Collins John

Collins John (born 17 October 1985 in Zwedru) is a Liberian-born Dutch footballer who last played as a forward for Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

Collins John
John with Riverhounds, 2014
Personal information
Full name Collins John
Date of birth (1985-10-17) 17 October 1985
Place of birth Zwedru, Liberia
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position(s) Striker
Youth career
–2002 DES Nijverdal
2002–2004 Twente
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2004 Twente 35 (11)
2004–2009 Fulham 95 (20)
2007–2008 → Leicester City (loan) 11 (2)
2008 → Watford (loan) 5 (0)
2008–2009 → N.E.C. (loan) 5 (0)
2009–2010 Roeselare 11 (0)
2010 Chicago Fire 17 (3)
2011 Gabala 3 (0)
2011–2012 Mes Sarcheshmeh 4 (0)
2012–2013 Barnet 1 (0)
2013 Piast Gliwice 2 (0)
2013 → Piast II Gliwice (loan) 3 (1)
2014 Pittsburgh Riverhounds 13 (4)
Total 205 (41)
National team‡
2001 Netherlands U16 2 (1)
2004–2006 Netherlands U21 9 (4)
2004 Netherlands 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 June 2014
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 June 2014

John notably played in the Premier League for Fulham where he notched up 23 goals in 111 appearances, in all competitions, in a five-year stay at Craven Cottage. He also played in the English football league for Leicester City, Watford, and Barnet, in the Eredivisie for FC Twente and NEC Nijmegen, in Belgium for K.S.V. Roeselare, the United States for Chicago Fire, Azerbaijan for Gabala FC and in Iran for Mes Sarcheshmeh F.C..

Career

Club

John started his professional career at Dutch first division side FC Twente as a 17-year-old, going on to score 11 league goals during one-and-a-half seasons combined. He was signed by Fulham on 31 January 2004, cited by manager Chris Coleman as a way to expand attacking options in the future.[1] He signed for a fee thought to be in the region of £600,000 where he was introduced at Loftus Road by John Collins, his reverse namesake. His debut for the club came as a substitute for Mark Pembridge against Chelsea in a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge on 20 March.[2]

Following an auspicious start, John scored 11 league goals in 2005–06, despite only starting 15 of the 37 in which he appeared. With a further two goals in other competitions, he was Fulham's top goalscorer that season. A goal against Middlesbrough on 20 November 2005, a volley from his weaker foot, was later to be named "Goal of the Month" by the BBC, and was in the running for "Goal of the Season".[3][4]

John started six of the first seven Premiership games of 2006–07, but then lost his place and started only three more times in 2006. Coming on as a second-half substitute, and having had two goals disallowed earlier in the match, he scored his twentieth league goal at Manchester City, in November 2006.

John signed for Leicester City on 23 October 2007 on a three-month loan deal.[5] He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Sheffield United a few hours later,[6] and scored his first league goal in a 2–0 win over Barnsley on 27 October.[7]

John scored his last goal against Colchester United six days later, in a 1–1 away draw.[8] He returned to Fulham after making a total of eleven league appearances for Leicester.

On 25 January 2008, John joined Watford on a loan deal until the end of the 2007–08 season, with the option of a permanent move after that. He struggled with his fitness during his time at the club, making only three starts and two substitute appearances. In April 2008 he returned to Fulham after tearing a thigh muscle.

On the 2008 transfer deadline day, John moved to NEC Nijmegen on a one-year loan deal, with the Dutch side also obtaining a transfer option.[9] In Nijmegen John suffered with continual problems. Although he was important as a substitute in two UEFA Cup matches, he failed to make an impression in the Dutch league. In January 2009 he went on trial at Charlton Athletic but wasn't offered a contract. Back in Nijmegen he was suspended to the reserve squad by manager Mario Been. On 3 March John returned to Fulham after both NEC and John didn't see any reason for continuing the loan. In March, John requested to train with Dutch side Heracles Almelo, alongside his brother Paddy, till the end of the 2008—09 season. The request was denied because John had no intention to play for Heracles in the next season.

He chose to sign for Belgian Pro League side Roeselare signing a 2-year contract.[10] On 3 December, John was suspended and demoted to the reserve squad for disciplinary reasons by manager Dennis van Wijk. On 14 December Roeselare terminated John's contract.[11]

John joined Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire during their pre-season training camp on 29 January 2010 with a view to signing before the start of the 2010 MLS season.[12] On 11 March 2010, Chicago Fire hired him on a free transfer.[13] After a disappointing season in MLS, John was released by Chicago on 24 November 2010.[14]

John joined Gabala FC in Azerbaijan on 25 January 2011.[15] After failing to revive his career in Azerbaijan, John handed in a transfer request. John went on trial with Nottingham Forest and flew to Portugal with them for a pre-season break.

He signed a one-year contract with Iran Pro League side Mes Sarcheshmeh on 20 December 2011.[16] In the summer of 2012, John agreed to sign for Gençlik Gücü S.K. in Northern Cyprus, but the transfer fell through. On 22 September 2012, John joined League Two side Barnet. [17] On 12 October 2012 John was joined at the club by fellow former Dutch international Edgar Davids. John made his debut against Plymouth Argyle, but was substituted after just 15 minutes due to a thigh injury.[18] He also played in the FA Cup against Oxford United,[19] but he was to make only two appearances for the club, and after a string of injuries, had his contract terminated by mutual consent in January 2013.[20]

On 25 June 2013 John joined Eredivisie side Go Ahead Eagles on trial.[21] After failing to win a contract with Go Ahead Eagles, John held talks with Polish Ekstraklasa side Piast Gliwice,[22] and later claimed on Twitter that he had signed a two-year deal,[23] but in fact was only training with the club until he had proven his fitness. He eventually made his debut in the Ekstraklasa on 1 September against Śląsk Wrocław as an 82nd-minute substitute.

In March 2014 it was announced the John had signed for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL Pro, the third division of the United States soccer pyramid.[24] John debuted for the club in their second matchday of the season against the Richmond Kickers on 5 April 2014. After coming on as a 65th-minute substitute for Jason Johnson,[25] John scored his first goal for the club in his debut, the Riverhounds' only goal in the 1-3 defeat.[26] In the Riverhounds' next match, John scored again during his first game at Highmark Stadium against Wilmington Hammerheads FC, for a total of two goals in two matches.[27] Following that match, John was suspended for three matches for "violent conduct".[28] After making thirteen appearances and scoring four goals for the Riverhounds, John and the club mutually terminated the player's contract in July 2014, citing John's desire to return his family to Europe.[29]

John joined Crawley Town on trial in July 2014, scoring in a friendly against Brighton & Hove Albion.[30]

International

John was part of the Netherlands under-21 squad that conquered the 2006 European Championship in Portugal.[31]

Previously, he had already made his main team debuts, appearing in a 2–2 friendly match against Sweden, on 18 August 2004. He then made his second appearance for the Netherlands when they played in a friendly match against Liechtenstein.

Club statistics
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
2002–03FC TwenteEredivisie172
2003–04189
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2003–04FulhamPremier League84---84
2004–052745220-346
2005–0635111120-3812
2006–072311010-251
2007–08200010-30
2007–08Leicester CityChampionship112---112
2007–08Watford50---50
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
2008–09NEC NijmegenEredivisie5021
Belgium League Belgian Cup League Cup Europe Total
2009–10K.S.V. RoeselareBelgian Pro League110
USA League Open Cup League Cup North America Total
2010Chicago FireMajor League Soccer173---173
Azerbaijan League Azerbaijan Cup League Cup Europe Total
2010–11GabalaAzerbaijan Premier League30---30
Iran League Hazfi Cup League Cup Asia Total
2011–12Mes SarcheshmehIran Pro League400000--40
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2012–13BarnetFootball League Two101000--20
USA League Open Cup League Cup North America Total
2014Pittsburgh RiverhoundsUSL Pro11421--135
Total Netherlands 4011
England 113228360-12725
Belgium 110
USA 173---173
Azerbaijan 30---30
Iran 40---40
Career total 18936

Personal life

John was born in Zwedru, Liberia, but his family emigrated to the Netherlands after the murder of his father, during the Liberian Civil War.[32]

His two brothers Paddy and Ola are also footballers.[33]

Honours
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gollark: Via divine right of kings it's mine.
gollark: My research is very exciting.

References
  1. http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2004/january/31/collins-john-signs
  2. "Chelsea 2-1 Fulham". BBC News. 20 March 2004.
  3. "Goal of the month November 2005". BBC Sport. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  4. "Middlesbrough 3–2 Fulham". BBC Sport. 20 November 2005. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  5. "Foxes seal striker John loan deal". BBC Sport. 23 October 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2007.
  6. Leicester 0–1 Sheff Utd, BBC Sport 23 October 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-24
  7. Leicester 2–0 Barnsley, BBC Sport 28 October 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-28
  8. Colchester 1–1 Leicester, BBC Sport 3 November 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-03
  9. Collins John to N.E.C. loaned by Fulham Archived 5 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine (in Dutch)
  10. "KSVR strikt Nederlandse international Collins John". KSV Roeselare. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  11. Officiel : John et Roulers se séparent Archived 17 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Thursday kickaround". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  14. http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2010/11/john-krol-released
  15. "Collins John Looking To Relaunch Career in Azerbaijan". InsideFutbol. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  16. "Collins joined Mes Sarcheshmeh". Goal.com. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  17. "Collins John joins Barnet in free transfer move". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  18. Barnet 1 - 4 Plymouth
  19. Barnet 0 – 2 Oxford United
  20. Collins John leaves Barnet
  21. "Collins John duikt op bij Go Ahead". www.goal.com/nl/. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  22. "The player can be played with the increase of Piast". www.azerisport.com/. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  24. "PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SIGN FORWARD COLLINS JOHN". Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  25. "Riverhounds vs. Kickers". USL Pro. Archived from the original on 6 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  26. "PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS FALL TO RICHMOND KICKERS 3-1". Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  27. "Hammerheads Defeat Riverhounds". USL Pro. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  28. "COLLINS JOHN SUSPENDED FOR 3 GAMES". Steel Army. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  29. "PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS RELEASE FORWARD COLLINS JOHN". Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  30. John header hands Albion half-time deficit
  31. "European U-21 Championship 2006 Holland Squad List". rsssf.com. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  32. Officiel : Collins John à Roulers Archived 15 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  33. Leo Spall (20 February 2004). "John Collins or Collins John?". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
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