Jim Smith (footballer)

Infobox Football biography
playername= Jim Smith


fullname = James Michael Smith
height =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1940|10|17
cityofbirth = Sheffield
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
position = Midfielder (retired)
currentclub = Oxford United (Director)
youthyears =
youthclubs = Oaksfield Fact|date=April 2008
years = 1959–1961
1961–1965
1965–1968
1968–1969
1969–1972
1972–1975
clubs = Sheffield United
Aldershot
Halifax Town
Lincoln City
Boston United
Colchester United
caps(goals) = 000 (0)
074 (1)
114 (7)
054 (0)

008 (0)
manageryears = 1969–1972
1972–1975
1975–1978
1978–1982
1982–1985
1985–1988
1988–1991
1991–1995
1995–2001
2006–2007
managerclubs = Boston United "(player-manager)"
Colchester United "(player-manager)"
Blackburn Rovers
Birmingham City
Oxford United
Queens Park Rangers
Newcastle United
Portsmouth
Derby County
Oxford United

James Michael "Jim" Smith (born October 17 1940, Sheffield) is a former English football player and manager. He is currently a member of the board at Oxford United. His nickname is The Bald Eagle.cite news | title = Jim Smith backs protege McClaren | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/4969256.stm | publisher = BBC Sport | date = 2006-05-04 | accessdate = 2008-08-28]

Playing career

Smith began his playing career in 1959, when he signed for hometown Sheffield United as a trainee (though Smith himself supports Sheffield Wednesday). After failing to break into the first team he was transferred to Aldershot for the 1961–1962 season. At the beginning of the 1965–1966 season, after scoring one goal in 74 league appearances, Smith left Aldershot to join Halifax Town. He made 113 league starts for Halifax, scoring 7 goals, before moving to Lincoln City in 1968. After a year at Lincoln in which he made 54 appearances Smith signed for non-league Boston United as player-manager.

Management career

A good start to his managerial career at Boston meant that in November 1972 Colchester United offered Smith the position of player-manager at the club. Success came quickly as Smith guided Colchester to the Football League Fourth Division title in 1974. His performance at the club attracted the attention of bigger clubs, and in 1975 he quit the club, and hung up his boots, to join Blackburn Rovers as manager. He led Blackburn for three years before leaving to be appointed boss of Birmingham City in 1978. Unfortunately, Birmingham were relegated from the old Football League First Division the next year. However, Smith managed to guide Birmingham back into the top flight the next season. In 1982 Smith parted company with the St Andrews club and joined Oxford United as manager. He led them to the old Football League Third Division championship in 1984. The next year they were again promoted, this time into the top flight, for the first time in their history as Oxford won the old Second Division. Despite this spectacular success, United chairman Robert Maxwell refused to improve Smith's contract, which led to Smith's resignation from Oxford and then being offered the job of manager at Queens Park Rangers, which he accepted. In his first year at QPR, Smith took the club to the League Cup final, but they lost 3-0 to his former club Oxford. Smith continued to manage QPR until 1988 when he left to become manager of Newcastle United. Newcastle initially did well: they finished 3rd in the league but were beaten 2-0 in the playoffs against Sunderland at St James' Park. To make matters worse, Sunderland were beaten by Swindon in the playoff final but Swindon were demoted because of financial irregularities. Smith believed and continues to believe that Newcastle should have been promoted because they were a long way clear of Sunderland in 6th place. This appeal was rejected. In the next season, Newcastle didn't get off to the best of starts. Smith resigned after a win against Portsmouth, citing that Newcastle was unmanageable. He quickly bounced back and was appointed manager of Portsmouth the same year. He had a fairly successful reign at Fratton Park for four years, including reaching the FA Cup semi-finals in 1992, although the sale of key players such as John Beresford, Darren Anderton and Guy Whittingham began to have a negative effect on results. They missed out on automatic promotion only on goal difference in 1993, and defeat in the playoffs ended their Premiership dream. Smith was finally sacked two years later after a decline in form which saw them struggling at the wrong end of Division One.

Smith then went into semi-retirement and became chief-executive of the League Managers' Association in 1995. However, he returned to management that summer when offered the manager's position at Derby County. In his first full season in charge, Derby came second in Division One, and gained promotion to the FA Premier League. Smith was assisted by Steve McClaren, who has since found success as manager of Middlesbrough and was the England manager. For three seasons Derby showed impressive improvements in the Premiership, finishing 12th, 9th and 8th. However, in the next two seasons Derby narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 16th and 17th. Smith resigned on 7 October 2001 after refusing an offer to become Director of Football. Subsequent managers Colin Todd and John Gregory were unable to stave off relegation.

In January 2002, Smith was appointed assistant manager at Coventry City, working alongside Roland Nilsson. Though results improved after he arrived, Smith was sacked, along with Coventry's entire management team, three months later, having failed to attain a playoff place. Later that year, former club Portsmouth offered Smith a position as assistant manager to Harry Redknapp. Having accepted, Smith helped Redknapp win the Division One title at the first attempt in 2002–03, and went on to become a major part of Pompey's consolidation process in the Premier League. In November 2004, both Smith and Redknapp resigned from Portsmouth after the appointment of a Director of Football. Both considered this to threaten their authority and control in team matters.

Redknapp soon became the manager of Southampton and Smith was appointed his assistant a few weeks later on December 22 2004, having previously turned down the role of chief scout. However, Southampton were relegated at the end of the season and Smith's contract was not renewed due to cost-cutting.

Smith returned to front-line management a few months later when he was appointed manager of Oxford United again in March 2006. In addition, he also became a director of the club. He was unable to save them from relegation to the Conference National. They narrowly missed out on a return to the Football League in the 2006–07 season, but the board kept faith in him for the following season.

On November 9 2007, after a poor start to the 2007-2008 season, Smith decided it was time to step down as Oxford United manager. He remains at the club as a member of the Board.

Managerial stats

References

External links

*soccerbase (manager)|id=707|name=Jim Smith

Navboxes
title=Jim Smith - Navigation boxes
list1=