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John Carver (footballer)

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John Carver
Carver as Newcastle's assistant manager in 2014
Personal information
Full name John William Carver[1]
Date of birth (1965-01-16) 16 January 1965 (age 59)[1]
Place of birth Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Lechia Gdańsk (manager)
Scotland (assistant)
Youth career
0000–1983 Newcastle United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1985 Newcastle United 0 (0)
1985–1986 Cardiff City 13 (0)
1987–1990 Gateshead 113 (10)
Total 126 (10)
Managerial career
1988 Gateshead (caretaker)
2004 Newcastle United (caretaker)
2006 Leeds United (caretaker)
2008–2009 Toronto
2010 Sheffield United (caretaker)
2014–2015 Newcastle United (caretaker)
2015 Newcastle United (interim)
2016–2017 Omonia Nicosia
2017–2018 West Bromwich Albion (assistant)
2020– Scotland (assistant)
2024– Lechia Gdańsk
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John William Carver (born 16 January 1965) is an English association football coach and former player. At Newcastle United, he held assistant coaching roles under Bobby Robson and Alan Pardew, and was the interim manager following Pardew's departure. Away from Newcastle, he was also assistant coach to Kevin Blackwell at Leeds United and Luton Town, as well as at Plymouth Argyle under Paul Mariner. As manager, he took charge of Toronto from 2008 to 2009 and Omonia Nicosia from 2016 to 2017. He is currently the manager of Ekstraklasa club Lechia Gdańsk and the assistant coach of the Scotland national team.

Playing career

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Carver was born in Newcastle upon Tyne,[1] and was raised in Cruddas Park.[2] Carver joined Montagu and North Fenham Boys Club when he was nine, which led to him being signed by his hometown club, Newcastle United, as an apprentice when he was 16.[2] He signed a professional contract with the club in January 1983 but never made his league debut, and was released in 1985.[1]

Carver then spent a season at Cardiff City, making 13 appearances,[3] but a thigh injury ended his professional career at the age of 20.[4] Afterwards, he played semi-professional football for Gateshead from 1987 to 1990, whilst working his way up the coaching ladder in Newcastle, starting out in schools before landing the role of director at Newcastle's School of Excellence in 1992.

Coaching career

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Newcastle United

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Carver was the assistant manager to Bobby Robson at Newcastle United. Following Robson's sacking in August 2004, Carver was appointed caretaker manager and guided the team to a 3–0 win against Blackburn Rovers.[5][6] Carver later dedicated the win to Robson. Despite the victory, Carver was not considered for the permanent job, that position going to Graeme Souness who opted to bring in his own backroom staff; Carver left the club in September 2004.[6]

Leeds United

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In July 2005, Leeds United appointed Carver as a first team coach, replacing the departed Adrian Boothroyd who left the club to be the new manager of Watford. He was part of the management team of Kevin Blackwell and Sam Ellis. Following the exit of Ellis in May 2006, Carver was promoted to the position of assistant manager.

Carver became a caretaker manager for the second time in his career, after Leeds fired Kevin Blackwell following a poor start to the season.[7] Carver celebrated a win in his first game in charge after beating Birmingham City 3–2. However, a series of heavy defeats under Carver's management, culminating in a 5–1 drubbing by Luton Town, led to Leeds' chairman Ken Bates opting instead to recruit the Swindon management team of Dennis Wise and Gus Poyet.[8] Carver left Leeds on 23 October 2006, with David Geddis briefly taking charge of caretaker duties.[8][9]

Luton Town

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Kevin Blackwell subsequently became the manager of Luton Town, and he recruited Carver as his assistant, along with another ex-Leeds coach Sam Ellis. With Luton going through major financial difficulties, including the administrator's decision to sell players from under the management's feet, Carver, along with Blackwell and Ellis were sacked.

Toronto FC

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On 1 February 2008, Carver became head coach of the Major League Soccer (MLS) side Toronto FC, with previous coach, Mo Johnston, remaining as manager and director of soccer.[10] He was thereby reunited with an old friend from Newcastle United, since Paul Winsper had been hired in January as strength and conditioning coach.[11]

In April 2009, Carver was charged $750 by MLS for openly criticising the standard of refereeing during a 3–2 loss away to FC Dallas. He was absent from the bench during a 1–0 home win over Chivas USA four days later and eventually resigned on 25 April 2009, one day before the team's home clash with Kansas City Wizards.[12]

Plymouth Argyle and Sheffield United

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In December 2009, Carver was appointed assistant head coach to Paul Mariner at Plymouth Argyle. On 14 January 2010, he rejected an approach from Burnley manager Brian Laws to join the Lancashire club as a coach, stating his desire to repay the loyalty shown by Paul Mariner and the club as his reason for staying.[13]

In August 2010, Carver was appointed first team coach at Sheffield United by manager Gary Speed, who had played under Carver when he was assistant manager at Newcastle United. This appointment reunited Carver with Sam Ellis, who was assistant to Speed. Following Speed's departure from Sheffield United to become coach of the Wales national team on 14 December, Carver was appointed as caretaker manager.[14] He left the club on 30 December 2010, when Micky Adams was appointed as manager.[15][16]

Return to Newcastle United

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On 18 January 2011, Newcastle United announced that Carver would be their new assistant manager until the end of the season.[17] Manager Alan Pardew said it was only a short-term deal to see how the two worked together and if he worked well with the set-up. On 25 February, he signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract with Newcastle.[18]

On 17 March 2013, Carver was sent to the stands by the match officials at half-time during Newcastle's match at Wigan Athletic. His reaction towards Wigan player Callum McManaman followed a high tackle on Newcastle's defender Massadio Haïdara, which saw Haïdara stretchered off and McManaman escape any punishment.[19] Carver was fined £1,000 and warned as to his future conduct as a result.

Following Pardew's interest in the Crystal Palace job, Carver was put in temporary charge for Newcastle's next two matches against Burnley in the Premier League and Leicester City in the FA Cup.[20] On 3 January 2015, and after Pardew's appointment at Crystal Palace was confirmed and soon after Newcastle's FA Cup exit, Carver put himself forward for the job,[21] but urged the board to find a replacement after a 2–1 loss to Southampton on 17 January.[22]

On 26 January, it was confirmed that Carver had been appointed temporary head coach until the end of the 2014–15 season.[23] During his spell as caretaker manager, he had accrued three losses and a draw in all competitions. Five days after Carver was named the temporary head coach until the end of the season, he won his first match on 31 January, against Hull City.[24] From 4 March to 2 May, he oversaw a run of eight successive league defeats, a club record for Newcastle in the Premier League. Despite such heavy losses, Carver still believed that he was "the best coach in the Premier League",[25] though he later claimed that his words were taken out of context by the media after receiving widespread hilarity for his statement.[26]

On the final day of the season, Newcastle beat West Ham United 2–0 to confirm their safety in the Premier League for the 2014–15 season. On 9 June, both Carver and coach Steve Stone had their contracts terminated by Newcastle ahead of the announcement of Steve McClaren as new head coach.[27]

Omonia

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On 4 June 2016, Carver was announced as the new manager of Cypriot club Omonia.[28] On 23 February 2017, Carver was sacked by the club.[29]

Scotland

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On 31 August 2020, it was announced that Carver had joined Steve Clarke's coaching team with the Scotland national team. He replaced Alex Dyer, who had become permanent manager at Kilmarnock.

Lechia Gdańsk

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On 30 November 2024, Carver was announced as the new manager of Polish Ekstraklasa club Lechia Gdańsk, placed 17th out of 18 teams at the time of his appointment, where he was reunited with Kevin Blackwell, the club's technical director. Carver signed a deal until the end of the season with an option for a further year. As part of Lechia's agreement with the Scottish Football Association, he will continue in his role as an assistant of the Scotland national team until the March 2025 international break.[30]

Managerial statistics

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As of match played 7 December 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
P W D L Win %
Newcastle United 30 August 2004[5][6] 12 September 2004[6] 1 1 0 0 100.0
Leeds United 21 September 2006[7] 23 October 2006[8] 5 1 0 4 020.0
Toronto FC 1 February 2008[10] 25 April 2009[12] 40 12 12 16 030.0
Sheffield United 14 December 2010[14] 30 December 2010[15] 3 1 0 2 033.3
Newcastle United 1 January 2015[23] 9 June 2015[31] 20 3 4 13 015.0
Omonia 4 June 2016[28][32] 23 February 2017 30 17 8 5 056.7
Lechia Gdańsk 30 November 2024 Present 1 1 0 0 100.0
Total 100 36 24 40 036.0

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-85291-665-7.
  2. ^ a b "Carver: 'I Owe Boys Club Everything'". Newcastle United F.C. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  3. ^ Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Derby: Breedon Books. pp. 34–35. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
  4. ^ "Starter Carver".
  5. ^ a b "Newcastle force Robson out". BBC Sport. 30 August 2004. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d "Carver leaves Newcastle". BBC Sport. 12 September 2004. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Carver takes Leeds caretaker role". BBC Sport. 21 September 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  8. ^ a b c "Wise takes over as Leeds manager". BBC Sport. 24 October 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  9. ^ "Leeds 1-3 Southend". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  10. ^ a b "Toronto FC make coaching change". CBC. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  11. ^ "Beckham's fitness guru lands with Toronto MLS club". findarticles.com. 1 January 2008. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  12. ^ a b Molinaro, John F (25 April 2009). "John Carver out as Toronto FC coach". CBC. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  13. ^ "Carver rejects Burnley job offer". BBC Sport. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  14. ^ a b "Gary Speed plans Craig Bellamy Wales captaincy talks". BBC Sport. 15 December 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  15. ^ a b "Micky Adams confirmed as Sheffield United manager". BBC Sport. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  16. ^ "Micky Adams appointed Sheffield United manager after leaving Port Vale". The Guardian. London. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  17. ^ "Carver back at Newcastle". Sky Sports. 18 January 2011.
  18. ^ Spellman, Damian (25 February 2011). "Newcastle assistant John Carver signs new contract". The Independent. London.
  19. ^ "Massadio Haidara: Newcastle United fear knee ligament damage". BBC Sport. 17 March 2013.
  20. ^ "Alan Pardew: John Carver & Steve Stone take temporary charge". BBC Sport. 30 December 2014.
  21. ^ "Newcastle caretaker John Carver wants to be club's permanent boss". BBC Sport. 3 January 2015.
  22. ^ "John Carver urges Newcastle to make decision on new manager". BBC Sport. 17 January 2015.
  23. ^ a b "Newcastle United: John Carver to stay in charge until end of season". BBC Sport. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  24. ^ "Hull City 0–3 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. 31 January 2015.
  25. ^ "Newcastle's John Carver: I'm the best coach in the Premier League". BBC Sport. 7 May 2015.
  26. ^ "John Carver says that 'best coach in the Premier League' claim was taken out of context by the media". Newcastle Chronicle. 9 May 2015. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015.
  27. ^ Edwards, Luke (9 June 2015). "John Carver sacked by Newcastle United". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  28. ^ a b "John Carver agrees to take charge of AC Omonoia Nicosia". Sky Sports. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  29. ^ "Carver sacked by Omonia". Cyprus Mail. 23 February 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  30. ^ Galiński, Tomasz (30 November 2024). "Z reprezentacji Szkocji do Ekstraklasy. Lechia Gdańsk ma nowego trenera". sportowefakty.wp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  31. ^ "John Carver sacked by Newcastle United". The Daily Telegraph. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  32. ^ "Omonia matches". Soccerway. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
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