Martin Keown
Keown in 2015
Personal information
Full name Martin Raymond Keown[1]
Date of birth (1966-07-24) 24 July 1966[1]
Place of birth Oxford, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Position(s) Centre Back
Youth career
1980–1984 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1986 Arsenal 22 (0)
1985 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 23 (1)
1986–1989 Aston Villa 112 (3)
1989–1993 Everton 96 (0)
1993–2004 Arsenal 310 (4)
2004–2005 Leicester City 17 (0)
2005 Reading 5 (0)
2012 Wembley 0 (0)
Total 585 (8)
International career
1987–1988 England U21 8 (0)
1991 England B 1 (0)
1992–2002 England 43 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Martin Raymond Keown (/ˈkiːoʊn/; born 24 July 1966) is an English football pundit and former professional footballer who played as a defender from 1984 to 2005, notably in the Premier League for Arsenal, where he made over 400 appearances for the club and won ten honours.

He also played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Aston Villa, Everton, Leicester City and Reading. Keown made his England debut in 1992 against France and went on to win 43 caps for the national side over the next ten years, gradually forming a respected defensive partnership with Arsenal teammate Tony Adams at both club and international level. Keown represented England at four major international football finals including the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, as well as Euro 1992 and Euro 2000.

He is now a part-time scout and coach for Arsenal, as well as a pundit for the BBC and BT Sport. He came out of retirement in 2012 and briefly played for Combined Counties League Premier Division side Wembley in their FA Cup fixtures.

Club career

Arsenal

A centre back from Oxford, Keown played for local sides and his local Gaelic football team as a boy, before joining Arsenal on a schoolboy contract in 1980, though he made his professional debut on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion in 1984. His debut for Arsenal came on 23 November 1985, when Don Howe was still their manager, and they drew 0–0 with West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns. He played 22 league games that season, mostly alongside Tommy Caton or David O'Leary, but when George Graham was appointed manager on 14 May 1986, he decided that Keown was not part of his plans to try to turn Arsenal into league title contenders and on 9 June 1986 he joined Aston Villa for £125,000.[3][4] Graham offered him £50 a week less than Keown wanted and stated in 1993: 'It seemed crazy that they wouldn't agree and although I didn't want to leave and they didn't want me to go, it became a matter of principle.'[5]

Aston Villa

Keown signed for Villa after a season in which they had narrowly avoided relegation to the Second Division, a mere four years after being European Cup winners and five years since being league champions. Manager Graham Turner was under a lot of pressure, and after their dismal form continued into the 1986–87 season he was sacked on 14 September 1986 and succeeded by Billy McNeill. Keown appeared in 36 league games that season, but he was unable to save Villa from finishing bottom of the First Division and being relegated after 12 successive seasons in the top flight.

Graham Taylor then arrived at Villa Park to succeed the sacked McNeill, and Keown was very much part of his rebuilding plans as he missed just two league games and scored three goals as Villa finished second in the Second Division and won promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt. Keown helped the team secure its top flight status the following season, but was sold to Everton on 7 August 1989, just before the start of the 1989–90 season, for a fee of £750,000.[6]

Everton

Keown had a fine start to his Everton career, and they topped the table for a while in late autumn and there was hope that they could win the league title, but their form ebbed away after Christmas and they managed only a sixth-place finish. Keown managed 20 league appearances that campaign and a slightly better 24 in 1990–91, when Harvey was replaced by Howard Kendall as manager in November. He missed just three league games in 1991–92, which brought another mid-table finish, and he played just 13 more league games for the Toffees before accepting a £2 million return to Arsenal in February 1993.[7]

Return to Arsenal

Keown did not feature in Arsenal's historic FA Cup and League Cup double of 1993 due to being cup-tied. However, he did manage 16 Premier League appearances, playing in a number of positions. He and Andy Linighan were high quality defenders competing alongside Steve Bould and captain Tony Adams in the centre of one of the best English league defences of the 1990s, and Keown also filled in at right-back, left-back, and central midfield, demonstrating a versatility that would be called upon for several seasons.

Keown missed out on Arsenal's Cup Winners' Cup Final win over Parma the following year through injury[8][9] although he did play a part in the overall campaign after appearing in earlier rounds.[10] However, he did start the final the following season when Arsenal were narrowly beaten by Real Zaragoza after extra time.

He rarely missed a game in his first four full seasons back at Highbury, and in 1996-97, Arsène Wenger's first season at the club, he made 28 appearances as a defensive midfielder. The season ended painfully when he broke his shoulder playing for England in the 1997 Tournoi de France, ruling him out for five months. As a result, in the 1997–98 double winning campaign, 31-year-old Keown played just 18 times in the Premier League, employed entirely as a centre back. The season saw him claim the first two major trophies of his career after well over a decade of waiting.[11]

In the following seasons, Keown became an integral part of Arsène Wenger's team. In a 2000–01 UEFA Champions League tie against FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Keown memorably scored two goals in the last five minutes to help Arsenal come back from 2-1 down to win 3–2.[12] He won a second Double with the club in 2002, and remained a first team regular until the end of the 2002–03 season, when the Gunners won their ninth FA Cup but blew the chance of a unique fourth double due to a late loss of form in the league.[13]

On 21 September 2003, during Arsenal and Manchester United's match at Old Trafford, Manchester United were awarded a late penalty with the score at 0–0. After Ruud van Nistelrooy's penalty hit the bar, Keown and Ray Parlour confronted van Nistelrooy, and Keown hit him on the back of the head. After the final whistle, Keown was then involved in a post-match melee; he was subsequently fined £20,000 and suspended for three games for his part in what is now known as the "Battle of Old Trafford".[14] Arsenal would go on to end the 2003-04 season as unbeaten champions. Keown made ten league appearances during the season, before being released on a free transfer in the summer of 2004 after 11 years in his second spell at the club.[15][16]

Later career

He signed for Leicester City, but left after less than six months and signed for Reading in January 2005 until the end of the season, after which he retired.[17] As part of a publicity stunt Keown, and a number of other former professional players, including Ray Parlour, Danny Dichio, Jaime Moreno, Graeme Le Saux, Claudio Caniggia and Brian McBride, joined non-league Wembley in order to take part in their 2012–13 FA Cup run.[18][19] Wembley were knocked out in a replay by Uxbridge after beating Langford in the previous round.[20]

International career

Keown played U16 and U18 for England. When it was learned that his mother was Irish and his father Northern Irish, Jack Charlton made an inquiry as to his availability to play for the Republic of Ireland but Keown chose to represent the country of his birth. He was also eligible to play for Northern Ireland as his father was from County Fermanagh.[21] He made his England debut in 1992 against France. With an injury to Mark Wright he was called up into England's squad for UEFA Euro 1992, and played in all three of England's matches.

Keown's early ascension to the England team under Graham Taylor did not continue under Terry Venables, who ignored him completely. Keown earned a recall from Glenn Hoddle in 1997, and went to the 1998 World Cup, but did not play. Keown became a regular under Kevin Keegan (captaining the side against Finland) and played in two of England's Euro 2000 matches.

By the time Sven-Göran Eriksson became manager, Keown's age was starting to count against him, though he went to the 2002 World Cup, again as a non-playing squad member. Keown retired from international football the day after England's exit at the hands of Brazil.[22] In all he played 43 times for England, scoring two goals.

Management and career outside football

Keown joined the coaching staff of Newbury in August 2005, but is now coaching back at former club Arsenal where he is taking his coaching badges. Former Arsenal manager Terry Neill identified him as a key figure behind the success of Arsenal's inexperienced "new-look" defence (which the team resorted to after ongoing injury problems in the 2005–06 season, notably setting a record for minutes played without conceding in the Champions League).[23] In 2007–08 Keown was also a coach for the Oxford University Blues Football team on a part-time basis.[24]

Keown regularly appears as a pundit on the BBC's football coverage and Match of the Day, as well as covering the Champions League for Irish broadcaster TV3. He was also working for ESPN UK during the 2011 Emirates Cup.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[25]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Arsenal 1983–84 First Division 000000——00
1984–85 First Division 000000——00
1985–86 First Division 22050———270
Total 2205000——270
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 1984–85 Second Division 160————160
1985–86 Second Division 71—21—2[lower-alpha 1]1113
Total 231—21—21273
Aston Villa 1986–87 First Division 3602040—00420
1987–88 Second Division 4232040—00483
1988–89 First Division 3402040—2[lower-alpha 1]0420
Total 112360120—201323
Everton 1989–90 First Division 2004020——260
1990–91 First Division 2405010—5[lower-alpha 1]0350
1991–92 First Division 3902040—1[lower-alpha 1]0460
1992–93 Premier League 1302040——190
Total 960130110—601260
Arsenal 1992–93 Premier League 160————160
1993–94 Premier League 33030307[lower-alpha 2]01[lower-alpha 3]0470
1994–95 Premier League 31120505[lower-alpha 2]01[lower-alpha 4]0441
1995–96 Premier League 3402051——411
1996–97 Premier League 33130302[lower-alpha 5]0—411
1997–98 Premier League 180702000—270
1998–99 Premier League 34140005[lower-alpha 6]11[lower-alpha 3]0442
1999–2000 Premier League 27120009[lower-alpha 7]01[lower-alpha 3]0391
2000–01 Premier League 28020009[lower-alpha 6]2—392
2001–02 Premier League 22040206[lower-alpha 6]0—340
2002–03 Premier League 24050005[lower-alpha 6]01[lower-alpha 3]0350
2003–04 Premier League 10010301[lower-alpha 6]000150
Total 3104350231493504228
Leicester City 2004–05 Championship 1701000——180
Reading 2004–05 Championship 50————50
Career total 585860048249315175714
  1. 1 2 3 4 Appearances in Full Members' Cup
  2. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  3. 1 2 3 4 Appearance in Charity Shield
  4. ↑ Appearance in European Super Cup
  5. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Cup
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  7. ↑ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Cup

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[26]
National teamYearAppsGoals
England 199291
199320
199740
199840
199980
200091
200140
200230
Total432
Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Keown goal.
List of international goals scored by Martin Keown[26]
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 25 March 1992Stadion Evžena Rošického, Prague, Czechoslovakia2 Czechoslovakia2–22–2Friendly
2 3 June 2000National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta30 Malta1–02–1Friendly

Honours

Arsenal[27]

England[29]

Personal life

Keown lives in and around Oxford with his wife Nicole.[30] Keown's son, Niall is also a footballer.[31]

References

  1. 1 2 "Martin Keown". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  2. ↑ "Martin KEOWN". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Martin Keown profile - Arsenal FC". Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  4. ↑ Spurling, Jon (2001). All Guns Blazing. Aureus Publishing Ltd. p. 228.
  5. ↑ "keown-returns-to-arsenal-for-2m-pounds-". Independent.co.uk. 1 April 2022.
  6. ↑ "Martin Keown profile - Aston Villa FC". Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  7. ↑ "Martin Keown profile - Everton FC". Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  8. ↑ "UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1994". Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  9. ↑ "1993/94 Cup Winners' Cup". Arsenal. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  10. ↑ "Arsenal Appearances 1993/94". Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  11. ↑ "Martin Keown - Arsenal FC - Football-Heroes.net". Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  12. ↑ "Keown double hands Arsenal late win". BBC Sport. 20 September 2000. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  13. ↑ "Martin Keown - Arsenal FC - Football-Heroes.net". Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  14. ↑ "Arsenal players banned". BBC Sport. 30 October 2003.
  15. ↑ "Games played by Martin Keown in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  16. ↑ "Kanu released by Gunners". BBC Sport. 12 June 2004.
  17. ↑ "Keown begins coaching education". BBC. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  18. ↑ "Terry Venables' Wembley FC recruit former stars for FA Cup". BBC Sport. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  19. ↑ Gibson, Owen. "Budweiser signs players for Wembley FC to play in FA Cup it sponsors". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  20. ↑ "The website for the English football association, The FA Cup and The England football team - The FA Cup". The FA. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  21. ↑ Fitzmaurice, Aidan (10 March 2015). "Martin Keown's son declares for Republic of Ireland". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  22. ↑ "Keown calls time". BBC Sport. BBC. 22 June 2002. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  23. ↑ Mercer, Nathan (16 May 2006). "Arsenal's New Guard". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2006.
  24. ↑ "Blues lose out in tough season opener". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  25. ↑ Martin Keown at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  26. 1 2 "Martin Raymond Keown - International Appearances". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
  27. ↑ "M. Keown: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  28. ↑ "Martin Keown: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  29. ↑ Campbell, Paul & Lacey, David (25 June 2013). "From the Vault: Recalling How England Won Le Tournoi de France in 1997". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  30. ↑ Keown, Martin (19 July 2013). "My perfect weekend by Martin Keown: On my bike for a fry-up before". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  31. ↑ Fitzmaurice, Aidan (10 March 2015). "Martin Keown's son declares for Ireland and says: My dad took plenty of stick for choosing England". Irish Independent. Dublin. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
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