Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Fitz Benjamin Hall | ||
Date of birth | 20 December 1980 | ||
Place of birth | London, England | ||
Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
Playing position | Defender | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Newcastle United (on loan from Queens Park Rangers) |
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Number | 5 | ||
Youth career | |||
1997–2000 | West Ham United | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
2000–2001 | Barnet | 0 | (0) |
2001–2002 | Chesham United | 21 | (2) |
2002–2003 | Oldham Athletic | 41 | (4) |
2003–2004 | Southampton | 11 | (0) |
2004–2006 | Crystal Palace | 75 | (3) |
2006–2008 | Wigan Athletic | 25 | (0) |
2008– | Queens Park Rangers | 47 | (2) |
2010– | → Newcastle United (loan) | 6 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:26, 20 March 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
Fitz Benjamin Hall (born 20 December 1980, Walthamstow, London) is an English footballer who plays for Newcastle United on loan from Queens Park Rangers. He is a central defender who can also play as a central midfielder. His nickname is "One Size". If his name is said with this as a prefix then the following can be heard... "One Size Fits All". He attended Willowfield School.
Contents |
Club career
Early career
Hall began his career as a West Ham United youth player on the same day as Paul Konchesky, Bobby Zamora and Jlloyd Samuel but was released at the age of 15. He was also once told that he wasn't good enough to become a professional footballer but found his lucky break through a friend that got him a trial at Barnet[1] He then joined Barnet as part of a Youth Training Scheme, before moving to non-league Chesham United under the management of Bob Dowie.
Oldham Athletic
Hall's performances at Chesham came to the attention of Dowie's brother Iain, manager of Oldham Athletic, who bought him for £30,000 during the 2001/02, he made his debut in April 2002 and scored the winner against Stoke City. The following season really saw him shine as he was part of a defence which was only 2nd best to league champions Wigan and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. Following the financial melt down at the club Hall was sold to Premiership side Southampton for £250,000. However, he did not manage to break into Southampton's first team on a regular basis.
Crystal Palace
Hall re-joined Iain Dowie at Crystal Palace at the beginning of the 2004–05 season for £1.5m,[2] and went straight into the first team for the club's first season back in the Premiership.
In August 2005, Hall was appointed team captain of Palace, replacing Michael Hughes following the club's relegation back to the Championship. Many fans felt that Hall's performance was being hindered by the burden of captaincy,[citation needed] and after several poor performances, and several yellow cards, Hughes was re-appointed team captain in January 2006.
Wigan
Hall moved from Palace to Premiership side Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee on 26 June 2006.[3] New Palace boss Peter Taylor cited a £3m get-out clause in Hall's contract as the reason for the transfer.[citation needed]
Queens Park Rangers
Hall was one of a number of players brought in by Championship side Queens Park Rangers during the early part of the January 2008 transfer window. He signed a four and a half year contract, after Rangers paid an undisclosed fee. Hall scored his first goal for Queens Park Rangers on the first game of 2008–09 season against Barnsley, scoring his second two minutes later, before having a penalty saved for a hat-trick.[4]
Newcastle United
On 29 January 2010, Hall was signed on loan by Newcastle United for the rest of the season. He made his debut in the 5-1 win over Cardiff City at St James' Park and put in a solid performance, before being replaced by Tamás Kádár in the closing stages of the game.[5]
On 20 March, during Newcastle's 2-2 draw with Bristol City at Ashton Gate, Hall injured his hamstring in a chase with Nicky Maynard. After the game, Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton said Hall's injury didn't look too good.[6]
Acting
As a 16-year-old he acted in a minor role in The Fifth Element playing a twelve-year-old.[7]
References
- ^ Sam Pilger (October 2003). "The Boy's A Bit Special". FourFourTwo (110): 31.
- ^ "Hall joins Palace". BBC Sport. 2004-08-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/southampton/3922657.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
- ^ "Wigan sign Palace defender Hall". BBC Sport. 2006-06-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/5116892.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
- ^ "QPR 2-1 Barnsley". BBC. 9 August 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7540955.stm. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
- ^ "Breaking News: Hall Fitz Toon Bill". 29 January 2010. http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20100129/breaking-news-hall-fitz-toon-bill_2240137_1948440. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- ^ Hope, Craig. "United To Assess Hall Injury". Newcastle United FC. http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20100322/united-to-assess-hall-injury_2240137_2001301. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
- ^ The Guardian
External links
- Fitz Hall player profile at qpr.co.uk
- Fitz Hall player profile at wiganlatics.co.uk
- Fitz Hall career stats at Soccerbase
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