Steven Reid

Steven Reid

Personal information
Full name	Steven John Reid
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Right back
Team information
Current team	West Bromwich Albion
Number	12
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997–2003	Millwall	139	(17)
2003–2010	Blackburn Rovers	113	(6)
2009	→ Queens Park Rangers (loan)	2	(0)
2010	→ West Bromwich Albion (loan)	10	(1)
2010–	West Bromwich Albion	38	(2)
International career‡
2001–2010	Republic of Ireland	23	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:37, 10 December 2011 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:00, 7 February 2011 (UTC)

Steven John Reid (born 10 March 1981) is an English-born Irish footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion as a defender, but played most of his career in midfield. Born in England, he was capped 23 times at international level for the Republic of Ireland and scored two goals for them from 2001 to 2010 before retiring from International Football on 13 July 2010.

Club career

Millwall

Born in Kingston upon Thames, London, Reid attended Richard Challoner School in the same outer London area. He started his career at Millwall, and made his professional debut in the 1997–98 season at the age of 17. He was part of the successful 2000–01 team that gained promotion to the English First Division. Reid gained a reputation for his strong, driving runs and phenomenal long range shooting ability, memorably scoring from 35 yards against Norwich City on the opening day of the 2001–02 season to set Millwall on their way to a 4–0 victory. Reid earned his first cap for Ireland while at the Den. He continued to impress for both club and country, triggering a £1.85 million move to Blackburn Rovers in July 2003.

Blackburn Rovers

Reid debuted for Blackburn Rovers on 23 August 2003 as a 76th minute substitute for team-mate Vratislav Greško, but had the misfortune of being dismissed in the 88th minute. He went on to make 19 appearances through the 2003–04 season, though a hamstring injury would rule him out of action for three months during this time. A change of management in September 2004 saw Mark Hughes replace Graeme Souness as Blackburn boss, a move which would also signify a change for Reid. Despite playing the majority of his career as a wide midfielder, Hughes moved Reid to centre midfield for the match against Everton on 6 March 2005. Reid went on to star in a 1–0 victory for Blackburn, creating the winning goal, and has since claimed the central midfield position.

Reid scored one of the goals of the seasons in the FA Premier League 2005–06 campaign against Wigan at the JJB Stadium. The ball fell to Reid from 30 yards and he scored a volley into the top corner of the net. The goal won BBC Match of the Day's Goal of the Month for December. On 2 May 2006, Reid scored the goal that secured Blackburn's place in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup, a header that gave them a 1–0 win over Chelsea.

Reid missed the majority of the 2006–07 season through injury. A back injury limited him to three appearances before he sustained cruciate ligament injury in January, which kept him out for the rest of the season.

It appeared that Reid's injury problems were behind him after a full pre-season and solid start to Blackburn's 2008–09 season, however his injury woes would return, with another knee injury ruling him out of the entire 2008–09 season.

Queens Park Rangers (loan)

On 19 November 2009, Reid signed on loan for Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in an attempt to recapture his career from injury. The loan lasted until midway through December 2009. During which time Reid wore the number 36 shirt. He, along with other players, appeared in a Libertines video (fronted by QPR fan Pete Doherty) celebrating the bands re-union.

West Bromwich Albion

On 5 March 2010 West Bromwich Albion signed Reid on a one month loan. He made his debut against his previous loan club, Queens Park Rangers, on 6 March 2010, playing at right back in the 3–1 defeat at Loftus Road. He scored his first goal for the club against Coventry City on 24 March 2010. On 26 May 2010, Reid joined West Brom following their promotion to the Premier League on a permanent basis after signing a two-year contract. He officially joined on 1 July 2010 after a medical and had the option of a further 12-month extension on his contract. He scored his first goal for the club after making his move permanent against Leicester City in the League Cup on 26 October 2010.

As the season progressed, Reid asserted himself as the number one right back and continued into the 2011-12 season, scoring his first goal of the season from a free-kick against Wigan in December 2011.

International career

Despite representing England at junior levels, Reid decided to play full international football for the Republic of Ireland, whom he qualifies to play for through his mother who was born in Co. Galway. He was part of the Irish squad at the 2002 FIFA World Cup after being called up as a late replacement.

Reid was made the captain of the Republic of Ireland football team for their 16 August 2006 friendly match against the Netherlands.

Reid retired from international football on 13 July 2010 in order to concentrate on his club career. He has since raised the possibility of a comeback if Ireland were stuck in the midfield department.

Blackburn career statistics

(correct as of 20 January 2010)

Club	Season	League			Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Blackburn Rovers	2003–04	16	0	0	1	0	2	0	19	0
	2004–05	28	2	4	6	0	0	0	34	2
	2005–06	34	4	1	5	1	0	0	39	5
	2006–07	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	2007–08	24	0	1	1	0	0	0	25	0
	2008–09	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Career totals		109	6	6	13	1	2	0	124	7

External links

• Steven Reid at Soccerbase
• BBC Sport player profile of Steven Reid