Personal: Mitts is known for her her athletic ability and her looks, and as a result, has delved into the world of modeling. In 2001, Mitts was voted as the sexiest player in the WUSA on Playboy Online. In addition, she appeared on the cover of Philadelphia magazine in June 2002 as one of the city’s “Sexiest Singles.” In 2004, she was voted ESPN.com’s “Hottest Female Athlete” in 2004. She also appeared in the 2005 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Mitts has parlayed her looks into a number of television commentary jobs. She has served as a studio analyst for ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 during the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup and was a sideline reporter for several MLS broadcasts in 2005. In addition to soccer, she also was a sideline reporter for college football during 2005 for ESPN.

After several years of an on-again-off-again relationship, Mitts married NFL quarterback A.J. Feeley in February 2010.

Full name: Heather Blaine Mitts Feeley
Date of birth: June 9, 1978
Place of birth: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Playing position: Defender

2004: A member of the USA’s 2004 Olympic Residency Camp, she had a breakout year, playing in 28 games while starting 17 … Played in her first world championship at the 2004 Olympics, seeing time in two matches included playing 90 minutes against Australia … Scored the first two
goals of her career in 2004, both game-winners on goalmouth scrambles after corner kicks, tallying against Canada on July 3 and in a wild 4-3 win over Iceland during the “Fan Appreciation Tour” on Sept. 25 …

2005: Started and played every minute of the 2005 Algarve Cup at right back … Started eight of the USA’s nine matches during the year …

2006: Played in three games at the Four Nations
Tournament, starting two. Had an excellent tournament at the Algarve Cup, starting all four games. On the year started 20 of 22 games and led the team with the most minutes played of 1,759 minutes.

2007: Started and played every minute of the 2007 Four Nations Tournament at right back. Started three games in the Algarve Cup,helping her team to victories in both tournaments. A member of the USA’s World Cup residency camp. Started against Canada, on May 12, recording her first assist of the year on a cross to Lindsay Tarpley in the 13th minute. In the 25 minute she went down on a collision with Christine Sinclair, tearing her ACL and placing her out of contention for her second consecutive World Cup due to an injury.

2008: Returned from major knee injury just in time to be considered for a spot on the Olympic Team, starting all three of the USA’s domestic games over late April and early May …Since returning from her injury, she started all 11 games the U.S. played heading into the Olympics. Started every game of the Beijing Olympics and helped shut out Brazil in the finals to win her second Gold Medal. Spent the
last half of 2007 and first half of 2008 rehabilitating
from ACL surgery.

2009: Has started 6 of the 7 games thus far in the 2009 schedule. Became the 25th female player in U.S. history and only the 7th defender to earn her 100th cap on March 11, 2009. Currently playing with the Boston Breakers of the new Women’s Professional Soccer League.

Jonathan Woodgate

Biography

The England international defender secured ‘hero’ status just five games into his Spurs career when he headed home our winning goal in the League Cup Final at Wembley in February, 2008.

‘Woody’ soon established himself at the heart of our back-line following his move from Middlesbrough in January 2008, developing a solid partnership with Ledley King.

In 2008-09, his first full season in N17, was the definition of consistency during a season in which we conceded only 10 goals at home in the league.

He played 44 games in all competitions as one of the Club’s vice-captains, once again scoring one of the key goals of the campaign – a late winner in a 2-1 win at Hull City in February 2009 that sparked an incredible run of form, taking us to 8th in the Premier League by the end of the season.

However, groin trouble caused ‘Woody’ to miss the entire pre-season campaign in preparation for the current season.

He did not return to action until late October, 2009, but after just three games was back on the sidelines over the turn of the year thanks to further groin trouble.

Earlier on in his career, Jonathan had shot to prominence as a young defender in the Leeds United side that reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2001, prompting Newcastle United to snap him up in January, 2003.

He moved to La Liga giants Real Madrid in the summer of 2004, but injury his number of appearances in Spain to just 12 over the next two seasons.

He made the switch back to England and the Premier League with his home-town club Middlesbrough, initially on loan, in August 2006 before the move was made permanent in April, 2007.

An England international with eight caps to his name, Jonathan made his senior international debut in a European Championsip qualifier against Bulgaria in May 1999 having also featured at Under-21 level.

Jonathan Simon Woodgate (born 22 January 1980) is an English footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur as a defender. He has also played for Leeds United, Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Real Madrid.

Club career

Leeds United: Woodgate began his career at Middlesbrough but moved to Leeds United at the age of sixteen after disagreements over his future between Middlesbrough and his family. He helped Leeds to win the FA Youth Cup in 1997, and in November the following year made his debut for the senior side.

In 2000, he was a defendant with teammate Lee Bowyer in a Crown Court trial due to his involvement in an incident outside Leeds nightclub, Majestyks, in which a student suffered severe injuries. The initial trial collapsed and following a second trial, in December 2001, Bowyer was cleared of both charges while Woodgate was convicted of affray and sentenced to 100 hours’ community service. He was also banned from international selection by the Football Association, which prevented him from being selected for the England squad for the 2002 World Cup.

Woodgate was a consistent and impressive performer for Leeds during his time there, competing with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Lucas Radebe and Dominic Matteo for a starting place. He was regarded as one of the most complete all round players to come through Leeds’ famous academy. And he performed for Leeds in the days where they competed in the UEFA Cup, Champions League and were regularly competing towards the top of the Premier League. His number of appearances were heavily reduced due to picking up several injuries on different occasions. But as a result of Leeds’ financial problems Woodgate was sold to Newcastle to raise some much needed funds. He was described as the club’s ‘jewel in the crown’ and his sale caused anger for many Leeds United fans as Peter Ridsdale revealed the perilous financial situation at the club. The sale also led to the dismissal of Terry Venables who disagreed with Woodgate’s departure.

Newcastle United: Woodgate signed for Newcastle United in January 2003 for £9 million. He impressed and quickly became a fan favourite, but a serious injury saw him end his final season early. Woodgate never had an injury-free run in the team.

Real Madrid: Woodgate signed for Real Madrid in August 2004 for a transfer fee of £13.4 million. This was to the surprise of many in the football world, due to his frequent absences through injury at his previous clubs, and indeed he was injured at the time of the transfer.

Woodgate did not make any appearances for Real Madrid in his first season in Spain, eventually making his debut on 22 September 2005, in a league match against Athletic Bilbao. The game went badly for him, as he scored an own goal and was later sent off for a second bookable offence; however, Woodgate was applauded and cheered from the pitch and was regarded for a period of his time at the club as something of a cult-hero. He scored his only goal for Real Madrid in the 4–1 UEFA Champions League defeat of Rosenborg BK on 19 October 2005, his first appearance for the club in European competition.

By February 2006, Woodgate had established himself as a first team player, with the other centre half position rotating among Sergio Ramos, Iván Helguera, Francisco Pavon and Álvaro Mejía. One Spanish newspaper even described him as having “become Madrid’s true leader”. However, further injury setbacks again stopped him playing. He was considered to have an outside chance of making the England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but due to surgery on his back was not named in the squad.

In July 2007, Woodgate was voted the worst signing of the 21st century by users of the website of Spain’s leading sports daily, Diario Marca, polling 37.11% of the votes cast.

Middlesbrough: On 30 August 2006, Woodgate signed a one-year loan move to hometown club Middlesbrough. He made his debut against Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium on 9 September. He was later voted man of the match by local radio station, Century FM. He was made captain for his second game for Middlesbrough, as usual captain George Boateng was suspended. In April 2007 Middlesbrough announced Woodgate would be their first summer signing for a fee of £7 million. He signed a four-year contract, keeping him at the club until June 2011.

In October 2007 he was crowned North East Player of the Year by the Prince’s Trust, beating players from Newcastle and Sunderland. During the 2007–08 pre-season Woodgate suffered an injury that allowed fellow hometown defender David Wheater to start in his place during pre-season. Wheater’s form in pre-season earened him a starting XI place for the opening day Premier League fixture – Wheater’s form then continued which triggered the transfer of Woodgate to Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham Hotspur: After rejecting the chance to resign for Newcastle United F.C.On 28 January 2008 Woodgate moved to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £7 million. He made his Tottenham debut against Everton on 30 January 2008. He scored his first Tottenham goal on 24 February 2008 in the League Cup final against Chelsea in extra time to win Tottenham their first trophy since 1999. His performance won him the Man of the Match award.

Woodgate scored his first Spurs league goal on 19 March 2008, coincidentally also against Chelsea, in a 4–4 draw at White Hart Lane. He first captained Tottenham in a 2–1 defeat at White Hart Lane to Aston Villa on 15 September. Following Harry Redknapp’s appointment, Woodgate became the second vice-captain, behind Robbie Keane.

On Spurs’ disastrous start to the 2008–09 season, Woodgate told the press that it was worse than when Leeds were relegated. This despite the fact that Woodgate was transferred to Newcastle United some 16 months before Leeds’s eventual relegation at the end of 2003–04.

At the end of Spurs highly successful 2009–10 campaign, Redknapp hinted at Woodgate’s exit due to having to comply with new Premier League rules which limited squad sizes to 25 – ironically these rules were put in place in order to help the careers of English and Welsh footballers.

International career: He was capped several times by England while at Leeds, making his debut for the national side under manager Kevin Keegan in 1999, when he became the first player born in the 1980s to win a full England cap, against Belgium. However, both his club and international career have frequently been interrupted, not only by injury, but by controversy.

Woodgate won his sixth cap – almost three years after his fifth – and his first start in an international friendly against Spain on 7 February 2007.

Benoit Assou Ekotto

Biography

The Cameroon international left back signed from French club RC Lens in the summer of 2006.

After an injury-hit start to his White Hart Lane career, Benoit’s game has progressed unmeasurably since the arrival of Harry Redknapp as manager.

His performances led to him being offered a new contract at the start of the 2009-10 season, seeing him at White Hart Lane until 2013.

He celebrated with his first goal in a Spurs shirt and one to remember – the opening goal of the 2009-10 season, an absolute cracker into the top corner as we toppled Liverpool at the Lane.

That laid down a marker for the season for Benoit, who made 34 appearances in all competitions including 29 starts in the league before joining the Cameroon squad in the World Cup.

Benoit made a promising start to his Spurs career with 24 appearances before suffering a knee injury in February 2007 that ultimately ruled him out for the rest of that season.

Benoit returned to action in September 2007 but, after two appearances, the same knee problem resurfaced and ended his campaign early – as well as threatening to end his career altogether.

However, after a summer of rehabilitation, pre-season saw him return to the first team fold in preparation for the 2008-09 season.

Over the course of the campaign, he made 36 appearances in all competitions and earned rave reviews from the manager and fans alike, who voted him the Club’s Most Improved Player of the season.

The following season could not have begun any better for Benoit!

Not only did the tough full-back put pen to paper on his new deal, he also scored our first goal of the 2009-10 campaign – an absolute scorcher in our opening day victory over Liverpool. What a way to score your first ever career goal!

In February 2009, Benoit earned his first international honours for Cameroon, the country over his father’s birth.

By November of the same year, he had become a key member of the Indomitable Lions side that earned qualification for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.

However, that hip injury suffered at the end of 2009 meant Benoit missed out on the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola

Born in Arras, France, Benoit played 73 games in total for first club Lens before making the move to N17 as one of the continent’s most highly-rated young full-backs.

Benoît Assou-Ekotto (born 24 March 1984 in Arras, France) is a professional French-Cameroonian footballer currently playing for Tottenham Hotspur.

Club career

RC Lens: Assou-Ekotto played 34 of Lens’ 38 league games in the 2005–06 Championnat. Assou-Ekotto’s first game in Ligue 1 was against PSG on the 28th March 2004, Lens won the game 1–0. During his 66 games in Ligue 1 he failed to score. Kicking-off the 2005–06 season in the Inter Toto Cup on July 3, he played in all of Lens’ games as they won that tournament and therefore secured a place in the UEFA Cup. He then played in seven of eight UEFA Cup matches as Lens went out to Udinese in the last 32. After breaking into the first team with three appearances in 2003–04, Benoit caught the eye with 29 starts in 2004–05.

Tottenham Hotspur: Assou-Ekotto moved to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2006 under Martin Jol for an undisclosed fee, but the media expected it to be in the region of £3.5 million. Assou-Ekotto was described by former Tottenham Sporting Director Damien Comolli as one of the hottest and brightest prospects in French football at that time. Martin Jol brought Assou-Ekotto to Spurs to provide competition at the left-back position.

The Cameroon international was an unknown when making the move to White Hart Lane, but his performances in pre-season secured him a place in the starting line-up ahead of South Korean Lee Young-Pyo. He made his full debut in a 2–0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the 2006/07 season and looked to have unseated Lee until injury saw the Korean win his place back. After picking up a knee injury in December 2006, he appeared to have lost his place in the first team to his predecessor at left-back Lee Young-Pyo.

When Spurs made their worst ever start to the Premier League under Juande Ramos made Assou-Ekotto’s chances of first team football limited, but when Redknapp was announced as the new manager of Spurs he claimed that he wanted to leave England to go back to French football.

“I’d love a return to France,” Assou-Ekotto told radio station RMC. “Above all I would love to join PSG.”

Harry Redknapp decided to play Gareth Bale at left-back, but due to poor performances Assou-Ekotto was given the chance to replace him in the team. Assou-Ekotto improved rapidly with regular games and became first choice left-back towards the end of the 2008/2009 season.

Having regained his fitness in the 2008/2009 season, he has become the North-London club’s first choice left-back ahead of Gareth Bale, due to a string of good performances under new boss Harry Redknapp. Such performances have led to Assou-Ekotto earning plaudits internationally and he is now regarded as a good Premiership left-back.

He was picked for his usual place in the starting eleven in the Carling Cup final against Manchester United where he played exceptionally well as he was up against Cristiano Ronaldo. When Spurs lost the final in penalties Assou-Ekotto made left back his own position for the rest of the season as he made such a performance throughout the final. Since his great performances he has been praised by manager Harry Redknapp saying:

“I think he has been injured before but I have been very impressed with him this season as he has been in great form. He has looked an outstanding left-back”.

He scored his first career goal in the win over Liverpool on the opening weekend of the 2009–10 season with a half volley from 30 yards. He was rewarded for this fine form, signing a 4 year contract extension on 19 August. As of the end of the season he became Tottenham’s first choice left-back as Harry Redknapp decided to play Gareth Bale as left wing.

Assou-Ekotto gained some media exposure over his comments on football being just a “job”:

“A career is only 10, 15 years. It’s only a job. Yes, it’s a good, good job and I don’t say that I hate football but it’s not my passion.”

He has begun the 2010/11 season first choice at left-back, with Gareth Bale continuing at left midfield.

Ledley King

Biography

Club captain and longest-serving member of our playing staff, Ledley’s performances at the end of the 2009-10 campaign earned a place in England’s World Cup squad.

Injuries again took their toll during the season but it wasn’t his now famous knee problems but muscle injuries that cost Ledley time out of the team.

As always though, when Ledley played, he underlined his class and that was enough for Fabio Capell to take him to South Africa.

Ledley actually started 19 games in the Premier League – half of the season – skippering the side to a fourth-place finish and, 11 years after making his first-team debut, securing a place in the Champions League.

Having come through the Club’s Academy ranks, Ledley made his senior debut as an 18-year-old, coming on as a substitute during a 3-2 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield in May 1999.

It took another season before the London-born youngster properly established himself in the First Team, but once he did so during the 2000-01 campaign, there was no looking back.

Over the next few seasons, Ledley earned recognition as one of the best young defenders in the country, also often operating as a defensive midfielder.

He gained full international honours for England during this time, and was part of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Euro 2004 squad, starting the first game of the tournament against holders France.

But the pivotal season of his career was the 2004-05 campaign. Ledley was an ever-present in our Premier League campaign, in which we conceded just 41 goals and kept 13 clean sheets. During that season, he was also named Club captain.

The following season, he led the Club to a top five Premier League finish, but missed the final games of that campaign due to a broken foot that kept him out of that summer’s World Cup Finals in Germany.

Since then, injury problems, particularly knee trouble, have blighted Ledley’s career.

This forced him to feature in less than half of our 59 competitive games in 2006-07.

The following season did not kick off for Ledley until Boxing Day, but although he only managed to play 10 games in 2007-08, the defining moment of his career so far came during this campaign.

He lived a boyhood dream of captaining Spurs to their first major trophy in nine years after a heroic performance in a 2-1 extra-time win over Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final at Wembley in February 2008.

Ledley called time on the season soon after, and following a summer of rehabilitation, 2008-09 saw a marked improvement in his fitness levels as he played 29 games in all competitions.

He established a strong defensive partnership with Jonathan Woodgate as the foundation of a back-line that conceded just 10 goals at home in the league all season.

At present, Ledley still holds the record for the fastest ever goal in Premier League history, scored after 10 seconds against Bradford City at Valley Parade in December 2000. This was also his first ever goal for the Club!

Ledley Brenton King (born 12 October 1980) is an English footballer who plays as a central defender for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League and the England national team. He is the longest serving player at the club and captained Spurs for four years. He is currently contracted to Tottenham until 2012. Known for his pace, strength, heading, composure on the ball with both feet and ability in timing his tackles, he has been described as “the best central defender I have seen in my career” by Martin Jol In March 2009 an article in The Times named King as Tottenham’s 25th best player of all time.

In recent seasons King has been plagued by chronic knee problems, for which no effective treatment or remedy has been found, which prevent him from playing more than one game a week. Instead of training with the rest of the squad King undertakes fitness exercises on his own. His manager Harry Redknapp has called King “an absolute freak” for being able to perform at a high level despite not training.King has also received praise from former team mate and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, saying that “He is like a magnet for the ball, a thoroughbred of a defender, the best centre-half in the country.”

Club career: Tottenham Hotspur (1997 – ?)

Vedran Corluka

Biography

Super-consistent Croatian international full-back, Vedran started 29 of our first 30 games in the Premier League until injury ended his campaign early.

Affectionately known as ‘Charlie’, he’d established himself as the Club’s first choice right-back and opened his goalscoring account for us in a 2-2 Premier League draw at Bolton Wanderers in October 2009.

Vedran joined us from Manchester City in August, 2008 and enjoyed an impressive first season at The Lane, making 41 appearances and operating right across the back-line.

A regular for Croatia, he played in every match of his country’s campaign at Euro 2008 where, along with Spurs team-mates Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar, Slaven Bilic’s side reached the quarter-final stage.

Back home in Croatia, Vedran came through the ranks at Dynamo Zagreb and after a season on loan at NK Inter Zapresic, winning successive titles with Dynamo in 2006 and 2007.

He left for the English Premier League and Manchester City in August 2007, making 41 appearances in all competitions before joining Spurs.

Vedran Ćorluka (born 5 February 1986) is a Croatian footballer who plays in the English Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur as a defender. He is also a part of the Croatia national team. Equipped with a strong physical presence and excellent understanding of the game, he is a regular player in the Croatian national team and is a regular player for Tottenham Hotspur where he is affectionately known as ‘Charlie’.

Club career

Manchester City: After consistently strong performances, Ćorluka was signed by Manchester City on 2 August 2007. City did not reveal the fee, but Croatian media reports suggested the deal was worth around £8 million, with the 21-year-old penning a five-year deal

As usual, he consistently found a starting spot for his side in the Premier League. Despite a nightmare blunder during his side’s shocking 6–0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, he remained strong during his first season in England as his side finished 9th in the league and gained entry to a UEFA Cup qualifying round via the UEFA fair play ranking. On few rare occasions, he was also used as a defensive midfielder during the season, proving to be a factor for opposing attackers.

He scored his first goal in the 4–2 loss at Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the 2008–09 season. In the UEFA Cup second qualifying round match second leg, Ćorluka scored the decisive spot kick in the dramatic 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory over Danish minnows Midtjylland after the tie had ended 1–1 on aggregate. He played his last match for City against Sunderland on 31 August 2008, throwing his shirt into the crowd at the end of the match.

Tottenham Hotspur: On 1 September 2008, it was announced that Ćorluka had signed for Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £8.5 million on a six-year contract, joining his fellow Croatian international and best friend, Luka Modrić at the club. During the game against Stoke City on 19 October, Corluka was severely injured. Kneed under his chin by teammate Gomes, he was immediately knocked unconscious. After ten minutes of on field treatment he was rushed to hospital where it was announced no serious damage was evident. In the Carling Cup final on 1 March 2009, Ćorluka scored his first and Tottenham’s only penalty in the shootout loss to Manchester United.

Ćorluka scored his first Premier League goal for Tottenham during a 2–2 draw against Bolton on 3 October 2009.

Michael Dawson

Biography

The popular central defender capped an outstanding 2009-10 campaign with an initial call into England’s provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup and then, following the heartbreak of missing out, being called back into the 23 following injury to Rio Ferdinand.

Many pundits believed ‘Daws’ should have been in the 23 anyway after playing a key role as we finished fourth in the Premier League.

Despite not featuring at the tournament in South Africa, Michael finally won his first senior international cap in a friendly with Hungary at Wembley in August, 2010.

Ever-reliable, Michael has become one of the most important players in Harry Redknapp’s side and captained the side for much of the 2009/10 campaign.

Laid low by an Achilles problem at the start of the season, Michael returned for the 9-1 hammering of Wigan in November and missed just one of our next 35 games.

His form earned a number of awards including One Hotspur Player of the Season, Boxholders Player of the Season and Supporters’ Clubs Player of the Year.

Michael has been a key part of our back-line every since his arrival from Nottingham Forest as a 21-year-old in January, 2005.

The affable Yorkshireman made his name at Nottingham Forest, where he progressed through the ranks to make his debut in 2002 and 91 appearances in total before heading to N17.

After recovering from an initial injury, Michael made his Spurs debut in a 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool at Anfield in April 2005.

For the following two seasons, he was rarely out of the side, establishing an impressive partnership with Ledley King as we finished in the Premier League’s top five for two consecutive seasons.

In 2006-07, Michael played in 58 of our 59 competitive games that season, and was awarded the captain’s armband for the first time in an FA Cup quarter-final tie with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in March 2007.

Injuries to Ledley meant Daws often found himself playing alongside of various partners for much of the 2007-08 campaign, arguably leading to a dip in form.

This was compounded by the heartbreak of missing out on our famous Carling Cup Final success of February 2008 through an ankle injury.

But following the arrival of Redknapp as manager in October 2008, he quickly re-gained his most consistent form and battled hard to earn the right to be considered as first-choice centre-half alongside evergreen pair King and Jonathan Woodgate

Michael made 28 appearances in 2008-09, scoring twice, picking up the supporters’ Team Player of the Year award thanks to his outstanding contribution.

A former England Under-21 captain, Michael was also placed on stand-by for the senior national side prior to the 2006 World Cup Finals and has two England ‘B’ caps.

Michael signed a new contract at the Club in January 2010, which will keep him at The Lane until 2015.

Michael Richard Dawson (born 18 November 1983) is an English footballer who plays as a defender at centre back for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Midway through the 2009–10 season, Dawson became the team captain of Tottenham Hotspur as Robbie Keane left for Celtic on loan in January. His form that season saw him included in England’s preliminary World Cup squad. Although he initially failed to make the final 23-man squad, an injury to captain Rio Ferdinand saw him drafted in as replacement.

Club career

Nottingham Forest: Born in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Dawson grew up in Leyburn and attended Wensleydale school. He is the younger brother of Hull City defender Andy Dawson and Kevin Dawson (formerly of Chesterfield). He started his football career playing for his local team, Northallerton Junior Football club, and also spent a year playing for Richmond before signing as a junior professional with Nottingham Forest at the age of 14. He turned professional in November 2000 accumulating 91 appearances for Nottingham Forest including his début on 1 April 2002 against Walsall in a 3–2 home defeat.

The following season Dawson formed a solid partnership with veteran Des Walker as Forest finished sixth in the First Division and eventually lost 4–3 in the second leg of the playoff final to Sheffield United, although Dawson missed that game having been sent off in the first leg.

In the close season Dawson contracted glandular fever whilst on duty with England Under 21′s which caused him to miss the start of the following season and thus began a struggle against various injuries which marred the rest of his Forest career. Forest also struggled – winning only twice between the end of September and the beginning of February caused Paul Hart to be dismissed and replaced by Joe Kinnear. The season was transformed from one battling relegation to a confident mid-table finish with the return of Dawson and David Johnson to the team being one of the reasons for this.

When Forest suffered relegation to the third tier for only the second time in their history. He and one of his Forest team-mates, left-winger Andy Reid, signed for Tottenham Hotspur on 31 January 2005 from Forest for an undisclosed fee thought to be worth a combined £8m. His début came towards the end of that campaign in the 2–2 draw at Liverpool on 16 April 2005.

Tottenham Hotspur: Dawson enjoyed a good 2005–06 season, impressing many with his aerial ability and attitude. On 28 March 2006 he signed a contract extension which would have lasted until 2011.

He has formed a strong relationship with Ledley King in his time at Spurs. In King’s long-term absence from injury, Spurs have had to rely on Dawson as their star defender, and the 26-year-old has impressed on a consistent basis without the help of his more experienced partner. His never-say-die attitude in Spurs’ defence in the absence of King had led to him becoming established as a fan favourite. Dawson scored his first competitive goal for Tottenham in their 2–1 win over Chelsea at White Hart Lane on 5 November 2006. His goal cancelled out Claude Makélélé’s strike. Aaron Lennon later scored the winner. Dawson first captained the team in the 2007 FA Cup quarter-final tie away to London rivals Chelsea due to injuries to stand-in captains Robbie Keane and Paul Robinson, and to the club’s regular captain King. After a season in which he played all but one of Tottenham’s 59 games he was rewarded with a new five year contract on 11 May 2007 which would have kept him at the club until 2012, despite still having several years left on his contract.

In the 2008–09 season Dawson was to see his playing opportunities become more limited due to the arrival the previous season of Jonathan Woodgate from Middlesbrough. The 2009–10 Premiership season was to be regarded by many as Dawson’s finest season in a Spurs shirt to date as he helped the club to a fourth-place finish, their highest league finish for 20 years and a qualification place for the UEFA Champions League. Initially Dawson was to once again struggle to get into the side partly due to the arrival of Sebastien Bassong from Newcastle in the summer, however after Tottenham’s 9–1 demolition of Wigan in November and with ongoing injury problems to defensive duo King and Woodgate, Dawson was to establish himself as a rock at the heart of Tottenham’s defence. He was to miss just one of Spurs’ games for the remainder of the season and his leadership on and off the pitch saw him awarded the team captaincy after the loan departure of Keane to Celtic.

It was announced on 27 January 2010 that he had signed a new five year contract with Tottenham Hotspur taking him to 2015. Dawson’s excellent performances throughout the course of the season saw him awarded Tottenham Hotspur’s Player of the Year award. His form that season led to Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez calling him “the best English defender I have played against” due to his strength.

Kyle Walker

Biography

The England Under-19 international joined us from Sheffield United, along with fellow young defender Kyle Naughton, in July 2009.

He was subsequently loaned back to The Blades to gain further first team experience for the 2009/2010 campaign.

Kyle made 28 appearances for the Blades during the first half of the season before being recalled from his loan on February 2, 2010.

He then made his Spurs first team debut in our 2-0 Premier League victory over Portsmouth in March, 2010.

Following his arrival at the Lane, Kyle also won his first cap for England at Under-21 level having previously represented his country at Under-19 level.

Walker progressed through the ranks at Bramall Lane to before making his debut in an FA Cup tie against Leyton Orient in January 2009.

He made seven appearances for Kevin Blackwell’s side all in all during 2008-09, becoming the youngest player ever to represent Sheffield United at Wembley in their play-off final defeat against Burnley in May 2009.

Prior to this, Kyle also featured nine times during a loan spell at League One Northampton Town at the end of 2008.

Kyle Andrew Walker (born 28 May 1990) is an English footballer, who plays for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

Club career

Sheffield United: Walker joined Sheffield United at the age of seven and progressed through the ranks to become a regular fixture in the reserves by 2008.

In November 2008 he was allowed to join League One side Northampton Town for a month’s loan to gain first team experience making his debut on 15 November 2008 in a defeat at the hands of Oldham. His one month loan was later extended into January and he eventually returned to Bramall Lane having played nine games for the Cobblers.

Soon after returning to his parent club Walker made his full debut for Sheffield United on 13 January 2009 starting in a third round F.A. Cup tie against Leyton Orient. With the Blades losing a number of players to injury in the closing weeks of the season Walker was a surprise inclusion in the starting line up for the crucial last two games of the season, he made his full league debut for the club on 25 April 2009 against Swansea City. After two outstanding performances he retained his place as Sheffield United entered the play offs, starting both games against Preston and the final against Burnley at the end of May. By playing in the final, Kyle Walker became the youngest Sheffield United player ever to play at Wembley Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur: In July 2009, Walker left Sheffield United to join Tottenham Hotspur along with fellow defender Kyle Naughton for an undisclosed fee, and was loaned back to the Yorkshire club for the duration of the 2009/2010 season as part of the deal. He was virtually ever present at right back for the first half of the season but was unexpectedly recalled back to Spurs on 1 February 2010, just before the close of the January 2010 transfer window, as cover for Alan Hutton loaned out to Sunderland earlier the same day. Walker made his debut for Tottenham on Sunday 28 March 2010, in a 2–0 victory over Portsmouth, putting in a solid performance.

Sebastien Bassong

Biography

Strong central defender joined us from Newcastle United in August, 2009.

And he could not have made a better start to his Spurs career – scoring the winning goal against Liverpool on his debut in our opening game of the 2009-10 season.

A Cameroon international, Sebastien has been a regular fixture and reliable figure at the heart of our defence his maiden campaign.

With fellow centre-halves Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate injured for the majority of the season, Sebastien’s regular partnership with Michael Dawson at the back has been a solid foundation on which the team has been built.

He eventually made 38 appearances for us in 2009-10 including 25 starts out of 38 in the Premier League. His form earned a call into Cameroon’s World Cup squad.

Sebastien moved the move to England, and previous club Newcastle, in July 2008 from Metz where he made 79 appearances in three seasons.

He played 34 times for the Magpies during his debut campaign in the Premier League, but could not help the North East side avoid relegation from the Championship, before arriving in N17.

Sébastien Aymar Bassong Nguena (born 9 July 1986 in Paris, France) is a French-born Cameroonian football defender who currently plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League and the Cameroon national football team.

Club career

Newcastle United: In July 2008 Bassong was offered a one week trial and made his debut in a pre-season friendly against Doncaster Rovers. On 30 July it was confirmed that Newcastle had agreed a fee of £500,000 with FC Metz for Bassong.

He made his professional debut for Newcastle on 26 August in a Football League Cup game away to Coventry City, before playing his first league game for Newcastle away to Arsenal when he came on as a sub for José Enrique. He received his first red card for the club away to Wigan Athletic on 26 December. Another came on 16 May 2009 as part of 0–1 home defeat to Fulham in the penultimate game of the season. Bassong was named the Newcastle player of the season for the 08–09 season.

Tottenham Hotspur: Following Newcastle’s relegation to the Football League Championship, Bassong expressed his desire to leave the club, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur linked with him. On 6 August 2009, it was confirmed that he had passed a medical at Spurs, who had won the race to sign the 23-year old and that he completed an £8 million move to the North London club that same day. Bassong scored on his debut for Tottenham in a 2–1 victory over Liverpool, heading in the winner from a free kick cross from team-mate Luka Modrić in the 59th minute. As the season progressed, Bassong became a regular starter for Tottenham playing in all of the first 7 games of the Premier League season. At the end of the 2009-10 season, Bassong made a total of 38 appearances, scoring 1 goal in all competitions.

The England Under-21 international full-back joined us from Sheffield United, along with fellow young defender Kyle Walker, in July 2009.

A product of the Academy at Bramall Lane, Naughton got his first taste of professional action during a loan spell at Scottish club Gretna during the 2007-08 season, where he made 19 appearances.

Having impressed north of the border, Kyle finally made his first team debut for hometown club United in a League Cup tie against Port Vale in August 2008.

From there, he never looked back, going on to make 50 appearances and scoring three goals as Kevin Blackwell’s men reached the 2009 Championship play-off final.

His performances earned him a place in the Championship’s PFA Team of the Year for 2008-09, as well as United’s Young Player of the Year award.

The campaign included another career highlight when Kyle made his debut for England Under-21s at Bramall Lane, in a 2-0 friendly win over Czech Republic, since going on to establish himself in Stuart Pearce’s Young Lions squad.

On joining Spurs, Kyle impressed during pre-season before making his Premier League debut as a substitute in our win at West Ham in August 2009.

Days later, he made his full Spurs debut in a Carling Cup second round victory over Doncaster Rovers.

But the youngster made only one more appearance in our colours during 2009/10 before agreeing to join Championship club Boro on loan for the rest of the campaign in January, 2010.

Kyle went on to make 15 appearances in the Championship.

Club career

Sheffield United: Born in Sheffield, England, Naughton is a product of Sheffield United’s centre of excellence and academy, having been there since the age of seven. He attended an England under-15 training camp during the 2004–05 season, and over the years has become a regular in the Academy and reserve teams. He captained his club’s academy side to the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup in the 2006–07 season.

He was signed by Scottish Premier League team Gretna on loan in January 2008, and made his league debut for Gretna against Rangers on 16 January 2008. He played regularly for the rest of the season at the troubled Scottish club who were placed into administration during his tenure there. Despite this Naughton continued for Gretna as the Blades agreed to cover insurance payments needed to allow him to play. Naughton played 19 times for the club but was unable to help them avoid relegation. Naughton made his first team debut for the Blades the following season, coming on as a second half substitute in the first round of the League Cup against Port Vale in August 2008.

In his second substitute appearance for the club he netted the winning goal in a 2–1 League Cup success over Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town.

Naughton made his league debut on 20 September 2008 against Norwich City, he then went on to make his first start for Sheffield United in their 2–1 victory over Watford on 27 September 2008, gaining the man of the match award. From that point he cemented his place in the starting eleven and was virtually ever present for the rest of the season, becoming first choice at right back whilst also making a couple of appearances in midfield and finishing the season playing at left back to cover for the injured Gary Naysmith. His successful season was rewarded when he was voted Young Player of the Year by the United supporters club, was runner up to Matthew Kilgallon in the senior Player of the Year award and was included in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

Tottenham Hotspur: Despite major interest from Everton, Naughton signed for Tottenham Hotspur in July 2009 along with fellow Sheffield United player Kyle Walker. He made his Spurs non-competitive début against FC Barcelona in the 2009 Wembley Cup which ended in a 1–1 draw. He came on as a substitute in the 94 minute in the game against West Ham United, which was the third game in the 2009–10 season to mark his debut in the Premier League.

Naughton signed a 6-month loan deal with Middlesbrough on 1 February 2010. He made his debut in the 1–1 draw against Ipswich Town and impressed Middlesbrough fans with his pace and skills as well as his natural beauty.

William Gallas

Biography

The experienced French defender joined us on a one-year contract in August, 2010.

William arrives in N17 with nearly a decade of Premier League and Champions League experience under his belt having previously plied his trade for Chelsea and Arsenal.

He crossed the North London divide having left the Emirates on the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2009-10 season.

Having captained the club, William made 142 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 17 goals, following his arrival from Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2006.

It was at Chelsea where the now 33-year-old experienced greatest success, winning back-to-back Premier League titles and a League Cup in his five seasons with the Blues.

William originally arrived on these shores in the summer of 2001 having spent four campaigns with Olympique Marseille in his homeland.

He started his professional career at SM Caen, making his debut in the 1995-96 season and subsequently helping the club to the French Second Division Championship by the end of that year.

To date, William has won 84 senior international caps for France, representing Les Bleus at two World Cups and two European Championships, and was also part of the side that won the Confederations Cup in 2003.

He previously earned international honours at Under-21, Under-20 and Under-18 level, and was part of the French side that won the UEFA Under-18 Championships in 1996.

William Gallas (born 17 August 1977) is a French footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

Club career

Chelsea: Then Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri bought Gallas from Marseille in May 2001 for £6.2 million. He chose the number 13 shirt because it was his postcode back when he lived in Marseille (Marseille is in the Bouches du Rhône département of France where all addresses begin with a 13). Under Ranieri, Gallas developed centre-back partnerships with Marcel Desailly and later with John Terry; his partnership with Terry included a run of 16 games without conceding a single goal. He also played at right-back at times. It was with Chelsea and under Ranieri where Gallas obtained his first international cap.

Gallas was part of Chelsea’s team which won back-to-back Premier League titles and a League Cup under Ranieri’s successor José Mourinho. The Blues also made the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League that year, but were knocked out by Liverpool 1–0 in controversial circumstances Gallas cleared the ball after it was adjuged to have crossed the line. Due to a serious injury to left-back Wayne Bridge in 2004–05 Gallas was forced to play out of position. Despite the purchase of Asier del Horno from Athletic Bilbao for £8 million in the 2005 close season, Gallas found himself often playing on the left, a situation he got increasingly frustrated with. However Gallas scored some vital goals as Chelsea retained their title in the 2005-06 in English football season at Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Gallas’s contract with Chelsea was due to expire in May 2007. He refused to sign a new contract with Chelsea on improved terms after saying the club didn’t offer him enough money and expressed a wish to play in Serie A, with Juventus and A.C. Milan both interested. Chelsea however did not agree to a transfer request by the player in May 2006, as they considered Gallas an important first team member.

After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Gallas refused to turn up at Chelsea’s crowded ranks of defenders at Stamford Bridge, so Chelsea signed Dutch international centre back Khalid Boulahrouz, though in his single season at Chelsea, Boulahrouz would play almost exclusively as a fullback.

On 1 September 2006, Gallas transferred to Arsenal as part of a deal that brought Ashley Cole to Chelsea and Arsenal also received the sum of £5 million. The press reported that José Mourinho was furious Gallas had been allowed to move to their rivals and that the Cole-Gallas swap deal had been forced through by Chelsea executive Peter Kenyon. After the transfer, Chelsea issued a statement that Gallas threatened to deliberately score own goals if he was not allowed to leave Chelsea. Gallas rejected Chelsea’s claim and accused the West Londoners of and “hiding behind false accusations.” Claudio Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager who signed Gallas from Marseille, said of the allegations: “I cannot believe these stories. It is absolutely incredible. I signed William and he was always a good professional on the pitch. Of course, I don’t know what has happened in the last two years.” Among the Chelsea faithful, Gallas’s departure turned him almost instantly from a hero into an object of hatred. PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor declared that the whole episode has left a “bad taste in the mouth” and that Chelsea’s statement should be taken “with a large pinch of salt.”

Arsenal

2006–07 Season: Gallas signed a four-year contract with Arsenal, where he took the number 10 shirt vacated by the recently-retired Dennis Bergkamp. In an October 2006 interview with the official team magazine, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger explained his decision to hand him the squad number 10 (traditionally a forward’s number), “Number three was uncomfortable for him and I had given the rest of the numbers out. In the end I thought it might be a good idea to give the number ten to a defender, because a striker would suffer a lot with the comparison with Dennis. At first I was reluctant to give Dennis’s number out, and especially to a defender, but overall I think it’s better that way.”

Gallas made his full debut for the Gunners at left-back in the team’s 1–1 home draw against Middlesbrough on 9 September 2006 and scored his first goal against Sheffield United on 23 September 2006.

2009–10 Season: Despite enduring a below-par season, William Gallas started the 2009–10 campaign in fine form, scoring 3 goals in his first 3 games. He has formed a partnership with Belgian centre back Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal’s only major summer signing, and the pair scored 7 goals between them in their first eight league games. On 22 August, in the first home game of the season, he scored a bizarre goal against Portsmouth; Vermaelen had attempted to score a slide-in from a corner kick but Gallas accidentally flicked the ball onto his face and it bounced into the net.

On 17 February, Gallas started his 100th league game for Arsenal in the 2–0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Gallas suffered an injury hit second half of the season and didn’t play for over two months , he was surprisingly included in the starting line up against FC Barcelona only to get stretchered off before halftime with a recurrence of the injury, It proved to be his last game for Arsenal. After talks over a new contract failed Gallas left the club over the summer as a free agent having made a total of 142 appearences and scoring 17 goals for the club.

On 28 April, Arsene Wenger announced that talks about Gallas’ future will only go until end of May and that if an agreement was not reached by then, he would most likely leave the club. Public statements made by Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood suggested that the club felt that the contractual demands made by Gallas were unreasonable and not made in good faith. It was reported that such demands included an £80,000 a week pay cheque over a two year period.

Tottenham Hotspur

2010–11 Season: On the 20 August 2010 Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp confirmed that William Gallas was set to join the club and described the move as a “no-brainer”. The transfer was confirmed on 22 August, with Gallas signing a one-year contract at White Hart Lane. According to Tottenham’s club historian, Gallas will be the first player to have appeared for Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham (Clive Allen played for Tottenham and Chelsea and had a spell with Arsenal early in his career, but did not make an appearance for them). After training with his new team for the first time, Gallas has stated that he believed that Spurs have the potential to win the Premier League.