Willie Donachie
Encyclopedia
William Donachie is a Scottish
former professional footballer. He won 35 full caps
for Scotland
, playing in the 1978 World Cup
.
, but began his football career in England
as a junior with Manchester City
, turning professional in December 1968. He made his first team debut in February 1970 and replaced Glyn Pardoe
at left-back in City's side and quickly established himself as a regular in the side. In April 1972, he made his full debut for Scotland
against Peru
at Hampden Park
, having previously made two appearances for Scotland's Under-23 side.
He played in two League Cup
finals for City and went on to make 347 appearances before leaving in 1979 to play for NASL
side Portland Timbers
.
He returned to England in September 1981, joining Norwich City
for a fee of £200,000, but rejoined Portland in March 1982. In November the same year he joined Burnley
and in July 1984 joined Oldham Athletic
where he became player-assistant manager to Joe Royle
. Under Royle and Donachie Oldham enjoyed considerable success at Boundary Park
, taking the unfashionable minnows to the Premier League
, League Cup Final
and epic FA Cup
semi Finals against Manchester United
in the 1990s.
When Royle left to manage Everton
in 1995, Donachie followed as his assistant before being appointed First Team Coach at Sheffield United
. Towards the end of the 1997–98 season he rejoined Royle at Manchester City.
In May 2001, Royle was sacked, but Donachie opted to stay at Manchester City as First Team Coach under new manager Kevin Keegan
. However, in November 2001 he left to become assistant to Terry Yorath
at Sheffield Wednesday
. He resigned from his post at Hillsborough on October 28, 2002 to link up again with Joe Royle, who by now was manager of Ipswich Town
. Ipswich paid Wednesday £50,000 compensation for this move.
Donachie left Portman Road
in June 2006 after Jim Magilton
was appointed as manager, this coming after Donachie had stated his interest in the job himself, and joined Millwall
as assistant to Nigel Spackman
. He was appointed manager of Millwall on 22 November 2006 after being caretaker manager following Spackman's sacking on 25 September 2006. Nigel Spackman's last game against Northampton on 23 September left Millwall 23rd in the Coca-Cola League one (lowest 24th), but Donachie steadied the ship and Millwall finished the 2006–7 season in mid-table.Donachie gets permanent Lions' job.
On 19 March 2007, Donachie signed a two year deal as manager. He said "I am delighted and I will follow the PLC's instructions and do all I can to get this great club into the Premier League." However, on 8 October 2007, Donachie was sacked by Millwall after a run of poor results which left the club bottom of League One. He also took charge of Antigua and Barbuda
for a couple of games against Cuba
in late 2008.
In December 2009 he was appointed Assistant Director at Newcastle United's academy. In December 2010 he was promoted to development coach.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
former professional footballer. He won 35 full caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, playing in the 1978 World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
.
Career
Donachie was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, but began his football career in England
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...
as a junior with 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...
, turning professional in December 1968. He made his first team debut in February 1970 and replaced Glyn Pardoe
Glyn Pardoe
Glyn Pardoe is an English former footballer who played for Manchester City between 1962 and 1974. He made his first team debut against Birmingham City in April 1962...
at left-back in City's side and quickly established himself as a regular in the side. In April 1972, he made his full debut for Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
against Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, having previously made two appearances for Scotland's Under-23 side.
He played in two 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...
finals for City and went on to make 347 appearances before leaving in 1979 to play for NASL
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
side Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers (NASL)
The Portland Timbers were a team in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1982. The name has been used by two other soccer franchises: the Timbers of the WSA/APSL, Portland Timbers of the USL and the current team which began play as part of Major League Soccer in 2011.-History:In January...
.
He returned to England in September 1981, joining 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...
for a fee of £200,000, but rejoined Portland in March 1982. In November the same year he joined 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...
and in July 1984 joined Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
where he became player-assistant manager to Joe Royle
Joe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
. Under Royle and Donachie Oldham enjoyed considerable success at Boundary Park
Boundary Park
Boundary Park is the main sports stadium of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with the towns of Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively, giving rise to the name Boundary Park....
, taking the unfashionable minnows to the 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...
, League Cup Final
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...
and epic 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...
semi Finals against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in the 1990s.
When Royle left to manage Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in 1995, Donachie followed as his assistant before being appointed First Team Coach 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...
. Towards the end of the 1997–98 season he rejoined Royle at Manchester City.
In May 2001, Royle was sacked, but Donachie opted to stay at Manchester City as First Team Coach under new manager Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
. However, in November 2001 he left to become assistant to Terry Yorath
Terry Yorath
Terence Charles Yorath is a former footballer and has been a manager at both club and international level. He is also the father of television presenter Gabby Logan....
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...
. He resigned from his post at Hillsborough on October 28, 2002 to link up again with Joe Royle, who by now was manager of 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....
. Ipswich paid Wednesday £50,000 compensation for this move.
Donachie left Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...
in June 2006 after Jim Magilton
Jim Magilton
James "Jim" Magilton is a Northern Irish former footballer and manager, who is currently employed as Football Consultant at Shamrock Rovers F.C. after being appointed on 6 July 2011....
was appointed as manager, this coming after Donachie had stated his interest in the job himself, and joined Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
as assistant to Nigel Spackman
Nigel Spackman
Nigel James Spackman is an English football manager and former player. He was formerly a midfield player who was an integral part of the much-admired Liverpool team of 1988...
. He was appointed manager of Millwall on 22 November 2006 after being caretaker manager following Spackman's sacking on 25 September 2006. Nigel Spackman's last game against Northampton on 23 September left Millwall 23rd in the Coca-Cola League one (lowest 24th), but Donachie steadied the ship and Millwall finished the 2006–7 season in mid-table.Donachie gets permanent Lions' job.
On 19 March 2007, Donachie signed a two year deal as manager. He said "I am delighted and I will follow the PLC's instructions and do all I can to get this great club into the Premier League." However, on 8 October 2007, Donachie was sacked by Millwall after a run of poor results which left the club bottom of League One. He also took charge of Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda national football team
The Antigua and Barbuda national football team is the national team of Antigua and Barbuda and is controlled by the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association. A member of CONCACAF. The team's best performance was in the 1998 Caribbean Cup where it placed 4th...
for a couple of games against Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in late 2008.
In December 2009 he was appointed Assistant Director at Newcastle United's academy. In December 2010 he was promoted to development coach.