Danny Graham (footballer)

2.1. Early Life and Education

Daniel Anthony William Graham was born in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, on August 12, 1985. He attended Heworth Grange Comprehensive School and notably represented the Gateshead Schools FA team, showcasing his early football talent.

2.2. Youth and Early Professional Career

Graham began his football journey at Chester-le-Street Town in the Northern League before securing a permanent transfer to Middlesbrough in 2003, where he continued his youth development.

3.1. Middlesbrough

Graham started his professional career at Middlesbrough, joining the club permanently in 2003. He made his debut on October 3, 2004, coming on as a late substitute in a 1-1 Premier League draw against Manchester United. Just three weeks later, he scored his first goal for the club against Coventry City in the League Cup. His first Premier League goal came on February 27, 2005, against Charlton Athletic. On March 9, 2005, Graham signed a new two-year contract with Middlesbrough, extending his stay until 2007. Despite featuring for Middlesbrough in both the Premier League and the UEFA Cup, he struggled to secure a regular starting spot, with his only league start occurring in a 1-0 defeat to Fulham at the end of the 2005-06 season. Middlesbrough released him on May 10, 2007.

During his time at Middlesbrough, Graham also embarked on several loan spells to gain experience:

• Darlington (2003-04):** He spent time on loan at Division Three side Darlington. This move was notably facilitated by supporters who helped fund the transfer. He made his debut on March 20, 2004, as a 79th-minute substitute in a 1-1 draw against Doncaster Rovers. His first full start was on April 3, 2004, in a 1-0 loss against Boston United, and he scored his first goal on April 12, 2004, in a 3-2 loss against Southend United, a performance that earned praise from manager David Hodgson. His loan was extended until the end of the season, and he ultimately scored two goals in nine league appearances for Darlington.
• Derby County (2005-06):** Graham was loaned to Derby County but did not score a league goal during this period.
• Leeds United (2005-06):** Following his stint at Derby, he joined Leeds United on loan, also failing to score a league goal for them.
• Blackpool (2006-07):** At the start of the 2006-07 season, Graham went on loan to Blackpool, where he scored once in the league against Bristol City.
• Carlisle United (2006-07):** Towards the end of 2006, Graham moved to Carlisle United on loan. An initial two-match spell was cut short due to a leg injury, leading to his return to Middlesbrough on February 5, 2007. However, after recovery, he returned to Carlisle for a three-month loan, scoring Carlisle's only goal in a 3-1 defeat against Bristol City in his final loan match. Across his two loan spells at Carlisle, he scored seven league goals in 11 matches.

3.2. Carlisle United

Following his release from Middlesbrough, Danny Graham signed a two-year permanent deal with Carlisle United on June 6, 2007. He started the 2007-08 season in strong form, becoming the division's top goalscorer from August to October, which included a goal against his former loan club, Leeds United. Despite a goalless spell until February 2008, he marked his 100th career appearance for Carlisle on March 3, 2008, against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 victory that was broadcast live on Sky Sports.

He continued his goal-scoring form into the 2008-09 season, netting 13 goals between August and December. This impressive run included a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Yeovil Town on August 30, 2008. Consequently, Graham was awarded the League One Player of the Month for August. He finished the 2008-09 season with 15 goals, helping the club avoid relegation. Carlisle United offered him a new two-year contract to extend his stay, but Graham declined the offer, choosing to leave the club.

3.3. Watford

After a series of unsuccessful attempts by Carlisle to renew his contract, Danny Graham joined Watford on a two-year contract on July 2, 2009. A tribunal subsequently ruled that Watford should pay Carlisle an initial compensation fee of £200.00 K GBP, which eventually increased to £350.00 K GBP.

Graham quickly made an impact, scoring several goals in pre-season and finding the net on his competitive debut for Watford in a 1-1 draw with Doncaster Rovers at Vicarage Road. On April 5, 2010, he scored a notable goal from 25 yd out, giving Watford the lead in their 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion. He concluded the season as Watford's top scorer, with 14 league goals.

In the 2010-11 season, Graham continued his strong performances, scoring twice in the opening match as Watford defeated Norwich City. In September 2010, he signed a new three-year contract with the club. On January 15, 2011, in a match against Derby County, Graham equaled a Watford record by scoring in his seventh consecutive match. He maintained his prolific form throughout the season, finishing as the Championship's top scorer with 24 league goals. For his outstanding contributions, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2010-11 Championship season and was also voted the Watford Player of the Season.

In May 2011, Watford rejected a £2.50 M GBP bid from Queens Park Rangers for Graham. However, on June 4, 2011, the club accepted a £3.50 M GBP bid from newly promoted Premier League side Swansea City.

3.4. Swansea City

On June 7, 2011, Danny Graham completed his £3.50 M GBP transfer to newly promoted Premier League team Swansea City. He scored his first unofficial goal for the club on August 6, 2011, in a pre-season friendly against La Liga side Real Betis at the Liberty Stadium.

His first competitive goal came on October 2, 2011, in a 2-0 home victory against Stoke City. Following this, Graham expressed his ambition to score even more goals. In the subsequent week, he began a scoring streak of four goals in four matches, starting with his second goal for Swansea in a 3-1 defeat to Norwich City. He then scored his third goal on October 22 in a 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, and his fourth came on October 29 in a 3-1 win against Bolton Wanderers, despite also scoring an own goal earlier in the same match.

Graham scored his fifth goal of the season on December 10 against Fulham, after coming on as a substitute. His sixth goal was on December 27, 2011, against Queens Park Rangers. On January 15, 2012, he scored his seventh goal against Arsenal, which proved to be the winning goal. Graham also secured the winner for Swansea in a 2-1 away victory against West Bromwich Albion on February 5, 2012, amidst snowy conditions. On February 11, 2012, he netted two goals against Norwich City in a 3-2 defeat, one a curling effort and the other a penalty. He scored Swansea's fourth goal in a thrilling 4-4 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on April 28, and then scored the winner, his twelfth and final goal of the season, in the 86th minute of a May 13 match against Liverpool, which elevated the Swans to 11th place in the Premier League.

Graham began the 2012-13 season by scoring against West Ham United in Swansea's first home match. However, he soon found himself starting matches from the bench due to the strong emergence of Spanish striker Michu. An injury to Michu in late December provided Graham with an opportunity to impress, and he scored his first goal in four months in a 2-1 victory away at Fulham. He continued his scoring form, netting in the next three consecutive matches, including a last-minute goal in a 2-0 away victory against Chelsea in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final. Despite these good performances, his playing time continued to diminish as Michu excelled as Swansea's primary striker, leading to transfer speculation from other Premier League clubs. While local reports suggested he might leave, Graham initially stated his commitment to stay. However, in mid-January, manager Michael Laudrup confirmed that offers to sign Graham had been received.

During his time at Swansea City, Graham was a part of the squad that won the 2012-13 Football League Cup.

3.5. Sunderland

Danny Graham signed for Sunderland on January 31, 2013, for a fee of £5.00 M GBP on a three-and-a-half-year contract. His former club, Middlesbrough, had also expressed interest in signing him. However, his move to Sunderland generated considerable controversy due to his well-known support for Newcastle United, Sunderland's fierce rivals. Past comments by Graham, such as "Sunderland? I'd rather support Gateshead!", resurfaced and intensified the local rivalry.

He made his debut on February 2, 2013, coming on as a substitute in the 79th minute to replace Stéphane Sessègnon in a 2-1 defeat away to Reading. In his last match for Swansea before joining Sunderland, Graham was booed by some of the club's supporters when he came on as a substitute, but he stated that this did not deter him from wanting to move to Sunderland. Despite playing 11 matches for Sunderland in his first half-season at the club, Graham failed to score his first goal and admitted that his form had significantly dropped since his arrival in January. He was subsequently loaned out to Hull City the following season.

Upon his return to Sunderland, manager Gus Poyet indicated that it would be very difficult to place Graham in the first team ahead of the 2014-15 season. Graham eventually made a return to Premier League action as a late substitute in Sunderland's 1-0 home loss against Liverpool on January 10, 2015, and also appeared against Tottenham Hotspur the following week. He was credited with his only goal for Sunderland on May 9, 2015, in a 2-0 victory at Everton, when a shot from Jordi Gómez deflected off him. This solitary goal came over two years after his controversial transfer. He was released by Sunderland a year later, on June 10, 2016, having spent the second part of the season on loan at Blackburn Rovers.

3.6. Blackburn Rovers

On January 20, 2016, Danny Graham signed a loan deal with Blackburn Rovers for the remainder of the 2015-16 season. He scored his first goal for Blackburn in a 3-0 victory over Fulham on February 16, 2016. His second goal came on March 1, 2016, in a 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough.

On June 23, 2016, Graham signed a two-year permanent deal with Blackburn Rovers, with the club reserving an option to extend for a third year. In August, he scored his first goal as a permanent player in a 2-1 defeat against Cardiff City, a match notable for two own goals scored by Shane Duffy. In November, he scored a brace in a 3-2 victory over Brentford, first equalizing Scott Hogan's early goal, then scoring a penalty five minutes later after a foul on Corry Evans. He finished the season with 13 league goals, although the club was relegated to League One. In August 2017, media reports indicated that Queens Park Rangers were interested in signing him.

He entered into talks for a new contract with Blackburn at the end of the 2017-18 season. Graham signed a new contract on June 11, 2018, which included an option for a further 12 months. He played a significant role in Blackburn's promotion back to the Championship and was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2017-18 season. In the following season, 2018-19, he was awarded the Blackburn Rovers Player of the Year. Graham ultimately left the club at the end of the 2019-20 season.

3.7. Return to Sunderland and Retirement

Danny Graham returned to Sunderland, signing with the club on September 7, 2020. However, his second stint was brief. On February 1, 2021, Graham departed Sunderland via mutual consent and subsequently announced his official retirement from professional football.