Paul Kitson
Encyclopedia
For the English footballer who spent most of his career in the United States, see Paul Kitson (American soccer)
.
Paul Kitson (born 9 January 1971 in Murton
, County Durham
) is an English
former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played for Leicester City
, Derby County
, Newcastle United
, West Ham United
, Charlton Athletic
, Crystal Palace
, Brighton & Hove Albion
, Rushden & Diamonds
and Aldershot Town
.
in 1988. In one season at Leicester, Kitson and Ian Baraclough
, his striking partner, scored 60 or so goals between them for the youth and reserve sides. Baraclough was sold to Grimsby Town
, while Kitson scored 11 goals in 63 appearances for the Leicester first-team, and joined Derby County
for a club record of £1.3 million transfer fee in March 1992, made up of £800,000 with Phil Gee
and Ian Ormondroyd
moving to Leicester in part exchange. Derby manager Arthur Cox
described him as having "...all the qualities to develop into an outstanding player." and Kitson went on to score 49 goals in 132 appearances in two-and-a half years at Derby.
His arrival at the Baseball Ground
came in the final quarter of the 1991-92 season
, the last season before the creation of the FA Premier League
from the top flight of English football. Derby, bankrolled by wealthy new chairman Lionel Pickering
, were spending heavily as they looked to win promotion from the Second Division
to the new super league, and ironically one of their biggest promotion rivals were Kitson's former club and arguably Derby's biggest rivals - Leicester City. Kitson scored four times in 12 appearances as the 1991-92 campaign drew to a close, but defeat to Blackburn Rovers
in the semi finals of the playoffs meant that third placed Derby would be denied a Wembley
playoff final meeting with Kitson's former club and most crucially the chance of a place in the new Premier League.
Further heavy spending followed this disappointment, but Derby failed to make a serious challenge for promotion from the new Division One (which they had been widely expected to dominate) in 1992-93
but it was still a good personal season for Kitson, who scored 17 times in 44 league games. He added 13 goals to his league tally in 1993-94
, and Derby reached the playoff final, where they were beaten 2-1 by Kitson's old club Leicester. He began the 1994-95 season
still a Derby player, but after scoring two goals in eight games that season he was on his way out of the club after two and a half years and 36 goals from 105 league games.
Newcastle United
made an offer of £2,250,000 for Kitson in September 1994, which was initially turned down by Derby chairman and majority shareholder Lionel Pickering
who felt that Kitson was worth between £3 to £4 million. However, Pickering was outvoted 4–1 by the club's directors and reluctantly agreed to the transfer, which went ahead on 24 September. The deal almost collapsed when Newcastle refused to adjust their pay structure and accommodate Kitson's personal demands and a bid was made by Everton
, but the deal went through less than 24 hours after Pickering said that "God must be a Derby fan" and Freddie Fletcher, chief executive of Newcastle, had said the deal was "dead and buried", with Kitson signing a three-year contract at £3,500 a week. He scored his first goal for Newcastle in the 2–0 win over Manchester United
in the third round of the Coca-Cola Cup
in October 1994, though he was still very much the club's "backup" striker behind Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley
. However, when Cole was sold to Manchester United in January 1995, found himself at centre-forward for the second half of the 1994–95 season. He had a decent campaign, scoring eight goals in 26 games, though 1994-95
is generally remembered as a disappointing season for Newcastle, who began it as many people's title favourites with six successive wins but ended up finishing sixth - not even enough for a UEFA Cup
place.
However, the arrival of Les Ferdinand
during the 1995 close season meant that Kitson was once again a squad player as the 1995-96
season got underway, and the arrival of Faustino Asprilla
in mid season further reduced his first team chances. Newcastle finished second that season after being overhauled in the second half campaign by a Manchester United side who sealed the title by a five-point margin barely four months after Newcastle had led by 10 points, but Kitson's part in Newcastle's exciting though ultimately disappointing campaign had been minimal as he had played just seven league games and scored twice. But he remained loyal to the Magpies even after another blow at the end of July 1996 - the arrival of £15million world record signing Alan Shearer
. He managed three Premier League appearances as Newcastle were once again under the title challengers, before finally leaving on 10 February 1997 in a £2.3million switch to Premier League strugglers West Ham United. His departure from Tyneside was relatively quiet, coming just weeks after one of the most momentous events in the club's history - the resignation of manager Kevin Keegan
.
West Ham were deep in the Premier League relegation mire when Kitson joined them, and had been in a similar position for most of the past decade (which had included two relegations from the top flight). West Ham's assistant manager Frank Lampard said, "The last man we signed from Newcastle was Bryan 'Pop' Robson in the 1970s and Paul has the same qualities. He is quick, sharp and has good physical attributes." He made his home debut, against Tottenham on 22 February 1997, which West Ham won 4-3. Kitson scored West Ham's second goal, with other new signing John Hartson
getting the third goal to also score on his debut. This marked the beginning of what is still arguably West Ham's finest strikeforce since the Tony Cottee
/Frank McAvennie
partnership of the 1980s
, and a welcome breath of fresh air following the disappointing spells of strikers like Florin Raducioiu
and Paulo Futre
.
Kitson bagged two against Chelsea in a 3-2 win, two against Everton in a 2-2 draw and bagged a hat-trick against Sheffield Wednesday in a 5-1 win. West Ham survived relegation despite a tough season and finished 14th, with Kitson's eight goals in 14 league games being priceless to their survival.
Subsequent seasons at Upton Park
were not quite so successful, with the 1997-98
seeing Kitson restricted to 13 games and 4 goals in the Premier League (though the Hammers improved to eighth in the league and just missed out on a UEFA Cup
place in their best season for over a decade), and a year later he contributed 17 games and 3 goals to a side which finished fifth to secure UEFA Cup football and their first European campaign in almost 20 years.
However, Kitson's first team opportunities were becoming even more limited, as he made 10 goalless league appearances in 1999-2000
and just two in 2000-01
as West Ham slowly slipped away from the Premier League summit during Harry Redknapp's
final two seasons as manager.
He surprisingly came out of the wilderness to score a hat-trick in the 4-4 draw with Charlton Athletic
in on 19 November 2001 for West Ham. These were the only goals he scored in the 2001-02
season - his last at the club.
During his final three seasons at West Ham, Kitson was loaned out to Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace, but neither of these spells was particularly productive.
Paul Kitson (American soccer)
Paul Kitson who played and coached professionally with both indoor and outdoor soccer teams in Canada and the United States.-Player:...
.
Paul Kitson (born 9 January 1971 in Murton
Murton, County Durham
Murton is a village in County Durham, England. Lying six miles east of the city of Durham and seven miles south of Sunderland, it has a population of 7,339....
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played for Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, West Ham United
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...
, Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
, Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds F.C.
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Formed by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992, the club played in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of...
and Aldershot Town
Aldershot Town F.C.
Aldershot Town Football Club is an association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden Fourth Division club Aldershot Football Club...
.
Career
Kitson began his career as a trainee at Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in 1988. In one season at Leicester, Kitson and Ian Baraclough
Ian Baraclough
Ian Robert Baraclough is a former English professional footballer who was most recently the manager of Scunthorpe United, where he notably appeared as a player between 2004 and 2008...
, his striking partner, scored 60 or so goals between them for the youth and reserve sides. Baraclough was sold to Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
, while Kitson scored 11 goals in 63 appearances for the Leicester first-team, and joined Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
for a club record of £1.3 million transfer fee in March 1992, made up of £800,000 with Phil Gee
Phil Gee
Phil Gee is a retired English football forward.Phil Gee also plays in Derby County's masters football team for the yearly Sky Sports Masters competition, held at the Capital FM Arena ....
and Ian Ormondroyd
Ian Ormondroyd
Ian Ormondroyd is a retired English footballer. Ormondroyd became famous for his height and build in a similar manner to Peter Crouch, giving him a cult status among fans of the clubs he played for....
moving to Leicester in part exchange. Derby manager Arthur Cox
Arthur Cox
Arthur Cox , is a British actor of television and film.His most regular role was as George, the driver of Jim Hacker in the comedy Yes Minister. His other television credits include The Avengers, Terry and June, and Harbour Lights...
described him as having "...all the qualities to develop into an outstanding player." and Kitson went on to score 49 goals in 132 appearances in two-and-a half years at Derby.
His arrival at the Baseball Ground
Baseball Ground
The Baseball Ground was a stadium in Derby, England. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby County Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football as the home of Derby County from 1895 until 1997. It was commonly referred to as the "BBG".As the name suggests, the stadium was...
came in the final quarter of the 1991-92 season
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
, the last season before the creation of the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
from the top flight of English football. Derby, bankrolled by wealthy new chairman Lionel Pickering
Lionel Pickering
Lionel Victor Pickering was an English businessman, best known as the owner of Derby County F.C. between 1991 and 2003...
, were spending heavily as they looked to win promotion from 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...
to the new super league, and ironically one of their biggest promotion rivals were Kitson's former club and arguably Derby's biggest rivals - Leicester City. Kitson scored four times in 12 appearances as the 1991-92 campaign drew to a close, but defeat to Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn 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....
in the semi finals of the playoffs meant that third placed Derby would be denied a Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
playoff final meeting with Kitson's former club and most crucially the chance of a place in the new Premier League.
Further heavy spending followed this disappointment, but Derby failed to make a serious challenge for promotion from the new Division One (which they had been widely expected to dominate) in 1992-93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
but it was still a good personal season for Kitson, who scored 17 times in 44 league games. He added 13 goals to his league tally in 1993-94
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
, and Derby reached the playoff final, where they were beaten 2-1 by Kitson's old club Leicester. He began the 1994-95 season
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
still a Derby player, but after scoring two goals in eight games that season he was on his way out of the club after two and a half years and 36 goals from 105 league games.
Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
made an offer of £2,250,000 for Kitson in September 1994, which was initially turned down by Derby chairman and majority shareholder Lionel Pickering
Lionel Pickering
Lionel Victor Pickering was an English businessman, best known as the owner of Derby County F.C. between 1991 and 2003...
who felt that Kitson was worth between £3 to £4 million. However, Pickering was outvoted 4–1 by the club's directors and reluctantly agreed to the transfer, which went ahead on 24 September. The deal almost collapsed when Newcastle refused to adjust their pay structure and accommodate Kitson's personal demands and a bid was made by Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, but the deal went through less than 24 hours after Pickering said that "God must be a Derby fan" and Freddie Fletcher, chief executive of Newcastle, had said the deal was "dead and buried", with Kitson signing a three-year contract at £3,500 a week. He scored his first goal for Newcastle in the 2–0 win over 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 the third round of the Coca-Cola Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in October 1994, though he was still very much the club's "backup" striker behind Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
. However, when Cole was sold to Manchester United in January 1995, found himself at centre-forward for the second half of the 1994–95 season. He had a decent campaign, scoring eight goals in 26 games, though 1994-95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
is generally remembered as a disappointing season for Newcastle, who began it as many people's title favourites with six successive wins but ended up finishing sixth - not even enough for a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place.
However, the arrival of Les Ferdinand
Les Ferdinand
Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Queens Park Rangers, Besiktas J.K., Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England...
during the 1995 close season meant that Kitson was once again a squad player as the 1995-96
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
season got underway, and the arrival of Faustino Asprilla
Faustino Asprilla
Faustino Hernán "Tino" Asprilla Hinestroza is a former Colombian football player. He was known by his supporters in his home country as The Octopus for his voracious appetite...
in mid season further reduced his first team chances. Newcastle finished second that season after being overhauled in the second half campaign by a Manchester United side who sealed the title by a five-point margin barely four months after Newcastle had led by 10 points, but Kitson's part in Newcastle's exciting though ultimately disappointing campaign had been minimal as he had played just seven league games and scored twice. But he remained loyal to the Magpies even after another blow at the end of July 1996 - the arrival of £15million world record signing Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
. He managed three Premier League appearances as Newcastle were once again under the title challengers, before finally leaving on 10 February 1997 in a £2.3million switch to Premier League strugglers West Ham United. His departure from Tyneside was relatively quiet, coming just weeks after one of the most momentous events in the club's history - the resignation of manager Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
.
West Ham were deep in the Premier League relegation mire when Kitson joined them, and had been in a similar position for most of the past decade (which had included two relegations from the top flight). West Ham's assistant manager Frank Lampard said, "The last man we signed from Newcastle was Bryan 'Pop' Robson in the 1970s and Paul has the same qualities. He is quick, sharp and has good physical attributes." He made his home debut, against Tottenham on 22 February 1997, which West Ham won 4-3. Kitson scored West Ham's second goal, with other new signing John Hartson
John Hartson
John Hartson is a former Welsh international footballer who played as a striker, best known for his spells with West Ham and Celtic. Hartson also featured prominently for Wales, earning 51 caps until his international retirement in 2006...
getting the third goal to also score on his debut. This marked the beginning of what is still arguably West Ham's finest strikeforce since the Tony Cottee
Tony Cottee
Anthony Richard "Tony" Cottee is a former football player who now works as a television football commentator...
/Frank McAvennie
Frank McAvennie
Francis "Frank" McAvennie is a former Scottish football striker best known as a player with West Ham United and Celtic, having had two spells with both of these clubs.-Early life:...
partnership of the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, and a welcome breath of fresh air following the disappointing spells of strikers like Florin Raducioiu
Florin Raducioiu
Florin Valeriu Răducioiu is a former Romanian football striker, who played for Dinamo Bucureşti, A.C. Milan, Brescia Calcio, West Ham United, RCD Espanyol, VfB Stuttgart and A.S...
and Paulo Futre
Paulo Futre
Paulo Jorge dos Santos Futre is a retired Portuguese professional footballer who played mostly as a left winger.After exploding at Sporting Clube de Portugal well before his 20th birthday, he soon moved to Futebol Clube do Porto, after which he embarked in an extensive career - until 1998 - having...
.
Kitson bagged two against Chelsea in a 3-2 win, two against Everton in a 2-2 draw and bagged a hat-trick against Sheffield Wednesday in a 5-1 win. West Ham survived relegation despite a tough season and finished 14th, with Kitson's eight goals in 14 league games being priceless to their survival.
Subsequent seasons at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
were not quite so successful, with the 1997-98
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
seeing Kitson restricted to 13 games and 4 goals in the Premier League (though the Hammers improved to eighth in the league and just missed out on a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place in their best season for over a decade), and a year later he contributed 17 games and 3 goals to a side which finished fifth to secure UEFA Cup football and their first European campaign in almost 20 years.
However, Kitson's first team opportunities were becoming even more limited, as he made 10 goalless league appearances in 1999-2000
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
and just two in 2000-01
2000-01 in English football
The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
as West Ham slowly slipped away from the Premier League summit during Harry Redknapp's
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
final two seasons as manager.
He surprisingly came out of the wilderness to score a hat-trick in the 4-4 draw with Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
in on 19 November 2001 for West Ham. These were the only goals he scored in the 2001-02
2001-02 in English football
The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
season - his last at the club.
During his final three seasons at West Ham, Kitson was loaned out to Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace, but neither of these spells was particularly productive.