Bruce Rioch

Football manager infobox
playername = Bruce Rioch


fullname = Bruce David Rioch
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1947|9|6
cityofbirth = Aldershot
countryofbirth = England
nationality = Scottish
position =
currentclub = Aalborg Boldspilklub (manager)
years = 1964–1969
1969–1974
1974–1976
1976–1977
1977–1979
1978
1979
1979–1980
1980–1984
clubs = Luton Town
Aston Villa
Derby County
Everton
Derby County
→ Birmingham City (loan)
→ Sheffield United (loan)
Seattle Sounders
Torquay United
Total
caps(goals) = 149 (47)
154 (34)
106 (34)
030 0(3)
041 0(4)
003 0(0)
008 0(1)
046 0(4)
071 0(6)
608 (133)
nationalyears = 1975–1978
nationalteam = Scotland
nationalcaps(goals) = 024 0(6)
manageryears = 1982–1984
1985
1986–1990
1990–1992
1992–1995
1995–1996
1998–2000
2000–2001
2005–2007
2008–
managerclubs = Torquay United
F.C. Seattle
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Bolton Wanderers
Arsenal
Norwich City
Wigan Athletic
Odense Boldklub
Aalborg Boldspilklub

Bruce David Rioch (born 6 September 1947, in Aldershot, England) is an English-born, Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently manager of Aalborg Boldspilklub in the Danish Superliga. At international level, he represented Scotland in 24 matches, becoming the first Scottish (by virtue of his father's birthplace) captain to be born in England. His son Gregor was also a professional footballer and is now Coventry City's academy manager.

Playing career

Having moved to Luton at the age of 14 (after being born in Aldershot), Rioch joined his local side, Luton Town, turning professional in September 1964. He made his first team debut later that month, and his league debut in November 1964 in a 1–0 defeat at home to Southend United. He spent a couple years establishing himself and was a regular member of the Luton team, scoring 24 goals, that won the Fourth Division title in 1968. He moved to Aston Villa in July 1969 for a fee of £100,000, then a record fee paid by a Second Division side. He won a League Cup runners' up medal in 1971, Villa losing 2–0 to Tottenham Hotspur.

He moved to Derby County in February 1974, winning a League Championship medal. He joined Everton in December 1976, but returned to Derby County in September 1977. After a dispute with the Derby manager, Tommy Docherty, Rioch had brief loan spells with Birmingham City in December 1978 and with Sheffield United in March 1979. He then left the Baseball Ground to play for NASL side Seattle Sounders. While playing with Seattle Sounders in 1980 he was named to the NASL First Team All-Stars. He returned to England in October 1980 when he joined Torquay United as player-coach, working at first under Mike Green and then under Frank O'Farrell.

Managerial career

Torquay United

In July 1982, Rioch became player-manager of Torquay United, but left after a training ground incident with Colin Anderson in January 1984. In February 1985, after 13 months out of the game he was appointed manager of F.C. Seattle, but resigned in September 1985 to return to England.

Middlesbrough

He was appointed as manager of Middlesbrough in February 1986 and his first success in management came in 1987 when he guided Middlesbrough to runners-up spot in the Third Division and promotion to the Second Division at the end of a season which had started with them locked out of Ayresome Park by the official receiver and on the verge of bankruptcy. A year later they won a second successive promotion, this time as winners of the Second Division promotion/First Division relegation playoffs. Middlesbrough showed great promise in the first half ot 1988–89, but fell away badly and were relegated on the last day of the season (despite having not occupied a relegation place prior to that). He was sacked the following March as the Teessiders hovered just above the Second Division drop zone but on the brink of their first ever Wembley final in the Zenith Data Systems Cup.

Rioch is held in the highest esteem by fans of Middlesbrough as, following liquidation, he took a threadbare squad of local players and turned them into a team the town could be proud of. Many fans believe that, had it not been for Rioch, Middlesbrough would have struggled to survive.

Whenever Rioch returned to Middlesbrough as the opposition manager the 'Boro fans would frequently chant the songs that they had when Rioch was manager as a mark of respect for his services.

Millwall

Rioch made a quick return to management the following month with Millwall and guided them to a playoff place in the 1990–91 Second Division campaign, but left in March 1992.

Bolton Wanderers

Rioch's next stop was at Bolton Wanderers, becoming manager in May 1992. In his first season, they finished runners-up in Division Two and won promotion to Division One. Two seasons later they were League Cup losing finalists to Liverpool and beat Reading 4–3 in extra time in the Division One playoff final after being 2–0 down at half time.

The playoff final victory was Rioch's last game as Bolton manager. A few weeks later he accepted the Arsenal manager's job and was replaced at Bolton by Roy McFarland. He is considered to be one of the best Bolton managers of all time by the club's supporters.

Arsenal

In 1995–96, his only season at Arsenal, Rioch guided Arsenal to a UEFA Cup place, finishing fifth in the Premiership. It was achieved on the last day of the season at the expense of Everton, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal also reached the League Cup semi-finals but lost on away goals to Aston Villa, and were knocked out of the FA Cup in the Third Round by First Division side Sheffield United.

Just before the beginning of the 1996–97 season, Rioch was sacked after a dispute with the club's board of directors over transfer funds. His enduring legacy at the club was the signing of Dennis Bergkamp, whom Rioch had signed from Internazionale in the summer of 1995; Bergkamp would go on to become one of the club's greatest players. However, this was overshadowed by him playing Ian Wright on the left wing, and the subsequent fall out led to Wright putting in a transfer request after being dropped.

Queens Park Rangers

After leaving Arsenal, he worked as assistant manager under Stewart Houston (his former assistant at Arsenal) at Queens Park Rangers but left along with Houston after just over a year at Loftus Road.

Norwich City

In May 1998, Rioch was appointed manager of Norwich City in Division One. He resigned after less than two seasons at the helm after failing to get the Canaries anywhere near the promotion and playoff places that the club had long been hoping for. He cited a perceived lack of ambition at the club as the main reason for his decision to resign (he correctly predicted that the club's star player Craig Bellamy would inevitably be sold), however he also acknowledged that the club's uncertain financial position meant that the transfer funds available to him were limited.

Wigan Athletic

Rioch made a swift return to management with Wigan Athletic for the 2000–01 season. He won the Manager of the Month award for November 2000, [cite news
title=Megson bags award
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/1047987.stm
publisher=BBC Sport
date=2000-11-30
accessdate=2007-10-28] but left the club the following February as they occupied the Division Two playoff zone. [cite news
title=Rioch's resignation rocks Wigan
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/1192912.stm
publisher=BBC Sport
date=2001-02-27
accessdate=2007-10-28] The club said that Rioch had resigned, but he insisted he was sacked.

Odense

Rioch was intent on returning to management, and was linked with the Derby County manager's job after John Gregory was sacked at the end of the 2002–03 season. But it was four years before he made his return to management. He was appointed as head coach of Danish Superliga side Odense Boldklub in June 2005. He led Odense to a third place in the Danish Superliga in his first season in charge, but decided to leave the club on 12 March 2007 due to his wife's illness, as the official explanation. The media, however, reported that the actual cause was a dispute between Rioch and the management of OB.

Aalborg - AaB

In June 2008 Rioch returned to management with Danish champions Aalborg BK (AaB) after former head coach Erik Hamrén moved to Rosenborg BK. [cite news
title=Bruce Rioch præsenteret i AaB
url=http://www.bold.dk/nyt/?vis=84901
publisher=Bold.dk
date=2008-06-11
accessdate=2008-06-11] His first big priority was to try to qualify AaB for the Champions League which they entered in the second qualifying round. He successfully guided them into the group stage after defeating FK Modriča and FBK Kaunas, where AaB will face a side from Rioch's home country; Celtic FC. Villarreal CF and defending Champions Manchester United are the last two teams in Group E. It is believed he will leave the club on 1 January 2009. [Cite news
url = http://www.transfermarkt.de/de/news/23673/05102008_18_09/news/anzeigen.html
title = Rioch only until the end of the year de icon
date = 2008-10-07
accessdate = 2008-10-07
publisher = transfermarkt.de] [Cite news
url = http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/07102008/1/rioch-confirms-aalborg-departure.html
title = Rioch confirms Aalborg departure
date = 2008-10-07
accessdate = 2008-10-07
publisher = Yahoo]

tatistics

Manager

References

External links

*soccerbase (manager)|id=257|name=Bruce Rioch
* [http://www.leaguemanagers.com/manager/history-42.html Profile] at the League Managers Association
* [http://www.ex-canaries.co.uk/players/rioch.htm Career information at ex-canaries.co.uk]

Navboxes
title= Bruce Rioch - Navigation boxes and awards
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