For this article I’d like to focus on another defender, Danny Gabbidon.
Still arguably playing at the top of his game despite being cursed with many injuries and, at the age of thirty-four, he has consistently proved that he is an experienced, reliable defender. This article will be concentrating on his history, statistics, the highs and lows of his career, as well as recent performances to give an overall analysis of the popular Welsh centre-half.
Gabbidon is another player to make his way through the English divisions, having played in all of the top four tiers of English football. He began his career as a trainee at West Bromwich Albion in November 1996, before turning professional in the summer of 1998. He was given his debut against Ipswich Town in March 1999, and the following season he went on to make 18 appearances for the Baggies in the First Division, frequently playing at right-back.
However, towards the latter stages of that season Gary Megson was installed as the new manager of West Brom. Megson’s preferred choice of formation was 5-3-2, playing with three centre-backs and two wing-backs. He immediately brought in Des Lyttle on loan from Watford as a right wing-back, which subsequently meant that Gabbidon struggled to keep his place in the team.
Seeking first team football, Gabbidon was sent on loan to Third Division club Cardiff City at the beginning of the 2000/01 season.
After impressing in his first seven appearances for the club, the initial short-term deal for the defender converted into a permanent transfer in September 2000. Gabbidon signed a four-year deal with Cardiff for fee of up to £500,000 depending on appearances.
Gabbidon spent five very successful seasons at Cardiff playing at centre-half, enjoying two promotions and becoming a fan’s favourite. He was a crucial player, making a total of 200 appearances and scoring 10 goals for the Welsh club. His senior international career was kick-started in 2002, where he made his debut for Wales in a goal-less draw at home to Czech Republic. Gabbidon became an important player for his national team, as he helped Wales progress to the 2004 UEFA European Championship play-offs before losing to Russia over two legs.
Whilst playing at Cardiff he was consistently linked with other clubs, especially during the 2003/04 season, where his assured performances led the club chairman, Sam Hamman, to sending out a warning regarding the clubs interested in Gabbidon and Robert Earnshaw during the January 2004 transfer window. He stayed at Cardiff for the remainder of that season, earning him a place in the PFA First Division Team of the Year in April 2004.
Big names such as Michael Carrick, Phil Jagielka, Tim Cahill and, of course Andy Johnson, also were all named in that team.
The 2004/05 season proved to be Gabbidon’s last, as Cardiff suffered financial problems and relegation threats, despite their unbeaten run in January 2005 where Gabbidon was given the Championship Player of the Month award. Even though he signed a lucrative extension his contract in September 2004, Gabbidon’s uncertain future at Cardiff City led him to being sold to West Ham United in the summer of 2005 to help cut the wage bill, along with his close-friend and compatriot, James Collins.
Gabbidon’s first season was arguably his most successful one to date. He managed to continue his good form from Cardiff with West Ham, helping them finish mid-table and an FA cup final. He also won the player of the year award with the Hammers, after establishing a centre-back partnership with Anton Ferdinand. During his time at West Ham, Gabbidon’s international career also continued to improve, where he was awarded the Welsh Footballer of the year in October 2005.
He attained a total of 96 appearances for the Hammers, which in truth could’ve been a lot more had he been fit for all six seasons that he spent with the east London club, despite facing fierce competition with the likes of Collins, Ferdinand and Matthew Upson.
Gabbidon was one the early footballers to use Twitter, and the end of his time with West Ham is largely linked to his outburst on the social media website. In April 2011 after losing to Aston Villa 2-1, Gabbidon posted;
U know what, f*** the lot of you, u will never get another tweet from me again, you just don’t get it do you. Bye bye.
He was charged with improper conduct by the FA and fined a hefty £6,000. Subsequently, he was released by West Ham in the summer of 2011.
After impressing on a trial, the Welsh defender then signed for Neil Warnock’s QPR, making the short trip across London. He was a regular starter under Warnock in the Premier League, but the club’s bad run of form led to Warnock’s sacking as manager in January 2012. As Mark Hughes was installed as his successor, Gabbidon soon fell out of favour, and was released at the end of the season. This is where he arrived at Selhurst Park, as an experienced 33 year-old centre-half, in September 2012 on a free transfer.
It would seem that Dougie Freedman’s initial intended use for Gabbidon would have been a backup player to the first eleven, and to add some experience to the squad; seeing as he didn’t make his debut for the Eagles until December 2012. His first two appearances came as a substitute, and Gabbidon seemed to be second choice to Delaney and Ramage for the best part of the season.
The turning point of his first season with Palace was undeniably the 2-2 draw with Leicester City in April, where he scored his first league goal in eight years. Since that game, he has played in all but two of Palace’s league games, and has firmly established himself as an integral part of the squad.
Many argued prior to Palace’s playoff final match against Watford that the strike partnership of Matej Vydra and Troy Deeney would be superior to the central defensive pairing of Gabbidon and Delaney. However, nobody could fault the Eagles’ back four on that day.
The man of the match award officially went to Wilfried Zaha, but could have easily been given to either of the Eagles’ centre-halves for their fantastic defensive display.
Gabbidon has found himself once again this season to be an important regular starter for the Eagles, notching up 17 appearances at the half-way point of their Premier League campaign. His partnership with Damien Delaney has been the preferred choice for both of Palace’s managers this season, proving their faith in their ability. Under the management of Ian Holloway, the Palace back four were encouraged to play out from the back, playing short-passing football which made dangerous errors very easy to come by.
He is not the most technically gifted player, and was often exposed to playing this free-flowing attacking football. An almost opposite game-plan is employed by Tony Pulis, who is renowned for his structural organisation in the game, making teams hard to beat at any level. This has largely benefitted his game, complimenting his style of play in a number of ways.
Since Holloway’s departure we have seen that Palace’s defensive record has drastically improved, with the team conceding just seven goals in the last nine games, averaging out at 0.78 goals conceded per game. This is a phenomenal record for a team in the bottom half of the division, let alone a team that has spent the majority of the season in the relegation zone.
The fact that Gabbidon has played in every one of these games is not a coincidence.
He is strong at heading the ball, capable of putting in a decent tackle and has the required concentration levels to fit perfectly into a typical Pulis back four as a traditional no-nonsense centre-half. He has the highest rate of blocked shots in the squad at 0.9 per game, and the highest number of clearances per game at 9.8 per game (which is also the fourth highest in the league behind Vidic, Skrtel and Olsson).
The new Crystal Palace takes pride in making sure that every single player in his starting eleven knows their job, and regularly plays a rigid formation that creates a defensive wall that many top Premier League teams struggle to break down. His two man of the match of the match awards this season recognise his good performances at the heart of the Eagles’ defence, and he is one of the few Palace players to have previous significant Premier League experience.
This is imperative to Palace’s relegation battle, as the more inexperienced members of the squad will look to players like Gabbidon for guidance as the season progresses to its pivotal point.