Graham Kavanagh facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Graham Anthony Kavanagh | ||
| Date of birth | 2 December 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1990–1991 | Home Farm | ||
| 1991–1996 | Middlesbrough | 35 | (3) |
| 1994 | → Darlington (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1996 | → Stoke City (loan) | 3 | (1) |
| 1996–2001 | Stoke City | 203 | (33) |
| 2001–2005 | Cardiff City | 142 | (28) |
| 2005–2006 | Wigan Athletic | 48 | (0) |
| 2006–2009 | Sunderland | 14 | (1) |
| 2007 | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2008 | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | → Carlisle United (loan) | 10 | (3) |
| 2009–2011 | Carlisle United | 54 | (4) |
| Total | 537 | (75) | |
| National team | |||
| 1992–1993 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 1998–2006 | Republic of Ireland | 16 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2013–2014 | Carlisle United | ||
|
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Graham Anthony Kavanagh (born 2 December 1973) is a former professional football player and manager from Ireland. He played as a Midfielder.
Kavanagh had a long career, playing for 19 years. He played for several well-known clubs like Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Cardiff City, and Sunderland. He also played 16 games for the Republic of Ireland national football team, scoring one goal for his country.
Playing for Clubs
Kavanagh started his football journey at Home Farm. In 1991, he joined Middlesbrough. He later moved to Stoke City in 1996 for £250,000, after a short loan period there.
During the 1996–97 season, he played 41 games and scored four goals. He scored the last goal at Stoke's old stadium, the Victoria Ground. He also scored Stoke's first goal at their new stadium, the Britannia Stadium. In the 1997–98 season, he scored 10 goals. Stoke City was relegated to a lower league that year. He was the top scorer in the 1998–99 season with 13 goals.
In the 1999–2000 season, Kavanagh scored 10 goals. Stoke reached the play-offs but lost to Gillingham. He also played and scored in the 2000 Football League Trophy final. Stoke won that match 2–1 against Bristol City. He left Stoke in 2001 after playing 244 games and scoring 45 goals.
In July 2001, he joined Cardiff City for £1 million. He scored 15 goals in his first season. He helped Cardiff get promoted the next year by winning the Second Division play-off final. He scored a goal when Cardiff famously beat Premier League team Leeds United in the FA Cup in 2002. He also scored the winning goal in the FAW Premier Cup final against their rivals Swansea.
In the 2004–05 season, Cardiff City faced financial problems. Many players, including Kavanagh, left the club. He signed for Wigan Athletic for about £400,000. While at Wigan, he played in the 2006 Football League Cup Final. On 31 August 2006, he joined Sunderland for £500,000. He played 14 games for Sunderland, scoring one goal. Injuries kept him out of many games that season.
He joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan in September 2007 to get back to full fitness. He played seven games and scored one goal. He later rejoined Wednesday on another loan deal in January 2008.
Kavanagh then joined Carlisle United on loan in October 2008. His loan was extended several times.
Becoming a Manager
On 9 January 2009, Kavanagh left Sunderland and joined Carlisle United permanently. He became a player-coach there. In April 2013, he signed a new one-year deal to continue as Assistant Manager.
In September 2013, the manager Greg Abbott was fired. Kavanagh became the temporary manager. He was then officially appointed manager on 30 September 2013. He signed a two-year contract. Carlisle was near the bottom of the league when he took over. They finished the 2013–14 season in the same position and were relegated to League Two. After a difficult start to the 2014–15 season, Kavanagh left Carlisle on 1 September 2014.
Playing for His Country
Kavanagh played 16 times for the Republic of Ireland. His last game for Ireland was on 16 August 2006 against the Netherlands.
Family Life
Graham's son, Calum, is also a professional footballer. He plays for Bradford City. Calum started his career at Middlesbrough, just like his dad.
Honours
Stoke City
- Football League Trophy: 1999–2000
Wigan Athletic
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2005–06
Carlisle United
- Football League Trophy runner-up: 2009–10
Individual Awards
- PFA Team of the Year: 1998–99 Second Division, 1999–2000 Second Division, 2000–01 Second Division, 2001–02 Second Division, 2002–03 Second Division
See also
In Spanish: Graham Kavanagh para niños
