Graham_Kavanagh

Graham Kavanagh

Graham Kavanagh

Irish footballer and manager


Graham Anthony Kavanagh (born 2 December 1973) is an Irish football manager and former professional player.

Quick Facts Personal information, Full name ...

Kavanagh had a 19-year-long career and played for Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Cardiff City, Wigan Athletic, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday and Carlisle United. He also played 16 games for the Republic of Ireland national football team, scoring once.[1]

Club career

Kavanagh began his career at Home Farm, before joining Middlesbrough in 1991 but struggled to ever hold down a first team place and was sold to Stoke City in 1996, after a short loan spell at the club, for £250,000. In 1996–97 he made 41 appearances scoring four goals including the final goal at the Victoria Ground against West Bromwich Albion.[1] Kavanagh also had the honour of scoring Stoke's first goal at the Britannia Stadium in a League Cup match against Rochdale. He scored 10 goals in 1997–98 as Stoke suffered relegation to the third tier. In 1998–99 he top-scored with 13 goals as failed mount a sustained promotion challenge under Brian Little in 1998–99.[1] In 1999–2000 Kavanagh scored 10 goals as Stoke reached the play-offs where they lost to Gillingham.[1] He also played and scored in the 2000 Football League Trophy final as Stoke beat Bristol City 2–1. He was again a regular in 2000–01 as Stoke again failed in the play-offs this time losing to Walsall.[1] He left Stoke in the summer of 2001 after making 244 appearances scoring 45 goals.[1]

He joined Cardiff City in July 2001 for £1 million, and went on to score fifteen times in his first season at the club and help them to promotion the following year when they beat Queens Park Rangers in the Second Division play-off final. He scored one of Cardiff's goals as they memorably knocked out then Premiership Leeds United in the FA Cup third round in 2002.[2] He also scored the winning goal in the FAW Premier Cup final against rivals Swansea

During the 2004–05 season Cardiff chairman Sam Hammam revealed that the club was in serious financial trouble and as such a number of players left the club to attempt to regain losses, including Kavanagh who signed for Wigan Athletic for a fee close to £400,000.[3] Whilst at Wigan he started in the 2006 Football League Cup Final. On 31 August 2006, he signed a three-year deal with Roy Keane's Sunderland for £500,000. During that season he played 14 games, scoring one goal against Leeds,[4] before he was ruled out for the majority of games due to lingering injury problems.

He joined Sheffield Wednesday on 21 September 2007 on a loan deal to regain his fitness[5] where he played seven games, scoring one goal against Watford on 2 October.[6] On 29 December, Leicester City made a bid for Kavanagh, together with Márton Fülöp.[7] However, on 31 January 2008 Kavanagh again joined Wednesday on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Kavanagh joined League One side Carlisle United on a month's loan on 10 October 2008.[8] This loan was extended for a further month on 7 November.[9] It was again extended on 18 December and would expire on 3 January 2009.[10]

Managerial career

On 9 January 2009, Kavanagh was released by Sunderland and returned to Carlisle on a permanent basis as a player-coach.[11] In April 2013, Kavanagh continued his post as Assistant Manager at the end of the 2012–13 season, after signing a new one-year deal. In September 2013 manager Greg Abbott was sacked and Kavanagh was installed as caretaker manager.[12] Kavanagh was then appointed manager on a permanent basis on 30 September 2013 signing a two-year contract.[13] Carlisle were 22nd on the ladder at the time of Kavanagh's caretaker appointment, and finished the 2013–14 season in the same position, to be relegated to League Two. After a poor start to the 2014–15 season Kavanagh left Carlisle on 1 September 2014.[14]

International career

Kavanagh earned 16 international caps for the Republic of Ireland, the last of which was on 16 August 2006 against the Netherlands.

Personal life

His son Calum is a professional footballer for Bradford City, having started his career at Middlesbrough.[15]

Career statistics

Club

More information Club, Season ...
  1. Appearances in Anglo-Italian Cup
  2. Appearances in Football League Trophy
  3. Seven appearances and two goals in Football League Trophy and two appearances in Second Division play-offs
  4. Two appearances in Football League Trophy and two appearances and one goal in Second Division play-offs

International

More information National team, Year ...

Managerial statistics

As of 1 September 2014[37]
More information Team, From ...

Honours

Stoke City

Wigan Athletic

Carlisle United

Individual


References

  1. Stoke City 101 Golden Greats. Desert Islands Books. 2002. ISBN 1-874287554.
  2. "Cardiff stun Leeds". BBC Sport. 6 January 2002. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  3. "Wigan complete Kavanagh signing". BBC Sport. 4 March 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
  4. "Leeds 0–3 Sunderland". BBC Sport. 13 September 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  5. "Owls sign Kavanagh on loan deal". BBC Sport. 21 September 2007. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
  6. "Watford 2–1 Sheff Wed". BBC Sport. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  7. "Leicester bid for Sunderland pair". BBC Sport. 29 December 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  8. "Kavanagh eager to prove his worth". BBC Sport. 14 October 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  9. "Kavanagh extends Carlisle spell". BBC Sport. 7 November 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  10. "Carlisle agree Kavanagh extension". BBC Sport. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  11. "Kavanagh takes up Carlisle role" BBC Sport Retrieved on 9 January 2009
  12. "Carlisle United: Graham Kavanagh wants to be manager". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  13. "CLUB: Official Statement". CUFC. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  14. "KAVANAGH BECOMES A BANTAM". www.bradfordcityafc.com. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  15. Graham Kavanagh at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  16. Kavanagh, Graham at National-Football-Teams.com
  17. "Graham Kavanagh". Soccerbase. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  18. Sidaway, Jon (7 December 2017). "Stoke City FC - Looking Back Down 'Wembley Way'". Stoke City FC. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  19. "Man Utd ease to Carling Cup glory". BBC Sport. 26 February 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  20. Shemilt, Stephan (28 March 2010). "Carlisle United 1–4 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  21. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (1999). The 1999–2000 Official PFA Footballers Factfile. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press. p. 352. ISBN 978-1-85291-607-7.
  22. "Keane claims award double". BBC Sport. 30 April 2000. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  23. "Teams of the year". BBC Sport. 29 April 2001. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  24. "PFA teams send Hatters mad". The Guardian. 15 April 2002. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  25. David McKechnie (28 April 2003). "Henry lands PFA award". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

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