Alan Archibald

Football player infobox| playername= Alan Archibald
fullname = Alan Maxwell Archibald


nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1977|12|13|df=y
cityofbirth = Glasgow
countryofbirth = Scotland
height = height|ft=6|in=0
currentclub = Partick Thistle
clubnumber =
position = Centre back
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1996–2003
2003–2007
2007–
clubs = Partick Thistle
Dundee United
Partick Thistle
caps(goals) = 200 (8)
125 (6)
036 (0)
pcupdate = 14:27, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Alan Maxwell Archibald (born December 13, 1977 in Glasgow) is a Scottish footballer who currently plays in defence for Partick Thistle in the Scottish First Division.

Career

A left-footed defender, Alan was signed by then-manager Ian McCall for United on 3 June 2003. Prior to coming to Tannadice, Alan was with Partick Thistle, the club he joined as an eighteen-year-old from Kilwinning Rangers in September 1996. A former under-21 international, Alan made 231 appearances scoring eight goals for the Jags where, until leaving, he was their longest-serving player.

In his first season at Tannadice - 2003-04 - Alan was the only player to feature in every match for United, and his assured performances earned him a contract extension.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dundee_utd/3502840.stm|title=Tannadice duo extend stay|publisher=BBC Sport website|date=2004-03-11] Never a prolific goal scorer by any means, Alan was nevertheless delighted to get his first United goal against Hearts in a 2-1 win at Tannadice. He also scored against Celtic in a narrow defeat for the Tangerines at Celtic Park. Alan was one of the club’s most consistent performers in 2003-04 and his contribution in the side that achieved a fifth place finish was marked with the Player of the Year award at the Club’s Annual Dinner and he also received recognition from the Federation and other supporters’ clubs.

During the 2004-05 season, Alan continued his ever-present run by appearing in every match that season as United reached the Scottish Cup Final and secured their place in the SPL following a long battle with relegation. He also added a further four goals to his United tally, including the opener in the 4-1 Scottish Cup win over Aberdeen at Tannadice.

At the end of the 2005-06 season, it was rumoured that Archibald might be returning to former club Partick Thistlecite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/partick_thistle/4990000.stm BBC Sport website|title=Thistle hope for Archibald return|publisher=BBC Sport website|date=2006-05-17] . However, following the signing of fullback Christian Kalvenes early into the 2006-07 season, Archibald was moved to his preferred position in the centre of defence. Up until 26 November 2006, all of Archibald's United appearances had been from the starting eleven; he finally made a substitute appearance in the 1-0 win over St Mirren.

On 24 January 2007, Archibald was informed by Dundee United manager Craig Levein that his contract, due to expire in June 2007, would not be renewed, and as such Alan was free to negotiate with other clubs. On 31 January, Archibald signed a contract to return to Partick Thistle, lasting until the end of the 2008/09 season.cite news|url=http://ptfc.co.uk/pressbox/news.asp?id=907 |title=He's Coming Home|publisher=PTFC.co.uk|date=2007-01-31]

Honours

Partick Thistle

* sport honours|Scottish Second Division|1|2000–01
* sport honours|Scottish First Division|1|2001–02

DundeeUnited

* sport honours|Scottish Cup Runner-up|1|2004–05

References

External links

*

See also

* Dundee United F.C. season 2003-04
* Dundee United F.C. season 2004-05
* Dundee United F.C. season 2005-06
* Dundee United F.C. season 2006-07

Persondata
NAME=Archibald, Alan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Footballer
DATE OF BIRTH=13 December 1977
PLACE OF BIRTH=Glasgow, Scotland
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=