100-543: Stephen Staunton (born 19 January 1969) is an Irish football manager, scout and former professional footballer. He played as a defender with two separate spells each with Premier League sides Aston Villa and Liverpool . He also played in the Football League for Bradford City , Crystal Palace , Coventry City and Walsall . He earned 102 caps for the Republic of Ireland national football team , captained his team to
200-419: A League Cup winners medal when he helped a wounded Villa gain revenge on Manchester United by beating them 3–1 (denying them a domestic treble). The League Cup medal completed his domestic medal set. In the 1994–95 season, despite the club's managerial problems, he had a fine season and regularly captained the side. The 1995–96 season was a mixed one for Staunton. He won another League Cup medal, this time as
300-573: A League Cup winners medal, coming on as a late substitute as Arsenal defeated Liverpool at Wembley . In 1987–88 season, Thomas missed only five league games. He started off as right back following Andersons departure, then switched to midfield for the League Cup semi-final first leg win at Everton in February, and kept that role the rest of the season and finished with 9 goals in the league (2 of them were penalties). Steve Williams February suspension
400-419: A corner kick or other set pieces , centre-backs may move forward to the opponents' penalty area ; if the ball is passed in the air towards a crowd of players near the goal, then the heading ability of a centre-back is useful when trying to score. In this case, other defenders or midfielders will temporarily move into the centre-back positions. There are two main defensive strategies used by defensive lines:
500-441: A 17-year-old and was signed on 2 September 1986 by manager Kenny Dalglish for a fee of £20,000. He spent the first two seasons in the reserves and even went on loan to Bradford City for eight games during the 1987–88 season as cover for the injured Karl Goddard . He made his Liverpool debut on 17 September 1988 in the 1–1 league draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield . As a result of his impressive performance he remained in
600-566: A 1–0 defeat to the Czech Republic in Prague crippled the qualifying campaign. A 0–0 draw with Germany on 13 October at Croke Park and a 1–1 draw at home to Cyprus in the same stadium four days later (during which a chorus of boos greeted the final whistle) secured qualification for both Germany and the Czech Republic. Ireland would not be competing in the 2008 European Championship. Amid the fans' dissatisfaction, many pundits commented that Staunton
700-538: A 2–0 victory over Portugal on 7 June 1992, during a US Cup game in Boston and the second came in a 3–0 defeat of Northern Ireland on 31 March 1993 during a World Cup qualifier in Dublin . Following the Republic of Ireland 's failure to reach the 2006 FIFA World Cup , the tenure of manager Brian Kerr came to an end. A three-man Football Association of Ireland (FAI) subcommittee spearheaded by its former treasurer John Delaney
800-536: A League Cup tie against Hull City in September 1999. His second spell on Merseyside lasted two years before he was told he could leave on a free transfer. After a brief loan spell at Crystal Palace , where he made six league appearances and scored once against Tranmere Rovers, he was recalled to Anfield to appear in his 148th and last game for the Reds: it came on 23 November 2000 in the 2–2 draw with Greek side Olympiakos in
900-563: A Smith flick-on, evaded a challenge by Steve Nicol , and chipped the advancing goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar to score Arsenal's second and win the title, Arsenal's first in eighteen years. The match was later featured in detail in a 1997 film based on the Nick Hornby book Fever Pitch . Thomas started in 33 league games in the title winning season, and scored 7 goals. He formed a brilliant midfield partnership with Kevin Richardson . The goal
1000-681: A ball-playing central defender in a 3–5–2 or 3–4–3 formation; in addition to their defensive skills, their technique and ball-playing ability allowed them to advance into midfield after winning back possession, and function as a secondary playmaker for their teams. Some goalkeepers, who are comfortable leaving their goalmouth to intercept and clear through balls, and who generally participate more in play, such as René Higuita , Manuel Neuer , Edwin van der Sar , Fabien Barthez , Hugo Lloris , Marc-André ter Stegen , Bernd Leno , Alisson Becker and Ederson , among others, have been referred to as sweeper-keepers . The full-backs (the left-back and
1100-571: A battling performance. Staunton himself was sent off by the referee for kicking a water bottle onto the pitch in frustration during the second half. Worse was swiftly to follow. On 7 October 2006, in their second UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier, Ireland suffered a demoralising 5–2 defeat by lowly Cyprus in Nicosia . Staunton was watching from the stands, having been given a touchline ban for his sending-off in Germany. The defeat by Cyprus heaped additional pressure on
SECTION 10
#17331158616371200-482: A career that saw him win medals in all of English football's top three domestic football trophies. He was capped twice by England . Michael now works as a pundit and media personality, writing a column for Just Arsenal, amongst other things. Thomas was born in Lambeth , London . After growing up as a Tottenham Hotspur fan, he signed for rivals Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1982, turning professional on 31 December 1984 at
1300-402: A false dawn as, over the space of five days in September, an injury-hit Ireland dropped five points from two games and saw their qualifying campaign effectively come to an end. Leading 2–1 away to Slovakia the team would emerge with just one point after an injury-time strike from Marek Cech cancelled their advantage. Staunton was disappointed by the performance but four days later, on 12 September,
1400-635: A fifth-place finish in 1996–97 and seventh in 1997–98 . With his contract set to expire at Villa, he gained a surprise move back to Liverpool on 3 July 1998 when joint managers Roy Evans and Gérard Houllier signed him on a free transfer. On 27 September 1999, during the Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield , Staunton played the last 15 minutes of the game in goal after Sander Westerveld had been sent off for fighting with Francis Jeffers after Liverpool had used all three substitutes. He scored once in his second spell at Liverpool, his goal coming in
1500-510: A full-back who was described as a terzino volante (or vagante , as noted at the time by former footballer and Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Renzo De Vecchi ); the latter position was essentially a libero , which was later also used by Viani in his vianema system, and Rocco in his catenaccio system. Though sweepers may be expected to build counter-attacking moves, and as such require better ball control and passing ability than typical centre-backs, their talents are often confined to
1600-508: A goal in the 3–2 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough . He soon became a regular in Villa's defence, alongside the likes of the legendary Villan Paul McGrath, as they finished seventh during the 1991–92 season. The following year he played an important role in the club's push for the title in the first Premier League season. Villa, in the end, lost out to Manchester United and had to settle for second place. The following season, he won
1700-451: A non-playing substitute in the excellent 3–0 victory over Leeds United , but his playing time was limited due to a number of injuries. Over the next two seasons he was once again a regular in defence, playing his part in Villa's run to the UEFA Cup quarter finals in 1996–97. He also scored from a corner during his time at Villa. Meanwhile, in the league, he helped a transitional Villa team to
1800-432: A result that eased the pressure on Staunton to some extent. Staunton was seen to be emotional after the 5–0 victory over San Marino ; it was to be the last match to be played on the old Lansdowne Road pitch. In the return fixture, a poor performance ensured the team needed a goal from Stephen Ireland four minutes into injury time to secure the three points with a final score of 2–1. Coming so close to dropping points against
1900-533: A squad player who was largely used as cover for the likes of Jamie Redknapp and John Barnes . The 1994–95 season saw Thomas claim his only other winner's medal during his time at Anfield, when the Reds won the League Cup final against Bolton Wanderers . Thomas was an unused substitute on the bench during that game, which saw McManaman scoring both the team's goals as Liverpool won 2–1. Thomas then helped Liverpool reach
2000-484: A sweeper. Prior to Viani, Ottavio Barbieri is also thought by some pundits to have introduced the sweeper role to Italian football during his time as Genoa 's manager. Like Viani, he was influenced by Rappan's verrou , and made several alterations to the English WM system or "sistema", which led to his system being described as mezzosistema . His system used a man-marking back-line, with three man-marking defenders and
2100-515: A team ranked 195th in the world at the time of the match immediately sparked further calls for the manager's resignation. Ireland returned to form with two successive 1–0 home victories over Wales and Slovakia which brought them close to contention for second place in Group D of the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying groups. Such was the surprise that greeted the results that RTÉ presenter Bill O'Herlihy concluded
SECTION 20
#17331158616372200-551: Is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder from 1986 to 2001. During his time at Arsenal , he scored a last-minute goal in injury time during the final match of the 1988–89 season , which allowed the club to claim the First Division title over Liverpool . Two years later, Thomas joined Liverpool and scored the club's opening goal in a 2–0 win in the 1992 FA Cup Final . He also had spells at Benfica and Wimbledon before retiring in 2001, after
2300-606: Is often considered one of the greatest moments in Arsenal's entire history. In 1989-90 , Thomas only missed six league games, but because of an ankle injury against Tottenham Hotspur 20 January 1990, his form suffered. He was in the England squad, and among the substitutes, when Brazil came to Wembley 28 March 1990, but the injury wrecked his chances of going to the World Cup Finals. In 1990-91 , Thomas played in 31 league games and
2400-454: Is sometimes referred to as libero , which is Italian for "free". Austrian manager Karl Rappan is thought to be a pioneer of this role, when he incorporated it into his catenaccio or verrou (also "doorbolt/chain" in French) system with Swiss club Servette during the 1930s, deciding to move one player from midfield to a position behind the defensive line, as a "last man" who would protect
2500-477: Is thought to have been coined by Gianni Brera , originated from the original Italian description for this role libero da impegni di marcatura ( i.e. , "free from man-marking tasks"); it was also known as the "battitore libero" ("free hitter", in Italian, i.e. a player who was given the freedom to intervene after their teammates, if a player had got past the defence, to clear the ball away). In Italian football,
2600-685: The Estádio da Luz on 1 August 1998, but his stay in Lisbon was an unsuccessful one as he found himself banished to the reserves after Souness was replaced by Jupp Heynckes . After two years with Benfica, he returned to England on 29 July 2000 to join Wimbledon , but after a single season in which he played nine times he retired from playing on 31 May 2001. Thomas was first called up to the England squad under manager Bobby Robson . His debut came on 16 November 1988, at
2700-855: The Hillsborough Disaster , and as a result was moved to the very end of the season, after the FA Cup final. Liverpool had won the FA Cup, and thus had a chance of completing an historic double . Arsenal had been top of the First Division table for most of the season, but Liverpool had overtaken them a few matches before the end of the campaign. Coming into the match, Arsenal were on 73 points with 71 goals for and 36 against (a goal difference of +35), while Liverpool were 3 points ahead on 76 points with 65 goals for and 26 against (a difference of +39). That meant that Arsenal needed to win by at least two goals to take
2800-535: The UEFA Cup . On 7 December 2000, he re-joined Aston Villa on another free transfer. He played in 14 of the club's remaining league fixtures and then featured regularly for a further two seasons. He scored once in his second spell at Villa, his goal coming in the Intertoto Cup against FC Zurich. Staunton continued to play club football, plying his trade with Coventry City , moving there on 15 August 2003 on another free transfer. He made his début on 16 August 2003 in
2900-476: The libero is also retroactively thought to have evolved from the centre-half -back role in the English WM system, or sistema, which was known as the centromediano metodista role in Italian football jargon, due to its association with the metodo system; in the metodo system, however, the "metodista" was given both defensive and creative duties, functioning as both a ball–winner and deep-lying playmaker . Juventus manager Felice Borel used Carlo Parola in
3000-519: The libero was usually assigned the number six shirt. One of the first predecessors of the libero role in Italy was used in the so–called " vianema " system, a predecessor to catenaccio , which was used by Salernitana during the 1940s. The system originated from an idea that one of the club's players – Antonio Valese – posed to his manager Giuseppe Viani. Viani altered the English WM system – known as
3100-411: The sistema in Italy – by having his centre-half-back retreat into the defensive line to act as an additional defender and mark an opposing centre-forward, instead leaving his full-back (which, at the time, was similar to the modern centre-back role) free to function as what was essentially a sweeper, creating a 1–3–3–3 formation; he occasionally also used a defender in the centre-forward role, and wearing
Steve Staunton - Misplaced Pages Continue
3200-438: The stopper , and a free defender, which was usually known as the sweeper , or libero , whose tasks included sweeping up balls for teammates and also initiating attacks. The sweeper (or libero ) is a more versatile centre-back who "sweeps up" the ball if an opponent manages to breach the defensive line. This position is rather more fluid than that of other defenders who man-mark their designated opponents. Because of this, it
3300-452: The verrou , his system was not as flexible and was a development of the WM rather than the 2–3–5, but it also featured one of the half-backs dropping deep; this allowed the defensive centre-half to sweep in behind the full-backs. In Italy, the libero position was popularised by Nereo Rocco 's and Helenio Herrera 's use of catenaccio . The current Italian term for this position, libero , which
3400-544: The 0–0 league draw with Walsall at Highfield Road . He remained with the Sky Blues until the summer of 2005, clocking up 75 appearances. Staunton decided not to renew his contract once it had expired, and instead joined Walsall on 2 August 2005. He played just 10 times for Walsall and also held the post of assistant coach until 16 January 2006, when he was appointed manager of the Republic of Ireland senior international side. He
3500-534: The 1996 FA Cup final, where he saw five minutes of action after coming on as an 85th-minute substitute for Rob Jones . He couldn't help the Reds prevent a 1–0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United . 1996–97 was a disappointing campaign for a Liverpool side who finished fourth in the Premier League after leading it during the winter, but Thomas re-emerged as a first team regular following the absence of Jamie Redknapp due to injury problems. However, when Redknapp
3600-645: The Boro before he returned to Anfield. By this time manager Roy Evans was fielding Øyvind Leonhardsen and Danny Murphy ahead of Thomas, which led to him being surplus to requirements at Anfield. Thomas's impression on the Anfield faithful during his time at the club was confirmed when he was voted in at No. 83 in 100 Players Who Shook The Kop , a poll conducted by Liverpool FC's official website in 2006 with over 110,000 fans voting. Portuguese side Benfica , then managed by former Liverpool boss Graeme Souness , took Thomas to
3700-466: The League title in a decider against Arsenal at Anfield. The Gunners needed to win by two clear goals and were 1–0 up with just seconds remaining. With virtually the last kick of the season Michael Thomas broke through the centre of the Reds defence to score, thus stopping Liverpool gaining a second league and FA Cup double – something which no English club had yet achieved. The following year, Staunton
3800-519: The Reds on 18 January 1992 in league victory over Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park . His first season at the club culminated with an FA Cup victory at Wembley against Sunderland . After a goalless first 45, Thomas scored the opening goal of the final after 47 minutes with a spectacular shot from a Steve McManaman cross. A second goal from Ian Rush made the final score 2–0, earning Thomas his first medal for his new club. However, after that, injuries began to blight Thomas's time at Anfield. He became
3900-455: The Republic of Ireland for the first time) and Liam Miller getting onto the score sheet. The victory over Sweden was followed by two friendly defeats, the first a disappointing 1–0 loss against Chile on 23 May 2006 and then a 4–0 thrashing by Holland at Lansdowne Road , Ireland's worst home reverse in 40 years. Prior to the Holland game, Staunton was confronted and threatened by a man outside
4000-606: The Republic of Ireland succumbed in the second round to the Netherlands . The Republic of Ireland failed to qualify for both Euro 96 in England and the 1998 World Cup in France, though Staunton was still selected regularly for the team. The Republic of Ireland qualified for the 2002 World Cup held in Japan and South Korea following a playoff against Iran . Staunton captained the Irish team in
4100-419: The age of 17, just months after leaving school. He was loaned out to Portsmouth in early 1987, playing three times, before returning to Arsenal. His Gunners career started with a baptism of fire, as Thomas made his debut in the first leg of a League Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur at Highbury on 8 February 1987. Thomas soon became a regular in the Arsenal side, making his league debut in place of
Steve Staunton - Misplaced Pages Continue
4200-461: The age of 21, in the 1–1 friendly draw against Saudi Arabia in Riyadh , thus becoming the first player in Arsenal's history to play at five different levels for his country. Thomas made his second and final England senior appearance just over a year later, on 13 December 1989 in a 2–1 friendly win over Yugoslavia . After retiring from football, Thomas set up his own security service. He also plays for
4300-507: The already beleaguered Staunton, who even at this early stage of his leadership was already facing calls for his resignation, ahead of Ireland's next game which was at home to the Czech Republic on 11 October. The FAI, when pressed on the matter, refused to deny that a poor result would result in the manager's immediate dismissal. An improved performance against the Czechs resulted in a 1–1 draw,
4400-482: The back-line and start attacks again. As coach of Switzerland in the 1930s and 1940s, Rappan played a defensive sweeper called the verrouilleur , positioned just ahead of the goalkeeper. During his time with Soviet club Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev in the 1940s, Aleksandr Abramov also used a position similar to a sweeper in his defensive tactic known as the Volzhskaya Zashchepka , or the "Volga clip". Unlike
4500-432: The ball out from the back. Some sweepers move forward into midfield, and distribute the ball up-field, while others intercept passes and get the ball off the opposition without needing to hurl themselves into tackles. If the sweeper does move up the field to distribute the ball, they will need to make a speedy recovery and run back into their position. In modern football, its usage has been fairly restricted, with few clubs in
4600-618: The ball out from the back; examples of such pairings have included Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique for Barcelona and Spain , David Luiz , Gary Cahill , John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho with Chelsea , Sergio Ramos , Raphaël Varane or Pepe with Real Madrid , Diego Godín and José María Giménez with Atlético Madrid and Uruguay , Nemanja Vidić and Rio Ferdinand with Manchester United , or Giorgio Chiellini , Leonardo Bonucci , Andrea Barzagli and Medhi Benatia with Juventus . Under normal circumstances, centre-backs are unlikely to score goals. However, when their team takes
4700-507: The ball that caused the damage. Seeing as he was constantly in motion, it meant that he was always pivotal in matches. David Rocastle , who was back from his injuries, was switched into central midfield. However, after playing in only ten league games in 1991-92 , Thomas lost his place to the more defensive David Hillier . During the championship run-in Thomas appeared in Daily Mirror , under
4800-686: The ball. Other defenders who have been described as sweepers include Bobby Moore , Daniel Passarella , Franco Baresi , Ronald Koeman , Fernando Hierro , Matthias Sammer , and Aldair , due to their ball skills, vision, and long passing ability. Though it is rarely used in modern football, it remains a highly respected and demanding position. Recent and successful uses of the sweeper include by Otto Rehhagel , Greece 's manager, during UEFA Euro 2004 . Rehhagel utilised Traianos Dellas as Greece's sweeper to great success, as Greece became European champions. For Bayer Leverkusen , Bayern Munich and Inter Milan , Brazilian international Lúcio adopted
4900-457: The biggest leagues using the position. The modern example of this position is most commonly believed to have been pioneered by Franz Beckenbauer , and subsequently Gaetano Scirea , Morten Olsen and Elías Figueroa , although they were not the first players to play this position. Aside from the aforementioned Blason and Picchi, earlier proponents also included Alexandru Apolzan , Velibor Vasović , and Ján Popluhár . Giorgio Mastropasqua
5000-483: The centre of defence. Staunton was therefore given his chance and proved an impressive and consistent performer in a team of strong players, playing his part as Liverpool challenged for the title again. In the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster , which ultimately claimed the lives of 97 fans at the FA Cup semi-final on 15 April 1989, Staunton was among the players who comforted bereaved families and attended many of
5100-403: The centre-backs during corner kicks and free kicks, when the centre backs usually go forward to attempt to score from headers. That said, full-backs can sometimes score during counterattacks by running in from the wings, often involving one-two passing moves with midfield players. The wing-back is a variation on the full-back, but with a heavier emphasis on attack. Wing-backs are typically some of
SECTION 50
#17331158616375200-422: The centre-half role, as a player who would drop back into the defence to mark opposing forwards, but also start attacks after winning back possession, in a similar manner to the sweeper, which led to the development of this specialised position. Indeed, Herrera's catenaccio strategy with his Grande Inter side saw him withdraw a player from his team's midfield and instead deploy them further-back in defence as
5300-483: The club. He was given the post later that day. In his first month at Leeds, the club did not win a game, until a 1–0 victory on 1 March against Swindon Town . When McAllister was sacked by Leeds United in December 2008 after five consecutive defeats, Staunton also left the club. Staunton was appointed as a scout at Wolverhampton Wanderers under manager Mick McCarthy . In May 2009, it was reported that he had applied for
5400-547: The coverage of the Slovakia game with the comment, "Ireland are now in contention for qualification for Euro 2008. Who would have thought it?" The upswing in form continued on 22 August 2007 with a 4–0 win in a non-competitive match against Denmark in Aarhus . Staunton was delighted with the results and headed into the next set of fixtures with Ireland placed third in the qualifying group. The victories, however, proved to be something of
5500-461: The defensive line, and clearing balls away from the penalty area. Armando Picchi was subsequently also a leading exponent of the more traditional variant of this role in Helenio Herrera's Grande Inter side of the 1960s. The more modern libero possesses the defensive qualities of the typical libero while being able to expose the opposition during counterattacks by carrying or playing
5600-446: The defensive realm. For example, the catenaccio system of play, used in Italian football in the 1960s, often employed a predominantly defensive sweeper who mainly "roamed" around the back line; according to Schianchi, Ivano Blason is considered to be the first true libero in Italy, who – under manager Alfredo Foni with Inter and subsequently Nereo Rocco with Padova – would serve as the last man in his team, positioned deep behind
5700-429: The diamond 4–4–2 formation, demand the full-back to cover considerable ground up and down the flank. Some of the responsibilities of modern full-backs include: Due to the physical and technical demands of their playing position, successful full-backs need a wide range of attributes, which make them suited for adaptation to other roles on the pitch. Many of the game's utility players, who can play in multiple positions on
5800-564: The evolution of the modern game, wing-backs are the combination of wingers and full-backs. As such, this position is one of the most physically demanding in modern football. Successful use of wing-backs is one of the main prerequisites for the 3–5–2 and 5–3–2 formations to function effectively. Wing-backs are often more adventurous than full-backs and are expected to provide width, especially in teams without wingers. A wing-back needs to be of exceptional stamina, be able to provide crosses upfield and defend effectively against opponents' attacks down
5900-468: The fastest players on a team, when employed. Wing-backs are typically used in a formation with three centre-backs and are sometimes classified as midfielders instead of defenders. They can, however, be used in formations with only two centre-backs, such as in Jürgen Klopp 's 4–3–3 system that he used at Liverpool , in which the wing-backs play high up the field to compensate for a lack of width in attack. In
6000-404: The field. For example, a clearance is a long unaimed kick intended to move the ball as far as possible from the defender's goal. Due to the many skills centre-backs are required to possess in the modern game, many successful contemporary central-defensive partnerships have involved pairing a more physical defender with a defender who is quicker, more comfortable in possession and capable of playing
6100-641: The first Irishman to make 100 appearances for his country. Together with Gary Breen , he formed an impressive central defensive partnership in front of Shay Given . Staunton was the first footballer to have reached a century of caps for the Republic of Ireland national team, and as of the end of Ireland's qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup he was still the joint record holder with former teammates Shay Given and Kevin Kilbane , though both players (along with Robbie Keane ) have since emulated Staunton's appearance record. Ireland's competition ended once more in
SECTION 60
#17331158616376200-408: The flanks, and the position became increasingly specialised for dynamic players who could fulfil that role as opposed to the central defenders who remained fairly static and commonly relied on strength, height and positioning. In the modern game, full-backs have taken on a more attacking role than was the case traditionally, often overlapping with wingers down the flank. Wingerless formations, such as
6300-796: The flanks. A defensive midfielder may be fielded to cover the advances of wing-backs. It can also be occupied by wingers and side midfielders in a three centre-back formation, as seen by ex- Chelsea , ex- Inter Milan , and ex-Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte . Examples of players who could and did play as wing-backs were AC Milan teammates Cafu and Serginho , Barcelona player Dani Alves , Roberto Carlos of Real Madrid's Galácticos era, former River Plate's defender Juan Pablo Sorín , World Cup winning German Andreas Brehme , Parma 's legend Antonio Benarrivo , Angelo Di Livio of Juventus and Italy and former Corinthians , Arsenal and Barcelona star Sylvinho . Michael Thomas (footballer, born 1967) Michael Lauriston Thomas (born 24 August 1967)
6400-460: The funerals. He also put in an outstanding performance when the fateful FA Cup semi-final was rescheduled a month later, with Liverpool beating Nottingham Forest 3–1. Staunton played in the FA Cup Final at Wembley – he was substituted at the start of the extra-time period – as Liverpool defeated Merseyside rivals Everton 3–2. However, the season ended with disappointment when Liverpool lost
6500-556: The headline "My Highbury Hell", criticising Arsenal manager George Graham . The F.A. took stern action and fined Thomas £3,000, and his relationship with Graham was beyond repair, reflected in a 1-0 loss in his final Arsenal match against West Ham 2 November 1991 at Highbury. As a result, he was sold to Liverpool, with their manager Graeme Souness paying the Gunners £1.5 million for Thomas's services on 13 December 1991. In all, Thomas played 206 matches, scoring 30 goals for Arsenal, and
6600-568: The knock-out stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and earned his place in the FIFA Century Club . After retiring, he served as Republic of Ireland national team coach prior to Giovanni Trapattoni . He also spent five months as manager of Darlington in Football League Two and has worked on the coaching staff at Leeds United and Sunderland . Born in Dundalk , County Louth , Staunton
6700-400: The last line of defence and usually covered opposing forwards in the middle of the field. The later 3–2–5 style involved a third dedicated defender, causing the left and right full-backs to occupy wider positions. Later, the adoption of 4–2–4 with another central defender led the wide defenders to play even further over to counteract the opposing wingers and provide support to their own down
6800-658: The league and facing relegation to the Football Conference , Staunton was sacked as the Darlington manager. He had won just four games from his 23 league matches in charge, although his sacking was also put down to a record low crowd for a league game at the Darlington Arena of 1,463 against Barnet in Staunton's final match in charge. Staunton was then handed a job as a scout at Sunderland on 22 August 2011. However, he
6900-461: The manager's style of play and tactics. The centre-back (also known as a central defender or centre-half, as the modern role of the centre-back arose from the centre-half position) defends in the area directly in front of the goal and tries to prevent opposing players, particularly centre-forwards , from scoring. Centre-backs accomplish this by blocking shots , tackling , intercepting passes , contesting headers and marking forwards to discourage
7000-413: The number nine shirt, to track back and mark the opposing forwards, thus freeing up the full-backs from their marking duties. Andrea Schianchi of La Gazzetta dello Sport notes that this modification was designed to help smaller teams in Italy, as the man–to–man system often put players directly against one another, favouring the larger and wealthier teams with stronger individual players. In Italy,
7100-447: The opposing team from passing to them. Centre-backs are often tall and positioned for their ability to win duels in the air. In the modern game, most teams employ two or three centre-backs in front of the goalkeeper . The 4–2–3–1 , 4–3–3 , and 4–4–2 formations all use two centre-backs. In possession of the ball, centre-backs are generally expected to make long and pinpoint passes to their teammates, or to kick unaimed long balls down
7200-581: The pitch, are natural full-backs. Two rather prominent examples are former A.C. Milan left-back Paolo Maldini and the former PSG full-back Sergio Ramos , who have played on the flanks as full-backs and in central defence throughout their career. In the modern game, full-backs often chip in a fair share of assists with their runs down the flank when the team is on a counter-attack like Leighton Baines and Trent Alexander-Arnold . The more common attributes of full-backs, however, include: Full-backs rarely score goals, as they often have to stay back to cover for
7300-616: The remainder of his four-year contract. On the evening of 23 October 2007, after initially indicating to reporters that the FAI meeting would take place in Dublin's Crown Plaza Hotel, where two executive rooms had been hired for use by the FAI, it emerged that Staunton had met the FAI in secret in the Radisson Hotel at Dublin airport where he made his case to be retained in the job. The FAI subsequently met in private discussion for six hours after which it
7400-430: The right-back) locate the holding wide positions and traditionally stay in defence at all times, until a set-piece. There is one full-back on each side of the field except in defences with fewer than four players, where there may be no full-backs and instead only centre-backs. In the early decades of football under the 2–3–5 formation , the two full-backs were essentially the same as modern centre-backs in that they were
7500-485: The second leg in Tehran . Coach Mick McCarthy , who had been Staunton's captain at the country's first World Cup 12 years earlier, selected him for the squad and named him captain following the departure of Roy Keane from the squad. Again, Staunton played in every Republic of Ireland game of the tournament, with the 1–1 group match draw against Germany on 5 June proving to be a very special and historic occasion as he became
7600-432: The second round when they lost agonizingly to Spain in a penalty shoot-out after the game had finished 1–1. Staunton announced his retirement from international football immediately afterwards after setting a national record of 102 appearances. He is the only player to have played in every single one of Ireland's 13 World Cup finals games. On two occasions he scored directly from corner-kicks. The first of which came in
7700-609: The side for the rest of the season, despite him being vastly inexperienced compared to the players around him who were defending a League championship title won the year before. Following on from his impressive debut he scored his first goal three days later on 20 September; however, his 80th-minute strike wasn't enough to prevent Arsenal winning the Centenary Trophy semi-final 2–1. An injury to captain Alan Hansen meant that regular left back Gary Ablett had to be shifted across to
7800-463: The suspended Viv Anderson on 14 February 1987 in a 1–1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough . But, for his next appearance, he was drafted into midfield role at Oxford United . The switch was a quick success, and Thomas extra versatility boosted his chances of a first team place. Just to prove his adaptability he stood in for injured Kenny Sansom and by the end of that campaign he had played 12 league games as Arsenal finished fourth and had
7900-402: The sweeper role too, but was also not afraid to travel long distances with the ball, often ending up in the opposition's final third. Although this position has become largely obsolete in modern football formations, due to the use of zonal marking and the offside trap , certain players such as Daniele De Rossi , Leonardo Bonucci , Javi Martínez and David Luiz have played a similar role as
8000-446: The team I have will bring a huge range of experience and talent to the challenges that lie ahead ... I'm the boss. I'm the gaffer. At the end of the day what I say goes, the buck stops with me ..." His international management career enjoyed a dream start, something Staunton called "a bit of a fairytale", when he led Ireland to an impressive 3–0 victory over Sweden on 1 March 2006 with Damien Duff , Robbie Keane (captaining
8100-457: The team hotel on Monday 14 August with a gun that turned out to be an imitation Uzi machine gun . The 31-year-old assailant was arrested at a nearby beach and released by police the following day. No physical harm was caused but the event was a public relations disaster for both Staunton and the FAI (this was not the first time an assailant had attacked members of the squad at that particular hotel). Shortly after this incident further embarrassment
8200-472: The then vacant manager's seat at Port Vale . On 5 October 2009, he was announced as Darlington manager, to take over officially two days later following a Football League Trophy game against his previous club Leeds United. His contract was initially to take him to the end of the season, with Kevin Richardson appointed as his assistant manager. Staunton lost his first game in charge, 2–0 to Dagenham & Redbridge . On 21 March 2010, with Darlington bottom of
8300-521: The title (with points and goal difference equal, the team who had scored the most goals would be awarded the title). Liverpool had not lost by two goals at Anfield for nearly four years. After a goalless first half, Alan Smith scored soon after the restart, heading in a free kick from Nigel Winterburn . But as full-time approached it looked as if Arsenal were not going to score the second goal they needed. However, in injury time , in Arsenal's last attack, Thomas surged forward from midfield, running onto
8400-458: The youngest member of the squad, played in every match at left back (though by now at club level he had also proved his usefulness as a central defender or midfield player) as the Republic of Ireland progressed to the quarter-finals, when they were beaten by the host nation. He also represented the Republic of Ireland at FIFA World Cup 1994 in the United States. Again, he played in each game as
8500-455: The zonal defence, where each centre-back covers a specific area of the pitch; and man-to-man marking, where each centre-back has the job of tracking a particular opposition player. In the now obsolete man–to–man marking systems such as catenaccio , as well as the zona mista strategy that later arose from it, there were often at least two types of centre-backs who played alongside one another: at least one man–to–man marking centre-back, known as
8600-539: Was a frequent presence again as Liverpool reclaimed the League title. His first goals for Liverpool came in remarkable fashion on 4 October 1989 when he came on as a substitute in a League Cup tie against Wigan Athletic and scored a hat-trick. The following season he scored twice more; against Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup and Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup . However 1990–91 was his final season with Liverpool before being astutely signed up by Aston Villa on 7 August 1991 for £1.1 million. New manager Graeme Souness
8700-485: Was accused of misjudging the player's abilities, though the ruling for European ties possibly had a bearing, with Staunton being classed as a foreigner , of which no team was allowed to field more than four; the Bosman ruling (which included the abolishment of quotas for EU citizens on teams in member countries) was not passed until 1995. Staunton made a good impression on the Villa fans by marking his debut on 17 August with
8800-628: Was an accomplished all-round sportsman. He lived in Dundalk, County Louth, and attended the De La Salle College in the town . As well as playing soccer for his home club of Dundalk , he played Gaelic football , appearing for Louth 's U-16 team and winning a Louth Senior Championship medal with Clan na Gael. He also played for his local team St Dominic's at underage level. Staunton was spotted by Liverpool playing in Ireland for his home club of Dundalk as
8900-523: Was an important part of the League Championship winning side. Thomas dynamism in the centre of the park was the perfect combination to Paul Davis , strengthening Arsenal in the process. Thomas and Davis was one of the best central midfield partnerships Arsenal have ever had and each game they had played together, the bond became stronger. Such was their all-encompassing grasp on midfield. It was Thomas movement, stamina and ability to make runs on and off
9000-456: Was captain of the Walsall side that defeated Blackpool 2–0 on New Year's Eve 2005, in what was his final game as a professional footballer at the end of a 20-year career. Staunton made his debut for the Republic of Ireland in the 4–0 friendly win over Tunisia . He went to Italy with Jack Charlton 's squad as the Republic of Ireland competed in their first ever FIFA World Cup finals . Staunton,
9100-461: Was caused by the revelation that the FAI had sent news of Ireland midfielder Andy Reid 's recall to the national side to the player's former club Tottenham despite the fact that he was by then a Charlton player. It was against this backdrop that Staunton oversaw his first competitive match in charge as Republic of Ireland manager; a 1–0 defeat against Germany in Stuttgart , Ireland losing despite
9200-422: Was confirmed that Staunton's turbulent 21-month reign as international manager had come to an end. He was replaced by Don Givens who temporarily took charge of the national team until Giovanni Trapattoni 's appointment as manager. On 4 February 2008, Staunton joined up with recently appointed Leeds United manager Gary McAllister for a training session, with a view to becoming McAllister's assistant manager at
9300-466: Was formed with the remit of appointing a capable successor to Kerr. Delaney assured the Irish public that a "world class" management team would be appointed to oversee Ireland's qualification campaign for the 2008 European Championship. After an initial flurry of rumours linking names of the calibre of Alex Ferguson, Terry Venables and Bobby Robson with the post, Staunton was released from his player/assistant manager role for Walsall on 12 January 2006 and
9400-472: Was fully fit for the 1997–98 season , Thomas found himself on the sidelines again. An £800,000 bid from Coventry City was accepted in early December 1997, but the transfer never happened. On 2 February 1998, Thomas was allowed to go out on loan to Middlesbrough , and made his debut two days later on 4 February in a 3–0 league win over Tranmere Rovers at the Riverside Stadium . He played 10 times for
9500-454: Was known for revolutionising the role of the libero in Italy during the 1970s; under his Ternana manager Corrado Viciani, he served as one of the first modern exponents of the position in the country, due to his unique technical characteristics, namely a player who was not only tasked with defending and protecting the back-line, but also advancing out of the defence into midfield and starting attacking plays with their passing after winning back
9600-492: Was named the 37th greatest player in the history of Arsenal in an online poll on the Arsenal website in June 2008. Thomas made his Liverpool debut five days after signing, on 18 December 1991. In a repeat of his Arsenal debut, his first match for Liverpool was against Tottenham Hotspur (though this time at White Hart Lane ), coming on as a substitute for Jan Mølby in the 56th minute of a 2–1 victory. Thomas scored his first goal for
9700-457: Was now effectively on borrowed time and the FAI announced that an emergency meeting was to be called to discuss Staunton's position on 23 October. Prior to this, John Delaney gave an interview to RTÉ where he refused to publicly back the beleaguered manager and attempted to extricate himself from any responsibility for his role in Staunton's initial appointment. Staunton, for his part, refused to resign and publicly stated that he intended to see out
9800-455: Was officially named as Kerr's replacement the following day, with former England manager Sir Bobby Robson supporting him in the role of International Consultant and with former Aston Villa teammate Kevin MacDonald as coach. Staunton was something of a shock appointment given the names that had been circulated and his own limited coaching and managerial experience. "I know that the calibre of
9900-573: Was relieved of his role in 2013. Liverpool Aston Villa Individual Defender (association football) In the sport of association football , a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers, and wing-backs. The centre-back and full-back positions are most common in modern formations. The sweeper and wing-back roles are more specialised, often limited to certain formations dependent on
10000-561: Was the perfect opportunity for Thomas to be shifted into central midfield in order to add more energy and dynamism to this area. Arsenal reached the League Cup final again in April 1988, only to lose 3–2 to Luton Town , Thomas also won Arsenal Player of the Season . The highlight of Thomas's Arsenal career came in the 1988–89 title decider , on 26 May 1989. The First Division match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield had been postponed due to
#636363