Ex-Files: Graham Alexander
Even though most of his career Grezza has been used as a full back, Alexander initially started his career out as a right sided midfielder. He signed his first professional contract in 1991 with Scunthorpe United and went on to make over 150 appearances for the Irons in the 5 years he was at Glanford Park.
In 1995, Alexander was then transferred to Luton Town after a fee of £100,000 was agreed with the Irons. In his four years at the club, he made 177 league and cup appearances during which he attracted the attention of Preston manager David Moyes. Moyes beat off the competition of Burnley to capture the Coventry born defenders signature.
In his first full season at Deepdale, Alexander made over 45 league appearances to help the Lilywhites reach the Division 1 Play-Off final at Cardiff, only to be beaten by fellow Lancashire club Bolton Wanderers. It was as a North End player when Alexander got his first international call up for Scotland by, then manager Berti Vogts. He made his debut in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Nigeria in April 2002, coming on as a second half substitute replacing Robbie Stockdale. Despite being born in Coventry, Alexander qualifies for the Scottish national team via his Scottish father and has gone onto win 33 caps for Scotland. His most recent was in March where he came on as a late substitute in the friendly against Croatia.
His North End career lasted just over eight years and was transferred to local rivals Burnley after making his 400th appearance for the club against Colchester United in August. Many fans were angered by the clubs decision to sell him and felt that he still had a lot to offer the Preston first team, especially from the penalty spot where he was a specialist. At the time, Preston Manager Paul Simpson felt that he could not guarantee he could offer Alexander another contract, hence he moved to Burnley who could match is demands.
Since joining Burnley, Alexander has made over 30 appearances including his recent return to Deepdale where he was unable to prevent Alan Irvine's Preston from taking all three points in a 2-1 win. Grezza has established himself as a consistent performance this season and dons the captain's armband at Turf Moor. Although Alexander has yet to find the back of the net for Burnley, the opportunity to do so may come sooner rather than later following regular penalty taker Andy Gray's departure to Charlton in January.
His most recent appearance for Burnley was in the 2-1 defeat against Sheffield United at Turf Moor, further denting the Clarets' play-off hopes.