Richardson: Frazer

1999-2009 (Player Details)

Right Back

Born: Rotherham: 29-10-1982

Debut: Hapoel Tel-Aviv (a) (Substitute): 14-11-2002

5’11” 11st 12lb (2007)

Richardson emerged through the Leeds United Academy ranks and started with the Under-Seventeen squad in 1999-2000 and went on to become an established England Youth and Under-Twenty international. A right back with an added ability to play right wing or midfield, he was the long-term understudy for Republic of Ireland international Gary Kelly and English international Danny Mills. It was a waiting game and it was not until after Gary Kelly retired that he had a chance to make the right back berth his own. Even then, as luck would have it, he suffered a long term injury, which precluded him from making the berth his own. At times, such as in the League play-off at Preston North End, he successfully played right-midfield, and in that game he managed to scored a vital goal. He made his Leeds debut as a sixty-sixth minute substitute for Gary Kelly against Hapoel Tel-Aviv in Florence during the 2002-03 UEFA Cup campaign. He was loaned to Stoke City to gain experience and made six starts and one substitute appearance for them in January 2003. He returned to the Potters again on loan in November 2000 and added another six starts and also scored a goal. It came in a 1-0 win at Upton Park on 9th December 2003, when his thirty-third minute goal was enough to give the Potters full points against West Ham United in a Dision One game. He made his full debut for United against Arsenal on 4th January 2004 in a 1-4 home defeat in the F.A. Cup, at right full-back, his favoured position. Subsequently, however, Richardson covered a variety of roles for United. He scored his first ever Leeds goal on his third League start for the club. It turned out to be the winner against Derby County in Leeds' first game of the 2004-05 campaign and, due to the game having an early 12-15pm kick off on Sky Sports, it was actually the first ever goal in the newly rebranded "Coca-Cola Football League Championship". Richardson was then replaced on the right of midfield by newly loaned John Oster. However, an injury to Stephen Crainey meant Richardson was given a chance to establish himself at left full-back. But this spell was short lived after Manager Kevin Blackwell chose to play natural left sided players Danny Pugh or Matthew Kilgallon there. He found he was popular with the fans but Gary Kelly still barred the way in his favourite spot and the Manager chose more suitable players in his alternate positions. Prior to the 2005-06 campaign, Leeds received two bids from Sunderland for him, but both were immediately rejected by Leeds' chairman, Ken Bates. Several months later, Richardson signed a new contract with Leeds, securing his future to the club until August 2008. That season, 2005-06, Richardson played infrequently, mostly on the right of midfield. He was up against mainly odd opposition as he competed with Ian Moore, who was a striker normally, Jonathan Douglas, and David Healy, another striker looking to play anywhere to get a game. As we have previously noted, Richardson scored in the Play-Off Semi-Final away leg win against Preston North End for Leeds in May 2006, playing in an unusual attacking wide right position, though he reverted to a more familiar role for the Play-Off final defeat at the Millenium Stadium, against Watford, a few weeks later. In the 2006/07 season, Richardson hardly featured under Blackwell in the Leeds team at all, due to injuries. Under new manager Dennis Wise, Richardson played more regularly in the Leeds starting lineup, replacing the injured Gary Kelly at right back. On Kelly’s retirement, Richardson was given the number two shirt and finally became the club's first choice right back. Despite rumours of a transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers or Burnley, he stayed with the club and went on to start all the club's matches in the 2007-08 campaign, until injury ruled him out on 2nd February 2008. He scored a wonder goal at Elland Road on 5th January 2008, when he opened the scoring two minutes before half-time in a 3-0 home win over Northampton Town. He had become the club's current longest serving player, being the only player to have remained at the club from the time David O’Leary was in charge. Under new Leeds manager Gary McAllister, Richardson also played in the left-back position, playing a few games there as a replacement for on-loan Leicester defender Alan Sheehan. After a poor performance in this position against Cheltenham, at Elland Road on 11th March 2008, he was booed off the pitch by the Leeds fans and lost his place in the team. He returned in his usual right-back position as a replacement for the injured Darren Kenton in their important away clash with promotion rivals, Doncaster Rovers, on 1st April 2008. He gave a good account of himself as Leeds triumphed 1-0. He had now accumulated over one hundred League appearances and he was appointed Leeds Captain in August 2008 by Manager Gary McAllister and remained club captain, despite injury, under new manager Simon Grayson. He made his final appearance for Leeds as a substitute against Northampton Town on 2nd May 2009, when he replaced Ben Parker after sixty-seven minutes. On 16th June 2009, after Leeds had signed Jason Crowe from Northampton Town, it was announced that the club would not be renewing his contract and that he could leave when it expired on 30th June 2009. He had been the longest-serving Leeds player for several seasons and the last player on the club's books to have suffered relegation from the EPL in 2004. He joined Charlton Athletic on a free transfer, on a two year contract, on 9th July 2009. He soon established himself as a permanent fixture at right back in the Charlton first eleven, making his debut on the opening day of the season, 8th August 2008, in a 3-2 home win over Wycombe Wanderers. His first goal came in the thirty-first minute, when he opened the scoring, in a 2-2 draw with Gillingham at the Valley on 20th March 2009. It proved to be his only goal for the Addicks, as he made thirty-eight League appearances, of which one was from the bench and also played in two play-off semi-finals, which saw Charlton eliminated by Swindon Town on penalties. He was selected in the PFA Division One team of the Year. That second leg play-off game, on 17th May at the Valley, was to be his final One for the club, as on 6th July 2010, Southampton signed him for £450,000 on a three year contract. However he did not have a happy start to his career with the Saints as in a pre-season training camp on 17th July in Switzerland he sustained a dislocated shoulder which delayed his Southampton debut until 30th October 2010 in a 3-1 win at Meadow Lane over Notts County. He maintained his hold on the right back spot over Danny Butterfield, but after a couple games towards the end of January 2011, which were about his physical presence and lack of accurate distribution, he was omitted as the Saints reverted to Butterfield, with Richardson getting cameo appearances in the final minutes of games that shored up the Saints defence. However, he persevered and in early April he was back in favour. He retained his spot in the 2011-12 season and it was recognised that he had vastly improved his game and had noticeably added an attacking edge which featured storming raids down the flank which often were completed with telling crosses and passes. He suddenly emerged as the club's major provider of assists as the Saints maintained their lead at the top of the Championship. In the new year, however, his game declined defensively and he was replaced by Butterfield during March and April 2011. For the second season in succession Southampton were promoted as runners-up. Entry to the EPL saw Richardson slip down the pecking order with the signing of Nathaniel Clyne. He was not able to oust Clyne and being injured for a couple of months from October did not help his cause. His contract expired at the end of the 2012-13 season and he became a free agent. While with the Saints he started forty-nine League games and came off the bench eleven times, and also started five times in the F.A. Cup and three times in the League Cup. He joined Middlesbrough on a free transfer on 2nd August 2013 but his one year contract was not completed before the deadline and his debut was not until 10th August when he started against his old club Charlton Athletic at the Valley in a 1-0 win. He was a regular and took his appearances to eleven League starts before falling out of favour. This saw him join Ipswich Town on loan for the rest of the season and make three League starts and four more from the bench, but Ipswich did not seek to sign him on a permanent basis and once more on the expiration of his contract with Middlesbrough he became a free agent. On 27th June 2014 Richardson signed a two year contract with his hometown club, Rotherham United, making his starting debut in the 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on 13th September and from then on became a regular. He started thirty-two and was eight times a substitute in the League, started once in the F.A. Cup and started once and was also a substitute once in the League Cup, without scoring in his two season stay. He joined Doncaster Rovers in August 2016 starting three League games and coming off the bench once in League games, and starting once in the F.A. Cup and being a substitute once in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, but did not score in any before he retired in December 2016.