Brian Tinnion (born 23 February 1968
) is an English former
football player and manager. He made over 450 appearances for
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
, including a spell as player-manager where he is currently in the role of Academy Director. He started as a left-back but later became a goal-scoring left-sided midfielder.
Career
Tinnion was born in
Stanley, County Durham
Stanley is a former colliery town and civil parish in County Durham, North East England. Centred on a hilltop between Chester-le-Street and Consett, the town lies south west of Gateshead.
Stanley was formerly divided into three distinct sett ...
[ and was recruited by Newcastle United as an apprentice after scouts had spotted his useful left foot, he went on to be a member of the Newcastle United FA Youth Cup winning side of 1985 that included the likes of Paul Gascoigne. Tinnion signed as a professional before a first-team home game on the pitch of ]St James' Park
St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England.
St James' Pa ...
a few days after his eighteenth birthday in 1986. In the 1987–88 season, he started 30 league games for the Magpies in the left-back slot. He earned a call-up to the England Under-21 squad in May 1988 for a tour of Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
but unfortunately had to pull out injured. He was sold to Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
...
for £150,000 in 1989. He scored the last-gasp penalty that pinched a point at Elland Road on Grand National Day 1990 in a heated local derby against Leeds United.
It was while at Bradford that Tinnion expressed himself when pushed forward onto the left side of a three-man midfield in the early 1990s, the Bantam soon had the reputation of having the most creative left foot of the lower leagues. Tinnion found himself top-goalscorer in all competitions across all four divisions by Christmas 1991 with 13 goals (most of which spectacular), but he picked up a career-threatening injury at Hartlepool on Boxing Day 1991; in front of a host of top-flight scouts so it was thought. His injury was overcome in time to start the 1992–93 season in the Bantams starting line-up, but before the season was out, in March 1993, he failed to agree a new contract and moved on to Bristol City for a tribunal-set fee of around £180,000. His first goal for his new club came against bitter rivals Bristol Rovers with a last-gasp penalty. Then in January 1994 he scored the winning goal in City's giant-killing FA Cup win over Liverpool at Anfield.
He went on to become one of City's dominant players of the 1990s. He switched from wide on the left flank into the centre of a three-man midfield under new manager Danny Wilson in 2000 and the role often gave him time and space to execute through balls, such was his form in that role that he was voted as the best player in his division. He became player-coach in 2000 (and had helped coach the club's youth teams since the mid-90s) and succeeded Danny Wilson as manager in 2004. He was also part of the side that won the 2003 Football League Trophy Final.
Tinnion's first season in charge saw Bristol City fail to make the play-offs and the 2005–06 season started inconsistently, leaving the City fans unconvinced about his ability to make his move into management successful. City's league results failed to improve in 2005/6, and capitulating in a 7–1 thrashing by Swansea City on 10 September 2005 was the final straw; facing a wave of discontent among the supporters, Tinnion stepped down as manager the following day.
After his departure from Bristol City, Tinnion trained with Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league sy ...
, turning out for them in a reserve match, and then joined Conference side Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...
.
He subsequently played for Conference South side Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
and in January 2007 joined TeamBath.
Tinnion has since retired from playing in the summer of 2007 and now coaches youth football, running soccer schools both in Southern Spain and at The Imperial Ground in Bristol. In addition to this, he now works in the Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
youth setup, managing the loan moves of young players. In October 2021, Tinnion was promoted to the role of Academy Director.
In November 2022, Tinnion was appointed as Technical Director.
Honours
Individual
* PFA Team of the Year: 2000–01 Second Division, 2003–04 Second Division
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tinnion, Brian
Living people
1968 births
People from Stanley, County Durham
Footballers from County Durham
Association football midfielders
English footballers
English football managers
Newcastle United F.C. players
Bradford City A.F.C. players
Bristol City F.C. players
Aldershot Town F.C. players
Bristol City F.C. managers
Weston-super-Mare A.F.C. players
English Football League players
English Football League managers
National League (English football) players
Team Bath F.C. players
Bristol City F.C. non-playing staff