James Collins (footballer)
Encyclopedia
James Michael Collins (born 23 August 1983) is a Welsh footballer who plays for Aston Villa
and the Wales national football team
.
as a trainee in August 2000, after playing local football in his native city of Newport
. He made his debut for Cardiff in an FA Cup match against Bristol Rovers
in November 2000, which Cardiff won 5–1, and went on to make 86 appearances in all competitions for Cardiff, scoring six goals. He won the Welsh Young Player of the Year award in 2005.
in July 2005, along with his centre-back partner at Cardiff, Danny Gabbidon, in a £3.5 million deal for the pair as Cardiff attempted cut their wage bill and raise money.
Due to fitness problems as well as competition from more experienced players, Collins did not make his West Ham debut until the Carling Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday
in September 2005, which West Ham won 4–2. He also made his first appearance on the bench for the Hammers but did not play in West Ham's 0–0 draw with Arsenal
in the same month. He made his Premiership debut in October 2005 against Bolton Wanderers
. He scored his first goal for West Ham in a 1–1 draw with Portsmouth on Boxing Day 2005. Collins ended his first Hammers season with two league goals, after scoring again in a 4–1 defeat against rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April 2006.
Due to injuries to new signing Matthew Upson
and 2005/6 Hammer of the Year Daniel Gabbidon
, Collins, affectionally known as 'Ginge', was given the chance to form a formidable centre back partnership with Anton Ferdinand towards the end of the 2006/7 season. Along with the excellent performance of Robert Green and the guidance of Lucas Neill
, 'Ginge' was considered by Hammers supporters to be a major player in the improvement of the West Ham defence and their extraordinary success in beating the drop.
On 28 January 2008, it was announced that Collins would be out for a year after suffering severe ligament damage in a West Ham
reserve game against Portsmouth
. His injury, however, only kept him out for 9 months and on 26 October 2008, Collins returned to first team action, starting in West Ham's 2–0 loss to Arsenal
at Upton Park
.
.
On his league debut for Villa, on 13 September, he helped them keep a clean sheet in the Second City Derby against Birmingham City
. His first goal for the club was the winner against Chelsea
in a 2–1 victory, in which he was named "Man of the Match". In March 2011, manager Gérard Houllier
fined Collins and fellow centre-back Richard Dunne
two weeks' wages after what was reported as "a boozy row with club staff during a team-bonding exercise".
.
Collins made his debut for the senior Wales side against Norway in 2004 and scored his first goal for Wales in a 3–1 defeat to Cyprus
on 13 October 2007. Ever present during 2010 World Cup qualifying
, he captained Wales in the last qualifier against Liechtenstein and helped keep a clean sheet in a 2–0 win. Collins was given the captains armband for the senior squad for the first time for a friendly against Sweden
on March 3, 2010. Collins scored his first international goal in the 21st minute of a Euro 2008 qualifying match against Cyprus.
West Ham United
Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and the Wales national football team
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
.
Cardiff City
Collins joined Cardiff CityCardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
as a trainee in August 2000, after playing local football in his native city of Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
. He made his debut for Cardiff in an FA Cup match against Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
in November 2000, which Cardiff won 5–1, and went on to make 86 appearances in all competitions for Cardiff, scoring six goals. He won the Welsh Young Player of the Year award in 2005.
West Ham United
Collins joined West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
in July 2005, along with his centre-back partner at Cardiff, Danny Gabbidon, in a £3.5 million deal for the pair as Cardiff attempted cut their wage bill and raise money.
Due to fitness problems as well as competition from more experienced players, Collins did not make his West Ham debut until the Carling Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
in September 2005, which West Ham won 4–2. He also made his first appearance on the bench for the Hammers but did not play in West Ham's 0–0 draw with Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in the same month. He made his Premiership debut in October 2005 against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
. He scored his first goal for West Ham in a 1–1 draw with Portsmouth on Boxing Day 2005. Collins ended his first Hammers season with two league goals, after scoring again in a 4–1 defeat against rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April 2006.
Due to injuries to new signing Matthew Upson
Matthew Upson
Matthew James Upson is an English footballer who plays for Stoke City in the Premier League. He is a central defender and he has played for England at full international level including at the 2010 World Cup....
and 2005/6 Hammer of the Year Daniel Gabbidon
Daniel Gabbidon
Daniel Leon "Danny" Gabbidon is a Welsh footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers and the Wales national football team.-West Bromwich Albion:...
, Collins, affectionally known as 'Ginge', was given the chance to form a formidable centre back partnership with Anton Ferdinand towards the end of the 2006/7 season. Along with the excellent performance of Robert Green and the guidance of Lucas Neill
Lucas Neill
Lucas Edward Neill is an Australian Soccer player who currently plays for UAE Pro-League club Al Jazira. He is a full back. Neill had spent almost 15 years of his career playing in England. He represented Australia at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the 2010 World Cup in South...
, 'Ginge' was considered by Hammers supporters to be a major player in the improvement of the West Ham defence and their extraordinary success in beating the drop.
On 28 January 2008, it was announced that Collins would be out for a year after suffering severe ligament damage in a West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
reserve game against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. His injury, however, only kept him out for 9 months and on 26 October 2008, Collins returned to first team action, starting in West Ham's 2–0 loss to Arsenal
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
at Upton Park
Upton Park
Upton Park is an urban area of the London Borough of Newham,centred around the local high street, Green Street. The area is synonymous with football and is home to West Ham United Football Club, who play at the Boleyn Ground, commonly known as Upton Park, while nearby is a green space also called...
.
Aston Villa
Collins signed a four-year contract with Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee on 1 September 2009, the last day of the transfer windowTransfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
.
On his league debut for Villa, on 13 September, he helped them keep a clean sheet in the Second City Derby against Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. His first goal for the club was the winner against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in a 2–1 victory, in which he was named "Man of the Match". In March 2011, manager Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
fined Collins and fellow centre-back Richard Dunne
Richard Dunne
Richard Patrick Dunne is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland national football team. With Ireland he was a member of the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad and helped his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012.Dunne began his professional career at Everton...
two weeks' wages after what was reported as "a boozy row with club staff during a team-bonding exercise".
International career
Collins played for the Wales under-21 team on several occasions and captained them in a match against Germany U21'sGermany national under-21 football team
The Germany national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Germany in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and is controlled by the German Football Association , the governing body of football in Germany....
.
Collins made his debut for the senior Wales side against Norway in 2004 and scored his first goal for Wales in a 3–1 defeat to Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
on 13 October 2007. Ever present during 2010 World Cup qualifying
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...
, he captained Wales in the last qualifier against Liechtenstein and helped keep a clean sheet in a 2–0 win. Collins was given the captains armband for the senior squad for the first time for a friendly against Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
on March 3, 2010. Collins scored his first international goal in the 21st minute of a Euro 2008 qualifying match against Cyprus.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2007 | Cyprus | 1–3 | Loss | |
| 2 | 9 September 2009 | Russia | 1–3 | Loss |
Honours
Cardiff CityCardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
- FAW Premier CupFAW Premier CupThe FAW Premier Cup is a defunct Welsh football cup competition, organised annually by the Football Association of Wales from 1997 to 2008...
: 2001–02 - Football League OneFootball League OneFootball League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
play-off winners: 2002–03The Football League 2002-03The 2002–2003 season was the 103rd completed season of The Football League.-Football League First Division:Portsmouth won the First Division by some distance, passing manager Harry Redknapp’s old club, West Ham on the way down. Leicester City earned a somewhat controversial promotion, as...
West Ham United
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: Runner-UpRunner-upRunner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...
2006
Aston Villa
- League CupLeague CupIn association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish...
: Runner-upRunner-upRunner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...
2010
External links
- James Collins profile at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
- Wales profile