Notts County ex players Where are they now?

Previous Managers
Gudjon THORDARSON	Manager at Notts 12-6-06 to 17-10-07

	Relieved of his duties on 17th October 2007.

Gudjon THORDARSON	Manager at Notts 17-5-05 to 12-6-06

	Currently managing the Icelandic club IA. As well as Notts he has previously been manager of KA, KR, Keflavik, Iceland, Stoke City, Barnsley and Start in Norway.

Ian RICHARDSON	Manager at Notts 4-11-04 to 17-5-05

	When Gary Mills left the club in November 2004 Ian was asked to be manager of Notts until the end of the season. Nowadays Ian is working for Notts' Football in the Community programme as a coach as well as progressing rapidly through the refereeing ranks.

Gary MILLS	Manager at Notts 7-1-04 to 4-11-04

	Gary's ten month spell still stands as his only appointment as a Football League manager. After leaving Notts he had a spell as manager of Alfreton Town before being appointed Tamworth manager, for the second time, in the Conference.

Bill DEARDEN	Manager at Notts 7-1-02 to 7-1-04

	After managing Notts through a very difficult two year period Billy spent his time scouting before being appointed Mansfield's manager for the second time in December 2006.

Gary BRAZIL	Manager at Notts 10-10-2001 to 7-1-02

	Gary was part of the coaching set-up at Notts County for a number of years, even having a spell as manager when Sam Allardyce departed to take up the reins at Bolton Wanderers. For the last couple of years Gary has been working as a Scholarship Officer for the Premier League which basically entailed visiting all the clubs in England making sure their youth systems are up to the standards required by the Premier League. Gary is now running Premiership Fulham's under 18 team.

Jocky SCOTT	Manager at Notts 28-6-00 to 10-10-01

	After retiring from playing Jocky was manager of Aberdeen, Dundee, Arbroath and Hibernian before joining Notts. After leaving Notts in October 2001 Jocky managed Raith Rovers in January 2002 but only stayed for four months. He was reserve team manager at Sunderland before joining Plymouth Argyle as first team coach under Bobby Williamson in 2004. When Williamson was sacked, Scott took over as caretaker manager for four games. He is now coach at Danish club Viborg FF

Sam ALLARDYCE	Manager at Notts 16-1-97 to 14-10-99

	After retiring as a player, Sam was named as assistant manager to Brian Talbot at West Bromwich Albion in February 1989. His spell at the Hawthorns lasted two years before he and Talbot were sacked as the club slid towards the Second Division trap door for the first time. He then took up the role of player/manager of Limerick and guided the League of Ireland team to promotion by topping the first division with a number of points to spare in 1991-92 in his only season at the club. After his one successful season in Ireland Allardyce returned to England and to Preston North End for the start of the 1992-93 season to take up the role of coach/assistant manager under Les Chapman. Ten games into the season however Chapman was sacked and Allardyce given the role of caretaker manager for a short spell. John Beck was appointed full time manager with Sam continuing at the club in his original coaching capacity for another 18 months. In July 1994 arch rivals Blackpool offered him the managers job Allardyce jumped at the chance. Allardyce's spell at Bloomfield Road, however, was a strange one. Despite leading the club to their most successful season in years he was sacked at the end of the campaign after failing to guide them to Division One. Blackpool finished third, missing out on automatic promotion on the last day of the season, and were then beaten in the play-off semi-finals by Bradford City after winning 2-0 away at Valley Parade, only to lose 3-0 in the reverse leg on home soil. In January 1997, Sam arrived at Notts. He arrived too late to save them from relegation, but they won promotion at the first attempt by finishing top of Division Three at the end of the 1997/98 season. Notts County broke several club and national records, winning the title by 19 points and becoming the first post-war side to win promotion in mid-March. He remained in charge at Meadow Lane until September 1999, when he returned to Bolton Wanderers in Division One and became their new manager. Bolton lost to Ipswich Town in the 1999/00 Division One playoffs. They went one better in 2000/01 by reaching the playoff final where they beat Preston North End 3-0 to achieve promotion to the Premiership after a three-year absence. After two years in the bottom half of the table, Bolton went on to substantially improve, and established themselves in the Premiership. 2003/04 saw Allardyce's side finish eighth and reach the Carling Cup final, losing 2-1 to Middlesbrough. 2004/05 saw Bolton finish sixth, claiming their place in the next season's UEFA Cup, equal on points with 2005's UEFA Champions League victors Liverpool. In the early months of 2005/06, Allardyce once again took Bolton into the top half of the Premiership and also steered them into the knockout rounds of the UEFA Cup. Bolton eventually finished eighth that season. Sam was touted as a major candidate for the England post to replace Sven Goran Eriksson. However he was never offered the job, which was eventually given to Steve McClaren. Allardyce says he plans to walk away from football at the end of his 10-year contract at Bolton Wanderers, when he is 56.

Colin MURPHY	Manager at Notts 5-6-95 to 23-12-96

	After a series of managerial jobs at Derby, Lincoln (twice), Stockport (twice) and Southend Murphy briefly managed League of Ireland side Shelbourne from November 1994 to May 1995. He took the club from the edge of the relegation zone to only missing out on the title on the final day and being beaten finalists in the FAI Cup. He then left to manage Notts County. After leaving Notts he even managed a spell as the international manager of Vietnam helping them win the bronze medal at Seagames 1997. Colin is now the Director of Development and Assistant Manager of Hull City. Murphy joined the Tigers in 2002 as Assistant Manager to Peter Taylor. With the arrival of Phil Parkinson as Manager with Frank Barlow as his Assistant at the start of the 2006-07 season, Murphy took up the new role of Director of Development at the club - responsible for all scouting and youth development. He reverted to Assistant Manager, however, when Barlow left the club towards the end of October.

Steve NICOL	Manager at Notts 20-1-95 to 5-6-95

	After a brilliant playing career at Liverpool Nicol finally left in January 1995 to take on a player-coach role at Notts County, he stayed in the role for just 10 months playing 22 times. He then moved to Sheffield Wednesday in the November of '95. Nicol went on to make 49 league appearances before spending a spell on loan at West Bromwich Albion during the 1997/98 season where he played 9 times, he then had a short spell with Doncaster Rovers before heading to the U.S. to take a player-coach position with Boston Bulldogs of the A-League in 1999. In September of that year, he took over as interim player-coach with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer for the final two games of the season, winning both. He returned to Boston Bulldogs as player-coach for the 2000 and 2001 seasons before re-joining the Revs in 2002 as an assistant coach. He took over as head coach of New England Revolution on an interim basis initially, then permanently after 21 games, leading the team to the MLS Cup that season, and was named MLS Coach of the Year in his first year. The team has advanced to the MLS Eastern Conference Finals in each of his years as coach, and returned to the MLS Cup in 2005 and 2006.

Howard KENDALL	Manager at Notts 12-1-95 to 1-4-95

	After management spells with Blackburn, Everton (twice) and Manchester City Howard was appointed manager of Notts County in 1995 but was sacked after less than three months. He became manager of Sheffield United on December 13, 1995 but after losing the play-off final Kendall left on June 24, 1997, returning to Everton for an unprecedented third time as manager but only managed to avoid relegation on the last day of the season and he resigned from Everton in 1998. Kendall joined Greek side Ethnikos Piraeus, but was sacked in March 1999 after only four months in charge and with Ethnikos 8 points adrift at the bottom of the Greek First Division. Kendall was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution as a manager to the English game. To date, Howard Kendall remains the last English manager to win a European trophy with an English club.

Russell SLADE	Manager at Notts 15-9-94 to 12-1-95

	Slade was assistant manager to Mick Walker at Notts County and took over as caretaker manager when Walker was sacked in September 1994. When County appointed Howard Kendall as manager in January 1995, Slade stayed on as his assistant. However both were sacked in April of the same year, and the club were eventually relegated as the bottom club in Division One. Russell joined Nationwide Conference side Scarborough in November 2001 with the club adrift at the bottom of the Conference and looking doomed. However a remarkable run of 39 points from the final 19 games of the season meant Scarborough finished 12th. He then took the team to 4th position by Christmas in the 2002/03 season. In January 2003, 2 days after the club went into administration, Slade tendered his resignation. At the end of the 2003/04 season Grimsby Town appointed him as their new manager. A mid table finish ensued in the 2004/05 season, then Grimsby spent most of the 2005/06 season in an automatic promotion spot in League Two, although they finished the season in 4th place and had to settle for the playoffs. Despite guiding his team to a semi-final victory over Lincoln, Slade was unable to secure promotion, Grimsby losing 1-0 in the final against Cheltenham Town in Cardiff. On the 31st May, three days after their defeat, it was announced in a joint statement that Slade had left his post. In June 2006 Russell joined Yeovil as manager.

Mick WALKER	Manager at Notts 14-1-93 to 14-9-94

	(Details of Mick Walker's time in football after leaving Notts would be much appreciated - email me at david@bencaunt.freeserve.co.uk)

Neil WARNOCK	Manager at Notts 5-1-89 to 14-1-93

	His first managerial job was with Northern Premier League side Burton Albion in 1981. He then had spells as manager at Gainsborough Trinity and Scarborough, before joining Notts in January 1989. After Notts he managed Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle, Oldham Athletic and Bury before joining his current club Sheffield United in December 1999. In 2003, Warnock led Sheffield United to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the League Cup as well as the final of the First Division play-off. This was the first time in his management career that he had lost a play-off contest, having previously been successful with Notts (twice), Huddersfield Town and Plymouth Argyle. He finally led his Blades team to the Premiership in 2006. Rival fans nicknamed him Colin, as, when combined with another insulting word the result it is an anagram of Neil Warnock.

John BARNWELL	Manager at Notts 7-6-87 to 2-12-88

	After retiring from playing Barnwell moved into coaching, becoming a coach under Noel Cantwell at Peterborough United, helping the club to promotion to the old Third Division. Barnwell succeeded Cantwell in1977 and narrowly missed out on reaching the Second Division in his first and only season. He left United in1978 after a dispute with the club's board, but soon joined Wolves, taking the club to an FA Cup semi-final against his old club Arsenal in 1979 and then victory in the 1980 League Cup final against Forest. This was despite Barnwell being involved in an horrific car accident, in which he fractured his skull. However, Wolves could not maintain this form, finishing 18th in 1980/81. With the club bottom of the First Division in January1982, he resigned. He moved abroad, coaching in Saudi Arabia and later managing Greek side AEK Athens 1983-1984. He then returned back to England to manageNotts then Walsall (1989-1990) and Northampton Town (1993-1994) before retiring from football management altogether, and took up his current post as the League Managers Association chief executive in 1996.

Jimmy SIRREL	Manager at Notts 1-11-69 to 15-10-75, 5-10-78 to 1-7-82, 1-5-85 to 31-5-87

	Jimmy's first season in charge of the Magpies ended with a respectable seventh place finish and the following season the Magpies stormed their way to the Fourth Division Championship. The following season Notts excelled again, missing out on a second successive promotion by three points. Sirrel's status as a Notts County legend was fast become confirmed. 1972/73 started off slowly for the Magpies and by the end of the year they were languishing in 16th place. However, Notts would lose just twice more all season and secure second place and promotion into theSecond Division following a final day 4-1 victory over Tranmere Rovers. Sirrel had overseen a transformation of Notts which had seen them go from Division Four strugglers to a Division Two side in little under four years. For the next two seasons, the Magpies would finish with respectable mid table positions and looked to be heading that way again during1975/76. Sirrel however announced that he would leave Notts for Sheffield United and was appointed their new manager on October 21, 1975. Sirrel is the designer of the present Sheffield United club badge. Up until Sirrel's tenure in charge at Bramall Lane, the Blades used Sheffield's coat of arms. This was until Sheffield City Council copyrighted it forcing the Blades to look elsewhere for a badge. Sirrel sat down and designed the badge that is still used today. On his return to Notts Sirrel found a Magpies side struggling to avoid relegation back into Division Three. Sirrel was able to save Notts from the drop with the club eventually finishing in a respectable 15th place. The follow season saw Notts record a 6th placed finish but the season after that the Magpies struggled again, finishing in 17th place. The 1980/81 season would go down as perhaps Sirrel's finest achievement as manager of Notts County. Including a new generation of players bought in by Sirrel and the returning Don Masson, the Magpies would finish the season in second place, and a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge confirmed that the Magpies would be playing First Division football for the first time since 1926. Despite being favourites to make an immediate return to the Second Division, some memorable wins ensured that the Magpies would finish comfortably in midtable in their first season back in the top flight. Sirrel brought in Howard Wilkinson to be a head coach for Notts County's second season in the Division One. Sirrel continued on as General Manager and the club subsequently managed a comfortable 15th placed finish. Staying on as General Manager, a new coach came in for the Magpies' third season of top flight football - Larry Lloyd. The Magpies were relegated into Division Two at the end of the season. Lloyd was dismissed the following season with the Magpies staring a second consecutive relegation in the face and Sirrel was again appointed manager in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid the drop. 1985/86 began in the Third Division and with financial difficulty brewing, Sirrel would oversee two mid table finishes over the next seasons. His retirement from Notts and football came at the end of the1986/87 season, eighteen years after he arrived at the club. Jimmy remains a regular visitor to Meadow Lane and is still a much loved figure amongst Notts County supporters of all ages, even those unlucky enough not to have been around during the years of his management. In 1993 the newly redeveloped County Road Stand was renamed the Jimmy Sirrel Stand in his honour. For the last match of the 2005-2006 season, the 84-year-old Sirrel came out onto the pitch to gee up the fans and generate some atmosphere for the 10,000+ crowd. His words of wisdom inspired the fans, if not the players, but thankfully Notts County stayed up and Jimmy, along with the rest of the club's fans, went home happy.

Richie BARKER	Manager at Notts 5-11-84 to 19-4-85

	(Details of Richie Barker's time in football after leaving Notts would be much appreciated - email me at david@bencaunt.freeserve.co.uk)

Larry LLOYD	Manager at Notts 7-7-83 to 21-10-84

	After leaving Notts Larry had a spell as a radio station pundit on a Nottingham football phone-in programme as well as being the licensee at The Stage Door hostelry in the city centre.

Howard WILKINSON	Manager at Notts 1-7-82 to 30-6-83

	Howard was the manager of Sheffield Wednesday from 1983 until 1988. His first season saw Wednesday win promotion to the First Division and they were still there when he left four years later. His greatest success as a manager came after moving to Leeds United in 1988. After the team won the Second Division in 1989-90, in their first season in the First Division they ended the season fourth in the top division. After signing Éric Cantona in February 1992 Leeds won the last championship of the old-style Football League First Division in 1992and Howard remains the last Englishman to win the top division. After a poor start to the 1996-97 season he was sacked. Soon after leaving Leeds, Wilkinson was hired by the sport's governing body in England, the Football Association, to act as its Technical Director, overseeing coaching and other training programmes at all levels of the game. In his position as Technical Director of the FA, he managed the England team on a caretaker basis in 1999 for a friendly against France following the sacking of Glenn Hoddle. Following this he acted for a time as the permanent coach of the England Under-21 team. He returned to the role of caretaker of the senior team in October 2000 following the departure of Kevin Keegan, overseeing a 0-0 draw in a World Cup qualifying match against Finland. In 2002 he left the staff of the Football Association to return to club management at Sunderland with Steve Cotterill as his assistant. However, his time there was nothing short of a catastrophe, and he was sacked before the end of the 2002-03 season as Sunderland languished at the bottom of the FA Premier League with a then league-history-worst total of 19pts. He briefly returned to management in March 2004 taking charge of Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua but left two months later due to personal reasons. In October 2004, he was temporarily appointed as first team coach of Leicester City. In December 2004, Wilkinson returned to Notts County where he became a non-executive director.

Ron FENTON	Manager at Notts 1-11-75 to 5-10-77

	Ron's two year spell as manager of Notts was his only managerial appointment in the Football League.

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