Michael Charles Gooding (born 12 April 1959) is a 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 le ...
and football
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 ...
.
In the twilight of a successful playing career, Gooding was appointed joint
player-manager
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
of
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
with
Jimmy Quinn when manager
Mark McGhee acrimoniously left to take the reins at
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
. Under their guidance, Reading finished second in the
First Division but was left to battle for a place 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 Foo ...
through the
playoff
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 ...
s, as the Premier League was being reduced in size from 22 teams to 20. Reading were beaten 4-3 by
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
in the playoff final at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
.
Gooding and Quinn remained in charge at
Elm Park
Elm Park is a suburban planned community in East London within the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is identified as a district centre in the London Plan with several streets of shops and a priority for r ...
for two seasons afterward, until they were replaced by
Terry Bullivant
Terry Bullivant (born 23 September 1956, Lambeth) is an English football manager. During his playing career he was a midfielder, representing Fulham and Aston Villa. Following his retirement as a player he managed Barnet and Reading, while also ...
after failing to mount any further promotion challenges.
After Reading, Gooding had a short spell at
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
, before retiring from football. He remained at
Roots Hall
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
for a while as a coach.
He has since carved himself a career as a radio
commentary
Commentary or commentaries may refer to:
Publications
* ''Commentary'' (magazine), a U.S. public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and formerly published by the American Jewish Committee
* Caesar's Commentaries (disambiguation), a number of works ...
pundit, performing such roles as co-commentator for
BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Berkshire.
It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds studios at Thames Valley Park near Reading.
According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audie ...
's coverage of Reading's league matches, while also working as an
estate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting, or management of properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent. Estate agents are mainly engaged i ...
in
Tadley
Tadley is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE), now known as AWE, became the area's largest employer, and many houses were built during this per ...
.
Despite playing 701 league games in a career stretching 20 years, Gooding never played top-division football – the closest he came to reaching the top flight was with Reading when they narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League in 1995.
References
External links
*
*
Profilea
UpThePosh! The Peterborough United Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gooding, Mick
Living people
1959 births
English footballers
Association football midfielders
Bishop Auckland F.C. players
Reading F.C. players
Rotherham United F.C. players
Chesterfield F.C. players
Peterborough United F.C. players
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Southend United F.C. players
English Football League players
English football managers
Reading F.C. managers
Footballers from Newcastle upon Tyne