Stack: Graham Christopher (Graham)

2006-2006 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Hampstead: 26-09-1981

Debut v Southend United (h): 28-10-2006

6’2” 12st 7lb (2007)

A Buckinghamshire schoolboy representative, he joined Arsenal as a Junior in the summer of 1998, before signing a professional contract in July 2000. He came through the ranks at Highbury, being a regular in the 2000 FA Youth cup winning team, and then the 2000 & 2001 Under-Nineteen Teams, then finally progressing to be second choice for the senior team and sat many times on the bench in the club's magnificent unbeaten record in the 2003-04 season, but never made it on to the pitch. Whilst he never started a League or F.A. Cup game for Arsenal, he did, however, start all five League Cup ties that season, making his Arsenal debut on 28th October 2003 in the home game with Rotherham United which saw the Gunners progress 9-8 on penalties after the game had finished 1-1 and no goals were added in extra-time. He had by then already represented the Republic of Ireland at Under-Twenty-one level. He was included in the team that drew 3-3 with Austria at Kindbeg on 16th April 2002 and then played once at the Toulon Under-Twenty Tournament in a 2-2 draw with Germany at La Seyne on 15th May 2002. He sat on the bench for the European Qualifier fixture with Russia on 7th September 2002 at the Torpedo Stadium, Moscow and was next called up on 11th February 2003 at Rugby Park Kilmarnock in a 0-2 defeat by Scotland in a friendly. It was in the European Qualifying Group ten that he made more appearances, his next being at the Boris Paichadze National Stadium at Tbilisi, where a 1-1 draw was played out. Four days later he was at the Selman Stermasi Stadium, Tirana, where he again failed to keep a clean sheet in the 0-1 defeat by Albania. He then played in a 2-2 draw with Germany in a friendly at Turner's Cross Cork on 2nd June 2003, four days before he played at Dalymount Park, Dublin, in a 2-1 win over Albania, however Albania were awarded the game 3-0, as the Reublic had fielded an ineligible player as Liam Miller should have been serving a one-match suspension due to yellow cards he received in previous games. Stack did get called up for the Irish full squad for the game at Landsdowne Road on 18th February 2004 but he had to watch the full ninety minutes from the bench as Shay Givens kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw. While at Arsenal he was loaned out to a succession of clubs in order to find game time. His first loan was to Belgian club, Royal Sporting Club of Beveren, or KSK Beveren as they are known in Europe. An East Flanders Club their nickname being "Little Anderlecht" they had a cooperation agreement with Arsenal and were members of the Belgian First Division. He arrived with fellow Arsenal loanees John Halls and Steve Sidwell, although the latter would only last a few weeks in the country, but they already had several good players with the likes of Yaya Toure and Emmanuel Eboue who were also at the start of their careers. Stack made his league debut on 9th August 2002 in a home game with RAEC Mons and kept a clean sheet as Beveren won 3-0. The season was a little erratic as he was in the side that scored a record 6-0 home win over KV Mechelen. But there were poor results, too, including a 7-1 thrashing at Anderlecht and 7-2 home defeat by Club Brugge showed. His disciplinary record was not impeccable as he was one of two Beveren players sent off in May, during a 0-3 home loss to Gent. However, he put in a series of fine performances which impressed the Arsenal scouts. Unfortunately Stack is best remembered in Belgium for a November incident in the derby with Antwerp. After two opposing fans invaded the pitch and attacked him, the Irishman responded by dealing one of them a hefty response, knocking him down. The video clip of the incident became a Eurosport hit, earning him continental renown and a place in Beveren folklore. But he also kept several clean sheets and Beveren finished in 11th place, one above rivals Antwerp, while In the Cup, they made it to the last sixteen. Stack made Twenty-eight League appearances, and the first team experience stood him in good stead. On his return to Highbury, he was given his chance in the League Cup games and as an unused substitute, but was then loaned to Millwall in July 2004 after making his debut, in the opening fixture of the season in a 0-0 draw at Plymouth Argyle, he stayed the whole of the 2004-05 season making twenty-five League starts and one game off the bench as well as two starts in the UEFA Cup and one each in the F.A, and League Cup. The start of the 2005-06 season saw Stack at the Madejski Stadium on loan with Reading. He made his Royals' debut in the Carling Cup victory over Swansea on 23rd August 2005. He was forced to play second fiddle for much of that season due to Marcus Hahnemann's excellent performances, and apart from one League start, in a 3-1 win over Stoke City on 17th April 2006, was mainly used by manager Steve Coppell in the cup competitions, in which he got three starts in the League Cup and four in the F.A. Cup, making eight appearances in total. In August 2006 he left Arsenal and signed a contract which would keep him at Reading until 2008. In the early part of 2006-07 he played two League Cup fixtures and after the second, a 3-4 loss to Liverpool at Anfield on 25th October 2006, was loaned out and he joined his former Millwall boss, Dennis Wise, at Leeds for, initially, a three month spell, which turned into a season-long loan. He made his debut for them in a 2-0 win over Southend United on 28th October 2006 and played twelve League games for Leeds before he returned to Reading. He was again loaned out to Wolverhampton Wanderers for four months in August 2007. As with Leeds, this turned into a full season’s loan but he only made two substitute appearances in the League, comimg on as a twenty-ninth minute replacement for the injured WAyne Hennessy in a 1-0 home win over Coventry City on 6th October 2007 and with three minutes left on the clock in a 2-0 away win at Crystal Palace on 23rd February 2008. But after making his Wolves debut in a 2-1 home win over Bradford City on 15th August 2007, he had a full game thirten days later in the same competition. Stack was released by Reading, following their relegation from the EPL, on 18th May 2008. Stack signed a two-year contract with CCCL side Plymouth Argyle on 18th July 2008, after training with the club. He made his competitive debut for Argyle on 9th August 2008, with a game against his former loan-club, Wolves, that ended in a 2-2 draw. He started the 2008-09 season as first choice 'keeper, but despite a good start to the campaign, he lost his place to Romain Larrieu, which led to a fall-out with Paul Sturrock, the Plymouth Manager. On 27th November 2008, Stack joined Blackpool on loan, but returned after a month without playing a game. On 26th March 2009 he was loaned to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a second time, but once more returned without playing. Plymouth released Stack from his contract with the club with effect from 1st August 2009. He had started five League games and one League Cup fixture. On 24th July 2009 he signed a two year contract with Scottish Premier team Hibernian. He made his debut on 26th August 2009 in a Scottish League Cup tie at Easter Road against Brechin City and made his SPL debut on 30th August 2009 at Easter Road against Celtic. He twenty appearances in the Scottish Premier League, one in the Scottish Cup and one in the Scottish League Cup in the 2009-10 season as they finished fourth in the Scottish Premier League. He lost his first team spot to Mark Brown and made just just two League appearances and one start in the UEFA Cup as Hibs slipped the tenth in the League in 2010-11. He regained the top spot in 2011-12 and while his club narrowly avoided relegation in eleventh position, they reached the Scottish Cup Final where they were beaten by cross-city rivals, Hearts, 5-1 at Hampden Park on 19th May 2012. Stack did not play in that game as he had torn a thigh muscle in the 2-1 win over Aberdeen at Hampden Park on 14th April and he left Easter Road at the end of his contract in May 2012 having started fifty-six Scottish League, four Scottish Cup, one League Cup and one UEFA Cup game. He joined League two side Barnet on 31st August 2012 and made his League debut the following day in a 0-2 defeat at Rochdale. He was virtually an ever-present playing forty-two League games and one in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy as Barnet lost their Football League status on goal difference. He made thirty-one starts in the Conference League as Barnet finished eighth and aso played one F.A. Cup game in the 2013-14 season. By the end of February 2015 he had made one hundred and eight League, two F.A. Cup and one Football Trophy starts.