Kevin Kyle

Football player infobox
playername = Kevin Kyle


fullname =
height = height|ft=6|in=3
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1981|6|7
cityofbirth = Stranraer
countryofbirth = Scotland
currentclub = Hartlepool United (on loan from Coventry City)
clubnumber = 34
position = Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 2000–2006
2000
2000–2001
2001
2006–
2008
2008–
clubs = Sunderland
→ Huddersfield Town (loan)
→ Darlington (loan)
→ Rochdale (loan)
Coventry City
→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)
→ Hartlepool United (loan)
caps(goals) = 91 (16)
04 0(0)
05 0(1)
06 0(0)
44 0(5)
12 0(1)
01 0(0)
nationalyears = 2002–2004
nationalteam = Scotland
nationalcaps(goals) = 08 0(0)
pcupdate = 4 October 2008

Kevin Kyle (born June 7, 1981 in Stranraer) is a Scottish football striker, who currently plays for English Football League One side Hartlepool United after joining on loan from English Championship side Coventry City.

Early years

Kevin Kyle grew up in Stranraer where as well as playing for his school team and local amateur sides he was selected to play for Dumfries and Galloway region. Also in the same Dumfries and Galloway team was fellow Stranraer boy Allan Jenkins and Scott McQuade.

Playing career

Kyle began his senior career at Sunderland, where he was a prolific scorer for their reserves. However, he was unable to force his way into the first team, boasting the striking talent of Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn. Instead, he spent time on loan at several lower league clubs to gain first team experience with limited success.

After finally breaking into the Sunderland first team in the 2003/04 season he ended up as their joint top goalscorer with 16 goals to help them to the play-offs. However, he missed most of the following season owing to a hip injury and his recovery was aided by visits to Bayern Munich doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfarth. [cite news|publisher=The Northern Echo|url=http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2005/8/12/203549.html|title=Kyle in dramatic search for fitness|date=12 August 2005] He returned to first team action in February 2006, scoring his first and only Premier League goal in March 2006, away to Manchester City, in a season that saw Sunderland relegated on a then-record low points tally (subsequently beaten by fc|Derby County).

Kyle joined Coventry City on August 25 2006 for £600,000, [cite news|publisher=BBC Sport|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/coventry_city/5286038.stm|title=Sky Blues sign Scotland's Kyle|date=25 August 2006] but only went on to score 3 goals during the campaign.

During the 2007/08 season, he was sent off twice and became a subject of abuse from the majority of the Coventry City support due to his performances lacking full expectations and reported £8k a week wages which is a figure many find hard to justify for a club in finacial trouble. He was subsequently loaned out to Wolverhampton Wanderers for the rest of the season in the January transfer window, where he linked up with his former Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy. Mick McCarthy was expected to make the signing permanent as he had previously got the best out of Kyle where he scored a goal almost every 9 games, but Kyle was deemed not good enough.

He joined Hartlepool United on a month's loan on October 1 2008 [cite news|publisher=BBC Sport|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hartlepool_united/7623051.stm|title=Kyle completes Pools loan switch|date=1 October 2008] making his debut against Swindon Town.

Kyle has been capped by Scotland on eight occasions, stepping up from the Under 21 side. He made his international debut on May 16, 2002, as a substitute in a 4-1 friendly loss to South Korea. One week later, he played and scored in a 4-0 success over a Hong Kong League XI. However, this is not recognised by FIFA as an official international. All his appearances for the full team came under Berti Vogts and he has not been selected since his departure in 2004.

Off the field incidents

During a trip with the Scotland Under 21 side, he destroyed his hotel room. [cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20021124/ai_n12579373|title=Cousin Kevin|date=24 November 2002|publisher=The Sunday Herald] The incident prompted manager Craig Brown refuse to select him again during his tenure.

In the early hours of October 8, 2006, Kyle was arrested in Stranraer after a brawl. On March 12 2007, he was convicted of two breaches of the peace in relation to the arrest, [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6443673.stm|title=Footballer convicted after brawl|date=13 March 2007|publisher=BBC News website] and sentenced to 120 hours' community service on April 3 2007.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6521983.stm|title=Scots striker sentenced for brawl|publisher=BBC News website|date=3 April 2007] A month earlier, Kyle had received a six month driving ban in relation to charges of driving without due care and attention on the A75 near Newton Stewart on September 1, 2006. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6354669.stm|date=12 February 2007|publisher=BBC News website|title=Driving ban for Scotland striker]

In 2006 Kyle received the dubious nickname of "Scaldin' Balls" from the Daily Mirror, a parody of David Beckham's "golden balls" nickname, after Kyle missed one of Sunderland's matches after scalding his testicles with boiling water whilst feeding his young son. [cite news|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16900129&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=scaldin--balls--footy-star-drops-boiling-water-in-lap-name_page.html|date=4 April 2006|publisher=The Mirror|title=Scaldin' Balls: Footy star drops boiling water in lap]

References

External links

* [http://www.ccfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10269~19032,00.html Official club profile]
*soccerbase|21781|name=Kevin Kyle