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Date and Place of Birth 4th December 1978 - BIRMINGHAM
Transfers to and from Burnley from LEEDS UNITED - 30th January 2006 (loan) returned - 1st May 2006
First and Last Burnley Games BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION (a) - 31st January 2006
LUTON TOWN (h) - 30th April 2006 sub: replaced Kyle Lafferty
Other Clubs WALSALL, BOLTON WANDERERS, MIDDLESBROUGH, LEEDS UNITED, STOKE CITY (loan), CARDIFF CITY (loan) ---------------------------------------- SOUTHEND UNITED, PRESTON NORTH END, OLDHAM ATHLETIC, WALSALL (loan), WALSALL, TRANMERE ROVERS |
Burnley Career Stats
| Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Others | Total | |||||
| apps | gls | apps | gls | apps | gls | apps | gls | apps | gls | |
| 2005/06 | 12(1) | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12(1) | 2 |
| Total | 12(1) | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12(1) | 2 |
Profile by Martyn Biddulph & Tony Scholes
The story of Michael Ricketts' career is one of the more unusual in football in the modern day. Born in December 1978, Ricketts began his career at Walsall where he had a steady scoring rate of 1 goal every 6 games. By June 2000, he had done enough in a Walsall shirt to attract Bolton to pay £500,000 for his services.
His time at the Reebok Stadium is admittedly the high time of his career. He netted 15 times in his first Premiership season, earning a February maiden England cap in a friendly against Holland. He failed to score in that game and has not played for England since that date.
A fallout with Sam Allardyce led to Ricketts' appearances for Bolton become less and less frequent. In 2003, Middlesbrough splashed out £3,500,000 to take him to the Riverside. After 37 goals for Bolton, he wasn't quite as prolific at Middlesbrough. He scored just four goals in 38 games and his career began to decline back to where it began.
A free transfer move to fallen giants Leeds United was the next move, where he failed to net in 25 league games. A further 11 games on loan at Stoke City failed to produce a goal. This was a troubling time for a man who just two years previously was playing as a striker for his country. His next loan spell was at Cardiff City where he managed to score four times.
The next stop for Ricketts was his seventh club, Burnley. Signed the day before the transfer deadline, it was hoped Ricketts could get back to his England form under Steve Cotterill. Two goals in his first three games gave the Clarets' fans cause for optimism. However, as Burnley's season declined, so did Ricketts' form. He became a scapegoat at times for his apparent lack of effort and dedication. He looked a shadow of the player that was one of the Premiership's top strikers just three years earlier. He failed to score again for Burnley and he made 13 appearances during his time at Turf Moor. At the end of the season, Ricketts once again returned to Elland Road.
The summer saw newly promoted Southend United sign Ricketts on a two year deal. He gained weight and his fitness was a huge cause for concern and he was promptly released. After a battle to regain his fitness, he signed for Burnley's rivals, promotion chasing Preston North End. He scored just the one goal for Preston and was released at the end of the 2006/07 season after just over three months with them.
He was linked with a return to his first club Walsall but on Tuesday 10th July he signed a three year deal with Oldham Athletic.
Despite scoring on his Oldham debut, a penalty against Swansea, he's failed to make an initial impact at Boundary Park. His second goal came against Walsall in September, and on 2nd November he returned to the Midlands club, where he first started his career, on a three month loan.
Amazingly he scored for Walsall against his own club Oldham, the Latics had given him permission to play. At the end of the loan Walsall wanted to keep him but he chose to return to Oldham where he promptly had his contract cancelled.
Out of the game until the summer of 2008 he was given another opportunity at Walsall by former Burnley boss Jimmy Mullen and returned to his first club on a permanent basis. However, he was released on 5th May 2009, after just one year back at Walsall.
He spent the pre-season on trial with Brighton, but their manager Russell Slade opted not to offer him a contract. However, on 14th August 2009, just six days after the start of the Football League season, he signed a one year deal with Tranmere Rovers.
Links
Two former Clarets leave their clubs (06/05/09)