Christopher James Holland (born 11 September 1975) is an English football coach, currently assistant manager of club

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...

, and former professional player. He played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

for Newcastle United and made 279 appearances in the Football League playing for Preston North End,

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...

and Boston United. He is a former England under-21 international. He later played non-league football for Boston United,

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

, Leigh Genesis, Fleetwood Town,

Burscough Burscough () is a town and civil parish in West Lancashire in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. It is located to the north of Ormskirk and northwest of Skelmersdale. The parish also includes the hamlet of Tarlscough and the Martin ...

and

Guiseley Guiseley ( ) is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds. It sits in th ...

, where he began his coaching career. He was briefly assistant manager of

AFC Telford United AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United, founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. Currently members of the National League North, they ...

, and joined Clitheroe in 2020.

Club career

Holland was born in

Whalley, Lancashire Whalley is a large village and civil parish in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large wooded hill over the river from the village. The population of the civil parish ...

, and started his football career as a trainee at Preston North End in 1993. He made just one league appearance as a substitute before signing for

club Newcastle United on 20 January 1994 for a fee of £100,000. However, an eye injury sustained during an ammonia attack hindered his progress and he joined

on loan on 3 September 1996. The loan was made permanent in October 1996 for a fee of £600,000. He helped Birmingham reach the Division One playoffs in 1999, however he missed a crucial penalty as they lost to

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

in a shoot out. He made 88 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham, of which 70 were in the league. On 3 February 2000, Holland joined

for a fee of £100,000. He scored the first goal of his professional career, a winner against

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

, on 21 March. He played regularly for three seasons, but when told by manager Peter Jackson that a new contract would not be offered at the end of the 2003–04 season, he chose to join

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

club Boston United in March 2004. After two years playing regularly, during which he made 85 league appearances, he moved nearer to his Lancashire home when he signed an 18-month contract with Conference National club

on 31 January 2007 on a free transfer. Despite Southport's relegation to the

Conference North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...

at the end of the season, Holland agreed a new contract and was appointed club captain. Holland was a vital part of the Southport side in the 2007–08 season. He scored his first goal for the club at

Hyde United Hyde United Football Club is a semi-professional football club in Hyde, Greater Manchester, England. Formed in 1919, they were renamed Hyde F.C. between 2010 and 2015 as part of a sponsorship deal with Manchester City. His next goal came three weeks later in Southport's 3–1 victory at his old club Boston United. In July 2008 Holland signed for

Northern Premier League Premier Division The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Division ...

club Leigh Genesis on a free transfer. He made his debut on the opening day of the 2008–09 season, in a 2–0 defeat to

Eastwood Town Eastwood Town Football Club was an English football club based in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. The club last participated in the Northern Premier League Division One South, the eighth tier of English football. A new club, Eastwood C.F.C., was f ...

. He scored his first goal in his tenth game for the club on 20 September in a 4–2 defeat to Whitby Town. On 14 November 2008 he joined Conference North club Fleetwood Town, making his debut the next day in a 2–1 away victory over Stafford Rangers. In March 2009, Holland joined another Conference North outfit,

. He remained at Burscough until the end of the season, then joined

of the Northern Premier League. He helped that club win the title in his first season, but was appointed assistant manager in September 2010, and thereafter his competitive appearances were restricted to the substitutes' bench. After Guiseley sacked manager Steve Kittrick in September 2013, Holland stayed on briefly as assistant to caretaker Mark Bower, but a review of management structures meant he left two weeks later. In May 2015, Holland joined up with Kittrick again as assistant manager of

club

. Just five matches into the new season, with the team bottom of the table, Kittrick and Holland were dismissed. In May 2020, Holland became assistant manager at

of the Northern Premier League Division One North-West. Outside football, Holland works in construction.

International career

Holland is a former England youth and under-21 international. He won the first of his ten under-21 caps while at Newcastle.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Chris 1975 births Living people People from Whalley, Lancashire English men's footballers England men's under-21 international footballers Men's association football midfielders Preston North End F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Boston United F.C. players Southport F.C. players Leigh Genesis F.C. players Fleetwood Town F.C. players Burscough F.C. players Guiseley A.F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players National League (English football) players Northern Premier League players Association football coaches Footballers from Lancashire