Andy Webster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Andy Webster | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrew Neil Webster | |
| Date of birth | April 23, 1982 | |
| Place of birth | Dundee, Scotland | |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |
| Playing position | Centre-back | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Rangers | |
| Number | 22 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1999–2001 2001–2006 2006– 2007–2008 2008- |
Arbroath Hearts Wigan Athletic → Rangers (loan) Rangers |
17 (1) 149 (6) 4 (0) 1 (1) 0 (0) |
| National team | ||
| 2003–2006 | Scotland | 22 (1) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Andrew Neil Webster (born April 23, 1982 in Dundee, Scotland) is a Scottish professional footballer currently playing for Rangers in the Scottish Premier League.
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] Early career
Webster joined Hearts from Arbroath in March 2001 for £75,000 by then manager Craig Levein. He was a regular for the side and made 184 appearances for the Jambos but in 2006 he was left out of the match against Dundee United because of a disagreement over contracts, with chairman Vladimir Romanov, who later suggested to many that Webster would leave soon.
Webster made football transfer history when he was the first to invoke a loophole in Article 17 of a FIFA-adopted EU law, enabling him to cancel his contract with Hearts in the third year of a four-year deal, with the proviso that he join a club in a foreign country and that sufficient notice be given to his former employers. Webster's transfer to Wigan Athletic was ratified by FIFA on September 4, 2006, seemingly creating a legal precedent for the conduction of international football transfers.
[edit] Wigan Athletic
He made his debut in a league match against Manchester City as a second half substitute for Fitz Hall in a 4-0 win on 21 October 2006.[1] He went on to start the next three matches but found the switch to the FA Premier League difficult.
[edit] Rangers
On January 4, 2007, the day Paul Le Guen left Rangers, the BBC reported that Webster would sign for the Glasgow club on a loan deal, which was confirmed the following day.[2] Soon after, Hearts issued a formal complaint to FIFA and the SFA regarding Webster's registration. The Edinburgh club contended that Webster was unable to play for another Scottish team within 12 months of leaving Tynecastle.[3] However, FIFA decided that Webster's move to Rangers was in order and this ruling was followed by the SFA.
Webster missed the rest of the 2006-07 season due to an injury suffered during his first training session with Rangers. He made his debut in a post-season friendly match in May 2007, against LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center, coming on as a substitute for Karl Svensson.
On June 29, 2007, Webster's loan deal at Rangers was extended to last until January 2008.[4] He made his first official appearance for Rangers in September that year, scoring in a win 4-0 home win against newly promoted Gretna.[5] Shortly after this match he was sidelined with an ankle injury and then it was revealed that he would be out until the new year after further surgery on his previously injured knee.[6] On June 9, 2008, Webster's loan deal from Wigan Athletic was made permanent for an undisclosed fee.[7]
[edit] International
Webster has won 22 Scotland caps in his career. His last cap coming against Switzerland in March 2006. He made his debut in a friendly match during the Berti Vogts era, the match ended in a 2-0 defeat to Austria. His first an only goal came in a friendly verse the United States during a 1-1 draw at Hampden Park on 12 November 2005.
[edit] Transfer saga
In May 2007, FIFA ruled that Webster had canceled the contract "without just cause" and without the required full 15-day notice. FIFA suspended him for the first two matches of the 2007-08 season. They also ordered him to pay £625,000 to Hearts.[8]
On 30 January 2008, Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Heart of Midlothian Football Club were to be awarded £150,000 for Webster's breach of contract. This amount was to be paid by Webster to the club. The arbitration board reduced the compensation from previous amount of £625,000 that Hearts appealed against.[9] [10]
[edit] References
- ^ Wigan 4-0 Man City Soccerbase, 21 october, 2006
- ^ "Webster checks in as loan Ranger", BBC Sport website, 4 January 2007.
- ^ "Romanov in fight to block Webster move to Rangers", Scotsman.com Sport, 11 January 2007.
- ^ "Webster extends Ibrox loan deal", BBC Sport website, 29 June 2007.
- ^ "Rangers 4-0 Gretna", BBC Sport website, 1 September 2007.
- ^ "Webster injury jinx strikes again", BBC Sport website, 28 October 2007.
- ^ "Webster completes Rangers switch", BBC Sport website, 9 June 2008.
- ^ "Webster must pay Hearts £625,000", BBC Sport website 4 March, 2007
- ^ "Hearts demanding £5m for Webster", BBC Sport website 31 March, 2007
- ^ "Hearts get £150,000 for Webster", BBC Sport website 30 January, 2008
[edit] External links
|
|||||
