Gray: Michael (Micky)

2005-2005 & 2007-2007 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

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Born: Sunderland: 03-08-1974

Debut v Burnley (a): 05-02-2005

5’9” 10st 7 lb (2005)

Gray began his football career at Manchester United FC's Football of Excellence, but failed to make the grade. He then joined his hometown club, Sunderland as a trainee, signing professionally on 1st July 1992. He had a long career there being the last player to leave the club from the beginning of the Peter Reid era. He made his debut for Sunderland at the beginning of the 1992-93 season, shortly after his eighteenth birthday. He made an outstanding impression, bursting on to the Sunderland scene in spectacular fashion. He first came on as a subsitute for Kevin Ball in a 1-0 win over Derby County at the Baseball Ground, on 21st November 1992 and then a week later he again came off the bench, this time to replace Richard Ord in another 1-0 win, this time over Southend United at Roots Hall. But then he scored in his run-on debut, with a long range effort in a 2-1 win over Barnsley at Roker Park. He played in various positions, starting as a left-winger before Reid switched him to full-back to accommodate Allan Johnston and his skills on the ball soon showed him to be a classy left-back. Sunderland finally gained promotion to the EPL in 1995-96 as Champions, but they were to last just one season before they were were relegated from the Premiership. He gained unwanted attention at the end of the following season,when he missed a penalty in the First Division play-off final, which would have taken Sunderland back into the Premiership. As a First Division player, he was picked by Kevin Keegan to make his international debut for England as a sixty-third minute substitute in the 1-1 draw against Hungary at the Nepstadion, Budapest on 28th April 1999. He was the last outfield player, from a club outside of the English top-flight, to appear for England until 28th March 2007 when David Nugent of Preston North End scored on his debut against Andorra. Goalkeeper David James did play for England in 2003 whilst playing for West Ham United in the First Division. Sunderland topped Division One and won promotion to the Premiership as champions at the end of the 1998-99 season. On 5th June 1999 he came on as a half time substitute in the 0-0 draw with Sweden at Wembley. He started the match against Bulgaria at the Stadion Balgarska Armiain in Sofia on 9th June 1999, and played the full ninety minutes, but it proved to be his third and final England appearance. His next season was plagued by injury and he failed to make the England squad for Euro 2000. This didn't affect Sunderland's form, however, as they finished in seventh place in the EPL, a feat they repeated in 2000-01. Officially appointed team captain following the retirement of Steve Bould in 2000, he wasted no time in announcing how proud he was to be leading his home-town club and his displays certainly reflected this In the 2001-02 season, Sunderland struggled, and with their dip in form came a dip in form for Gray, and for the next two seasons, he was constantly rumoured to be moving elsewhere. Relegation came at the end of the 2002-03 season, and two games into the 2003-04 season Gray played his final game for Sunderland on 16th August 2003 in a 0-1 defeat by Millwall at the Stadium of Light. In his twelve years with the Wearside club he made four hundred and ten appearances, twenty-seven of which were as a substitute and scored seventeen goals. There were sixteen goals in the League from three hundred and forty-two starts and twenty-two games from the bench, one goal in seventeen starts and one substitute appearance in the F.A. Cup,and no goals in twenty-three starts and four games from the bench in the League Cup and three games in the play-offs. He joined Celtic on 1st September 2003, on a four month loan. However, after only four starts and six games off the bench, and generally out of favour, with just two starts in the Scottish League, he moved to Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer on 1st January 2004. He constantly performed well for the team as they avoided relegation. However, he struggled to get a look-in after Mark Hughes replaced Graeme Souness as Manager and in February 2005, he joined Leeds United on loan until the season's end. He performed well for United but got sent off in a wild melee in the home game with Gillingham and missed games through suspension. Leeds wanted to retain him but could not afford his wage demands. He then returned to Blackburn and in his first season back there he helped them qualify for the UEFA Cup, having established himself as a first-team regular. Later Gray rejoined Leeds United for a second loan spell in a bid to save them from relegation, which ultimately failed. Leeds United were thought to be interested in signing him on permanent basis when Blackburn announced that he was due to leave them at the end of the season. He played seventy-three times, including one game from the bench for Rovers. He signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers on a one year contract on 25th June 2007, after becoming a free agent at Blackburn. After featuring regularly in his first season, he signed a further one-year deal to keep him at the club for the 2008–09 season, but did not play very often for the first team. He scored four times League games from thirty-three starts and eight games as a substitute and made three starts in the League Cup and two starts and one game from the bench in the F.A. Cup while at Molineux. He joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan on 9th January 2009. This was made permanent on 2nd February 2009, when he signed a contract until the end of the season. He signed a further one year contract on 19th May 2009. Wednesday suffered relegation from the CCCL at the end of the 2009-10 season and Gray was not retained. He announced his retirement from football as a consequence. He scored twice in thirty-nine League games of which three were as a substitute and also made one substitute appearance in the League Cup for Wednesday after signing permanently for them. He later wrote blogs for the BBC.