Robert Koren

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Robert Koren
Personal information
Full name Robert Koren
Date of birth September 20, 1980 (1980-09-20) (age 27)
Place of birth    Ljubljana, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club West Bromwich Albion
Number 7
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1996–2001
2001–2004
2004–2007
2007–		 NK Dravograd
NK Publikum
Lillestrøm
West Bromwich Albion		 129 (17)
078 (22)
075 (19)
057 (10)   
National team2
Slovenia 030 0(1)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 10:49, 30 May 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 23:32, 14 December 2007 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Robert Koren (born September 20, 1980) is a Slovenian football midfielder who currently plays for West Bromwich Albion in the English Championship.

Contents

[edit] Career

Koren played for NK Publikum, NK Dravograd and NK Radlje in his home country, before transferring to Norwegian side Lillestrøm in 2004. He became one of the most highly rated players of the Norwegian Premier League, many regarding him as the best foreigner in the entire competition. Koren was the definitive playmaker for Lillestrøm, and has often been compared to his former idol Zlatko Zahovič. During his time in Norway he was linked with moves to English clubs Leeds United and Manchester City.

On January 4, 2007, Koren signed for English Championship club West Bromwich Albion in a Bosman ruling, penning an 18 month contract with a further year's option in the club's favour.[1] He made his debut two days later as a late substitute in the Baggies' 3–1 win over Leeds United in the FA Cup 3rd round. Koren scored his first goal for the club in a 7–0 home win against Barnsley on 6 May, 2007, the last day of the league season. The victory ensured Albion's place in the Championship promotion playoffs. Koren started all three playoff games as Albion beat Wolves in the two-legged semi-final but lost 1–0 to Derby County in the Wembley final.

In July 2007 Koren suffered a freak accident in training when a ball hit him in the eye, causing internal bleeding and temporary loss of vision. Although he made a full recovery, he later admitted that he had feared for his sight.[2][3] The injury meant that he missed the start of the 2007–08 season, but he returned to the side at the end of August as a substitute in a League Cup game against Peterborough. In mid-September he signed a new two-year contract at Albion, with a further year's option in the club's favour.[4] He has been described by West Brom manager Tony Mowbray as a "model pro".[5] Koren's two goals in Albion's 3–2 defeat away at Southampton in October 2007 earned him a place in the Championship Team of the Week.[6]

Koren has been capped 30 times for Slovenia, scoring one goal, and played 12 matches for their under-21 team.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Club

[edit] Individual

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Slovenian Koren joins West Brom", BBC Sport, 2007-01-04. Retrieved on 2007-04-25. 
  2. ^ "Koren to miss big kick-off", West Bromwich Albion F.C., 2007-08-02. Retrieved on 2007-10-06. 
  3. ^ "Koren: "I was scared"", West Bromwich Albion F.C., 2007-09-22. Retrieved on 2007-10-06. 
  4. ^ "Koren pens new contract", West Bromwich Albion F.C., 2007-09-14. Retrieved on 2007-10-06. 
  5. ^ "Mowbray: Koren's a model pro", West Bromwich Albion F.C., 2007-09-15. Retrieved on 2007-10-06. 
  6. ^ "Koren makes select XI", West Bromwich Albion F.C., 2007-10-08. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. 

[edit] External links

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West Bromwich Albion F.C. – current squad

1 Kiely • 2 Hoefkens • 3 Robinson • 4 Barnett • 5 Clement • 7 Koren • 8 Greening • 9 Bednář • 10 Beattie • 12 Kim • 14 Albrechtsen • 15 MacDonald • 16 Hodgkiss • 17 Miller • 18 Martis • 19 Daněk • 20 Teixeira • 21 Phillips • 22 Nicholson • 23 Tininho • 24 Moore • 26 Pelé • 27 Morrison • 29 Brunt • 30 Ślusarski • 31 Daniels • 32 Worrall • Manager: Mowbray