Paul Ritchie
| Date of birth | 21 August 1975 |
| Place of birth | Kirkcaldy |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Weight | 76 kg |
| Height | 1.80 m |
| Position | Defender |
A full international for Scotland, Ritchie is a hard-working and influential central defender able to slot in effortlessly as a wing back. Signed from Hearts on loan to Bolton Wanderers in December 1999, he was integral to the Trotters' late surge for a promotion play-off place and formed a formidable defensive partnership with Mark Fish. Signed by Rangers on a Bosman free at the end of the 1999-2000 season, he did not figure in Dick Advocaat's first team plans and in a surprise move signed for Manchester City for £500,000 in August - no doubt to improve his chances of an international recall.
Paul joined Walsall on a one-year contract in August 2003.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart of Midlothian | 31 Jul 1992 | 22 Mar 2000 | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 20 Dec 1999 | 21 Mar 2000 | L |
| Bolton Wanderers | 22 Mar 2000 | 18 May 2000 | |
| Rangers | 08 Jun 2000 | 22 Aug 2000 | |
| Manchester City | 22 Aug 2000 | 22 Aug 2003 | |
| Portsmouth | 20 Sep 2002 | 22 Dec 2002 | L |
| Derby County | 27 Mar 2003 | 05 May 2003 | L |
| Walsall | 22 Aug 2003 | 30 Jun 2004 | |
| Sheffield United | 26 Jul 2004 | 06 Aug 2004 | T |
| Dundee United | 07 Aug 2004 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | Bolton Wanderers | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Heart of Midlothian | Scottish League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Heart of Midlothian | Scottish Premier League | 14 | 1 |
2
|
||
| 2000-01 | Manchester City | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Manchester City | League Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Manchester City | Premier League | 11 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2001-02 | Manchester City | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Manchester City | League Cup | 1 |
||||
| 2001-02 | Manchester City | League Division 1 | 8 |
||||
| 2002-03 | Derby County | League Division 1 | 7 |
1
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Portsmouth | League Cup | 1 |
1
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Portsmouth | League Division 1 | 8 | 4 |
3
|
||
| 2003-04 | Walsall | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Walsall | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Walsall | League Division 1 | 33 | 1 |
6
|
2
|
|
| 2004-05 | Dundee United | Scottish Premier League | 24 |
6
|
1
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Aug 2003 | Crewe Alexandra v Walsall | L | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 30 Aug 2003 | Walsall v Cardiff City | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 13 Sep 2003 | Walsall v Derby County | L | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 16 Sep 2003 | Ipswich Town v Walsall | L | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 20 Sep 2003 | Millwall v Walsall | L | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 24 Sep 2003 | Bolton Wanderers v Walsall | L | 3-1 | League Cup | 2nd round |
| 27 Sep 2003 | Walsall v Preston North End | W | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 29 Sep 2003 | Walsall v Gillingham | W | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 14 Oct 2003 | Watford v Walsall | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 18 Oct 2003 | Sunderland v Walsall | L | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 21 Oct 2003 | Reading v Walsall | W | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 25 Oct 2003 | Walsall v Wigan Athletic | W | 2-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 01 Nov 2003 | Walsall v Norwich City | L | 1-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 04 Nov 2003 | Walsall v Nottingham Forest | W | 4-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 08 Nov 2003 | Bradford City v Walsall | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 06 Dec 2003 | Walsall v Bradford City | W | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 09 Dec 2003 | Sheffield United v Walsall | L | 2-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 13 Dec 2003 | Wimbledon v Walsall | W | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 20 Dec 2003 | Walsall v West Ham United | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 26 Dec 2003 | Cardiff City v Walsall | W | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 28 Dec 2003 | Walsall v Reading | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 03 Jan 2004 | Millwall v Walsall | L | 2-1 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 09 Jan 2004 | West Bromwich Albion v Walsall | L | 2-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 31 Jan 2004 | Stoke City v Walsall | L | 3-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 07 Feb 2004 | Walsall v Crewe Alexandra | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 21 Feb 2004 | Walsall v Watford | L | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 28 Feb 2004 | Wigan Athletic v Walsall | L | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 03 Mar 2004 | Walsall v Sunderland | L | 1-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 13 Mar 2004 | Walsall v Wimbledon | W | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 16 Mar 2004 | Walsall v Ipswich Town | L | 1-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 20 Mar 2004 | Preston North End v Walsall | W | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 17 Apr 2004 | Norwich City v Walsall | L | 5-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 24 Apr 2004 | Walsall v Sheffield United | L | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 01 May 2004 | Crystal Palace v Walsall | L | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 09 May 2004 | Walsall v Rotherham United | W | 3-2 | League Division 1 | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | Scotland | UEFA Under-18 | 1 | ||||
| 1995-96 | Scotland | UEFA Under-21 | 1 |
1
|
|||
| 1996-97 | Scotland | UEFA Under-21 | 6 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Scotland | B International | 2 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Scotland | International Friendly | 1 |
||||
| 1998-99 | Scotland | UEFA European Championship | 1 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 1999-00 | Scotland | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Scotland | UEFA European Championship | 2 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Scotland | International Friendly | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 1993 | Republic of Ireland v Scotland | D | 2-2 | UEFA U18 | Group 11 |
| 12 Mar 1996 | Hungary v Scotland | L | 2-1 | UEFA U21 | Quarter-final |
| 30 Aug 1996 | Austria v Scotland | L | 4-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 06 Oct 1996 | Latvia v Scotland | D | 0-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 08 Oct 1996 | Estonia v Scotland | W | 0-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 09 Nov 1996 | Scotland v Sweden | L | 1-4 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 28 Mar 1997 | Scotland v Estonia | W | 4-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 01 Apr 1997 | Scotland v Austria | L | 1-2 | UEFA U21 | Group 4 |
| 24 Mar 1998 | Scotland v Wales | W | 4-0 | B INTER | |
| 21 Apr 1998 | Scotland v Norway | L | 1-2 | B INTER | |
| 28 Apr 1999 | Germany v Scotland | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 09 Jun 1999 | Czech Republic v Scotland | L | 3-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 9 |
| 09 Oct 1999 | Scotland v Lithuania | W | 3-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 9 |
| 13 Nov 1999 | Scotland v England | L | 0-2 | UEFA European Championship | Play-off 1st leg |
| 29 Mar 2000 | Scotland v France | L | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Apr 2000 | Netherlands v Scotland | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 18 Feb 2004 | Wales v Scotland | L | 4-0 | International Friendly | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.