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Radcliffe sign up ex-Premier League player

Radcliffe have managed to sign up an ex-Premier League player to their squad, and this is a story that’s gone viral overnight.

The Northern Premier League Premier Division outfit have already got a number of quality players for the level of football that they play at.

Their latest signing is Neil Danns, who has played in the top flight for Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City.

The 37 year old is very experienced, starting at Liverpool (on schoolboy forms), before leaving at 16 to become a trainee for Blackburn in the face of fierce competition.

He converted his penalty in the shootout by which Blackburn’s youth team beat Liverpool’s to reach the 2000–01 FA Youth Cup Final, and captained the team in the final, scoring as Blackburn beat Arsenal 3–1 in the second leg having lost the first leg 5–0.

Manager Graeme Souness gave him his first team debut against CSKA Sofia in the UEFA Cup in 2002, where he gave a solid performance.

He made his Premier League debut three days later, as a sub in a 1-0 win over Leeds. Went on to make six appearances in all competitions in the 2002/03 season.

He then spent the next two years on loan at Blackpool, Hartlepool United (both second division) and League One side Colchester, making a total of 33 appearances and scored six times.

Colchester signed him up permanently in 2004, was a regular starter, scoring 16 goals in 63 appearances, before leaving in 2006.

He then spent two years with Birmingham City, in a deal worth £500,000 with the potential to rise to £850,000. Something he couldn’t say no to due to the size of the club.

He was sold by the Blues in 2008, scoring 3 times in 31 appearances. 29 games in the Championship, and 2 in the Premier League.

Danns then joined Crystal Palace in 2008, for a fee of £600,000. He spent four seasons at the Eagles, scoring 18 goals in 103 games.

In 2011, he joined Sven-Göran Eriksson’s Leicester City, who beat Rangers to the signing. At one point during his time at the club, he was sent off after 57 minutes for a “reckless challenge” on Hull’s Paul McKenna, and was not selected again for the rest of the season.

Danns went on to have loan spells at Bristol City, Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers, making 89 appearances and finding the net 15 times in total whilst with Leicester and his loan clubs.

Dougie Freedman of The Trotters signed him up in 2014, scored three times in 73 appearances, then left in 2016.

During his time at Bolton, Danns and Barry Bannan were “suspended indefinitely” and fined two weeks’ wages for drunken behaviour at the club’s hotel; after apologising to all concerned, they missed just one match before Lennon recalled them.

After a trial, he then joined Bury in July 2016. He was a runner up with the team in the 2018/19 League Two season. In total, he made 88 apperances and scored 9 goals.

Whilst with the Shakers, he had a loan spell at Blackpool, spending the second half of the 2016/17 season with the Tangerines and in that time helped them to win the League Two playoffs against Exeter City.

Bury’s financial position worsened, and after six fixtures were suspended by the EFL pending credible proof of the club’s viability, it was expelled from the league on 27 August 2019. Interviewed on radio station talkSPORT Danns was highly critical of the role of the owner, who in his view had “literally destroyed lives” by his failure to progress the club in a proper manner.

He then became a free agent following Bury’s expulsion, joined Tranmere Rovers on the 19th of September until the end of the 2019/20 season. Played 18 times but no goals.

Now he’s dropped down the leagues in favour of non league football, where he’ll play with the likes of Cameron Belford, Curtis Obeng, Jo Cummings, Andy Owens and Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro.

Radcliffe manager Lee Fowler said via his Twitter account: “Delighted to welcome @dannzy1 to the club a real coup for the club looking forward to working with him and his experience will be vital on and off pitch.”

www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies

DANNS PLAYING CAREER:

2000–2004 – Blackburn Rovers – 3 games (0 goals)
2003 → Blackpool (loan) – 12 games (2 goals)
2004 → Hartlepool United (loan) – 11 games (1 goal)
2004 → Colchester United (loan) – 10 games (3 goals)
2004–2006 – Colchester United – 63 games (16 goals)
2006–2008 – Birmingham City – 31 games (3 goals)
2008–2011 – Crystal Palace – 103 games (18 goals)
2011–2014 – Leicester City – 30 games (5 goals)
2012–2013 → Bristol City (loan) – 9 games (2 goals)
2013 → Huddersfield Town (loan) – 17 games (2 goals)
2013–2014 → Bolton Wanderers (loan) – 33 games (6 goals)
2014–2016 – Bolton Wanderers – 73 games (3 goals)
2016–2019 – Bury – 77 games (9 goals)
2017 → Blackpool (loan) – 13 games (2 goals)
2019–2020 – Tranmere Rovers – 18 games (0 goals)
2020– Radcliffe FC

National team
2015– Guyana – 17 games (9 goals)

Fans reacted after seeing that Radcliffe sign up the ex-Premier League player…

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