Liam Daish
Encyclopedia
Liam Sean Daish is a former football player who played as a centre-half
. Since 2005 he has been head coach of Conference National
team Ebbsfleet United (formerly Gravesend & Northfleet). Despite being born in England
, Daish played internationally for the Republic of Ireland
due to his Irish ancestry. He earned a total of five cap
s for his adopted country.
, Hampshire
, and began his career with his hometown club Portsmouth F.C.
However, he only made one appearance for the club's first team before he was released in 1988. He went in search of first-team football, which he found at Cambridge United
. While at Cambridge, Daish helped the club to successive promotions
from the Fourth
to the Second Division
. He also made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland
, on 19 February 1992 at home to Wales
, while Cambridge were pushing for a third successive promotion. However, they fell in the playoffs and were relegated a year later.
to sign him for Birmingham City
for a fee of £50,000 in January 1994.
Daish spent just over two years at St Andrew's, making nearly 100 appearances in all competitions. He captained the side to the Division Two championship in 1994–95
and to victory in the Football League Trophy
final at Wembley. Fry, who managed him throughout his spell at Birmingham, once said of Daish that if a squadron of F-111s attacked the Birmingham penalty area he would attempt to head them away.
for a fee of £1.5 million. He made an immediate impact, bolstering Coventry's shaky defence and improving their form overall. However, in the four seasons that he spent at Coventry, Daish was never a regular in the first team (he played in only 34 games for the Sky Blues). This was the result of a severe knee ligament injury which eventually forced his retirement from the professional game after two years on the sidelines.
in 1999, going on to make 157 appearances (1 as substitute) in league and cup competitions, scoring 15 goals,
before his playing career was finally ended by a knee injury sustained in October 2002.
In April 2000 he took on a joint-manager role alongside Mick Jenkins
after Billy Gilbert stood down. He spent three-and-a-half years in this role, during which time he took the club to the semi-final of the FA Trophy
in 2003, before being sacked in January 2004 following a string of bad results.
Following this, he joined Welling United F.C.
as a coach. For a time, following the dismissal of Paul Parker, Daish served as caretaker-manager of Welling but did not get the job full time, despite leading the side to three wins and a draw in his four games in charge.
Daish left Welling in February 2005 to become manager of Gravesend & Northfleet F.C., which in May 2007 was renamed Ebbsfleet United F.C., and he oversaw the club's move to a full-time playing squad.
Daish led Ebbsfleet United to a 1–0 victory in the FA Trophy
final on 10 May 2008, and for two seasons running made the Fleet a contender for the Conference National
promotion
play-offs. His profile was raised by the takeover of Ebbsfleet by MyFootballClub
, although the website's initial boasts that its members – and not Daish – would pick the team had as of 22 May 2010 yet to come to fruition.
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Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. Since 2005 he has been head coach of Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
team Ebbsfleet United (formerly Gravesend & Northfleet). Despite being born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Daish played internationally 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....
due to his Irish ancestry. He earned a total of five cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
s for his adopted country.
The early years
Daish was born in PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, and began his career with his hometown club Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
However, he only made one appearance for the club's first team before he was released in 1988. He went in search of first-team football, which he found at Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
. While at Cambridge, Daish helped the club to successive promotions
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
from the Fourth
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
to the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 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...
. He also made his international debut 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....
, on 19 February 1992 at home to Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
, while Cambridge were pushing for a third successive promotion. However, they fell in the playoffs and were relegated a year later.
At Birmingham City
The quality of his performances for Cambridge United inspired Barry FryBarry Fry
Barry Francis Fry is an English football manager. A former Manchester United apprentice as a winger, his playing career involved brief spells with Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient, before he retired prematurely due to injury.He has managed Dunstable Town, Bedford Town, Maidstone...
to sign him for Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
for a fee of £50,000 in January 1994.
Daish spent just over two years at St Andrew's, making nearly 100 appearances in all competitions. He captained the side to the Division Two championship in 1994–95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
and to victory in the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
final at Wembley. Fry, who managed him throughout his spell at Birmingham, once said of Daish that if a squadron of F-111s attacked the Birmingham penalty area he would attempt to head them away.
To Coventry City
In February 1996, Daish joined Coventry CityCoventry 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...
for a fee of £1.5 million. He made an immediate impact, bolstering Coventry's shaky defence and improving their form overall. However, in the four seasons that he spent at Coventry, Daish was never a regular in the first team (he played in only 34 games for the Sky Blues). This was the result of a severe knee ligament injury which eventually forced his retirement from the professional game after two years on the sidelines.
As a manager
He joined non-league Havant & WaterloovilleHavant & Waterlooville F.C.
Havant & Waterlooville Football Club are an English football club based in Havant, Hampshire. The club formed in 1998 after a merger between Havant Town and Waterlooville, and are currently members of the Conference South. Nicknamed The Hawks, they play at West Leigh Park.-History:In 1998 Havant...
in 1999, going on to make 157 appearances (1 as substitute) in league and cup competitions, scoring 15 goals,
before his playing career was finally ended by a knee injury sustained in October 2002.
In April 2000 he took on a joint-manager role alongside Mick Jenkins
Mick Jenkins (footballer)
Mick Jenkins is an ex-professional footballer and former manager of Conference South side Bognor Regis Town.-Playing career:...
after Billy Gilbert stood down. He spent three-and-a-half years in this role, during which time he took the club to the semi-final of the FA Trophy
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
in 2003, before being sacked in January 2004 following a string of bad results.
Following this, he joined Welling United F.C.
Welling United F.C.
Welling United Football Club are an English football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley. They currently play in the Conference South. The 2010–11 season was not a good one for them as the club had financial problems, nearly going bankrupt but lots of supporters chipped in and...
as a coach. For a time, following the dismissal of Paul Parker, Daish served as caretaker-manager of Welling but did not get the job full time, despite leading the side to three wins and a draw in his four games in charge.
Daish left Welling in February 2005 to become manager of Gravesend & Northfleet F.C., which in May 2007 was renamed Ebbsfleet United F.C., and he oversaw the club's move to a full-time playing squad.
Daish led Ebbsfleet United to a 1–0 victory in the FA Trophy
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
final on 10 May 2008, and for two seasons running made the Fleet a contender for the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
play-offs. His profile was raised by the takeover of Ebbsfleet by MyFootballClub
MyFootballClub
MyFootballClub is an English Industrial and Provident Society that sought, starting in August 2007, to recruit at least 50,000 football enthusiasts from across the world to purchase an English association football club. MyFootballClub's premise is to allow its paid members to control the club...
, although the website's initial boasts that its members – and not Daish – would pick the team had as of 22 May 2010 yet to come to fruition.
National team statistics
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Honours
- with Cambridge United
- Fourth DivisionFootball League Fourth DivisionThe Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
(level 4) promotion 1990 - Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
(level 3) champions 1991
- Fourth Division
- with Birmingham City
- 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...
(level 3) champions 1995 - Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
winners 1995
- Second Division
- with Havant & Waterlooville
- FA TrophyFA TrophyThe Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
semi-final 2003
- FA Trophy
- with Ebbsfleet United
- FA TrophyFA TrophyThe Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
winners 2008 - Conference SouthConference SouthConference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
Playoff Winners 2011
- FA Trophy