Michael Dawson (footballer)

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Michael Dawson
Personal information
Full name Michael Richard Dawson
Date of birth 18 November 1983 (1983-11-18) (age 24)
Place of birth    Northallerton, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current club Tottenham Hotspur
Number 20
Youth clubs
1997–2000 Nottingham Forest
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2000–2005
2005–
Nottingham Forest
Tottenham Hotspur
083 (7)
101 (2)   
National team2
2003–2005
2006–2007
England U21
England B
013 (0)
002 (0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 09:35, 23 February 2008 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Michael Richard Dawson (born 18 November 1983 in Northallerton, North Yorkshire) is an English professional football player who plays as a defender for Tottenham Hotspur.

Contents

[edit] Club career

[edit] Nottingham Forest

Dawson grew up in Leyburn, North Yorkshire and attended Wensleydale School[1] and is the younger brother of Hull City defender Andy Dawson and Kevin Dawson (formerly of Chesterfield).He started his football career playing for his local team, Northallerton Junior Football club, and also spent a year playing for Richmond before signing as a junior professional with Nottingham Forest at the age of 14.[1] He turned professional in November 2000 accumulating 91 appearances for Nottingham Forest including his début on April 1, 2002 against Walsall in a 3-2 home defeat.

The following season Dawson formed a solid partnership with veteran Des Walker as Forest finished 6th in the First Division and eventually lost 4-3 in the second leg of the Playoff final to Sheffield United, although Dawson missed that game having been sent off in the first leg.

In the close season Dawson contracted glandular fever whilst on duty with England Under 21's which caused him to miss the start of the following season and thus began a struggle against various injuries which marred the rest of his Forest career. Forest also struggled - winning only twice between the end of September and the beginning of February caused Paul Hart to be dismissed and replaced by Joe Kinnear. The season was transformed from one battling relegation to a confident mid-table finish with the return of Dawson and David Johnson to the team being one of the reasons for this.

When Forest suffered relegation to the third tier for only the second time in their history.He and one of his Forest team-mates, left-winger Andy Reid, signed for Spurs on 31 January 2005 from Forest for an undisclosed fee thought to be worth a combined £8m. His début came towards the end of that campaign in the 2-2 draw at Liverpool on 16 April 2005.

[edit] Tottenham Hotspur

Michael enjoyed a good 2005-06 season, impressing many with his aerial ability and never-say-die attitude. On 28 March 2006 he signed a contract extension which will last until 2011.

He has formed a strong relationship with Ledley King in his time at Spurs. In King's long-term absence from injury, Spurs have had to rely on Dawson as their star defender, and the 23-year-old has impressed on a consistent basis without the help of his more experienced partner. His reliability in Spurs' defence in the absence of King have led to him becoming firmly established as a fans' favourite.

Michael scored his first competitive goal for Tottenham in their 2-1 win over Chelsea at White Hart Lane on 5 November 2006. His goal cancelled out Claude Makélélé's strike. Aaron Lennon later scored the winner.

He captained the team in the 2006-2007 FA Cup quarter-final tie away to London rivals Chelsea due to injuries to stand-in captains Robbie Keane and Paul Robinson, and to the club's regular captain Ledley King.

After a season in which he played all but one of the possible 59 games during the season he was rewarded with a new 5 year contract on 11 May 2007 which will keep him at the club until 2012, despite still having several years left on his contract.[2]

[edit] International career

Dawson's performances have been duly noted by the national team. Firstly, Sven-Göran Eriksson selected him as a stand-by for the 2006 World Cup a replacement to the injured Luke Young and he was retained by new coach Steve McClaren as a squad member. Although Dawson has not played a full international yet, he has been involved in two England 'B' internationals.

Dawson has 13 England Under 21 international caps. He is now ineligible for future competitive games for the U-21s due to his age.

[edit] Career stats

All-Time Club Performance

Club Season League Domestic Cups Europe Total
Games Goals Games Goals Games Goals Games Goals
Tottenham Hotspur 07-08 27 1 7 0 6 1 40 2
06-07 37 1 11 0 10 0 58 1
05-06 32 0 1 0 - - 33 0
04-05 5 0 - - - - 5 0
Club Total 101 2 19 0 16 1 136 3
Nott'm Forest 04-05 14 1 3 0 - - 17 1
03-04 30 1 1 0 - - 31 1
02-03 38 5 3 0 - - 41 5
01-02 1 0 - - - - 1 0
Club Total 83 7 7 0 0 0 90 7
Career Total 184 9 26 0 16 1 226 10
Correct as of 01 June 2008

[edit] References

[edit] External links