Jonathan Greening (born 2 January 1979) is an English professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
coach and former player who is currently the
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 o ...
of
Scarborough Athletic of the
Northern Premier League
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 Divisio ...
.
As a player, Greening 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 ...
. He began his career in 1996 with
York City, but moved to
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
in 1998, with whom he won the
1998–99 UEFA Champions League
The 1998–99 UEFA Champions League was the 44th season of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club football tournament, and the seventh since it was renamed from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The competition was w ...
as a non-playing
substitute in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. However, he failed to make a breakthrough in the Manchester United first team and followed United assistant manager
Steve McClaren to
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 ...
in 2001. During his time at Middlesbrough, Greening earned his first call-up to the
England national team, but he did not make an appearance. In 2004, he joined
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
for £1.25 million, and, in 2008, captained the team to the
Championship title. Greening signed for
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
in 2009 and helped them to the
2010 UEFA Europa League Final
The 2010 UEFA Europa League Final was the final match of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League, the first season of the revamped European football competition formerly known as the UEFA Cup. Played at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany, on 12 May ...
, before signing permanently the following summer. He signed for
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 ...
in 2011 and had a three-year spell with the club.
Club career
York City
Born in
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Scarborough () is a seaside town in the Borough of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. Scarborough is located on the North Sea coastline. Historic counties of England, Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town lies between 10 ...
, Greening joined the
York City youth system at the age of 15.
He signed with the club's
Youth Training Scheme
The Youth Training Scheme (YTS) was the name in the United Kingdom of an on-the-job training course for school leavers aged 16 and 17 and was managed by the Manpower Services Commission. The scheme was first outlined in the 1980 white paper ''A Ne ...
in December 1996 and broke into the first team towards the end of the
1996–97 season, making his debut as
substitute in a 1–1 draw away to
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
on 22 March 1997.
Manchester United
Following a four-day trial with
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
in February,
[ he signed for 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 Foo ...
team on 25 March 1998 for what was understood to be an initial fee of £500,000, which could have potentially risen to £2 million dependent on appearances and international recognition, with a sell-on clause. He later admitted that he signed for United on £400 a week without looking at the contract. As an attacking midfielder, he faced massive competition from more established players in both positions and his first-team opportunities were restricted, although he did make the substitute's bench in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final
The 1999 UEFA Champions League Final was an association football match between Manchester United of England and Bayern Munich of Germany, played at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, on 26 May 1999, to determine the winner of the 1998–99 UEFA Champi ...
. He later admitted that he "felt a bit of a fraud" for picking up his winner's medal, having not played a single minute of European football that season. He did however make a contribution to their victorious FA Cup campaign, coming on as a substitute at half-time in their fifth round tie with future club Fulham.
Greening signed a new contract with United at the end of 1999–2000, but by 2001 he had become frustrated by the lack of first-team opportunities, and conceded that he would need to leave the club in order to play regularly.
Middlesbrough
On 9 August 2001, Greening joined 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 ...
for a combined fee of £3 million which saw both him and United teammate Mark Wilson head to Teesside to rejoin former Manchester United assistant manager Steve McClaren, who was by now the 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 o ...
of Middlesbrough. Greening remained on Teesside for three seasons, being voted Club Player of the Year for 2002–03 and also being selected for the full England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
squad (though he did not play). But his first-team chances were more limited during 2003–04, after which he signed for West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
for an initial fee of £1.25 million. Greening was part of Middlesbrough's 2004 League Cup-winning team, despite not making the squad for the final.
West Bromwich Albion
Greening made his Albion debut in a 1–1 draw away to Blackburn Rovers on the opening day of the 2004–05 Premier League season, and quickly established himself as a key player in the Baggies' midfield, helping to secure their Premier League survival in his first season. He was named Albion's Player of the Year in 2005–06, in which he made 41 appearances and scored 2 goals as the club was relegated to the Championship.[
He signed a new three-year contract with Albion in August 2007, and was made ]club captain
The team captain of an association football team, sometimes known as the skipper, is a team member chosen to be the on-pitch leader of the team; they are often one of the older or more experienced members of the squad, or a player that can heavi ...
for 2007–08. His performances during the campaign led to him being named in the Championship Team of the Week on several occasions. Greening missed the fifth round FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
match at Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
due to suspension, but it was the only match he missed during the campaign; he started all 46 league matches and also participated in eight out of nine cup games. He captained Albion in the FA Cup semi-final, where they lost 1–0 to Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, and one month later led the team to promotion as winners of the Championship. Greening was named in the 2007–08 Championship PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...
, alongside teammates Paul Robinson and Kevin Phillips. During the last two months of the season Greening suffered from a double hernia problem but played on until the end of the campaign, when he had an operation to rectify the injury.
Towards the end of 2008–09, Greening said he was looking to sign a new contract with Albion. He was offered a new four-year contract by the club, but instead handed in a transfer request in July 2009.
Fulham
On 14 July 2009, West Brom rejected a "derisory" bid from Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
for Greening. Nevertheless, on 24 August 2009, Greening joined Fulham on a season-long loan for 2009–10, with a view to a permanent move upon completion of the loan period. He scored his first and only league goal for Fulham against Portsmouth on 3 February 2010. He also came off the bench in the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final
The 2010 UEFA Europa League Final was the final match of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League, the first season of the revamped European football competition formerly known as the UEFA Cup. Played at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany, on 12 May ...
defeat against Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
.[
Greening signed a two-year contract with Fulham on 1 July 2010 after a successful loan spell the previous season. After signing, he was mainly used as a substitute and was seen as a 'fringe' player. Under new manager Mark Hughes, he rarely featured, making only 10 league appearances in ]2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
.[
]
Nottingham Forest
On 18 July 2011, Greening signed a three-year contract with Championship club 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 ...
for an undisclosed fee, reuniting with manager Steve McClaren for the second time after working with him at both Manchester United and Middlesbrough. Greening said the move met his desire to seek regular football. He took up a coaching role with Forest's under-21 team in July 2013, after attaining UEFA 'B' and 'A' Licences over the summer. Greening made 13 appearances for Forest in 2013–14[ before being released by the club in May 2014.
]
International career
Greening made his only appearance for the England national under-18 team as a substitute for Danny Cadamarteri
Daniel Leon Cadamarteri (born 12 October 1979) is an English retired professional footballer who played in the Football League for clubs including Everton, Bradford City, Huddersfield Town, Leicester City and latterly Carlisle United before re ...
in a 1–0 home defeat to France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
on 23 April 1998. His first cap for the under-21 team came after starting the 2–2 away draw with Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
on 27 April 1999, with his first goal coming in the 61st minute of a 6–1 home win over Georgia on 31 August 2000. Greening was drafted into the England squad for the 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2002 was the 13th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Switzerland between 16 and 28 May 2002.
Czech Republic U-21s won the competition for the first time.
Qua ...
as a replacement for the injured Michael Carrick, two days prior to their first match of the tournament. He played in the final Group A match, a 3–1 loss to Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
on 22 May 2002, with England being eliminated from the tournament after finishing bottom of Group A. This proved to be the final of his 17 appearances for the under-21s, for whom he scored three goals. Greening was also called up to the full England squad by Sven Goran Eriksson but failed to make an appearance.[
]
Style of play
Although naturally right-sided, Greening could operate anywhere across the midfield. Initially an attacking wide midfielder, he later moved to a central midfield
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 ...
holding role. Teammate Dean Kiely
Dean Laurence Kiely (born 10 October 1970) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is the goalkeeping coach at Premier League club Crystal Palace and the Republic of Ireland national team. Born in England, he won elev ...
described how Greening "sprays passes around like a quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
" in Albion's style of attacking football under Tony Mowbray.
Coaching career
Greening began assisting with coaching the Academy team of his former club York, then in 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 ...
, during the summer of 2014, before retiring from playing professionally during September 2014. He signed for Northern Counties East League Premier Division club Tadcaster Albion on 19 September 2014, where his younger brother Josh played,[ making his debut the next day in a 6–0 away win over Maltby Main.][ Greening was appointed as Development Phase Coach at York's Academy on 22 December 2014, a role focusing on the development of the team's players aged 16 to 18.
He registered as a player with York on non-contract terms on 13 November 2015, to provide cover with a number of midfielders unavailable. His second York debut came two days later as a half-time substitute for ]Rhys Turner
Rhys James Turner (born 22 July 1995) is an English former professional footballer who plays as a striker for Lancaster City.
Career Early career
Turner was born in Preston, Lancashire. He had spells with Preston North End and Lancaster City ...
in a 2–1 home defeat to Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
; according to ''The Press
''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...
'', he "inspired an improved second-half display ". Greening was sent off for violent conduct after elbowing Michael Doyle on his third appearance, in a 6–0 away defeat to Portsmouth on 24 November 2015, for which he received a three-match suspension.[ He left the club by mutual consent on 16 December 2015, despite offering only days earlier to carry on playing for the rest of 2015–16. Greening rejoined Tadcaster on 30 December 2015. He made 21 appearances and scored one goal in 2015–16][ as Tadcaster won the Northern Counties East League Premier Division title, and thus promotion to the ]Northern Premier League
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 Divisio ...
Division One North.
He has worked as a coach alongside Richard Cresswell
Richard Paul Wesley Cresswell (born 20 September 1977) is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a striker. He played in the Premier League and Football League for York City, Mansfield Town, Sheffield Wednesda ...
a
i2i International Soccer Academy
which is based in York, England.
Managerial career
His first managerial appointment was as head coach/manager of Northern Premier League
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 Divisio ...
side Scarborough Athletic, on 21 May 2021. During his first season with the club, he led them to promotion from the Northern Premier League
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 Divisio ...
and also won the North Riding Senior Cup
The North Riding Senior Cup is the county cup in the North Riding of Yorkshire. It is administered by the North Riding County FA. According to the current rules of the competition, it is open to all clubs whose first affiliation is with the NRCF ...
.
Personal life
Greening married Anna Stubbings, in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, during the second quarter of 2002. He was the joint best man at former York City teammate Richard Cresswell
Richard Paul Wesley Cresswell (born 20 September 1977) is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a striker. He played in the Premier League and Football League for York City, Mansfield Town, Sheffield Wednesda ...
's wedding held June 2003.
Career statistics
Honours
Player
Manchester United
*UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
: 1998–99[
Middlesbrough
*]Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
: 2003–04[
West Bromwich Albion
*]Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
: 2007–08[
Tadcaster Albion
* Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division: 2015–16][
]
Manager
Scarborough Athletic
*Northern Premier League
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 Divisio ...
: Play-off Winners 2021-22
*North Riding Senior Cup
The North Riding Senior Cup is the county cup in the North Riding of Yorkshire. It is administered by the North Riding County FA. According to the current rules of the competition, it is open to all clubs whose first affiliation is with the NRCF ...
: Winners 2021-22
Individual
* Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year: 1999–2000
*West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
Player of the Year: 2005–06[
*]PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...
(Football League Championship): 2007–08[
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greening, Jonathan
1979 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Footballers from North Yorkshire
English footballers
England youth international footballers
England under-21 international footballers
Association football midfielders
York City F.C. players
Manchester United F.C. players
Middlesbrough F.C. players
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
Fulham F.C. players
Nottingham Forest F.C. players
Barnsley F.C. players
Tadcaster Albion A.F.C. players
English Football League players
Premier League players
Northern Counties East Football League players
Northern Premier League players
UEFA Champions League winning players
Association football coaches
York City F.C. non-playing staff