Marlon King
Encyclopedia
Marlon Francis King is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Birmingham City
. After starting his career in non-League football
with Dulwich Hamlet
, he played for Barnet
, Gillingham
, Leeds United
and Nottingham Forest
before moving to Watford
in 2005. At Watford he was the Football League Championship
top scorer, and was voted Watford player of the season as the club earned promotion to the Premier League. King joined Wigan Athletic in 2008, and subsequently spent loan spells at Hull City
and Middlesbrough
.
King had his contract cancelled by Wigan after being convicted of sexual assault
and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on 29 October 2009, and being sentenced to eighteen months in prison. During his career King has played and scored for the Jamaican national team
.
, London
and attended Forest Hill School
in Lewisham.
, before becoming a trainee at Barnet
. After making 60 first team appearances for Barnet he moved to Gillingham
in 2000.
to join Nottingham Forest
in 2003 for a fee of £950,000. He scored 15 goals in 57 games.
He struggled to win over the fans at Nottingham Forest, before netting an injury time winning goal in an emotional match against West Ham United
, the first after the death of Brian Clough
.
in March 2005 for the remainder of the 2004-05 season. Whilst at Leeds, manager Kevin Blackwell
mainly played King out of position on the wing, and as a result King failed to net a single goal for Leeds, including missing a penalty kick
against Leicester City
. In total he played nine games for Leeds and returned to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2005 after his loan spell ended.
for six months, with an option to buy in the January transfer window. He impressed at the Hertfordshire
club, scoring 12 goals in 21 games as Watford featured in the upper-reaches of the table. King scored his first goal for the Hornets in a 3-3 draw away at Plymouth on 9 August 2005, and followed this up with 2 goals at Cardiff in his next match.
The transfer was made permanent for £500,000 in January, and King went on to finish top scorer in the Championship
in the 2005–06 season
with 21 goals. Watford finished third, with King scoring in the 3–0 semi-final first leg win over Crystal Palace
. He played in the second leg, and in the final against Leeds United, which Watford won 3–0 to win promotion to the FA Premier League
. King was named the club's Player of the Season.
He scored his debut Premier League goal against West Ham United
in the second game of the new season. His second Premier League goal, the first in a 3–3 draw with Fulham
on 2 October 2006 marked his 100th goal in domestic competition. In the following game, away at Arsenal
, he sustained a knee injury which kept him out of the next three games. During his return to fitness he suffered a relapse, and in an exploratory operation it was discovered that some bone had flaked away from his femur
. The injury kept him out of action for six months, and he did not return until 14 April 2007, when he came on as a substitute in the 4–1 FA Cup semi–final loss to Manchester United
at Villa Park. He scored in the final two games of the season, away at Reading
and at home to Newcastle United
to bring his season tally to four.
Watford were relegated and returned to the Championship for the 2007–08 season
. With Watford topping the table for much of the first half of the season, King scored ten goals before the end of 2007, including five in successive games in October.
in January 2008, which Fulham at the time said he had failed. Following King's conviction in October 2009 Fulham manager Roy Hodgson
said "I think we got lucky in that we didn't sign him. There was a problem with the medical and it also became a problem when we found out he had a jail sentence. Mohamed Al Fayed was not at all keen on that so the transfer was allowed to collapse and he went to Wigan instead."
He signed on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee on 25 January 2008. The next day, Watford chairman Graham Simpson said that King had left for a fee of £3million rising to £4million, dependent on appearances and Wigan keeping their Premier League status. He added that King would be doubling his wages to £40,000. King scored his first goal for Wigan against Blackburn Rovers
on 22 March 2008.
bid an undisclosed amount for King, which Wigan accepted. City agreed personal terms with King, but the move fell through as he was unable to negotiate the terms of his exit with Wigan. Hull instead took King on a season-long loan. He scored his first goal for City, a penalty
, on 13 September 2008 against Newcastle United
, adding a second goal in the second half to win the match 2–1.
King's loan at Hull was cut short after he reacted in an "unacceptable manner" when told he was not in the starting line-up for a match against Arsenal
and was sent home rather than taking his place among the substitutes bench.
. He made his debut against Chelsea
on 28 January. He scored his first goal for Middlesbrough on 14 March against Portsmouth
. King grabbed a goal against his old club Hull on 11 April in a win for the Teessiders.
's side. He was sacked in October 2009, following his conviction and sentencing on serious criminal charges, a decision he has indicated he will appeal against.
to regain his fitness. After impressing during training King and Coventry City became involved in lengthy contract talks which took almost two months to sort out. On 20 September 2010, King signed a one-year deal. King scored his first goal for the Sky Blues from the penalty spot to win the game against Middlesbrough
on 4 December, and finished the season as the club's top scorer with 13 goals. He was also chosen Player of the Year.
, citing the opportunity to play in the Europa League
as a major factor in his decision. The free transfer, under the Bosman ruling
, was formally completed on 1 July. Coventry's chairman and manager felt "betrayed" by the player's actions.
He suffered knee ligament damage in pre-season training which delayed his Birmingham debut until 11 September, when he played the last half hour of a 3–0 home win over Millwall
. King scored his first League goal for Birmingham on 16 October, a penalty to open the scoring in a 2–0 win against Leicester City
, and his first goal in European competition, also from the penalty spot, to earn a 2–2 draw at home to Club Brugge
in the Europa League group stage
.
in the friendly against Ghana
on 29 May 2006 which they lost 4–1. He was named in the squad to face England
in a friendly on 3 June 2006, but was sent home for an alleged breach of discipline. Jamaica lost the match 6–0.
As a result of the incident, the Jamaican Football Federation banned King from international football until May 2008. When Captain Horace Burrell returned as the JFF president he lifted the ban. King played in Jamaica's 1–1 draw with Costa Rica
in February 2008, where he provided the cross for Jamaica's goal. King also played for Jamaica in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago
scoring a goal and captaining the team in the absence of Ricardo Gardner
due to injury.
in a casino
in Scarborough. Hull City stated that the matter had been dealt with internally, and both players remained with the club. Windass later described the incident as a "storm in a teacup
".
King has convictions for 14 offences, dating from 1997. He received fines, driving bans, community service sentences, a rehabilitation order and orders to pay compensation on convictions including: theft from a person and from a car, criminal damage, and attempting to obtain property by deception; fraudulent use of vehicle licence document, driving without insurance, speeding, drink driving; a wounding incident while playing amateur football, and two cases involving assault of young women rejecting his advances in the Soho
area of London.
Two cases have led to imprisonment. In May 2002 he received an eighteen-month prison sentence for receiving stolen goods, in relation to a BMW
convertible
that he was found driving. He was found not guilty of a charge of assaulting a police officer in a related case. His solicitor commented that "His reputation will be tarnished forever, whatever success he achieves, he'll always be referred to in a Tyson
-esque way as someone who has had a criminal past and that is a considerable penalty." Gillingham
continued to pay his salary while he was in jail, and supported in his appeal, which resulted in the sentence being reduced to nine months, and he was released on licence after five months, returning to the Gillingham team within two days of his release.
In December 2008, again in the Soho area, King was arrested on suspicion of punching a 20 year-old female university student in the face, causing a broken nose and split lip for which she was treated in hospital. He was later convicted of sexual assault
and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and sentenced to 18 months in prison and placed on the sex offender
register for seven years.
Wigan Athletic immediately initiated the cancellation of his contract.
King’s agent, Tony Finnigan
, said he was confident that his client would find a club on his release, which was on 29 July 2010, and accused the Professional Footballers' Association
(PFA) of failing to offer support. Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the PFA, said that the PFA did not represent players when they have broken the law and been convicted on non-footballing matters. It would support members with anger management or other issues if approached but no approach had been made by King. After his release, he made an appeal against the conviction which was unsuccessful.
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. After starting his career in non-League football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
with Dulwich Hamlet
Dulwich Hamlet F.C.
Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is an English football club who play at Champion Hill stadium in Dulwich, in the London Borough of Southwark. Formed in 1893, they joined the Isthmian League a few years later, winning it a total of 4 times, between 1920 and 1949, and wear a famous pink and blue...
, he played for Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
, Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
, Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
and 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...
before moving to Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
in 2005. At Watford he was the 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...
top scorer, and was voted Watford player of the season as the club earned promotion to the Premier League. King joined Wigan Athletic in 2008, and subsequently spent loan spells at Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
and 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...
.
King had his contract cancelled by Wigan after being convicted of sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on 29 October 2009, and being sentenced to eighteen months in prison. During his career King has played and scored for the Jamaican national team
Jamaica national football team
The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
.
Early life
King was born in DulwichDulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and attended Forest Hill School
Forest Hill School
Forest Hill School is a comprehensive boys school located on Dacres Road, Forest Hill in the London Borough of Lewisham. It opened in 1956. The school has very close ties with the girls' secondary, Sydenham School, which is located close by...
in Lewisham.
Early career
King started his career at Dulwich HamletDulwich Hamlet F.C.
Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is an English football club who play at Champion Hill stadium in Dulwich, in the London Borough of Southwark. Formed in 1893, they joined the Isthmian League a few years later, winning it a total of 4 times, between 1920 and 1949, and wear a famous pink and blue...
, before becoming a trainee at Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
. After making 60 first team appearances for Barnet he moved to Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
in 2000.
Nottingham Forest
King left PriestfieldPriestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium is a football stadium in Gillingham, Kent...
to join 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...
in 2003 for a fee of £950,000. He scored 15 goals in 57 games.
He struggled to win over the fans at Nottingham Forest, before netting an injury time winning goal in an emotional match against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, the first after the death of Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
.
Leeds United loan
King was loaned to Leeds UnitedLeeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
in March 2005 for the remainder of the 2004-05 season. Whilst at Leeds, manager Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Patrick Blackwell is an English former professional football goalkeeper who since retiring as a player has worked as a coach and a manager. He has an identical twin, Noel.-Early career:...
mainly played King out of position on the wing, and as a result King failed to net a single goal for Leeds, including missing a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
against 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...
. In total he played nine games for Leeds and returned to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2005 after his loan spell ended.
Watford
In the summer of 2005 King was loaned to WatfordWatford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
for six months, with an option to buy in the January transfer window. He impressed at the Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
club, scoring 12 goals in 21 games as Watford featured in the upper-reaches of the table. King scored his first goal for the Hornets in a 3-3 draw away at Plymouth on 9 August 2005, and followed this up with 2 goals at Cardiff in his next match.
The transfer was made permanent for £500,000 in January, and King went on to finish top scorer in the 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...
in the 2005–06 season
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
with 21 goals. Watford finished third, with King scoring in the 3–0 semi-final first leg win over Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. He played in the second leg, and in the final against Leeds United, which Watford won 3–0 to win promotion to the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
. King was named the club's Player of the Season.
He scored his debut Premier League goal against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
in the second game of the new season. His second Premier League goal, the first in a 3–3 draw with 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...
on 2 October 2006 marked his 100th goal in domestic competition. In the following game, away at Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, he sustained a knee injury which kept him out of the next three games. During his return to fitness he suffered a relapse, and in an exploratory operation it was discovered that some bone had flaked away from his femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
. The injury kept him out of action for six months, and he did not return until 14 April 2007, when he came on as a substitute in the 4–1 FA Cup semi–final loss to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
at Villa Park. He scored in the final two games of the season, away at Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
and at home to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
to bring his season tally to four.
Watford were relegated and returned to the Championship for 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 Watford topping the table for much of the first half of the season, King scored ten goals before the end of 2007, including five in successive games in October.
Wigan Athletic
King had a medical at FulhamFulham 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 2008, which Fulham at the time said he had failed. Following King's conviction in October 2009 Fulham manager Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson is a former English footballer and current head coach of West Bromwich Albion.Hodgson, who has managed sixteen different teams in eight countries, guided the Switzerland national team to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup and qualification for Euro 1996; Switzerland had not qualified...
said "I think we got lucky in that we didn't sign him. There was a problem with the medical and it also became a problem when we found out he had a jail sentence. Mohamed Al Fayed was not at all keen on that so the transfer was allowed to collapse and he went to Wigan instead."
He signed on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee on 25 January 2008. The next day, Watford chairman Graham Simpson said that King had left for a fee of £3million rising to £4million, dependent on appearances and Wigan keeping their Premier League status. He added that King would be doubling his wages to £40,000. King scored his first goal for Wigan against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
on 22 March 2008.
Hull City
In August 2008, Premier League newcomers Hull CityHull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
bid an undisclosed amount for King, which Wigan accepted. City agreed personal terms with King, but the move fell through as he was unable to negotiate the terms of his exit with Wigan. Hull instead took King on a season-long loan. He scored his first goal for City, a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
, on 13 September 2008 against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, adding a second goal in the second half to win the match 2–1.
King's loan at Hull was cut short after he reacted in an "unacceptable manner" when told he was not in the starting line-up for a match against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and was sent home rather than taking his place among the substitutes bench.
Middlesbrough
On 22 January 2009, King's loan spell with Hull ended and he signed a loan deal with MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough 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...
. He made his debut 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...
on 28 January. He scored his first goal for Middlesbrough on 14 March against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. King grabbed a goal against his old club Hull on 11 April in a win for the Teessiders.
Return to Wigan
King returned to Wigan in the summer of 2009 season after his loan spell ended. He mainly found himself on the bench for Roberto MartínezRoberto Martínez
Roberto Martínez Montoliú is a Spanish former professional footballer and is currently manager of Wigan Athletic.Martínez played as a midfielder and began his career at lower league Spanish side CF Balaguer. Two years later he went to English Division Three side Wigan Athletic...
's side. He was sacked in October 2009, following his conviction and sentencing on serious criminal charges, a decision he has indicated he will appeal against.
Coventry City
Upon his release from jail former manager Aidy Boothroyd invited King to train with Coventry CityCoventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
to regain his fitness. After impressing during training King and Coventry City became involved in lengthy contract talks which took almost two months to sort out. On 20 September 2010, King signed a one-year deal. King scored his first goal for the Sky Blues from the penalty spot to win the game 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 4 December, and finished the season as the club's top scorer with 13 goals. He was also chosen Player of the Year.
Birmingham City
With his Coventry contract about to expire, King was reported to have verbally agreed a new deal with the club. However, on 10 June 2011, he agreed a three-year contract with Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, citing the opportunity to play in the Europa League
2011–12 UEFA Europa League
The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League is the third season of the competition since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup. It began on 30 June 2011 with the first legs of the first qualifying round, and will end on 9 May 2012 with the final to be held at Stadionul Național in Bucharest, Romania...
as a major factor in his decision. The free transfer, under the Bosman ruling
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
, was formally completed on 1 July. Coventry's chairman and manager felt "betrayed" by the player's actions.
He suffered knee ligament damage in pre-season training which delayed his Birmingham debut until 11 September, when he played the last half hour of a 3–0 home win over Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
. King scored his first League goal for Birmingham on 16 October, a penalty to open the scoring in a 2–0 win against 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...
, and his first goal in European competition, also from the penalty spot, to earn a 2–2 draw at home to Club Brugge
Club Brugge
Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging is a football club from Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the top clubs in Belgium. Its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,472....
in the Europa League group stage
2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage
This article details the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage.The group stage will feature 48 teams: the 38 winners of the play-off round, and the 10 losing teams from the Champions League play-off round....
.
International career
In 2004 King played an important part in Jamaica's unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, scoring six goals in eight games. He played for JamaicaJamaica national football team
The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
in the friendly against Ghana
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
on 29 May 2006 which they lost 4–1. He was named in the squad to face England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in a friendly on 3 June 2006, but was sent home for an alleged breach of discipline. Jamaica lost the match 6–0.
As a result of the incident, the Jamaican Football Federation banned King from international football until May 2008. When Captain Horace Burrell returned as the JFF president he lifted the ban. King played in Jamaica's 1–1 draw with Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
in February 2008, where he provided the cross for Jamaica's goal. King also played for Jamaica in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
scoring a goal and captaining the team in the absence of Ricardo Gardner
Ricardo Gardner
Ricardo Gardner is a Jamaican footballer who currently plays for Bolton Wanderers. He is naturally a left winger but can also play in the centre of midfield or at left wingback.-Early career:...
due to injury.
Incidents and legal cases
While on loan to Hull City, King was alleged to have headbutted teammate Dean WindassDean Windass
Dean Windass is an English footballer, who predominantly played as a striker, and is known for his spells at Bradford City and his hometown team Hull City...
in a casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
in Scarborough. Hull City stated that the matter had been dealt with internally, and both players remained with the club. Windass later described the incident as a "storm in a teacup
Storm in a Teacup
Storm in a Teacup may refer to:*a variation of Tempest in a teapot, an idiom meaning a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion*Storm in a Teacup , a 1937 British film....
".
King has convictions for 14 offences, dating from 1997. He received fines, driving bans, community service sentences, a rehabilitation order and orders to pay compensation on convictions including: theft from a person and from a car, criminal damage, and attempting to obtain property by deception; fraudulent use of vehicle licence document, driving without insurance, speeding, drink driving; a wounding incident while playing amateur football, and two cases involving assault of young women rejecting his advances in the Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
area of London.
Two cases have led to imprisonment. In May 2002 he received an eighteen-month prison sentence for receiving stolen goods, in relation to a BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
convertible
Convertible
A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
that he was found driving. He was found not guilty of a charge of assaulting a police officer in a related case. His solicitor commented that "His reputation will be tarnished forever, whatever success he achieves, he'll always be referred to in a Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
-esque way as someone who has had a criminal past and that is a considerable penalty." Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
continued to pay his salary while he was in jail, and supported in his appeal, which resulted in the sentence being reduced to nine months, and he was released on licence after five months, returning to the Gillingham team within two days of his release.
In December 2008, again in the Soho area, King was arrested on suspicion of punching a 20 year-old female university student in the face, causing a broken nose and split lip for which she was treated in hospital. He was later convicted of sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and sentenced to 18 months in prison and placed on the sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
register for seven years.
Wigan Athletic immediately initiated the cancellation of his contract.
King’s agent, Tony Finnigan
Tony Finnigan
Tony Finnigan is a retired English professional footballer. He was born in Wimbledon on the 17th October 1962. After retirement he became a players agent in partnership with Ian Wright and Andy Gray...
, said he was confident that his client would find a club on his release, which was on 29 July 2010, and accused the Professional Footballers' Association
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
(PFA) of failing to offer support. Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the PFA, said that the PFA did not represent players when they have broken the law and been convicted on non-footballing matters. It would support members with anger management or other issues if approached but no approach had been made by King. After his release, he made an appeal against the conviction which was unsuccessful.
Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... |
Other | Total | Reference | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Barnet Barnet F.C. Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet.... |
1998–99 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 6 | |
| 1999–2000 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 8 | ||
| Gillingham Gillingham F.C. Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium... |
2000–01 | 38 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 15 | |
| 2001–02 | 42 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 20 | ||
| 2002–03 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 7 | ||
| 2003–04 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | ||
| Nottingham Forest | 2003–04 | 24 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 6 | |
| 2004–05 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 9 | ||
| Leeds United | 2004–05 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Watford Watford F.C. Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade... |
2005–06 | 41 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 45 | 22 | |
| 2006–07 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | 27 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 11 | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 2007–08 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| Hull City | 2008–09 2008–09 in English football The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while... |
20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 5 | |
| 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... |
2008–09 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | |
| Wigan Athletic | 2009–10 2009–10 in English football The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Coventry City | 2010–11 2010–11 in English football The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May... |
28 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 13 | |
| Birmingham City | 2011–12 2011–12 in English football The 2011–12 season is the 132nd season of competitive football in England.The season began on 5 August 2011 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier starting eight days later, League Football Conference Starting one day before Premier League starts.The Championship, League One, and League Two... |
12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 5 | |
| Total | 384 | 123 | 16 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 428 | 139 | ||
Club
Watford- Football League Championship play-offsFootball League Championship play-offsThe Football League Championship play-offs are a series of playoff matches contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the Football League Championship table. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with 6th playing 3rd and 5th playing 4th, with the return fixtures following...
(1) : 2006