Ian Simon Woan (born 14 December 1967) is an English football coach and 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 ...

who is assistant manager of

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 Fo ...

side Everton. As a player, he was a

left winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

who notably played in the

for

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 ...

, where he overall played a decade at the

City Ground The City Ground is a football stadium in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898 and has a capacity of 30,445. The stadium was a venue when En ...

, winning two promotions and playing in the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

. He also had brief spells in the Football League with Barnsley,

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

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 well as time in Major League Soccer with

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

and

Miami Fusion The Miami Fusion was a professional soccer team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They played in Major League Soccer (MLS) for four seasons, from 1998 to 2001. Announced in 1997 as one of the league's first two expansion teams, their best seas ...

before finishing his career with lower-league stateside team Syracuse Salty Dogs although in 2007 he briefly came out of retirement with Hucknall Town. Prior to his professional career he had played in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

with

Caernarfon Town Caernarfon Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl Droed Tref Caernarfon) is a semi-professional Welsh football club based in Caernarfon, Gwynedd. The club is nicknamed "the Canaries" because of its yellow and green strip, a nickname that dates from ...

and Newtown and with non-league sides

Heswall Heswall is a town on the Wirral, Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census, the population was 16,012, including the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 it was part of the administr ...

and

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...

. Following retirement, Woan returned to Swindon Town as a youth team coach before joining

Rushden & Diamonds Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town F.C., Ke ...

as a first team coach. He returned to Forest as a youth team coach in 2007 before joining

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, where in 2009 he took over as caretaker manager. He has since held the role of assistant manager at

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

before joining Burnley. He parted company with Burnley on 15 April 2022. On 30th January 2023, Woan was appointed assistant manager of Everton.

Playing career

Early career

Born in

, Cheshire, Woan started his career in 1985 at Everton but never made a start for the then First Division club. He spent five years playing in the lower leagues, including spells at

, Welsh sides

and Newtown, and

. His big break came, aged 22, when on 14 March 1990 he joined first division side

for a fee of £80,000.

Nottingham Forest

Woan did not make an appearance for the Midlanders in the latter half of the 1989–90 season, his debut coming almost ten months after joining the club. He made his first appearance on 2 January 1991 as a substitute in a 6–2 victory over

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

and went on to make 12 appearances that season, scoring three league goals. He started the

1991 FA Cup Final The 1991 FA Cup Final saw Tottenham Hotspur win the FA Cup for a then-record eighth time, by beating Nottingham Forest 2–1 at Wembley in the 110th FA Cup Final. Tottenham's triumph made them the first club to win the trophy eight times, tho ...

against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

, and was taken off after 63 minutes for

Steve Hodge Stephen Brian Hodge (born 25 October 1962) is an English retired footballer who played as a midfielder. He enjoyed a high-profile club and international career in the 1980s and 1990s, the high point being reaching the 1986 World Cup quarter fin ...

. Forest went on to lose the match in extra time. On 20 April 1992, Woan scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, as United's title challenge imploded in the run-in of the last season of the old First Division. Praised for his languid left foot, attacking flair, crossing and shooting ability, but questioned over his lack of pace, Woan established himself as one of the most prominent figures in the Forest team. Forest finished in third place in the 1994–95 season, booking a

place for the following year. In the fifth round of the 1995–96 FA Cup, Woan scored two long-range free-kicks, the second from an acute angle, to secure a 2–2 draw with Tottenham. Woan later said "I knew I wouldn't stand a chance f taking the free kickshad Stuart earcenot been injured. I've tried that he second free-kicka hundred times and it always ends up in the Trent!" Forest went on to win the replay at

White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater it had a capacity of 36,284 before demolition. ...

3–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw, with Woan converting his spot kick. Forest made it to the quarter-finals of both the FA Cup and UEFA Cup in 1995–96 but finished 9th in the league and failed to qualify for Europe. In the penultimate game of the season, Forest faced Newcastle United, who were still hoping to secure their first

title. In an echo of his late intervention in 1992, Woan scored a long distance effort and the game finished 1–1. The title subsequently went to Manchester United. Following manager Frank Clark's departure in December 1996, Woan's Forest career began to suffer although the winger was the only player to play for the Reds in each year of the 1990s. During his ten-year spell at the club, Woan made 189 league appearances – as well as 32 substitute appearance – delivering 31 goals during his time.

Later career

Upon leaving Forest in 2000, and after a short trial with Bolton Wanderers, Woan signed for

and in the 2000/01 season, producing three goals from 25 appearances. A year later Woan found himself joining American team

. Married to an American wife, the then 33-year-old winger endured a difficult season in Major League Soccer with the team winning just two of their eight opening matches. This led to the replacing of manager Tom Fitzgerald, the man who had secured Woan's contract in America. At the end of the season, Woan was traded to the

and finished his MLS career with them. In 2002, Woan returned to England and signed for struggling

, who were at the bottom of the Third Division. Woan teamed up with ex-Forest striker

Nigel Jemson Nigel Bradley Jemson (born 10 August 1969) is an English footballer, who represented his country at under-21 level and was the player-manager of Ilkeston Town until May 2008. He finished his career at Rainworth Miners Welfare in the Norther ...

and the pair notably inspired the Shrews to one of their greatest ever results. The

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

outfit defeated Everton – who featured a young

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while ...

– in January 2003 in the third round of the

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 ...

, with Jemson scoring twice. It was Woan's last minute cross that ensured the

side's fate, but the Shrews were knocked out of the competition 4–0 by

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 ...

the next round in a televised match. Shrewsbury were relegated that season and Woan returned to America. Woan then joined the Syracuse Salty Dogs of the A-League (the U.S. second tier) and competed in another season in the States before deciding to return to England.

Coaching career

Woan headed back to Swindon Town, taking charge of the under 18 side at the County Ground until deciding to move to

as first team coach for

Paul Hart Paul Anthony Hart (born 4 May 1953) is an English football manager, coach, and former professional player who made 567 appearances in the Football League as a defender. The son of Johnny Hart, who played for and managed Manchester City, ...

in July 2006. Following the sacking of Hart later on in 2006, Woan then returned to Nottingham Forest, charged with coaching some of the youngsters coming through the Forest Academy. In March 2007 he was signed for Hucknall Town by one-time teammate Andy Legg, but didn't play in any games. On 7 July 2007, Premier League outfit

announced that Woan had joined as coach of their Under-18s. In November 2009, he was appointed joint caretaker manager at Portsmouth along with Paul Groves, following the dismissal of Hart. His appointment only lasted several days, and he moved aside for the arrival of

Avram Grant Avraham "Avram" Grant ( he, אברהם "אברם" גרנט; born Avraham Granat; ) is an Israeli professional football manager. He has spent the majority of his career coaching and managing in Israel, winning a number of national league and cup ...

as the full-time manager. In the summer of 2010, following the departure of Grant to

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 the appointment of

Steve Cotterill Stephen John Cotterill (born 20 July 1964) is an English former footballer who played as a striker. He is currently the manager of side Shrewsbury Town. Cotterill had a nine-year career as a footballer playing for Burton Albion, Wimbledon, ...

as the new Portsmouth manager, Woan was appointed first team coach. In June 2011, he joined

as assistant manager. In the summer of 2012, Woan and Tony Loughlan departed Watford after

Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He was most recently the assistant manager of Chelsea. He spent the first decade of his playing career playing i ...

's appointment as manager. On 30 October 2012, Woan linked up with former management partner

Sean Dyche Sean Mark Dyche (; born 28 June 1971) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of Burnley. During his playing career, Dyche played as a centre-back, making his professional debut in 1990 ...

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...

. Woan was dismissed along with Dyche on 15 April 2022. On 30th January 2023, Woan was appointed assistant manager of Everton.

Personal life

He is the son of Alan Woan who also played professionally, most notably for

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

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 ...

and

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woan, Ian 1967 births People from Heswall Living people Men's association football midfielders English footballers Manchester City F.C. players Heswall F.C. players Caernarfon Town F.C. players Newtown A.F.C. players Runcorn F.C. Halton players Nottingham Forest F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players Columbus Crew players Miami Fusion players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Syracuse Salty Dogs players Hucknall Town F.C. players National League (English football) players Premier League players English Football League players Major League Soccer players A-League (1995–2004) players Portsmouth F.C. non-playing staff Portsmouth F.C. managers Watford F.C. non-playing staff Burnley F.C. non-playing staff Everton F.C. non-playing staff English expatriate footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States English expatriate sportspeople in the United States English football managers FA Cup final players