Keith Fahey

Fahey made only 24 appearances, although he did score his first (and only) Premier League goal, and Birmingham finished 18th and were relegated on the last day of the season following a 2–1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Following relegation, Barry Ferguson, Craig Gardner and Lee Bowyer left the club, giving Fahey the chance to establish himself in his preferred central position.

Keith Declan Fahey (born 15 January 1983) is an Irish former footballer, who played most of his career with League of Ireland side St Patrick's Athletic, as well as English club Birmingham City.

He played predominantly as a central midfielder, but also occasionally as a winger.

Fahey started his professional career as a trainee with Arsenal.

He played for Aston Villa, Bluebell United, St Patrick's Athletic and Drogheda United before his transfer to Birmingham City.

Fahey started his professional career as a trainee with Arsenal before signing for Aston Villa in April 2000 for a fee of £250,000.

He played for Villa's youth and reserve teams, but never made a first-team appearance.

Having failed to settle in England, Fahey returned home in 2003.

He initially played a few games in non-League football for Bluebell United, before a six-week trial at St Patrick's Athletic led to a contract.

He made his League of Ireland debut and had a goal disallowed at Waterford United on 21 April.

He contributed to St Pats's victory in the League of Ireland Cup and scored a "stunning" free kick in extra time of the semi-final replay against Bohemians to reach the FAI Cup final.

However the final turned out to be very disappointing for both team and player, who was sent off for a "two-footed lunge" on Longford Town's Sean Prunty after 77 minutes as the Saints lost 2–0.

He joined Drogheda United in exchange for Alan Reilly and a cash adjustment in July 2005.

He was involved in Mark Leech's golden goal that won the Setanta Cup for Drogheda in April 2006, but a few months later was released, following a disagreement with manager Paul Doolin, and returned to St Pats.

RTÉ reported that "Danger man Fahey was quieter than usual" as Pats lost 2–0 to Hertha BSC in the first round of the 2008–09 UEFA Cup, held at the Olympiastadion; however, in the second leg, despite Pats' "excellent performance" failing to overturn the deficit, an RTÉ feature picked out "Keith Fahey's control of the game, dictating almost every Pat's attack with that delicate but incisive right foot of his. Fahey stood head and shoulders above the many highly decorated full internationals in the Hertha team, showing the full range of his passing from deep and from close range, and generally showing a poise and guile on the ball that you would not expect from a League of Ireland player amongst such illustrious company."

His performances for St Pats in 2008, in which he scored 11 goals in all competitions, earned Fahey the PFAI Player of the Year award.

He also won Monday Night Soccer's 2008 Goal of the Season.

After Pats were beaten by Bohemians in the FAI Cup, Fahey declared that he wished to move to an English club to further his career.

On 2 December 2008, Fahey signed a pre-contract agreement with Football League Championship side Birmingham City to join the club when the transfer window opened in January 2009.

The Irish season having finished, Fahey joined up with Birmingham in mid-December for training, though manager Alex McLeish suggested supporters should not "expect him to walk straight into the team" when he became eligible in January.

Fahey made his Birmingham debut on 17 January 2009, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw against Cardiff City.

He scored his first goal for the club, a "delicate lob" which the player admitted was meant to be a cross, to clinch a 2–0 home victory against Nottingham Forest on 14 February.

His second goal gave the Blues a 1–0 home win over Southampton some weeks later.

Fahey retained his place in the side for the rest of the season (keeping loan signings Scott Sinclair and Hamer Bouazza out of the starting eleven), and was a key player for Birmingham in their successful bid for promotion to the Premier League, scoring a goal and making a goal in a vital 2–1 win at Reading on the last day of the campaign.

Fahey made his Premier League debut in the opening game of the 2009–10 season at Old Trafford, in the 1–0 defeat against Manchester United.

He made 34 appearances in his first Premier League season (18 of which he started), but failed to score all season, as Birmingham finished in ninth place, their highest ever position in the Premier League.

In July 2010, Fahey's contract was extended to 2013, in recognition of his having "proved to [McLeish] that he's a Premier League player".

With Birmingham City he won the 2011 League Cup in England, as well as helping the club gain promotion from the Football League Championship to the Premier League during the 2008–09 season.

He was part of the starting eleven as Birmingham won the 2011 League Cup, defeating favourites Arsenal 2–1 at Wembley Stadium.

The league season proved less successful for both player and club.

After recovering from hernia surgery early in the 2011–12 season, he partnered Jonathan Spector in a solid midfield supporting two attacking wide players.

Later in the season, he played a defensive support role alongside the more attacking Jordon Mutch, and manager Chris Hughton suggested he was "enjoying playing in that central role and he's enjoying the development he's had there all season".

When he suffered a groin problem that caused him to miss the last few weeks of the season, Hughton called it "a real blow for us ... because he's a player that has been in really good form".

He scored four goals during the season, including "a venomous left-foot drive from 20 yards" at Barnsley and a goal he "couldn't have hit ... any sweeter first time, or with any more power" at home to Crystal Palace that earned him the club's Goal of the Season award.

Fahey returned to the team in mid-September, and made seven appearances, four of which were starts.

He left the club at the end of the 2012–13 season, and returned to St Patrick's Athletic for a third spell with the club.

With the Republic of Ireland national team, Fahey gained 16 caps.

He was part of the squad that secured qualification for UEFA Euro 2012.

Manager Giovanni Trapattoni called Fahey into the Irish squad for the tournament, but he was later sent home due to injury.