Scott Carson
| Personal Information | ||
| Full Name: | Scott Paul Carson | |
| Date of Birth: | 03-Sept-1985 | |
| Place of Birth: | Whitehaven, England | |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in(1.91 m) | |
| Playing Position: | Goalkeeper |
| Club Information | ||
| Current Team: | West Bromwich Albion | |
| Player Number: | TBA |
| Youth Clubs | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls) |
| 2001-2002 | Workington Reds | |
| 2002-2003 | Leeds United |
| Senior Clubs | ||
| 2003-2005 | Leeds United | 003 (0) |
| 2005-2008 | Liverpool | 004 (0) |
| 2006 | →Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 009 (0) |
| 2006-2007 | →Charlton Athletic (loan) | 036 (0) |
| 2007-2008 | →Aston Villa (loan) | 035 (0) |
| 2008- | West Bromwich Albion | 000 (0) |
| National Team | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls) |
| 20003-2007 | England | 029 (0) |
| 20006- | England | 002 (0) |
| 20007- | England | 002 (0) |
Leeds United
Carson grew up in Cleator Moor in Cumbria, and was a promising rugby league player as a youth. However, he chose football and quickly rose through the youth teams at local side Cleator Moor Celtic to play for the men's team when he was 15. He joined the Leeds United academy in July 2002 after impressing former Leeds defender Peter Hampton while playing for non-league Workington Reds in the FA Youth Cup. He spent less than a year in the academy and half a season with the reserves before making his first-team debut in January 2004, coming on as a late substitution after Paul Robinson was sent off against Middlesbrough. Two weeks later, he made his full debut, starting against Manchester United in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, and made one further appearance in the 2003–04 season against Chelsea in May 2004.
Robinson left Leeds in May 2004 and Leeds signed Scottish international goalkeeper Neil Sullivan two months later to compete with Carson for a first-team place, and to help Carson develop and improve. Carson did not make any appearances for Leeds in the 2004–05 season, and although Leeds were keen to retain Carson he rejected offers of a new contract and with his contract due to expire in the summer of 2004, he was sold to Liverpool in January 2005 for a transfer fee of £750,000.
Liverpool
Carson joined Liverpool on a four-and-a-half year contract and was to provide competition for Jerzy Dudek for a first-team place. He made his first team debut for Liverpool in March 2005 in a defeat to Newcastle United, and made three consecutive appearances in April, including the home leg of the Champions League quarterfinal victory over Juventus. He made four appearances in the 2005–06 season, all in cup competitions, and in March 2006, was allowed to move to Sheffield Wednesday, who had a goalkeeping crisis, on loan to gain more first team experience, and to him help challenge for a place in the England 2006 World Cup squad. He played nine games, keeping five clean sheets and helping Wednesday to 18 points, and was a key factor in helping Wednesday to escape relegation.
He returned to Liverpool at the end of the season and in July 2006, extended his contract with Liverpool by two years, keeping him at the club until 2011. Carson did not want to sit on the substitute bench at Liverpool for another season while Liverpool wanted him to gain experience and return to compete with Jose Reina for a place in the first-team in the 2007–08 season, and in August 2006, Carson joined Charlton Athletic on loan for the 2006–07 season, after Charlton failed in a bid for Norwich City goalkeeper Robert Green He made 38 appearances and was in outstanding form but was unable to prevent Charlton from being relegated at the end of the 2006–07. In April 2007, he became the first loan player to be named the Charlton's supporters' club player of the year for the 2006-07 season.
Carson on loan at Aston Villa.
Carson returned to Liverpool at the end of the season and in June 2007, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez confirmed that he would be part of the first-team squad for the 2007– 08 season, saying "He must fight with Pepe Reina now for a starting place."[ However, with Carson the second choice to Reina and the signing of Charles Itandje in August 2007, Carson was loaned out again to Aston Villa for a fee of £2 million, with Benitez saying, "We do not want to sell him, we are very happy with Scott. But he needs to play to keep up his England place." Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill preferred Carson to Thomas Sorensen and Stuart Taylor and he played in all but three of Villa's 38 league matches, keeping 11 clean sheets, during the 2007–08 season.
West Bromwich Albion
Carson returned to Liverpool at the end of the 2007–08 season and in July 2008, Carson joined West Bromwich Albion on a four year contract for a £3.25 million fee, rising to £3.75 million, with an option for the club to extend the contract by another year. His debut was in the pre season friendly against Cheltenham Town
International
Carson was called up for his first England Under-21 International in October 2003, despite having only just turned 18 and having not at the time played for Leeds' first team. He made his début for the team at the age of 18 against the Netherlands in February 2004, a 3–2 victory for England.
In May 2005, Carson was named in the England squad to play the USA and Colombia. He flew out to join the squad in America the day after being on the bench for Liverpool's Champions League final victory in Istanbul.
Then in May 2006, he was listed as a standby goalkeeper in the 2006 World Cup provisional squad. He was subsequently called up to the full squad following the injury to Robert Green in the England B international friendly against Belarus in May 2006. However, he did not play a match during the World Cup. Carson has continued to be involved in both the senior and under-21 teams, and was selected in the squad for the 2007 UEFA under-21 Championship. In the third game, against Serbia, he earned his 28th under-21 cap, eclipsing the record held by Gareth Barry and Jamie Carragher. His 29th and final cap came against hosts Netherlands, and after the game finished level after 120 minutes, he faced 16 penalties in the shoot-out, which England lost 13-12. Carson has since been overtaken by James Milner as England U21s' most-capped player.
He made his full England debut in a friendly against Austria on 16 November 2007 where he kept a clean sheet. In his competitive debut against Croatia on 21 November 2007, he conceded three goals as England were defeated and eliminated from Euro 2008, Carson being held particularly culpable for the first goal. However, the fact he conceded three goals was held against Steve McClaren more than anyone else, as he made the call to hand the goalkeeping duties to a player who was inexperienced at international level, in a crucial match, whilst also playing two centre backs in front of him that had very little experience together.
Honours
Liverpool- 2004–05 UEFA Champions League
- 2005–06 European Super Cup