Rob Kiernan

Rob Kiernan
Personal information
Full name Robert Samuel Kiernan[1]
Date of birth (1991-01-13) 13 January 1991[1]
Place of birth Rickmansworth, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current team
 Rangers
Number 4
Youth career
2000–2008 Watford
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 Watford 2 (0)
2010 → Kilmarnock (loan) 4 (0)
2010 → Yeovil Town (loan) 3 (0)
2010–2011 → Bradford City (loan) 8 (0)
2011 → Wycombe Wanderers (loan) 2 (0)
2011–2015 Wigan Athletic 29 (1)
2012 → Accrington Stanley (loan) 3 (0)
2012 → Burton Albion (loan) 6 (0)
2012–2013 → Brentford (loan) 8 (0)
2013 → Southend United (loan) 12 (0)
2015 → Birmingham City (loan) 12 (1)
2015– Rangers 46 (0)
National team‡
2008 Republic of Ireland U18 3 (1)
2009–2010 Republic of Ireland U19 6 (0)
2010–2013 Republic of Ireland U21 14 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:00, 4 December 2016 (UTC).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 June 2016

Robert Samuel "Rob" Kiernan (born 13 January 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Scottish Premiership club Rangers.[2]

Kiernan has previously played for Watford and Wigan Athletic and has also spent time on loan at Kilmarnock, Yeovil Town, Bradford City, Wycombe Wanderers,[3] Accrington Stanley, Burton Albion, Brentford, Southend United and Birmingham City. Kiernan, who was born in Hertfordshire, played for the Republic of Ireland at youth levels up to and including under-21.

Club career

Watford

Kiernan was born in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire,[4] and began his football career as a youngster with Watford. Watford sent two youth squads to the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland in the summer of 2008. Kiernan was moved from his natural position of central midfielder to play centre-half, to take advantage of his height and physical presence,[5] and also captained the side.[6] His performances drew praise from coach Mark Warburton.[7]

Later that summer, Kiernan was called up by the Ireland under-19 team for a four-nation tournament, but he had to withdraw after tearing his right thigh muscle.[5]

Kiernan captained Watford's under-18 side in 2008–09,[5] in which they reached the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup.[8] In October 2008, he, together with fellow second-year scholars Billy Gibson and Ross Jenkins, signed "developmental contracts" – professional contracts signed earlier than usual, allowing the players to continue their scholarships without the pressure of worrying about the future –to run until the end of the 2009–10 season.[9]

Brendan Rodgers was appointed Watford manager in November 2008, and under him Kiernan began to take part in some first-team training sessions.[10] He was included in the senior matchday squad for the first time on 24 January 2009 for an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Crystal Palace at Vicarage Road, and made his debut as a 90th-minute substitute, replacing Gavin Hoyte, as Watford won 4–3.[11] Although he made no more first-team appearances that season, he finish with 17 starts for the Academy side and 9 for the reserves.[12][13]

After a trial in January 2010, Kiernan joined Scottish Premier League side Kilmarnock on loan; manager Jimmy Calderwood wanted him as cover with two defensive players injured.[14] He joined Kilmarnock on the same day as Watford teammate Scott Severin, and was given the number 29 shirt.[15] Kiernan made his debut the next day as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 1–0 league win against Celtic.[16]

Kiernan played three matches for Yeovil Town at the start of the 2010–11 season,[17] and on 12 November joined Bradford City on a two-month loan.[18] Conference side Histon had previously attempted to sign Kiernan on loan.[19]

Wigan Athletic

At the end of the 2010–11 season, Kiernan rejected Watford's offer of a new two-year contract; the "slightly reduced" terms offered entitled him to leave the club without compensation becoming payable by his next employer.[20] He signed for Premier League club Wigan Athletic,[21] In March 2012, having failed to feature in Wigan's first team, Kiernan joined League Two Accrington Stanley on loan for the remainder of the season,[22] but ankle ligament damage cut the loan spell to just three matches.[23] He returned to match fitness with the help of a month's loan at Burton Albion, also of League Two, in the early part of the following season,[24] and in November moved on to League One Brentford on loan until January 2013.[25] He then renewed his loan deal on 11 January 2013. On 12 October 2013, Kiernan joined League Two side Southend United on a three-month loan deal,[26] however, he was recalled on 29 December, as cover after Thomas Rogne was injured on Boxing Day.[27] Kiernan made a strong end to the 2013–14 season, scoring his first goal for the club against Leicester City[28] and featuring in the play-off semi-final defeat by Queens Park Rangers, and signed a three-year contract extension in May 2014.[29]

However, after struggling to feature the following season, Kiernan joined then Championship club Birmingham City in February 2015 on loan until the end of the 2014-15 season.[30] He made his debut on 21 February at Brighton & Hove Albion, starting the match in central midfield in place of the injured David Davis, and played 78 minutes of the 4–3 defeat.[31] He went on to form a partnership at centre-half with Jonathan Spector,[32] and then played alongside Michael Morrison after the latter's return from injury. Kiernan was credited with his first goal for the club on 11 April against Wolverhampton Wanderers; he scored from close range after Jonathan Grounds' shot had already crossed the line unnoticed by the officials and been pushed back into play.[33] A hamstring injury meant he missed the last two matches of the season.[34]

Rangers

On 22 June 2015, Kiernan signed a two-year deal at Rangers.[2] Over the course of the subsequent season, he played in central defence alongside Danny Wilson.[35][36] The pair, however, received criticism for some of their performances,[35][36] notably in the team's 3–2 loss to Hibernian in the 2016 Scottish Cup Final.[37] In the summer of 2016, it was reported that Rangers had opened negations with Kiernan over extending his contract[38] and on July 19, Kiernan extended his contract with Rangers for another year until 2018.[39]

International career

Kiernan has captained the Republic of Ireland national football team at age-group levels.[40][41]

Career statistics

As of 12:02, 4 December 2016 (UTC)
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Watford 2008–09[42] Championship001000—10
2009–10[43] Championship000000—00
2010–11[17] Championship001000—10
Total 002000—20
Kilmarnock (loan) 2009–10[43] Scottish Premier League4010——50
Yeovil Town (loan) 2010–11[17] League One30—00—30
Bradford City (loan) 2010–11[17] League Two80———80
Wycombe Wanderers (loan) 2010–11[17] League Two20———20
Wigan Athletic 2011–12[44] Premier League000000—00
2012–13[45] Premier League000000—00
2013–14[46] Championship121—002[lower-alpha 1]0141
2014–15[47] Championship1701000—180
Total 291100020321
Accrington Stanley (loan) 2011–12[44] League Two30———30
Burton Albion (loan) 2012–13[45] League Two60———60
Brentford (loan) 2012–13[45] League One8000—1[lower-alpha 2]090
Southend United (loan) 2013–14[46] League Two12020——140
Birmingham City (loan) 2014–15[47] Championship121———121
Rangers 2015–16[48] Scottish Championship33050304[lower-alpha 3]0450
2016–17[49] Scottish Premiership1300050—180
Total 460508040630
Career total 133211080701592
  1. ↑ Appearances in 2014 Football League play-offs
  2. ↑ Appearances in Football League Trophy
  3. ↑ Appearances in Scottish Challenge Cup

Honours

Club

Rangers

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0.
  2. 1 2 "Rangers: Rob Kiernan and Danny Wilson sign for Ibrox club". BBC Sport. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Watford's Kiernan joins Wycombe, Townsend leaves". BBC Sport. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  4. ↑ Rollin, Glenda & Rollin, Jack, eds. (2010). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2010–2011. London: Headline. p. 540. ISBN 978-0-7553-6107-6.
  5. 1 2 3 "Burden lifted from Kiernan's shoulders". Watford F.C. 24 October 2008. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009.
  6. ↑ "Milk Cup 2008 day two". Watford F.C. 30 July 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
  7. ↑ "Milk Cup 2008 day five". Watford F.C. 3 August 2008. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "Birmingham Yth 1 Watford Yth 0". Watford F.C. 18 March 2009. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "Trio commit their futures". Watford F.C. 4 October 2008. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
  10. ↑ "Youth Cup preview". Watford F.C. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
  11. ↑ "Watford vs Crystal Palace". Watford F.C. 24 January 2009. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
  12. ↑ "Academy stat pack 2008/09". Watford F.C. 10 July 2009. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012.
  13. ↑ "Reserve season 2008/09 – the full stat pack". Watford F.C. 30 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012.
  14. ↑ "Killie poised to land Kiernan". Sky Sports. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Transfer news...". Kilmarnock F.C. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012.
  16. ↑ Conaghan, Martin (2 February 2010). "Kilmarnock 1–0 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  18. ↑ "Bradford City sign Kiernan & Eckersley on loan". BBC Sport. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  19. ↑ Beyeler, Marc (15 November 2010). "We lacked quality in key areas – Livermore". Cambridge News. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012.
  20. ↑ "Rob Kiernan leaves Watford after rejecting deal". BBC Sport. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  21. ↑ Smith, Frank (28 July 2011). "Premier League Wigan Athletic set to sign released Watford defender Rob Kiernan". Watford Observer. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
    "White chooses green in accepting King's invitation". The Irish Times. 4 August 2011. Archived from the original on 8 August 2011.
  22. ↑ "Stanley sign Kiernan on loan". Sky Sports. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  23. ↑ Flanagan, Chris (30 March 2012). "Accrington Stanley defender out for season". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  24. ↑ "Brewers swoop for loan pair". Sky Sports. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  25. ↑ "Bees sign Premier League defender". Brentford F.C. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  26. ↑ "Southend United sign Wigan Athletic defender Rob Kiernan". BBC. BBC Sport. 12 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  27. ↑ "Wigan Athletic recall Rob Kiernan from Southend loan spell". BBC. BBC Sport. 29 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  28. ↑ "Wigan 2-2 Leicester". BBC Sport. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  29. ↑ "Rob Kiernan: Wigan Athletic defender signs new contract". BBC. BBC Sport. 20 May 2014.
  30. ↑ "Rob Kiernan: Birmingham sign Wigan Athletic defender on loan". BBC Sport. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  31. ↑ Dick, Brian (21 February 2015). "Updated: Brighton 4 Birmingham City 3". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  32. ↑ Tattum, Colin (25 March 2015). "Michael Morrison raring to go". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  33. ↑ Rae, Richard (11 April 2015). "Birmingham's Demarai Gray's stunning winner dents Wolves playoff hopes". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  34. ↑ Dick, Brian (1 May 2015). "Find out who's available to Gary Rowett – and who isn't". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  35. 1 2 Jack, Christopher (30 September 2015). "Danny Wilson and Rob Kiernan get Rangers pass marks so far, but they will get even better with time says Ibrox legend Brown". The Herald (Glasgow). Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  36. 1 2 "Derek Johnstone: Rangers defensive woes were not a surprise against Saints". Evening Times. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  37. ↑ Verrall, John (22 May 2016). "Glasgow Rangers fans react on Twitter to Rob Kiernan's performance in the Scottish Cup final". HITC. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  38. ↑ "Leicester striker Joe Dodoo to join Rangers as Ibrox side seal ninth summer signing". Stephen McGowan. Daily Mail. 15 July 2016.
  39. ↑ "Wes & Rob Extend Contracts". Rangers Football Club. Rangers.co.uk. 19 July 2016.
  40. ↑ Smith, Frank (28 January 2010). "Republic of Ireland Under-19 captain Rob Kiernan on trial in Scotland with Kilmarnock". Watford Observer. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  41. ↑ "Statistics: Under18 [Powered by tplSoccerStats]". www.soccerscene.ie. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  42. ↑ "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  43. 1 2 "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  44. 1 2 "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  45. 1 2 3 "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  46. 1 2 "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  47. 1 2 "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  48. ↑ "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  49. ↑ "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  50. ↑ Burke, Andy (5 April 2016). "Rangers 1-0 Dumbarton". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  51. ↑ English, Tom (10 April 2016). "Rangers 4-0 Peterhead". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
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