30th August – Kris Commons

Kris Commons played over 500 games and scored over 100 goals during his professional career and proudced some magic moments.

Commons started his career at Stoke City, making his debut in a 3-2 defeat against Blackpool. Shortly afterwards he picked up an injury and was out of action for year before making his comeback in a 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday and his first goal came 16 days later against Norwich City. After a promising start he was offered a new contract, however he rejected it and signed for Nottingham Forest.

Although his first season ended in relegation from the Championship, Commons stayed with the club to try and get them promoted. He had to wait until his final season to finally achieve this aim and following a 3-2 win over Yeovil Town they gained promotion with the midfielder being named in the PFA League One Team of the Year. At this point he had played 159 times for Forest but with his contract up he made the unthinkable move to Derby County.

He started his time at Derby on the wing under Paul Jewell but he didn’t really show his potential until he was moved into the centre and he would go on to score the only goal of the game in a victory over Manchester United in the League Cup. Later on in the season he would also score the winning goal against Forest in an FA Cup game.

Injuries caught up with him in the next season and he didn’t have much of an impact, however the 2010-11 season was probably his best in England as he went on a run of seven goals in nine games. This form caught the attention of Celtic who signed him on the 28^th January 2011 and on the following day he scored against Aberdeen and would end the season winning the Scottish Cup. Celtic won the title in the following campaign but it was a difficult one for Commons as he only scored one goal.

But he did manage to bounce back and show his quality. During the 2013-14 season he finished as the top scorer, hitting the back of the net 32 times in all competitions. However, this wasn’t enough to convince new manager Ronny Deila to give him a starting place. He did manage to turn this round again but things got worse when Brendan Rodgers took charge as he told him he would not be part of the squad.

Commons would stay at the club until the end of his contract and after a back injury he decided it was time to retire. His last games in football came during a loan spell at Hibernian where he played five times, scoring twice.

The final word can go to Neil Lennon. “He’s intelligent, grounded and hungry. What he will do is improve us and influence the team and squad on and off the field. He will provide a goal threat from the wider areas or deeper lying areas.”

2nd July – Marc-Antoine Fortune

Marc-Antoine Fortune is currently stuck on 98 professional career goals and will be hoping that one more team gives him a chance to reach 100..

The forward started his career at French lower league side Angouleme where he broke into the side during the 1999-00 season, scoring three times in 10 appearances. He helped the club reach the third tier of French football and he was linked with moves to Ligue 1 sides. In 2002, Lille took a chance on Fortune.

While at the club he found himself playing out of position on the left wing and struggled with injuries to make a real impact. After just one season, Fortune joined Ligue 2 side Rouen on loan. He ended the season with 10 goals and for a third summer in a row he was on the move.

Stade Brest had a decent season with Fortune scoring 10 goals in 33 games and finishing 9^th in Ligue 2. It looked as though he had settled, however when Eredivisie side Utrecht showed interest, Fortune could not turn down the opportunity. While in Holland, Fortune struggled to settle and the death of David Di Tommaso meant he could not show his talent.

Before his teammate died he had been looking quite impressive but after 13 goals in 56 appearances, he felt he needed to return to France. In January 2007, Nancy signed the striker and began really well, scoring six goals in 17 league games. After this he was largely used as an impact substitute and began to feel frustrated so in January 2009 he joined West Brom.

He became a fan favourite and scored on his debut in a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough and despite only playing half a season he was named the Supporters Player of the Year. He finished his loan spell with five goals and convinced Celtic to buy him.

After a good start with goals against St Johnstone and Rapid Vienna in the Europa League it turned sour, especially after Tony Mowbray was replaced by Neil Lennon so at the start of the 2010-11 season he returned to West Brom. He spent a further three seasons at West Brom, scoring nine goals as the club battled to stay in the Premier League. During this time, he also had a loan spell at Doncaster Rovers.

His next move was to Wigan Athletic and he featured heavily during their Europa League campaign and ended the season with 49 appearances. He lasted one more season and signed a one year deal for Coventry City. After four goals in 25 games he was on the move again to Southend United following a successful trial. Last season he scored four goals.

The final word can go to former Celtic and West Brom manager Tony Mowbray. “Marc is a quality player and he was a privilege to work with. Some of his play in the second half of the season was phenomenal, you can see the impact he made. He is a team player.”

25th June – Victor Wanyama

Victor Wanyama is the first Kenyan to play in the Premier League and also score in the Champions League in one of the biggest shocks in the competition.

While playing for Celtic the 23 year old scored against Barcelona in a 2-1 win which will go down in history as one of the club’s greatest victories in Europe. Although the defensive midfielder is not known for his goalscoring he has been a vital part to his club’s successes over the years.

Wanyama started his professional career in Belgium with Beerschot AC after a successful trial in the summer of 2008 and made his league debut towards the end of that season. His time in Belgium was mixed as he received a lot of praise for his performances but at times he was a little too aggressive and it did lead to him picking up a couple of red cards. It took him until the 11th December 2011 to score his first goal for the club as he equalised against Westerlo.

After a failed attempt the previous summer, Celtic signed the midfielder for £900,000 on the 9th July 2011. He straightaway became a fans favourite as he did a lot of research on the club after signing and chose the number 67 shirt to honour Celtic’s European Cup winning team of that year. He made his debut for the club in a disappointing 1-0 loss to St Johnstone in the unfamiliar position of centre back but he was soon moved to his best position and proved to be a quality player. His first goal was definitely worth the wait as he scored with a fantastic striker from 25 yards against Hearts in December. At the end of the month he was named the SPL Young Player of the Month.

He finished the season with four goals to his name and in the next campaign he went even better by getting nine goals in all competitions, including opening the scoring against Barcelona. It wasn’t long after this goal that Wanyama was being linked with moves away from the club and after he rejected a new contract it seemed inevitable he would leave the Scottish champions and in July 2011 he joined Southampton.

The manager Mauricio Pochettino was very impressed with his new signing and knew it could be key to helping the team climb the table. “I am very pleased to have secured the signing of Victor because we are a big admirer of his talents and he will fit in well to the team at Southampton. I’ve watched him perform at the top level in the Champions League, and I believe that he will be a valuable addition to our Premier League squad for the season ahead.”

Wanyama made his debut against West Brom but unfortunately could not have as much impact throughout the season as he struggled with a few niggling injuries and only ended up playing 24 games all season.

The final word can go to Neil Lennon. “I think Victor can play in any company. He is very consistent and you have to look at what he could develop into as well. He has been a great performer for us, he has adopted brilliantly to the British game.”