Phil Babb

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Phil Babb
Personal information
Full name Philip Andrew Babb
Date of birth November 30, 1970 (1970-11-30) (age 37)
Place of birth    Lambeth, London, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position Defender
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1988–1990
1990–1992
1992–1994
1994–2000
2000
2000–2002
2002–2004		 Millwall
Bradford City
Coventry City
Liverpool
→ Tranmere Rovers (loan)
Sporting Lisbon
Sunderland
Total		 000 0(0)
080 (14)
077 0(3)
128 0(1)
004 0(0)
037 0(0)
048 0(0)
374 (18)   
National team2
1994
1994–2002		 Republic of Ireland B
Republic of Ireland		 001 0(0)
035 0(0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 08:06, 5 February 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 08:06, 5 February 2008 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Philip Andrew Babb (born November 30, 1970 in Lambeth, London) is a former English born Irish international professional football player who played as a central defender.

[edit] Career

Babb began his career with Millwall as a trainee, but failed to make an appearance for the first team before signing for Bradford City. Babb played well enough for the Bantams to earn a £500,000 move to Coventry City in July 1992. After a successful spell at Coventry, he subsequently moved to Liverpool for £3.6 million after some impressive performances for the Sky Blues in the Premiership and a number of international call-ups. He enjoyed a relatively successful though fitful few years at Liverpool. Babb was involved in an infamous accident at Anfield in a match between Liverpool and Chelsea. Whilst scrambling to block a shot by Pierluigi Casiraghi Babb slid across the face of the goal missing the ball but managing to hit the post while both of his legs were spread. Casiraghi scored in a 1–1 draw.

Babb fell out of favour with French boss Gérard Houllier, and he had a loan spell at Tranmere Rovers before leaving the club on a Bosman free deal in the summer of 2000. He signed for Sporting Clube de Portugal and was voted the best defender in Portugal in his second season there. He later moved to Sunderland without great success.

His career hit controversy in August 2000 when he and Mark Kennedy were ordered home from the Republic of Ireland squad after appearing in court accused of causing criminal damage, causing a breach of the peace and being drunk and disorderly. They were rolling across car bonnets while replicating scenes from Starsky and Hutch, but unfortunately chose an unmarked police car.

During his final cap for Ireland as a 85th minute sub against Russia, in an Euro 2004 qualifier in Moscow, in his first touch he diverted the ball past goalkeeper Shay Given for an own goal. Republic of Ireland lost 4–2, with ironically all three bench players thrown in by manager Mick McCarthy (Gary Doherty, Clinton Morrison and the unlucky Babb) "scoring".

Two years after having retired, in 2006, he, who had been an early investor of Golf Punk Magazine alongside former Sunderland teammates Thomas Sorensen, Michael Gray, Jason McAteer and Stephen Wright, helped save the award-winning publication from closure.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Digger: Babb bails out Golf Punk | Columnists | guardian.co.uk Football

[edit] External links

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Republic of Ireland squad - 1994 FIFA World Cup
1 Bonner • 2 Irwin • 3 Phelan • 4 Moran • 5 McGrath • 6 Keane • 7 Townsend • 8 Houghton • 9 Aldridge • 10 Sheridan • 11 Staunton • 12 G. Kelly • 13 Kernaghan • 14 Babb • 15 Coyne • 16 Cascarino • 17 McGoldrick • 18 Whelan • 19 McLoughlin • 20 D. Kelly • 21 McAteer • 22 A. Kelly • Coach: Charlton
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