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Sam Jason Collins (born 5 June 1977) is an English professional
football manager ''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...
and former
player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...
who is now Lead Youth Development Youth Coach at
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
. He played as a
centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
in
the 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 Engla ...
for
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. The ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
,
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
and
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...
, and managed in the Football League with Hartlepool United. Collins started his career with Huddersfield Town in 1994 before he transferred to Bury in 1999. After three years he moved on to Port Vale, where he established himself as
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. He was named as the club's Player of the Year at the end of the 2002–03 season. Collins' performances earned him a move to Hull City in 2006, though a series of knee injuries blighted his time at the club. Loaned to Swindon Town for a brief spell in 2007, the following year he signed permanently with Hartlepool United. Collins took on a coaching role with Hartlepool in 2014 and had three spells as caretaker manager before leaving the club in 2017. He spent a year as a coach at
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
before becoming youth-team manager at
York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
. He took over as manager in August 2018, initially as caretaker manager, before leaving in January 2019. He has since coached at
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
and Mansfield Town.


Playing career


Huddersfield Town

Collins was born in
Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...
, West Yorkshire. He started his career at First Division club
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. The ...
as a trainee, signing a professional contract on 6 July 1994.


Bury

Collins signed for
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 ...
club
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 ...
on 2 July 1999 for a £75,000 fee. He was released at the end of the 2001–02 season, following the club's relegation to the
Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...
.


Port Vale

He signed for Second Division club
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 ...
on 26 June 2002, in a move that reunited him with
Brian Horton Brian "Nobby" Horton (born 4 February 1949) is an English former footballer and manager. He spent 16 years as a professional player and 22 years as a manager, making 689 appearances and managing 1,098 matches. In addition to this he spent four ...
, his manager at Huddersfield. Collins played 49 matches for Port Vale and was named their
Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is he ...
in the 2002–03 season, later becoming
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. In September 2003, he was given the Second Division Player of the Month award, as he settled into a highly successful centre-back partnership with new signing
George Pilkington George Edward Pilkington (born 7 November 1981) is an English former professional footballer. During his playing career he was a defender, and made 647 league and cup appearances across a 16-year professional career in the English Football Lea ...
. At the end of the 2003–04 season he signed a new two-year contract, having put in a 47-match haul. Collins made 37 appearances in 2004–05, helping the club to avoid relegation with an 18th-place finish in
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 ...
. His continuing strong performances in 2005–06 led to
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 ...
club
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, ...
inquiring about signing him. He rejected the approach, and instead joined another Championship club,
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
, on 2 November 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 d ...
from Vale, prior to a permanent transfer for a £65,000 fee in January 2006.


Hull City

Collins suffered a knee ligament injury in February 2006, which ruled him out for a month. He did not play again in the 2005–06 season, which he finished with 18 appearances for Hull. In November 2006, he was ruled out for the rest of the 2006–07 season through another knee injury, making only eight appearances. He joined
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
on 28 September 2007 on a one-month loan, after the club lost captain
Hasney Aljofree Hasney Aljofree (born 11 July 1978) is an English former footballer who played as a defender. He began his career with Manchester United, during which time he earned one cap for the England U18 side. He joined Bolton Wanderers in 1996 and mad ...
to injury. He looked for a permanent deal at Swindon but made just four appearances as an abductor injury saw him sidelined, and Swindon's financial problems ended any hopes of a permanent transfer.


Hartlepool United

He signed for League One club
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...
on 31 January 2008 for a nominal fee. After only several weeks with the club he was sidelined by an injury sustained from an awkward fall. This came just days after assistant manager
Ian Butterworth Ian Stewart Butterworth (born 25 January 1964) is an English former professional footballer, formerly assistant and caretaker manager at Norwich City. He is the chief scout at Queens Park Rangers. Playing career Butterworth was a central defen ...
praised Collins for " ddingsteel to the back four". He was appointed team captain at the start of his first full season with the club, and made 48 appearances by the end of the campaign. His consistency continued in 2009–10, as he made 48 appearances. He signed a new contract with the club in May 2010. He was named as the League One Player of the Month for December 2010. After making 49 appearances in the 2010–11 season, he signed a new contract with the club in May 2011. Collins was hopeful that manager
Mick Wadsworth Michael Wadsworth (born 3 November 1950) is an English association football, football coach and former player. Born in Barnsley his playing career spanned only one season in The Football League with Scunthorpe United F.C., Scunthorpe United, a ...
could lead the club to the play-offs in 2011–12, although they could only manage a 13th-place finish. He made 43 appearances in the 2012–13 season, as Hartlepool suffered relegation to League Two with a 23rd-place finish, and was retained for a further season. Collins made 43 appearances during the 2013–14 season, and was praised by manager
Colin Cooper Colin Terence Cooper (born 28 February 1967) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a defender who notably played in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough. He played over 5 ...
for the positive influence he had on the rest of the team. He was named in the Football League Team of the Week for his performance in a 2–0 win away to
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...
on 8 February, which was the team's third clean sheet in four matches.


Style of play

Collins played as a
centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
and was described in March 2011 by his Hartlepool United manager Mick Wadsworth as a "warrior" who "leads by example" and as a "fearless header of the ball. Soon after signing for Hartlepool, manager Danny Wilson stated in February 2008 that: "He's a calming influence, he's a leader and that's what we needed in that backline. You'll get that consistency from him, he doesn't complicate his game." He also had an excellent range to his throw-ins.


Coaching and managerial career

Collins took on the role of assistant first and reserve-team coach at Hartlepool United in May 2014 when signing a new contract with the club, while remaining part of the playing squad. After Colin Cooper resigned as manager of Hartlepool, Collins was appointed caretaker manager alongside
Stephen Pears Stephen Pears (born 22 January 1962) is an English former footballer. Born in Brandon, County Durham, he played as a goalkeeper for Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Hartlepool United in a career spanning 20 years. Career Stephen ...
on 5 October 2014. He took charge of four matches, overseeing one win and three losses, before Paul Murray was appointed as manager. Murray was dismissed on 6 December after only 45 days in charge, and Collins was again appointed caretaker manager. He took charge of one match, a 4–0 defeat away to
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
on 13 December, before
Ronnie Moore Ronald David Moore (born 29 January 1953) is an English football manager and former player. He has taken charge of several clubs including Rotherham United, Tranmere Rovers and Hartlepool United. He played for many different clubs in a care ...
was appointed as manager on 16 December, who then appointed Collins as his assistant. Collins took over as caretaker manager on 15 January 2017 after
Craig Hignett Craig Hignett (born 12 January 1970), is an English former professional footballer. He started his career as a striker but later moved into midfield. Playing career Born in Whiston and previously a trainee at Liverpool, Hignett began his se ...
left the club by mutual consent. He was in charge for Hartlepool's 2–0 home win over Stevenage on 21 January before Dave Jones took over as manager on 23 January. Collins was dismissed by Hartlepool on 10 March, with Jones explaining the decision by saying: "We're changing the culture and the ethos here and when that happens sometimes there are casualties". Collins joined League One club
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
on 3 July 2017 as their Professional Development Coach, a role in which he " orkedclosely with
Stuart McCall Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a professional football coach and former player. He is assistant manager at Sheffield United. McCall played in a total of 763 league games and in 40 full international matches for Scotla ...
and
Kenny Black Kenneth George Black (born 29 November 1963) is a Scottish football manager and former player who spent most of his career with Heart of Midlothian and Airdrieonians. Playing career A left-sided defender or midfielder, Black began his playi ...
in helping to bring forward the younger professionals within the first team squad". He left his role with Bradford on 28 June 2018. Collins was appointed youth-team manager at
National League 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 Sy ...
club
York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
on 3 July 2018. He took over as caretaker manager on 20 August after the departure of manager Martin Gray. His first match in charge came on 25 August, when York drew 0–0 away to
Brackley Town Brackley Town Football Club is a Association football, football club in Brackley, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at St. James Park. The club won the FA Trophy in 2018. History Established in 1890, the club sp ...
. Collins recorded his first win two days later in the following match, with York beating
Blyth Spartans Blyth Spartans Association Football Club is a football club based in Blyth, Northumberland. They are currently members of and play at Croft Park. They were founded in September 1899 by Fred Stoker, who was the club's first secretary before fo ...
2–0 at home. He was appointed permanently on 10 October after the team won four of his eight matches as caretaker manager. He was dismissed on 5 January 2019 with the team 15th in the table. Collins coached at
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
as their Lead Youth Development Phase Coach, before being hired as
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
's Lead Youth Development Youth Coach in August 2020. On 28 October 2020, he was announced to be part of Richard Cooper’s caretaker management team.
Nigel Clough Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was c ...
was announced as the club's new permanent manager on 6 November.


Personal life

Collins married Claire in 1999 and the couple have four children. After finding that Collins had been having an affair, Claire posted derogatory messages on Collins'
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account, which were widely reported in the tabloids. In June 2022, his son Cody signed his first professional contract with
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
.


Career statistics


Managerial statistics


Honours

Individual * Port Vale Player of the Year: 2002–03 *
Football League Second Division Player of the Month The Football League Second Division Player of the Month award was a monthly prize of recognition given to association football players in the Football League Second Division, the third tier of English football from 1992 to 2004. The award was anno ...
: September 2003 *
Football League One Player of the Month The EFL League One Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the player adjudged the best for each month of the season in EFL League One, the third tier of English football. Originally named the Football League One Pla ...
:
December 2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Sam 1977 births Living people Sportspeople from Pontefract Footballers from West Yorkshire English footballers Association football defenders Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Bury F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Hull City A.F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. players English Football League players English football managers Hartlepool United F.C. managers York City F.C. managers English Football League managers National League (English football) managers Association football coaches Hartlepool United F.C. non-playing staff Bradford City A.F.C. non-playing staff York City F.C. non-playing staff Mansfield Town F.C. non-playing staff