Mike Newell (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Colin "Mike" Newell (born 27 January 1965) 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
, Birmingham City
, West Ham United
, Bradford City
, Aberdeen
, Doncaster Rovers
and Blackpool
between the years of 1982 and 2001. Newell totalled £3,585,000 in transfer fees over the duration of his career. As a manager he has had spells with Hartlepool United
, Luton Town
and Grimsby Town
.
in the 1995–96
season, Newell scored the fastest-ever hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League
, netting his three goals in a spell of only nine minutes. This was a "Perfect Hat-Trick", meaning he scored the goals with his right foot, left foot and head. He also scored Blackburns only goal in their 2-1 defeat against Rosenborg at Lerkendal in the UEFA Champions League the same year.
Newell was released by both Liverpool
and Crewe Alexandra
as a youngster, finally finding form at Wigan Athletic
. After a brief period at Wigan, Newell went to Luton Town
. After another successful time he moved on to Leicester City
in 1987.
He established himself as a highly competent goalscorer at Filbert Street
, but was unable to secure promotion to the First Division
and joined Everton
for £1.1million in 1989, just four years after Everton had signed another high scoring striker - Gary Lineker
- from the East Midlands
club.
Whereas Lineker had developed into a world class goalscorer after moving from Leicester to Everton (along with subsequent clubs FC Barcelona
and Tottenham Hotspur
), Newell's form at Goodison Park
was less spectacular as he formed a three-man strikeforce with Graeme Sharp
and Tony Cottee
, and with three strikers in the first eleven there was little pressure on any of them to score 20 or 30 goals a season. However, the three-man strikeforce was looking like a success as they spearheaded Everton to the top of the league in late autumn of 1989 and were starting to look like serious title contenders for perhaps the first time since Howard Kendall's
departure as manager in June 1987, but Everton were unable to maintain this impressive form and dipped to sixth place in the final table. Newell had managed seven goals that season from 26 league appearances.
1990-91
began terribly for Everton. By 31 October 1990, they were a lowly 18th in the league and had endured their worst ever start to a league campaign - battling relegation exactly a year since they had led the league and looked good bets for the title. Manager Colin Harvey
paid for this nightmare start to the season with his job, only to rejoin Everton a week later when Howard Kendall began his second spell as manager and appointed Harvey as his assistant in the old manager/coach partnership that had brought so much success from 1981 to 1987. Newell initially remained in favour under Kendall, scoring seven goals again that season, one of them in a 2-0 win over Manchester United on 2 March 1991 in a game best remembered for being the debut of a 17-year-old United winger called Ryan Giggs
.
Despite the arrival of Peter Beardsley
from Liverpool for the 1991-92 season
, Newell managed to make 13 league appearances for Everton (scoring once) before his £1.1million transfer to Second Division promotion challengers Blackburn Rovers
, now managed by former Liverpool player and manager Kenny Dalglish
and bankrolled by the wealth of owner Jack Walker
. He was Blackburn's record signing at the time, and the most expensive player yet to be signed by a club outside the top flight.
He broke his leg soon afterwards, and Blackburn went from being Second Division leaders to having to win their final game of the season to achieve a playoff place, but Newell was fit for the playoffs and after helping them overcome Derby County
in the semi-finals, he scored the penalty in their 1-0 playoff final win over his former club Leicester City at Wembley Stadium
as they sealed a place in the new FA Premier League
and ended their 26-year absence from the top flight of English football.
In 1992-93
, Newell was Blackburn's second highest goalscorer with 13 league goals as they finished fourth in the Premier League. They had looked like championship contenders for much of the season, but Newell lacked the much-needed support up front after late December when strike partner Alan Shearer
suffered a serious knee injury and missed the rest of the season. However, he managed just 6 goals in 28 games in 1993-94
, battling it out with Kevin Gallacher
for the role of Shearer's strike partner as Blackburn finished second. The following season, the arrival of Chris Sutton
restricted him to just two Premier League starts (and nine substitute appearances) in 1994–95
, when Blackburn were league champions for the first time in 81 years. However, he did narrowly meet the requirement of 10 league appearances for a title medal.
Newell scored the 1,000th goal of the Premier League era during Blackburn's 3–1 win at in April 1993, Newell also holds the record for the fastest Hat Trick in Champions League History after scoring 3 goals in 9 minutes for Blackburn against Rosenborg B.K in the 1995-96 season.
He left Blackburn for Birmingham City at the end of the 1995/96 season. However, this spell proved to be unsuccessful, scoring just three times with a strike against Sheffield United in the league and a brace against Brighton in the League Cup. This was the beginning of a five year spell at seven different clubs. Newell left Birmingham to join West Ham United
on loan in December 1996, before a similar spell at Bradford City
in March 1997. Before he was loaned to West Ham, Birmingham had accepted a £750,000 bid from Bolton Wanderers
for Newell, but he was unable to agree a contract and the transfer fell through.
In the summer of 1997, Newell moved to Aberdeen
before drifting back into the English leagues with Crewe, Doncaster Rovers
and finally Blackpool
. He retired from playing in May 2001, going out on a high as Blackpool celebrated promotion as Division Three
playoff winners.
during the 2002–03
season, when Hartlepool were top of Division Three. After horrendous away form, the club lost a 16 point lead it held, though promotion as runners-up was still sealed. After this, and many personal differences between Newell and the board at Hartlepool, Newell's contract was not renewed in the summer of 2003, and he was replaced by Neale Cooper.
by controversial chairman John Gurney, who, having just purchased the club, sacked the popular management team of Joe Kinnear
and Mick Harford
. It was reported that Newell won a Pop Idol
-style poll to become manager but he was offered and signed a contract before the "results" were announced. Shortly after taking over, the club went into administrative receivership which saw a several players leave the club. Despite this, Newell succeeded in taking the club near the play-offs of Division Two
.
The following season, Luton became the first ever champions of the newly-named League One
, winning 98 points and gaining promotion to the Championship
. Newell guided Luton to further success in the 2005–06
season, which saw Luton finish 10th in the Championship – their highest finish since they relegated from the top flight in 1992. Luton also became one of only two clubs to defeat runaway champions Reading
. Newell was linked with jobs at several larger clubs, such as Leicester City
, but remained at Luton and later signed a four-year contract.
Newell's relationship with Luton turned sour after a poor start to the 2006–07
season, in which he criticised chairman Bill Tomlins
' running of the club. After a number of players departed in the summer of 2006, and then more in January 2007, the club was in a relegation battle. Newell was sacked by Luton in March 2007 after criticising the club's board for not investing enough money into the club.
at a press conference on 6 October 2008, signing a three and a half year contract at Blundell Park. Grimsby were just two places above the League Two
relegation
zone at the time and one of only two senior clubs in England without a victory, with only the three sides who had been docked points below them in the table. Newell's first game was a league match at home to top of the table Wycombe Wanderers
, which ended in a 1–1 draw after Grimsby had led for most of the match. He recorded his and Grimsby's first victory of the season in his ninth game in charge, a 2–0 victory at Bury
on 15 November. Newell was given time and money by the Grimsby board to avoid relegation, a feat accomplished with some shrewd deals in the transfer market. His ability to attract a seemingly higher pedigree of player paid off, and the Mariners avoided relegation by four points.
For 2009-10, Newell was given funds to sign former loanees Peter Sweeney
, Barry Conlon
, Joe Widdowson
and Adrian Forbes
. He bolstered the ranks further with midfielder Michael Leary
, striker Chris Jones and Sunderland
goalkeeper Nick Colgan
. The Mariners also turned down a lucrative offer from Peterborough United
for captain Ryan Bennett
. Supporters were optimistic that Grimsby Town could have a successful season. However, the club only gained 10 points from their opening 13 games. A 0-2 home defeat to Rochdale
on 17 October 2009 dropped the Mariners into the League Two relegation zone. Newell was dismissed the following day, despite chairman John Fenty
's assertion a week earlier that certain under-performing players would be shown the door before Newell.
In February 2010, five months after Newell's sacking he began court proceedings to sue Grimsby and John Fenty
, claiming he was owed £53,845.61 in loss of earnings as well as claiming a drunk Fenty had slammed a chair on the floor and pulled on Newell's tie following his final game in charge. The two parties eventually settled out of court and agreed on a sum of £5000, with Newell's eventual reason for being sacked revealed as gross misconduct.
s and agreed to name the offending parties when called upon by the FA
. As a result, an enquiry was launched by the FA and was headed by Lord Stevens, a former Metropolitan Police
commissioner
. On 20 December 2006, Stevens presented his preliminary report, which found that, although the level of corruption within English football was not a high as had been anticipated, there were several causes for concern. 17 transfer deals were still subject to further scrutiny.
on 11 November 2006 Newell criticised female assistant referee, Amy Rayner
, using sexist
comments, and later apologised. He also criticised the chairman of Luton Town FC, Bill Tomlins
. For this he was reprimanded by his club, which publicly dissociated itself from the comments concerning Rayner.
on 12 January 2006 Newell criticised the influence of foreign players in English game, stating that it was "going soft." This was after an incident in which Luton midfielder David Bell
appeared to be fouled, play continued and West Brom went on to not only equalize minutes before the end, but to claim a last gasp winner to leave Luton empty handed.
Everton
Blackburn Rovers
Doncaster Rovers
Blackpool
Luton Town
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...
football manager and former professional footballer. As a player he notably was a member of the 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....
team which won the Premier League in 1995, as well also playing for 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...
, 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...
, Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
, Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, 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...
, 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...
, West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
, 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...
and Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
between the years of 1982 and 2001. Newell totalled £3,585,000 in transfer fees over the duration of his career. As a manager he has had spells with Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
, Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
and 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...
.
Playing career
Newell represented 13 different clubs in his career, playing a total of 530 league games and scoring 120 goals. While playing for Blackburn against RosenborgRosenborg B.K.
Rosenborg Ballklub is a Norwegian football club from the city of Trondheim, currently playing in the Norwegian Premier League. With 22 league titles and nine Norwegian Cup titles, the club is the most successful in Norway and has dominated Norwegian football since the start of the 1990s...
in the 1995–96
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
season, Newell scored the fastest-ever hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, netting his three goals in a spell of only nine minutes. This was a "Perfect Hat-Trick", meaning he scored the goals with his right foot, left foot and head. He also scored Blackburns only goal in their 2-1 defeat against Rosenborg at Lerkendal in the UEFA Champions League the same year.
Newell was released by both Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and 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...
as a youngster, finally finding form at 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...
. After a brief period at Wigan, Newell went to Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
. After another successful time he moved on to Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in 1987.
He established himself as a highly competent goalscorer at Filbert Street
Filbert Street
Filbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...
, but was unable to secure promotion to the First Division
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 joined 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...
for £1.1million in 1989, just four years after Everton had signed another high scoring striker - Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
- from the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
club.
Whereas Lineker had developed into a world class goalscorer after moving from Leicester to Everton (along with subsequent clubs FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
), Newell's form at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
was less spectacular as he formed a three-man strikeforce with Graeme Sharp
Graeme Sharp
Graeme Marshall Sharp is a former footballer. He started his playing career at Dumbarton before signing for Everton for £120,000 in 1980....
and Tony Cottee
Tony Cottee
Anthony Richard "Tony" Cottee is a former football player who now works as a television football commentator...
, and with three strikers in the first eleven there was little pressure on any of them to score 20 or 30 goals a season. However, the three-man strikeforce was looking like a success as they spearheaded Everton to the top of the league in late autumn of 1989 and were starting to look like serious title contenders for perhaps the first time since Howard Kendall's
Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall is an English football manager and former player. He is most famous for his connection to Everton, a club that he both played for and managed. His uncle Harry Taylor played for Newcastle United and Fulham in the 1950s....
departure as manager in June 1987, but Everton were unable to maintain this impressive form and dipped to sixth place in the final table. Newell had managed seven goals that season from 26 league appearances.
1990-91
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
began terribly for Everton. By 31 October 1990, they were a lowly 18th in the league and had endured their worst ever start to a league campaign - battling relegation exactly a year since they had led the league and looked good bets for the title. 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 :...
paid for this nightmare start to the season with his job, only to rejoin Everton a week later when Howard Kendall began his second spell as manager and appointed Harvey as his assistant in the old manager/coach partnership that had brought so much success from 1981 to 1987. Newell initially remained in favour under Kendall, scoring seven goals again that season, one of them in a 2-0 win over Manchester United on 2 March 1991 in a game best remembered for being the debut of a 17-year-old United winger called Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
.
Despite the arrival of Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
from Liverpool for the 1991-92 season
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
, Newell managed to make 13 league appearances for Everton (scoring once) before his £1.1million transfer to Second Division promotion challengers 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....
, now managed by former Liverpool player and manager Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
and bankrolled by the wealth of owner Jack Walker
Jack Walker
Jack Walker was a British industrialist and businessman, from Blackburn, Lancashire. Walker invested tens of millions of pounds in Blackburn Rovers football club after amassing a personal fortune of £600 million...
. He was Blackburn's record signing at the time, and the most expensive player yet to be signed by a club outside the top flight.
He broke his leg soon afterwards, and Blackburn went from being Second Division leaders to having to win their final game of the season to achieve a playoff place, but Newell was fit for the playoffs and after helping them overcome Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
in the semi-finals, he scored the penalty in their 1-0 playoff final win over his former club Leicester City at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
as they sealed a place in the new FA Premier League
FA 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...
and ended their 26-year absence from the top flight of English football.
In 1992-93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
, Newell was Blackburn's second highest goalscorer with 13 league goals as they finished fourth in the Premier League. They had looked like championship contenders for much of the season, but Newell lacked the much-needed support up front after late December when strike partner Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
suffered a serious knee injury and missed the rest of the season. However, he managed just 6 goals in 28 games in 1993-94
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
, battling it out with Kevin Gallacher
Kevin Gallacher
Kevin William Gallacher is a Scottish former professional footballer and now a sports pundit.He is the grandson of the late Celtic forward Patsy Gallacher, who died before he was born.-Career:...
for the role of Shearer's strike partner as Blackburn finished second. The following season, the arrival 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...
restricted him to just two Premier League starts (and nine substitute appearances) in 1994–95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
, when Blackburn were league champions for the first time in 81 years. However, he did narrowly meet the requirement of 10 league appearances for a title medal.
Newell scored the 1,000th goal of the Premier League era during Blackburn's 3–1 win at in April 1993, Newell also holds the record for the fastest Hat Trick in Champions League History after scoring 3 goals in 9 minutes for Blackburn against Rosenborg B.K in the 1995-96 season.
He left Blackburn for Birmingham City at the end of the 1995/96 season. However, this spell proved to be unsuccessful, scoring just three times with a strike against Sheffield United in the league and a brace against Brighton in the League Cup. This was the beginning of a five year spell at seven different clubs. Newell left Birmingham to join West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
on loan in December 1996, before a similar spell at Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
in March 1997. Before he was loaned to West Ham, Birmingham had accepted a £750,000 bid from 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....
for Newell, but he was unable to agree a contract and the transfer fell through.
In the summer of 1997, Newell moved to Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
before drifting back into the English leagues with Crewe, 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...
and finally Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. He retired from playing in May 2001, going out on a high as Blackpool celebrated promotion as Division Three
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...
playoff winners.
Hartlepool United
Newell replaced Chris Turner as manager of Hartlepool UnitedHartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
during the 2002–03
2002-03 in English football
The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable...
season, when Hartlepool were top of Division Three. After horrendous away form, the club lost a 16 point lead it held, though promotion as runners-up was still sealed. After this, and many personal differences between Newell and the board at Hartlepool, Newell's contract was not renewed in the summer of 2003, and he was replaced by Neale Cooper.
Luton Town
Shortly after leaving Hartlepool, he was appointed manager of Luton TownLuton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
by controversial chairman John Gurney, who, having just purchased the club, sacked the popular management team of Joe Kinnear
Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United....
and Mick Harford
Mick Harford
Michael Gordon "Mick" Harford , is an English former football player turned manager. He is former manager of Rotherham and Luton Town and has also been caretaker manager of Nottingham Forest and QPR...
. It was reported that Newell won a Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
-style poll to become manager but he was offered and signed a contract before the "results" were announced. Shortly after taking over, the club went into administrative receivership which saw a several players leave the club. Despite this, Newell succeeded in taking the club near the play-offs of 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...
.
The following season, Luton became the first ever champions of the newly-named League One
Football 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....
, winning 98 points and gaining promotion to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
. Newell guided Luton to further success in 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, which saw Luton finish 10th in the Championship – their highest finish since they relegated from the top flight in 1992. Luton also became one of only two clubs to defeat runaway champions Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
. Newell was linked with jobs at several larger clubs, such as Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, but remained at Luton and later signed a four-year contract.
Newell's relationship with Luton turned sour after a poor start to the 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
season, in which he criticised chairman Bill Tomlins
Bill Tomlins
Bill Tomlins is a British businessman who, along with a consortium, brought Luton Town FC out of administrative receivership in May 2004. The Hatters completed his full season in charge in May 2005, achieving the championship in the Coca-Cola League One...
' running of the club. After a number of players departed in the summer of 2006, and then more in January 2007, the club was in a relegation battle. Newell was sacked by Luton in March 2007 after criticising the club's board for not investing enough money into the club.
Grimsby Town
Mike Newell was unveiled as the new manager of Grimsby TownGrimsby 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...
at a press conference on 6 October 2008, signing a three and a half year contract at Blundell Park. Grimsby were just two places above the 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....
relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
zone at the time and one of only two senior clubs in England without a victory, with only the three sides who had been docked points below them in the table. Newell's first game was a league match at home to top of the table Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
, which ended in a 1–1 draw after Grimsby had led for most of the match. He recorded his and Grimsby's first victory of the season in his ninth game in charge, a 2–0 victory at Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
on 15 November. Newell was given time and money by the Grimsby board to avoid relegation, a feat accomplished with some shrewd deals in the transfer market. His ability to attract a seemingly higher pedigree of player paid off, and the Mariners avoided relegation by four points.
For 2009-10, Newell was given funds to sign former loanees Peter Sweeney
Peter Sweeney
Peter Henry Sweeney is a Scottish professional football midfielder who currently plays for Football League One side Bury....
, Barry Conlon
Barry Conlon
Barry John Conlon is an Irish footballer who plays as a striker and is currently without a club.Conlon's career started with Queens Park Rangers but he moved to Manchester City before he had played a game. He made his Football League debut with City...
, Joe Widdowson
Joe Widdowson
Joseph "Joe" Widdowson is an English footballer who plays for League One club Rochdale. His primary position is as a left-sided defender.-West Ham United:...
and Adrian Forbes
Adrian Forbes
Adrian Emmanuel Forbes is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Isthmian League Premier Division side Lowestoft Town. His primary position is as a right midfielder, but he also capable of playing as a forward...
. He bolstered the ranks further with midfielder Michael Leary
Michael Leary
Michael Antonio Leary is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Conference North side Gainsborough Trinity....
, striker Chris Jones and 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...
goalkeeper Nick Colgan
Nick Colgan
Nicholas Vincent "Nick" Colgan is an Irish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Football League One side Huddersfield Town...
. The Mariners also turned down a lucrative offer from Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
for captain Ryan Bennett
Ryan Bennett (footballer)
Ryan Bennett is an English footballer who plays for Peterborough United and currently represents England U21 as a defender. He has previously played for and captained Grimsby Town.-Grimsby Town:...
. Supporters were optimistic that Grimsby Town could have a successful season. However, the club only gained 10 points from their opening 13 games. A 0-2 home defeat to Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
on 17 October 2009 dropped the Mariners into the League Two relegation zone. Newell was dismissed the following day, despite chairman John Fenty
John Fenty
John Shelton Fenty born is a Conservative councillor for the Humberston and New Waltham ward of North East Lincolnshire Council.-Business:...
's assertion a week earlier that certain under-performing players would be shown the door before Newell.
In February 2010, five months after Newell's sacking he began court proceedings to sue Grimsby and John Fenty
John Fenty
John Shelton Fenty born is a Conservative councillor for the Humberston and New Waltham ward of North East Lincolnshire Council.-Business:...
, claiming he was owed £53,845.61 in loss of earnings as well as claiming a drunk Fenty had slammed a chair on the floor and pulled on Newell's tie following his final game in charge. The two parties eventually settled out of court and agreed on a sum of £5000, with Newell's eventual reason for being sacked revealed as gross misconduct.
Corruption allegations
Newell caused a huge stir in the footballing world, when he claimed that corruption was rife in transfer deals. In particular, he claimed that he had been offered "bungs" or bribes by football agentSports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
s and agreed to name the offending parties when called upon by the FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
. As a result, an enquiry was launched by the FA and was headed by Lord Stevens, a former Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
. On 20 December 2006, Stevens presented his preliminary report, which found that, although the level of corruption within English football was not a high as had been anticipated, there were several causes for concern. 17 transfer deals were still subject to further scrutiny.
Female match officials
Following a match against Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
on 11 November 2006 Newell criticised female assistant referee, Amy Rayner
Amy Rayner
Amy Fearn is an English football referee from Loughborough, Leicestershire, who in 2010 became the first woman to referee in The Football League...
, using sexist
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
comments, and later apologised. He also criticised the chairman of Luton Town FC, Bill Tomlins
Bill Tomlins
Bill Tomlins is a British businessman who, along with a consortium, brought Luton Town FC out of administrative receivership in May 2004. The Hatters completed his full season in charge in May 2005, achieving the championship in the Coca-Cola League One...
. For this he was reprimanded by his club, which publicly dissociated itself from the comments concerning Rayner.
Foreign players
Following a match against West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
on 12 January 2006 Newell criticised the influence of foreign players in English game, stating that it was "going soft." This was after an incident in which Luton midfielder David Bell
David Bell (footballer born 1984)
David Bell is an English-born Irish professional footballer. He plays as a midfielder for Coventry City. He previously played for Norwich City, Luton Town and Rushden & Diamonds, as well as having a brief trial with Middlesbrough...
appeared to be fouled, play continued and West Brom went on to not only equalize minutes before the end, but to claim a last gasp winner to leave Luton empty handed.
Player
Wigan Athletic- Freight Rover TrophyFootball 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...
- Winner: 19851985 Football League Trophy FinalThe 1985 Football League Trophy Final, known as the Freight Rover Trophy for sponsorship reasons was the 2nd final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from the Third and Fourth Divisions....
- Winner: 1985
Everton
- Full Members CupFull Members CupThe Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
- Runner-up: 1991
Blackburn Rovers
- FA Premier LeagueFA Premier LeagueThe 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...
- Champion: 1994-95
- Runner-up: 1993-94
- FA Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
- Runner-up: 19951995 FA Charity ShieldThe 1995 FA Charity Shield was the 73rd FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 13 August 1995 at Wembley Stadium and contested by Blackburn Rovers, who had won the Premier League...
- Runner-up: 1995
- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
- Play-Off Winner: 1992
Doncaster Rovers
- Conference League CupConference League CupThe Conference League Cup was an English football competition open to clubs playing in levels 5 or 6 of the English football league system , which covers the three Football Conference divisions.The Conference League Cup was formed...
- Winner: 2000
Blackpool
- Football League Division ThreeFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
- Play-Off Winner: 2001
Manager
Hartlepool United- Football League Division ThreeFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
- Runner-up: 2002-03
Luton Town
- Football League OneFootball League OneFootball League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
- Champion: 2004-05
Managerial statistics
- Updated to 18 October 2009
Team Nat From To Record G W D L Win % Hartlepool United Hartlepool United F.C.Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
21 November 2002 30 May 2003 29 13 9 7 44.82 Luton Town Luton Town F.C.Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was... 23 June 2003 15 March 2007 200 83 49 68 41.50 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... 6 October 2008 18 October 2009 53 13 11 29 24.53