Paul William Gerrard (born 22 January 1973) is an English
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 ...
goalkeeping
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
coach and retired player. He is currently employed by
Football 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 ...
side
Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
as a goalkeeping coach, having previously been employed as a player-goalkeeping coach at
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
and goalkeeping coach at
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
.
Gerrard started his career 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 ...
with
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
, and his 22-year playing career saw him play for Oldham,
Everton,
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
,
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
,
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
,
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 ...
,
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
and
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...
, before he finished his playing career in a second spell at Oldham. Towards the end of his playing career, he was employed as a part-time goalkeeping coach by Oldham and
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
, before signing on as a full-time player/coach with Oldham at the start of the
2011–12 season. Gerrard is also a former
England Under 21 international, having made 18 appearances between 1993 and 1996, but he never made an appearance for the full national side.
Club career
Oldham Athletic
Born in
Heywood, Lancashire, Gerrard started his career as a goalkeeping apprentice at
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
. He made his Premiership debut at the age of 19 on 5 December 1992 in a 3–2 defeat at
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
. In all, he made 118
League
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
appearances for The Latics in his first spell.
Everton
Nearly two years after Joe Royle had left Oldham for
Everton, he returned to buy Gerrard for
£1.5 million in July 1996. He made his debut for Everton as a half-time
substitute for
Neville Southall
Neville Southall (born 16 September 1958) is a Welsh former international footballer. He has been described as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985.
He joined Bury from Winsford U ...
in a 7–1 win at home to
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
on 16 November 1996.
When Royle left Everton, Southall returned as first choice goalkeeper for Everton, and Gerrard decided to go on loan to
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
in 1997 for regular first team action. However, soon afterwards
Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall (22 May 1946 – 17 October 2015) was an English footballer and manager.
Kendall joined Preston North End as an apprentice and stayed with the club when he turned professional. He was a runner-up in the 1964 FA Cup with Preston, ...
took over for his second spell as team manager at
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpool ...
and recalled Gerrard from Oxford.
In December 2000, he suffered a knee injury in a Premier League match against
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
, and sparked a surprise reaction from West Ham striker
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made over 500 league appearances and scored over one hundred goals as a forward. He primarily played as a deep-lying forward, ...
who spurned the opportunity to score the winning goal in order to attend to the injured Gerrard.
This act of sportsmanship saw Di Canio awarded with the
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
fair play award the following year.
Royle, now at
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
, signed Gerrard on a month-long loan in November 2002, although Gerrard returned to Everton early after suffering from a dislocated kneecap, having made five appearances for Ipswich. During the
2003–04 season, he was signed on loan by
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
covering for injured goalkeeper
Paddy Kenny
Patrick Joseph Kenny (born 17 May 1978) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, Kenny began his career with Bradford Park Avenue before turning professional in the summer of 1998 upon ...
, and he spent three months at the club. He played a total of 16 games for ''the Blades'', before joining
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 loan in March 2004 for the final two months of the season.
Nottingham Forest
In the summer of 2004, Gerrard signed permanently for Nottingham Forest. At the end of his first season the club was relegated to
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
.
Despite ending the
2004–05 season as first-choice goalkeeper and Player of the Year at Forest, Gerrard found himself as second choice goalkeeper behind new signing
Rune Pedersen, having sustained a knee injury during a pre-season tour to Denmark. Although he handed in a transfer request, Gerrard returned to first team action at the end of August in a 3–1 win against
Gillingham. Gerrard was again dropped from the first team when manager
Gary Megson
Gary John Megson (born 2 May 1959) is an English former football player and manager.
He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers ...
signed
Russell Hoult
Russell Hoult (born 22 November 1972) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He notably spent time playing in the Premier League and played for Leicester City, Derby County and West Bromwich ...
on loan from
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 ...
. However, Hoult was recalled by West Brom in October, and Gerrard once again became the preferred goalkeeper.
On 15 February 2006, Gerrard limped off in a 3–0 defeat against former club Oldham Athletic, having sustained a knee injury that later required surgery. He played only one game under
Ian McParland
Ian John McParland (born 4 October 1961) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. He played professionally as a striker with a number of teams and he is most known for his eight-year spell with Notts County, a club he la ...
and
Frank Barlow due to a knee injury. Gerrard was released from Forest at the end of the
2005–06 season, following the club's failure to secure promotion to the Championship.
Sheffield United
On 27 September 2006, he signed a four-month contract with the Blades to add depth to the
goalkeeping
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
department. The 33-year-old, who had a loan spell at
Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United.
The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...
in 2003, was signed to provide cover for
Paddy Kenny
Patrick Joseph Kenny (born 17 May 1978) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, Kenny began his career with Bradford Park Avenue before turning professional in the summer of 1998 upon ...
and
Ian Bennett. On 1 January 2007, Gerrard made his Premiership debut for Sheffield United against
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 ...
at the
Riverside Stadium
The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough since it opened in 1995. Its current capacity is 34,742, all seated, although there is provisional planning permission in place t ...
. He made two further appearances for the Blades, but was released at the end of the
2006–07 season.
On 6 August 2007, he was re-signed on a 12-month deal by new Sheffield United manager
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club captain before moving to Manchester United in ...
for the upcoming
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
campaign. On 24 January 2008, he signed on loan for
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
until the end of the
2007–08 season.
On 3 March it was revealed that Gerrard had undergone a knee operation which ended his season prematurely.
[
] He was subsequently released by the Blades when his contract expired at the end of the season.
[
]
Stockport County
After leaving Bramall Lane, he joined
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...
, but failed to make a competitive appearance for the club.
Return to Oldham Athletic
On 5 November 2011, while working as goalkeeping coach at Oldham, he was brought on as a substitute for
Alex Cisak
Aleksander Cisak (born 19 May 1989) is a retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Poland, he represented Australia at under-20 level.
Early life
Cisak was born in Kraków, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland and moved to Hobart, Tas ...
, who had been sent off.
Gerrard's first contribution in a competitive match for over two years, and first for Oldham for fifteen years, was to save a penalty.
He made his first start in his second spell at the club in the 3–1 victory over
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
, on 8 November 2011.
International career
Gerrard never played for England at full international level, but he was capped 18 times by the under-21 side between 1993 and 1996.
Coaching career
Oldham Athletic
Gerrard was confirmed Oldham Athletic's goalkeeping coach on a part-time basis on 30 June 2010. On 20 August he signed a pay as you play contract to provide cover for number one keeper
Dean Brill
Dean Michael Brill (born 2 December 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and is now a coach at the academy of Tottenham Hotspur.
Career Luton Town
Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, Brill joined Luton at the ...
. In July 2011 he was given a full-time permanent contract as goalkeeping coach. He left Oldham on 21 June 2013, with his former club claiming that he was moving to
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
, following former Oldham boss
Paul Dickov
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
.
Shrewsbury Town
In July 2010, he was confirmed
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
goalkeeping coach on a part-time basis. This ended in July 2011, when his contract at Oldham was made full-time, with
Gavin Ward replacing him in the post.
Doncaster Rovers
On 24 June 2013, he was confirmed as the new goalkeeping coach at
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
.
Gerrard left the club on 29 November 2021 by mutual agreement, having worked with seven different manager
Carlisle United
On 24 February 2022, he joined League Two side
Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
as their new goalkeeper coach.
Honours
Individual
*
Toulon Tournament
The Toulon Tournament (officially the Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello) is a football (training match) tournament, which traditionally features invited national teams composed of youth players from U-17 to U-23 level. ...
Best Goalkeeper:
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerrard, Paul
1973 births
English footballers
Association football goalkeepers
Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players
Everton F.C. players
Ipswich Town F.C. players
Sheffield United F.C. players
Oxford United F.C. players
Nottingham Forest F.C. players
Blackpool F.C. players
Stockport County F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
England under-21 international footballers
Living people
People from Heywood, Greater Manchester
Oldham Athletic A.F.C. non-playing staff
Shrewsbury Town F.C. non-playing staff
Doncaster Rovers F.C. non-playing staff
Carlisle United F.C. non-playing staff
Association football goalkeeping coaches
Footballers from Greater Manchester