Jonathan Greening
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Greening is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder
for Nottingham Forest
.
He began his career in 1996 with York City
, but moved to Manchester United
in 1998, with whom he won the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League as a non-playing substitute in the final
. However, he failed to make a breakthrough in the Manchester United first team and followed United assistant manager Steve McClaren
to Middlesbrough
in 2001. During his time at Middlesbrough, Greening earned his first call-up to the England national team
, but he did not make an appearance. In 2004, he joined West Bromwich Albion for £1.25 million, and, in 2008, captained the team to the Football League Championship
title. After West Brom turned down an offer from Fulham
for Greening in July 2009, the two sides agreed a loan move the following month.
, Greening broke into the York City
first team towards the end of the 1996–97 season, and helped to keep them in the Second Division
.
in February, he signed for the Premier League team on 25 March 1998 for what was understood to be an initial fee of £500,000, which could have potentially risen to £2 million dependent on appearances and international recognition, with a sell-on clause. Greening gained England under-21
recognition despite his failure to gain a regular first team place at Old Trafford. As an attacking midfielder, he faced massive competition from more established players in both positions and his first-team opportunities were restricted, although he did make the substitute's bench in the 1999
UEFA Champions League
final. He later admitted that he "felt a bit of a fraud" for picking up his winner's medal, having not played a single minute of European football that season. He did however make a contribution to their victorious FA Cup campaign, coming on as a substitute at half-time in their fifth round tie with future club Fulham.
Greening signed a new contract with United at the end of the 1999–2000 season, but by 2001 he had become frustrated by the lack of first team opportunities, and conceded that he would need to leave the club in order to play regularly.
for a combined fee of £3 million which saw both him and United teammate Mark Wilson head to Teeside to rejoin former Manchester United assistant manager Steve McClaren
, who was by now the manager of Middlesbrough. Greening remained on Teesside for three seasons, being voted Club Player of the Year for 2002–03 and also being selected for the full England
squad (though he did not play). But his first team chances were more limited during the 2003–04 season, after which he signed for West Bromwich Albion
for an initial fee of £1.25 million.
on the opening day of the 2004–05 Premier League season, and quickly established himself as a key player in the Baggies' midfield, helping to secure their Premier League survival in his first season. In his first three years at the club he made a total of 125 appearances, only seven of which were as a substitute.
In the summer of 2007 he signed a new three-year contract with West Brom, and was made club captain for the 2007–08 season. His performances during the campaign led to him being named in the Championship
Team of the Week on several occasions. Greening missed the fifth round FA Cup
match at Coventry City due to suspension, but it was the only match he missed during the campaign; he started all 46 league matches and also participated in eight out of nine cup games. He captained Albion in the FA Cup semi-final, where they lost 1–0 to Portsmouth
, and one month later led the team to promotion as winners of the Championship. Greening was named in the PFA
Championship Team of the Year, alongside teammates Paul Robinson and Kevin Phillips
. During the last two months of the season Greening suffered from a double hernia
problem but played on until the end of the campaign, when he had an operation to rectify the injury.
Towards the end of the 2008–09
season, Greening said he was looking to sign a new contract with Albion. He was offered a new four-year deal by the club, but instead handed in a transfer request.
for Greening. Nevertheless, in August 2009, Greening joined Fulham on a season-long loan for the 2009–10
season, with a view to a permanent move upon completion of the loan period. He scored his first and only goal for Fulham against Portsmouth on 3 February 2010. He also came off the bench in the Europa League final defeat against Atlético Madrid.
Greening signed a two-year contract with Fulham on 1 July after a successful loan spell the previous season. After signing, he was mainly used as a substitute and was seen as a 'fringe' player. Under new manager Mark Hughes, he rarely featured, making only ten league appearances in the 2010–11 season.
, with Fulham receiving an undisclosed fee reuniting with manager Steve McClaren
for the second time after working with him at both Manchester United and Middlesbrough. Greening said the move met his desire to seek regular football.
once described how Greening "sprays passes around like a quarterback
" in Albion's style of attacking football under Tony Mowbray
.
West Bromwich Albion
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
.
He began his career in 1996 with York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
, but moved to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in 1998, with whom he won the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League as a non-playing substitute in the final
1999 UEFA Champions League Final
The 1999 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on Wednesday, 26 May 1999. The match was played at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, to determine the winner of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League. The final was contested by Manchester United and Bayern Munich...
. However, he failed to make a breakthrough in the Manchester United first team and followed United assistant manager Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
in 2001. During his time at Middlesbrough, Greening earned his first call-up to the England national team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, but he did not make an appearance. In 2004, he joined West Bromwich Albion for £1.25 million, and, in 2008, captained the team to the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
title. After West Brom turned down an offer from Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
for Greening in July 2009, the two sides agreed a loan move the following month.
York City
Born in Scarborough, North YorkshireNorth Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, Greening broke into the York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
first team towards the end of the 1996–97 season, and helped to keep them in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
.
Manchester United
Following a four-day trial with Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in February, he signed for the Premier League team on 25 March 1998 for what was understood to be an initial fee of £500,000, which could have potentially risen to £2 million dependent on appearances and international recognition, with a sell-on clause. Greening gained England under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
recognition despite his failure to gain a regular first team place at Old Trafford. As an attacking midfielder, he faced massive competition from more established players in both positions and his first-team opportunities were restricted, although he did make the substitute's bench in the 1999
1999 UEFA Champions League Final
The 1999 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on Wednesday, 26 May 1999. The match was played at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, to determine the winner of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League. The final was contested by Manchester United and Bayern Munich...
UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
final. He later admitted that he "felt a bit of a fraud" for picking up his winner's medal, having not played a single minute of European football that season. He did however make a contribution to their victorious FA Cup campaign, coming on as a substitute at half-time in their fifth round tie with future club Fulham.
Greening signed a new contract with United at the end of the 1999–2000 season, but by 2001 he had become frustrated by the lack of first team opportunities, and conceded that he would need to leave the club in order to play regularly.
Middlesbrough
In the summer of 2001, Greening joined MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
for a combined fee of £3 million which saw both him and United teammate Mark Wilson head to Teeside to rejoin former Manchester United assistant manager Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
, who was by now the manager of Middlesbrough. Greening remained on Teesside for three seasons, being voted Club Player of the Year for 2002–03 and also being selected for the full England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
squad (though he did not play). But his first team chances were more limited during the 2003–04 season, after which he signed for West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
for an initial fee of £1.25 million.
West Bromwich Albion
Greening made his Albion debut in a 1–1 draw away at Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
on the opening day of the 2004–05 Premier League season, and quickly established himself as a key player in the Baggies' midfield, helping to secure their Premier League survival in his first season. In his first three years at the club he made a total of 125 appearances, only seven of which were as a substitute.
In the summer of 2007 he signed a new three-year contract with West Brom, and was made club captain for the 2007–08 season. His performances during the campaign led to him being named in the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
Team of the Week on several occasions. Greening missed the fifth round FA Cup
FA Cup
The 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...
match at Coventry City due to suspension, but it was the only match he missed during the campaign; he started all 46 league matches and also participated in eight out of nine cup games. He captained Albion in the FA Cup semi-final, where they lost 1–0 to 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...
, and one month later led the team to promotion as winners of the Championship. Greening was named in the PFA
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
Championship Team of the Year, alongside teammates Paul Robinson and Kevin Phillips
Kevin Phillips (footballer)
Kevin Mark Phillips is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Blackpool.Phillips was the Premier League top scorer in the 1999–2000 season with 30 goals for Sunderland, a tally which won him the European Golden Shoe. He remains the only Englishman to win the trophy...
. During the last two months of the season Greening suffered from a double hernia
Hernia
A hernia is the protrusion of an organ or the fascia of an organ through the wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm....
problem but played on until the end of the campaign, when he had an operation to rectify the injury.
Towards the end of the 2008–09
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
season, Greening said he was looking to sign a new contract with Albion. He was offered a new four-year deal by the club, but instead handed in a transfer request.
Fulham
On 14 July, West Brom rejected a "derisory" bid from FulhamFulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
for Greening. Nevertheless, in August 2009, Greening joined Fulham on a season-long loan for the 2009–10
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
season, with a view to a permanent move upon completion of the loan period. He scored his first and only goal for Fulham against Portsmouth on 3 February 2010. He also came off the bench in the Europa League final defeat against Atlético Madrid.
Greening signed a two-year contract with Fulham on 1 July after a successful loan spell the previous season. After signing, he was mainly used as a substitute and was seen as a 'fringe' player. Under new manager Mark Hughes, he rarely featured, making only ten league appearances in the 2010–11 season.
Nottingham Forest
On 18 July 2011, Greening signed a three-year contract with Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, with Fulham receiving an undisclosed fee reuniting with manager Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
for the second time after working with him at both Manchester United and Middlesbrough. Greening said the move met his desire to seek regular football.
Style of play
Although naturally right-sided, Greening can operate anywhere across the midfield. Initially an attacking wide midfielder, he later moved to a central midfield holding role. Team mate Dean KielyDean Kiely
Dean Laurence Kiely is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently goalkeeping coach at West Bromwich Albion. He has won 11 caps for the Republic of Ireland, but has more often than not been on the bench as their substitute goalkeeper...
once described how Greening "sprays passes around like a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
" in Albion's style of attacking football under Tony Mowbray
Tony Mowbray
Anthony Mark "Tony" Mowbray is an English former professional football player, who is currently the manager of Middlesbrough...
.
Club
Manchester United- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1998–991999 UEFA Champions League FinalThe 1999 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on Wednesday, 26 May 1999. The match was played at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, to determine the winner of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League. The final was contested by Manchester United and Bayern Munich...
West Bromwich Albion
- Football League ChampionshipFootball League ChampionshipThe Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
: 2007–08
External links
- Jonathan Greening player profile at Nottingham Forest website
- Jonathan Greening profile at the Fulham website
- Premier League profile