Wes Brown
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[edit] BiographyA former student at the FA School of Excellence at Lilleshall, Wes Brown also played for Manchester and Greater Manchester youth sides as a schoolboy. A local lad from Longsight, Manchester, he signed as a trainee on leaving school in July 1996 and became a professional just four months later on 4th November 1996. In his first full season at Old Trafford, Brown picked up a Lancashire FA Youth Cup winners' medal and a Lancashire League Division One medal together with the Denzil Haroun Young Player of the Year award. Performances throughout the season earned him a place on the substitutes' bench against Leeds United on 4th May 1998. Brown appeared in the starting line-up for the first time the following week as United defeated Barnsley 2-0. His performances in the 1998-99 season caught the eye as an accomplished central defender for someone so young. Brown gained a regular first team place deputising for the injured Denis Irwin at full-back. Quick and able to surge forward down the wing, Wes was very impressive all-round. An international at Under-18 and Under-21 level, Brown received his first senior cap under Kevin Keegan, playing against Hungary in Budapest. Wes' first team opportunities became rarer towards the end of the season, but he had played his part in the club's Treble success. The defender had set his sights on making an impact on the team again in the 1999/2000 season, but a accidental fall on the training ground inflicted him with the dreaded cruciate knee injury. His season was over before it even began. He was raring to go for the 2000-2001 season however. Playing mainly in the heart of defence with Jaap Stam, Brown had many impressive performances throughout the season as United boasted the best defensive record of any Premiership team. He gained the praise of many plaudits for his composure and technical excellence while the absence of Ronny Johnsen gave Brown his chance to make over 50 appearances. Brown broke into the England squad and it appeared likely he would be a regular in the national team. While a couple of own-goals were the blight on a great season, Wes showed the potential to become a world class player. The first months of 2001-2002 were not the best for Brown though, United had constant defensive problems and in December he suffered a medial ligaments injury setback. He returned at the end of April for the season's finish and was able to impress Sven Goran Eriksson enough to win a place in the World Cup Squad for Japan/Korea. The following season got off to a bad start with a broken ankle that kept him out until October. Sir Alex had always envisioned Wes playing alongside Rio Ferdinand and this became the established central pairing for the second half of the season - a period in which United went unbeaten in the League. A high point was the big defender scoring his ever first goal for United at home to Juventus, however the season ended the way it began with injury hell. Wes again injured the cruciate ligament in his knee in the final game of the season, as the Reds celebrated their Premiership title victory at Everton. He did not return until the first game of 2004 at Aston Villa in the FA Cup 3rd Round. Unfortunately instead of a gradual return to first team action, Rio Ferdinand's suspension meant that Ferguson had to throw Brown into the heat of the action right away. The young defender suffered as he was still finding full match sharpness. He bore the brunt of the criticism for United's defensive problems that plagued the team in the early months of the year. Yet, eventually Wes found his good form of old and put in two colossal performances against Arsenal in the Premiership and FA Cup semi-final. Brown went on to win his second FA Cup winners medal as United beat Millawall 3-0 in the Cardiff final. He continued improving in the following two seasons and was largely free of serious injury, playing throughout the campaigns. An achilles and thigh injury in September 2005 hindered his start but by November he was a starting regular. Last season Sir Alex favoured Brown and Ferdinand in the centre of defence but competition for defensive duties was high with the likes of Heinze, O'Shea, Vidic, Evra and Gary Neville all capable of fulfilling the role. Vidic and Ferdinand became Ferguson's 1st choice central duo, switching Brown to right back. When either Vidic or Ferdinand was missing, Brown reverted to his centre back role. He made 31 starts with 5 as substitute and was especially important during the injury crisis that hit United's defenders in March and April. It seems after two seasons that Wes has put his serious injury woes behind him and will be an important part of the Manchester United team in the years to come if he stays. [edit] StatisticsAppearances with United 1998-2007 League 141 (21) FA Cup 25 (2) League Cup 16 (1) Europe 41 (6) Total 223 (30) ()=substitute appearances Goals Scored with United 1998-2007 League 1 League Cup 0 FA Cup 0 Europe 1 Total 2 [edit] HonorsHonours with United 1999 F.A. Premier League - Winner 1999 F.A. Cup - Winner 1999 European Champions League - Winner 2001 F.A. Premier League - Winner 2003 F.A. Premier League - Winner 2004 F.A. Cup - Winner 2006 League Cup - Winner 2007 F.A. Premier League - Winner
==References== [edit] Related Articles[edit] Recent Wes Brown ArmchairGM Stories |
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