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Paul Dickov

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Template:Football player infobox2 Paul Dickov (born November 1, 1972 in Livingston, Scotland) is a Scottish footballer, currently on loan at Crystal Palace from Manchester City.

Dickov started his career with Arsenal, but was never a first team regular and in 1996 he moved to Manchester City, who were then in Division One. Over six seasons at the club, Dickov experienced two promotions and two relegations, playing in three different divisions. A 2005 poll named Dickov's equalising goal in the 1999 Division Two playoff final the greatest ever Manchester City goal. Dickov left in 2002 to join Leicester City, where he stayed for two seasons and, in 2004, he signed for Blackburn Rovers, and was part of the team which qualified for the UEFA Cup in 2005–06. Upon the expiry of his Blackburn contract in 2006, he rejoined Manchester City.

In 2000, he made his debut for the Scotland national team against San Marino. As of April 2007 he has represented his country ten times, scoring one goal.

Club career

Arsenal

Paul Dickov represented Scotland in the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship, in which Scotland reached the final. His performances in the tournament led to an offer to join Arsenal, and in July 1989 he joined the London club as a trainee.[1] He made his senior debut as a substitute in a FA Premier League match against Southampton on March 20 1993, before heading off to both Brighton & Hove Albion and Luton Town on loan during the 1993–94 season. Unable to secure a regular place ahead of Ian Wright, Paul Merson and Kevin Campbell, he made 25 appearances in three years for Arsenal, most of them as substitute, and scored six goals.

Manchester City

Dickov joined Manchester City on 22 August 1996 in a transfer valued between £750,000[2] and £1 million,[3] the final signing of Alan Ball's Manchester City management. He made his debut as a substitute against Stoke City on 24 August,[4] a 2–1 defeat which was Ball's final match. Dickov made his first Manchester City start in the next match, a 2–1 win over Charlton Athletic.[5] Dickov joined the club in a period of turmoil; in his first season at Manchester City he played under five different managers (three full-time appointments and two caretakers). A regular starter under Asa Hartford, Steve Coppell and Phil Neal, he played less frequently under Frank Clark, and finished the season with five goals from 25 League starts. At the start of the 1997–98 season, Dickov did not feature in the first team, but was restored to the starting lineup following injuries to Uwe Rösler and Lee Bradbury. Dickov finished the season as the City's top scorer with nine goals, but the club were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history after finishing in 22nd place.

Dickov played a supporting role in a striking partnership with Shaun Goater in the 1998–99 season, scoring sixteen goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick against Lincoln City. The sixteenth goal was particularly crucial, an injury time equaliser in the final of the promotion playoffs against Gillingham. Dickov's 95th minute goal took the game to extra time, and the Manchester team ultimately won to earn promotion to the First Division. This goal was voted City’s Greatest Ever Goal in a 2005 poll conducted by Manchester City.[6]

Dickov retained his place in the first team at the start of the 1999–00 season. He started each of the first fifteen League games, despite suffering a facial injury on 26 September 1999 in which he lost a tooth.[7] The run of starting appearances came to an end on 27 October, when he damaged knee ligaments in a match against Ipswich Town.[7] During the subsequent absence, Manchester City signed Robert Taylor, and most of Dickov's appearances in the second half of the season were as a substitute. One of these substitute appearances was the final match of the season, a 4–1 win at Blackburn. Dickov scored the third Manchester City goal as City clinched promotion to the Premiership.

When Manchester City returned to the Premiership for the 2000–01 season, it appeared that Dickov's chances of playing would be limited as City signed former FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah and Costa Rican international Paulo Wanchope. However, Dickov earned a place in the team, his performances attracting the attention of the then Scotland national football team manager Craig Brown, who called him up to the Scotland squad for the first time.

Manchester City were relegated back into Division One for the 2001–02 season and Kevin Keegan replaced Joe Royle as manager. Dickov found his first team opportunities at the club limited especially as the team had other strikers such as Paulo Wanchope, Shaun Goater and Darren Huckerby. Having fallen out of favour, on 22 February 2002 he moved to Leicester City for £150,000.[2]

Leicester City

Dickov's Leicester debut came in a 3–0 defeat against Derby County.[8] His first goals for Leicester came in his sixth appearance, when he scored both Leicester goals in a 2–1 victory against Blackburn Rovers, the club's first win for four months.[9] However, Dickov only scored two more goals that season. Leicester finished bottom and were relegated.

He scored a career-high of 20 goals in the 2002–03 season as Leicester made an immediate return to the top flight, finishing runners-up in Division One behind Portsmouth.[8]

Dickov was arrested in March 2004, along with team-mates Keith Gillespie and Frank Sinclair, on allegations of rape while at a training camp in La Manga, Spain.[10] All three were later cleared when forensic tests showed the allegations were false,[11] and he still managed to score 13 goals in the 2003–04 season. Leicester were subsequently relegated to the First Division and Dickov moved to Blackburn Rovers, declining an offer of an improved contract from Leicester[12] and exercising a contractual clause which allowed him to join a Premier League club for a nominal fee.[13]

Blackburn Rovers

Dickov debuted for Blackburn Rovers as a half-time substitute against West Bromwich Albion on 14 August 2004.[14] He scored his first goal for the club in the following match, a 3–2 defeat to Southampton. Dickov was involved in the majority of matches in the 2004–05 season, until a knee injury caused him to miss the last few weeks of the season. He finished the season with ten league goals. In 2005–06, Dickov found it hard to retain a regular place in the side, with manager Mark Hughes having signed forwards Craig Bellamy and Shefki Kuqi during the summer. A red card against West Ham[15] caused him to miss most of the first month of the season. He had a run of first team games in the autumn but starting appearances became fewer as the season progressed. He left the club in the summer of 2006 following the expiry of his contract.[16]

Manchester City

Dickov rejoined Manchester City on May 26 2006, signing a two-year deal.[17] He came on as a substitute in Manchester City's first game of the 2006–07 season against Chelsea, a 3–0 defeat. He then started the next three matches, including a 1–0 win over his former club Arsenal.

Dickov suffered several injuries over the course of the season, including a back problem,[18] a knee injury and a toe injury,[19] the latter sidelining him for four months. Dickov made nine starts and seven substitute appearances in 2006–07, but failed to score a single goal. In May 2007 he announced his interest in pursuing a coaching role when he retires.[20] He was transfer listed by Manchester City in August 2007.[21]

  • Crystal Palace

Dickov joined Crystal Palace on a 3-month, short term loan on 31 August 2007. He played his first game for the Eagles in a friendly against Crystal Palace Baltimore—Crystal Palace's American counterparts—on Friday 7 September 2007. Dickov played the full 90 minutes.

International career

Dickov made his international debut on 7 October 2000, coming on as a substitute in a World Cup qualifier against San Marino.[22] He made two further substitute appearances that year, against Croatia and Australia. Limited first-team opportunities at club level then meant Dickov was not selected for international duty for another two years. Good form at Leicester earned him a recall in September 2002. He made his first international start against the Faroe Islands. However, playing out of position on the wing, [23] he was substituted at half-time[24] as the faltering Scotland team drew 2–2 against a nation 62 places lower in the world rankings. In the return fixture a year later, Dickov scored his first international goal in a 3–1 win.[25] His most recent cap came in a 1–0 defeat against Norway in October 2004. In total he has earned ten Scotland caps and has scored one goal.

Style of play

Although he is a striker, Dickov is better known for his tenacity than his goal-scoring exploits. In a 2003 interview with the Independent on Sunday he provided a summary of his playing style: "The ability to battle is one of the main parts of my game. I know my limits. I am not the sort who gets the ball and is then going to beat five or six players and stick it in the top corner from God knows where. But, whether I'm playing well or not, the one thing you will get from me is 110 per cent, upsetting defenders and basically giving them pain."[26] His combative approach resulted in Manchester City manager Joe Royle naming him "The Wasp",[27] and during his time at Leicester he was known as "The Pest".[28]

References

  1. ^ "Scrapbook: Paul Dickov". Manchester City FC Match programme. 2006-09-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b James, Gary (2006). Manchester City - The Complete Record. Derby: Breedon. ISBN 1-85983-512-0.p218.
  3. ^ "Paul Dickov". Manchester City official website. Retrieved April 5. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Baskcomb, Julian (ed.) (1997). Manchester City F.C. Official Handbook 1997-98. Leicester: Polar. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help) p23.
  5. ^ James, p461
  6. ^ "Hall of Fame". Manchester City official website. Retrieved December 24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b "Paul's painful encounters". Manchester City FC Match programme. 1999-11-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ a b "Paul Dickov". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved April 24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Dickov dumps Blackburn". BBC. 2002-03-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Scottish footballers held on rape allegations". The Scotsman. 2004-03-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Leicester trio cleared of assault". CNN. 2004-05-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Dickov heading for Blackburn". Sporting Life. 2004-06-02. Retrieved 2007-05-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Escape clause makes Dickov a prime target". Daily Telegraph. 2004-05-10. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Blackburn 1-1 West Brom". ESPN Soccernet. 2004-08-14. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "West Ham 3-1 Blackburn". BBC. 2005-08-13. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Blackburn release striker Dickov". BBC Sport. 2006-05-20. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Man City snap up striker Dickov". BBC Sport. 2006-05-26. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Dickov gets the needle". Manchester Evening News. 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Sinclair, Dickov back for Blues". Manchester Evening News. 2007-04-24. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Dickov looks to coaching future". Manchester Evening News. 2007-05-05. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "City to sell Mills, Dabo & Dickov". BBC Sport. 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-08-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "San Marino 0 Scotland 2". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved May 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Things can only get better". BBC. 2002-09-07. Retrieved 2007-05-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Berti Bunglers Hit a New Low". Sunday Mirror. 2002-09-08. Retrieved 2007-05-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Points taken". Sunday Herald. 2003-09-07. Retrieved 2007-05-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Football: Leicester and Dickov: `The Pest' a side need". Independent on Sunday. 2003-11-02. Retrieved 2007-05-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "City ride their luck to rejoin elite". Daily Telegraph. 2000-05-08. Retrieved 2007-05-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "PEST CONTROL; Opposing defenders loathe Paul Dickov's tenacious". Sunday Herald. 2004-02-22. Retrieved 2007-05-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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