Bobby Williamson
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bobby" Williamson (born 13 August 1961 in Glasgow
, Scotland) is a former association footballer who is currently manager of the Uganda national football team
. He previously managed Kilmarnock
and Hibernian
in the Scottish Premier League
and Plymouth Argyle
in the Football League Championship
.
. He began his career at Clydebank
and his 35 goals in 85 matches earned him a move to Rangers
. However, after an injury-hit spell with the Glasgow
club he moved to England, where he had spells with West Bromwich Albion
and Rotherham United
. He returned to Scotland in 1990 to join Kilmarnock Football Club, which proved to be his last club as a player.
by beating Falkirk
1–0 at Ibrox
. Kilmarnock finished highly in the Scottish Premier League
and he guided them into Europe, playing a total of four two-legged ties over three seasons. He also attracted high profile players including former Scotland
internationals Ally McCoist
and Ian Durrant
, and the former French
international Christophe Cocard
.
Williamson took up a new challenge at Hibernian
in February 2002, where he inherited a team that had gone 18 league games without a win. A win against St. Johnstone in Williamson's first match in charge effectively removed the danger of relegation. Due to financial problems at the club, Williamson had to move on several senior players, but he did not endear himself to the Hibs fans. He lightheartedly joked about this relationship by referring to himself as a "weegie
hun
". Nonetheless Hibs produced several excellent young players, including Scott Brown, Derek Riordan
, Garry O'Connor
, Kevin Thomson
and Steven Whittaker
. Williamson guided his young team to the 2004 Scottish League Cup Final
, but they were beaten 2–0 by Livingston
.
Williamson moved to Plymouth Argyle
on 20 April 2004. By winning his first match in charge, the club won promotion to the Football League Championship
. A poor run of results at the start of the 2005–06 season led to his dismissal on 6 September 2005. Financial constraints at Plymouth Argyle resulted in a number of signings which contributed to his demise, most notably Taribo West
. He was replaced by Tony Pulis
, who had recently been sacked by fellow Championship
side Stoke City
.
He appeared as a pundit on BBC Radio Scotland
's Sportsound
before he was appointed as Chester City
manager on 11 May 2007. Williamson's first Football League match in charge of Chester ended in a 0-0 draw with Chesterfield
on 11 August 2007 and has established them as a promotion contender in the opening months of the season. After mid-season, Chester's form began to drop rapidly, winning only 1 out of 14 games since Boxing Day; Williamson was sacked on 2 March 2008.
On 19 August 2008 he was appointed by FUFA
to be the coach of the Uganda national football team
. Williamson replaced Csaba László
, who resigned in July 2008 to join Scottish Premier League
side Hearts
. Within days of being appointed, Williamson was given the ultimatum
of winning his first two games against Niger
and Benin
to earn a longer contract. He succeeded in doing that, and their FIFA World Ranking has steadily improved during his first two years in charge.
(2): September 2000, October 2002
Glasgow
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...
, Scotland) is a former association footballer who is currently manager of the Uganda national football team
Uganda national football team
The Uganda national football team, nicknamed The Cranes, is the national team of Uganda and is controlled by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations...
. He previously managed Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
and Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
in the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
and 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 the Football League 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...
.
Playing career
As a player, Williamson was a strikerStriker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
. He began his career at Clydebank
Clydebank F.C.
Clydebank Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, near Yoker. The present club, formed in 2003, is a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and currently plays in West Super League Premier Division...
and his 35 goals in 85 matches earned him a move to Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
. However, after an injury-hit spell with the Glasgow
Glasgow
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...
club he moved to England, where he had spells with West Bromwich Albion
West 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...
and Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
. He returned to Scotland in 1990 to join Kilmarnock Football Club, which proved to be his last club as a player.
Managerial career
Williamson became the manager of Kilmarnock following the departure of Alex Totten. In his first season as manager, the club won the 1997 Scottish Cup Final1997 Scottish Cup Final
The 1997 Scottish Cup Final was played on May 24, 1997 at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow and was the final of the 112th Scottish Cup. Kilmarnock and Falkirk contested the match, Kilmarnock won the match 1–0, thanks to Paul Wright's goal.-Match details:...
by beating Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
1–0 at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
. Kilmarnock finished highly in the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
and he guided them into Europe, playing a total of four two-legged ties over three seasons. He also attracted high profile players including former 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...
internationals Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE ; 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Rangers in Scotland....
and Ian Durrant
Ian Durrant
Ian Durrant is a former Scottish professional footballer who played for Rangers, Kilmarnock and the Scotland national team...
, and the former French
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
international Christophe Cocard
Christophe Cocard
Christophe Cocard, is a former footballer. He spent the majority of career at AJ Auxerre, while representing France at the Euro 1992....
.
Williamson took up a new challenge at Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
in February 2002, where he inherited a team that had gone 18 league games without a win. A win against St. Johnstone in Williamson's first match in charge effectively removed the danger of relegation. Due to financial problems at the club, Williamson had to move on several senior players, but he did not endear himself to the Hibs fans. He lightheartedly joked about this relationship by referring to himself as a "weegie
Glasgow
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...
hun
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
". Nonetheless Hibs produced several excellent young players, including Scott Brown, Derek Riordan
Derek Riordan
Derek George Riordan is a Scottish footballer who plays as a forward. He has been capped three times by the Scotland national football team. Riordan started his career with Hibernian in 2001 and had a brief spell on loan with Cowdenbeath in 2003...
, Garry O'Connor
Garry O'Connor
Garry Lawrence John O'Connor is a Scottish professional footballer who currently plays for Hibernian. He has also played for the Scotland international team....
, Kevin Thomson
Kevin Thomson
Kevin Thomson is a Scottish association footballer who plays for Middlesbrough and the Scotland national football team. Thomson began his career with Hibernian before joining Rangers in 2007 for a £2m transfer fee. He plays as a defensive midfielder with key attributes of passing and tackling...
and Steven Whittaker
Steven Whittaker
Steven Gordon Whittaker is a Scottish association footballer who currently plays as a right back for Scottish Premier League club Rangers and the Scotland national side....
. Williamson guided his young team to the 2004 Scottish League Cup Final
2004 Scottish League Cup Final
The 2004 Scottish Cup Final was played on 14 March 2004, at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 57th Scottish League Cup. The final was contested by Hibernian and Livingston. Livingston won the match 2–0, thanks to goals from Derek Lilley and Jamie McAllister.-Match details:...
, but they were beaten 2–0 by Livingston
Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...
.
Williamson moved 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...
on 20 April 2004. By winning his first match in charge, the club won promotion to the Football League 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...
. A poor run of results at the start of the 2005–06 season led to his dismissal on 6 September 2005. Financial constraints at Plymouth Argyle resulted in a number of signings which contributed to his demise, most notably Taribo West
Taribo West
Taribo West is a retired Nigerian professional footballer who played as a defender. West represented the Nigerian national team in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. He is known for the various unusual and colourful hairstyles that he has sported over the years.-Club career:Taribo moved to France in...
. He was replaced by Tony Pulis
Tony Pulis
Anthony Richard "Tony" Pulis is a Welsh former football player and is currently the manager of Stoke City. Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at the age of 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him one of the youngest professional players ever to have obtained the qualification...
, who had recently been sacked by fellow 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...
side 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 appeared as a pundit on BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
's Sportsound
Sportsound
Sportsound is BBC Radio Scotland's main radio sports show. It provides coverage to listeners on medium wave, FM, DAB Digital Radio and via the internet. It is best known for its exclusive live commentary of Scottish Premier League football games. It is broadcast 7 days a week, and on on-match days...
before he was appointed as Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
manager on 11 May 2007. Williamson's first Football League match in charge of Chester ended in a 0-0 draw with Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
on 11 August 2007 and has established them as a promotion contender in the opening months of the season. After mid-season, Chester's form began to drop rapidly, winning only 1 out of 14 games since Boxing Day; Williamson was sacked on 2 March 2008.
On 19 August 2008 he was appointed by FUFA
Federation of Uganda Football Associations
The Federation of Uganda Football Associations is the governing body of football in Uganda.-External links:* * at the FIFA website.* at CAF Online...
to be the coach of the Uganda national football team
Uganda national football team
The Uganda national football team, nicknamed The Cranes, is the national team of Uganda and is controlled by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations...
. Williamson replaced Csaba László
Csaba László
Csaba László is a Romanian born Hungarian football manager and former player. He is the manager of Belgian Pro League club Charleroi SC. He is former manager of Scottish Premier League club...
, who resigned in July 2008 to join Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
side Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
. Within days of being appointed, Williamson was given the ultimatum
Ultimatum
An ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...
of winning his first two games against Niger
Niger national football team
The Niger national football team, nicknamed the Menas, is overseen by the Fédération Nigerienne de Football and a member of CAF. Niger plays in the colors of the Flag of Niger, white, green, and orange...
and Benin
Benin national football team
The Benin national football team, nicknamed Les Écureuils , is the national football team of Benin and is controlled by the Fédération Béninoise de Football. They were known as the Dahomey national football team until 1975, when Dahomey became Benin. They have never made the World Cup but have...
to earn a longer contract. He succeeded in doing that, and their FIFA World Ranking has steadily improved during his first two years in charge.
Hibernian
- Scottish League CupScottish League CupThe Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
- Runners-up (1): 2003-04Scottish League Cup 2003-04The 2003–04 Scottish League Cup was the 58th staging of the Scotland's second most prestigious football knockout competition, also known for sponsorship reasons as the CIS Insurance Cup....
- Runners-up (1): 2003-04
Uganda
- CECAFA CupCECAFA CupThe CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup is the oldest football tournament in Africa. It is a tournament of FIFA and the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations , and includes national teams from Central and East Africa...
- Winners (2): 20082008 CECAFA CupThe 2008 CECAFA Cup was the 32nd edition of the football tournament that involves teams from East and Central Africa.All matches were be played from 31 December 2008 to 13 January 2009 at the National Stadium, Kampala, Uganda.-Information:...
, 20092009 CECAFA CupThe 2009 Orange CECAFA Senior Challenge tournament was the 33rd edition of the CECAFA Cup football tournament that involves teams from East and Central Africa...
- Winners (2): 2008
Manager awards
SPL Manager of the MonthScottish Premier League monthly awards
This article lists the winners of the Manager, Player and Young Player monthly awards in the Scottish Premier League since the2000–01 season. No Young Player of the Month were awarded in the 2000–01 season. Rising Star awards were issued most months in the 2007–08 season.The awards are currently...
(2): September 2000, October 2002
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Kilmarnock Kilmarnock F.C. Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park... |
 |
7 December 1996 | 25 February 2002 |
|||||
| Hibernian Hibernian F.C. Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts... |
|
25 February 2002 | 20 April 2004 |
|||||
| 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... |
 |
20 April 2004 | 6 September 2005 |
|||||
| Chester City Chester City F.C. Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the... |
|
11 May 2007 | 2 March 2008 |
|||||
| Uganda Uganda national football team The Uganda national football team, nicknamed The Cranes, is the national team of Uganda and is controlled by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations... |
 |
19 August 2008 | ||||||
External links
- Bobby Williamson, Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database