Michael Tonge

At 41 years old, Michael Tonge has this physical status:

Michael William Tonge (born 7th April 1983) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder, and he was released by Port Vale in summer 2019. He began his career with Manchester United's youth team before moving to Sheffield United in 2001. He played for England under 21 years.

He soon became a key player for Neil Warnock's "Blades" and was named on the First Division's PFA Team of the Year in 2002-03, before assisting the Bramall Lane team in their promotion to the Premier League in 2005.

After making a total of 302 appearances for the club, he was sold to Stoke City in August 2008 for £2 million.

He struggled to join Stoke's first team, but he was sent out on loan to Championship clubs Preston North End (twice), Derby County, Barnsley, and Leeds United.

In January 2013, he joined Leeds on a permanent basis.

In January 2015, he joined Millwall on loan until being released from Leeds in May 2015.

He joined Stevenage five months later and was named Player of the Year by the club's 2015-2016 season.

He joined Port Vale in July 2017 after his 18-month service came to an end.

Personal life

Tonge was robbed at knife-point in September 2009 alongside fellow footballers Grant Smith, Steven Spencer, and Phil Jagielka at Jagielka's Cheshire mansion.

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Playing career

Tonge's father, Steve Bruce, was signed as a youth player by Sheffield United manager Steve Bruce when he was released by Manchester United. In a 1–0 loss at Bramall Lane, Darren Bullock made his first appearance on his team debut as a 68th-minute replacement for Darren Bullock. In the last game of the 2000–01 season, he made his first senior appearance, a 1–1 draw away at Bolton Wanderers. In a 1–0 home win over Crewe Alexandra on Saturday, he scored his first competitive goal for the "Blades" on Saturday. He continued to play in the first team under new coach Neil Warnock, scoring three goals in 32 appearances from 2001-2002.

In a 2–1 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of the League Cup's first leg on January 8, 2003, he scored both of United's goals. United also qualified for the FA Cup semi-finals, losing 1–0 at Old Trafford. United placed third in the First Division and advanced to the play-off final, where they also suffered with a 3–0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Millennium Stadium. Tonge was named on the First Division PFA Team of the Year in 2002–03, along with midfield teammate Michael Brown, who has scored eight goals in 58 appearances.

Tonge's fourth goal in 51 games between 2003 and 2004 as United finished in eighth position, two points outside the play-offs. He scored three goals in 41 games from 2004 to 2005 as the club finished in eighth position, this time six points behind the play-off places. In the 2005–06 season, he scored three goals from 33 appearances in the championships as United as runners-up behind Reading. Following a 2–1 home loss to Wigan Athletic, the club completed just one season in the Premier League, with Tonge scoring twice in 28 matches as United were relegated to 28 games on the last day of the 2006–07 season. In Bryan Robson's first game as manager of the club, he scored a 2–2 home draw with Colchester United on August 11, 2007. Tonge made 52 appearances in 2007-08, but United failed and Robson was fired in February, and Robson was fired in February, bringing the team to a ninth-place finish.

Tonge signed for Stoke City in Premier League for a fee of £2 million on September 1, 2008. In a 3–2 loss to Everton at the Britannia Stadium on September 14, he made his "Potters" debut in a 3–2 loss. Tonge failed to establish himself in the Stoke squad and made only nine appearances in the 2008–09 season, of which only one was as a starter. He was limited to only three League appearances at the start of the 2009–10 season, and he joined Preston North End on loan on November 19, 2009. Alan Irvine tried to extend the loan agreement, but was unsuccessful as Tonge played seven games for the "Lilywhites" before being recalled from his loan spell at Deepdale by Stoke boss Tony Pulis on December 31. Tonge signed for Derby County on loan until the 2009-10 season, according to manager Nigel Clough, who said Tonge had "proven pedigree." In a 2–0 victory over Watford on March 6, Tonge scored his first goal for the "Rams." His loan was fruitful, and after Tonge scored twice in 19 starts, Clough attempted to get his loan secured for the following campaign. Tonge and fellow Stoke teammate Danny Pugh are still struggling for their first team appearances at Stoke on a month long loan on November 17, 2010. After impressing boss Darren Ferguson with his tenacity, this was extended to January 16, 2011. In a 1–1 draw with Cardiff on December 4, he scored his first goal for Preston.

Tonge played in every single pre-season before the 2011–12 season, scoring in just one of Stoke's games and scoring in the 3–1 friendly victory over Austrian side SV Thal. In Stoke's 1–0 Europa League play-off victory over FC Thun on August 18, he got his first start of the season, making his European debut in the process. Tonge was then dropped from Stoke's 25-man Premier League and 23-man Europa League squads for the first half of the season, ensuring he was only eligible to play in domestic cup and reserve games. Tonge returned to the Championship on January 24, 2012, after being on loan with Barnsley until the end of the 2011-12 season. In a 3–2 victory over Derby County at Oakwell, he made his debut seven days later, playing 66 minutes in a 3–2 victory. For Keith Hill's "Tykes" (Stephanie), he made seven starts and three substitute appearances. Tonge was once more dropped from Stoke's 25-man squad for the 2012–2013 season.

Tonge signed up with Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock on September 13, 2012, and joined Leeds United on loan until December 2012. Tonge made his Leeds United debut on September 15th, alongside Rodolph Austin in central midfield against Cardiff City in a 2–1 loss. He scored the winner against Bristol City in a 3–2 victory on September 29th, his first goal for Leeds. Tonge scored his second Leeds goal in a 1–1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday. In a 3–0 League Cup victory, he continued his goal scoring form for Leeds against Southampton. Warnock said he wanted to sign Tonge permanently after his loan agreement came to an end on December 23. Tonge came from Leeds where he served for two and a half years. With five goals from 39 games, he ended his 2012–13 campaign.

During the 2013–14 season, he struggled to gain his first team spot under new manager Brian McDermott, and he only made 15 league appearances. He managed to return to the starting lineup during Dave Hockaday's brief tenure as a member of the 2014–15 season, but his successors, Neil Redfearn and Darko Milani, denied him. Tonge was allowed to join Millwall in the Championships on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season. Tonge's versatility, according to manager Ian Holloway, could be vital after Nicky Bailey and Angel Martinez's injuries. He played six games for the "Lions" during his time at The Den, but did not appear after Neil Harris replaced Holloway in April in an unsuccessful attempt to keep the team away from relegation. Leeds revealed in May 2015 that they would let Tonge go after deciding not to renew his deal.

Tonge signed Stevenage, a League Two side, on a three-month contract on October 19. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw at Portsmouth the day before, and assistant manager Kevin Watson praised him for his work as well. He's obviously played at a higher level. However, he was suspended for the first time in his career during his third match for the "Boro" after a five-footed foul on John Lundstram during a 5-1 loss at Broadhall Way. After serving his suspension and going on to extend his deal for another 18 months, he returned to our club, where he says he's done a good job for us in midfield." Stevenage finished in 18th-place after scoring two goals from 30 games in the 2015-16 season. He was selected as the club's Player of the Year by Fraser Franks, but he came in second place to Franks in the Season Ticket Holders Player of the Year, BoroChat Player of the Year, and Player of the Year awards.

Tonge was struggling for game time at the start of the 2016–17 season, but boss Darren Sarll praised him for his interactions with youngsters Henry Cowans and Dale Gorman in preparation. Stevenage, who was up from 31 games in the previous campaign, came to tenth position before being released in May 2017.

Tonge signed a one-year deal with newly promoted League Two side Port Vale on August 4, 2017, after impressing boss Michael Brown – a former Sheffield United teammate – on a trial basis. He scored on his debut with a deflected free-kick in a 3–1 victory over Crawley Town on August 5, and also provided an assist. In a 1–0 loss to local rivals Crewe Alexandra at Vale Park on August 26, he was sent home late for a late challenge on George Cooper. Under new coach Neil Aspin, who praised his composure and demeanor, he became a first-team regular. During the 2017–18 season, he scored three goals in 38 games, triggering a one-year deal extension after meeting an appearance clause. However, he appeared for just 16 minutes on the first day of the 2018-19 season, and new Vale boss John Askey announced that he would not be giving Tonge a new deal on May 16th.

International career

Tonge earned his first cap for the England U20 national team in November 2002, when he was competing in the Under-20 Four Nations Tournament for the first time. Tonge opened the 5–3 loss at the Stadium of Light on November 27th. He lasted 68 minutes before being replaced by Jerome Thomas. Tonge played in the 2–0 loss to Switzerland in the following month, he had Darren Carter replaced him right after halftime at Upton Park. In the tournament, England took third place.

Tonge made his England U21s debut when he began a 1–1 draw with Macedonia in qualifying for the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championships. He spent 73 minutes at the Air Stadium in Skopje before being replaced by Jermain Defoe. Tonge was an unreserved substitute as England lost 2–1 against Portugal and was banned from the tournament four days later. His last cap came in March 2004, when he began a 2–2 draw with Sweden in Kristianstad.

Coaching career

In November 2020, Tonge was hired as a mentor at the Huddersfield Town Academy.

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