Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Christopher Armstrong [1] | ||
Date of birth | 5 August 1982 | ||
Place of birth | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [1] | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Youth career | |||
Bury | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1999–2001 | Bury | 33 | (1) |
2001–2003 | Oldham Athletic | 65 | (1) |
2003–2008 | Sheffield United | 95 | (6) |
2005 | → Blackpool (loan) | 5 | (0) |
2008–2011 | Reading | 47 | (1) |
Total | 245 | (9) | |
International career | |||
2002 | England U20 | 3 | (0) |
2007 | Scotland B | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Christopher Armstrong (born 5 August 1982) is a former professional footballer, who most recently played for Reading in the Football League Championship. In 2011, he retired due to Multiple sclerosis. He is the younger brother of former Sunderland and Burnley midfielder Gordon Armstrong.
A former England U20s full-back, and Scotland B International, Armstrong was a tough tackler despite only standing at 5 ft 9in (1.75 Metres).
Armstrong was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He started his career at Bury as a trainee in August 1999, playing 33 games and scoring 1 goal before joining Oldham Athletic for £200,000 in October 2001, in only his second season as a first-team player. After playing a further 75 games and scoring his second goal, he was signed by Sheffield United for £100,000 in July 2003 during a financial crisis at Oldham.
Having signed for the Blades in the summer Armstrong made his debut in the first game of the 2003–04 season, a 0–0 draw with Gillingham at Bramall Lane. [2] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 victory over Crewe on 4 November 2003 [3] only to suffer serious injury a few weeks later. He eventually returned to regular first team football after battling back bravely from career-threatening knee injury problems that limited him to just 13 games in his first season with the Blades and ruled him out for the whole of 2004–05.
After a brief spell at Blackpool to improve his match fitness earlier in the season, [4] Armstrong became a valuable member of the team that gained promotion back to the Premiership in 2005–06. He was rewarded with the fan's Player of the Month award for March, the Capital One Young Player of the Year and, in July 2006, a new three-year contract. [5]
Armstrong was a regular starter over the next two seasons but was often asked to fill in across the field, playing both in the centre and out wide in midfield and defence. He succumbed to several injuries which kept him sidelined through this period [6] and missed much of the second half of the 2007–2008 season due to a groin injury. [7] Following his return to fitness he found himself unable to break back into the starting eleven under new manager Kevin Blackwell.
With his first team options limited at Bramall Lane he was allowed to leave and signed for Reading in August 2008 for an initial fee of £500,000 with the potential for it to rise to £800,000 depending on conditions. [8] Armstrong made his debut for the Royals in the 4–2 home win over Crystal Palace on 30 August 2008. Since then, he has become a first team regular and scored his first league goal for Reading against Watford on 9 January 2009. He was voted Player of the Season for the 2008–09 season with 80% of the votes. [9]
Although born in Newcastle, Armstrong qualifies for Scotland through his grandmother. And despite appearing for England's under-20 side in the 2002 Toulon Tournament, FIFA allowed him to represent Scotland. [10]
Armstrong received an international cap for Scotland B, after being included in the starting eleven in a 1–1 draw, against the Republic of Ireland B team, at the Excelsior Stadium on 20 November 2007. [11]
Armstrong announced his retirement from the professional game on 8 March 2011 and revealed that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in December 2009. [12]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Bury | 2000–01 | Second Division | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 [lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 25 | 1 |
2001–02 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
Total | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 1 | ||
Oldham Athletic | 2001–02 | Second Division | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 [lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 38 | 0 |
2002–03 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 [lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 41 | 1 | ||
Total | 65 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 79 | 1 | ||
Sheffield United | 2003–04 | First Division | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
2004–05 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2005–06 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 2 | ||
2006–07 | Premier League | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
2007–08 | Championship | 32 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 3 | |
2008–09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
Total | 95 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 6 | ||
Blackpool (loan) | 2005–06 | League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 [lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Reading | 2008–09 | Championship | 40 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 1 |
2009–10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
2010–11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
Total | 47 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 1 | ||
Career total | 245 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 275 | 9 |
Sheffield United
Reading
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Premier League, following their promotion from the 2022–23 EFL Championship. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at Bramall Lane since their formation. For most of the club's history, United have played in red and white striped shirts with black shorts. Their main rivals are Sheffield Wednesday, with whom they contest the Steel City derby.
James Scott Beattie is an English football coach and a former professional footballer who played as a striker. His most recent coaching role was one of the assistant managers at EFL Championship club Wigan Athletic.
Mikele Benjamin Leigertwood is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in England, he represented the Antigua and Barbuda national team at international level.
Lee Andrew Hendrie is an English former professional footballer and pundit for Sky Sports.
James Michael "Jay" McEveley is a footballer who plays as a defender for Warrington Town.
Patrick Joseph Kenny is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Gary Andrew Naysmith is a Scottish football coach and former player, who is currently the manager of Scottish League Two side Stenhousemuir.
Christopher Paul Morgan is an English former professional footballer and football coach. An "uncompromising" defender, he scored 24 goals in 491 league and cup appearances in a 16-year career in English football.
Jonathan Jay Fortune is an English professional footballer. His last known club was Dagenham & Redbridge, whom he left in 2013.
Paul William Gerrard is an English football goalkeeping coach and former player. He is the goalkeeping coach EFL League One side Carlisle United.
Georges Santos is a former professional footballer and club scout for English Premier League side West Ham United.
Billy Louis Sharp is an English professional footballer who last played as a striker. Until June 2023, he was captain of Premier League club Sheffield United.
Darius Alexis Henderson is an English former professional footballer who last played as a striker for Eastleigh.
Nicholas Alexander Law is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for MLS Next Pro club Huntsville City, where he is also an assistant coach. He is the son of football manager and former player Nicky Law Sr.
James Murphy is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ayr United.
David James McAllister is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Drogheda in the Republic of Ireland he started his senior career with Drogheda United before spells with Shelbourne and St. Patrick's Athletic. In 2011, he moved to England to play for Sheffield United, where he remained for two years before switching to Shrewsbury Town and then Stevenage. He later returned to Ireland with Shamrock Rovers where he retired.
George Martin Long is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Millwall.
Marc Graeme McNulty is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Orange County SC in the USL Championship.
Sheffield United Football Club participated in League One, the third level of English football in 2012–13, after having failed to win promotion, losing in the previous season's play-off final. Danny Wilson remained in charge for a second season and the club continued to reduce costs as they sought to adapt to life at the third level of English football. Many of the players involved in the previous season were either sold or released, while the likes of Nick Blackman, Tony McMahon, Shaun Miller and Dave Kitson were signed to replace them.
Sheffield United Football Club participated in League One, the third level of English football, during the 2013–14 season, after losing in the previous season's play-off semi final. The club appointed a new manager, former Scotland international David Weir, saw a new co-owner arrive in the form of Prince Abdullah bin Musa'ed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and signed an influx of new players during the summer transfer window. Despite this the team saw a very poor start to the season, winning only one of their opening thirteen fixtures. This run of results saw David Weir depart the club to be replaced by former England International and former Derby County manager Nigel Clough. Despite beginning to improve performances on the pitch, United remained in relegation trouble into January, but then embarked on a lengthy run of form that would eventually see them finish in seventh in the table. Having been knocked out in the early rounds of both the League Cup and League Trophy, United enjoyed a lengthy run in the FA Cup, eventually reaching the competitions semi-final where they were narrowly beaten by Hull City.