Zat Knight - Thanks and Goodbye!

A look back on the career to date of Zat Knight.

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Fulham signed Knight from Rushall Olympic on a free transfer in 1999. As Knight was not a professionally contracted player to Olympic, Fulham were not obliged to pay a fee for him, but owner Mohamed Al-Fayed sent the club 30 tracksuits as a gesture of thanks.  After five years at Fulham, Knight signed a contract extension that will keep him until 2008 after having established himself under Chris Coleman's management.

Knight scored four goals for Fulham, two in the 2004–05 season and two in the 2006–07 season. The first in a FA Cup match against Watford in a 1–1 draw, his second a Premier League goal against Norwich City in a 6–0 win.  His last goal for Fulham came against Bolton Wanderers in a 2–1 loss.  He was arguably Fulham's most consistent player in the 2006–07 season, a reward for this being given temporary captaincy of the club while regular skipper Luís Boa Morte was out injured.

Before the game against West Ham United that season it was announced that he had broken his jaw in two places while messing around with his brother.  Chris Coleman has been quoted as saying that it takes more than horseplay to break one's jaw in two places, but Knight insists there was "nothing sinister" about the incident.

At the start of the 2007-08 season, Knight signed a two-year contract extension with Fulham, which will keep him until the end of the 2009/10 season.  Prior signing a new contract, Knight was linked with a move away from Fulham, but insisted he want to stay at the club and achieved to win trophies.  However, Knight would eventually leave for Aston Villa.

On 29 August 2007, Knight signed a four-year contract deal with the club he supported as a boy, Aston Villa, in a £3.5 million deal.  Ironically his last Fulham match was the 2–1 defeat against Villa, in which he played a part in Villa's equaliser when an Ashley Young shot deflected off him into the net, although this was later given as Young's goal. In the early hours of the day of his transfer (29 August), Knight and his brother Carlos, were arrested in a drugs raid on the family home.  Knight was released on police bail while Carlos was remanded in custody. Police said that a quantity of drugs were seized at the home. Knight feared that he may miss the press conference announcing his signing but his agent bailed him out and no mention of the incident was made at the press conference.  Knight scored a headed goal on his Villa debut in a 2–0 win against Chelsea on 2 September 2007.  Knight's next goal for Villa did not come until the following season, on 26 December 2008 when Villa were trailing 2–1 against Arsenal at Villa Park.  Knight scored the equaliser in the 91st minute of the game in front of the Holte End to make it 2–2.

On 25 July 2009, Knight signed a three-year contract with Bolton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £4 million.

Knight made his Bolton debut in the 1–0 reverse against Sunderland on 15 August 2009.  He scored his first goal for Bolton against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium on 27 February 2010 and this led to a crucial 1–0 home win which lifted the side out of the relegation zone.  He made his hundredth appearance for Bolton in their 3–0 defeat at Manchester United on 14 January 2012.

Knight's contract expired at the end of the 2011–12 season, making him a free agent. However, on 9th July, Coyle announced that he had signed a further two year contract.

Knight often took the captain's armband at Bolton when usual skipper Kevin Davies was off the pitch. When Davies left at the end of the 2012/13 season, Knight was named as the new captain for the 2013/14 season.  Jay Spearing took the armband when Knight came out of the team and Spearing retaned it when Knight returned to the team.

On 8 March 2014, Knight scored his first goal in three and a half years when scoring Bolton's third in their 5-1 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road. At the end of that season he was released by the club along with Chris Eagles, Tyrone Mears and Jay Lynch.

Knight made his England debut on 28 May 2005 as a substitute against the United States in a friendly match. He gained his second cap in a friendly against Colombia on 31 May.


Personally I thought he was crap before we signed him and crap throughout his stay with us.  Coyle's decission to give him an extra two years with us beggared belief - thanks Owen.

Anyway he's gone now so at least Freedman can't bring him on with 30 odd minutes left, at home, to go to five at the back, to defend a one goal lead against some shit team like Blackpool or Millwall anymore!

Author: Sluffy

A couple of responses from Twitter:

"never a truer word spoken than your last paragraph ;-)"


"the last paragraph is an opinion but not one I would share. In a number of games he was our best defender and professional to the end. He never let his head drop and allow the boo boys get him down. Let's see if he gets replaced with anybody that much better. I doubt it."

it was the right decision to let him go, we couldn't afford his wages now and we have better defenders at the club already.

He was prone to almighty cock ups but i don't think he was as bad as he has been made out.

His height and gangly legs were both a curse and a blessing. He didn't get credit for some of the clearances and tackles that he made because they looked comfortable for him whereas in reality few players would have actually reached them at all. When (even) he had to stretch, he looked uncomfortable - perhaps because as he was growing up it was seldom an issue and it didn't become part of his muscle memory - in the same way that Crouch doesn't really get off the ground on the rare occasions when he jumps for headers.
Having such a high centre of gravity, Zat was always going to look clumsy in certain situations and when he did make a cock-up they tended to look really, really bad like a giraffe on an icerink. Others did it but didn't attract the same abuse. Overall I think he's not been a bad servant to the club, but there are two things that sour it for me - his price (we overpaid) and his attitude when we were relegated (like Eagles etc, he seemed to believe his own hype and didn't feel there was a need to bust a gut to get back to the prem) 
Whatever people think about him, he's a one-off - not a great player but a unique player.

Shit player Boro New Year's Day I rest my case.Alright here's a few more Notts Forest this year 1 minute 23 seconds in to the match passed to their player instead of lumping it clear 1 pass later Mackie 1-0.peterborough Christmas time 2012 the 5-4 match failed to control a simple ball there player ran on to it 1-0 1 minute gone.A failed clearance 2-0 4 minutes. The reason we almost made the play offs was we had Dawson.What a cock up we let him go with a game to go.Knight and Ream partner up 2-0 down after 20 minutes.One of the worst signings ever who was on top money for being a crap player.Mercenary who bled Bolton while being shit for years.WBA 2-0 up we r staying up sing the crowd.Wheaters injured and has had to go off cruciate ligaments.WBA attack caught Knight napping at the far post and from 2-0 then 2-1 knight allows the equalizer 2-2 just as QPR score in the 90 th minute at home to Stoke.

Said it before ....a right ol' donkey but put in effort and guts for the club. Not his fault he was bought and played by the various managers here.  And the on-going scapegoat for the last two seasons...which he is only part of...not the reason.  Good luck to him.

It wasn't his fault he was made captain.But all the fans could see his cock ups and DF still kept him captain only when he was dropped did we win at Birmingham 2-1 first win of the season after 9 matches.

wanderlust wrote:His height and gangly legs were both a curse and a blessing. He didn't get credit for some of the clearances and tackles that he made because they looked comfortable for him whereas in reality few players would have actually reached them at all. When (even) he had to stretch, he looked uncomfortable - perhaps because as he was growing up it was seldom an issue and it didn't become part of his muscle memory - in the same way that Crouch doesn't really get off the ground on the rare occasions when he jumps for headers.
Having such a high centre of gravity, Zat was always going to look clumsy in certain situations and when he did make a cock-up they tended to look really, really bad like a giraffe on an icerink. Others did it but didn't attract the same abuse. Overall I think he's not been a bad servant to the club, but there are two things that sour it for me - his price (we overpaid) and his attitude when we were relegated (like Eagles etc, he seemed to believe his own hype and didn't feel there was a need to bust a gut to get back to the prem) 
Whatever people think about him, he's a one-off - not a great player but a unique player.

Excellent post.

Baptiste was far worse last season, but Knight signed his own death warrant when he was seen laughing and smiling after defeat at Fulham a couple of seasons ago.

Twat of the highest order.

Totally agree and talking of Baptiste fuck me pink is he not Tyrone Mears Mk2.If he wasn't involved in football betting scandal 3 pens and he only made a tackle once there forward was in the penalty area There's Cricketers been cuaght out footballers betting on their teams to lose ie that coach at Bolton,alright he was coaching under 9 s shows how fucking stupid some of them are,I'll go on Facebook and tell everyone.Baptiste loan him out ASAP with joe Riley on his way back or back to full fitness then there's threkeld.Baptiste £22-000 a week for that dope.

White84 wrote:Totally agree and talking of Baptiste fuck me pink is he not Tyrone Mears Mk2.If he wasn't involved in football betting scandal 3 pens and he only made a tackle once there forward was in the penalty area There's Cricketers been cuaght out footballers betting on their teams to lose ie that coach at Bolton,alright he was coaching under 9 s shows how fucking stupid some of them are,I'll go on Facebook and tell everyone.Baptiste loan him out ASAP with joe Riley on his way back or back to full fitness then there's threkeld.Baptiste £22-000 a week for that dope.

White84 is having sex with Baptiste?
Baptiste drives an old Fiesta MkII?
Some cricket players set a sting to catch footballers betting on matches?
Some 8 year olds are a bit dim and White84 is going to go on Facebook and name and shame them?
Baptiste is on dope?

Natasha Whittam wrote:Knight signed his own death warrant when he was seen laughing and smiling after defeat at Fulham a couple of seasons ago.

I wouldn't say that.

He's since had a new two year contract out of us, no doubt worth seven figures.

This is Bolton Wanderers after all.

doffcocker wrote:

I wouldn't say that.

He's since had a new two year contract out of us, no doubt worth seven figures.

This is Bolton Wanderers after all.

I meant with the fans.

Natasha Whittam wrote: but Knight signed his own death warrant when he was seen laughing and smiling after defeat at Fulham a couple of seasons ago.

Twat of the highest order.

It was a draw at Stoke which saw us relegated, that got the fans fire stoked.

Definitely one of my all time least favourite players, can't deny he dealt with a lot of shit, some deserved in this case IMO but all in all was a pro about it. 

good luck to him wherever he goes.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:Definitely one of my all time least favourite players, can't deny he dealt with a lot of shit, some deserved in this case IMO but all in all was a pro about it. 

good luck to him wherever he goes.

Have you ever been checked for schizophrenia?

I can remember Villa away around 2009/2010 and we got tonked by them, about 4-0 if memory serves me right.. Knight was partnering Gary Cahill in the centre and at the end he was laughing and joking with his former Villa team mates whereas Cahill fcuked off sharpish down the tunnel.

If he had anything about him he could have done the ' catch-up ' routine down the tunnel away from the Wanderers faithful.

I'm on dope or is it I'm a dope NURSE WHAT TIMES MEDS, In your dreams you've been to Tunisie (shit advert that)in my dreams I seen a Leicster city footballer some lass from Preston,and a white Stallion.Dougie Freedman and fatty gartside naked no one else just fatty gartside."nurse where's my MEDS ,Do Bolton still play at Burnden Park.The 90's are great can't wait for the Millenium.!    

Zat Knight could head for the United States

Zat Knight has not completely ruled out a move to the US as he weighs up life after Wanderers.

The former skipper, who leaves the Reebok this summer after five years, was linked strongly with MLS outfit Philadelphia Union in February.

But the 34-year-old defender insists he has not spoken about a move to the States, and plans to step up his search for a new club once he returns from holiday at the start of next month.

“People talk but I genuinely know nothing about playing in America – I want to go away for the summer and hopefully my phone will start ringing. Then we’ll see what’s good for me and my family.

“I don’t feel I will be short of offers but I don’t want to get ahead of myself either – I want to be realistic.

“I still feel I have got four or five years of playing left in me, depending on injuries, but my professionalism has got me this far and hopefully that will carry on.”

Knight hopes Wanderers learn their lessons after this season’s failures, in particular the poor start that left them with too much ground to catch up in the second half of the campaign.

“I want them to improve and I hope they can get back to the Premier League,” said the big centre-half.

“The facilities are fantastic and everyone who comes here will probably tell you it’s the best club they have played at.

“The people around the club deserve to get it right and hopefully they can do that next season.

“Last year we got it right at the very end. This season we weren’t good enough at the start and got better towards the end.

“It’s about maintaining a stable ship for Bolton now. You can’t expect to do anything if you don’t win in your first 13 games. If you want to get promoted, you can’t do that.”

Knight leaves Wanderers after making 191 appearances and scoring four goals – making this the longest stay of any of his three professional clubs, which also include Aston Villa and Fulham.

The Solihull-born defender insists he holds no grudges as he prepares to make his next move.

“When I look back, it has all gone really fast,” he said.

“I’ll take some good memories and some bad ones from Bolton but it’s been a good road.

“If my career were to finish today – from where I was at 17 to where I am today, I would have enjoyed it.

“From where I came from and was brought up, I never thought I’d reach the highest level and play professional football. But I have done it and I’m happy in my life.”

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