Richard Wright: the accident prone keeper.

By Tony Attwood

Richard Ian Wright was born in Ipswich on 5 November 1977 and gained a league winners’ medal with Arsenal as a goalkeeper in a season when we had three keepers get a medal.

Here’s his list of clubs…

Years Team League Games
1995–2001 Ipswich Town 240
2001–2002 Arsenal 12
2002–2007 Everton 60
2007–2008 West Ham United 0
2008 Southampton 7
2008–2010 Ipswich Town 58
2010–2011 Sheffield United 2
2011–2012 Ipswich Town 1
2012 Preston North End 0
2012– Manchester City 0

He made his debut at Ipswich at the end of the 1994/5 season as a 17 year old, and was part of the team that won promotion in 2000.

Wright joined Arsenal in July 2001 for what is thought to be about £2m as a potential successor to David Seaman, and in preference to Alex Manninger who left the club.

His first game was on 29 September 2001 against Derby, with Seaman injured, but uncertainty in goal and an injury meant that Arsenal then promoted third choice keeper Stuart Taylor to the front of the queue.  Wright did however play the FA Cup matches once David Seaman had returned, but then Seaman played in the cup final which we won 2-0 against Chelsea.

This was the season in which he came on as a sub in the match against Everton on 11 May 2002, to give him the appearances needed for a winners’ medal.  Arsenal had already won the league by then finishing seven points clear of Liverpool.

He moved to Everton as first choice keeper, but was reportedly injured falling out of the loft at his home, and became second choice to Nigel Martyn.   When he did get a chance to replace the injured Martyn, Wright injured himself in the warm up.   Wright had ludicrously ignored the giant sign in the goal mouth telling keepers not to warm up there.   He fell over the sign.

After that he started the rounds of clubs: West Ham, Southampton, Coventry and finally back to Ipswich where eventually he was injured and released.  He went to Sheffield Utd but got injured.  In the two games he did play he had to come off with injuries.

On 23 November 2011 Richard Wright returned to Ipswich and played in the reserves then went to Preston, then on to Colchester for a trial and then Manchester City signing a one year contract extension on 10 July 2013.

In May 2014 however he won a league winners’ medal again – but this time without playing any games, the League having changed the rules about who could get medals. He appeared in his kit to get his medal after the last game, and was somewhat ridiculed for the affair, although quite possibly it was the club that ordered him to appear in this way.

Richard Wright has appeared twice for England.  In 2000 in a match again Malta he gave away two penalties.  The first went in off his head after hitting a post.  He saved the second.

At the time of writing he is goalkeeper coach to Manchester City.

Index to the anniversaries and other series.

 

One Reply to “Richard Wright: the accident prone keeper.”

  1. With regard to Richard Wright’s appearances in 2001/02, and the total (10) required for a Premier League medal; Wright actually made 12 league starts, and had completed the appearances needed prior to the final game at home to Everton. Wright started, and was replaced by Stuart Taylor for the last 10mins thus giving Taylor the requisite 10 (9+1 sub) for his medal.

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