Ian Atkins
Encyclopedia
Ian Leslie Atkins is a former English
professional footballer who became a manager later in his career, and now works as a coach with Sunderland
. During a 20-year playing career he had eight clubs, including two spells with Sunderland and Birmingham City
and playing more than 200 games with his first club Shrewsbury Town
. He has managed eight Football League sides winning promotion with one of those; Northampton Town
.
, when he left school in 1973. He turned professional in January 1975. In seven years at the club, he made 279 appearances and scored 58 times, helping them win the Third Division
championship in 1979. He helped them avoid relegation in the next three seasons before his transfer to Sunderland
for a fee of £80,000 before the start of the 1982-83
. Shrewsbury, against all odds, retained their Second Division
status for seven seasons after Atkins left.
Atkins stayed at Roker Park
for two two years, before he moved to Everton
in October 1984 for a fee of £70,000. His stay with Everton lasted just one year, and he played only a minimal part in the league title
and European Cup Winners' Cup triumphs.
In September 1985 he was sold to Ipswich Town
for £100,000. In the three years he was at Town he played 77 matches and scored four goals, but was unable to prevent relegation to the Second Division and by the time he signed for Birmingham City
in March 1988 (in a £50,000 deal) Ipswich had still not reclaimed their First Division place.
who had just been relegated to the Conference
. Despite being one of the few teams with a full-time squad, Colchester finished runners-up to Barnet
. Atkins left Layer Road in July 1991 to return to Birmingham City as player-assistant manager under Terry Cooper, while Roy McDonough
took over at Colchester and guided them to promotion back to the Football League as Conference champions.
In December 1992, Atkins took over as manager at Cambridge United
, but was unable to prevent their relegation from the new Division One and was dismissed in May 1993. He then had a short second spell as a player at Sunderland
, before he ended his playing days at Doncaster Rovers
in Division Three.
In January 1995, he was appointed manager of Northampton Town
. In the 1996–97
season, he guided Northampton Town to promotion by winning the Division Three promotion playoffs. They reached the Division Two
playoff final the following season losing out to Grimsby Town
.
The 1998–99
season saw Northampton relegated to Division Three—the third season in a row that the previous year's playoff losers had been relegated. Atkins left the Cobblers by mutual consent early in the 1999-2000 season
following a disappointing start to a season in which they were expected to do well, his successor Kevin Wilson
guided the Cobblers to promotion.
He was appointed manager of Division Three strugglers Chester City
in January 2000, but he quit six months later, after the club were relegated to the Conference after 69 years in The Football League
. Most of the damage had been inflicted before Atkins arrived, as he came within a whisker of overturning a major points deficit inherited from the time chairman Terry Smith
had been manager. Atkins later had a year-long spell in charge of Carlisle United
(who had survived at Chester's expense) between June 2000 and July 2001, helping them beat the drop to the Conference in difficult circumstances.
Atkins left Carlisle to become assistant manager to Alan Cork
at Cardiff City
in July 2001, but was sacked in December 2001, and soon after joined Oxford United
as director of football. He took over from Mark Wright as the man in charge in November 2001, but was not formally named as manager of Oxford until April 2002. 2001–02
was Oxford's first season in the bottom division of the football league for over 30 years, and they finished a record low 21st place in the final table. Atkins rebuilt the team during the 2002 close season and the new-look squad looked capable of achieving a far higher position in the coming season. Oxford United occupied the automatic promotion and playoff places in Division Three for much of the 2002–03 season, but a slight dip in form during the final weeks of the season saw them finish eighth in the final table—one place short of the playoffs. A lively start to the 2003–04 season saw Oxford United leading the Division Three table at Christmas with just one defeat in over 20 fixtures. Atkins was suspended in March 2004 and then dismissed the following month for talking to Bristol Rovers
about the possibility of taking over as manager, which he subsequently did.
Atkins was at Bristol Rovers for just over a year, and he was sacked after a disappointing start to the 2005–06
season. He returned to management in April 2006 when he was handed the seemingly impossible task of keeping Torquay United
in The Football League
, having joined the club as an advisor to John Cornforth
the previous month. However, a run of four straight wins and a draw on the last day of the season lifted Torquay out of the relegation zone, and then Atkins was appointed manager for the following season.
However, on 27 November 2006, Atkins was replaced as manager by former Czech
World Cup
star Luboš Kubík
.
Atkins was offered the role of Director of Football, but turned it down.
For the 2007-2008 season, Atkins joined Tom Ross on the Birmingham
radio station BRMB
to co-commentate on Birmingham City matches.
He now works for AFC Sunderland as a recruitment officer (scout).
He joined BBC Radio Suffolk as a summariser for their coverage of Ipswich Town F.C. for the 2009–10 season.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional footballer who became a manager later in his career, and now works as a coach with Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
. During a 20-year playing career he had eight clubs, including two spells with Sunderland and Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and playing more than 200 games with his first club Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
. He has managed eight Football League sides winning promotion with one of those; Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
.
Playing career
Ian Atkins began his career as an apprentice with Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
, when he left school in 1973. He turned professional in January 1975. In seven years at the club, he made 279 appearances and scored 58 times, helping them win the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
championship in 1979. He helped them avoid relegation in the next three seasons before his transfer to Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
for a fee of £80,000 before the start of the 1982-83
1982-83 in English football
The 1982–83 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Bob Paisley's last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine years. His...
. Shrewsbury, against all odds, retained their Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
status for seven seasons after Atkins left.
Atkins stayed at Roker Park
Roker Park
Roker Park was an English football stadium situated in Roker, Sunderland. The stadium was the home of the English football club Sunderland A.F.C. from 1897 to 1997 before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Near the end of the stadium's history, its capacity was around 22,500 with only a small...
for two two years, before he moved to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in October 1984 for a fee of £70,000. His stay with Everton lasted just one year, and he played only a minimal part in the league title
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
and European Cup Winners' Cup triumphs.
In September 1985 he was sold to Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
for £100,000. In the three years he was at Town he played 77 matches and scored four goals, but was unable to prevent relegation to the Second Division and by the time he signed for Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in March 1988 (in a £50,000 deal) Ipswich had still not reclaimed their First Division place.
Coaching and managerial career
In the summer of 1990, Atkins was appointed player-manager of Colchester UnitedColchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
who had just been relegated to the Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
. Despite being one of the few teams with a full-time squad, Colchester finished runners-up to Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
. Atkins left Layer Road in July 1991 to return to Birmingham City as player-assistant manager under Terry Cooper, while Roy McDonough
Roy McDonough
Roy McDonough is a former professional football player and manager in the English football league. His surname is occasionally misspelt in the media as Roy McDonagh.-Playing career:...
took over at Colchester and guided them to promotion back to the Football League as Conference champions.
In December 1992, Atkins took over as manager at Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
, but was unable to prevent their relegation from the new Division One and was dismissed in May 1993. He then had a short second spell as a player at Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, before he ended his playing days at Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
in Division Three.
In January 1995, he was appointed manager of Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
. In the 1996–97
1996-97 in English football
The 1996–1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.Arrival into the league and exit out of the league returns in the fourth tier for the first time after its 3 season absence with only 1 relegation spot.- Premier League :...
season, he guided Northampton Town to promotion by winning the Division Three promotion playoffs. They reached the Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
playoff final the following season losing out to Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
.
The 1998–99
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
season saw Northampton relegated to Division Three—the third season in a row that the previous year's playoff losers had been relegated. Atkins left the Cobblers by mutual consent early in the 1999-2000 season
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
following a disappointing start to a season in which they were expected to do well, his successor Kevin Wilson
Kevin Wilson
Kevin Wilson may refer to:*Kevin Wilson , Northern Irish footballer*Kevin Wilson , Jamaican footballer*Kevin R. Wilson, American football coach*Kevin Bloody Wilson, Australian comedian...
guided the Cobblers to promotion.
He was appointed manager of Division Three strugglers Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
in January 2000, but he quit six months later, after the club were relegated to the Conference after 69 years in The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. Most of the damage had been inflicted before Atkins arrived, as he came within a whisker of overturning a major points deficit inherited from the time chairman Terry Smith
Terry Smith (football)
Terry Smith is an American-born American Football player, sports coach and businessman. After starting his playing career as a defensive back for American Football franchise New England Patriots, Smith went on to coach the Great Britain Spartans American football team...
had been manager. Atkins later had a year-long spell in charge of Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
(who had survived at Chester's expense) between June 2000 and July 2001, helping them beat the drop to the Conference in difficult circumstances.
Atkins left Carlisle to become assistant manager to Alan Cork
Alan Cork
Alan Cork is an English former professional football player. He played as a striker for several clubs, most notably Wimbledon and has held a number of managerial and coaching posts since his retirement from playing. Cork is a member of the Wimbledon Old Players Association...
at Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
in July 2001, but was sacked in December 2001, and soon after joined Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
as director of football. He took over from Mark Wright as the man in charge in November 2001, but was not formally named as manager of Oxford until April 2002. 2001–02
2001-02 in English football
The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
was Oxford's first season in the bottom division of the football league for over 30 years, and they finished a record low 21st place in the final table. Atkins rebuilt the team during the 2002 close season and the new-look squad looked capable of achieving a far higher position in the coming season. Oxford United occupied the automatic promotion and playoff places in Division Three for much of the 2002–03 season, but a slight dip in form during the final weeks of the season saw them finish eighth in the final table—one place short of the playoffs. A lively start to the 2003–04 season saw Oxford United leading the Division Three table at Christmas with just one defeat in over 20 fixtures. Atkins was suspended in March 2004 and then dismissed the following month for talking to Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
about the possibility of taking over as manager, which he subsequently did.
Atkins was at Bristol Rovers for just over a year, and he was sacked after a disappointing start to the 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
season. He returned to management in April 2006 when he was handed the seemingly impossible task of keeping Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
in The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, having joined the club as an advisor to John Cornforth
John Cornforth
Sir John Warcup 'Kappa' Cornforth, AC, CBE, FRS , is an Australian scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975 for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme-catalyzed reactions....
the previous month. However, a run of four straight wins and a draw on the last day of the season lifted Torquay out of the relegation zone, and then Atkins was appointed manager for the following season.
However, on 27 November 2006, Atkins was replaced as manager by former Czech
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
star Luboš Kubík
Luboš Kubík
Luboš Kubík is a Czech former professional footballer and former manager of Torquay United, who played sweeper for the Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic national teams, winning 56 caps in total, and a number of notable clubs...
.
Atkins was offered the role of Director of Football, but turned it down.
For the 2007-2008 season, Atkins joined Tom Ross on the Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
radio station BRMB
Brmb
brmb is a local radio station based in Birmingham, UK, owned and operated by Orion Media. The station broadcasts on 96.4 FM, DAB Digital Radio in the West Midlands and online...
to co-commentate on Birmingham City matches.
He now works for AFC Sunderland as a recruitment officer (scout).
He joined BBC Radio Suffolk as a summariser for their coverage of Ipswich Town F.C. for the 2009–10 season.