Nigel Martyn
Anthony Nigel Martyn ( born August 11, 1966 in St. Austell ) is a former English football goalkeeper. In his nearly 19 years of active professional career was "Big Nige " long for Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Everton last between the posts. He was there the first goalkeeper, for a British football club paid a transfer fee of one million pounds. Martyn, the high physical presence radiated with his " massive shape " and yet was very agile, completed 23 A- international matches for the English national team, and participated at two World (1998, 2002) and European Championship finals (1992, 2000) in part. In his athletic " heyday " he could not prevail against regular keeper David Seaman there.
Professional career
In the club
Bristol Rovers (1987-1989)
It was not until the age of 16 years, Martyn operated regularly as a goalkeeper. Previously, he had regularly operated as a field player while mostly acting in midfield. That it eventually moved born in the far southwest " Keeper" to Bristol, he had due to the fact that the " Tea Lady" - in the United Kingdom was formerly so called a staff in companies that guests ausschenkt tea - the third division Bristol Rovers on holiday in Cornwall bored, Martyn saw him in action and finally mediated a trial. The former coach Gerry Francis showed up quickly convinced and let Martyn four days after his 21st birthday in a 3-1 win against Rotherham United debut in the first team.
Equipped with athletic ability and leadership skills to the novice conquered at the Rovers quickly gained a reputation and the 39 league appearances in his first season 1987/88 was followed by a season 1988/89, in which Martyn in any game was missing. A first great success remained pending after his club had been missing in the play-off final against Port Vale after return game just a gateway to promotion to the second division. At the beginning of the 1989/90 season was Martyn who had been standing at the time already in the English U- 21 team, matured into one of the most promising goalkeeper talents "on the island " and after a series of 645 minutes without conceding - these included three games outnumbered - offered the first division side Crystal Palace for a transfer, the transfer fee of one million pounds. Martyn was thus upon consummation of the change in late November 1989, the first goalkeeper who cost an English club at the obligation one million total.
Crystal Palace (1989-1996)
Right away Martyn established at the climbers from London as " regular keeper " and while in the championship round of the 1989/90 league goal was superficial, he recorded in the FA Cup first notable successes. After a semi-final victory against the eventual champions FC Liverpool he lost the final with "Palace" scarce and only by rematch against Manchester United ( 3:3, 0:1 ). In the 1990/91 season was Martyn part of the hitherto best defense in the club's history and just 41 goals conceded catapulted the club to third place final table. Then there was the victory in the ZDS Cup after a 4-1 in the final against Everton.
That the sporty trend after 1991 showed again in the reverse direction, was due less to Martyn's performance - this was in 1992 came the first time to use even in the English national team - but was rather that formerly crucial players increasingly left the club, including particularly Ian Wright and Mark Bright later included. The consequence was the " crash " on the tenth rank in the season 1991/92 towards the descent in the first Premier League season 1992/93; primarily responsible for this were the only goals scored even 48 ( in 42 games).
Equipped with a new coach, " repaired " the club on the second league championship in 1993/94 this setback immediately and that Martyn now held a key role within the team, commented that he 1994 against Leicester City, a continuous series of 100 league matches completed end of October - only after a new record of 150 official matches in a row caused a broken index finger for an involuntary break. Martyn was found specially before his injury with 13 clean sheets often called " rock solid ", but again only 34 own goals from 42 games ranged in season 1994 /95 for the league. Since the Premier League in 1995, the number of participating team of 22 was reduced to 20, meant the fourth- last place of Crystal Palace that Martyn again had to join the in the second division.
Meanwhile Martyn was the player with the longest residence time in the club and when Palace in the 1995/96 season again tried to direct the revival, the goalkeeper signed a new four-year contract in February 1996. With 48 goals conceded Martyn was part of the league 's third- best defense; the expectations for a Premier League return but were bitterly disappointed after Martyn had conceded the decisive goal by Steve Claridge in the play-off final against Leicester City in the last minute of extra time. It was Martyn's last competitive game for Crystal Palace and for a new British record fee of Goalkeeping 2.25 million pounds in the summer of 1996 he moved to Leeds United.
Leeds United (1996-2003)
That Martyn an instant win for his new club in Leeds was said after good performances in the 1996/97 season in the club 's internal award for the " best players ". With loud command, he conducted his new leading men and remained in 19 of his 37 missions " harmless ", that did not concede. The final recognition came in the following season 1997/98, when he was elected again after outstanding performances in the " All Star Team " of the Premier League ( "PFA Team of the Year "). He had missed it, what was in turn due to a controversial red card during the FA Cup win against Oxford United and a resulting lock a single League game.
Martyn defended in the 1998/99 season the title of " best Premier League goalkeeper " and the more consistently good performance, which especially for his performances in the 2-0 win over Coventry City with the subsequent award for " Man of the Match " belonged, were interrupted only by short -term injuries, which he in the games against AS Roma in the UEFA Cup ( three games) and the 2:3 against Manchester United ( a game) drew upon. Already in the following season, 1999/2000 " retaliated " Martyn in the new UEFA Cup duel with AS Roma and was in return match without conceding a goal each. Also in the Premier League more athletic progress with the first Champions League qualification were unmistakable; while the increasingly experienced Martyn had shown as a safe support of the tapered under manager David O'Leary elf. A groin injury in the home win against Charlton Athletic in October 2000 caused a further involuntary interruption, but after his return in the new year 2001, he was involved with numerous parades against Deportivo La Coruña instrumental in his team moved into the Champions League semi-finals.
On the sporting highlights followed by setbacks. Leeds United missed in the years of 2002 and 2003 re- qualifying for Europe's elite and had to compensate for the increasing financial holes through player sales. To this end, Martyn fell out early with the new coach Terry Venables as it ordered this shortly after his return from the World Cup 2002 on Far East pre-season. As the same time as Paul Robinson rebelled a new emerging talent in Leeds, it finally came about that Martyn was used in the 2002/03 season in any game.
Everton FC (2003-2006)
Martyn decided to a move to Liverpool to Everton. Intended as a replacement for regular keeper Richard Wright, was the " veteran " after his injury in September 2003 again permanently between the poles of a first division team. Despite his advanced age, Martyn continued to show extremely agile on his feet and denied the remainder of the season 2003/ 04 as " number 1". As the oldest Premier League player of the season 2004/ 05 Martyn was as goalkeeper part of a team that at times sat down by the fourth from last in the previous year top of the table and end up with a surprisingly good fourth final standings ensured qualification for the Champions League group stage. Even from an injury at the end of 2004 he had made a good recovery in between denied his 800th game already and finally " rewarded " him the " Toffees " with the renewal of his contract for another year.
During his last season 2005/06 Martyn suffered a serious ankle injury in January 2006. The lack healing results as a result of fatigue failure caused the now 39 -year-old goalkeeper to end his playing career. The 100th competitive game for Everton on 28 January 2006 against Chelsea was thus his last appearance in English professional football.
England national team
After eleven games for the English U -21 and the first missions in the B-team Martyn made his debut on 29 April 1992 in Moscow by Substitutes against the Commonwealth of Independent States (2-2 ) for the senior team. Two weeks later against Hungary (1-0 ), the first use of the full distance and then- coach Graham Taylor appointed him in the squad for the immediately following European Championship in Sweden. There, however, Martyn was only spare man behind Chris Woods. This was followed in June 1993, his third and final international game for a long time. The new head coach Terry Venables then largely post Martyn and familiar at the Euro 1996 in their own country instead of David Seaman, Tim Flowers and Ian Walker.
It was only in May 1997 came Martyn - five years after his debut - as an established Premier League goalkeeper in Leeds to his fourth international match. He also was represented at the World Cup in France in 1998 under new manager Glenn Hoddle in the squad, although there Seaman had emerged in the meantime as a significant " number 1". Also initially changed to this constellation, two years later, at the Euro 2000 under Hoddle 's successor Kevin Keegan anything before a violation of Seaman suddenly catapulted into the starting lineup ahead of the crucial third group game against Romania Martyn. The game ended with a 2:3 unfortunate and premature end for England in the first round.
Martyn's career in the England team still took until mid- 2002; His last mission was on 26 May 2002, the 23 match against Cameroon (2-2 ) in the run-up to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Coach Sven -Goran Eriksson took him beyond to the Far East with, again exclusively Seaman came to the course in tournament games.
After the active career
As of March 2007 took over Martyn for some time the role of the goalkeeper coach at unterklassigen club Bradford City, where his close friend and former teammate from the Leeds - time was David Wetherall head coach.
Title / Awards
- ZDS Cup: 1991