Scott Dann

Scott Dann
Dann playing for Crystal Palace in 2016
Personal information
Full name Scott Dann[1]
Date of birth (1987-02-14) 14 February 1987 (age 37)[2]
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
2003–2004 Walsall
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2008 Walsall 59 (7)
2005Køge BK (loan) 2 (0)
2005–2006Redditch United (loan)
2006Hednesford Town (loan)
2008–2009 Coventry City 47 (3)
2009–2011 Birmingham City 50 (2)
2011–2014 Blackburn Rovers 98 (5)
2014–2021 Crystal Palace 164 (13)
2021–2023 Reading 31 (2)
International career
2008 England U21 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:08, 6 July 2023 (UTC)

Scott Dann (born 14 February 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back. He began his Football League career with Walsall, before moving on to Coventry City and then to Birmingham City in 2009. After Birmingham's relegation from the Premier League, Dann joined Blackburn in August 2011 and was the club's captain. He joined Crystal Palace in January 2014 and left in the summer of 2021 joining Reading.

Early life

Dann was born in Liverpool, Merseyside,[2] and attended Archbishop Beck High School in the Walton district of the city. He is a former Liverpool F.C. season ticket holder.[4]

Career

Walsall

Dann joined Walsall in 2003 as a junior after impressing on trial at the Bescot Stadium, signing a professional contract with the Saddlers the following year. He moved up the ranks at Walsall to become a regular in the reserve team throughout 2004–05 and was allowed to join Danish side Køge BK on loan towards the end of the campaign, where he played twice under Gregor Rioch.[5]

Dann then joined Conference North side Redditch United on loan in October 2005 initially until the end of the season, but he was recalled in January 2006. He then Joined Redditch's league rivals Hednesford Town on loan following injuries to their regular centre-backs Richard Teesdale and Ian Wright. He played in three games for the Pitmen, against Hucknall Town, Stafford Rangers and Lancaster City, before injury put an end to his loan spell at Keys Park. He returned to Walsall and was put on a short-term contract for the 2006–07 season, where he earned his place in the starting line-up with a number of excellent performances at the back. His season was ended in March 2007 after picking up a metatarsal injury in the game against Milton Keynes Dons.

As reward for his outstanding season for the Saddlers, who were promoted as League Two Champions, Dann was given a three-year contract to commit him to the club and to ward off interest from a number of clubs higher up in the league.

Coventry City

His form in League One was equally as impressive as the previous season, so it was little surprise that in January 2008 Dann joined Coventry City for an undisclosed fee, suggested in the media to be "in excess of £1 million".[6] His impressive form for the Saddlers continued in the Championship for the Sky Blues alongside former Walsall teammate Daniel Fox, who had also moved to the Ricoh Arena. He helped the club narrowly avoid relegation. The England set-up had seen enough in Dann and Fox to decide they were ready to make the step up to international level, with both players making their U-21 debuts in March 2008 against Poland at Molineux.

Dann was appointed captain of Coventry City for the 2008–09 season.[7]

Birmingham City

Head and shoulders of young white man with dark spiky hair and wearing a sports shirt
Dann in pre-season with Birmingham City in 2011

Dann signed for Birmingham City on 12 June 2009 for an undisclosed fee, described as a "club record fee for a defender";[8] local press reports suggested the fee to be in the region of £3.5 million, with a possible increase to £4 million, with performance-based add-ons.[9][10][11] Surgery during the summer and then a pulled thigh muscle meant Dann was not fully match fit when an injury to Franck Queudrue gave him the chance to make his Premier League debut on 19 September at Hull City.[12] Birmingham won 1–0, and Dann played well and retained his place in the starting eleven.[13]

At Christmas 2009, The Times' Patrick Barclay described Dann and defensive partner Roger Johnson as "certainties" for his team of the season so far.[14] His first goal for Birmingham came against Derby County in the FA Cup on 13 February 2010,[15] during a run of 15 games unbeaten in all competitions, including a club record 12 unbeaten in the top flight.[16][17] A calf injury sustained in training[18] caused him to miss the last three games of the season as the club finished in ninth place, their best for more than 50 years.[19]

Dann scored the opening goal as Birmingham beat a Hong Kong XI 3–2 in an invitation match branded the Xtep Cup, part of the club's 2010 pre-season tour of the Far East,[20] and his first Premier League goal, a header from a Sebastian Larsson cross, on the opening weekend of the 2010–11 season as Birmingham drew 2–2 away at Sunderland.[21] Following surgery on a hamstring damaged in the League Cup semi-final in January 2011, Dann was ruled out for the remainder of the season.[22] The club were relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the season.

Blackburn Rovers

Dann with Blackburn Rovers in 2013

On 31 August 2011, the last day of the transfer window, Blackburn Rovers signed Dann on a four-year deal for an officially undisclosed fee, reported by BBC Sport as £6 million.[23][24] Dann said that manager Steve Kean, with whom he had worked at Coventry, was "a big factor" in his decision to join the Ewood Park club.[25] He was given squad number 16.[26] On 11 September, he made his debut in a 1–1 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage, starting alongside Christopher Samba and completing the full 90 minutes as Rovers earned their first point of the season.[27] During the 2–1 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion in December, Dann scored his first goal for Rovers, but also suffered a ruptured testicle, an injury which was expected to keep him out for six weeks.[28] At the end of the 2011–12 season, Dann made a total of 28 appearances in all competitions and also suffered relegation for the third time in his career as Rovers finished in 19th place in the Premier League.[citation needed]

On 12 March 2013, Dann was officially confirmed as captain of the club, succeeding Danny Murphy.[29]

Crystal Palace

On 31 January 2014, Dann signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Premier League club Crystal Palace for an undisclosed fee.[30] He made his debut on 8 February in a 3–1 home win against West Bromwich Albion.[31]

Dann won the club's Player of the Year award for 2014–15,[32] followed by the Player's Player of the Year award for 2015–16.[33]

In July 2015 he signed a new five-year contract with the club.[34]

Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Dann replaced Mile Jedinak as captain.[35] He was succeeded by Jason Puncheon for 2017–18.[36] Both Dann and Puncheon suffered cruciate ligament injuries in the same match, against Manchester City in December 2017, that kept them out for the rest of the season.[37] Dann returned to action just over a year later, starting in the FA Cup third round match against Grimsby Town.[38]

Dann left Crystal Palace after his contract expired at the end of the 2020–21 season.[39][40]

Reading

Dann signed a one-year contract with Championship club Reading on 30 August 2021.[41] He scored his first goal for the club on 20 October in a 3–2 loss to Blackpool.[42] In March 2022, Dann's contract was extended for a further year.[43]

Dann made 18 appearances for Reading in the 2021–22 season. His appearances were limited during the second half of the campaign due to injury and he spent the first half of the 2022–23 campaign on the sidelines. On 2 January 2023, Dann made his first start in almost 10 months for Reading against West Bromwich Albion in a 1–0 defeat at The Hawthorns. On 17 May 2023, Reading announced that Dann would leave the club at the end of his contract.[44]

Career statistics

As of match played 8 May 2023
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
Walsall 2004–05[45] League One 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2005–06[46] League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2006–07[47] League Two 30 4 2 0 1 1 1[a] 0 34 5
2007–08[48] League One 28 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 34 3
Total 59 7 7 0 2 1 1 0 69 8
Coventry City 2007–08[48] Championship 16 0 16 0
2008–09[49] Championship 31 3 2 0 2 1 35 4
Total 47 3 2 0 2 1 51 4
Birmingham City 2009–10[50] Premier League 30 0 4 1 1 0 35 1
2010–11[51] Premier League 20 2 1 0 4 0 25 2
2011–12[52] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 50 2 5 1 5 0 0 0 60 3
Blackburn Rovers 2011–12[52] Premier League 27 1 0 0 1 0 28 1
2012–13[53] Championship 46 4 5 1 1 0 52 5
2013–14[54] Championship 25 0 1 1 0 0 26 1
Total 98 5 6 2 2 0 106 7
Crystal Palace 2013–14[54] Premier League 14 1 14 1
2014–15[55] Premier League 34 2 3 2 0 0 37 4
2015–16[56] Premier League 35 5 6 0 1 0 42 5
2016–17[57] Premier League 23 3 0 0 2 1 25 4
2017–18[58] Premier League 17 1 0 0 1 0 18 1
2018–19[59] Premier League 10 0 3 0 0 0 13 0
2019–20[60] Premier League 16 0 0 0 1 0 17 0
2020–21[61] Premier League 15 1 0 0 0 0 15 1
Total 164 13 12 2 5 1 181 16
Reading 2021–22[62] Championship 18 2 0 0 0 0 18 2
2022–23[63] 13 0 1 0 0 0 14 0
Total 31 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 32 2
Career total 449 32 33 5 16 3 1 0 499 40
  1. ^ Appearance in Football League Trophy

Honours

Walsall

Birmingham City

Crystal Palace

Individual

References

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  2. ^ a b Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  3. ^ "Scott Dann". Crystal Palace F.C. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  4. ^ Pearce, James (26 May 2011). "Liverpool FC considering move for Birmingham City defender Scott Dann". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  5. ^ "Fra dansk 1. divisionsflop til Premier League-stjerne". tipsbladet.dk (in Danish). 17 September 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  6. ^ Halford, Brian (1 February 2008). "Scott Dann follows Fox to Coventry from Walsall". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  7. ^ Turner, Andy (4 August 2008). "Scott Dann is named Coventry City captain". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
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  13. ^ Tattum, Colin (16 May 2010). "Birmingham City's Scott Dann can blossom next season". Sunday Mercury. Birmingham. Retrieved 4 December 2012. Due to injury, he had to wait his turn. But when Dann was pressed into action at Hull City despite not being fit or really up to speed – he played a debut blinder and the rest is history.
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