Injury problems curtailed his goalscoring in his first two years there, but in his final season there he had scored 13 goals by the time of the mid-season transfer window.

Commons signed a professional contract with Stoke City on his 17th birthday and made his debut in a 3–2 Football League Trophy defeat away to Blackpool on 16 October 2001.

Commons managed to come back from this and made his league debut the following season on 10 August 2002 in a scoreless draw against Sheffield Wednesday.

[4] His good form and promise led to him to being offered a new contract by Stoke, but he rejected it[5] and joined Nottingham Forest on 1 July 2004.

[8] The FA Cup proved to be a successful competition for Commons, as during his time in Nottingham as he was named player of the first round, with over 60% of the votes, after his hat-trick and match-winning display against Yeading.

[12][13] In June 2008 it was announced that Commons had signed for Derby County on a free transfer, penning a three-year contract with the club.

[18] Jewell's permanent successor, Nigel Clough, kept Commons in his new role and he played alongside Rob Hulse in Derby's attack for the rest of the season.

Commons enjoyed his best form of the season in Clough's first few months in charge, scoring the winner against Coventry City,[19] and netting twice in a 4–1 rout of Blackpool.

[22] Commons' rich vein of form was curtailed when injury ruled him out for six weeks at the end of February before returning to the side for the final eight games of the season.

[25] However, once again, injury curtailed Commons productivity as he appeared in just one match between 20 October and 2 January, a 0–0 draw away to eventual champions Newcastle United, where he came on as a 69th-minute substitute.

[26] An extended run in the first team followed and Commons once again approached his best from and helped revive Derby's stuttering campaign and dragged them away from the relegation zone.

[28] Commons provided the assist for Rob Hulse's winner as Derby beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 and ended their rivals' 19 match unbeaten streak.

[citation needed] Commons started the 2010–11 season playing as one of the three advanced midfielders behind the main striker in Derby's new 4–2–3–1 formation.

We got the ball to him in decent areas, running at the back four, 10 yards outside the box, and we didn't get a cross, shot or save from the goalkeeper.

In October 2010, the final year of his contract, Commons expressed his desire to stay at Derby,[31] though the club stated he would have to maintain his form if he hoped to earn a new deal.

[36][37][38] The following day, he made an immediate impact, scoring the opening goal on his debut in Celtic's 4–1 League Cup semi-final win against Aberdeen with a lob from outside the box.

[42] Commons had now become an integral part of the Celtic side; playing just behind the main strikers, occasionally in a central role but more often fielded wide left.

After scoring, he was sent off for the first time in his entire career after receiving a second yellow card for celebrating with the fans; resulting in him missing the last league game of the season through suspension.

[52] On 2 October 2011, in the second half of Celtic's 2–0 defeat against Hearts, Commons was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle.

[53] Commons was struggling to match the form he had shown the previous season and, also hampered by suspension and injuries, was no longer playing regularly.

[73][76] On 1 February 2015, he scored the second goal of Celtic's 2–0 win over Rangers in the Scottish League Cup semi-final, which was the first Old Firm meeting since April 2012.

Commons said "I'm absolutely delighted to have signed this new contract with the club", adding "I've loved my time at Celtic and this is where I want to continue playing my football.

[78] On 22 October 2015, Commons scored Celtic's only goal in their 3–1 defeat to Molde in the Europa League before being substituted 20 minutes later, despite being one of the side's few attacking threats during the match.

[79] Commons scored what turned out to be his final Celtic goal on 16 January 2016 against Dundee United at Tannadice, netting a stunning scissor-kick volley in a 4–1 victory.

[84] He played the full 90 minutes on his debut, in a 1–1 draw at Greenock Morton one day later, winning the free-kick that eventually led to Hibs' equaliser.

[87] The loan agreement expired a day after the Dumbarton match, when Hibs head coach Neil Lennon said that he hoped to keep Commons for a longer period.

[93] He made his competitive debut for Scotland in a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Macedonia on 6 September, again coming on as a substitute, this time for Paul Hartley.

[103][104] The couple's first child, Lola, was still-born in 2008 and Lisa has since become an ambassador for SiMBA, a Scots charity that helps families cope with the ordeal of stillbirth and preserve memories of their children.