Guðjón Þórðarson
Encyclopedia
Guðjón Þórðarson (born 14 September 1955) is an Iceland
ic former footballer and the current manager
of Grindavík
.
He has previously been manager of ÍA
, KA
, KR
, Keflavík
, Notts County
, Iceland
, Stoke City
, Barnsley
, Start
in Norway
, Crewe Alexandra
and provincial Icelandic club BÍ/Bolungarvík
, from which he was sacked in October 2011 after having guided the team to a 6th place finish in the B division and a semi-finals spot in the league cup, during his year in charge. On 7th November 2011 he was appointed new manager of Grindavík
, succeeding Ólafur Örn Bjarnason
, that had been manager and player of the club for one year, but resigned as manager so he could fully focus on his performance on the pitch.
Þórðarson has three sons who also play professional football, namely: Bjarni
, Joey
and Þórður Guðjónsson
.
to become manager of KA Akureyri
in 1988. The team won its first and only league title very surprisingly in 1989. That has to be known as a big achievement for Guðjón given the players he had in his squad.
, Iceland's oldest and most successful club, appointed Guðjón after the 1993 season. The team had not won the Icelandic league for more than 20 years and Guðjón was seen as the right man to win the title. He did not win the league in his two year stint at the club, but the team did however win the Cup
on both occasions 1994 and 1995.
in 1996. After the season, actually late in November 1996 ÍA Akranes terminated his contract because of his conflict with his son Bjarni
. But Guðjón wasn't out of a job for too long. In June 1997 he took charge of the Icelandic national team
.
.
During the 3 years he was in charge, the team played 24 games, winning 10 of them, drawing 4 and losing 8. The team scored 35 goals in the process, conceding 23.
The team was close to qualifying to the European Championship in 2000, despite being placed in a very strong qualifying group alongside Ukraine
, Russia
and current world champions France
.
The game that took place at Stade de France was one that put Icelandic football to a higher standard. After being 2-0 down at half time, to come back too 2-2, and closely losing in additional time 3-2.
This result and ÍA's result under his command created the image of Guðjón as a competent football manager, albeit a tough and highly strung one.
of the club by an Icelandic consortium
, Stoke Holding
. Stoke was then in the second division. Gary Megson
was fired to make way for Guðjón, who had personally worked to put together Stoke Holding. Just 5 months after his takeover, Guðjón lead Stoke to the Auto Windscreen
trophy final to win over Bristol City
, at the old Wembley. Also becoming the first Icelandic to manage an English team to trophy victory. Stoke were consistently in the top 5 for the three years he stayed at the club despite failing to achieve promotion in the first two seasons after defeat in consecutive playoff semi finals. After two years Guðjón shortened his contract to the end of the 2001-2002 season, claiming if he did not get them promoted now, he was not the right man to do so. However it was to prove third time lucky as Stoke finally got beyond the playoff semi final beating Cardiff City
3-2 on aggregate(coming from 2-1 down from the home leg and claiming a famous 2-0 win at Ninian Park
), before they won promotion in final against Brentford
with a 2-0 win at the Millennium Stadium
.
There was a superstition called the south-end jinx at the Millennium Stadium, for no team had yet won a title in that dressing room before Stoke broke the hoodoo. Stoke also became the first team in the 5th league position to gain play-offs promotion. Guðjón's impending contract renewal was however terminated just 5 days after the promotion to Division 1 (now the Championship). It is said that this was a personal decision taken by club chairman Gunnar Gíslason. The fans ordered a campaign to wish for his immediate reasignment, but the protests of around 5000 people outside the club proved unsuccessful.
To this day Guðjón has one of the best managerial records at Stoke City and highest attendance average. Managing 154 matches, won 77, drew 39 and lost 38. So out of 462 points in the pot, 270 were gathered, or on average just over 1.7 points per game.
appointed Guðjón as manager in 2003. The club had a great start to the season, but his reign ended after a Peter Ridsdale takeover at the club. Guðjón was fired in 2004.
in 2005 and was appointed manager of Keflavik
. However, he quit just 3 days before the first game of the season to take charge of Notts County
.
in 2005. The team started very well, leading the table early on, but eventually failed to make the playoffs. Thordarson resigned his post at Notts County
in May 2006 after Notts County finished in 21st place in League Two and in 89th place overall, the lowest position the club had ever finished.. Thordarson became the club's first non-British
manager when he arrived at Meadow Lane in May 2005.
In June 2008 the media in Scotland
repeatedly linked Guðjón with the manager's post of Hearts F.C., with Terry Butcher
as his assistant, but Akranes officials insisted it was only rumours and he would stay put in Iceland. Gudjon himself did, however, confirm to an Icelandic news-site that discussions with Hearts had indeed taken place and that he was considering his options.
On 11 July, Hearts appointed Csaba Laszlo
as the new manager. Whether Guðjón had ever been a serious contender for the job is not known.
On 21 July, Guðjón was fired from his post at ÍA. The team's performance had been going straight downhill for weeks, but the final straw was a 1-6 defeat against Breiðablik. Guðjón was replaced by the brothers, Arnar Gunnlaugsson
and Bjarki Gunnlaugsson
.
side Crewe Alexandra
on 24 December 2008, as a permanent replacement for the recently sacked Steve Holland. However, previous caretaker manager Dario Gradi
remained in charge of the team for two games during the Christmas period, with Þórðarson taking over on 29 December.
Despite improvements on the pitch, which saw him win manager of the month for February he could not prevent the club from being relegated into League Two
. The poor form continued in the new season, and Þórðarson was sacked as Crewe manager on 2 October 2009.
On 13 May 2005 he resigned as manager of Keflavík
only a few days before the 2005 season began, because of unfulfilled financial and professional obligations. Keflavík
refuted those accusations. Guðjón had repeatedly refuted being in talks with English League 2
club Notts County at the time. However, one day after leaving his job, on 14 May 2005, he admitted being interested in the Notts County job, and was subsequently appointed manager of Notts County on 17 May 2005.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic former footballer and the current manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
of Grindavík
Knattspyrnudeild UMFG
Knattspyrnudeild UMFG, commonly known as Grindavík, is the football subdivision of the Ungmennafélag Grindavíkur athletic club located in the town of Grindavík in south-west Iceland.-History:...
.
He has previously been manager of ÍA
Íþróttabandalag Akraness
Íþróttabandalag Akraness is an Icelandic sports club founded in 1946 and based in the town of Akranes, west Iceland. Among the main sports its members can practice are basketball, football, golf, horsemanship, gymnastics, volleyball, bowling, karate, badminton, swimming and powerlifting...
, KA
Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar
Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar is a football club based in Akureyri in the north of Iceland.-Sports club:The club offers other sports apart from football, including judo and handball. Its main rival is another sports club in Akureyri named Þór...
, KR
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, , for short KR or KR Reykjavík, is an Icelandic athletic club based in the capital, Reykjavík. KR is the oldest and most successful club in Icelandic football.-History:...
, Keflavík
Keflavík Football Club
Keflavík Football Club is an Icelandic football team, commonly known as Keflavík. It is a subdivision of Keflavík ÍF , based in the town of Reykjanesbær in Iceland. They play at Nettó-völlur in Keflavík.-Competition history:Keflavík have played in the Icelandic football league since 1956...
, Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
, Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
, Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
, Start
I.K. Start
IK Start is a Norwegian football club from the town of Kristiansand, currently playing in Adeccoligaen having been relegated from Tippeligaen in 2011. The club was founded on 19 September 1905. The coach is Mons Ivar Mjelde...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
and provincial Icelandic club BÍ/Bolungarvík
BÍ/Bolungarvík
BÍ/Bolungarvík is an Icelandic football club formed from the merger of the football team Boltafélag Ísafjarðar and sports club UMF Bolungarvík in May 2006. They are from the neighboring towns of Ísafjörður and Bolungarvík in Westfjords, Iceland. In 2008 the team won promotion from the third...
, from which he was sacked in October 2011 after having guided the team to a 6th place finish in the B division and a semi-finals spot in the league cup, during his year in charge. On 7th November 2011 he was appointed new manager of Grindavík
Knattspyrnudeild UMFG
Knattspyrnudeild UMFG, commonly known as Grindavík, is the football subdivision of the Ungmennafélag Grindavíkur athletic club located in the town of Grindavík in south-west Iceland.-History:...
, succeeding Ólafur Örn Bjarnason
Ólafur Örn Bjarnason
Ólafur Örn Bjarnason is an Icelandic football defender, currently playing for Grindavík.-Club career:He started his career in Grindavík, and returned there after two years in Swedish club Malmö FF. In 2004, he moved from Grindavík to SK Brann in Bergen, Norway. His first season was successful, and...
, that had been manager and player of the club for one year, but resigned as manager so he could fully focus on his performance on the pitch.
Þórðarson has three sons who also play professional football, namely: Bjarni
Bjarni Guðjónsson
Bjarni Eggerts Guðjónsson is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays for KR Reykjavík. His position is midfielder. He has two brothers who have also played professional football, Þórður and Jóhannes. All three played together at Genk...
, Joey
Jóhannes Karl Guðjónsson
Jóhannes "Joey" Karl Guðjónsson commonly known as Joey Guðjónsson is an Icelandic professional footballer who currently plays for Huddersfield Town as a midfielder, and has 34 caps for the Iceland national team....
and Þórður Guðjónsson
Þórður Guðjónsson
Þórður Guðjónsson, also known as Doddi Gudjonsson, is a retired Icelandic footballer.Although Þórður is his proper name, he is often known as Þórður Guðjónsson.-Club career:...
.
Club career
Guðjón played over 400 matches for his hometown club, ÍA Akranes, scoring 22 goals in the process. In his career, Gudjon won 5 league titles and 5 cup titles. He also played 22 European games for ÍA Akranes.ÍA Akranes
Guðjón last season as a player was 1986 and his first coaching job was at ÍA Akranes in the 1987 season.KA Akureyri
Guðjón then left off to AkureyriAkureyri
Akureyri is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's second largest urban area and fourth largest municipality ....
to become manager of KA Akureyri
Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar
Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar is a football club based in Akureyri in the north of Iceland.-Sports club:The club offers other sports apart from football, including judo and handball. Its main rival is another sports club in Akureyri named Þór...
in 1988. The team won its first and only league title very surprisingly in 1989. That has to be known as a big achievement for Guðjón given the players he had in his squad.
ÍA Akranes
After being relegated in 1990, ÍA Akranes appointed Guðjón as manager. The team was promoted at first attempt, and subsequently won the Icelandic league the following year, in 1992. The team dominated Icelandic football the next few years and became league champions of Iceland for five years running, 1992-1996.KR Reykjavík
KR ReykjavikKnattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, , for short KR or KR Reykjavík, is an Icelandic athletic club based in the capital, Reykjavík. KR is the oldest and most successful club in Icelandic football.-History:...
, Iceland's oldest and most successful club, appointed Guðjón after the 1993 season. The team had not won the Icelandic league for more than 20 years and Guðjón was seen as the right man to win the title. He did not win the league in his two year stint at the club, but the team did however win the Cup
VISA-bikar
The Icelandic Cup is a knock-out football cup competition in Iceland. The final is played at Laugardalsvöllur at the end of the Icelandic season in October. The winners qualify for the UEFA Europa League.-Performance By Club:-Lost Finals By Club:...
on both occasions 1994 and 1995.
ÍA Akranes
Guðjón came back to Akranes after his spell at KR and guided the team to win the Icelandic league and the CupVISA-bikar
The Icelandic Cup is a knock-out football cup competition in Iceland. The final is played at Laugardalsvöllur at the end of the Icelandic season in October. The winners qualify for the UEFA Europa League.-Performance By Club:-Lost Finals By Club:...
in 1996. After the season, actually late in November 1996 ÍA Akranes terminated his contract because of his conflict with his son Bjarni
Bjarni Guðjónsson
Bjarni Eggerts Guðjónsson is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays for KR Reykjavík. His position is midfielder. He has two brothers who have also played professional football, Þórður and Jóhannes. All three played together at Genk...
. But Guðjón wasn't out of a job for too long. In June 1997 he took charge of the Icelandic national team
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
.
Iceland
Guðjón was very successful as manager of the Icelandic national teamIceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
.
During the 3 years he was in charge, the team played 24 games, winning 10 of them, drawing 4 and losing 8. The team scored 35 goals in the process, conceding 23.
The team was close to qualifying to the European Championship in 2000, despite being placed in a very strong qualifying group alongside Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
, Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
and current world champions France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
.
The game that took place at Stade de France was one that put Icelandic football to a higher standard. After being 2-0 down at half time, to come back too 2-2, and closely losing in additional time 3-2.
This result and ÍA's result under his command created the image of Guðjón as a competent football manager, albeit a tough and highly strung one.
Stoke City
Guðjón became Stoke City's first non-British manager in November 1999, when he joined the club following the takeoverTakeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company by another . In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to the acquisition of a private company.- Friendly takeovers :Before a bidder makes an offer for another...
of the club by an Icelandic consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
, Stoke Holding
Stoke Holding
Stoke Holding SA is a company created in 1999 headed by Icelandic businessman Magnus Kristinsson. The company is based in Luxembourg, and financed by an Icelandic bank....
. Stoke was then in the second division. Gary Megson
Gary Megson
Gary John Megson is an English former football player and is currently manager of Sheffield Wednesday.He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers...
was fired to make way for Guðjón, who had personally worked to put together Stoke Holding. Just 5 months after his takeover, Guðjón lead Stoke to the Auto Windscreen
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
trophy final to win over Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
, at the old Wembley. Also becoming the first Icelandic to manage an English team to trophy victory. Stoke were consistently in the top 5 for the three years he stayed at the club despite failing to achieve promotion in the first two seasons after defeat in consecutive playoff semi finals. After two years Guðjón shortened his contract to the end of the 2001-2002 season, claiming if he did not get them promoted now, he was not the right man to do so. However it was to prove third time lucky as Stoke finally got beyond the playoff semi final beating Cardiff City
Cardiff city
Cardiff City may refer to:* Cardiff city centre* Cardiff City Council* Cardiff City F.C.* Cardiff City L.F.C.* Cardiff City Stadium...
3-2 on aggregate(coming from 2-1 down from the home leg and claiming a famous 2-0 win at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
), before they won promotion in final against Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
with a 2-0 win at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
.
There was a superstition called the south-end jinx at the Millennium Stadium, for no team had yet won a title in that dressing room before Stoke broke the hoodoo. Stoke also became the first team in the 5th league position to gain play-offs promotion. Guðjón's impending contract renewal was however terminated just 5 days after the promotion to Division 1 (now the Championship). It is said that this was a personal decision taken by club chairman Gunnar Gíslason. The fans ordered a campaign to wish for his immediate reasignment, but the protests of around 5000 people outside the club proved unsuccessful.
To this day Guðjón has one of the best managerial records at Stoke City and highest attendance average. Managing 154 matches, won 77, drew 39 and lost 38. So out of 462 points in the pot, 270 were gathered, or on average just over 1.7 points per game.
Start
Guðjón signed a contract with Start in Kristiansand just through the end of the season to try to steer the club away from relegation. However relegation was inevitable. But at the time Guðjón spent there 5 of the young players in the squad were called up for the U21 Norway side for the first time.Barnsley
BarnsleyBarnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
appointed Guðjón as manager in 2003. The club had a great start to the season, but his reign ended after a Peter Ridsdale takeover at the club. Guðjón was fired in 2004.
Keflavík
Guðjón decided to return to IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
in 2005 and was appointed manager of Keflavik
Keflavík Football Club
Keflavík Football Club is an Icelandic football team, commonly known as Keflavík. It is a subdivision of Keflavík ÍF , based in the town of Reykjanesbær in Iceland. They play at Nettó-völlur in Keflavík.-Competition history:Keflavík have played in the Icelandic football league since 1956...
. However, he quit just 3 days before the first game of the season to take charge of Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
.
Notts County
Thordarson was appointed manager of Notts CountyNotts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
in 2005. The team started very well, leading the table early on, but eventually failed to make the playoffs. Thordarson resigned his post at Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
in May 2006 after Notts County finished in 21st place in League Two and in 89th place overall, the lowest position the club had ever finished.. Thordarson became the club's first non-British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
manager when he arrived at Meadow Lane in May 2005.
ÍA Akranes
ÍA Akranes had a difficult season in 2006, avoiding relegation in the last few weeks of the season. Guðjón was appointed manager ahead of the 2007 season, where the team finished 3rd in the league, with one of the leagues youngest teams and also scoring the 3rd most goals in the league.In June 2008 the media in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
repeatedly linked Guðjón with the manager's post of Hearts F.C., with Terry Butcher
Terry Butcher
Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career...
as his assistant, but Akranes officials insisted it was only rumours and he would stay put in Iceland. Gudjon himself did, however, confirm to an Icelandic news-site that discussions with Hearts had indeed taken place and that he was considering his options.
On 11 July, Hearts appointed Csaba Laszlo
Csaba László
Csaba László is a Romanian born Hungarian football manager and former player. He is the manager of Belgian Pro League club Charleroi SC. He is former manager of Scottish Premier League club...
as the new manager. Whether Guðjón had ever been a serious contender for the job is not known.
On 21 July, Guðjón was fired from his post at ÍA. The team's performance had been going straight downhill for weeks, but the final straw was a 1-6 defeat against Breiðablik. Guðjón was replaced by the brothers, Arnar Gunnlaugsson
Arnar Gunnlaugsson
Arnar Bergmann Gunnlaugsson is an Icelandic professional footballer playing for Fram Reykjavik. His position is forward. His twin brother is Bjarki Gunnlaugsson.-Club career:...
and Bjarki Gunnlaugsson
Bjarki Gunnlaugsson
Bjarki Bergmann Gunnlaugsson is an Icelandic professional footballer who currently plays for FH-Club career:After a period in English football at Preston North End FC, Bjarki joined up with his brother Arnar and they played together at KR Reykjavík when they came back home, played with the team...
.
Crewe Alexandra
He was announced as new manager of League OneFootball League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
on 24 December 2008, as a permanent replacement for the recently sacked Steve Holland. However, previous caretaker manager Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi MBE is an Italian-born English football manager and former player, who was serving as manager of the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. He is a former manager of Crewe Alexandra, with whom he has been associated for almost thirty years.Gradi is notable for his 24-year first spell as manager...
remained in charge of the team for two games during the Christmas period, with Þórðarson taking over on 29 December.
Despite improvements on the pitch, which saw him win manager of the month for February he could not prevent the club from being relegated into League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. The poor form continued in the new season, and Þórðarson was sacked as Crewe manager on 2 October 2009.
Career statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Stoke City Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
15 November 1999 | 15 May 2002 | 154 | 77 | 39 | 38 | |
| Barnsley Barnsley F.C. Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's... |
30 June 2003 | 4 March 2004 | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | |
| Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
17 June 2005 | 12 June 2006 | 50 | 13 | 16 | 21 | |
| Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra F.C. Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club... |
29 December 2008 | 2 October 2009 | 37 | 12 | 7 | 18 | |
| Total | 233 | 116 | 77 | 90 | |||
Controversies
Guðjón Þórðarson has been involved in many controversies in his career as a manager. He has often been involved in board difficulties.On 13 May 2005 he resigned as manager of Keflavík
Keflavík Football Club
Keflavík Football Club is an Icelandic football team, commonly known as Keflavík. It is a subdivision of Keflavík ÍF , based in the town of Reykjanesbær in Iceland. They play at Nettó-völlur in Keflavík.-Competition history:Keflavík have played in the Icelandic football league since 1956...
only a few days before the 2005 season began, because of unfulfilled financial and professional obligations. Keflavík
Keflavík Football Club
Keflavík Football Club is an Icelandic football team, commonly known as Keflavík. It is a subdivision of Keflavík ÍF , based in the town of Reykjanesbær in Iceland. They play at Nettó-völlur in Keflavík.-Competition history:Keflavík have played in the Icelandic football league since 1956...
refuted those accusations. Guðjón had repeatedly refuted being in talks with English League 2
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club Notts County at the time. However, one day after leaving his job, on 14 May 2005, he admitted being interested in the Notts County job, and was subsequently appointed manager of Notts County on 17 May 2005.
As player
- Icelandic ChampionshipsLandsbankadeildThe Úrvalsdeild karla is the top tier of the Icelandic football pyramid. Because of the harsh winters in Iceland, it is generally played in the spring and summer . It is run by the Football Association of Iceland and is currently comprised by 12 clubs. UEFA currently ranks the league 37th in...
: 5- 1974, 1975, 1977, 1983, 1984
- Icelandic CupsVISA-bikarThe Icelandic Cup is a knock-out football cup competition in Iceland. The final is played at Laugardalsvöllur at the end of the Icelandic season in October. The winners qualify for the UEFA Europa League.-Performance By Club:-Lost Finals By Club:...
: 5- 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986,
As manager
- Icelandic ChampionshipsLandsbankadeildThe Úrvalsdeild karla is the top tier of the Icelandic football pyramid. Because of the harsh winters in Iceland, it is generally played in the spring and summer . It is run by the Football Association of Iceland and is currently comprised by 12 clubs. UEFA currently ranks the league 37th in...
: 4- 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996
- Icelandic CupsVISA-bikarThe Icelandic Cup is a knock-out football cup competition in Iceland. The final is played at Laugardalsvöllur at the end of the Icelandic season in October. The winners qualify for the UEFA Europa League.-Performance By Club:-Lost Finals By Club:...
: 4- 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
- Icelandic League CupsDeildabikarThe Deildabikar, also known as the Icelandic League Cup is a pre-season professional football competition in Iceland. It is also considered the third most important competition in Icelandic football....
: 1- 1996
- Auto WindscreenFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
: 1- 1999-2000
Promotions
- Division Two Playoff winners (promotion to Division One) - Stoke CityStoke City F.C.Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
- 2001-2002