Simon Rodger
Simon Lee Rodger (born 3 October 1971) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder from 1989 until 2004.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Simon Lee Rodger | ||
| Date of birth | 3 October 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Shoreham-by-Sea, England | ||
| Playing position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bognor Regis Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1990 | Bognor Regis Town | ||
| 1990–2002 | Crystal Palace | 276 | (11) |
| 1996 | → Manchester City (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 1997 | → Stoke City (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2002 | Woking | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2004 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 36 | (2) |
| Total | 326 | (14) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
He played the majority of his career with Crystal Palace, including a number of seasons in the Premier League. He also played in the Football League for Manchester City, Stoke City and Brighton & Hove Albion, and in non-league football for Bognor Regis Town and Woking.
Club career
Rodger was born in Shoreham-by-Sea and played non-league football with Bognor Regis Town before he was signed by Palace in 1990 for £1,000. He made his debut for the club, away at Sheffield Wednesday, at the age of 20 and soon established himself as a vital member of the first team at Selhurst Park.[1] He spent 11 seasons with Palace in what was a decade of instability at the club. They were founding members of the Premier League but were relegated back to Division One in 1992–93. They gained an instant return in 1993–94 which was followed again by relegation in 1994–95.
Promotion was again achieved in 1996–97 through the play-offs, but Rodger spent time out on loan that season at Manchester City (making eight appearances) and Stoke City (making five appearances). Palace then suffered a third relegation from the top-tier in 1997–98. Palace remained in Division One and with Rodger having spent ten years at the club he was given a testimonial against Tottenham Hotspur.[2] In 2002, after his testimonial, Rodger was released by the club and after a short time with Woking, was signed by Brighton and Hove Albion, where he was reunited with former Palace manager Steve Coppell. He finished his League career with Brighton.[3]
Personal life
Rodger is currently married to a QVC beauty expert presenter – Alison Young.
Career statistics
Source:[4]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other[A] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Crystal Palace | 1991–92 | First Division | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | |
| 1993–94 | First Division | 42 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 3 | |
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1995–96 | First Division | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 1996–97 | First Division | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 29 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| 1998–99 | First Division | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1 | |
| 1999–2000 | First Division | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 3 | |
| 2000–01 | First Division | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | First Division | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 2 | |
| Total | 276 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 31 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 328 | 13 | ||
| Manchester City (loan) | 1996–97 | First Division | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Stoke City (loan) | 1996–97 | First Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Woking | 2002–03 | Football Conference | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2002–03 | First Division | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 |
| 2003–04 | Second Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| total | 36 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 2 | ||
| Career Total | 326 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 379 | 16 | ||
- A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Anglo-Italian Cup, Football League play-offs, Full Members Cup, Football League Trophy and UEFA Intertoto Cup.
References
- "Jolly Tribute – Simon Says". holmesdale.net. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- "Rodger testimonal confirmed". holmesdale.net. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- "Rodger not Jolly at leaving". holmesdale.net. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- Simon Rodger at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
External links
- Simon Rodger at Soccerbase