Darel Russell

For those of a similar name, see Darrell Russell (disambiguation).

Darel Russell

Personal information
Full name	Darel Francis Roy G. Russell [1]
Date of birth	(1980-10-22) 22 October 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth	Mile End, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1993–1996	Norwich City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997–2003	Norwich City	132	(6)
2003–2007	Stoke City	171	(16)
2007–2010	Norwich City	112	(10)
2010–2012	Preston North End	27	(0)
2011–2012	→ Charlton Athletic (loan)	11	(2)
2012–2013	Portsmouth	17	(0)
2013	Toronto FC	18	(3)
2014	Tampa Bay Rowdies	25	(3)
Total		513	(40)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Darel Francis Roy G. Russell (born 22 October 1980) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder.

Russell began his career with Norwich City in 1997 and played 147 times for the Canaries before joining Stoke City in 2003. He was a regular starter under Tony Pulis at Stoke, spending four seasons in the Potteries playing over 180 times. Russell returned to Norwich in July 2007 where he helped them win the League One title in 2009–10. He went on to play for Preston North End, Charlton Athletic, Portsmouth and in North America with Toronto FC and Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Career

Norwich City

Born in Mile End, Russell began his career as a youth player at Norwich City making his debut on the last day of the 1997–98 season in a 1–0 victory against Reading. ^[2] He made 13 appearances in 1998–99 before establishing himself in the first team in 1999–2000. ^[2] In April 2000, Norwich manager Bruce Rioch was replaced by Bryan Hamilton whose old school style of management made it a tough environment for Russell to develop. ^[3] Hamilton was sacked in December 2000 with the side in relegation trouble, he was replaced by Nigel Worthington who guided them to a safe position of 15th with Russell making 47 appearances in 2000–01. ^[4] At the end of the season Russell was linked with a move to East Anglia rivals Ipswich Town. ^[5] He made 26 appearances in 2001–02 as Norwich reached the 2002 Football League First Division play-off final where they lost on penalties to Birmingham City. ^[6] Russell missed two months of the 2002–03 campaign after breaking a bone in his foot. ^[7] In June 2003 Russell rejected a new contract offer from Norwich. ^[8]

Stoke City

Russell joined Stoke in 2003 for a fee of £125,000 in August 2003. ^[9] He made his Stoke debut on 9 August 2003 in a 3–0 win away at Derby County. ^[10] Russell scored twice in a 3–1 win against Sunderland on 16 September 2003. ^[11] Russell was an ever-present under Tony Pulis in 2003–04 playing 50 times as the team finished in 11th position. ^[12] He scored on the opening day of the 2004–05 season in a 2–1 win over promotion favorites Wolverhampton Wanderers. ^[13] Russell missed only one match in 2004–05 as Stoke were unable to mount a promotion challenge finishing in 12th. ^[14] He made 39 appearances in 2005–06 as Stoke finished in 13th place under Dutch manager Johan Boskamp. ^[15] Pulis returned to the club in 2006–07 and several new signings enabled them to push for a play-off spot. Russell won the Championship player of the month award for November 2006. ^[16] Russell scored a career best of seven goals in 2006–07 as Stoke narrowly missed out on a play-off place by two points. ^[17]

Return to Norwich

On 30 July 2007, Russell rejoined the Canaries for an undisclosed fee (reported to be around the £410,000 marked down from £600,000 due to a 30% sell-on clause the canaries had in the deal taking Russell to Stoke in 2003), on a three-year contract. ^[18] Russell played 44 times in 2007–08 as the Canaries finished in 17th spot. ^[19] Under the management of Glenn Roeder in 2008–09, Russell was played out of position as a forward which did not go down well with Norwich supporters. ^[20] Roeder was sacked in January 2009 and replaced by Bryan Gunn but he was unable to prevent Norwich being relegated to League One. ^[21]

In the summer of 2009 Norwich rejected a bid of £500,000 from Premier League newcomers Burnley. ^[22] He remained at Carrow Road and helped the side gain an instant return to the Championship in 2009–10 winning the League One title with a club record 95 points. ^[23] On 1 July 2010, it was confirmed that Russell had rejected the offer from Norwich of a new contract, and he was released. ^[24]

Preston North End

Russell signed for Preston North End on a three-year deal on 4 August 2010. ^[25] He scored his first and what turned out to be only goal for Preston in the League Cup against Charlton Athletic on 13 September 2011. ^[26] His time at Deepdale was unsuccessful as Preston were relegated to League One in 2010–11. ^[27] He was transfer listed by the club in May 2012. ^[28]

Charlton Athletic (loan)

On 24 November 2011 Russell signed on loan for League One rivals Charlton Athletic until January 2012. ^[29] On 7 January 2012 this loan was extended until the end of the season. ^[30] He played 11 times in 2011–12, scoring twice helping the Addicks win the League One title. ^[31]

Portsmouth

On summer transfer deadline day 2012, Russell joined Portsmouth on an initial one-month deal. ^[32] Russell left Portsmouth on 28 January 2013, a day before his contract with the club was due to expire. ^[33] He had made 18 appearances for Pompey with the side destined for relegation after suffering a ten-point deduction. ^[34]

Toronto FC

On 14 February, Russell joined Canadian Major League Soccer side Toronto FC on a trial basis. ^[35] On 1 March, he signed a contract with the Canadian club. ^[36] He made his debut for the club on 9 March in a 2–1 home victory over Sporting Kansas City, he came on as a second half sub for John Bostock. ^[37] Russell scored his first goal for the club on 6 April, the goal came in the 90th minute to earn Toronto a 2–2 home draw against FC Dallas. ^[38] He was not retained following the 2013 season. ^[39]

Tampa Bay Rowdies

Russell joined Tampa Bay Rowdies for the 2014 North American Soccer League season. ^[40] He played 26 times, scoring three goals as the team failed to reach the championship play-offs. ^[41] He retired at the end of the season. ^[42]

Personal life

Russel was born in England and is of Saint Lucian descent. ^[43] His sister Shar Alexander (real name Sharlene Russell), is a singer in the band 'Miss Frank' who competed in the sixth series of X Factor. ^[44]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Norwich City	1997–98 [45]	First Division	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
	1998–99 [46]	First Division	13	1	0	0	0	0	—		13	1
	1999–2000 [47]	First Division	33	4	1	0	2	0	—		36	4
	2000–01 [4]	First Division	41	1	1	0	5	2	—		47	3
	2001–02 [48]	First Division	23	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	26	0
	2002–03 [49]	First Division	21	0	3	0	0	0	—		24	0
	Total		132	6	7	0	8	2	0	0	147	8
Stoke City	2003–04 [12]	First Division	46	4	2	0	2	0	—		50	4
	2004–05 [14]	Championship	45	2	1	0	1	0	—		47	2
	2005–06 [15]	Championship	37	3	1	0	1	0	—		39	3
	2006–07 [50]	Championship	43	7	2	0	1	0	—		46	7
	Total		171	16	6	0	5	0	0	0	182	16
Norwich City	2007–08 [19]	Championship	39	4	2	0	3	1	—		44	5
	2008–09 [51]	Championship	38	4	2	0	1	0	—		41	4
	2009–10 [52]	League One	35	2	2	0	0	0	2 [a]	0	39	2
	Total		112	10	6	0	4	1	2	0	124	11
Preston North End	2010–11 [53]	Championship	25	0	1	0	2	0	—		28	0
	2011–12 [54]	League One	2	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	4	1
	Total		27	0	1	0	4	1	0	0	32	1
Charlton Athletic (loan)	2011–12 [54]	League One	11	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	2
Portsmouth	2012–13 [34]	League One	17	0	0	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	18	0
Toronto FC	2013 [34]	Major League Soccer	18	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	3
Tampa Bay Rowdies	2014 [55]	NASL	25	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	26	3
Career total			513	40	21	0	21	4	3	0	558	44

1. Appearances in Football League Trophy

Honours

Norwich City

• League One champions: 2009–10

Charlton Athletic

• League One champions: 2011–12

References

1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/08/2010 and 31/08/2010" (PDF). The Football Association. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
2. "Darel Russell". Flown From the Nest. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
3. Southwell, Connor. "Two spells, one Rusty: Darel Russell opens up on his Norwich City career". Pink Un - Norwich City Football Club News. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
4. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
5. Warren, Andy. "'It would have been blasphemous' – former Norwich midfielder Russell on his Ipswich move that never happened". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
6. "Birmingham reach Premiership". BBC Sport. 12 May 2002. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
7. "Russell adds to Norwich woe". BBC Sport. 20 September 2002. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
8. "Russell snubs Norwich". BBC Sport. 17 June 2003. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
9. "Stoke sign midfield duo". BBC Sport. 8 August 2003. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
10. "Derby 0–3 Stoke". BBC Sport. 9 August 2003. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
11. "Stoke 3–1 Sunderland". BBC Sport. 16 September 2003. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
12. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
13. "Stoke 2–1 Wolves". BBC Sport. 8 August 2004. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
14. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
15. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
16. "Russell claims Championship award". BBC News. 10 December 2006.
17. "Stoke 1–1 QPR". BBC Sport. 6 May 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
18. "Russell makes return to Norwich". BBC Sport. 30 July 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
19. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
20. Southwell, Connor. "'It cost me a lot of my reputation' – Russell on playing under Glenn Roeder". Pink Un - Norwich City Football Club News. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
21. "Norwich drop down to League One". BBC Sport. 3 May 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
22. "Burnley poised to sign City midfielder Russell". Pink Un - Norwich City Football Club News. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
23. "Norwich 0–2 Carlisle". BBC Sport. 8 May 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
24. "Norwich midfielder Darel Russell is out of contract". BBC Sport. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
25. "Preston sign former Norwich midfielder Darel Russell". BBC Sport. 4 August 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
26. "Charlton 0 – 2 Preston". BBC. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
27. "Preston 0–1 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 25 April 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
28. "Graham Westley wields the axe at Preston North End". BBC Sport. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
29. "Preston North End loan Russell to Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
30. "Charlton Athletic extend Darrel Russell loan deal". BBC Sport. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
31. "Charlton 3–2 Hartlepool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
32. "Portsmouth sign Johnny Ertl, Darel Russell and Josh Thompson". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
33. "Portsmouth: Darel Russell leaves club before contracts ends". BBC Sport. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
34. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
35. Darel Russell joins Toronto FC on Trial; Waking the Red, 14 February 2013
36. Darel Russell Joins Toronto Archived 7 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine ; Toronto FC, 1 March 2013
37. Bottjer, Steve (9 March 2013). "Reds Beat SKC at Rogers Centre". Toronto FC. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
38. Toronto FC rallies to tie FC Dallas
39. "Sun exclusive: TFC GM on his roster plans | LarSun on the Reds". Archived from the original on 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
40. "Tampa Bay Rowdies sign former Norwich and Stoke City Midfielder Darel Russell". Box Score News. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
41. "Veteran Darel Russell hopes to help Rowdies to title". Tampa Bay.com. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
42. "RUST TO RUST; DAREL RUSSELL". Along came Norwich. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
43. "Sports – St. Lucia News Online – Trusted Breaking & Daily News Source". lucia302.rssing.com. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
44. "X Factor's Miss Frank play ball". BBC News. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
45. "Games played by Darel Russell in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
46. "Games played by Darel Russell in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
47. "Games played by Darel Russell in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
48. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
49. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
50. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
51. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
52. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
53. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
54. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
55. "Games played by Darel Russell in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.

External links

• Darel Russell at Soccerbase
• Darel Russell at Major League Soccer