Nigel Worthington
Encyclopedia
Nigel Worthington is a former Northern Ireland
international footballer and manager.
He was manager of the Northern Ireland national team
from 2007 until after their final Euro 2012 qualifying campaign match against Italy
in October 2011.
As a player, he was a left full back and occasional left midfielder, playing the majority of his club football for Sheffield Wednesday
.
As an international player, he is Northern Ireland's 9th most capped player with 66 appearances.
At both Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United Worthington played under Howard Wilkinson
who would be a major influence on Worthington's own managerial style.
Bryan Hamilton
was also important to Worthington's career, since he made Worthington his international captain when manager of Northern Ireland and also invited him to Norwich to assist him when he (Hamilton) was manager at Carrow Road.
Worthington began his managerial career as player-manager of Blackpool in 1997 before he succeeded Hamilton as manager of Norwich City
in 2000. He guided Norwich to the Premier League in the 2003–04 season but left just over two years afterwards, having failed to keep them in the top-flight in 2005. He was briefly caretaker manager
of Leicester City
in 2007 prior to starting as manager of Northern Ireland, from which he stepped down in 2011.
where he spent three years.
Worthington is best remembered for his time at Sheffield Wednesday
, where he spent ten years, and was a member of the Owls' side that won the League Cup
as well as promotion to the top flight in 1990–91
. Two years later, Worthington and his teammates were losing finalists in both the League Cup and FA Cup
.
After leaving Wednesday in the summer of 1994, Worthington spent two years at Leeds United and one season at Stoke City
. He was then named player-manager at Blackpool in 1997.
in May 1984. This was notable for being Northern Ireland's final game in the last ever British Home Championship
, the point gained being enough for Northern Ireland to win (and keep in perpetuity) the famous old trophy.
In Northern Ireland's subsequent successful Qualifying Campaign for the 1986 World Cup Finals
in Mexico
, Worthington was an important member of Billy Bingham
's squad, starting two Qualifying matches and coming on as substitute in three more.
In the Finals tournament itself, Worthington started two
of Northern Ireland's three matches, against Algeria
and Spain
.
Worthington's 66th and final cap was gained when he came on as a substitute in Northern Ireland's 3–0 victory in a home friendly against Belgium in February 1997.
season. He soon retired from playing to take on sole managerial duties, but two and a half seasons in charge ended with his resignation following a dip in form that saw the club lying in the thick of the Second Division
relegation battle. "I have taken the club as far as I can," he stated.
with the England under-21
team, Worthington moved to Norwich City
at the start of the 2000–01
season as assistant to Bryan Hamilton. He was appointed caretaker manager on 4 December 2000 after Hamilton resigned and the following month was appointed as permanent manager and he later saved the club from relegation to the Second Division
. The 2001–02
season, Worthington's first full season, saw the club reach the play-off final but lost to Birmingham City
on penalties.
In his third full season in charge, 2003–04, Worthington took Norwich to the Premier League after winning the First Division
with a club record 94 points. However, the club struggled in Premier League and found itself in a battle against relegation. Before the final game of the season the club was in pole position to survive but they were defeated 6–0 by Fulham
and ended the season 19th in the table having conceded 77 goals — only five other teams have ever conceded more goals in a Premier League season.
Norwich were tipped to make an instant return to the Premier League in the 2005–06
season having retained the majority of their squad. The club failed to mount the expected promotion challenge which led to some supporters calling for Worthington to leave the club. Despite pressure from supporters, Worthington retained his position to remain in charge for the beginning of the 2006–07
season. After a defeat to Plymouth Argyle
in September 2006, Norwich's majority shareholders, Delia Smith
and Michael Wynn-Jones
, released a statement expecting Worthington to improve the team's performance in the following matches. Norwich's following game, a 4–1 defeat to Burnley
, was Worthington's final game in charge as he was sacked almost immediately after the result.
side Leicester City
. Despite losing his first game to former club Norwich, he was able to steer the Foxes to safety and stated his desire to become Leicester's permanent manager. He lost out on the position to Martin Allen.
in June 2007, initially on a short term contract until the end of the Euro 2008 qualifying tournament
in November.
Worthington revealed on 10th October 2011 that he would be resigning as N.Ireland manager after their final Euro 2012 group game against Italy. At the time of his appointment, Northern Ireland led their qualification group
. Although Northern Ireland eventually finished third in their qualification group, the Irish Football Association
were suitably impressed to give Worthington a two-year contract until 2010, which was subsequently renewed until the end of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. However, after a poor Euro 2012 qualification campaign he is to step down after the final qualifier against Italy.
Sheffield Wednesday
Norwich City
(Manager)
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
international footballer and manager.
He was manager of the Northern Ireland national team
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
from 2007 until after their final Euro 2012 qualifying campaign match against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in October 2011.
As a player, he was a left full back and occasional left midfielder, playing the majority of his club football for Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
.
As an international player, he is Northern Ireland's 9th most capped player with 66 appearances.
At both Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United Worthington played under Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson is a former English football player and manager, and has recently stepped down as a Non-Executive Director at Sheffield Wednesday after formerly relinquishing the chairman role to Milan Mandaric...
who would be a major influence on Worthington's own managerial style.
Bryan Hamilton
Bryan Hamilton
Bryan Hamilton is a Northern Irish former professional football player and manager. He gained 50 caps for Northern Ireland between 1969 and 1980, and later managed the national team for four years. He is currently Technical Director at Antigua Barracuda F.C.-Playing career:Born in Belfast,...
was also important to Worthington's career, since he made Worthington his international captain when manager of Northern Ireland and also invited him to Norwich to assist him when he (Hamilton) was manager at Carrow Road.
Worthington began his managerial career as player-manager of Blackpool in 1997 before he succeeded Hamilton as manager of 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...
in 2000. He guided Norwich to the Premier League in the 2003–04 season but left just over two years afterwards, having failed to keep them in the top-flight in 2005. He was briefly caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
of 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 2007 prior to starting as manager of Northern Ireland, from which he stepped down in 2011.
Playing career
As a tough-tackling no-nonsense defender, Worthington started his career with home town team, Ballymena United, where he was Northern Ireland Young Player of the Year in 1980, prior to his transfer to Notts CountyNotts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
where he spent three years.
Worthington is best remembered for his time at Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, where he spent ten years, and was a member of the Owls' side that won the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
as well as promotion to the top flight in 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...
. Two years later, Worthington and his teammates were losing finalists in both the League Cup and FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
.
After leaving Wednesday in the summer of 1994, Worthington spent two years at Leeds United and one season at Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
. He was then named player-manager at Blackpool in 1997.
International career
Internationally, Worthington made his debut in a 1–1 draw away to WalesWales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in May 1984. This was notable for being Northern Ireland's final game in the last ever British Home Championship
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
, the point gained being enough for Northern Ireland to win (and keep in perpetuity) the famous old trophy.
In Northern Ireland's subsequent successful Qualifying Campaign for the 1986 World Cup Finals
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Worthington was an important member of Billy Bingham
Billy Bingham
William Laurence "Billy" Bingham, MBE is a former international footballer and football manager. He is currently a scout for English Football League Championship side Burnley....
's squad, starting two Qualifying matches and coming on as substitute in three more.
In the Finals tournament itself, Worthington started two
of Northern Ireland's three matches, against Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
and Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
.
Worthington's 66th and final cap was gained when he came on as a substitute in Northern Ireland's 3–0 victory in a home friendly against Belgium in February 1997.
Blackpool
Worthington's managerial career started as the player-manager at Blackpool at the beginning of the 1997–981997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
season. He soon retired from playing to take on sole managerial duties, but two and a half seasons in charge ended with his resignation following a dip in form that saw the club lying in the thick of the 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...
relegation battle. "I have taken the club as far as I can," he stated.
Norwich City
After acting as assistant to Howard WilkinsonHoward Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson is a former English football player and manager, and has recently stepped down as a Non-Executive Director at Sheffield Wednesday after formerly relinquishing the chairman role to Milan Mandaric...
with the England under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
team, Worthington moved to 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...
at the start of the 2000–01
2000-01 in English football
The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
season as assistant to Bryan Hamilton. He was appointed caretaker manager on 4 December 2000 after Hamilton resigned and the following month was appointed as permanent manager and he later saved the club from relegation to the 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...
. The 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...
season, Worthington's first full season, saw the club reach the play-off final but lost to 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...
on penalties.
In his third full season in charge, 2003–04, Worthington took Norwich to the Premier League after winning 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....
with a club record 94 points. However, the club struggled in Premier League and found itself in a battle against relegation. Before the final game of the season the club was in pole position to survive but they were defeated 6–0 by Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and ended the season 19th in the table having conceded 77 goals — only five other teams have ever conceded more goals in a Premier League season.
Norwich were tipped to make an instant return to the Premier League 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 having retained the majority of their squad. The club failed to mount the expected promotion challenge which led to some supporters calling for Worthington to leave the club. Despite pressure from supporters, Worthington retained his position to remain in charge for the beginning of 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. After a defeat to Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
in September 2006, Norwich's majority shareholders, Delia Smith
Delia Smith
Delia Smith CBE is an English cook and television presenter, known for teaching basic cookery skills. She is the UK's best-selling cookery author, with more than 21 million copies sold....
and Michael Wynn-Jones
Michael Wynn-Jones
Michael Wynn-Jones is a Welsh-born writer, editor and publisher.He is a joint majority shareholder of Norwich City Football Club. His partner in the shareholding is his wife, Delia Smith. Wynn-Jones is a writer, editor – formerly editor of the Daily Mirror magazine – and publisher...
, released a statement expecting Worthington to improve the team's performance in the following matches. Norwich's following game, a 4–1 defeat to Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, was Worthington's final game in charge as he was sacked almost immediately after the result.
Leicester City
Towards the end of the 2006–07 season, Worthington was appointed caretaker manager of relegation threatened ChampionshipFootball 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...
side 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...
. Despite losing his first game to former club Norwich, he was able to steer the Foxes to safety and stated his desire to become Leicester's permanent manager. He lost out on the position to Martin Allen.
Northern Ireland
Worthington was appointed as manager of Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
in June 2007, initially on a short term contract until the end of the Euro 2008 qualifying tournament
2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying
This page describes the qualifying procedure for the UEFA Euro 2008.- Seedings :Qualification coefficients were used to rank the teams according to their results in both UEFA Euro 2004 and FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying stages. Only the group matches, and not any additional playoffs, counted...
in November.
Worthington revealed on 10th October 2011 that he would be resigning as N.Ireland manager after their final Euro 2012 group game against Italy. At the time of his appointment, Northern Ireland led their qualification group
2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group F
-Standings:Key:*Teams highlighted in green qualified for the finalsNotes on the qualified teams:*Spain secured qualification to the tournament proper on 17 November 2007 following a 3–0 win against Sweden, becoming the tenth team in the whole of the qualification stage to do so*Sweden secured...
. Although Northern Ireland eventually finished third in their qualification group, the Irish Football Association
Irish Football Association
The Irish Football Association is the organising body for association football in Northern Ireland, and was historically the governing body for Ireland...
were suitably impressed to give Worthington a two-year contract until 2010, which was subsequently renewed until the end of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. However, after a poor Euro 2012 qualification campaign he is to step down after the final qualifier against Italy.
Managerial stats
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| 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... |
 |
8 July 1997 | 23 December 1999 |
|||||
| 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... |
|
4 December 2000 | 2 October 2006 |
|||||
| 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... |
|
11 April 2007 | 25 May 2007 |
|||||
| Northern Ireland Northern Ireland national football team The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association... |
 |
1 June 2007 | 11 October 2011 |
|||||
Honours
Ballymena UnitedBallymena United F.C.
Ballymena United, is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club hails from the town of Ballymena, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Ballymena Showgrounds. Club colours are sky blue and white. Away Colours are Red and BlackThe club was...
- Irish CupIrish CupFor the equivalent tournament in the Republic of Ireland, see FAI Cup.The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth oldest national cup competition in the world...
: Winner 1981 - Ulster CupUlster CupThe Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the Irish Football League for senior clubs. It was held on fifty-one occasions until being suspended after the 1998/99 season and discontinued after a one-off re-appearance in 2002/03. The last three editions were only open to First...
: Winner 1981
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
- League Cup: Winner 1991, Runner-up 1993
- 1993 F.A. Cup: finalist
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...
(Manager)
- Football League Division One ChampionshipFootball League ChampionshipThe 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...
winner 2004