Jason McAteer
Encyclopedia
Jason Wynne McAteer is a retired Irish footballer, who represented the Republic of Ireland at international level. He announced his retirement from professional football on 12 June 2007,
His primary position was in centre midfield, though he was an able right winger and full back. During his career, McAteer played for five professional clubs, Bolton Wanderers
, Liverpool
, Blackburn Rovers
, Sunderland
and finally Tranmere Rovers
, as well as winning international caps for the Republic of Ireland
, his total transfer values reach over £9 million.
, when he was discovered by scouts from Bolton Wanderers. He would go on to amass well over 100 appearances for the Trotters over his three year stay, helping them win promotion to Division One in 1993 and to the Premier League in 1995, also picking up a Football League Cup
runners-up medal in the second promotion year.
for Bolton. He would appear 139 times for his boyhood heroes, scoring 6 goals for the Reds, but was black listed for bad behaviour together with several of his colleagues like Jamie Redknapp
, Robbie Fowler
and Steve McManaman
at the time for their collective culture of being "Spice Boys
" – a derogatory term that characterised the team of that time as underachieving playboys. During his time at Anfield, he also filled in at right back for certain spells despite being primarily a central midfielder.
In U2
's live DVD, U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle
, during the song "New Year's Day
", Bono
wraps himself in an Irish flag and says "Close your eyes and imagine it's Jason McAteer" as McAteer had just scored a decisive goal for the Irish National Football Team (against Holland, 1 September 2001). The crowd reacts to Bono's statement with a great amount of cheer and excitement. In another incident during Ireland's successful World Cup campaign in America, McAteer was asked by team-mates if he wanted a game of golf. McAteer replied that he didn't, and relaxed in his hotel watching television. Upon switching to the sports channel he saw that the Open golf was on, turned to one of the team's non-playing personnel and asked "Is that the lads playing golf then?"
; the beginnings of which was likely critical comments made by McAteer of Keane after the Saipan Incident at the 2002 World Cup
.
, hoping to play out his career with his hometown club, and trained as a coach ready to embark on a career in that department after his retirement. He was made club captain by manager Brian Little
, skippering the side to the League One play-off semi-finals, where they eventually lost on penalties to Hartlepool United. He was released by Tranmere in May 2007 and announced his retirement shortly afterwards.
McAteer is widely remembered in Ireland for his part in a televised Head & Shoulders advertising campaign in which he promoted the product whilst in the shower, and a subsequent campaign for Carlsberg when he dreamed about scoring the winning goal in the World Cup.
His successes include winning two promotions and reaching a League Cup
final in three seasons with Bolton, reaching a FA Cup
final with Liverpool and winning promotion to the Premiership with Blackburn. McAteer scored the goal at Lansdowne Road when the 10 man Republic of Ireland team beat the Netherlands, which put Ireland on course for qualification for the 2002 World Cup.
. On 15 June 2009, he was appointed assistant to John Barnes
at Tranmere Rovers
. On 9 October 2009, McAteer was sacked along with Barnes after a run of just two league wins from 11 matches.
, at Slane Castle, in a lavish ceremony attended by all Jason’s former team mates from Liverpool and the couple's friends and family. During his playing career he was given the comical Only Fools and Horses characters nickname "trigger" by his teammates, and "Langer" from the Irish fans.
His primary position was in centre midfield, though he was an able right winger and full back. During his career, McAteer played for five professional clubs, Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
and finally Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, as well as winning international caps for the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
, his total transfer values reach over £9 million.
Bolton Wanderers
McAteer got his big break aged 20, at local non-league team MarineMarine F.C.
Marine Football Club is an English football club in Crosby, Merseyside. The club, which was founded in 1894, is a member of both the Liverpool County and Lancashire County Football Associations, and currently plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.Marine is notable for having the...
, when he was discovered by scouts from Bolton Wanderers. He would go on to amass well over 100 appearances for the Trotters over his three year stay, helping them win promotion to Division One in 1993 and to the Premier League in 1995, also picking up a Football 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...
runners-up medal in the second promotion year.
Liverpool
Early in the 1995–96 season, Liverpool captured the midfielder in a £4.5 million deal after he played against them in the 1995 Football League Cup Final1995 Football League Cup Final
The 1995 Coca-Cola Cup Final was played between Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers at Wembley Stadium on 2 April 1995. Liverpool won the match 2–1. Two Steve McManaman goals in the 37th and 68th minutes put Liverpool ahead, but Alan Thompson scored a brilliant goal for Bolton to give them some...
for Bolton. He would appear 139 times for his boyhood heroes, scoring 6 goals for the Reds, but was black listed for bad behaviour together with several of his colleagues like Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
, Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....
and Steve McManaman
Steve McManaman
Steven McManaman is a retired English footballer who played as a midfielder, winger and playmaker. Having spent his playing career at two of European football's most successful clubs of the 20th century, Liverpool and Real Madrid, as well as a spell at Manchester City, McManaman is the most...
at the time for their collective culture of being "Spice Boys
Spice Boys (footballers)
The Spice Boys was a media term used to describe a group of Liverpool F.C. footballers in the mid-late 1990s, seen typically as being composed of Jamie Redknapp, David James, Phil Babb, Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Stan Collymore and Jason McAteer...
" – a derogatory term that characterised the team of that time as underachieving playboys. During his time at Anfield, he also filled in at right back for certain spells despite being primarily a central midfielder.
Blackburn Rovers
Towards the end of the 1998–99 season, he joined Blackburn Rovers, for £4 million and would help them to promotion to the Premiership in 2001 during his second full season with the club.In U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's live DVD, U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle
U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle
U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland is a concert video release by rock band U2 from the European leg of their Elevation Tour. Recorded on 1 September 2001 at Slane Castle on the band's featured stop in County Meath, Ireland, it was released on DVD in November 2003. Although Slane Concerts...
, during the song "New Year's Day
New Year's Day (song)
"New Year's Day" is a song by rock band U2. It is on their 1983 album War and it was released as the album's lead single in January 1983. Written about the Polish Solidarity movement, "New Year's Day" is driven by Adam Clayton's distinctive bassline and The Edge's keyboard playing...
", Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
wraps himself in an Irish flag and says "Close your eyes and imagine it's Jason McAteer" as McAteer had just scored a decisive goal for the Irish National Football Team (against Holland, 1 September 2001). The crowd reacts to Bono's statement with a great amount of cheer and excitement. In another incident during Ireland's successful World Cup campaign in America, McAteer was asked by team-mates if he wanted a game of golf. McAteer replied that he didn't, and relaxed in his hotel watching television. Upon switching to the sports channel he saw that the Open golf was on, turned to one of the team's non-playing personnel and asked "Is that the lads playing golf then?"
Sunderland
He moved on again, to Sunderland for £1million. He made 27 appearances that season, but was unable to prevent the Black Cats' relegation to the First Division in 2002–03. McAteer remained at the Stadium of Light for another year, playing in both legs of the play-off semi-final against Crystal Palace before being released at the end of the year. McAteer missed time during the season after suffering a broken nose in a clash with Manchester United's Roy KeaneRoy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
; the beginnings of which was likely critical comments made by McAteer of Keane after the Saipan Incident at the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
.
Tranmere Rovers
Left without a club for the majority of the close season, he then made the decision to head back to Birkenhead, signing a two-year deal with Tranmere RoversTranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, hoping to play out his career with his hometown club, and trained as a coach ready to embark on a career in that department after his retirement. He was made club captain by manager Brian Little
Brian Little (footballer)
Brian Little is an English former football player and manager who is currently without a job after being relieved of his duties as manager of Gainsborough Trinity on 22 August 2011. Little has previously managed Darlington, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City,...
, skippering the side to the League One play-off semi-finals, where they eventually lost on penalties to Hartlepool United. He was released by Tranmere in May 2007 and announced his retirement shortly afterwards.
McAteer is widely remembered in Ireland for his part in a televised Head & Shoulders advertising campaign in which he promoted the product whilst in the shower, and a subsequent campaign for Carlsberg when he dreamed about scoring the winning goal in the World Cup.
His successes include winning two promotions and reaching a 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...
final in three seasons with Bolton, reaching a 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...
final with Liverpool and winning promotion to the Premiership with Blackburn. McAteer scored the goal at Lansdowne Road when the 10 man Republic of Ireland team beat the Netherlands, which put Ireland on course for qualification for the 2002 World Cup.
Post-playing career
McAteer does occasional media work with Asia-based ESPN Star SportsESPN Star Sports
ESPN Star Sports is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and News Corporation...
. On 15 June 2009, he was appointed assistant to John Barnes
John Barnes (footballer)
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE is an English football manager and former player.During his playing career, Barnes had successful periods at Watford and Liverpool in the 1980s and 1990s, winning the First Division twice, the FA Cup twice, and playing for England 79 times...
at Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
. On 9 October 2009, McAteer was sacked along with Barnes after a run of just two league wins from 11 matches.
Personal life
In October 2001, McAteer married Kristina Delaney from OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, at Slane Castle, in a lavish ceremony attended by all Jason’s former team mates from Liverpool and the couple's friends and family. During his playing career he was given the comical Only Fools and Horses characters nickname "trigger" by his teammates, and "Langer" from the Irish fans.