Paul Darren Williams (born 26 March 1971) is an English professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former player who was until August 2022 academy director at

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

. As a player, he was a centre back and

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

from 1989 until 2005, playing domestically for Derby County, Lincoln City, Coventry City,

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

and Stoke City and in the USL A-League for

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

. Upon his retirement he moved into coaching, working in the academies at Southampton,

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

, Norwich City,

and with the

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

youth teams. He served

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...

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 is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...

late in the 2015–16 season. He has also managed Fredericksburg Gunners and has worked on the coaching staff of Swansea City,

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

, Aldershot Town and

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

Club career

Derby County

Born in

Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...

, Williams began his career as a forward with First Division club Derby County and after moving back into midfield he made his debut during the 1989–90 season, making 10 appearances and scoring his first goal for the club. By 1991, Derby had been relegated to the Second Division and Williams stepped up to score league 13 goals during the 1991–92 season, including a memorable hattrick in a 3–1 victory over

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

on 29 February 1992. His goals helped the Rams to a place in the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, but the club's season ended after defeat to Blackburn Rovers in the semi-finals. By 1993, Williams had been converted into a central defender and he helped the team to 1994 First Division playoff Final, but Derby were denied a place in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

by Leicester City and he found himself partly at fault for one of the Foxes' goals. He remained at the Baseball Ground until the end of the 1994–95 season, when a 9th-place finish saw Derby fail to qualify for the

. Williams made 195 appearances and scored 33 goals during six seasons with the Rams.

Lincoln City (loan)

Williams joined Fourth Division club Lincoln City on loan on 9 November 1989 and made the first professional appearances of his career in a six-match spell at Sincil Bank.

Coventry City

Williams moved up to the Premier League to sign with Coventry City in August 1995 for a £750,000 fee. ( A different Paul Williams was on Coventry's books the previous season.) He was the Highfield Road club's Player of the Year in his debut season and remained at the club for a further five years before being released in September 2001. Williams made 199 appearances and scored six goals for Coventry City, including the winner in a 2–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the 1996–97 season, which preserved the Sky Blues' Premier League status.

Southampton

Williams reunited with his former Coventry City manager Gordon Strachan at Premier League club

on 26 October 2001, signing on a short-term loan with a view to a permanent move. He made his debut the following day as a first half substitute for Claus Lundekvam during a 2–1 defeat to

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

. After signing on a permanent deal the following week, Williams was a near ever-present during the remainder of the 2001–02 season, making 30 appearances. Injuries disrupted Williams' 2002–03 season, which proved to be a memorable campaign for the Saints, reaching the 2003 FA Cup Final (qualifying for the

UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

) and finishing 8th in the Premier League. Williams' final involvement with the first team was as an unused substitute during the Cup Final, which was lost 1–0 to

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. Williams was released in June 2003, after making 43 appearances during two seasons at St Mary's.

Stoke City

After angering

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

manager Colin Lee by reneging on a deal in principle to join the First Division club for the 2003–04 season, Williams joined rivals Stoke City on 18 August 2003. He made 20 appearances during the 2003–04 season and injuries reduced his appearances to none in 2004–05, which led to his release on 1 February 2005.

Later years

In April 2005, Williams joined United Soccer League Division One club

, where he made five appearances in a short spell. In October 2006, it was announced that Williams had joined Midland Alliance club

Rocester Rocester is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Its name is spelt ''Rowcestre'' in the Domesday Book. It is located on the Derbyshire border. Geography The village is about north of Utto ...

, but the deal collapsed.

International career

Williams won six caps for the England U21 team in 1991. He made three appearances at the 1991 Toulon Tournament, started in a 2–1 friendly victory over

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and played in two 1992 European U21 Championship qualifiers.

Managerial and coaching career

Williams was announced as head coach of

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

expansion club Fredericksburg Gunners in December 2006. He was replaced by Cristian Neagu in February 2007, before the 2007 season began. Williams served as a youth development coach at Championship club

between 2006 and 2008. On 14 October 2009, Williams was installed as assistant to

and former Southampton teammate Jason Dodd at League Two club Aldershot Town. The pair presided over four matches and departed after a 2–0

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

second round victory over Bury on 7 November. Williams re-joined former club Southampton as a part-time youth coach at the club's

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in 2009 and was promoted to the full-time role of Youth Development Coach in July 2011. He managed the U13 team, served as assistant to U18 manager Jason Dodd and coached specialist sessions for teams between U14 and U18 level. Dodd and Williams were dismissed from their roles on 20 May 2014. Dodd and Williams presided over a productive era for the Saints academy, with future

2014 World Cup squad member

Luke Shaw Luke Paul Hoare Shaw (born 12 July 1995) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left-back for club Manchester United F.C., Manchester United and the England national football team, England national team. Ori ...

and Premier League starters Calum Chambers, James Ward-Prowse, Harrison Reed, and Sam Gallagher graduating. Williams was first team coach at

Hampshire Premier League The Hampshire Premier League or uhlsport Hampshire Premier League, for sponsorship reasons, is a football (soccer), football competition based in Hampshire, England. The league was formed in 2007 and currently consists of a 'Senior Division' of ...

club Team Solent during the 2010–11 season. Williams was announced as assistant manager/first team coach under Ian Baird at Conference South club Eastleigh on 2 June 2011. On 1 July, it was announced that Williams had left the club. Williams linked up with Jason Dodd as part of the backroom team at Conference South club Gosport Borough in January 2015. He left the club at the end of the 2014–15 season. In July 2015, Williams joined Championship club

as logistics manager and became assistant to new head coach and former Derby County and Coventry City teammate Lee Carsley on 28 September. After the appointment of Dean Smith as the Bees' new head coach two months later, Williams was replaced as assistant by Richard O'Kelly and reverted to a coaching role with the Development Squad. He left the club in December 2015. On 28 July 2015, Williams was announced as an assistant coach with the England U15 and U16 teams. He later became assistant to England U20 manager Aidy Boothroyd early in the 2016–17 season and took over as interim manager of the team in September 2016. He managed the U20s to victory in the 2016 Four Nations tournament and to a runners-up finish in the 2016 Continental Cup and left the role in mid-November 2016. Williams was appointed temporary U18 head coach for a

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

and friendly match versus Wales U18 in September 2021. On 17 December 2015, Williams was named first team coach at

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 sys ...

club

. On 13 March 2016, he was named manager until the end of the 2015–16 season, following the termination of Dougie Freedman's contract on the same day. Williams took charge of his first game two days later, a 1–1 draw away to Hull City. He guided the club to a 16th-place finish and departed the City Ground on 12 May 2016. Williams joined Premier League club Swansea City as assistant to manager

Bob Bradley Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American association football, soccer coach, who most recently managed Norwegian football team Stabæk Fotball, Stabæk fron 2023 - 2024. A native of New Jersey and graduate of Princeton Universi ...

on 16 November 2016. Following Bradley's sacking and the appointment of

Paul Clement Paul Drew Clement (born June 24, 1966) is an American attorney who served as United States Solicitor General, U.S. Solicitor General from 2005 to 2008 and is known for his advocacy before the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Cou ...

as manager on 3 January 2017, Williams was placed on gardening leave. On 18 September 2017, Williams joined Championship club

as assistant first team coach. With the club in the relegation zone, he left the club when manager Steve Cotterill was sacked in March 2018. Between July 2018 and August 2019, Williams served as assistant to

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

head coach Michael Johnson. The pair qualified the team for its first-ever CONCACAF Gold Cup. Between September 2018 and January 2019, Williams served Championship club West Bromwich Albion as an opposition

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

. On 21 January 2019, Williams was appointed head coach of Championship club Norwich City's U18 team. He departed the role for personal reasons in February 2020. In February 2020, Williams joined Phoenix Sport & Media and took a consultancy role "to help educate and guide players to deal with off-pitch matters including mental health and financial education". On 1 March 2021, Williams joined Championship club

as first team coach under new manager Darren Moore. He left the club for personal reasons on 20 July 2021. He spent the 2021–22 season as Birmingham City's academy director. On 23 August 2024, Williams joined Ben Futcher's interim backroom staff with the England U21s.

Career statistics

Managerial statistics

Honours

Manager

England U20 * Four Nations Tournament: 2016

Individual

* Coventry City Player of the Year: 1995–96

References

External links