Joe Allen

For other uses, see Joe Allen (disambiguation).

Joe Allen

Allen playing for Wales in 2016
Personal information
Full name Joseph Michael Allen[1]
Date of birth (1990-03-14) 14 March 1990[1]
Place of birth Carmarthen, Wales
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1][2]
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Stoke City
Number 4
Youth career
1997–2000 Tenby
2000–2007 Swansea City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2012 Swansea City 127 (7)
2008 → Wrexham (loan) 2 (1)
2012–2016 Liverpool 91 (4)
2016– Stoke City 13 (4)
National team‡
2005–2006 Wales U17 10 (1)
2006–2007 Wales U19 4 (0)
2007–2011 Wales U21 14 (2)
2009– Wales 34 (2)
2012 Great Britain 5 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:34, 3 December 2016 (UTC).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:25, 12 November 2016 (UTC)

Joseph Michael "Joe" Allen (born 14 March 1990) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Stoke City and the Wales national team.

He began his career at Swansea City, making his debut in January 2007 at the age of 16. Allen played in 150 games across all competitions in six years at the Liberty Stadium, also having a loan at Wrexham. During his time at Swansea, they won two promotions, going from League One to the Premier League. In 2012, he joined Liverpool for £15 million, signed by his former Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers. Allen spent four seasons at Anfield making 132 appearances. In July 2016, he signed for Stoke City for a fee of £13 million.

A full international for Wales since 2009, Allen has earned over 30 caps for his nation, and represented Wales at UEFA Euro 2016, helping the team to reach the semi-finals. He represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics.

Early life

Born in Carmarthen,[1] Allen was raised in the Pembrokeshire town of Narberth, and is a former student of Narberth Primary School and Ysgol y Preseli.[3][4] He is a fluent Welsh speaker.[5] Allen started his career playing in local team Tenby up to the age of 10.[6][7]

Club career

Swansea City

Allen was part of the Swansea City youth set-up from the age of nine. As a first-year scholar in the youth team in the 2006–07 season, he featured as an unused first-team substitute in a 3–0 away win over then Premier League side Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup.[8] Two weeks later, when Allen was just 16, Swansea manager Kenny Jackett gave him his debut in the FAW Premier Cup away tie to local Welsh Premier League side Port Talbot Town. He played the first half of the match, as Swansea lost 2–1 after extra time.[9] Allen made his league debut for Swansea as a 75th-minute substitute for Andy Robinson in a 6–3 home defeat to Blackpool on 7 May, the final day of the League One season, as Swansea missed out on a play-off position under new manager and former team captain Roberto Martínez.[10]

Allen made a first start on 14 August 2007, in a 2–0 home win over Walsall in the first round of the League Cup. He was named man of the match for his performance, which included assisting in the first goal by providing a left-footed chipped cross to Paul Anderson. Two days later, Martínez awarded Allen his first professional contract, to keep him at Swansea until 2010.[11] Allen started in the next round of the tournament at home to Reading, and again received the man of the match award despite a 1–0 loss.[12] He made 14 appearances over the campaign, six in the Swans' victorious capture of the League One title.

Allen playing for Swansea in 2010

The following season, Swansea's first in the Championship, Allen struggled to get into the first team due to competition from midfielders Darren Pratley, Ferrie Bodde, Owain Tudur Jones, Jordi Gómez and Leon Britton. On 7 October 2008, Allen joined Conference National club Wrexham on a one-month loan deal,[13] and scored a goal from 25 yards on his debut for the North Wales side the same day, a 3–1 win over York City at the Racecourse Ground.[14] His loan was curtailed after only one more game, when he damaged ankle ligaments and was sidelined for a month.[15] Allen returned from the injury in December, going back into the Swansea squad at home to Barnsley; regular midfielder Bodde had been ruled out for the remainder of the season as a result of injury.[16] With Swansea 2–0 down and playing terribly, manager Martínez was prompted to bring Allen on from the bench; the team went on to earn a late 2–2 draw and, despite only playing 25 minutes, Allen once more received the man of the match award.[17] On 5 April 2009, Allen came on as a 68th-minute substitute for Mark Gower, and 20 minutes later scored his first goal for Swansea in a South Wales derby 2–2 draw away at Cardiff City.[18] At the end of the season, he signed a new three-year contract until 2012.[19]

After frequently being injured in the 2009–10 season, Allen returned to regular first-team football at the start of the 2010–11 season. A string of impressive performances prompted manager Brendan Rodgers to play Allen in the South Wales derby in November 2010, with Allen receiving the man of the match award in the 1–0 win. He played 40 league matches and scored twice over the Championship campaign, and featured for the full 90 minutes as Swansea won promotion with a 4–2 victory over Reading in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium. However, he scored an own goal in that match.[20]

A few days prior to the beginning of the 2011–12 Premier League, Allen signed a new four-year contract with Swansea until 2015.[21] He played 36 out of 38 top-flight fixtures that season, scoring four goals. On 3 December 2011, he was sent off for two bookings in a 4–2 loss to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.[22]

Liverpool

Allen warming up against Roma in 2014

On 10 August 2012, after passing a medical at Melwood,[23] Allen signed a long-term contract with Liverpool in a deal worth £15 million, following manager Rodgers to Anfield.[24] He made his Premier League debut on 18 August 2012, starting in a 3–0 loss against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.[25] He started Liverpool's next game of the league campaign against Manchester City, where he was voted man of the match on the club's official website by fans and journalists.[26] He went on to win the Liverpool Player of the Month award for August 2012.[27] Allen scored his first goal for Liverpool on 27 January 2013 in a 3–2 defeat to Oldham Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup.[28] He scored his first European goal on 21 February in a 3–1 win over Zenit Saint Petersburg in the UEFA Europa League.[29] On 20 March, it was announced that Allen would be ruled out for the remainder of the 2012–13 season, with him requiring surgery on his left shoulder.[30]

On 5 May 2014, Allen scored his first goal for Liverpool in the 2013–14 Premier League season with a header from a corner to give Liverpool the lead in a 3–3 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.[31] Allen played 26 times for Liverpool in 2013–14 as the side narrowly missed out on the Premier League title.[32] In the 2014–15 season, Allen made 32 appearances as the side finished in 6th position.[33] Allen was praised when he played the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win against Manchester City, where he outplayed City star Yaya Touré.[34] On 13 April 2015, Allen scored the second goal in a 2–0 win over Newcastle United, his first at Anfield.[35]

Before the start of the 2015–16 season, Allen suffered an injury during one of the pre-season matches and was ruled out for a month.[36] On 13 January 2016, he scored a last-minute equalizer in a 3–3 home draw against league leaders Arsenal.[37] Thirteen days later, he scored the winning penalty in a shootout against Stoke City to send Liverpool to the 2016 Football League Cup Final.[38] Allen was an unused substitute for Liverpool as they lost the final on penalties to Manchester City.[39] Allen did play in the 2016 UEFA Europa League Final against Sevilla on 18 May 2016 in Basel where despite taking the lead Liverpool were beaten 3–1.[40] At the end of the season Allen expressed his desire to play regular football.[41]

Stoke City

On 25 July 2016, Allen joined Stoke City on a five-year contract for a reported fee of £13 million.[42] Allen made his Premier League debut for Stoke on 13 August 2016 in a 1–1 draw away at Middlesbrough.[43] Speaking after his move to Stoke, Allen stated that he 'had to move on' from Liverpool in order to get regular playing time.[44] Allen scored his first goal for Stoke on 24 September 2016 in a 1–1 draw against West Bromwich Albion.[45] Allen then scored against Manchester United on 2 October 2016 as Stoke earned their first point at Old Trafford since 1980.[46][47] Allen continued his goal scoring run with both goals in a 2–0 win against Sunderland earning Stoke their first victory of the 2016–17 season.[48][49] In November 2016, Allen was included in the 40-man shortlist for the UEFA Team Of The Year.[50]

International career

Allen with the Wales national team in 2011

Soon after receiving his first professional contract for Swansea City in August 2007, Allen was called up for the Wales under-21 team in a friendly match away to Sweden. He scored the winning goal in a 4–3 victory.[51]

In May 2009, Allen made his debut for the senior Wales team as an 80th-minute substitute for Jack Collison during a friendly against Estonia. Wales, who won 1–0 in Llanelli, were fielding their youngest team ever, with an average age of 21.[52] He made his first start for Wales in a 2–0 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group G match against Switzerland at his club's Liberty Stadium in October 2011.[53] He was awarded the prize for the Wales' Player of the Year for 2012 in October of that year.[54]

Allen captained Wales for the first time in the absence of Ashley Williams through injury on 4 June 2014 against the Netherlands.[55] He played throughout the nation's successful qualification for UEFA Euro 2016. On 13 November 2015, in a 3–2 home loss to the Dutch, he had a penalty saved by Jasper Cillessen, but Joe Ledley scored from the rebound.[56]

At UEFA Euro 2016, Allen set-up Aaron Ramsey's goal in a 3–0 win over Russia on 20 June, which allowed Wales to top their group and advance to the knock-out round of the tournament.[57] Wales were eliminated following a 2–0 defeat to eventual champions Portugal in the semi-final of the tournament on 6 July;[58] Allen was named to the team of the tournament for his performances.[59]

2012 Summer Olympics

Allen chose to be included in Team GB's 2012 Summer Olympics football squad.[60] Allen was one of five Welsh players including captain Ryan Giggs, but a mistake in the official Team GB programme for their first game described Allen as English.[61]

Style of play

Allen is a hard-working, tactically disciplined and tenacious, albeit not overly physical, midfielder, who is capable of aiding his team both creatively and offensively courtesy of his ability to transition the ball from defence to attack effectively after winning back possession. A versatile and gifted player with a low centre of gravity and quick feet, he is capable of playing in several midfield roles. Due to his vision, composure in possession, efficient passing, and ability to dictate the tempo of his team's play in midfield as a playmaker, Allen has been described as the "Welsh Xavi" and as the "Welsh Pirlo" by former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.[62][63][64][65][66][67]

Personal life

Allen is married to Lacey, and they have a son. Inspired by her involvement in animal welfare, he adopts hens to save them when they can no longer lay eggs.[68] Allen's brother, Harry, lost his hearing when he was three-years-old due to meningitis and Joe became ambassador for Action on Hearing Loss Cymru in March 2015.[69] Harry also played football and became captain of the Welsh deaf futsal team.[70]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 3 December 2016
Club statistics
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Swansea City 2006–07[71] League One 100000—0010
2007–08[72] League One 603020—3[lower-alpha 1]0140
2008–09[73] Championship 2312010——261
2009–10[74] Championship 2101000——220
2010–11[75] Championship 4022030—3[lower-alpha 2]0482
2011–12[76] Premier League 3642010——394
Total 127710070—601507
Wrexham (loan) 2008–09[73] Conference Premier 2100——0021
Liverpool 2012–13[77] Premier League 27021107[lower-alpha 3]1—372
2013–14[78] Premier League 2411010——261
2014–15[33] Premier League 21150006[lower-alpha 4]0—321
2015–16[79] Premier League 192215011[lower-alpha 3]0—373
Total 91410270241—1327
Stoke City 2016–17[80] Premier League 1340020——154
Career total 233162021602416029919
  1. ↑ Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. ↑ Appearances in Championship play-offs
  3. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 12 November 2016[81][82]
International statistics
National teamYearAppsGoals
Wales 200920
201140
201260
201330
201440
201540
2016112
Total342

International goals

As of match played 6 October 2016. Wales score listed first, score column indicates score after each Allen goal.[81]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 5 September 2016Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales32 Moldova2–04–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 6 October 2016Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria33 Austria1–02–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  2. ↑ "Premier League Player Profile Joe Allen". Premier League. Barclays Premier League. 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Footballer Joe returns to his roots". Tenby Today. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Positive Premiership start for former Preseli lad Joe". Fishguard Today. 6 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "Last two games like cup finals". BBC Wales. 22 April 2010.
  6. ↑ "Joe Allen, superstar of Wales". Tenby Museum. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  7. ↑ Shaw, Chris (24 January 2013). "'I always tried to watch Zidane'". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  8. ↑ "Sheff Utd 0–3 Swansea". BBC Sport. 6 January 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  9. ↑ "Port Talbot 2–1 Swansea (aet)". BBC Sport. 15 January 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  10. ↑ "Swansea 3–6 Blackpool". BBC Sport. 5 May 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  11. ↑ "Swans reward Allen with new deal". BBC Sport. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  12. ↑ "Swansea City's teenage star Joe Allen tipped for top by Ferrie Bodde". Western Mail. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  13. ↑ "Swan Allen joins Wrexham on loan". BBC Sport. 7 October 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  14. ↑ "Wrexham 3–1 York". BBC Sport. 7 October 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  15. ↑ "Joe likely to be out for several weeks". Wrexham F.C. 22 October 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  16. ↑ "Allen is premier quality – Bodde". BBC Sport. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  17. ↑ "Swansea 2–2 Barnsley". BBC Sport. 9 December 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  18. ↑ "Cardiff 2–2 Swansea". BBC Sport. 5 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  19. ↑ "Allen signs new Swansea contract". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  20. ↑ Fletcher, Paul (30 May 2011). "Reading 2 - 4 Swansea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  21. ↑ "Joe Allen spurred by new Swansea City contract". BBC Sport. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  22. ↑ Magowan, Alistair (4 December 2011). "Blackburn 4-2 Swansea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  23. ↑ "Allen completes Liverpool move". Liverpool F.C. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  24. ↑ "Joe Allen signs for Liverpool FC – LFC News – Liverpool FC". Anfield Online. 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  25. ↑ "Baggies condemn Reds to nightmare start". ESPN Soccernet. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  26. ↑ "Joe gets your vote". Liverpool F.C. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  27. ↑ "Joe Allen named Liverpool 'Player of the Month'". Western Telegraph. Haverfordwest. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  28. ↑ "Oldham 3-2 Liverpool" BBC Sport. 27 January 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  29. ↑ "Liverpool 3-1 Zenit St Petersburg". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  30. ↑ "Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen ruled out for remainder of season". BBC Sport. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  31. ↑ "Crystal Palace 3-3 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  32. ↑ "Liverpool: Premier League near-miss offers hope for the future". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  33. 1 2 "Games played by Joe Allen in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  34. ↑ "Liverpool 2–1 Manchester City". BBC Sport. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  35. ↑ "Liverpool 2–0 Newcastle". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  36. ↑ "Joe Allen set to miss Wales qualifier with injury". BBC Sport. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  37. ↑ "Joe Allen rescues late point for Liverpool in thriller". The Irish Times. 13 January 2016.
  38. ↑ Bell, Tom (26 January 2016) Jurgen Klopp hails Liverpool's shootout winner Joe Allen espnfc.com. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  39. ↑ "Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  40. ↑ "Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla". UEFA. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  41. ↑ "Wales midfielder Joe Allen wants Liverpool future resolved". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  42. ↑ "Potters Pounce For Allen". Stoke City. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  43. ↑ "Middlesbrough 1-1 Stoke". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  44. ↑ "Joe Allen: Stoke City's Wales midfielder 'had to move on' from Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  45. ↑ "Stoke 1-1 West Brom". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  46. ↑ "Man United 1-1 Stoke". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  47. ↑ "Man Utd 1 Stoke 1: Joe Allen – I thought I'd blown it by missing second half chance". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  48. ↑ "Stoke 2-0 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  49. ↑ "Bruno Martins-Indi and Geoff Cameron lead praise for Joe Allen". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  50. ↑ "Joe Allen included alongside Lionel Messi in UEFA's 40-man Team of the Year nominations". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  51. ↑ "Sweden U21 3–4 Wales U21". BBC Sport. 21 August 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  52. ↑ "Wales 1–0 Estonia". BBC Sport. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  53. ↑ "Cardiff boos didn't affect me at all, says patriotic Allen". South Wales Evening Post. 16 November 2009.
  54. ↑ "Allen nets Welsh crown". Liverpool F.C. 9 October 2012.
  55. ↑ "Liverpool's Joe Allen to captain Wales against Netherlands". BBC Sport. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  56. ↑ Pritchard, Dafydd (13 November 2015). "Wales 2-3 Netherlands". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  57. ↑ Stuart James (23 June 2016). "Wales' unsung hero Joe Allen earns high praise from team-mates at Euro 2016". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  58. ↑ "Euro 2016: Gareth Bale & Joe Allen react to Wales's semi-final defeat". BBC. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  59. 1 2 "UEFA EURO 2016 Team of the Tournament revealed". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  60. ↑ "Five Welshmen named in Team GB football squad for London 2012 Olympics". Wales online. 2 July 2011.
  61. ↑ "London 2012: Wales' Joe Allen listed as English by Team GB". BBC Sport. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  62. ↑ Callum Davis (5 January 2016). "Joe Allen hailed as the new Andrea Pirlo after 'genius' no-look assist". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  63. ↑ Glen Wilson (1 June 2016). "Wales give Joe Ledley Euro 2016 chance; Gareth Bale is the main star". ESPN FC. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  64. ↑ Andy Hunter (9 October 2012). "Alan Shearer's Joe Allen analysis misses point, says Brendan Rodgers". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  65. ↑ David Usher (17 April 2016). "Liverpool beat Bournemouth 2-1 as Joe Allen runs the show in Reds' midfield". ESPN FC. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  66. ↑ Toby Davis (5 July 2016). "Allen making a name for himself as a Wales hero". Reuters. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  67. ↑ Phil Reade (10 August 2012). "Joe Allen in profile". liverpoolfc.com. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  68. ↑ Smith, Phil (22 March 2016). "Wales and Liverpool FC star Joe Allen opens up on his other passion.... saving hens!". Wales Online. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  69. ↑ "Liverpool FC and Wales football star Joe Allen: 'Me and my deaf brother Harry - and why I'm becoming a charity ambassador'". Wales Online. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  70. ↑ "England Take The Spoils In Inaugural Deaf Futsal International Against Wales". SLFirst. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  71. ↑ "Games played by Joe Allen in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  72. ↑ "Games played by Joe Allen in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  73. 1 2 "Games played by Joe Allen in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  74. ↑ "Games played by Joe Allen in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  75. ↑ "Games played by Joe Allen in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  76. ↑ "Games played by Joe Allen in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  77. ↑ "Games played by Joe Allen in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  78. ↑ "Games played by Joe Allen in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  79. ↑ "Games played by Joe Allen in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  80. ↑ "Games played by Joe Allen in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  81. 1 2 "Joe Allen". National Football Teams. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  82. ↑ "Joe Allen". EU-Football. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  83. ↑ "Allen named Wales' player of the year". UEFA. Retrieved 8 September 2016.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joe Allen.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.