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Personal
Fullname: Christopher John Killen
aka: Chris Killen
Born: 8 Oct 1981
Birthplace: Wellington, New Zealand
Signed: 31 May 2007
Left: 13 Jan 2010
Position: Forward, Centre-Forward
Debut: Celtic 0-0 Kilmarnock, League, 5 Aug 2007
Internationals: New Zealand
International Caps: 48
International Goals: 16
Summary
Celtic signed Hibernian striker Chris Killen on a three-year contract on 31st May 2007 The Scottish champions beat competition from Cardiff City for the free transfer of the 25-year-old, whose contract was set to end on the summer [BBC]
In January 2009, with few appearances and little chance of a starting place Chris Killen was loaned to Norwich for the rest of the season, which subsequently ended his hopes with Celtic.
He left on a free transfer on 13th Jan 2010 to Middlesborough.
Biog
Chris Killen was signed by the manager in the belief that he could be a useful squad number. Supposedly other clubs were interested in the Kiwi player, including his then club Hibs who were very willing to sign him up on a permanent deal. He signed for Celtic but from the beginning many were wondering why, and that query never left anyone’s mind.
His biggest game was a huge puzzler, as he was given a starting role as a lone striker against Benfica away in the Champions League group match ahead of fellow antipodean Skippy McDonald. Possibly Gordon Strachan’s most baffling decision in his time as manager (and there were many). Celtic may have lost that game but not because of Killen, however for many it was a gamble and a mistake but Killen did play to the best of his ability.
He was given few chances to really get going in the first side with most appearances being off the bench, but he did score a goal against Gretna which got him off the mark, so he would eventually leave knowing he scored at least once.
Celtic had got him on a free and so was no major cost or gamble to the club. Many bemoan a wasted signing, however Celtic needed a squad to tide over the First Team over a long season especially as a more austere spending budget was in place. At the end as he was around fourth or fifth choice striker, it was better for his own sake to move to achieve greater first team exposure, which is why he was off to Norwich (on loan).
Better to have come and to have had a chance at Celtic than to have stayed in the lower rungs and wondered “What if?“.
However, in the summer of 2009, there was a bit of a renaissance in his game. Scoring twice for New Zealand v Italy in a friendly put him back in the spotlight. A return to the first team under new manager Tony Mowbray gave him a fresh start in some friendly matches which he took and he duly scored some goals to push up his confidence, but it wasn’t to prove enough. He wasn’t given many more opportunities in competitive matches, and he was still placed long back in the queue in for the striker’s positions even when the main men were firing blanks (as so to speak).
On 13 January 2010, Gordon Strachan at Middlesborough decided to pick him up on a free transfer. It hadn’t worked out for him at Celtic, leaving Celtic fans hoping for his sake he could find the form at Middlesbrough that he had in his short spell with Hibs. There was no animosity towards him.
Killen and a number of Strachan’s other signings, predictably, didn’t go on to succeed at Middlesbrough. In summer 2010 the big New Zealander was freed again and signed for Chinese Super League team Shenzhen Ruby followed by another Chinese side to run down his senior career which will have been fun but little of note on the club front but he’ll live off the double v Italy in the international scene for much of the rest of his life.
Ended up in serious trouble years later, when in 2016, Killen admitted to sexually assaulting a young woman in England. Killen received a 12-month jail term but it was suspended for 18 months. He was then ordered to undergo 20 hours of rehabilitation and to perform 200 hours of community service.
Playing Career
| Season | SPL | League Cup | Scottish Cup | European | TOTAL | ||||||||||
| P | S | G | P | S | G | P | S | G | P | S | G | P | S | G | |
| 2007-08 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 1 |
| 2008-09 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009-10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 4 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
1 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 32 | 3 |
| Club | From | To | Fee | League | Scottish/FA Cup | League cup | Other | ||||
| Middlesborough | 13/01/2010 | Free | |||||||||
| Norwich | 31/01/2009 | 01/06/2009 | Loan | 0 (4) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Celtic | 31/05/2007 | 13/01/2010 | Free | 4 (22) | 2 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | 1 (8) | 0 |
| Hibernian | 26/01/2006 | 31/05/2007 | Free | 23 (2) | 16 | 1 (1) | 2 | 2 (0) | 0 | 3 (0) | 1 |
| Oldham | 30/07/2002 | 26/01/2006 | £200,000 | 53 (25) | 17 | 3 (2) | 4 | 4 (1) | 1 | 2 (0) | 1 |
| Port Vale | 23/09/2001 | 23/11/2001 | Loan | 8 (1) | 6 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 |
| Wrexham | 08/09/2000 | 08/12/2000 | Loan | 11 (1) | 3 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Man City | 01/07/1999 | 30/07/2002 | Trainee | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Totals | £200,000 | 99 (58) | 44 | 4 (4) | 6 | 8 (2) | 2 | 8 (8) | 2 | ||
| goals / game | 0.28 | 0.75 | 0.2 | 0.12 | |||||||
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
Honours with Celtic
Scottish Premier League