Robinson: Paul Peter (Paul)

2012-2012 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

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Born: Watford, Hertfordshire: 14-12-1978

Debut: Middlesborough (a): 11-03-2012

5’9” 11st 6lb (2011)

He was educated at St. Michael's Catholic High School Watford and captained their football team into the English Schools' Football National Final at Tranmere Rover's Prenton Park, where they drew with Cardinal Heenan College in May 1995 and the two schools shared the trophy. He progressed through the Watford youth system and made his debut as a second minute substitute for Dominic Ludden in a 1-1 home draw with Luton Town on 29th October 1996. He played the final minute of the 2-0 home win over Brentford on 2nd November before making his starting debut in a 1-0 home win over Wycombe Wanderers on 19th November 1996. He went on to start eight League games that season as well as making four substitute appearances in the same competition and two starts and one game from the bench in the F.A. Cup. In 1997-98 Watford were champions of Division Two and while still not a regular he made fourteen starts and seven games from the bench in the League and started one and came from the bench in one game in the F.A. Cup. He also scored twice in the League. The first with two minutes to go in a 2-0 home win over Fulham on 21st October 1997 and the second after fifty-two minutes in a 1-1 home draw with Luton Town on 14th February 1998. There were thirty League appearance of which three were as a substitute in 1998-99 and thirty-two, including three from the bench in 1999-2000 as he became a regular. He made three appearances with the England Under-Twenty-Ones. They were all in the UEFA Under-Twenty-One 2000 Championship Qualifiers, on 4th June 1999 when Sweden was beaten 3-0 at home and four days later when Bulgaria was beaten 1-0 away. The third was on 7th September 1999 when Poland won 3-1 away. Robinson had a poor discipliniary record being booked on sixty-three occasions and sent off three times despite his adopting a more disciplined attitude at Gianluca Vialli's insistence on his appointment as Manager in 2000-01. He had scored eight goals in the League and one in the League Cup in making two hundred and one starts and eighteen games from the bench in the League, ten starts and two games from the bench in the F.A. Cup, fifteen starts and one game from the bench in the League Cup and three starts in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and two in the Play-offs and two other starts, before, on 14th October 2003 he was transferred to West Bromwich Albion for £250,000, which rose to £375,000 after he had satisfied the increments criteria. Those were that he made the requisite number of appearances and that West Bromwich Albion were promoted to the EPL. He made his debut at the Hawthorns on 18th October 2003 in a 1-0 win over Norwich City. He made thirty starts and played one game from the bench in the League and made one start in the F.A. Cup in the rest of his first season of 2003-04 with West Bromwich Albion in which they were runners-up to Sunderland and achieved automatic promotion to the EPL. He scored his first goal for the Baggies when he got the last minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Villa Park against Aston Villa on 10th April 2005 in a season where they just avoided relegation by one point. After the Baggies had been relegated in the following season, Watford made an approach to take Robinson back to Vicarage Road in June 2006, but West Bromwich turned down their offer of £1.4 million. He then signed a three year contract with Albion in July 2006. He continued to be a West Brom regular but still suffered from indiscipline and was sent off on 28th October 2006 after breaking Birmingham City's Damien Johnson's jaw in two places with an elbow to the face. In August 2007 Wigan Athletic were prepared to pay £1.5 million for him but he failed the medical. He was selected for the PFA Championship Team of the Year after helping Albion regain their EPL status as Champions of the Championship in 2007-08. He started thirty-five League games in the EPL in the 2008-09 season but on 12th July 2009 he went on a season-long loan to Bolton Wanderers. It later transpired that a three year contract was in place and that after the initial year on loan, Bolton Wanderers would pay a transfer fee of £1 million in the summer of 2010. While at the Hawthorns he had scored four goals in the League and one in the F.A. Cup and made two hundred and fourteen appearances in the League, of which three were from the bench, and started fifteen F.A. Cup and six League Cup ties, three play-offs and one other game. He made his debut for the Trotters on 15th August 2009 in a 0-1 defeat by Sunderland at the Reebok. He had started nine League games and another from the bench and started one F.A. Cup tie when, on 29th January 2010, Bolton made the transfer permanent and paid West Bromwich £1 million. He then started a further sixty-five League games and two more from the bench, made seven starts and one game as a substitute in the F.A. Cup and one substitute appearance in the League Cup for Bolton, before he was loaned to Leeds United on a one month loan deal on 6th March 2012. He was an unused substitute in the away game at Hull City on the same day and then made his debut at Middlesbrough in a 2-0 win at the Riverside Stadium on 11th March 2012. On 10th April the loan was extended until the end of the season and he started nine League games and was a substitute at home to Peterborough United on 14th April 2012, when he was a half-time replacement for Charlie Taylor. Neil Warnock decided not to play him in the final game at home to Leicester City and he returned to Bolton to make himself available for the final three EPL games of the season but he was not selected. His contract with Bolton Wanderers expired at the end of the 2011-12 season. He did toy with the idea of joining Canadian side Toronto, but nstead he joined Birmingham City on a one month contract in September 2012 when the midland side were beset by injuries. He made his debut on 29th September in a 1-0 away win at Brighton and Hove Albion. After four games with the injury crisis not having improved he signed a further contract for one month. At the expiration of that term with Birmingham's left-back David Murphy having suffered a knee injury he signed for a further two months, after which despite Birmingham's financial problems he signed to the end of the season. At the beginning of the 2013-14 season, Robinson signed a one-year contract, with an option for a further year, and was appointed both club and team captain for the ensuing season. He showed great form in the season and finished with the Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season awards. The club took up the one year option on his contract for the 2014-15 season. As Christmas approached he had started ninety-two and been a substitute in four League games, while in the F.A. Cup he had scored his only goal for the club in four starts and in the League Cup he had started four and been a substitute in one tie.