Ben Alnwick

Infobox Football biography
playername = Ben Alnwick


fullname = Benjamin Robert Alnwick
height = height|meter=1.88
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1987|1|1
cityofbirth = Prudhoe
countryofbirth = England
currentclub = Tottenham Hotspur
clubnumber =
position = Goalkeeper
youthyears =
youthclubs = Sunderland
years = 2004–2007
2007–
2007
2008
clubs = Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
→ Luton Town (loan)
→ Leicester City (loan)
caps(goals) = 19 (0)
00 (0)
04 (0)
08 (0)
nationalyears = 2007–
nationalteam = England U21
nationalcaps(goals) = 01 (0)
pcupdate = 22:03, 27 May 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 21:43, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Benjamin Robert "Ben" Alnwick (born January 1, 1987 in Prudhoe, England) is a football goalkeeper currently playing for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ben has a younger brother called Jak Alnwick, also a goalkeeper, currently playing for Newcastle United FC and has also been capped at under-16 and under-18 level for England. [ [http://www.safc.com/news/?page_id=13445] ]

Club career

underland

Alnwick started his career at Sunderland, and came to prominence at the climax of their 2004-05 Football League Championship-winning season, replacing the injured Thomas Myhre for Sunderland's last three games. His performances against Leicester City and West Ham, the games that won Sunderland promotion to the Premiership and Championship win respectively, were impressive.In November 2005, he spent a stint as the number one goalkeeper at Sunderland, replacing Kelvin Davis. Despite impressing, particularly in Sunderland's 3-2 defeat to Tottenham where he made a penalty save from Robbie Keane Alnwick was dropped in favour of Kelvin Davis. After the departure of Davis to Southampton, Alnwick was given the no.1 shirt for the 2006-07 season.

After a disappointing start to the season 2006-07 season, Alnwick was relegated to the substitutes bench in favour of Darren Ward by new boss Roy Keane.

Tottenham Hotspur

Just two days after the January transfer window had opened, Alnwick joined Tottenham Hotspur for £900,000 in a deal that could rise to £1.3m and saw Márton Fülöp going the other way for £500,000. In September 2007 he was loaned to League One side Luton Town on a three-month loan deal.cite news
title = Luton sign Tottenham goalkeeper
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/luton_town/7016763.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-09-27
accessdate = 2007-10-26] He was recalled from Luton in October, due to an injury to Paul Robinson.cite news
title = Spurs recall Alnwick from Luton
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/7063539.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-10-26
accessdate = 2007-10-26] However on Monday January 7 2008 he joined Leicester City on loan until the end of the season.cite news
title = Alnwick arrives
url = http://www.lcfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/LatestNews/0,,10274~1208181,00.html
publisher = Leicester City Football Club
date = 2008-01-07
accessdate = 2008-01-07]

Alnwick made his league debut in an M69 Derby on January 12, keeping a clean sheet as Leicester won 2-0.cite news
title = Leicester 2-0 Coventry
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/7172833.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-01-12
accessdate = 2008-01-12] He managed two more clean sheets against fc|Norwich City and fc|Crystal Palace before finally conceding two goals to fc|Blackpool on 2 February, losing 2-1.cite news
title = Blackpool 2-1 Leicester
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/7210583.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-02-02
accessdate = 2008-02-03]

International career

Alnwick received his first call-up to the England under-21 squad ahead of the August 15 2006 match against Moldova. Still awaiting his debut, Alnwick was named in Stuart Pearce's first squad as England U21 coach, alongside another uncapped goalkeeper, Joe Hart. He was not chosen to start the match, on February 62007, against Spain.

Alnwick was named in the first England U21 squad to play at the new Wembley against Italy U21s on March 24 2007, but he remained an unused sub. He was also named in England's squad for the U21 European Championships in the Netherlands. He debuted a year after his first call-up, in a friendly against Romania at Ashton Gate. He came on for the second half as a substitute for Joe Hart, and kept a clean sheet.

ex Tape Scandal

On December 7 2006, tabloid newspaper The Sun reported Alnwick, along with team-mates Chris Brown and Liam Lawrence had filmed themselves in an orgy with a brunette girl referred to as 'Stevie', (Stevie Leigh Mason - Miss Sunderland). In the video, Brown is said to give "Match of the Day" style commentary as his team-mates perform sexual acts on the girl. Former Sunderland midfielder Martin Woods also features on the tape partially clothed performing a sex act on himself. Two other men were also present. [ [http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006560592,00.html Keane fury over roasting romp] ]

On December 8, The Sun reported that the girl in the video was just 16 years old, with the girl claiming she had no idea she was being filmed. [ [http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006560734,00.html Girl in footie roast was just 16] ]

References

External links

*soccerbase|id=37870|name=Ben Alnwick
* [http://www.safc.com/team/?page_id=2623&player_id=61 Official Sunderland FC Profile]