Collins John
Encyclopedia
Collins John is a Liberia
n-born Dutch
footballer.
side FC Twente
as a 17-year old, going on to score 11 league goals during one-and-a-half seasons combined. He was signed by Fulham
in January 2004, for a fee thought to be in the region of £600,000 where he was introduced to the Cottage faithful by John Collins, reverse namesake. His debut for the club came against Chelsea
at Stamford Bridge
, on 20 March.
After an auspicious start, John scored 11 league goals in 2005–06
, despite only starting 15 of the 37 games he appeared in. With a further two goals in other competitions, he was Fulham's top goalscorer that season. A goal against Middlesbrough
on 20 November 2006, a volley from his weaker foot, was later to be named "Goal of the Month" by the BBC
, and was in the running for "Goal of the Season
".
John started six of the first seven Premiership games of 2006–07
, but then lost his place and started only three more times in 2006. Coming on as a second-half substitute, and having had two goals disallowed earlier in the match, he scored his twentieth league goal at Manchester City
, in November 2006.
John signed for Leicester City
on 23 October 2007 on a three-month loan deal. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Sheffield United
a few hours later, and scored his first league goal in a 2–0 win over Barnsley
on October 27.
John scored his last goal against Colchester United
six days later, in a 1–1 away draw. He returned to Fulham after making a total of eleven league appearances for Leicester.
On 25 January 2008, John joined Watford on a loan deal until the end of the 2007–08 season
, with the option of a permanent move after that. He struggled with his fitness during his time at the club, making only three starts and two substitute appearances. In April 2008 he returned to Fulham after tearing a thigh muscle.
On the 2008 transfer deadline day, John moved to NEC Nijmegen on a one-year loan deal, with the Dutch side also obtaining a transfer option. In Nijmegen John suffered with continual problems. Although he was important as a substitute in two UEFA Cup
matches, he failed to make an impression in the Dutch league. In January 2009 he went on trial at Charlton Athletic
but wasn't offered a contract. Back in Nijmegen he was suspended to the reserve squad by manager Mario Been
. On March 3 John returned to Fulham after both NEC and John didn't see any reason for continuing the loan. In March, John requested to train with Dutch side Heracles Almelo
, alongside his brother Paddy
, till the end of the 2008—09 season. The request was denied because John had no intentions to play for Heracles in the next season.
He chose to sign for Belgian
Pro League side Roeselare
signing a 2 year contract. On December 3 John was suspended and demoted to the reserve squad for disciplinairy reasons by manager Dennis van Wijk
. On December 14 Roeselare terminated John's contract.
John joined Major League Soccer
club Chicago Fire during their pre-season training camp on 29 January 2010 with a view to signing before the start of the 2010 MLS season. On 11 March 2010 The Chicago Fire hired the Dutch and former Fulham forward on a free transfer. After a disappointing season in MLS, in which he was benched for a poor attitude in training, John was released by Chicago on November 24, 2010.
John joined Gabala FC in Azerbaijan on 25 January 2011.
After failing to revive his career in Azerbaijan, John handed in a transfer request. John went on trial with Nottingham Forest
and flew to Portugal with them for a pre-season break.
that conquered the 2006 European Championship
in Portugal
.
Previously, he had already made his main team
debuts, appearing in a 2-2 friendly match against Sweden
, on August 18, 2004. He then made his second appearance for the Netherlands when they played in a friendly match against Liechtenstein
.
|2002-03
||rowspan="2"|FC Twente
||rowspan="2"|Dutch League
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|2003-04
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|2003-04
||rowspan="5"|Fulham FC||rowspan="5"|Premier League||8||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004-05
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|2005-06
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|-
|2006-07
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|2007-08||2||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007-08
||Leicester City
||Championship
||11||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007-08
||Watford FC||Championship
||5||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|-Nottingham Forest F.C.
Football League Championship
Championship
|2008-09
||NEC Nijmegen||Dutch League
||5||0||||||||||2||1||||
|-
|2009-10||Roeselare
||Belgian Pro League||11||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2010
||Chicago Fire||MLS
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|2010-11
||rowspan="1"|Gabala FC||Azerbaijan Premier League
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, Liberia
, but his family emigrated to the Netherlands
after the murder of his father, during the Liberian Civil War
.
His two brothers Paddy
and Ola
are also footballers.
The media has led us to believe that he has a surname for his first name and a first name for his surname.
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
n-born Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
footballer.
Club
John started his professional career at Dutch first divisionEredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
side FC Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
as a 17-year old, going on to score 11 league goals during one-and-a-half seasons combined. He was signed by Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
in January 2004, for a fee thought to be in the region of £600,000 where he was introduced to the Cottage faithful by John Collins, reverse namesake. His debut for the club came against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
, on 20 March.
After an auspicious start, John scored 11 league goals in 2005–06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...
, despite only starting 15 of the 37 games he appeared in. With a further two goals in other competitions, he was Fulham's top goalscorer that season. A goal against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
on 20 November 2006, a volley from his weaker foot, was later to be named "Goal of the Month" by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, and was in the running for "Goal of the Season
Goal of the Season
In English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season...
".
John started six of the first seven Premiership games of 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
, but then lost his place and started only three more times in 2006. Coming on as a second-half substitute, and having had two goals disallowed earlier in the match, he scored his twentieth league goal at Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, in November 2006.
John signed for Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
on 23 October 2007 on a three-month loan deal. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
a few hours later, and scored his first league goal in a 2–0 win over Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
on October 27.
John scored his last goal against Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
six days later, in a 1–1 away draw. He returned to Fulham after making a total of eleven league appearances for Leicester.
On 25 January 2008, John joined Watford on a loan deal until the end of the 2007–08 season
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
, with the option of a permanent move after that. He struggled with his fitness during his time at the club, making only three starts and two substitute appearances. In April 2008 he returned to Fulham after tearing a thigh muscle.
On the 2008 transfer deadline day, John moved to NEC Nijmegen on a one-year loan deal, with the Dutch side also obtaining a transfer option. In Nijmegen John suffered with continual problems. Although he was important as a substitute in two UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
matches, he failed to make an impression in the Dutch league. In January 2009 he went on trial at Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
but wasn't offered a contract. Back in Nijmegen he was suspended to the reserve squad by manager Mario Been
Mario Been
Mario Been is a former football professional and football manager from the Netherlands, who is currently the head coach of Genk since 30 August 2011....
. On March 3 John returned to Fulham after both NEC and John didn't see any reason for continuing the loan. In March, John requested to train with Dutch side Heracles Almelo
Heracles Almelo
Heracles Almelo is a football club from Almelo, Netherlands.Heracles Almelo were founded on May 3, 1903 as Heracles, after the demigod son of Zeus. They changed their name on July 1, 1974 to SC Heracles '74 and finally settled on the current name in 1998. The club has won the Dutch national title...
, alongside his brother Paddy
Paddy John
Paddy John is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for German club VfL Osnabrück, as a striker.-Early and personal life:John was born in Zwedru, Liberia and grew up in the Netherlands...
, till the end of the 2008—09 season. The request was denied because John had no intentions to play for Heracles in the next season.
He chose to sign for Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Pro League side Roeselare
K.S.V. Roeselare
K.S.V. Roeselare is a Belgian football club, from the city of Roeselare in West Flanders. Its matricule is the n°134. It has last played in the Belgian Pro League from 2005-06 to 2009-10...
signing a 2 year contract. On December 3 John was suspended and demoted to the reserve squad for disciplinairy reasons by manager Dennis van Wijk
Dennis van Wijk
Dennis Johannes van Wijk is a Dutch football coach and former football player. He is the current coach of the R.A.E.C. Mons in the Belgian Pro League....
. On December 14 Roeselare terminated John's contract.
John joined Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
club Chicago Fire during their pre-season training camp on 29 January 2010 with a view to signing before the start of the 2010 MLS season. On 11 March 2010 The Chicago Fire hired the Dutch and former Fulham forward on a free transfer. After a disappointing season in MLS, in which he was benched for a poor attitude in training, John was released by Chicago on November 24, 2010.
John joined Gabala FC in Azerbaijan on 25 January 2011.
After failing to revive his career in Azerbaijan, John handed in a transfer request. John went on trial with Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
and flew to Portugal with them for a pre-season break.
International
John was part of the Netherlands under-21 squadNetherlands national under-21 football team
The Netherlands national under-21 football team is the national under-21 team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association. The team competes in the European Under-21 Championship, held every two years....
that conquered the 2006 European Championship
2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Final:-Goalscorers:4 goals Klaas Jan Huntelaar3 goals Thomas Kahlenberg Nicky Hofs2 goals Bryan Bergougnoux Ruslan Fomin Artem Milevskiy...
in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Previously, he had already made his main team
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
debuts, appearing in a 2-2 friendly match against Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
, on August 18, 2004. He then made his second appearance for the Netherlands when they played in a friendly match against Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
.
Club statistics
|-|2002-03
Eredivisie 2002-03
The Dutch Eredivisie in the 2002/2003 season was contested by 18 teams. PSV won the championship.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup. 2 FC Zwolle remained in the eredivisie after winning their promotion/relegation play-offs...
||rowspan="2"|FC Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
||rowspan="2"|Dutch League
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||17||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003-04
Eredivisie 2003-04
The 2003-2004 season of the Dutch Eredivisie began in August 2003 and ended in May 2004. The title was won by Ajax.- League standings :- Topscorers :- Relegation playoffs :- Match table :- References :* *...
||18||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003-04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...
||rowspan="5"|Fulham FC||rowspan="5"|Premier League||8||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004-05
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....
||27||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005-06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...
||35||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006-07
FA Premier League 2006-07
The 2006–07 FA Premier League was the fifteenth season of the FA Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season started on 19 August 2006 and concluded on 13 May 2007....
||23||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007-08||2||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007-08
The Football League 2007-08
The Football League is contested through three divisions in England and Wales. The divisions are the League Championship, League One and League Two. The winner and the runner up of the League Championship will be automatically promoted to the Premier League and they will be joined by the winner of...
||Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||11||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007-08
The Football League 2007-08
The Football League is contested through three divisions in England and Wales. The divisions are the League Championship, League One and League Two. The winner and the runner up of the League Championship will be automatically promoted to the Premier League and they will be joined by the winner of...
||Watford FC||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||5||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|-Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
Championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
|2008-09
Eredivisie 2008-09
The Eredivisie 2008–09 is the fifty-third season of Eredivisie since its establishment in 1955. PSV were the reigning champions. The season began on 29 August 2008 with a game between Vitesse and FC Groningen and ended on 10 May 2009. A total of 18 teams take part in the league, consisting of 16...
||NEC Nijmegen||Dutch League
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||5||0||||||||||2||1||||
|-
|2009-10||Roeselare
Roeselare
Roeselare is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke....
||Belgian Pro League||11||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2010
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
||Chicago Fire||MLS
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
||17||3||||||||||||||
|-
|2010-11
2010–11 Azerbaijan Premier League
The 2010–11 Azerbaijan Premier League is the nineteenth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The fixtures were announced on 29 July 2010; the season began on 7 August 2010 and ended on 28 May 2011...
||rowspan="1"|Gabala FC||Azerbaijan Premier League
Azerbaijan Premier League
-Attendance:- Records :Players in the Premier League compete for the Azerbaijan Premier League Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer at the end of each season. Nazim Aliyev is the league's all-time top scorer with 183 goals, including 39 in the 1992 season.During the 1995–96 season he became the...
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Personal life
John was born in ZwedruZwedru
Zwedru is the capital of Grand Gedeh County, one of the 15 counties in the West African country of Liberia. Zwedru is located in Tchien District of Grand Gedeh County, near the Cavalla River in the country's southeastern region and near the border with Côte d'Ivoire. It is located 350 miles...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, but his family emigrated to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
after the murder of his father, during the Liberian Civil War
Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia running from 1989 until 1996. The conflict killed over 200,000 people and eventually led to the involvement the Economic Community of West African States and of the United Nations...
.
His two brothers Paddy
Paddy John
Paddy John is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for German club VfL Osnabrück, as a striker.-Early and personal life:John was born in Zwedru, Liberia and grew up in the Netherlands...
and Ola
Ola John
Ola John is a Liberian-born Dutch footballer who plays as a winger for Twente in the Eredivisie. He was a member of the Netherlands team during the qualifying rounds for the 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship....
are also footballers.
The media has led us to believe that he has a surname for his first name and a first name for his surname.
Honours
- Netherlands U21Netherlands national under-21 football teamThe Netherlands national under-21 football team is the national under-21 team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association. The team competes in the European Under-21 Championship, held every two years....
:- UEFA U-21 Championship: 2006