Alan Lee (footballer)

Alan Lee

Lee playing for Ipswich Town in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Alan Desmond Lee [1]
Date of birth	(1978-08-21) 21 August 1978 (age 45) [2]
Place of birth	Galway, Ireland [2]
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [3]
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1994–1995	Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1999	Aston Villa	0	(0)
1998–1999	→ Torquay United (loan)	7	(2)
1999	→ Port Vale (loan)	11	(2)
1999–2000	Burnley	15	(0)
2000–2003	Rotherham United	111	(37)
2003–2006	Cardiff City	86	(10)
2006–2008	Ipswich Town	103	(31)
2008–2010	Crystal Palace	61	(10)
2009	→ Norwich City (loan)	7	(2)
2010–2013	Huddersfield Town	80	(9)
2013–2014	Ipswich Town	0	(0)
Total		481	(102)
International career
1997–1998	Republic of Ireland U21	5	(0)
2003–2006	Republic of Ireland	10	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alan Desmond Lee (born 21 August 1978) is an Irish former footballer who played as a striker. He scored 119 goals in 547 appearances in a 19-year professional career in the Football League, and won 10 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

He started his career with Aston Villa, also playing on loan at Torquay United and Port Vale. Following a season with Burnley, he signed with Rotherham United in 2000. He is considered something of a cult hero at the club, ^[4] after helping the "Millers" to win promotion out of the Second Division in 2000–01. He was then bought by Cardiff City, and made almost 100 appearances for the Welsh side between 2003 and 2006. Then purchased by Ipswich Town, he made over 100 appearances for the club before earning a big money move to Crystal Palace. After returning from a loan spell at Norwich City, he wrote himself into the club's folklore by scoring in the final game of the 2009–10 season against Sheffield Wednesday, saving the Eagles from relegation and ultimately administration. Following these heroics he moved on to Huddersfield Town, and helped the "Terriers" to win promotion out of League One in 2012. He announced his retirement in 2014, having spent his final season as a player-coach at Ipswich Town.

Club career

Aston Villa

Born in Galway, County Galway, Ireland, Lee began his career as a trainee with Aston Villa, before turning professional in August 1995. ^[5] However, he never made his first-team debut at Villa Park. He joined Torquay United on loan on 27 November 1998, and made his debut the following day in the Third Division in a 3–1 defeat to Barnet at Underhill; he replaced Tony Bedeau as a substitute at half-time. He made his full debut at Plainmoor on 12 December, in a 2–0 win over Hull City. He scored his first league goal on boxing day, which secured a 1–1 draw with Exeter City at St James Park. He also scored against Southend United and Fulham to take his tally for Wes Saunders's "Gulls" up to three goals in nine appearances.

On 2 March 1999, he joined Brian Horton's Port Vale on a two-month loan. ^[2] Making 11 appearances, he scored in draws with Bradford City and Tranmere Rovers, helping the "Valiants" to avoid relegation out of the First Division on goal difference.

Burnley

He left Villa in July 1999 when Burnley manager Stan Ternent signed him for a £150,000 fee. ^[2] He scored once for Burnley; in a 2–1 Football League Trophy defeat at Wigan Athletic. ^[6] He played 15 league games as the "Clarets" won promotion out of the Second Division as runners-up in 1999–2000. Though a successful season for the club, Lee never had an extended first-team run at Turf Moor, and only had two league starts as Andy Payton and Andy Cooke formed an effective partnership up front.

Rotherham United

Lee moved to Rotherham United for £150,000 in November 2000 after a short loan spell. In his first season at the club, 2000–01, he scored 15 goals in 35 games as Ronnie Moore's "Millers" won promotion out of the Second Division as runners-up. Lee scored the late winner against Brentford which sealed promotion. ^[7] He remained a key fixture at Millmoor in the First Division, scoring ten goals in 41 games in 2001–02, and finding the net 16 times in 44 appearances in 2002–03.

Cardiff City

He was sold to Cardiff City in August 2003 for a fee of £850,000, just days after impressing Cardiff manager Lennie Lawrence in a goalless draw on the opening day of the season. Rotherham's manager Ronnie Moore prophesied that "Alan Lee can and will do better than Cardiff". ^[8] However, Lee found himself struggling with injuries at Ninian Park and largely out of first-team contention. ^[9] He scored three goals in only 24 games in 2003–04, though he managed seven goals in 43 appearances in 2004–05. However, he was restricted to just two goals in 25 Championship games in 2005–06.

Ipswich Town

In January 2006 joined Ipswich Town for £100,000. ^[10] He scored his second career hat-trick in a 5–0 win against Luton Town on 29 October 2006. He ended the 2006–07 campaign with 17 goals in 44 games, including a header that relegated Leeds United on the last day of that season. ^[11] He penned a new deal with the club in August 2007. ^[12] In January 2008 there was speculation of a move back to Burnley for £900,000 but the Ipswich chairman ^[13] and Lee himself denied these rumours. He completed his season with a tally of 12 goals, including the winner in Ipswich's 1–0 win against Hull City on the final day of the season.

Crystal Palace

On 30 August 2008, Lee moved again, leaving Ipswich for Crystal Palace for a fee of around £640,000. ^[14] He signed a three-year contract with the club, saying that "I jumped at the chance to go an play for Neil Warnock". ^{[15] [16]} In March 2009, he moved out on loan to Norwich City, ^[17] his spell lasting for the rest of the season. ^[18] Norwich went close to signing Lee permanently six years previously, but lost out to Cardiff. ^[19] His performances at Norwich earned him public praise from captain Gary Doherty. ^[20] In the summer he came close to a move to Barnsley, but the two clubs could not reach a deal. ^[21]

After returning to Selhurst Park, Lee became a fan's favourite and a cult hero due to the tremendous effort he displayed throughout his second season at Palace, culminating in him scoring a bullet header in Palace's 2–2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on the last day of the season, saving Palace from relegation. However, he fell down the pecking order following the arrivals of Pablo Counago and Jon Obika. ^[22]

Huddersfield Town

In August 2010, Lee transferred to Huddersfield Town for an undisclosed fee, which was later reported to be £350,000. ^{[23] [24]} He made his debut for the Terriers in a 3–1 win over Charlton Athletic at the Galpharm Stadium on 28 August 2010. He quickly established a reputation cult hero with the Huddersfield supporters. ^[25] On 30 October he was sent off in a league match against Walsall at the Galpharm, where Town won 1–0. On 30 January 2011, he scored his first goal for Huddersfield in an FA Cup Fourth Round 2–1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. He added to his tally with a brace against Carlisle United in the Football League Trophy, though he remained goalless throughout 28 league games. He was a late substitute in the club's play-off final defeat to Peterborough United at Old Trafford. ^[26]

Lee scored his first league goals for the "Terriers" during a 3–0 win over Wycombe Wanderers on 27 August 2011. The first goal came from his first touch of the game 40 seconds after making it onto the pitch as a second-half substitute, before he finished the game with a brace. ^[27] He finished the 2011–12 campaign with seven goals in 38 games, and was an extra time substitute in the play-off final victory over Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium, though missed his penalty in the shoot-out. ^[28]

Lee scored his first goal of the 2012–13 season in a 3–2 home defeat by Watford, after replacing newly signed emergency loanee Jermaine Beckford. ^[29] After a 1–0 win over Barnsley at Oakwell on 10 November, Lee said that "[the fans] are so supportive of me it just melts my heart." ^[30] At the end of the season, it was announced that he was to be released along with Scott Arfield and Tom Clarke.

Return to Ipswich Town

Lee returned to Ipswich Town in July 2013 as part of the club's academy staff, and later began training with the first-team after Mick McCarthy considered handing him a first-team contract. ^[31] He re-signed as a player on non-contract terms on 30 August, allowing him to play in the club's first-team whilst retaining his academy coaching position. ^[32] He made an appearance in the FA Cup, coming on as a late substitute in a 3–2 defeat to Preston North End on 14 January. ^[33] He remained registered as a player for the 2014–15 season in the event that his services as a player would be required due to an injury crisis. ^[34] He was forced to retire due to injury in July 2014, having undergone knee surgery over the summer. ^[35]

International career

Lee represented the Republic of Ireland at various international levels, and earned five caps for the Irish under-21 side. ^[2] However, many feel he was overlooked by the national team during his time at Rotherham when he scored 37 league goals over three seasons. ^[36] He was though utilised for his country whilst with Cardiff making ten appearances for the Republic of Ireland between 2003 and 2006. ^[37]

Coaching career

In July 2013, Lee began coaching at Ipswich Town's academy. ^[38] In May 2018, he also began working as the head of Culford School's new football programme. ^[39] By the end of the year he had left his role at Ipswich Town to coach at Bury Town. ^[40]

Style of play

The Rotherham United website stated that Lee was a "strong and very quick striker... with no mean skill." ^[41] He said that he preferred playing as a lone striker, though was comfortable with any kind of partner. ^[16]

Career statistics

Club

Season	Club	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Aston Villa	1995–96 [42]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	1996–97 [43]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	1997–98 [44]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	1998–99 [45]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Torquay United (loan)	1998–99 [45]	Third Division	7	2	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	1	9	3
Port Vale (loan)	1998–99 [45]	First Division	11	2	0	0	0	0	—		11	2
Burnley	1999–2000 [46]	Second Division	15	0	2	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	1	20	1
Rotherham United	2000–01 [47]	Second Division	31	13	3	1	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	1	35	15
	2001–02 [48]	First Division	38	9	1	0	2	1	—		41	10
	2002–03 [49]	First Division	41	15	1	0	2	1	—		44	16
	2003–04 [50]	First Division	1	0	0	0	1	0	—		2	0
	Total		111	37	5	1	5	2	1	1	122	41
Cardiff City	2003–04 [50]	First Division	23	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	24	3
	2004–05 [51]	Championship	38	5	2	1	3	1	0	0	43	7
	2005–06 [52]	Championship	25	2	1	0	3	0	0	0	29	2
	Total		86	10	4	1	6	1	0	0	96	12
Ipswich Town	2005–06 [52]	Championship	14	4	0	0	0	0	—		14	4
	2006–07 [53]	Championship	41	16	3	1	0	0	—		44	17
	2007–08 [54]	Championship	45	11	1	0	1	1	—		47	12
	2008–09 [55]	Championship	3	0	0	0	1	1	—		4	1
	Total		103	31	4	1	2	2	0	0	109	34
Crystal Palace	2008–09 [55]	Championship	16	3	3	0	0	0	—		19	3
	2009–10 [56]	Championship	42	6	5	1	1	0	—		48	7
	2010–11 [57]	Championship	3	1	0	0	1	1	—		4	2
	Total		61	10	8	1	2	1	0	0	71	12
Norwich City (loan)	2008–09 [55]	Championship	7	2	0	0	0	0	—		7	2
Huddersfield Town	2010–11 [57]	League One	28	0	4	1	0	0	6 [lower-alpha 2]	2	38	3
	2011–12 [58]	League One	31	7	1	0	2	0	4 [lower-alpha 3]	0	38	7
	2012–13 [59]	Championship	21	1	3	0	1	0	—		25	2
	Total		80	8	8	1	3	0	10	2	101	12
Ipswich Town	2013–14 [60]	Championship	0	0	1	0	0	0	—		1	0
Career total			481	102	32	5	20	6	14	5	547	119

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
2. Four appearances and two goals in Football League Trophy, two appearances in Football League One play-offs
3. Two appearances in Football League Trophy, two appearances in Football League One play-offs

International

Source: ^[61]

Republic of Ireland national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2003	2	0
2004	6	0
2006	2	0
Total	10	0

Honours

Burnley

• Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1999–2000

Rotherham United

• Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 2000–01

Huddersfield Town

• Football League One play-offs: 2012

References

1. Hugman, Barry J. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 364. ISBN   1-85291-665-6.
2. "Aston Villa Player Database". www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
3. "Alan Lee profile". cpfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
4. "Rotherham's cult heroes". Football Focus . 16 September 2004. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
5. "Aston Villa Player Database". astonvillaplayerdatabase.com. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
6. "Teenager's golden moment sinks Clarets". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 7 December 1999. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
7. "Rotherham 2-1 Brentford". BBC. 27 April 2001. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
8. "Lee hawks wares to Bluebirds". BBC Sport. 10 August 2003. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
9. "Lee urged to take Cardiff chance". BBC Sport. 19 September 2005. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
10. "Ipswich sign Cardiff striker Lee". BBC Sport. 10 January 2006. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
11. "Leeds 1-1 Ipswich". BBC Sport . 28 April 2007. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
12. "Striker Lee pens new Ipswich deal". BBC Sport. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
13. "Ipswich to get Quinn as Lee stays". BBC Sport. 21 January 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
14. "Palace land Ipswich frontman Lee". BBC Sport. 30 August 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
15. "Eagles snap up Lee". Holmesdale Online. 30 August 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
16. "Lee to fire up Palace". Holmesdale Online. 8 September 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
17. "Norwich sign Palace's Lee on loan". BBC Sport. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
18. "Lee leaves for Canaries". Holmesdale Online. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
19. "Norwich keen on Lee". BBC Sport. 5 August 2003. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
20. "Doherty hails 'hard working' Lee". BBC Sport. 14 April 2009. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
21. "Warnock hails scorer Lee". Holmesdale Online. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
22. "Lee departs for Huddersfield". Holmesdale Online. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
23. "Terriers tie up Lee deal". Sky Sports. 25 August 2010. Archived from the original on 27 August 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
24. "Alan Lee". Holmesdale Online. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
25. "Huddersfield Town v Leyton Orient Match Report". htafc.net. 24 September 2011. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
26. Begley, Emlyn (29 May 2011). "Huddersfield 0 - 3 Peterborough". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
27. "Huddersfield 3 - 0 Wycombe". BBC Sport. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
28. Begley, Emlyn (26 May 2012). "Huddersfield have been promoted after Sheffield United keeper Steve Simonsen missed the decisive penalty in an epic League One play-off final shoot-out". BBC Sport . Retrieved 28 May 2012.
29. "Huddersfield 2 - 3 Watford". BBC Sport . 29 September 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
30. "Huddersfield Town fans melt my heart: Alan Lee". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
31. "Alan Lee Joins Academy Staff". twtd.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
32. Brammar, Chris (29 August 2013). "Alan Lee signs for Ipswich Town on non-contract terms". East Anglian Daily Times . Retrieved 30 August 2013.
33. "Preston 3 - 2 Ipswich". BBC Sport . 14 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
34. "Lee Will Be Registered for New Season". twtd.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
35. "Striker Lee Retires". twtd.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
36. "Moore backs Lee". BBC Sport. 19 November 2002. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
37. "Reid and Carsley back for Irish". BBC Sport. 28 August 2003. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
38. "Alan Lee Joins Academy Staff". twtd.co.uk. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
39. Bacon, Mike (29 May 2018). "ITFC Academy coach Alan Lee looking forward to Culford challenge". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
40. Bacon, Mike (19 December 2018). "'It's a perfect fit', says former Ipswich Town striker Alan Lee, as he links up with Bury Town". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
41. "Past Players". themillers.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 August 2000. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
42. "Games played by Alan Lee in 1995/1996". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
43. "Games played by Alan Lee in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
44. "Games played by Alan Lee in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
45. "Games played by Alan Lee in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
46. "Games played by Alan Lee in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
47. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
48. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
49. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
50. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
51. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
52. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
53. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
54. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
55. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
56. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
57. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
58. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
59. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
60. "Games played by Alan Lee in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
61. "Alan Lee". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 July 2016.

External links

• Alan Lee at Soccerbase