935 Robert Koren

Biography

Slovenian international midfielder Robert Koren joined Hull City in August 2010 on a free transfer and for three seasons was a driving attacking force as the Tigers re-established themselves in the Championship and won promotion back to the top flight. An experienced operator, Koren’s debut came in a crushing away defeat at Millwall but his class soon became apparent and he netted his first goal for the club in a September 2010 win over Derby County. By November he had scored five goals for Nigel Pearson’s side as City climbed the table following a slow start, with Koren impressing with his eye for an attacking pass, his thunderous shot from distance and his dangerous delivery from set pieces.

Robert missed only five league matches during the 2011/12 season as City challenged for the play-off spots before falling away when Pearson moved on and Nicky Barmby stepped up from the player to manager. He scored ten goals that season, his best goals return for the Tigers, and remained part of the squad assembled by new manager Steve Bruce at the start of the 2012/13 season. Koren captained the side and led his team to promotion to the Premier League, though Robert was absent for the last three matches of the season as City stumbled across the line and gained promotion thanks to two nerve-wracked draws and a defeat at Barnsley.

Koren was retained for the 2013/14 season as the Tigers returned to the Premier League, captaining the side again until a broken foot sustained in September 2013 sidelined him for six weeks. When he returned to was used primarily off the bench, though in December 2013 he started a match against Fulham and scored two fine goals in a six-goal thrashing. Koren’s final appearance for the Tigers was a late May 2014 cameo from the bench on the final day of the season, signing off a fine four season spell with Hull City.

Robert Koren was born in Radlje ob Dravi, a small town in northern Slovenia close to the Austrian border. As a youngster he played for NK Dravograd, a Slovenian second tier side based ten miles of Koren’s home town, and proved himself to be one of Slovenia’s finest footballing prospects in his age groups, playing for his country at under-age levels up to the Under-21s. In July 2001 Koren headed to central Slovenia and joined Prva Liga side NK Celje and made his senior debut in a June 2001 Intertoto Cup tie against Swedish side Aarhus GF, scoring a brace in the return leg a week later. He made his league debut for Celje in July 2001 against NK Triglav and netted his first top flight goal a week later against ND Gorica, going on to miss just one league fixture all season.

The 2002/03 season saw Robert kick on further, starting every league match and scoring ten league goals as Celje challenged for the league title only to be squeezed into second place by title winners NK Maribor – they also reached the Slovenian Cup final in May 2003 and Koren scored in the second leg draw that saw opponents Olimpija Ljubljana claim the trophy on the away goals rule. Celje qualified for the 2003/04 UEFA Cup and Koren scored twice in the second leg against Israeli side Maccabi Haifa, and also continued to impress in the Slovenian top flight. His final league match for Celje in November 2003 against NK Smartno took his tally to the club to an impressive 24 goals in 87 League and European appearances, plus further appearances and goals in the Slovenian Cup.

In January 2004 Koren took a less trodden path and signed for Norwegian Tippeligaen side Lillestrom SK, making his March 2004 debut against Fredrikstad. He netted his first goal for Lillestrom in June 2004 against Bodo Glimt but initially found goals harder to come by than had been the case in Slovenia. He found his feet in the 2005 season, scoring eight goals as Liilestrom finished fourth in the Norwegian top flight and reached the cup final, only for Koren’s side to suffer defeat to Molde after extra time – his second cup final loss in two years. Koren added ten goals in the 2006 season as Lillestrom again finished fourth in the table, his final appearance against Lyn Oslo in November 2006 taking his tally to 21 goals in 82 appearances.

In January 2007 Koren joined English Championship side West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer. He made his Baggies’ debut in a January 2007 FA Cup tie against Leeds United and completed the 2006/07 in the first eleven, netting his first West Brom goal in May 2007, a last day victory over Barnsley that saw the club qualify for the end of season play-offs and lose the Wembley final to Derby County after eliminating local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in the semi-finals. After missing the opening five fixtures of the 2007/08 season with an eye injury Koren was a key player, scoring ten goals as West Brom won the Championship title and reached the last four of the FA Cup only to lose the Wembley semi-final to Portsmouth.

Koren made his Premier League debut against Everton in August 2008, in January 2009 he scored twice against Middlesbrough to open his top flight goals account but the season ended with relegation back to the Championship. Robert rediscovered his form in the 2009/10 season and scored five league goals as the Baggies finished second in the table and made an immediate return to the Premier League. In June 2010 Koren’s contract expired and he left West Bromwich Albion having scored 23 goals in 149 appearances.

Koren left Hull City in the 2014 close season and in August 2014 he became a major signing for Australian A League side Melbourne City. He had to wait until December 2014 for his debut against local rivals Melbourne Victory and a week later he netted his only career hattrick against Newcastle Jets. He played only six times for City during the 2015/16 season, taking his tally to three goals in 26 appearances before returning to Europe in January 2016.

In May 2016 he was appointed Head Coach at his first club, Slovenian Third Division side NK Dravograd. After performing that role for three years, and briefly returning as a player in 2017, Koren was appointed assistant manager at NK Celje in July 2019 and held that role until he left in October 2020. Between October 2020 and May 2021 Robert was first team manager at Slovenian lower league side NK Fuzinar, then in January 2023 he was appointed Chief Scout at Slovenian Prva Liga side NS Mura, rising to become Sporting Director in January 2024 before leaving the club in June 2024.

Koren was one of Slovenia’s outstanding players in his age group and was a regular international football selection throughout most of his playing career. Between 1998 and 2000 while still at NK Dravograd Robert made 9 appearances for the Slovenia Under-18 side, scoring one goal, and added 3 appearances for the Under-20 side. In February 2000 he made his first appearance for Slovenia’s Under-21 side against Italy, and over the next two years he scored two goals in 14 appearances for the Under-21s,

In April 2003 Koren made his debut for the Slovenia national side against Cyprus and was regular part of the senior squad, though it wasn’t until September 2005 that he won a regular place in his nation’s first eleven. He scored his first international goal against Luxembourg in October 2006, adding further goals in November 2008 against Bosnia & Herzegovina and an August 2009 brace against San Marino. He captained his nation for the first time against England in September 2009 and was part of the team that qualified for the 2010 World Cup finals played in South Africa, captaining his nation in all three June 2010 group stage ties and netting his fifth and final international goal against Algeria. Koren continued to play international football for a further year, his final cap won against Italy in September 2011 took his tally to five goals in 61 senior appearances. The last eleven of those caps were won while playing for Hull City.

Details

Nationality: Slovenia
Date/Place of Birth: 20 September 1980, Radlje ob Dravi (Slovenia)
Hull City First Game: 14 August 2010, Millwall A (Championship), 29 years, 328 days old
Hull City Final Game: 11 May 2014, Everton H (Premier League), 33 years, 233 days old

Clubs

NK Dravograd (1996-2001), NK Celje (2001-2004), Lillestrom SK (2004-2007), West Bromwich Albion (2007-2010), Hull City (2010-2014), Melbourne City (2014-2016), NK Dravograd (2017)

Hull City Record

Career: 151 apps, 29 goals