Steve Guppy

Infobox Football biography
playername = Steve Guppy


fullname = Stephen Andrew Guppy
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1969|3|29|df=y
cityofbirth = Winchester
countryofbirth = England
height = height|ft=5|in=11
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Winger
youthyears = 1987-1989
youthclubs = Colden Common
years = 1989
1989-1994
1994
1994-1997
1997-2001
2001-2004
2004
2004
2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
2008-
clubs = Southampton
Wycombe Wanders
Newcastle United
Port Vale
Leicester City
Celtic
Leicester City
Leeds United
Stoke City
Wycombe Wanderers
D.C. United
Stevenage Borough
Rochester Rhinos
caps(goals) = 000 0(0)
178 (25)
001 0(0)
105 (12)
146 0(9)
033 0(0)
015 0(0)
003 0(1)
004 0(0)
014 0(1)
005 0(0)
027 0(2)
023 0(1)
nationalyears = 1990
1998
1999
nationalteam = England U-21
England B
England
nationalcaps(goals) = 001 0(0)
001 0(0)
001 0(0)
pcupdate = 16:44, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 16:44, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Stephen Andrew Guppy (born 29 March 1969 in Winchester, Hampshire) is an English football winger, currently a player/assistant coach with Rochester Rhinos.

Guppy was spotted playing for his local team, Colden Common and offered a contract by Southampton in March 1989. He made a handful of appearances in the Saints reserves at the end of the 1988-89 season (but failed to break into the first team) before moving to Wycombe Wanderers in September 1989.

At Wycombe, he first teamed up with Martin O'Neill and helped take them into the Football League as Conference champions in 1993 as well as completing the non-league double by winning the FA Trophy. He was a virtual ever-present in Wycombe's debut season in the Football League at the end of which they secured promotion to Division Two via the play-offs.

In August 1994, he was snapped up by Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United for a fee of £150,000. He made one first team appearance as a substitute in the League cup in Newcastle's 2-0 defeat of Manchester United. He subsequently moved on to Port Vale in November 1994. In nearly 3 seasons at the then Division One club he became a firm fan favourite and is now classed a club legend after his stunning performances on the left wing. In February 1997 he was tracked down by his former boss Martin O'Neill, who paid £850,000 to take him to Premier League club Leicester City for the first time.

It was in his first spell with the Foxes that he was most successful, playing in over 140 matches under Martin O'Neill. During this time, he was placed in second on a list of the best crossers in Europe behind David Beckham. He gained League Cup honours with Leicester City in 2000, having also reached the final in the previous season. Also, it was whilst at Leicester he gained his only England cap, playing against Belgium on 10 October 1999.

In August 2001 re-joined Martin O'Neill at Celtic, where he spent 2 and half years as a bit part player. During his time at Celtic, they won the Scottish Premier League (2001-02), Scottish Cup (2001) and Scottish League Cup (again in 2001). After being released by Celtic in January 2004 he briefly re-joined Leicester City but was released by them in the summer of 2004. He then spent a brief spell at Leeds United in August 2004 before gaining a short term deal at Stoke City followed by a short spell back at Wycombe. His short stint in Major League Soccer with Washington based D.C. United was not memorable, as he was released by the club after playing in just five league games in which he was featured in a starting line-up alongside Freddy Adu in midfield.

In August 2006 he signed for Stevenage Borough, scoring his first goal for them in a 1-1 draw at Exeter City.

With Jeff Kenna, Steve Guppy is one of the first players to play at both the new Wembley and the old Wembley. This was achieved on 12 May 2007 when Kidderminster Harriers played Stevenage Borough in the FA Trophy final at the new Wembley Stadium. Stevenage Borough won 3–2 despite being 2–0 down at half time. Due to Stevenage winning, Guppy is the first ever person to win medals at both the old and new Wembley Stadium.

Steve Guppy has logged 1,520 minutes of playing time in 21 league matches for the Rochester Rhinos, starting in most of his appearances. He has tallied 2 assists, both of which came off of his trademark crosses from the left wing. Guppy's first goal for the Rhinos finally came off of a header on Friday, September 26 in the final 10 minutes of the first-round, first leg playoff tie against the Charleston Battery.

He was ejected from a June 24 U.S. Open Cup match against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds after he kicked an opposing player in the back of the leg with his studs up. As a result, he was forced to sit out the club's 2-0 defeat to D.C. United on July 1 in Boyds, Maryland, knocking the Rhinos out of the U.S. Open Cup.

Honours

*FA Trophy: 1993, 2007
*Conference (V): 1993
*Football League Cup: 2000
*Scottish Premier League: 2002

External links

*soccerbase|3145|Steve Guppy
* [http://www.chairboys.ndirect.co.uk/players/guppy_steve.htm Article on Wycombe Wanderers fansite] [http://www.news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article2516714 Steve Guppy talks about his career and playing for Newcastle]