Simon Ireland

English footballer

Simon Ireland
Personal information
Full name Simon Piers Ireland
Date of birth (1971-11-23) 23 November 1971 (age 52)
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)
1993–1997 Mansfield Town 85 (10)
1997–1998 Doncaster Rovers 61 (2)
Boreham Wood
Managerial career
2019 Nottingham Forest (caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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.

Coaching career

In 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

  1. ^ Former Town winger back at Blackburn Rovers, examinerlive.co.uk, 21 January 2008
  2. ^ a b Profile at Footballdatabase, footballdatabase.eu
  3. ^ SIMON IRELAND JOINS QPR ACADEMY, qpr.co.uk, 14 February 2015
  4. ^ Simon Ireland will join Nottingham Forest in first team coaching role alongside Aitor Karanka, nottinghampost.com, 22 January 2018
  5. ^ Ireland apologises after Reading defeat, nottinghamforest.co.uk, 12 January 2019
  6. ^ Martin O'Neill confirmed as new manager of Nottingham Forest, theguardian.com, 15 January 2019
  7. ^ "Moore bolsters coaching team". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Club statement". Sheffield Wednesday FC. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Huddersfield appoint former Sheff Wed boss Moore". BBC Sport. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  10. ^ 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

  • Simon Ireland at Soccerbase Edit this at Wikidata
  • v
  • t
  • e
Nottingham Forest F.C. – managers
(c) = caretaker manager