Simon Davey (born 1 October 1970 in
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
) is a Welsh 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 ...
and
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 bega ...
. He is now Head Director of a youth club in America called
Southern Soccer Academy. He played for
Swansea City,
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 ...
and
Preston North End and had a short loan spell with
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
, making a total of 271 appearances 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 ...
. After retiring as a player, he spent eight years as a coach at Preston, before going on to manage
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 ...
, Darlington and, until October 2010,
Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
.
Playing career
In 1987, Davey made his League debut for Swansea City at the age of 16 against Torquay United and became the second youngest player ever to play for the Swans. Davey went on to make 58 appearances, scoring 5 goals in 4 years, as a midfielder. During this 4-year period he earned a Welsh Cup Winners medal and also gained European experience, playing in the Cup Winners Cup against Monaco, the French Cup winners, and Panathanaikos, the Greek champions.
In August 1992, he went from Swansea to
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 ...
on a free transfer. Within a few games, at the age of 22, he took over as team
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 ...
and led the club for a further 2 years and 5 months. In the
1993–94 season he played every game earning recognition amongst his fellow professionals by being selected for the
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members.
The aims of ...
(PFA) Team of the Season, an award voted for by all the professional players in the Football League. He also challenged for the title of leading scorer, eventually finishing second to
David Reeves with a tally of 13. Carlisle United supporters voted one of these goals, a 35-yard free-kick against
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 ...
, as their second best goal of all time. Davey went on to make 132 appearances for the club and scored a total of 23 goals. In February 1995 Davey was sold to
Preston North End for £125,000. At the end of that season, Carlisle won the Division Three Championship and although Davey had already left the club he had played the minimum requirement of 26 games to qualify for a Championship medal.
At Preston, Davey earned a consecutive championship medal when Preston North End won the divisional title, Davey made his full home league debut in midfield alongside a youngster on loan from
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 ...
who arrived to make his league debut too,
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...
. They played 5 games together, Beckham scored his first league goal when the novice asked Davey if he could have a go at a free-kick Davey was planning to take; Davey stepped aside and let him have it. Davey went on to score 22 times in 122 games for Preston and was named in the PFA Team of the Season in 1995. While with the club, he also made 11 loan appearances for
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
. Davey's playing career was cut short at the age of 27 following a back injury while training with a medicine ball.
Managerial career
After retiring, Preston manager
David Moyes
David William Moyes ( ; born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Premier League club West Ham United. He was previously the manager of Preston North End, Everton, Manches ...
gave Davey a chance at coaching with the club and within a short time Davey was in charge of Preston's Youth Academy, later moving to the Youth Academy 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 part of his coaching education, he gained the UEFA C Licence, the UEFA B Licence, the UEFA A Licence and the
UEFA Pro Licence
UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are iss ...
in 2005 as well as the Academy Managers licence and the UEFA Youth Licence.
Davey was appointed
caretaker manager
In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular Manager (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...
of Barnsley in November 2006, following
Andy Ritchie's dismissal. After a successful start he was given the job on a permanent basis at the end of the year, and later led the club to a successful fight against relegation at the end of the
2006–07 season. He later signed a four-year contract in December 2007 after an impressive start to the following season. Two months later, he led the club to a shock
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 ...
win at
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and 3 weeks after that, led them to victory over
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
to take the club into the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium for the first time in 96 years, before losing to
Cardiff City. Davey successfully kept Barnsley in the Championship for 3 consecutive seasons. On Saturday 29 August 2009, Davey's contract was terminated by mutual consent.
On 1 April 2010, Davey was appointed manager of
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 ...
club
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
, following the dismissal of
Steve Staunton
Stephen Staunton (born 19 January 1969) is an Irish football manager, scout and former professional footballer.
He played as a defender (association football), defender with two separate spells each with Premier League sides Aston Villa F.C., A ...
.
On 16 June 2010,
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
chairman Raj Singh issued a statement on the club website informing fans that Davey had quit the club for personal reasons, despite being widely tipped to take over as
Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
manager. Hereford United confirmed the appointment of Davey as the club's new manager on a two-year deal on 22 June 2010.
Coaching Youth in the United States
In May 2012, Davey began to coach youth kids for a club called
Southern Soccer Academy. The club is a Chelsea Affiliate and has teams in every age in both boys and girls, including an U-23 team.
Honours
As player
Swansea City
*
Welsh Cup
The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most ...
: 1991
*West Wales Senior Cup: 1987, 1990, 1991
Carlisle United
*
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 the f ...
:
1994–95
Preston North End
*
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 the f ...
:
1995–96
Managerial statistics
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davey, Simon
1970 births
Living people
Footballers from Swansea
Welsh footballers
Association football midfielders
Swansea City A.F.C. players
Carlisle United F.C. players
Preston North End F.C. players
Darlington F.C. players
English Football League players
Welsh football managers
Barnsley F.C. managers
Darlington F.C. managers
Hereford United F.C. managers
English Football League managers
People educated at Olchfa School
Association football coaches