- Simon Grayson
Football manager infobox
playername = Simon Grayson
fullname = Simon Nicholas Grayson
nickname = Larry
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1969|12|16|df=y
cityofbirth =Ripon
countryofbirth =England
currentclub = Blackpool (manager)
position = Defender
years = 1988–1992
1992–1997
1997–1999
1999–2002
2000
2001
2001
2002
2002–2005
clubs = Leeds United
Leicester City
Aston Villa
Blackburn Rovers
→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)
→ Stockport County (loan)
→ Notts County (loan)
→ Bradford City (loan)
Blackpool
Career
caps(goals) = 002 0(0)
188 0(4)
049 0(0)
035 0(0)
005 0(0)
013 0(0)
010 0(1)
007 0(0)
126 0(6)
434 (11)
manageryears = 2005–
managerclubs = BlackpoolSimon Nicholas Grayson (born
16 December 1969 inRipon ,North Yorkshire ) is an English former footballer and now a manager. Throughout his playing career he primarily operated on the right side of defence; however, he was also utilised in midfield.He is the manager of Blackpool and guided them to promotion to The Championship in 2007. He is the brother of
cricket er Paul Grayson, and he is nicknamed "Larry", after his namesakeLarry Grayson .Playing career
Early career
Grayson began his career at Leeds United in June 1988 as a midfielder/defender. He did not manage to make the big breakthrough at Leeds, playing just twice in four years. He signed for Leicester City in March 1992, and went on to make 229 appearances in five years, enjoying some silverware along the way, winning the League Cup in 1997, and was voted the club's player of the season in the same year.
Aston Villa and beyond
He moved to Aston Villa in 1997, and made another 49 Premier League appearances at Villa Park. He signed for Blackburn Rovers in July 1999, where he made 34 appearances in his first season. He lost his place the following season, and spent most of the next two years on loan, with spells at Sheffield Wednesday, Stockport County, Notts County and Bradford City.
Final years
Grayson signed for Blackpool on a free transfer on
19 July 2002 . [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackpool/2139080.stm "Blackpool sign Grayson" - BBC Sport] ] He made more than 100 appearances for the Seasiders, and captained the side. He started his career at Blackpool in the right-back berth, but was moved to midfield by former bossColin Hendry to bolster an area of weakness.Management
Blackpool
Grayson moved into coaching in 2004-05, managing the reserve squad at
Bloomfield Road with some success. He was namedcaretaker-manager of the first team in November 2005 followingColin Hendry 's departure. After diverting Blackpool away from relegation that season he was given the job on a permanent basis for the start of the 2006-07 season.Grayson retired from playing at the end of the 2005-06 season to focus purely on the managerial side of the game.
In late 2006, he led Blackpool to only one defeat in fourteen league games, a sequence that included five wins out of six, resulting in their appearance in the four play-off positions. The run also brought attendances of over 7,000 to Bloomfield Road. This led to his being awarded the League One "Manager of the Month" award for December. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackpool/6230953.stm Grayson collects monthly accolade - BBC Sport] ]
On
January 6 ,2007 , he guided Blackpool to the fourth round of theFA Cup for the first time in seventeen years after beating Aldershot Town 4-2 at Bloomfield Road. They were knocked out by Norwich City, 3-2, after extra time, in a replay atCarrow Road onFebruary 13 , narrowly missing out on a trip toLondon to face Chelsea in the last sixteen. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/fa_cup/6349599.stm Norwich 3-2 Blackpool, FA Cup 4R - BBC Sport] ]On
May 1 , 2007, Grayson was fined £250 by the FA for remarks made to an official during a match at Rotherham United back onMarch 27 . [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/blackpool/6611707.stm Blackpool manager handed FA fine - BBC Sport] ]Grayson received his second League One "Manager of the Month" award of the 2006-07 season in May 2007. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackpool/6619523.stm Blackpool boss lands April prize - BBC Sport] ] Two days later, on
May 5 , 2007, Grayson guided Blackpool to a third-place finishing position in League One and a place in the end-of-season play-offs. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_2/6603011.stm Swansea 3-6 Blackpool - BBC Sport] ]Blackpool beat Oldham Athletic 5-2 on aggregate over the two legs of the play-off semi-final. They met Yeovil Town in the final at the newly-renovated
Wembley Stadium onMay 27 and won 2-0, securing promotion to The Championship. It was their tenth-consecutive victory, a new club record.For the first league game in the Championship, on
August 11 , 2007, Blackpool travelled to Leicester City, with whom Grayson spent the longest period as a player. Blackpool won by a single goal. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/6931092.stm Leicester 0-1 Blackpool - BBC Sport] ] This victory, combined with one in the next game at Huddersfield Town in the League Cup onAugust 14 , extended Blackpool's run of consecutive victories to twelve games. The run was ended four days later with a draw at Bristol City, but their unbeaten record was extended to thirteen games.In October 2007, he guided Blackpool to the fourth round of the League Cup for the first time in thirty-five years. They were drawn against Tottenham Hotspur at
White Hart Lane . Their interest in the competition ended, as Spurs won 2-0. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/league_cup/7065202.stm Tottenham 2-0 Blackpool] - BBC Sport]On
21 December ,2007 , Grayson signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, keeping him as manager of Blackpool until June 2010. [ [http://www.blackpoolfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10432~1196709,00.html "We speak to Simon Grayson" - Blackpool F.C.'s official website] ] He had been working for two years without a contract. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/articles/2007/12/21/bfc_grayson_signs_contract_feature.shtml "Grayson signs a contract - finally!" - BBC Lancashire] ] On29 May ,2008 , Grayson was said to be one of the favourites for the vacant manager's job atFootball League One club Leicester City, with onebookmaker making him the favourite for the job.Fact|date=May 2008 Grayson responded by saying, "It's flattering to be linked with another job, but it's pure speculation. When players do well at a certain club and are successful then they are linked with other teams and it's the same with managers. It's just the way football is, but it doesn't mean it's going to happen." And club chairman,Karl Oyston said, "I'm not saying it doesn't bother me, but I can't comment on something there is no substance for. Until I get a phone call fromMilan Mandarić saying 'can we talk to your manager?' then there is nothing to talk about - and I haven't had a phone call saying that."cite news
title= Pool boss is Leicester favourite
publisher=Blackpool Gazette
date=2008-05-29
url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sports-news/Pool-boss-is-Leicester-favourite.4125558.jp
accessdate=2008-05-29]Managerial stats
:"Statistics account for all competitions.":"Updated: 4 October, 2008"
Honours
As a player
Leicester City
*First Division play-off winner: 1993-94, 1995-96
*League Cup winner: 1996-97Blackpool
*League Trophy winner: 2003-04As a manager
Blackpool
*League One Manager of the Month: December 2006 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackpool/6230953.stm Grayson collects monthly accolade - BBC Sport] ] , April 2007 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackpool/6619523.stm Blackpool boss lands April prize - BBC Sport] ]
*League One play-off winner: 2006-07ee also
*
Blackpool F.C. season 2005-06
*Blackpool F.C. season 2006-07
*Blackpool F.C. season 2007-08 References
External links
*soccerbase|id=3051|name=Simon Grayson's playing
*soccerbase (manager)|id=2029|name=Simon Grayson's
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