Warren James Feeney (born 17 January 1981) is a football manager and former Northern Ireland international
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 ...
, who is currently manager of
Welling United
Welling United Football Club is a professional football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The club's first team play in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football.
History
Welling United Foot ...
.
In making his debut for the
Northern Ireland national team, he became the third generation of his family to receive an international
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
, after his father
Warren Feeney, Sr. and grandfather
Jim Feeney.
Honours Bulgarian championship title.
Bulgaria championship manager of year 20/21
Irish league manager of month December 2014, March 2015
Playing career
Early career
Feeney attended
Ashfield Boys' High School. He started his career when he joined St Andrews, once scoring 54 goals in one season. He signed as a trainee with
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
, in 1998, but never made the league side and was loaned out to
AFC Bournemouth in 2001.
AFC Bournemouth
After 10 loan games, the loan to Bournemouth became permanent and he finally played in 108 games for Bournemouth, scoring 36 goals, before leaving at the end of the 2003–04 season.
Stockport County
He joined
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional 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 were renamed Stockport Co ...
from Bournemouth for a fee of £45,000, making over 30 appearances for them, and scoring 15 goals, but in spite of his contribution the club were relegated at the end of the season.
Luton Town
Feeney moved on to
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
for £150,000. He did not have a great start to his Luton career, scoring only 6 goals in 30 starts and 18 substitute appearances in the
2005–06 season, and although he finally clocked up 77 appearances in all, he only managed a haul of 8 goals in total, and in March 2007, he was allowed to join
Cardiff City on loan
Cardiff City
![Warren Feeney](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Warren_Feeney.jpg)
At the end of his loan spell at
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
he agreed a three-year deal with the club, but he failed to find the net in a competitive game, his only goal coming in a pre-season friendly against Dutch side
FC Twente
Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedese ...
. However, considering the deal he had just signed it was perhaps surprising when he was loaned to
Swansea City for four months from 21 August 2007
Swansea City
He scored his first goal for Swansea on 2 October, in a 2–1 win over
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional 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 the County Ground sin ...
and began to establish himself in the side, scoring 5 goals in ten matches, but on 15 December, while playing for Swansea in a match against
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 ...
he sustained injury to an ankle ligament after a heavy tackle by
Lewis Hunt. His injury ended his opportunity of a permanent switch to Swansea, who had already held talks with Cardiff about a permanent deal.
Warren's grandfather,
Jim Feeney had also played for Swansea in the 1940s, and also won international caps for Northern Ireland – they were the first grandfather/grandson to have played for the Swans.
In January 2008, Swansea manager
Roberto Martínez
Roberto Martínez Montoliu (born 13 July 1973) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player, currently as head coach of the Portugal national team.
Martínez played as a defensive midfielder and began his career at Real Zaragoza ...
put an end to the transfer speculation by stating that "it is going to be very, very difficult to agree something over Warren" meaning that he will not be moving to them in January but Martínez also mentioned that a summer move would not be out of the question.
Cardiff City
Back at Cardiff, he returned from the injury in March 2008, coming on as a 90th-minute substitute for
Paul Parry during a 1–0 win over
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
but suffered another injury two weeks later during a 0–0 with
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 pl ...
which ended his season.
Dundee United
In July 2008, Feeney joined fellow Cardiff City player
Willo Flood
William Robert Flood (born 10 April 1985) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He earned 15 caps for his country at under-20 and under-21 levels. He represented eight clubs in England and Scotland including Ma ...
on loan at
Scottish Premier League side
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
. In only his third friendly game for Dundee United, he scored a hat-trick against
Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leagu ...
at
Stark's Park, although he did not score his first competitive goal until November. He went on to score 6 league goals for the Scottish club by the end of the season, only for a groin injury to put an end to his loan spell.
Return to Cardiff
After returning to Cardiff again his injury woes continued, and in July 2009 it was reported on the BBC website that Feeney would miss the start of the 2009–10 season as he would undergo hip surgery, he would also miss vital
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
games for
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
.
This problem was believed to have come to light during a medical with
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 ...
side
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
, the club where he started his career, but after failing this medical the move was called off.
He returned to action for Cardiff on 17 October 2009, when came on as a substitute for
Chris Burke during a 1–1 draw with
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
.
Sheffield Wednesday
On 26 November 2009, Feeney joined Championship side
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
on loan until the end of December. Cardiff manager
Dave Jones stated that Feeney would return to Cardiff at the end of his loan spell after only playing 13 minutes for Sheffield Wednesday, during which time the manager who signed him,
Brian Laws
Brian Laws (born 14 October 1961) is an English former professional footballer and manager.
Playing as a defender, Laws made over 100 appearances for each of Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest. In 1994, Laws became player-manager of ...
, was sacked after a string of poor results.
Oldham Athletic
Following Cardiff's playoff final defeat, the club released five players, including Feeney. On 14 July 2010, Feeney joined
Football League One side
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 be ...
. He scored his first and only goal for the club in a
FA Cup first round match on 6 November 2010 against
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete his ...
. On 3 August 2011, he had his contract terminated.
Plymouth Argyle
Feeney signed a one-year contract with
Plymouth Argyle in August 2011. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw at
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 ...
and scored his first goal in a 2–0 win against
Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020.
Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 ...
.
Having made 30 appearances in his first season with Argyle,
Feeney signed a one-year contract extension in May 2012. He scored a further three goals in 22 appearances in 2012–13 before a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the campaign.
Feeney was released at the end of the season,
but returned on trial in July to try and earn a new contract, and scored in one of the club's friendly matches.
Salisbury City
He joined
Salisbury City on 20 July 2013 as
player-assistant manager to new manager Mikey Harris. He left the club at the end of the 2013–14 season, after becoming manager of
Linfield.
Return to playing
Following the end of his professional career, Feeney often featured in games for charity organisation the Argyle Legends, a side made up of players all with a link to
Plymouth Argyle.
In January 2019, Feeney represented
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
at the
2019 Star Sixes tournament. Later that month it was revealed that Feeney had signed for
Cornish side
Callington Town, of the
South West Peninsula League
The South West Peninsula League (SWPL) is a football competition in England, which was formed in 2007 from the merger of the Devon County League and the South Western League. The league is restricted to clubs based in Cornwall, Devon and West ...
; the
10th level of English football.
International career
Feeney is a former
Northern Ireland international. He won 46 caps playing for his country, and also made eight appearances at under-21 level. He scored his first international goal against
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
in September 2005, also netting in a friendly against
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 ...
. His third goal came against
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
in the
Euro 2008
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of Europea ...
Qualifier, heading an equaliser in the 61st minute. In April 2009, Feeney scored his fifth and final international goal, the only goal of the game as Northern Ireland beat
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
1–0 in a World Cup Qualifier.
International goals
''Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first. ''
Managerial career
Linfield
On 26 April 2014, it was announced that Feeney would replace
David Jeffrey as manager of
NIFL Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
side
Linfield in his native city of
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
, Northern Ireland. He officially took charge of the club on 1 May 2014, signing a two-year contract. Feeney later decided to combine his managerial role at the club with playing duties. He made his debut in a pre-season friendly against
Loughgall
Loughgall ( ; ) is a small village, townland (of 131 acres) and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the historic baronies of Armagh and Oneilland West. It had a population of 282 people (116 households) in the 2011 Censu ...
on 24 June 2014, which Linfield won 2–1. His competitive debut as a player came at "
Big Two
Big two (also known as deuces, capsa, pusoy dos, dai di and various other names) is a card game of Cantonese origin. It is similar to the games of winner, daifugō, president, crazy eights, cheat, and other shedding games. The game is very pop ...
" rivals
Glentoran
Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882.
History
Early history
In 1914, Glentoran won the Vienna Cup, becoming the first United Kingdom team to win a European t ...
with Feeney coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 win.
His cousin,
Lee Feeney, played for the club in two different spells between 1997–1999 and 2002–2003.
Newport County
On 6 October 2015 Feeney was appointed as assistant manager to
John Sheridan at
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
Newport County.
On 15 January 2016 Feeney was promoted to be the club's manager following Sheridan's move to Oldham.
Andy Todd was appointed as his assistant manager.
Feeney ensured a good start to his tenure with a run of six wins in his first 11 games, gaining 21 points, and 21 points of a possible 36. As the season continued however, results then worsened, ending the season with a winless run of 11 games. Newport finished the season in 22nd place in League Two, avoiding relegation.
Newport started the 2016–17 season poorly with Newport County bottom of League Two by September, and after defeats against Grimsby and relegation rivals Cambridge United, Newport only had one win, and 6 points, from their opening 9 matches of the 2016–17 season.
Feeney and Todd were sacked by Newport on 28 September 2016.
Newport captain Scott Bennett expressed his disappointment,
stating he was "gutted" at the news of Feeney's departure. Feeney met Newport again in League Two the following season as assistant manager of Crawley, losing the fixture 2–1.
A South Wales Argust columnist remarked one year on that Feeney thought the Newport board had been hasty in sacking him, given that his successor
Graham Westley
Graham Neil Westley (born 4 March 1968) is an English former professional footballer and manager who was most recently manager of League Two club Stevenage.
Westley's playing career, spent mostly as a striker in non-League football, was curt ...
was sacked and
Mike Flynn went on to lead the side to a spell of good form.
Crawley Town and Notts County
On 25 May 2017, Feeney was appointed assistant manager to
Harry Kewell
Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. His most recent role as a club manager was at English National League side Barnet, and he is currently a first team coach at Celtic F ...
at
Crawley Town
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team com ...
. The duo led the side to a 14th-place finish in League Two for 2017–18.
The pair departed Crawley for Notts County in controversial fashion in August 2018, with some claiming Notts County were "raiding" the side of its best players including
Enzio Boldewijn and
Robert Milsom, after only 15 months in charge.
On 13 November 2018, Kewell and Feeney both left
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
. The pair were only given ten weeks in charge of the side, winning only three of their fourteen fixtures.
Ards
In February 2019 Feeney returned to Northern Ireland as manager of
NIFL Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
side
Ards
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin color ...
. Feeney's father Warren Sr, grandfather, and his cousins Lee and Cullen have all played for the side during their careers. He appointed his cousin and former Ards forward
Lee Feeney
He began the 2019–20 season well, leading the side off the bottom of the table for the first time in months and managing a 3–1 victory against Newry to put the club in the 11th-placed play-off slot. He nearly ensured survival for Ards after a late run to secure 13 points from the last nine games but could not turn the season around.
The side dropped down to the
NIFL Championship
The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championshi ...
in 2019-20 after losing a promotion/relegation play-off to
Carrick Rangers
Carrick Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1939, hails from Carrickfergus, County Antrim and plays its home matches at
Taylors Avenue which is known as ...
.
In May 2019 Feeney signed a two-year contract extension.
OFC Pirin Blagoevgrad
Feeney joined Bulgarian second division side OFC Pirin Blagoevgrad as manager in November 2019 after a recommendation by an English former teammate who was assisting the side in their recruitment process. The side has recently been acquired by Dubai-based owners who are planning investment in the Bulgarian side.
Feeney was joined at the side by fellow Irish footballer
Conor Henderson
Conor Alan Henderson (born 8 September 1991) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
Career
Arsenal
A product of the Arsenal Academy, Henderson came to prominence during the Gunners' 2008–09 FA Youth Cup, 2008–09 P ...
who has been with the club since August 2017.
Feeney went on to lead Pirin Blagoevgrad to the league title and promotion to the A group of Bulgarian football. In early December 2021, Feeney and his technical team were released from Pirin following a cost cutting strategy at the club.
Welling United
On 14 March 2022, a day after the departure of
Peter Taylor Peter Taylor may refer to:
Arts
* Peter Taylor (writer) (1917–1994), American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
* Peter Taylor (film editor) (1922–1997), English film editor, winner of an Academy Award for Film Editing
Politi ...
, Feeney was appointed manager of
Welling United
Welling United Football Club is a professional football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The club's first team play in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football.
History
Welling United Foot ...
.
Managerial statistics
Honours
As a Manager
Pirin Blagoevgrad
*
Second Professional Football League
The Bulgarian Second Professional Football League ( bg, Втора професионална футболна лига, Vtora Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as Second League ( bg, Втора Лига) or Vtora liga, is the second level ...
:
2020–21
Individual
*Second Professional Football League Manager of the Year: 2020–21
References
External links
Warren Feeney player profileat cardiffcityfc.co.uk
Official Dundee United website profile->
*
Northern Ireland statsat Irish FA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feeney, Warren
1981 births
Living people
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...
Association footballers from Belfast
People educated at Ashfield Boys' High School
Association footballers from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland international footballers
Association football forwards
Leeds United F.C. players
AFC Bournemouth players
Stockport County F.C. players
Luton Town F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
Swansea City A.F.C. players
Dundee United F.C. players
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players
Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
Salisbury City F.C. players
English Football League players
Scottish Premier League players
Linfield F.C. players
Football managers from Northern Ireland
Linfield F.C. managers
Newport County A.F.C. non-playing staff
Newport County A.F.C. managers
Crawley Town F.C. non-playing staff
Notts County F.C. non-playing staff
PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad managers
Ards F.C. managers
Welling United F.C. managers
Expatriate football managers from Northern Ireland
Expatriate football managers in Bulgaria