Simon Piers Ireland (born 23 November 1971, in Barnstaple) is a former professional footballer and coach. He played as a midfielder for Huddersfield Town, Wrexham, Blackburn Rovers, Doncaster Rovers and Boreham Wood.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Simon Piers Ireland | ||
| Date of birth | 23 November 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Barnstaple, England | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Plymouth Argyle FC (first team coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1993 | Huddersfield Town | 19 | (0) |
| 1991 | → Wrexham (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1993 | Blackburn Rovers | 1 | (0) |
| 1994 | → Mansfield Town (loan) | ||
| 1994-1997 | Mansfield Town | 85 | (11) |
| 1996 | → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 1997-1998 | Doncaster Rovers | 51 | (1) |
| 1998-2005 | Boreham Wood | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2019 | Nottingham Forest (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Coaching career
editIn January 2008, Ireland was appointed as assistant director, with responsibility for the U9-U12 age groups at Blackburn Rovers.[1] From 2010 to 2013, he worked as the U18 assistant academy manager.[2] In August 2013, he then became the U21 manager of Brighton & Hove Albion.[2] After 18 months, Ireland left to join Queens Park Rangers as the academy's new head of coaching and coach education on 14 February 2015.[3] After almost three years, he left on 18 January and a few days later, he joined the staff of Aitor Karanka at Nottingham Forest as a first team coach.[4] Ireland faced his first game as manager the following day against Reading which he lost 0–2.[5] On 15 January 2019, Martin O'Neill was appointed as the new manager and Ireland therefore continued as a member of the staff.[6]
On 6 August 2021, Ireland joined Darren Moore as a first-team coach at Sheffield Wednesday.[7] He left Sheffield Wednesday on 19 June 2023, with manager Darren Moore and the rest of his backroom staff.[8]
On 21 September 2023, he re-united with Moore once again as part of the new coaching staff at Championship side Huddersfield Town, re-joining the Terriers after a thirty-year absence, having previously spent three years at the club as a player in the early 1990s.[9]
On 7 March 2024, he was appointed the first team coach at Plymouth Argyle.[10]
References
edit- ^ Former Town winger back at Blackburn Rovers, examinerlive.co.uk, 21 January 2008
- ^ a b Profile at Footballdatabase, footballdatabase.eu
- ^ SIMON IRELAND JOINS QPR ACADEMY, qpr.co.uk, 14 February 2015
- ^ Simon Ireland will join Nottingham Forest in first team coaching role alongside Aitor Karanka, nottinghampost.com, 22 January 2018
- ^ Ireland apologises after Reading defeat, nottinghamforest.co.uk, 12 January 2019
- ^ Martin O'Neill confirmed as new manager of Nottingham Forest, theguardian.com, 15 January 2019
- ^ "Moore bolsters coaching team". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "Club statement". Sheffield Wednesday FC. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ "Huddersfield appoint former Sheff Wed boss Moore". BBC Sport. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ https://www.pafc.co.uk/news/simon-ireland-joins-first-team-coach, Simon Ireland joins as First Team Coach, Plymouth Argyle FC, 7 March 2024
External links
edit- Simon Ireland at Soccerbase