William John Williams (born 3 October 1960) is an English former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
centre-back. He made 415 league and cup appearances in a 15-year career in the
English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
, scoring 27 goals.
He began his career at
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
, playing 201 games in all competitions between 1978 and July 1985, when he made a £12,000 move to
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
. He helped the "Valiants" to
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
out of the
Fourth Division in 1985–86, before being sold on to
Bournemouth for £30,000 in December 1986. He helped the "Cherries" to the
Third Division championship in 1986–87, before moving on to
Cardiff City in 1991, following a
loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...
spell at
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
. Cardiff won the Third Division title in 1992–93, after which he returned to Bournemouth as a
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
. He served the club as
caretaker manager in August 1994.
Playing career
Tranmere Rovers
After playing as an amateur Williams signed for
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
in
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
under the stewardship of
John King. However, he established himself as a regular under
Bryan Hamilton
Bryan Hamilton (born 21 December 1946) is a Northern Irish former professional football player and manager. He gained 50 caps for Northern Ireland between 1969 and 1980, and later managed the national team for four years. He later became Techn ...
during the
1980–81 season, as the club were forced to apply for re-election. They rose to 11th in
1981–82, dropping to 19th in
1982–83, two places and one point above the re-election zone. The "Superwhites" rose to 10th in
1983–84, before a sixth-place finish in
1984–85, two places and nine points behind
promoted Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
. He played a total of 201 league and cup games during his time at
Prenton Park, scoring 13 goals.
Port Vale
In July 1985,
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
paid £12,000 to secure his services.
He played regularly during the club's
1985–86 Fourth Division promotion campaign, scoring three goals in 44 appearances.
However, he lost his form the
following season, playing 18 games at
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950.
The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool, although a club record 49, ...
, before being sold to
Bournemouth for £30,000 in December 1986.
where he became a popular player with the club's fans.
Bournemouth
In 2008,
Harry Redknapp described him as possibly the best signing he had made in his 25-year management career. Williams later recalled how he was reluctant to leave Port Vale as he had just purchased a house in
Holmes Chapel
Holmes Chapel is a large village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Until 1974 the parish was known as Church Hulme. Holmes Chapel is about north of Crewe and south of ...
and was settled, but Redknapp convinced Williams and his wife to move to Bournemouth despite only offering a weekly wage rise of £50; Williams said "I signed because I liked Harry". Under Redknapp's leadership, the "Cherries" won the
Third Division championship in
1986–87 with 97 points. They retained their
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
status in
1987–88 with a 17th-place finish, before the
Dean Court
Dean Court, currently known as the Vitality Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England and the home ground of AFC Bournemouth.
History
In 1910, Boscombe F.C. was g ...
side finished 12th in
1988–89, only to suffer
relegation
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
in
1989–90 after finishing two points behind the safety mark set by
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
. Bournemouth finished ninth in
1990–91
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
, finishing two places and six points outside the
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
. In the spring of 1991 he went to Norwegian top-flight club
Strømsgodset, but only played once as a
substitute. He played four games for former
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
Bryan Hamilton on
loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...
at
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
.
Cardiff City
Williams signed with
Cardiff City in 1991. He remained at
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixtu ...
for
1991–92 and
1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
, helping
Eddie May
Edwin Charles May (19 May 1943 – 14 April 2012) was an English football player and manager. May was born in Epping, and played for Dagenham, Southend United, Wrexham and Swansea City.
The burly, affable May loomed large in the modern hist ...
's "Bluebirds" to the Third Division title in 1993. However, he was never a regular in the first team, making just six league appearances. He then returned to Bournemouth as a member of the
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
ing staff. He worked for Bournemouth as their community development officer and later assistant manager.
He served as
caretaker manager in August 1994, between the terms of
Tony Pulis
Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday.
Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him on ...
and
Mel Machin
Melvyn Machin (born 16 April 1945) is an English former football player and manager.
A midfielder, he started his career at Port Vale in 1962, before he moved on to Gillingham four years later. He made his name at the club from 1966 to 1970, b ...
.
Post-retirement
By November 2008, Williams was working for
BBC Radio Solent
BBC Radio Solent is the BBC's local radio station serving Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight.
It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on Havelock Road in Southampton.
According to RAJAR, the station has a ...
as a summariser and co-commentator for Bournemouth matches.
Career statistics
Managerial statistics
Source:
Honours
Port Vale
*
Football League Fourth Division fourth-place promotion:
1985–86
Bournemouth
*
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following th ...
:
1986–87
Cardiff City
*
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following th ...
:
1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John
1960 births
Living people
Footballers from Liverpool
English men's footballers
Men's association football central defenders
Tranmere Rovers F.C. players
Port Vale F.C. players
AFC Bournemouth players
Strømsgodset Toppfotball players
Wigan Athletic F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
English Football League players
Eliteserien players
English expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Norway
English expatriate sportspeople in Norway
English football managers
AFC Bournemouth managers
English Football League managers
Association football coaches
AFC Bournemouth non-playing staff
English association football commentators