Robbie Neilson
Encyclopedia
Robbie Neilson is a Scottish
internationalist professional association footballer who plays as a right back or centre back. He is currently contracted to Dundee United
until the end of the 2010-11 season. Neilson started his league career with Heart of Midlothian
, for whom he made 200 Scottish Premier League
appearances and he won the Scottish Cup
in 2006
. Early in his Hearts career, Neilson was loaned to Scottish Football League
clubs Cowdenbeath
and Queen of the South
. He left Hearts in 2009 and signed for English Championship club Leicester City
. After about a year he was dropped from the Leicester first team, was loaned to Brentford
, and was then given a free transfer in the summer of 2011. After being without a club since then, Neilson signed for Dundee United on 15 November 2011.
Born in Paisley
, Scotland
, Neilson was originally attached to Rangers
, the team he supported, through their Boys Club system. He joined Hearts Youth Academy at 16 as he felt it offered him a better chance of eventual first-team football and career progression. With hindsight, his judgment could be viewed as a wise one, for few of his contemporaries have established themselves at Ibrox
.
He had time on loan at Cowdenbeath
in 1999. In August 2002
Neilson joined Dumfries
club Queen of the South
on loan. Neilson helped the Dumfries club consolidate their Scottish First Division status and win the 2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, beating Brechin City
2-0. Neilson made 17 appearances for Queens including a man of the match performance at Clyde
. He returned to Tynecastle in January 2003.
A high point in his career came in 2004 with his match-winning goal in Hearts' 2-1 away win over FC Basel
in the 2004-05
UEFA Cup
, his first in any competition for the club. He scored his first league goal for Hearts in a 3-1 win over Livingston later that season.
On 4 February 2009 he was given the role of Hearts' captain after the departure of Christophe Berra
. Manager Csaba Laszlo
did not start contract talks with Neilson until the season drew to a close. As a result of the new wage structure at Hearts, Neilson and the club could not reach an agreement for a new contract.
club Leicester City
on May 21, 2009. The next day Leicester confirmed that he had signed a pre-contractual agreement and would join the club in July. Signing a three-year contract, Neilson set his sights on helping the club win promotion to the Premier League. He made his debut in a 0-0 draw against Ipswich Town
at Portman Road
on 15 August, becoming the 1000th player to debut for Leicester in a competitive fixture. Neilson finished the season with 19 league games for Leicester. He scored his first goal for the club in a 4-3 League Cup
win over Macclesfield Town on 10 August 2010. On 27 May 2011, manager Sven Goran Eriksson allowed Neilson along with Michael Lamey
to speak to other clubs in search of more regular first team opportunities.
playing the full 90 minutes. Carlisle United
won the match 1-0
and Burton Albion
since being released by Leicester on 27 May 2011, Neilson agreed to sign a contract with Dundee United on 15 November 2011 until the end of the current season. His Debut for United was against former club Hearts. United won 1-0.
. He won his first full Scotland
cap in a 2-0 Euro 2008 qualifying defeat to Ukraine
in Kiev
on October 11, 2006.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
internationalist professional association footballer who plays as a right back or centre back. He is currently contracted to Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
until the end of the 2010-11 season. Neilson started his league career with Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
, for whom he made 200 Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
appearances and he won the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
in 2006
2006 Scottish Cup Final
The 2006 Scottish Cup Final was played on 13 May 2006 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 120th Scottish Cup. The final was contested by Heart of Midlothian , who beat Hibernian 4–0 in the semi-final, and Gretna, who beat Dundee 3–0....
. Early in his Hearts career, Neilson was loaned to Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
clubs Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath F.C.
Cowdenbeath Football Club are a professional Scottish football team based in the town of Cowdenbeath, Fife. They currently play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League. The club plays its home games at Central Park in the centre of the town which has the unusual feature of a motor...
and Queen of the South
Queen of the South F.C.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...
. He left Hearts in 2009 and signed for English Championship club 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...
. After about a year he was dropped from the Leicester first team, was loaned to Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
, and was then given a free transfer in the summer of 2011. After being without a club since then, Neilson signed for Dundee United on 15 November 2011.
Hearts and Loan Spells at Queen of the South and Cowdenbeath
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Neilson was originally attached to Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, the team he supported, through their Boys Club system. He joined Hearts Youth Academy at 16 as he felt it offered him a better chance of eventual first-team football and career progression. With hindsight, his judgment could be viewed as a wise one, for few of his contemporaries have established themselves at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
.
He had time on loan at Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath F.C.
Cowdenbeath Football Club are a professional Scottish football team based in the town of Cowdenbeath, Fife. They currently play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League. The club plays its home games at Central Park in the centre of the town which has the unusual feature of a motor...
in 1999. In August 2002
2002-03 in Scottish football
The 2002–03 season was the 106th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:The 2002–03 Scottish Premier League was won on goal difference by Rangers by a single goal over Celtic. Both Rangers and Celtic qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League and...
Neilson joined Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
club Queen of the South
Queen of the South F.C.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...
on loan. Neilson helped the Dumfries club consolidate their Scottish First Division status and win the 2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, beating Brechin City
Brechin City F.C.
Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football team based in Brechin, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Football League and play in the Second Division in the 2010–11 season...
2-0. Neilson made 17 appearances for Queens including a man of the match performance at Clyde
Clyde F.C.
Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
. He returned to Tynecastle in January 2003.
A high point in his career came in 2004 with his match-winning goal in Hearts' 2-1 away win over FC Basel
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the...
in the 2004-05
2004-05 in Scottish football
The 2004–05 season was the 108th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2004:*6 July 2004 - Nacho Novo from Dundee to Rangers, £450,000*1 July 2004 - Dado Prso from AS Monaco to Rangers, Bosman...
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...
, his first in any competition for the club. He scored his first league goal for Hearts in a 3-1 win over Livingston later that season.
On 4 February 2009 he was given the role of Hearts' captain after the departure of Christophe Berra
Christophe Berra
Christophe Berra is a Scottish international footballer who currently plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers.-Hearts:Berra joined Hearts on 26 April 2002 from their youth development system...
. Manager Csaba Laszlo
Csaba László
Csaba László is a Romanian born Hungarian football manager and former player. He is the manager of Belgian Pro League club Charleroi SC. He is former manager of Scottish Premier League club...
did not start contract talks with Neilson until the season drew to a close. As a result of the new wage structure at Hearts, Neilson and the club could not reach an agreement for a new contract.
Leicester City
In search of a new challenge, Neilson agreed terms with English ChampionshipFootball 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...
club 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 May 21, 2009. The next day Leicester confirmed that he had signed a pre-contractual agreement and would join the club in July. Signing a three-year contract, Neilson set his sights on helping the club win promotion to the Premier League. He made his debut in a 0-0 draw against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
at Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...
on 15 August, becoming the 1000th player to debut for Leicester in a competitive fixture. Neilson finished the season with 19 league games for Leicester. He scored his first goal for the club in a 4-3 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...
win over Macclesfield Town on 10 August 2010. On 27 May 2011, manager Sven Goran Eriksson allowed Neilson along with Michael Lamey
Michael Lamey
Michael Lamey is a Dutch professional football player who currently plays as a defender for Wisla Krakow in Poland.- Club career :...
to speak to other clubs in search of more regular first team opportunities.
Brentford on Loan
On 17 February 2011, Neilson joined Brentford on loan for a month, which was extended until the end of the season on 23 March 2011. On 3 April 2011 Neilson started in the 2011 Football League Trophy Final2011 Football League Trophy Final
The 2011 Football League Trophy Final was the 28th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from Football Leagues One and Two, the Football League Trophy. The final was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 3 April 2011. The match was contested between Brentford and Carlisle...
playing the full 90 minutes. Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
won the match 1-0
Dundee United
After training briefly with FalkirkFalkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
and Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
since being released by Leicester on 27 May 2011, Neilson agreed to sign a contract with Dundee United on 15 November 2011 until the end of the current season. His Debut for United was against former club Hearts. United won 1-0.
International career
Neilson was capped 10 times by Scotland under-21Scotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....
. He won his first full Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
cap in a 2-0 Euro 2008 qualifying defeat to Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
on October 11, 2006.
Honours
- Queen of the South - Scottish Challenge Cup 2002-03Scottish Challenge Cup 2002-03The 2002–03 Scottish Challenge Cup was the 12th season of the competition, competed for by all 30 members of the Scottish Football League. The defending champions were , who defeated 2–1 in the 2001 final....
winner
- Hearts - 2006 Scottish Cup Final2006 Scottish Cup FinalThe 2006 Scottish Cup Final was played on 13 May 2006 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 120th Scottish Cup. The final was contested by Heart of Midlothian , who beat Hibernian 4–0 in the semi-final, and Gretna, who beat Dundee 3–0....
winner
- Brentford - 2011 Football League Trophy Final2011 Football League Trophy FinalThe 2011 Football League Trophy Final was the 28th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from Football Leagues One and Two, the Football League Trophy. The final was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 3 April 2011. The match was contested between Brentford and Carlisle...
ist
External links
- Profile at londonhearts.com