Richie Wellens
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Paul Wellens | ||
| Date of birth | 26 March 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Moston, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Leicester City | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1999 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2000 | Manchester United | 0 | (0) |
| 2000–2005 | Blackpool | 191 | (16) |
| 2005–2007 | Oldham Athletic | 87 | (8) |
| 2007–2009 | Doncaster Rovers | 86 | (9) |
| 2009– | Leicester City | 118 | (4) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11:32, 7 March 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Richard Paul "Richie" Wellens (born 26 March 1980) is an English footballer currently playing as a midfielder for Leicester City.
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] Manchester United
Born in Moston, Greater Manchester, Wellens started his career at Manchester United, playing alongside the likes of Wes Brown and John O'Shea. His only first team appearance for the club was as a substitute in a 3-0 League Cup defeat to Aston Villa on 13 October 1999.[1]
[edit] Blackpool
Frustrated at the lack of opportunities at Manchester United, he moved to Blackpool in 2000. Wellens became an instant first team regular at the club and before long he was a fan's favourite. While at the club he helped them win promotion via winning the 2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final which he played in at the Millennium Stadium. He would return to win at the Cardiff stadium two more times with Blackpool, both with the LDV Vans Trophy in 2002 where he scored a crucial opening goal against Huddersfield Town in the first leg of the North Area Final and 2004, the same season he was placed in the 2003–04 Football League Second Division PFA Team of the Year. He made 191 league appearances with Blackpool before his move in 2005 to Oldham Athletic.
[edit] Oldham
In 2005 he left Blackpool for his local side Oldham Athletic, with Scott Vernon going the other way. This was done to bypass the 50% sell-on clause that Manchester United had added during Wellens' transfer to the Seasiders.[2] In summer 2007, after turning down an improved contract offered by Oldham, he signed a two-year contract with fellow League One side Doncaster Rovers.[3] Wellens made the 2004–05, 2006–07 and 2007–08 League One PFA Team of the Year.
[edit] Doncaster Rovers
Wellens was a member of the Doncaster side that gained promotion to the Championship in 2007–08. His midfield performances brought him several individual awards, several key goals and helped the team gain promotion. His first competitive goal for Doncaster was in August 2007 in the Football League Cup with the second strike in a 4–1 victory over Lincoln City; however, this wasn't the first time he had hit the back of the net for Doncaster: in his very first appearance in a Donny shirt, Wellens chipped the ball over the opposition goalkeeper and into the net from 40 yards in a pre-season friendly against non-league Retford United.
[edit] Leicester City
On 7 July 2009, Wellens joined Leicester City for a potential fee of £1.2 million,[4] signing a three-year contract.[5] Their biggest signing of the summer, Wellens was named by the BBC Sport as the club's key player for the 2009–10 season.[6] He made his debut in a 2–1 win over Swansea City on 8 August 2009,[7] scoring his first goal in a 2–0 win over Middlesbrough on 2 May 2010.[8] Wellens featured in all but three matches for Leicester in The Championship that season. He played a crucial role in Nigel Pearson's team that successfully reached the play-offs - only to lose to Cardiff City away in Wales.[9]
In his second season at the club, Wellens continued to play his crucial role in midfield under the reign of both Paulo Sousa and Sven-Göran Eriksson. He was named Championship Player of the Month for January,[10] and won the club's player of the year award on 3 May 2011.[11]
[edit] Honours
- Blackpool
- Third Division play-offs: 2000–01
- League Trophy: 2001–02, 2003–04
- Doncaster Rovers
[edit] Individual
- Leicester City
[edit] References
- ^ Richie Wellens, LCFC.co.uk, http://www.lcfc.com/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10274~10056,00.html, retrieved 24 Jan 2011
- ^ Gillatt, Peter (30 November 2009). Blackpool FC on This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-905411-50-2.
- ^ Doncaster sign midfielder Wellens, BBC Sport, 4 July 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/doncaster/6271052.stm
- ^ "Richie Wellens signs for Leicester City". www.DoncasterRoversFC.co.uk (Doncaster Rovers F.C.). 2009-07-07. http://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10329~1716129,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
- ^ "Foxes sign Wellens from Doncaster". BBC Sport. 8 Jul 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/leicester_city/8138636.stm. Retrieved 24 Jan 2011.
- ^ "Championship club-by-club guide". BBC Sport. 2009-08-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/8154723.stm#Leicester%20City. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
- ^ "Leicester 2 – 1 Swansea". BBC Sport. 2009-08-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/8187734.stm. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
- ^ "Leicester 2 – 0 Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. 2010-05-02. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/8646480.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
- ^ Wellens profile LCFC.com, 09/4/2011
- ^ Wellens Wins Monthly Award, LCFC.com, 11 Mar 2011, http://www.lcfc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10274~2290035,00.html
- ^ "Richie Wellens wins Leicester City player of year award". BBC Sport. 4 May 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13277857.stm. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Richie Wellens |
- Richie Wellens player profile at doncasterroversfc.co.uk
- Richie Wellens player profile at oldhamathletic.co.uk
- Richie Wellens player profile at blackpoolfc.co.uk
- Richie Wellens career stats at Soccerbase
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Matt Mills |
Leicester City Captain 2012-Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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