John Deehan
Encyclopedia
John Matthew Deehan is an English former footballer who in recent years has had several spells in coaching
and management. He is currently unemployed having previously held the position of Director of football
at Grimsby Town
.
, as a player Deehan was a striker who is best known for productive spells with Aston Villa
and Norwich City
. With Villa he was a member of the team that won the 1977 Football League Cup Final
against Everton and was a member of the Norwich sides which won the 1985 Football League Cup Final
and the Second Division championship in 1986.
He was a competent goalscorer from an early age, breaking the 10-goal barrier in the league for three successive seasons by the age of 22.He was initially less successful after leaving Villa Park
in September 1979 to sign for Villa's local rivals West Bromwich Albion, managing just five goals from 47 league games over the next two years, but recaptured his form after joining Norwich City in December 1981. He scored 20 league goals in his first full season
at Carrow Road
and managed 15 and 13 goals over the next two seasons, although he was unable to save the Canaries from relegation in 1984-85
.
In 2002, Norwich fans voted Deehan into the Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame in recognition of his contribution as a player.
In the summer of 1986, he left Norwich to join Ipswich Town
in a player exchange deal that saw Trevor Putney
move to Carrow Road
. His final season
at Norwich had seen him collected a Second Division
title medal, but his form was less impressive than in previous seasons with just four goals from 26 league games.
From 1988 until 1990 he was player-coach at Manchester City
until being sacked, along with manager Mel Machin
, before moving to Norwich City as Mike Walker
's assistant in the summer of 1992.
(season 1992-93), and was promoted to the manager's seat the following January when Walker moved to Everton
. Norwich finished 12th in the Premiership in 1993-94 and started the following season reasonably well despite the (then) record English sale of Chris Sutton
to Blackburn Rovers
for £5 million. By Christmas 1994, the Canaries were seventh in the Premiership and looked a reasonably good bet for a UEFA Cup
place. But Deehan's men suddenly went into a free-fall, won only one of their final 20 games and plummeted to 20th place and relegation. Shortly before relegation was confirmed, Deehan announced his resignation and caretaker Gary Megson
unsuccessfully tried to keep the Canaries in the Premiership.
John Deehan's absence from football did not last long. He began the 1995-96 season as manager of Wigan Athletic
in the Football League Third Division
, and after two seasons at the helm he guided them to the Division Three title and promotion to Division Two
. After safeguarding Wigan's survival in 1997-98, he accepted the assistant manager's job at Sheffield United
and for one season worked under Steve Bruce
. But Deehan's time at Bramall Lane
was not successful and he resigned after the club failed to get anywhere near the Division One
playoff places.
After leaving Sheffield United, John Deehan worked again with Steve Bruce at Huddersfield Town, in 1999/2000 season. After leaving Town, he made a football comeback with Aston Villa
when he was appointed assistant manager to John Gregory in July 2001. In January 2002, Deehan was named joint caretaker manager of Villa (with Stuart Gray
) when Gregory resigned. He left the club when Graham Taylor
was named Villa manager for the second time.
In October 2003, John Deehan became Director of Football at Northampton Town
, with Colin Calderwood
working under him as team manager. The duo were appointed to get the team promoted from the league's basement division, and achieved this aim in the 2005-06 season. Both Calderwood and Deehan left the club at the end of the 2005-06 season, with Deehan moving to Lincoln City
as Director of Football. On 15 October 2007, it was confirmed that Deehan and Lincoln City manager John Schofield
had left the club. In November 2007 he was employed as a scout by Premier League side Bolton Wanderers
who were looking for a number of ex-professionals to head their recruitment drive led by former Everton
manager Colin Harvey
.
In September 2008 Deehan expressed interest in the vacant manager's post at League Two side Grimsby Town
, saying "I think Grimsby Town is a good club and a good opportunity for any manager. Whenever I've been to Blundell Park, I've been impressed with the set-up and the positive approach to football." Despite his interest Deehan failed to land the Grimsby job, which was given to Mike Newell
.
On 21 January 2009, he was appointed as Chief Scout of Norwich City Football Club in part of the new management team alongside three of his former players - Bryan Gunn
as First Team Manager, Ian Crook
as first team coach and Ian Butterworth as Assistant Manager.
In December 2009, he became Lee Harper
's assistant at Kettering Town but was controversially sacked later that month immediately following a 5-1 defeat to Leeds United in an FA Cup second-round replay where his choice of substitutions during extra time was blamed for the defeat.
On 17 March 2010, he was announced as Head of Recruitment (Director of Football) at Grimsby Town
in order to work with manager Neil Woods
and his assistant Chris Casper
. It has been touted as a possible replacement for Woods if the club are relegated from the Football League. However after the conclusion of the 09/10 season, Deehan's contract was not renewed and he left the club 20 May 2010.
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:...
and management. He is currently unemployed having previously held the position of Director of football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
at 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...
.
As a player
Born in SolihullSolihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, as a player Deehan was a striker who is best known for productive spells with Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
. With Villa he was a member of the team that won the 1977 Football League Cup Final
1977 Football League Cup Final
The 1977 Football League Cup Final was played between Aston Villa and Everton and required three games to decide the winner, the only time this has happened in the League Cup. The first match took place at Wembley Stadium on 12 March and the game ended in a dull goalless draw...
against Everton and was a member of the Norwich sides which won the 1985 Football League Cup Final
1985 Football League Cup Final
The 1985 Milk Cup Final was won by Norwich City. The Canaries defeated Sunderland 1–0 at Wembley Stadium on 24 March 1985 with an own goal scored by Gordon Chisholm, who deflected Asa Hartford's shot past goalkeeper Chris Turner...
and the Second Division championship in 1986.
He was a competent goalscorer from an early age, breaking the 10-goal barrier in the league for three successive seasons by the age of 22.He was initially less successful after leaving Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
in September 1979 to sign for Villa's local rivals West Bromwich Albion, managing just five goals from 47 league games over the next two years, but recaptured his form after joining Norwich City in December 1981. He scored 20 league goals in his first full season
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...
at Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
and managed 15 and 13 goals over the next two seasons, although he was unable to save the Canaries from relegation in 1984-85
1984-85 in English football
The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...
.
In 2002, Norwich fans voted Deehan into the Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame in recognition of his contribution as a player.
In the summer of 1986, he left Norwich to join 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....
in a player exchange deal that saw Trevor Putney
Trevor Putney
Trevor Anthony Putney is a former professional footballer.Putney began his career with Ipswich Town, for whom he made 103 appearances and was voted the club's player of the year by the supporters in 1984...
move to Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
. His final season
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...
at Norwich had seen him collected a 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...
title medal, but his form was less impressive than in previous seasons with just four goals from 26 league games.
From 1988 until 1990 he was player-coach at Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
until being sacked, along with manager Mel Machin
Mel Machin
Melvyn "Mel" Machin is an English former footballer and manager.A midfielder, he started his career at Port Vale in 1962, before he moved on to Gillingham four years later. He made his name at the club from 1966 to 1971, before he transferred to Bournemouth for a three year spell...
, before moving to Norwich City as Mike Walker
Mike Walker
Mike Walker is the name of:*Mike Walker , gossip columnist for the National Enquirer*Mike Walker , jazz guitar player from Salford in England*Mike Walker , American football player...
's assistant in the summer of 1992.
Management and Coaching
He helped coach an unfancied Canaries side to a surprise third place finish in the inaugural FA Premier LeagueFA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
(season 1992-93), and was promoted to the manager's seat the following January when Walker 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...
. Norwich finished 12th in the Premiership in 1993-94 and started the following season reasonably well despite the (then) record English sale of Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton
Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton is an English football manager and former player.In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English...
to Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
for £5 million. By Christmas 1994, the Canaries were seventh in the Premiership and looked a reasonably good bet for a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place. But Deehan's men suddenly went into a free-fall, won only one of their final 20 games and plummeted to 20th place and relegation. Shortly before relegation was confirmed, Deehan announced his resignation and caretaker 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...
unsuccessfully tried to keep the Canaries in the Premiership.
John Deehan's absence from football did not last long. He began the 1995-96 season as manager of Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
in the Football League 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...
, and after two seasons at the helm he guided them to the Division Three title and promotion to 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...
. After safeguarding Wigan's survival in 1997-98, he accepted the assistant manager's job at Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
and for one season worked under Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
. But Deehan's time at Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
was not successful and he resigned after the club failed to get anywhere near the Division One
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....
playoff places.
After leaving Sheffield United, John Deehan worked again with Steve Bruce at Huddersfield Town, in 1999/2000 season. After leaving Town, he made a football comeback with Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
when he was appointed assistant manager to John Gregory in July 2001. In January 2002, Deehan was named joint caretaker manager of Villa (with Stuart Gray
Stuart Gray (footballer born 1960)
Stuart Gray is an English former footballer and manager, who is the former manager of Football League Two side Northampton Town. On 30th December 2010 he was appointed the caretaker manager of Burnley following the sacking of Brian Laws, reverting to his role as first team coach when Eddie Howe...
) when Gregory resigned. He left the club when Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (football manager)
Graham Taylor OBE is a football pundit, ex-football manager, and a former player. He is best known as the manager of the England national football team, as well as being manager of Watford, a club he took from the Fourth Division to the First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the...
was named Villa manager for the second time.
In October 2003, John Deehan became Director of Football at 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...
, with Colin Calderwood
Colin Calderwood
Colin Calderwood is a Scottish football player and coach. In November 2011 he was appointed as Chris Hughton's assistant manager at Birmingham City....
working under him as team manager. The duo were appointed to get the team promoted from the league's basement division, and achieved this aim in the 2005-06 season. Both Calderwood and Deehan left the club at the end of the 2005-06 season, with Deehan moving to Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
as Director of Football. On 15 October 2007, it was confirmed that Deehan and Lincoln City manager John Schofield
John Schofield (football coach)
John David Schofield is an English football manager and former player. He was manager of Lincoln City between May 2006 and October 2007 and was assistant manager of Walsall before leaving, following a brief stint as caretaker manager...
had left the club. In November 2007 he was employed as a scout by Premier League side Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
who were looking for a number of ex-professionals to head their recruitment drive led by former 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...
manager Colin Harvey
Colin Harvey
Colin Harvey is a retired English footballer who is best known for his time as a player, coach and manager with Everton. He is married to Maureen and lives in Aughton, Lancashire.- Playing career :...
.
In September 2008 Deehan expressed interest in the vacant manager's post at League Two side 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...
, saying "I think Grimsby Town is a good club and a good opportunity for any manager. Whenever I've been to Blundell Park, I've been impressed with the set-up and the positive approach to football." Despite his interest Deehan failed to land the Grimsby job, which was given to Mike Newell
Mike Newell (footballer)
Michael Colin "Mike" Newell is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player he notably was a member of the Blackburn Rovers team which won the Premier League in 1995, as well also playing for Crewe Alexandra, Wigan Athletic, Luton Town, Leicester City, Everton,...
.
On 21 January 2009, he was appointed as Chief Scout of Norwich City Football Club in part of the new management team alongside three of his former players - Bryan Gunn
Bryan Gunn
Bryan James Gunn is a Scottish former professional goalkeeper and football manager. After learning his trade with Aberdeen in the early 1980s, he spent most of his playing career at Norwich City, the club with which he came to be most closely associated...
as First Team Manager, Ian Crook
Ian Crook
Ian Stuart Crook, is a former professional footballer who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur before making 418 appearances for Norwich City. He was an England B international.-Club career:...
as first team coach and Ian Butterworth as Assistant Manager.
In December 2009, he became Lee Harper
Lee Harper
Lee Charles Philip Harper is an English footballer who was most recently player-manager of Kettering Town. He plays as a goalkeeper.-Playing career:...
's assistant at Kettering Town but was controversially sacked later that month immediately following a 5-1 defeat to Leeds United in an FA Cup second-round replay where his choice of substitutions during extra time was blamed for the defeat.
On 17 March 2010, he was announced as Head of Recruitment (Director of Football) at 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...
in order to work with manager Neil Woods
Neil Woods
Neil Stephen Woods is a former English footballer who played as a striker and former manager of Grimsby Town where he also played between 1990 and 1998. He now works as the Head of Youth at Football League One side Walsall...
and his assistant Chris Casper
Chris Casper
Christopher Martin "Chris" Casper is an English former footballer and football manager who played in the Premier League for Manchester United and in the Football League for A.F.C. Bournemouth, Swindon Town and Reading...
. It has been touted as a possible replacement for Woods if the club are relegated from the Football League. However after the conclusion of the 09/10 season, Deehan's contract was not renewed and he left the club 20 May 2010.
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nation | From | Norwich City Norwich City F.C. Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The... | 12 January 1994 | 31 July 1995 | 72 | 17 | 25 | 30 | 23.6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... |
2 August 1995 | 1 June 1998 | 157 | 69 | 34 | 54 | 43.9 | ||||
| Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... (caretaker) |
24 January 2002 | 5 February 2002 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 |