Paul Bracewell
Encyclopedia
Paul Bracewell in Heswall
, Merseyside
), but was brought up in Newport, Shropshire
, is an English
former international
footballer who played as a midfielder
, although his career was hampered by injuries as the years went by.
player, although he made the most appearances for Sunderland
. His other clubs, as a player were Stoke City
, Newcastle United
and Fulham
, whom he also managed briefly, where despite making a good start to the season, he was sacked by the chairman
half way through his first season. He won two First Division
Championship medals with Everton in 1985, as well as the 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup final, when Everton beat Rapid Vienna 3–1. However, he missed the entire 1986–87 season
through injury, meaning that he missed out on a second title winner's medal. He missed all of the following season as well, when Everton finished fourth. He returned to action in 1988–89
, when he played 20 league games for a side that finished eighth – one of their lowest finishes of the 1980s
.
In 1985 he also won 3 England caps.
He has the unwanted distinction of never winning the FA Cup
, but being with the losing finalists on four occasions, in 1985, 1986 and 1989 with Everton and in 1992 with Sunderland. Bracewell combined combative qualities with good vision and outstanding passing abilities.
He joined Sunderland soon after losing the 1989 FA Cup final with Everton, and in his first season at Roker Park
he helped them reach the Football League Second Division
playoff final, which they lost 1–0 to Swindon Town. However, Sunderland were still promoted when a few weeks later Swindon's promotion was withdrawn due to financial irregularities. This gave Bracewell the chance of playing top division football again, though it lasted only a year due to Sunderland's relegation on the final of the 1990–91 season
. Despite Bracewell and his team mates making it to the FA Cup final a year later, they had a very disappointing league season and finished 17th in the Second Division.
Meanwhile, Sunderland's local rivals Newcastle United were being rejuvenated by their new manager Kevin Keegan
, who offered Bracewell the chance of being part of their Division One promotion push (1992–93
saw the Second Division renamed Division One due the creation of the FA Premier League
from the old First Division) and he accepted this offer. Newcastle were promoted as champions in Bracewell's first season and enjoyed instant success in the Premier League, finishing third the season after promotion and achieving UEFA Cup
qualification for the first time in more than 20 years. However, his chances of first team football in any position were reduced in 1994–95
, as Keegan had added Marc Hottiger
, Philippe Albert
and Darren Peacock
to the defence, and also Keith Gillespie
and Ruel Fox
to the midfield. When his former Everton team mate Peter Reid
became manager at Sunderland in March 1995, he accepted the offer to become player/assistant manager. The first task was to avoid relegation from Division One, and it was achieved.
In 1995–96
, Bracewell helped Sunderland win the Division One title and promotion to the Premier League after five years outside the top flight, although they went down after just one season. In September 1997, Bracewell took a similar role with ambitious Division Two club Fulham, working under head coach Ray Wilkins
and director of football Kevin Keegan
. When Wilkins was dismissed at the end of the season, Keegan took sole charge of the first team and kept Bracewell as his assistant. Keegan accepted the offer to become England national football team
manager in March 1999, but remained in charge of the Fulham team until the end of that season, guiding them to the Division Two title with 101 points, before quitting as Fulham manager. Bracewell was promoted to the position of manager, and despite them competing in the top half of Division One throughout the campaign, he was dismissed on 30 March 2000 in favour of the more experienced Jean Tigana
, who achieved promotion to the Premier League a year later. He scored once during his spell with Fulham in a 2-0 win against Wycombe Wanderers in September 1998.
In October 2000 he became manager of Halifax Town
although his stint there lasted less than a year. He resigned from the club 4 games into the 2001/02 season. During his brief spell in charge he steered to the team to just 11 wins in 41 games, which included a 2–0 home FA cup exit at the hands of non league Gateshead. Halifax were relegated to the Nationwide Conference
at the end of the season and never made it back to the Football League
, going out of business six years later, never fully recovering from the debts suffered in whilst Bracewell was in charge (although they were reformed as F.C. Halifax Town
).
Heswall
Heswall is a town in Wirral, in the county of Merseyside, England. Administratively, it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. At the time of the 2001 Census, the total population of the ward was 16,012 , which included the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
), but was brought up in Newport, Shropshire
Newport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
, 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...
former international
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...
footballer who played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
, although his career was hampered by injuries as the years went by.
Career
He is probably best known as an EvertonEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
player, although he made the most appearances for 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...
. His other clubs, as a player were 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...
, Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
and Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, whom he also managed briefly, where despite making a good start to the season, he was sacked by the chairman
Mohamed Al-Fayed
Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed is an Egyptian businessman and billionaire. Amongst his business interests are ownership of the English Premiership football team Fulham Football Club, Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods Department Store, Knightsbridge...
half way through his first season. He won two 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....
Championship medals with Everton in 1985, as well as the 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup final, when Everton beat Rapid Vienna 3–1. However, he missed the entire 1986–87 season
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
through injury, meaning that he missed out on a second title winner's medal. He missed all of the following season as well, when Everton finished fourth. He returned to action in 1988–89
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...
, when he played 20 league games for a side that finished eighth – one of their lowest finishes of the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
.
In 1985 he also won 3 England caps.
He has the unwanted distinction of never winning 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...
, but being with the losing finalists on four occasions, in 1985, 1986 and 1989 with Everton and in 1992 with Sunderland. Bracewell combined combative qualities with good vision and outstanding passing abilities.
He joined Sunderland soon after losing the 1989 FA Cup final with Everton, and in his first season at Roker Park
Roker Park
Roker Park was an English football stadium situated in Roker, Sunderland. The stadium was the home of the English football club Sunderland A.F.C. from 1897 to 1997 before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Near the end of the stadium's history, its capacity was around 22,500 with only a small...
he helped them reach the Football League 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...
playoff final, which they lost 1–0 to Swindon Town. However, Sunderland were still promoted when a few weeks later Swindon's promotion was withdrawn due to financial irregularities. This gave Bracewell the chance of playing top division football again, though it lasted only a year due to Sunderland's relegation on the final of the 1990–91 season
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
. Despite Bracewell and his team mates making it to the FA Cup final a year later, they had a very disappointing league season and finished 17th in the Second Division.
Meanwhile, Sunderland's local rivals Newcastle United were being rejuvenated by their new manager Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
, who offered Bracewell the chance of being part of their Division One promotion push (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....
saw the Second Division renamed Division One due the creation of the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
from the old First Division) and he accepted this offer. Newcastle were promoted as champions in Bracewell's first season and enjoyed instant success in the Premier League, finishing third the season after promotion and achieving UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
qualification for the first time in more than 20 years. However, his chances of first team football in any position were reduced 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...
, as Keegan had added Marc Hottiger
Marc Hottiger
Marc Hottiger is a retired Swiss football defender.He was capped 63 times and scored 5 goals for the Swiss national team between 1989 and 1996...
, Philippe Albert
Philippe Albert
Philippe Julien Albert is a former Belgian football defender. He played with R. Charleroi S.C., KV Mechelen, R.S.C. Anderlecht and Newcastle United in England...
and Darren Peacock
Darren Peacock
Darren Peacock is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender.He made nearly 400 league appearances, beginning his career in the lower reaches of the Football League, before spending eight seasons in the Premier League for Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle United and...
to the defence, and also Keith Gillespie
Keith Gillespie
Keith Robert Gillespie is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays in midfield for Longford Town....
and Ruel Fox
Ruel Fox
Ruel Adrian Fox is an English former professional football player of Montserratian and Antiguan descent who played for Norwich City, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Bromwich Albion from 1986 to 2002...
to the midfield. When his former Everton team mate Peter Reid
Peter Reid
Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...
became manager at Sunderland in March 1995, he accepted the offer to become player/assistant manager. The first task was to avoid relegation from Division One, and it was achieved.
In 1995–96
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
, Bracewell helped Sunderland win the Division One title and promotion to the Premier League after five years outside the top flight, although they went down after just one season. In September 1997, Bracewell took a similar role with ambitious Division Two club Fulham, working under head coach Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins
Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit...
and director of football Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
. When Wilkins was dismissed at the end of the season, Keegan took sole charge of the first team and kept Bracewell as his assistant. Keegan accepted the offer to become England national football team
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...
manager in March 1999, but remained in charge of the Fulham team until the end of that season, guiding them to the Division Two title with 101 points, before quitting as Fulham manager. Bracewell was promoted to the position of manager, and despite them competing in the top half of Division One throughout the campaign, he was dismissed on 30 March 2000 in favour of the more experienced Jean Tigana
Jean Tigana
Jean Amadou Tigana is a manager and former French international footballer, having played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and 1 goal for the France national football team during the 1980s.-Playing career:Tigana started his...
, who achieved promotion to the Premier League a year later. He scored once during his spell with Fulham in a 2-0 win against Wycombe Wanderers in September 1998.
In October 2000 he became manager of Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
although his stint there lasted less than a year. He resigned from the club 4 games into the 2001/02 season. During his brief spell in charge he steered to the team to just 11 wins in 41 games, which included a 2–0 home FA cup exit at the hands of non league Gateshead. Halifax were relegated to the Nationwide Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
at the end of the season and never made it back to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, going out of business six years later, never fully recovering from the debts suffered in whilst Bracewell was in charge (although they were reformed as F.C. Halifax Town
F.C. Halifax Town
Football Club Halifax Town, otherwise known as FC Halifax Town are an English football team who currently play in the Conference North. The club replaced Halifax Town A.F.C. who went into administration during the 2007–08 season.-Formation:...
).