Kevin Thomson
Thomson playing for Middlesbrough in 2011
Personal information
Full name Kevin Thomson[1]
Date of birth (1984-10-14) 14 October 1984 (age 39)
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
2000–2001 Peebles Rovers
0000–2000 Hutchison Vale[2][3]
2000–2001 Coventry City
2001–2003 Hibernian
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2007 Hibernian 80 (2)
2007–2010 Rangers 71 (2)
2010–2013 Middlesbrough 50 (0)
2013–2014 Hibernian 24 (0)
2014–2016 Dundee 36 (0)
2016 Hibernian 5 (0)
2016 Tranent Juniors 3 (1)
Total 266 (4)
International career
2005–2006 Scotland U21 6 (0)
2007 Scotland B 2 (0)
2008–2010 Scotland 3 (0)
Managerial career
2021–2022 Kelty Hearts
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Kevin Thomson (born 14 October 1984) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player.

Thomson played as a midfielder for Hibernian (three spells), Rangers, Middlesbrough and Dundee and represented Scotland.

Thomson began his career with Hibernian, before joining Rangers in 2007 for a £2m transfer fee. Thomson won five major trophies with Rangers, including consecutive Scottish Premier League championships in 2009 and 2010. Thomson was also part of the Rangers side which reached the 2008 UEFA Cup Final. Middlesbrough signed Thomson for a fee of £2m in July 2010, but released him in January 2013 after an injury-hit spell. Thomson then rejoined Hibernian in March 2013, but was released in May 2014 after the club was relegated. He then signed for Dundee, before joining Hibernian for a third time.

Thomson retired from playing in 2016. After a stint coaching Rangers youth teams, he managed Kelty Hearts for one season.

Early life

Thomson grew up in Peebles, in the Scottish Borders. His first club was Peebles Rovers, who play in the Eastern Region Youth League. He then moved on to play for Edinburgh youth side Hutchison Vale before being signed by Coventry City on a four-year contract,[4] but suffered from homesickness and returned to Scotland with Hibernian.[4]

Club career

Hibernian

Thomson joined Hibernian on 10 August 2001.[5] He was one of a group of young players who came through their youth team during the early 2000s, also including Steven Whittaker, Derek Riordan, Scott Brown and Garry O'Connor.[6] Thomson established himself as a regular in the Hibernian first team during the 2003–04 season and played in that season's Scottish League Cup final defeat by Livingston,[7] but he suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury during a game against Partick Thistle near the end of that season. The injury meant that he was out of football for almost a year, and he consequently made only four league appearances in the 2004–05 season.

In the 2005–06 season Thomson made his comeback from his injury, establishing himself as one of Hibernian's most important players. He signed a long-term contract (until 2010) in March 2006. Thomson was appointed as club captain by Tony Mowbray after the previous captain Gary Caldwell left the club to join Celtic. Despite signing a long-term contract with Hibernian, it was still speculated that Thomson would soon leave Hibs. On 31 August 2006, Premier League club Bolton Wanderers made an offer that was rejected by Hibernian.[8]

Speculation about Thomson's future increased after he (and Scott Brown) appointed Willie McKay as his agent. McKay demanded that Hibernian offer Brown and Thomson wages commensurate with the transfer fees Hibernian were demanding for the players.[9] Hibernian would have needed to significantly break their pay scale to offer such wages.[10] Hibernian refused to meet with McKay to discuss improved contracts, which resulted in Brown submitting a written transfer request.[9]

On 20 December 2006, Charlton Athletic made a joint offer for Brown and Thomson, which was rejected by Hibernian.[11] This sparked a further round of speculation, as Brown and Thomson demanded to know why they had not been informed of the offer before it was rejected. Thomson was stripped of the captaincy on 2 January 2007 and was replaced by Rob Jones.[12] Thomson was told by manager John Collins to concentrate on his game because he believed that Thomson's performance levels had dropped since the transfer speculation began.

Rangers

Thomson signed for Walter Smith's Rangers for a fee of £2 million on 30 January 2007.[13] Less than two months earlier, Smith had been critical of Thomson's behaviour, calling on him to show more "responsibility",[14] although this was a month before Smith had been appointed as Rangers manager. Thomson made his Rangers debut on 11 February in a 3–1 victory over Kilmarnock, although he was substituted at half-time after suffering a hamstring injury.[15]

Thomson established himself as a regular in the Rangers first team. He scored his first goal for Rangers in a victory against Celtic on 29 March 2008[16] and he played in the club's run to the 2008 UEFA Cup Final[17] and winning the League Cup[18] and Scottish Cup[19] in his first full season.

Thomson scored his second goal of the 2008–09 season when he scored an equalising goal in injury time against Dundee United at Ibrox Stadium, on 4 November 2008.[20] In the following league match against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, a 4–0 victory for Rangers was overshadowed by Thomson suffering a serious knee injury. This injury ruled him out for the rest of the 2008–09 season.[21] Thomson had surgery to save his career on 31 December 2008.[22] The surgery was a success and Thomson hoped to be fit for the following season.[22] On his return to the Rangers first team, Thomson was sent off in the 13th minute of a 2–1 win against Hearts.[23]

Thomson was sent off in the 2010 League Cup Final in the second half for a poorly timed challenge, although Rangers won the match 1–0 despite Danny Wilson also being shown a red card.[24] Thomson helped Rangers win their second title in a row in 2010.[25]

Middlesbrough

Rangers accepted a £2m offer from Middlesbrough for Thomson in July 2010.[26] Middlesbrough then confirmed that Thomson had passed a medical, despite the player having suffered two serious knee injuries earlier in his career, and completed his transfer.[26] In his second league match for Middlesbrough, Thomson suffered a fractured fibula against Leicester City, which prevented him from playing for two months.[27] Further injury problems meant that Thomson only played in 44 games during his first two seasons with Middlesbrough.[28] His contract with Middlesbrough was cancelled on 31 January 2013 by mutual consent.[29]

Later career

Thomson trained with Hibernian, one of his former clubs, in February 2013.[30] A move appeared unlikely because Hibs had no spare budget to pay Thomson with,[31] but he decided in March to forego any salary and signed with the club until the end of the 2012–13 season.[32] Thomson made his second debut appearance for Hibs in a goalless draw against Hearts on 10 March.[33] He agreed a new one-year contract with Hibs in July 2013.[34] Thomson dropped out of the Hibs team after manager Pat Fenlon was replaced with Terry Butcher, and was made available for transfer in January 2014.[35] Thomson was released by Hibs following their relegation to the Scottish Championship.[36]

Thomson signed for newly promoted Scottish Premiership club Dundee in May 2014.[37] Shortly after his arrival he was appointed club captain by manager Paul Hartley.[38][39] On 15 January 2016, Thomson left the club by mutual consent having made 38 appearances over 18 months for The Dee.[40]

On 22 January 2016, Thomson joined Hibernian for a third time, on a deal until the end of the 2015–16 season. He combined his playing duties with coaching the development squads under Eddie May[41] and started the Scottish League Cup Final, which Hibs lost 2–1 to Ross County.[42]

After just six months back at Easter Road, Thomson signed for Tranent Juniors in June 2016, agreeing a two-year deal with the SJFA East Premier League side.[43] In August 2016, he left Tranent with the club saying he couldn't combine playing for them with his media commitments.[44][45]

International career

Thomson made his debut for Scotland in a goalless draw versus Northern Ireland on 20 August 2008.[46] After a three-year absence, Thomson was recalled to the national squad in September 2013.[47]

Coaching

Thomson worked with former club Rangers as a youth coach before being appointed as manager of Kelty Hearts on 28 May 2021, replacing former team-mate Barry Ferguson, who left Kelty to become manager of Alloa Athletic.[48][49] Thomson guided Kelty to the 2021–22 Scottish League Two championship, before he resigned on 31 May 2022.[50]

Career statistics

As of 19:02, 23 May 2016 (UTC)[51]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Other[A] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hibernian 2003–04[note 1] Scottish Premier League 23 1 0 0 3 1 0 0 26 2
2004–05 Scottish Premier League 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
2005–06 Scottish Premier League 31 0 3 0 1 0 2 0 37 0
2006–07 Scottish Premier League 23 1 1 0 3 0 4 0 31 1
Total 80 2 5 0 7 1 6 0 98 3
Rangers 2006–07 Scottish Premier League 9 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 12 0
2007–08 Scottish Premier League 26 1 5 0 1 0 12 0 44 1
2008–09[note 2] Scottish Premier League 11 1 0 0 1 0 2 1 14 2
2009–10 Scottish Premier League 25 0 4 0 4 0 6 0 39 0
Total 71 2 9 0 6 0 23 1 109 3
Middlesbrough 2010–11 English Championship 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 0
2011–12 English Championship 22 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 25 0
2012–13 English Championship 9 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 12 0
Total 50 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 56 0
Hibernian 2012–13 Scottish Premier League 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 8 0
2013–14 Scottish Premiership 18 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 22 0
Total 24 0 2 0 1 0 3 0 30 0
Dundee 2014–15 Scottish Premiership 24 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 26 0
2015–16 Scottish Premiership 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0
Total 36 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 38 0
Hibernian 2015–16 Scottish Championship 5 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 9 0
Career total 266 4 23 0 19 1 32 1 340 6
A. ^ Includes UEFA Intertoto Cup, UEFA Cup, Champions League, Europa League and Scottish Premiership play-offs.

Managerial statistics

As of match played 30 April 2022[citation needed]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref.
G W D L Win %
Kelty Hearts Scotland 28 May 2021 31 May 2022 46 28 12 6 060.87

Honours

Player

Rangers

Individual

Manager

Kelty Hearts

Individual

Notes

  1. ^ Includes match against Rangers on 30 November 2003 which was not recorded for Kevin Thomson due to a Soccerbase error
  2. ^ Total includes both matches versus FBK Kaunas. Thomson started both legs per the BBC match reports (1st leg); (2nd leg), but it is not recorded by Soccerbase (1st leg); (2nd leg)

References

  1. ^ The Bell's Scottish Football Review 2005.06. Cre8 Publishing. 2005. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-9548556-1-1.
  2. ^ "Smith reveals ethos behind Hutchie success". The Scotsman. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Ex Hutchison Vale Players Now Senior Clubs". Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale F.C. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Thomson enjoys the comforts of home with Hibs". Edinburgh Evening News. 7 November 2003.
  5. ^ The Bell's Scottish Football Review 2004/05. CRE8. October 2004. ISBN 0-9548556-0-4.
  6. ^ "The Hibee golden generation ... out-of-work Derek Riordan still training with Livingston". Daily Record. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Livingston lift CIS Cup". BBC Sport. 14 March 2004. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Celtic win race for Hibs' Brown". BBC Sport. 15 May 2007.
  9. ^ a b "Hibs pair demand talks on future". BBC Sport. 1 December 2006.
  10. ^ "Hibs pair were misled, says agent". BBC Sport. 3 December 2006.
  11. ^ "Charlton fail to land Hibs stars". BBC Sport. 20 December 2006.
  12. ^ "Thomson stunned to lose armband". BBC Sport. 4 January 2007.
  13. ^ "Rangers pay Hibs £2m for Thomson". BBC Sport. 30 January 2007.
  14. ^ "Smith backs Hibs in contract row". BBC Sport. 3 December 2006.
  15. ^ "Kilmarnock 1–3 Rangers". BBC Sport. 11 February 2007.
  16. ^ "Rangers 1–0 Celtic". BBC Sport. 29 March 2008.
  17. ^ "Rangers confirm Kevin Thomson's £2m move to Middlesbrough".
  18. ^ a b Dundee United 2 Rangers 2 (Rangers win 3–2 on penalties): Boyd on target to end Rangers' trophy drought The Independent, 17 March 2008
  19. ^ a b Queen of the South 2 – 3 Rangers Herald Scotland, 26 May 2008
  20. ^ "Rangers 3–3 Dundee United". BBC Sport. 4 November 2008.
  21. ^ "Injured Thomson's season is over". BBC Sport. 9 November 2008.
  22. ^ a b "Thomson targets return". Sky Sports. 2 January 2009.
  23. ^ "Hearts 1 – 2 Rangers". BBC Sport. 23 August 2009.
  24. ^ a b "St Mirren 0 – 1 Rangers". BBC Sport. 21 March 2010.
  25. ^ "Premier League lured Kevin Thomson to Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. 17 July 2010.
  26. ^ a b "Rangers' Kevin Thomson makes Middlesbrough switch". BBC Sport. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010. Rangers manager Walter Smith admitted last week that the debt-hit club were not in a position to offer new deals to players unless they are in the final few months of their contracts
  27. ^ "Thomson Fractured Ribula Confirmed". Middlesbrough FC. 15 August 2010. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  28. ^ Cameron, Neil (26 August 2012). "Tony Mowbray backs injury-hit star Kevin Thomson". The Sunday Sun. ncjMedia Limited. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  29. ^ "Kevin Thomson: Middlesbrough release Scotland midfielder". BBC Sport. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  30. ^ "Midfielder Kevin Thomson back training with Hibernian". BBC Sport. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  31. ^ "No Hibs move for Thomson". Sporting Life. BSkyB. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  32. ^ "Hibernian: Kevin Thomson to play without pay until May". BBC Sport. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  33. ^ "Hibernian 0–0 Hearts". BBC Sport. 10 March 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  34. ^ "Hibernian: Kevin Thomson & Rowan Vine agree deals". BBC Sport. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  35. ^ "Hibernian: Kevin Thomson free to leave Easter Road". BBC Sport. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  36. ^ "James McPake and Kevin Thomson exit Hibs". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Publishing. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  37. ^ "Dundee announce triple signing". BBC Sport. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  38. ^ "Kevin Made Club Captain". Dundee F.C. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  39. ^ McArthur, Euan (27 July 2014). "Dundee skipper Kevin Thomson: I'll turn on the style in the heat of the Tayside derby". Daily Record. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  40. ^ mtc. (15 January 2016). "Dundee Football Club - Official Website - Thomson leaves club".
  41. ^ "THOMSON RETURNS TO EASTER ROAD".
  42. ^ Wilson, Richard (13 March 2016). "Scottish League Cup Final: Hibernian 1 Ross County 2". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  43. ^ "Hibs: Kevin Thomson eyes coaching future after joining Tranent". BBC Sport. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  44. ^ Pattullo, Alan (20 August 2016). "Ex-Hibs and Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson quits Tranent". The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  45. ^ "Ex-Scotland star Kevin Thomson leaves Tranent Juniors". East Lothian Courier. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  46. ^ "Scotland 0–0 Northern Ireland". BBC Sport. 20 August 2008.
  47. ^ "Scotland: Four called up ahead of World Cup double header". BBC Sport. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  48. ^ Wilson, Fraser (27 May 2021). "Kevin Thomson to leave Rangers to become Kelty Hearts boss". Daily Record. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  49. ^ "Rangers coach Kevin Thomson to become new Kelty Hearts boss". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  50. ^ "Kevin Thomson: Kelty Hearts accept manager resignation after historic title win". BBC Sport. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  51. ^ Kevin Thomson at Soccerbase
  52. ^ "Thomson's form wins him SPL award". BBC Sport. 3 October 2005. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  53. ^ "Kelty Hearts v Stenhousemuir". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  54. ^ "Kelty crowned League 2 champions". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  55. ^ "SPFL PLAYER & MANAGER OF THE MONTH AWARD - GOES TO KELTY HEARTS!". Kelty Hearts FC. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  56. ^ Temple, Alan (3 December 2021). "Kevin Thomson named League 2 manager of the month as Kelty Hearts run continues". The Courier. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  57. ^ "Kevin Thomson bags League Two Manager of the Month award after leading Kelty Hearts to title". The Courier. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.

External links

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