Ian Brightwell
Encyclopedia
Ian Robert Brightwell is an English
former footballer, he played for six clubs, most notably spending twelve years with Manchester City
. In 2004 he turned his hand to management, after leaving the management position at Macclesfield Town
in 2008, he became assistant-coach at Port Vale
– a position he vacated on 28 February 2009.
but grew up in Congleton
, with his parents; Olympic gold medalist Ann Packer
and 400m runner Robbie Brightwell
. His younger brother David
also played for Manchester City.
winning team that also included the likes of Paul Lake
and David White
, who also broke into the first team in the mid-1980s.
Brightwell made his City debut on 23 August 1986 against Wimbledon
. He was a versatile player who played at every single outfield position during his career at the club. However, he was most commonly used either as a right-back or as on the right side of midfield. He did not score many goals, but did memorably shoot into the top corner from 25 yards on 3 February 1990, to earn City a draw at rivals
Manchester United
.
In early 1993, Brightwell snapped his patella tendon
, and was sidelined for more than a year. He did eventually recover, and returned to the City line-up where he remained through most of the 1990s. His last year at City coincided with the team's worst season ever – the 1997–98 season that ended with relegation to the third level
for the first time in the club's history.
At the end of the ill-fated 1997–98 season, after 378 first-team appearances for City, Brightwell had a testimonial match
and was given a free transfer, joining Coventry City
.
for an eventful two year spell which saw relegation and a dramatic Division Two play-off final win
in May 2001. He joined Stoke City
in March 2002. However in August that year he moved on to local rivals
Port Vale
.
, scoring twice.
He joined Macclesfield as a reserve team coach in the summer of 2004. However, he remained registered as a player, and played sporadically for the Silkmen in the 2004–05, 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. He was appointed caretaker manager
of Macclesfield on 2 October 2006 after the sacking of manager of Brian Horton
, before the board appointed Paul Ince
as permanent manager on 23 October 2006.
Ince resigned on 24 June 2007 to take over at MK Dons
, upon which Macclesfield appointed Brightwell as permanent manager, with Asa Hartford
as his assistant. He and Hartford left the club in February 2008 after a poor run of results and were replaced by former Lincoln boss Keith Alexander
.
In October 2008 Brightwell was brought to back to Port Vale by Dean Glover
in a temporary coaching capacity. He spent five months with the Valiants, leaving the club at the end of February 2009.
with Walsall
with Stoke City
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
former footballer, he played for six clubs, most notably spending twelve years 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...
. In 2004 he turned his hand to management, after leaving the management position at Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
in 2008, he became assistant-coach at Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
– a position he vacated on 28 February 2009.
Early life
Brightwell was born in LutterworthLutterworth
Lutterworth is a market town and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The town is located in southern Leicestershire, north of Rugby, in Warwickshire and south of Leicester. It had a population of 8,293 in the 2001 UK census....
but grew up in Congleton
Congleton
Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
, with his parents; Olympic gold medalist Ann Packer
Ann Packer
Ann Elizabeth Packer MBE is a former British sprinter, hurdler and long jumper. She won a gold medal in the 800 metres at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo....
and 400m runner Robbie Brightwell
Robbie Brightwell
Robert Ian Brightwell MBE is a former track and field athlete.He moved to England with his family in 1946 and grew up in Donnington, Shropshire...
. His younger brother David
David Brightwell
David John Brightwell is an English former professional footballer who played in defence for ten clubs.-Biography:Brightwell was born in Lutterworth, England...
also played for Manchester City.
Manchester City
Brightwell began his career at Manchester City, where he signed schoolboy forms at the age of 14. He was part of the 1986 FA Youth CupFA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
winning team that also included the likes of Paul Lake
Paul Lake
Paul Andrew Lake is an English former footballer, who played for Manchester City.-Early life:Raised in the Denton area of Manchester, he attended St Thomas More School Denton. Lake was spotted by Manchester City scout Ken Barnes as a ten year old, playing against boys two or three years older...
and David White
David White (English footballer)
David White is a former English footballer, best remembered for his eight-year spell at Manchester City. He also played for Leeds and Sheffield United, and was capped once by England....
, who also broke into the first team in the mid-1980s.
Brightwell made his City debut on 23 August 1986 against Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
. He was a versatile player who played at every single outfield position during his career at the club. However, he was most commonly used either as a right-back or as on the right side of midfield. He did not score many goals, but did memorably shoot into the top corner from 25 yards on 3 February 1990, to earn City a draw at rivals
Manchester derby
The Manchester derby is the name given to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United. The local derby centres on the City of Manchester and Greater Manchester with approximately four miles separating the clubs with City based in east Manchester at the City of Manchester Stadium...
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 early 1993, Brightwell snapped his patella tendon
Tendon
A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...
, and was sidelined for more than a year. He did eventually recover, and returned to the City line-up where he remained through most of the 1990s. His last year at City coincided with the team's worst season ever – the 1997–98 season that ended with relegation to the third level
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
for the first time in the club's history.
At the end of the ill-fated 1997–98 season, after 378 first-team appearances for City, Brightwell had a testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
and was given a free transfer, joining Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
.
From Coventry to Vale
Two years later, having spent all of his Coventry career a virtual spectator, he joined WalsallWalsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
for an eventful two year spell which saw relegation and a dramatic Division Two play-off final win
2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The 2001 Football League Division Two play-off Final was contested by Walsall and Reading. It was the first season that the play-off Finals were contested in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium following the demolition of Wembley.-Route to the Final:...
in May 2001. He joined 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...
in March 2002. However in August that year he moved on to local rivals
Potteries derby
The Potteries derby is the football local derby in Stoke-on-Trent between Port Vale and Stoke City. The fans of each club both consider the other to be their main rivals; this has led to a heated atmosphere at these matches, especially with the rise of football hooliganism and the 'Naughty Forty'...
Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
.
International career
He was capped four times by England Under-21England 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....
, scoring twice.
Coaching and Management career
Brightwell was appointed as a coach at Port Vale in June 2003, a position he left in May 2004.He joined Macclesfield as a reserve team coach in the summer of 2004. However, he remained registered as a player, and played sporadically for the Silkmen in the 2004–05, 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. He was appointed 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 Macclesfield on 2 October 2006 after the sacking of manager of Brian Horton
Brian Horton
Brian Horton is an English former footballer and manager, who is working as Phil Brown's assistant at Preston North End.Horton played for Hednesford Town, Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town and Hull City as a midfielder...
, before the board appointed Paul Ince
Paul Ince
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince is an English football manager and a former professional player. He has managed Blackburn Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons and Macclesfield Town...
as permanent manager on 23 October 2006.
Ince resigned on 24 June 2007 to take over at MK Dons
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
, upon which Macclesfield appointed Brightwell as permanent manager, with Asa Hartford
Asa Hartford
Richard 'Asa' Hartford is a retired Scottish international midfielder and footballer who became famous for failing a medical examination due to the discovery of a heart condition which put paid to a high profile transfer to Leeds United in November 1971.-Early career:He first played for Drumchapel...
as his assistant. He and Hartford left the club in February 2008 after a poor run of results and were replaced by former Lincoln boss Keith Alexander
Keith Alexander (footballer)
Keith Alexander was a Saint Lucian footballer and manager. Born in Nottingham, England, he was the manager of League Two side Macclesfield Town at the time of his death, in a career that included international appearances for Saint Lucia. Alexander played for a whole host of lower league football...
.
In October 2008 Brightwell was brought to back to Port Vale by Dean Glover
Dean Glover
Dean Victor Glover is an English former footballer and football manager. A cultured and stylish defender, he had the ball control skills of a midfielder. He played 457 league games in a seventeen year career in the Football League.He started his career at Aston Villa in 1980, before he moved on to...
in a temporary coaching capacity. He spent five months with the Valiants, leaving the club at the end of February 2009.
Managerial stats
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town F.C. Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium... |
 |
2 October 2006 | 23 October 2006 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 00.00 |
| Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town F.C. Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium... |
|
29 June 2007 | 27 February 2008 | 38 | 7 | 18 | 13 | 18.42 |
as a player
with Manchester City- FA Youth CupFA Youth CupThe Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
winner: 1986
with Walsall
- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
play-off winner: 20012001 Football League Second Division play-off FinalThe 2001 Football League Division Two play-off Final was contested by Walsall and Reading. It was the first season that the play-off Finals were contested in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium following the demolition of Wembley.-Route to the Final:...
with Stoke City
- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
play-off winner: 20022002 Football League Second Division play-off FinalThe 2002 Football League Second Division play-off Final was a football match played at Millennium Stadium on 11 May 2002, at the end of the 2001–02 season. It was the 16th play-off final in all at the third level of English football...