Fitz Benjamin Hall (born 20 December 1980) is an English former professional footballer and current football agent. He played as a defender during his professional career.
Club career Early career Hall began his career as a West Ham United youth player on the same day as Paul Konchesky, Bobby Zamora, and Jlloyd Samuel but was released at the age of 15. He played for Senrab in Wanstead Flats. Hall was once told that he wasn't good enough to become a professional footballer but found his lucky break through a friend who got him a trial at Barnet.Sam Pilger (October 2003). "The Boy's A Bit Special". FourFourTwo (110): 31. Hall then joined Barnet as part of a Youth Training Scheme before moving to non-league Chesham United under the management of Bob Dowie. It was there that he signed his first professional contract at the age of 21. During his time at Chesham United, Dowie converted him from playing as a striker to a central defender, a position he played throughout his professional career. Hall quickly became a first-team regular for the club, making twenty-one appearances and scoring twice in all competitions.
Oldham Athletic Hall's performances at Chesham caught the attention of Iain Dowie, the manager of Oldham Athletic and brother of Bob Dowie. Iain signed Hall for £30,000 during the 2001–02 season on a two-year contract with the club. He made his debut for Oldham, playing the full match in a 2–1 loss against Wycombe Wanderers on 13 April 2002. This turned out to be his only appearance of the season.
The 2002–03 season saw Hall emerge as a key player, becoming a regular in the first team defence. He helped the club keep four clean sheets in four matches between 13 August 2002 and 26 August 2002, despite being sent off in a 0–0 draw against Brentford on 17 August 2002. His performances earned praise from manager Iain Dowie, who noted that Hall was "comfortable on the ball and quick in the tackle." After serving a one-match suspension, Hall returned to the starting line-up for a 3–1 victory against Notts County on 7 September 2002.
Once again, Hall played a crucial role in helping Oldham Athletic keep three clean sheets in the next four matches between 17 September 2002 and 5 October 2002, although he missed a match against Swindon Town. Hall scored his first goal for the club on 2 November 2002 against Stockport County. Two weeks later, on 16 November 2002, he scored his second goal for Oldham in a 2–2 draw against Burton Albion in the first round of the FA Cup. His impressive performances earned him the Player of the Month award for November in the Second Division.
On 21 December 2002, Hall scored his third goal of the season in a 1–0 win against Chesterfield. His next goal came on 14 January 2003 in a 2–1 win against Brentford. Five days later, on 19 January 2003, he signed a new deal to keep him at the club until 2005. However, six days later, on 26 January 2003, Hall received a straight red card in the 28th minute for a foul on Steve Jones in a 3–1 loss. After serving a two-match suspension, he returned to the starting line-up on 22 February 2003, helping Oldham draw 1–1 against Notts County.
He then scored his fifth goal of the season in a 1–0 win against Mansfield Town. Despite being sidelined with a toe injury that caused him to miss two matches, Hall remained a regular in the first team for the rest of the season, as the club reached the play–offs, finishing as runners-up to league champions Wigan Athletic. Hall played in both legs of the play-off semi-final against Queens Park Rangers, which Oldham lost 2–1 on aggregate. By the end of the 2002–03 season, Hall had made fifty appearances and scored five goals in all competitions. His performances earned him a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
However, the club experienced a financial meltdown, casting doubt on Hall's future. Reports suggested that he could become a free agent by exercising his rights if he didn't receive his salary on time. On 3 July 2003, Hall, along with teammates Will Haining and Les Pogliacomi, informed Oldham Athletic that they were threatening to leave the club after not being paid the previous month. This situation attracted interest from British clubs, including Everton, Cardiff City, and Bolton Wanderers, who expressed an interest in signing Hall. Following his departure, manager Iain Dowie accused Oldham Athletic's owner, Chris Moore, of "ripping the heart out of the club" by selling key players, including Hall.
Southampton Hall was sold to the Premier League side Southampton for a transfer fee between £250,000 and £350,000.
He made his debut for the club in a 4–0 loss against Jönköpings Södra in a friendly match on 24 July 2003, playing the entire game. Hall participated in several friendly matches during the club's pre-season tour. However, he struggled to break into Southampton's first team regularly due to competition and injury concerns. As a result, Hall had to wait until 16 December 2003 to make his competitive debut for the club, starting in a 1–0 loss against Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup quarter-finals. He made his Premier League debut on 29 December 2003, playing the full match in a 1–0 loss against Arsenal. In his second Premier League appearance, against Birmingham City on 10 January 2004, Hall unfortunately scored an own goal, leading to a 2–1 defeat for Southampton. By April, he had managed to secure a few first-team appearances for the remainder of the 2003–04 season.<be> By the end of the season, Hall had made 12 first-team appearances in all competitions.
Crystal Palace Due to his lack of first-team opportunities, Hall was linked with a move to newly promoted Premier League club Crystal Palace, where his former manager, Iain Dowie, was in charge and made a bid for him in late July. He joined Crystal Palace at the beginning of the 2004–05 season for a reported transfer fee of £1.5 million.
Hall made his debut for Crystal Palace in the opening game of the season, starting in a midfield position and playing 78 minutes before being substituted in a 1–1 draw against Norwich City. From then on, he became a regular in the first team during the club's first season back in the Premier League, often playing in the midfield position. At times, Hall also rotated into the centre-back position.
He scored his first goal for Crystal Palace with a header in a 3–0 win against West Bromwich Albion on 23 October 2004. However, he suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for two matches. He returned to the starting line-up on 20 November 2004, playing in the centre-back position in a 2–0 loss against Newcastle United. Upon his return from injury, Hall regained his place in the first team, forming a solid centre-back partnership with Gonzalo Sorondo.
He then scored his second goal for the club with what was described as an "unstoppable 20-yard shot" in a 2–2 draw against his former club, Southampton, as Crystal Palace fought to avoid relegation. In the final game of the season against local rivals Charlton Athletic, Hall played the full match and delivered an impressive performance, but the 2–2 draw wasn't enough to save the club from relegation, as they needed a win to stay up.
Despite dealing with injuries during the 2004–05 season, Hall made 37 appearances and scored twice in all competitions. A review of the season by Your Local Guardian praised Hall as the best signing for Crystal Palace that season.
At the start of the 2005–06 season, Hall was appointed team captain of Crystal Palace, replacing Michael Hughes following the club's relegation to the Championship. He helped the club keep three consecutive clean sheets between 20 August 2005 and 10 September 2005. Despite serving a suspension for accumulating five yellow cards during the season, Hall continued to start eleven matches in the centre-back position, forming a partnership with Darren Ward.
This partnership lasted until he missed a match due to a knock sustained during a 1–1 draw against Millwall on 3 December 2005, in which he was substituted in the 59th minute. Midway through the season, many Crystal Palace fans felt that Hall's performance was being affected by the burden of captaincy. After several poor performances and additional yellow cards, Hughes was re-appointed team captain in January 2006.
Despite losing the captaincy, Hall remained in the first team until the end of the season, occasionally playing in a full-back position. During a 1–0 win against Cardiff City on 4 February 2006, Hall received a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident involving Joe Ledley and served a three-match suspension. After serving this suspension, he returned to the starting line-up for a 1–1 draw against Millwall on 18 February 2006 and subsequently scored his second goal of the season in a 4–1 win against Norwich City.
After missing two matches due to another injury, Hall contributed to the club's placement in the Championship play-offs. He played in both legs of the play-off semi-final against Watford, as Crystal Palace lost 3–0. By the end of the 2005–06 season, Hall had made 44 appearances and scored once in all competitions.
Wigan Athletic
Hall moved from Crystal Palace to Premier League side Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee on 26 June 2006. New Palace boss Peter Taylor cited a £3 million get-out clause in Hall's contract as the reason for the transfer. Hall later mentioned that Dowie's departure was also a factor in his decision to move on.
Hall made his debut for Wigan Athletic, playing the full match in a 2–1 loss against Newcastle United in the opening game of the season. He then started the next five matches in the centre-back position, forming a partnership with Arjan de Zeeuw. This run was interrupted when Hall suffered a virus, causing him to miss one match. After returning to the starting line-up against Manchester United on 14 October 2006, Hall's return was short-lived. In a match against Manchester City on 21 October 2006, he suffered ankle ligament damage following a challenge from Dietmar Hamann and was substituted at half-time, as Wigan Athletic won 4–0. Initially expected to be out for three weeks, Hall was eventually sidelined for five weeks.
He made his return to the first team on 26 November 2006, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute in a 3–1 loss against Tottenham Hotspur. Hall regained his place in the first team, playing alongside de Zeeuw for the next eleven matches. In a game against Arsenal on 11 February 2007, with Wigan leading 1–0, Hall scored an own goal in the 81st minute to level the score at 1–1. Four minutes later, Tomáš Rosický scored the winner for Arsenal.
In a subsequent match against Watford on 21 February 2007, Hall received a straight red card for a challenge on Johan Cavalli in a 1–1 draw. Wigan Athletic's appeal against Hall's sending-off was unsuccessful, and he served a three-match ban. After serving this suspension, Hall returned to the starting line-up against Charlton Athletic on 31 March 2007. He was at fault for conceding a penalty following a foul on Marcus Bent, which Darren Bent converted to score the only goal of the match.
Hall started the next two matches before suffering a knee injury during a game against Aston Villa on 9 April 2007. He was substituted in the 52nd minute as the match ended 1–1. After undergoing surgery, it was announced that he would be out for the rest of the 2006–07 season. By the end of the season, Hall had made twenty-six appearances in all competitions. Reflecting on his season, the local newspaper Manchester Evening News commented: "Very poor and never looked like living up to his price tag. He never really got to grips with the job and missed far too many games."