Warren Joyce

Football player infobox
playername= Warren Joyce


fullname = Warren Garton Joyce
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1965|01|20
cityofbirth = Oldham
countryofbirth = England
height = 5'9"
currentclub = Manchester United Reserve Team
(Assistant Manager)
position = Midfield
youthyears = 1981-1983
youthclubs = Bolton Wanderers
years = 1983-1987
1987-1992
1992-1993
1993-1996
1995
1996-2000
clubs = Bolton Wanderers
Preston North End
Plymouth Argyle
Burnley
→ Hull City "(loan)"
Hull City
Total
caps(goals) = 184 0(17)
177 0(34)
030 00(3)
070 00(9)
009 00(3)
147 0(15)
608 0(78)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
manageryears = 1998-2000 2006-2008
managerclubs = Hull City Royal Antwerp

Warren Joyce (born 20 January 1965 in Oldham, Lancashire) is a former footballer who played in the English football league, and now works as a coach.

Early life at Bolton

The son of Walter Joyce, the former Burnley, Blackburn Rovers and Oldham Athletic player, he began his career as a trainee with Bolton Wanderers in 1981. Working his way up into the first team he became known for being a tigerish midfielder who never gave less than 100%. This made him a firm favourite with the Burnden Park fans and in six years with the club made a total of 216+5 appearances for the Trotters scoring 21 goals.

The move to Preston

In October 1987 however Preston North End manager John McGrath came in for him offering £35,000 for his services. With Warren's father Walter now a coach at Deepdale (he had previously coached at Oldham Athletic) Warren decided to make the move. Preston at the time were struggling but the additions of Joyce along with Brian Mooney and Tony Ellis not only added flair to the team but also some much-needed bite.

Over the next five years he became a much loved figure at Preston earning himself the nickname Psycho, due to his never-say-die commitment to the cause. In all he played 203+5 matches for the Lilywhites scoring 44 goals, not only picking up the club's player of the year award along the way but also being being made club captain. However when Plymouth Argyle made a £160,000 offer for him in May 1992, cash-strapped Preston were forced to accept and he was on his way to Home Park.

Plymouth and Burnley

His stay in Devon however was short-lived, with Joyce playing only 38+2 games scoring 4 goals in his year there. Plymouth decided to cash in and when in July 1993 Burnley offered £140,000 for him he was on his way back to Lancashire. In three years at Turf Moor he became something of a cult hero with the fans, playing 85+5 games and scoring 12 goals.

Hull's hero

A loan stay though at Hull City in January 1995 paved the way for a permanent deal 18 months later, so in July 1996 Joyce signed on the dotted line for Hull. He went on to play a total of 168+2 games for Hull scoring 19 goals. He soon became club captain at Boothferry Park, putting in some talisman type performances over the next two years. Indeed his influence at the club was so apparent that in November 1998 he was asked to stand in as caretaker manager following the departure of Mark Hateley.

City soon made the appointment permanent with Joyce taking on the dual role of player-manager. At the time of his appointment, City were rooted to the foot of the 4th division table and looked to be heading out of the Football League - and into bankruptcy. However, under Joyce's stewardship, City staged a remarkable turnaround and achieved survival with games to spare - City fans christened this season "the Great Escape".cite web
title = Following Tigers through thick and mainly thin finally pays off
url = http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/football/Following-Tigers-through-thick-and.4117591.jp
publisher = Yorkshire Post
accessdate = 2008-06-07] Such is the esteem with which Joyce is regarded by Hull City fans he is assured a hero's welcome every time he returns to the KC Stadium.

Coaching and management

City's chairman however decided to replace Joyce as manager with the more experienced and well-known Brian Little. Many fans though felt that Joyce was a little hard done by because, considering the state the club was in at the time, he had done a fine job just keeping them in the league. For this achievement, he will always be remembered as a City legend.

In all Joyce's playing career spanned nineteen years scoring 100 goals in 710+21 appearances for his various clubs all of which still hold him in high regard. He has since held coaching roles with Leeds United, Stockport County and Tranmere Rovers.

On September 11, 2006 Joyce was appointed coach of Royal Antwerp. He was introduced to this team by his former colleague Andy Welsh who was the assistant-coach at Royal Antwerp on a loan basis from Manchester United. It was Joyce's first job on the continent.On May 26 2008, it was announced that Joyce would leave Antwerp for Manchester United, where he will be managing the reserves along with former United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær.cite web
title = Duo to manage Reserves
url = http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BB4CEE8FA%2D9A47%2D47BC%2DB069%2D3F7A2F35DB70%7D&newsid=6439178
publisher = Man Utd official website
accessdate = 2008-06-07]

References

External links

*Soccerbase|4020|Warren Joyce
*Soccerbase (manager)|1360|Warren Joyce UK
* [http://www.ambernectar.org/herojoyce.shtml Warren Joyce article] at Amber Nectar