his 100th appearance for Birmingham in theEuropa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese clubNacional, the first time the club had participated in major European competition for nearly 50 years.[19] He missed much of the second half of the 2011–12 season with knee cartilage damage, and his contract expired in June, but after the appointment of former Newcastle teammateLee Clark as Birmingham's manager, he signed a one-year deal with the club.[20] Investigation of an injury sustained in a pre-season friendly in August revealed knee damage requiring surgery predicted to keep him out for six months.[21]
Carr was unable to play again, and at the end of the 2012–13 season he announced his retirement from football. Although Clark had hoped to persuade him to stay at Birmingham as a coach, Carr confirmed that he and his family intended to move to Spain where he had business interests.[22]
Carr represented his country at schoolboy, youth, under-18, under-21 and full international levels.[23] He missed out on the2002 World Cup due to injury.[24]
Carr initially retired from the international scene after the team failed to qualify for the2006 FIFA World Cup, having played 39 times for his country.[25] However he was convinced to continue playing international football by new Ireland managerSteve Staunton.[25] Due to injuries and the sacking of Irish manager Staunton, Carr retired from international football on 14 November 2007.[26]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1993–94[4] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |
| 1994–95[4] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1995–96[1][4][27] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1996–97[4] | Premier League | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 30 | 0 | ||
| 1997–98[4] | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 43 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99[4] | Premier League | 37 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 1 | – | 52 | 1 | ||
| 1999–2000[4] | Premier League | 34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 39 | 3 | |
| 2000–01[4] | Premier League | 28 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2001–02[4] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03[28] | Premier League | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04[29] | Premier League | 32 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 39 | 1 | ||
| Total | 226 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 272 | 8 | ||
| Newcastle United | 2004–05[30] | Premier League | 26 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9[b] | 0 | 39 | 1 |
| 2005–06[31] | Premier League | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| 2006–07[32] | Premier League | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8[c] | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| 2007–08[33] | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 12 | 0 | ||
| Total | 78 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 107 | 1 | ||
| Birmingham City | 2008–09[34] | Championship | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | |
| 2009–10[35] | Premier League | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 40 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11[36] | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 44 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12[37][38] | Championship | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| 2012–13[39] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 106 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 121 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 410 | 8 | 31 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 500 | 9 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 1999 | 8 | 0 |
| 2000 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 44 | 0 | |
Tottenham Hotspur
Newcastle United
Birmingham City
Individual
