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Ex-Keeper Wright Set to Retire
Sunday, 15th May 2016 21:37

Former Town keeper Richard Wright is set to hang up his gloves this summer with his time at Manchester City having come to an end.

Wright, 38, has spent the last four seasons with the Premier League side as back-up to Joe Hart and latterly Willy Caballero but without playing a competitive senior game.

Following City’s 1-1 final day draw at Swansea this afternoon, Caballero wished Wright well for his future on Instagram: “All the best in your new chapter. It was a pleasure to train and spend two years with you. Thanks for everything, you helped me and I wish you the best for you and your family.”

Later, Wright’s son Harry, a 17-year-old keeper with Town’s academy, subsequently posted on Instagram: “What a career my dad has had as a professional footballer playing at every level. Gutted for it to be his last game as a professional footballer but can't wait to see what's in store for him.”

Ipswich-born Wright came through the youth system at Portman Road and made his debut as a 17-year-old in a 2-0 home victory over Coventry City in the Premier League in May 1995.

He quickly went on to establish himself in the Blues first team and was a key man in the team which won promotion back to the top flight in 1999/00 - saving a penalty in the 4-2 play-off final victory against Barnsley - and finished fifth in the Premier League the following season.

Wright made the first of two England appearances in a friendly against Malta that June - an eventful international debut in which he conceded two penalties, saving one - and was the third England keeper at Euro 2000 behind David Seaman and Nigel Martyn but didn’t play.

In July 2001 he joined Arsenal for £2 million - not the often quoted figure of £6 million - signing a five-year deal but after only one season and 22 games he moved on to Everton, where he spent five years but also suffered a series of injuries.

Having come close to rejoining Town, the 6ft 2in tall keeper signed for West Ham in the summer of 2007.

After a stint on loan at Southampton, where former Blues boss George Burley was manager and his Town mentor Malcolm Webster was his goalkeeper-coach, Wright finally moved back to Portman Road, where his old team-mate Jim Magilton was in charge, the following summer.

Magilton's successor Roy Keane released him in the summer of 2010 and he signed for Sheffield United where he spent a year but made only two senior appearances before returning to Town for a third stint in November 2011, adding one more game to his Blues total.

Having been released at the end of that season he spent a brief spell coaching the with the academy prior to an abortive move to Preston which lasted only a week before he joined Manchester City.

Across his three spells with Town Wright, whose father-in-law is ex-Blues defender Geoff Hammond, made 355 starts and no sub appearances.


Photo: Action Images



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Currie10 added 21:56 - May 15
Waste of a good player was far too happy to be reserve at Everton/ Arsenal / Man City / West Ham.

Also, while I was always skeptical regarding £6 mill no way on earth was the deal £2 mill that's absolute tosh!
-1

PhilTWTD added 21:59 - May 15
Currie10

There was a release clause in the deal he signed in the summer of 2000, hence the low figure.
5

ArnieM added 22:00 - May 15
another professional footballer who became a multi millionaire and hardly played a game.
5

jong75 added 22:00 - May 15
I remember his performance against blackburn away in the fa cup, he was amazing that night, nothing was ever getting past him. Should have stayed with us for another season before moving to arsenal, i am sure his bank balance doesnt agree with that though.
8

NSL added 22:12 - May 15
He could probably just return his gloves to the shop in the unopened packet I would have thought......
4

12th_Man added 22:14 - May 15
Get him in here as goalkeeper coach Webster won't be around forever
4

rgp1 added 22:24 - May 15
His collection of rear end splinters is legendary.
5

uppersirbob added 22:26 - May 15
He needs to pack it in as he is fed up of getting splinters in his arse
2

Cambonbleu added 22:32 - May 15
A propper 'keeper and a great player. That's all that needs to be said
13

itfchorry added 22:33 - May 15
Great Keeper and Top guy -

Suffolk should be very proud of him-

13

Jimmy86 added 22:39 - May 15
Feel he should have stayed with us 1 more season before joining Arsenal and as others have said spent far too much on the bench I'm his career. Good luck to him with what he choses to do next in his career.
7

NoCanariesAllowed added 22:51 - May 15
Never actually got to see him in his first spell with us, but will always remember being at The Hawthorns watching this display from his second spell:



Best wishes to him.
1

algarvefan added 22:51 - May 15
Had he stayed another year in 2001 I honestly do not think we would have been relegated, Serini was a f**king disaster and the defence went to pieces without him. At his prime with us a top, top keeper and a nice guy, good luck Wrighty in whatever you do next, I suspect he may be back at Portman Road one day.
12

Suffolk_n_Good added 23:01 - May 15
Agree, he left Town to early, his career went downhill from then on, but money talks, you can't blame him. Also, selling Wright was the start of our demise, Sereni was way to flambouyant for ITFC. However, I will never forget the penalty save at Wembley v Barnsley in the Play-Off Final. I actually got to meet Wright at a 5-a-side tournament at AFC Sudbury a couple of seasons back, he was a top chap, had his photo taken with my son (who's a keeper), & spent a few minutes chatting to him about goalkeeping.
7

ArnieM added 23:12 - May 15
Sereni thought he was bigger than the club and didn't like playing in the cold frosty weather. He was quite divisive in the changing room by all accounts.
3

flashblue added 23:14 - May 15
unlucky with injuries. could have had those if he'd stayed with us. absolutely the correct decision to leave Ipswich for Arsenal.
0

midastouch added 23:27 - May 15
He shouldn't have any problem finding another job as he's clearly a very flexible worker who's happy to work on a zero-hour contract basis.
1

marshallmania added 00:21 - May 16
Top bloke Ricardo! Always been one of the best regardless of where you wanted your career to go. Not many better keepers about:)
1

trevski added 00:28 - May 16
Sad to see him retire and a top class keeper for us. Should have never left as he soon went downhill after that and his replacement Sereni was the worse. If his son is nearly half as good as he was then I cannot wait for him to start playing for the first team
4

harlingblue added 03:02 - May 16
Heis probably a wealthy man but not the star he should have been. Left Town far too early when his career was set to blossom. Perhaps he could come back here as a goalkeeping coach and work with Webster to push his son on to greater things?
4

itfcbam added 06:11 - May 16
Very wealthy, financially sorted so in business terms successful career, however can't help thinking a wasted talent that could've achieved much more.
Biggest mistake was leaving us at a time when he was guarentee another season playing every game in the top flight for a move to a club where he was 2nd choice. That stopped his development and in reality never recovered.
9

oldburian added 06:51 - May 16
Arguably the best keeper we have had. When he left it exposed the slowness of Venus and McGreal as he swept up behind them.

I agree with the view that had he stayed we would not have been relegated.
3

cornishnick added 07:40 - May 16
Since originally leaving Town 15 years ago, he's only played something like 140 first team games. A tragic waste of talent. When he looks back on his career, I can't believe he won't have a few regrets about his choice of club.
8

Pilgrimblue added 08:10 - May 16
wHAT A WASTE he chased the money at all costs only to sit on benches for most of his time when he could have been top keeper. He deserted Town in the vain hope that he'd get no 1 at Highbury but he wasn't good enough. His greed cost us dear but had he stayed he probably would have acheived his goal of no 1 keeperbut instead he became the forgotten man!!
2

BotesdaleBlue added 08:13 - May 16
Well, that is the last of the 1999/00 promtion team to finally hang up his boots. Although he has not played a first team game in an amazing four years, it is still an end of an era as far as I am concerned.
2


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