Mike Phelan
Encyclopedia
Michael Christopher "Mike" Phelan (born 24 September 1962 in Nelson
, Lancashire
), also known as Mick Phelan or Micky Phelan, is an English
football coach
, former player, and current assistant manager of Manchester United
under Sir Alex Ferguson
.
As a player, he spent most of his career at Burnley
, Norwich City
and Manchester United
, with a short spell at West Bromwich Albion
before retirement. Whilst with Manchester United, he also gained his one cap for England
.
In 2002, Norwich fans voted Phelan into the club's Hall of Fame.
, signing as an associated schoolboy in July 1979, as an apprentice two years later and as a professional in July 1980. He made his league debut in January 1981 against Chesterfield
and whilst at Turf Moor
, gained England Youth caps and a Third Division
champions medal in 1982. But in 1985, Burnley were relegated to the Fourth Division
, and Phelan moved to Norwich City
for £60,000 on 13 July 1985.
Norwich won the Second Division
title in his first season at the club. He became club captain when Steve Bruce
joined Manchester United
in December 1987, captaining them to fourth place in the First Division
and a place in the FA Cup
semi-finals in his first full season
as captain.
He was called into the England squad for the Rous Cup
games against Chile
and Scotland
but did not play due to a hamstring
injury. His success drew the attention of larger clubs and he followed Steve Bruce to Old Trafford
for £750,000 on 1 July 1989. At this time, it was nearly three years since Alex Ferguson
had become United's manager, and everyone at the club was hungrier than ever for success because United had just finished 11th in the league and were yet to win a major trophy under Ferguson's management. Their last major trophy had come four years earlier when Ferguson's predecessor Ron Atkinson
had managed them to FA Cup
glory, but the greatest concern at the club was that the league title had not been won by United since 1967 when Matt Busby
had still been their manager.
At Manchester United, he finally won his first international cap (against Italy
in 1989) and an FA Cup winner's medal in his first season. This was followed by the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1991, the League Cup
in 1992.
Phelan was often deployed at right-back during his first season at Manchester United, but following the arrival of Denis Irwin
in 1990 he mostly played on the right or in the centre of midfield. He had played on the right side of midfield before Irwin's arrival, most notably in the FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace
in May 1990, when Paul Ince
was switched from central midfield to right back.
By 1993, however, he was very much a bit-part player due to growing competition from younger players like Andrei Kanchelskis
, Paul Ince
, Ryan Giggs
and Lee Sharpe
.
By the time he was given a free transfer at the end of the 1993–94 season
, even his place on the substitutes bench was being threatened by a new generation of young midfielders such as David Beckham
and Nicky Butt
. He had missed out on a place in the 1994 FA Cup winning squad, and had not played in enough Premier League games to merit a title medal. He had, however, played enough games to earn a Premier League title medal in 1992–93
. With the introduction of Premier League squad numbers for the 1993–94 season, he had been issued with the number 23 shirt which was next worn by Phil Neville.
After leaving Old Trafford
, Phelan signed for West Bromwich Albion, where he spent 18 months and played just 21 games, his first team chances limited by younger players such as Kevin Donovan
and Lee Ashcroft
who were more favoured by new manager Alan Buckley
(appointed in the autumn following the dismissal of Keith Burkinshaw
, who brought Phelan to the club).
in December 1995 as assistant manager to Gary Megson
(another former Norwich player) and managed the club's reserve team. When Megson was fired and joined Blackpool
, Phelan followed him to take a similar role, returning to his native North-West. A year later he followed Megson to Stockport County
.
Following Megson's sacking as Stockport County boss on 25 June 1999, Andy Kilner
took over as manager. Phelan moved on shortly afterwards, taking up a role at Manchester United's Centre of Excellence. With Steve McClaren
's departure to Middlesbrough
in the summer of 2001, Phelan was promoted to first-team coach. He was appointed assistant manager of Manchester United on 3 September 2008, replacing Carlos Queiroz
who had left to manage the Portuguese national team
.
For many seasons Phelan was seen conducting interviews with BBC
programmes such as Match of the Day
due to United manager Alex Ferguson
refusing to speak with the BBC following corruption allegations made in 2004 by the BBC's Panorama
programme towards one of Ferguson's son, football agent Jason Ferguson. Ferguson finally agreed to BBC interviews once more in August 2011 .
In January 2010, Phelan was linked with a return to his first club Burnley
as manager following the departure of Owen Coyle
to Bolton Wanderers
.
Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
), also known as Mick Phelan or Micky Phelan, is an English
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...
football coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, former player, and current assistant manager of 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...
under Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
.
As a player, he spent most of his career at Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
and 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...
, with a short spell at 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...
before retirement. Whilst with Manchester United, he also gained his one cap for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
In 2002, Norwich fans voted Phelan into the club's Hall of Fame.
Playing career
Phelan began his career at BurnleyBurnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, signing as an associated schoolboy in July 1979, as an apprentice two years later and as a professional in July 1980. He made his league debut in January 1981 against 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...
and whilst at Turf Moor
Turf Moor
Turf Moor is a football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire. It is the home ground of Burnley Football Club, which has played there since moving from its Calder Vale ground in 1883. The stadium, which is situated on Harry Potts Way, named so after the club's longest serving Manager, has a capacity of...
, gained England Youth caps and a Third Division
Football League Third Division
The 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...
champions medal in 1982. But in 1985, Burnley were relegated to the Fourth Division
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...
, and Phelan moved to Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
for £60,000 on 13 July 1985.
Norwich won 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...
title in his first season at the club. He became club captain when Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
joined 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 December 1987, captaining them to fourth place in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
and a place in the 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...
semi-finals in his first full season
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
as captain.
He was called into the England squad for the Rous Cup
Rous Cup
The Rous Cup was a short-lived football competition in the second half of the 1980s, contested between England, Scotland and, in later years, a guest team from South America.-Overview:...
games against Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
and 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...
but did not play due to a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury. His success drew the attention of larger clubs and he followed Steve Bruce to Old Trafford
Old Trafford (football)
Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 75,811, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the eleventh-largest in Europe...
for £750,000 on 1 July 1989. At this time, it was nearly three years since Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
had become United's manager, and everyone at the club was hungrier than ever for success because United had just finished 11th in the league and were yet to win a major trophy under Ferguson's management. Their last major trophy had come four years earlier when Ferguson's predecessor Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
had managed them to 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...
glory, but the greatest concern at the club was that the league title had not been won by United since 1967 when Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
had still been their manager.
At Manchester United, he finally won his first international cap (against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in 1989) and an FA Cup winner's medal in his first season. This was followed by the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1991, the 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...
in 1992.
Phelan was often deployed at right-back during his first season at Manchester United, but following the arrival of Denis Irwin
Denis Irwin
Denis Joseph Irwin is a former Irish football player who is best known for his long and successful stint at Manchester United, where he established himself as one of the most important players in the United team that won a host of domestic and European trophies in his time there between 1990 and...
in 1990 he mostly played on the right or in the centre of midfield. He had played on the right side of midfield before Irwin's arrival, most notably in the FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in May 1990, when 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...
was switched from central midfield to right back.
By 1993, however, he was very much a bit-part player due to growing competition from younger players like Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC...
, 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...
, Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
and Lee Sharpe
Lee Sharpe
Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996...
.
By the time he was given a free transfer at the end of the 1993–94 season
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
, even his place on the substitutes bench was being threatened by a new generation of young midfielders such as David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
and Nicky Butt
Nicky Butt
Nicholas "Nicky" Butt is an English footballer. He began his career with Manchester United and spent 12 years in their first-team before moving to Newcastle United in 2004. He spent one season on loan to Birmingham City in 2005–06...
. He had missed out on a place in the 1994 FA Cup winning squad, and had not played in enough Premier League games to merit a title medal. He had, however, played enough games to earn a Premier League title medal in 1992–93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
. With the introduction of Premier League squad numbers for the 1993–94 season, he had been issued with the number 23 shirt which was next worn by Phil Neville.
After leaving Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, Phelan signed for West Bromwich Albion, where he spent 18 months and played just 21 games, his first team chances limited by younger players such as Kevin Donovan
Kevin Donovan
Kevin Donovan is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder between 1989 and 2007. He notably played for Grimsby Town and West Bromwich Albion, and scored goals at Wembley Stadium for both clubs in Football League play-off finals...
and Lee Ashcroft
Lee Ashcroft
Lee Ashcroft is a former footballer turned manager who is currently managing Northern Premier League side Kendal Town. In his playing career he played as a striker for Preston North End, West Bromwich Albion and Grimsby Town, having also played for Notts County, Wigan Athletic, Port Vale,...
who were more favoured by new manager Alan Buckley
Alan Buckley
Alan Peter Buckley is an English football manager. He was manager of League Two side Grimsby Town until his dismissal in September 2008...
(appointed in the autumn following the dismissal of Keith Burkinshaw
Keith Burkinshaw
Harry Keith Burkinshaw is an English former professional footballer and football manager.-Playing career:...
, who brought Phelan to the club).
Coaching career
He returned to Carrow RoadCarrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
in December 1995 as assistant manager to Gary Megson
Gary Megson
Gary John Megson is an English former football player and is currently manager of Sheffield Wednesday.He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers...
(another former Norwich player) and managed the club's reserve team. When Megson was fired and joined Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, Phelan followed him to take a similar role, returning to his native North-West. A year later he followed Megson to Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
.
Following Megson's sacking as Stockport County boss on 25 June 1999, Andy Kilner
Andy Kilner
Andy Kilner is a former manager of Stockport County.He was appointed the youngest manager in the country at the age of just 32 having played in the glory days of Stockport County under Danny Bergara,reaching the playoff finals twice and gaining promotion,Kilner was a fans favourite with his...
took over as manager. Phelan moved on shortly afterwards, taking up a role at Manchester United's Centre of Excellence. With Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
's departure to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
in the summer of 2001, Phelan was promoted to first-team coach. He was appointed assistant manager of Manchester United on 3 September 2008, replacing Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
who had left to manage the Portuguese national team
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
.
For many seasons Phelan was seen conducting interviews with BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
programmes such as Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
due to United manager Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
refusing to speak with the BBC following corruption allegations made in 2004 by the BBC's Panorama
Panorama (TV series)
Panorama is a BBC Television current affairs documentary programme, which was first broadcast in 1953, and is the longest-running public affairs television programme in the world. Panorama has been presented by many well known BBC presenters, including Richard Dimbleby, Robin Day, David Dimbleby...
programme towards one of Ferguson's son, football agent Jason Ferguson. Ferguson finally agreed to BBC interviews once more in August 2011 .
In January 2010, Phelan was linked with a return to his first club Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
as manager following the departure of Owen Coyle
Owen Coyle
Owen Columba Coyle is a Scottish-born Irish international former professional player and professional association football manager . He is currently the manager of Bolton Wanderers....
to 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....
.
Manchester United – player
- Premier League (1): 1992–93
- FA CupFA CupThe 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...
(1): 1989–901990 FA Cup FinalThe 1990 FA Cup Final was a football match contested by Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium, London, England. The match finished 3–3 after extra time. Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes scored for United; Gary O'Reilly and Ian Wright for Palace... - European Cup Winners CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
(1): 1990–91 - Football League CupFootball League CupThe 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...
(1): 1991–921992 Football League Cup FinalThe 1992 Football League Cup Final took place at Wembley Stadium, and was played between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.Manchester United won 1–0 in what was their first League cup win... - FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
: 19901990 FA Charity ShieldThe 1990 FA Charity Shield was the 68th Charity Shield, a football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Football League and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 18 August 1990 between 1989–90 Football League champions Liverpool and 1989–90 FA Cup winners...
(shared)