Steve Gritt
Encyclopedia
Stephen John "Steve" Gritt (born 31 October 1957 in Bournemouth
) is a former English
football player and manager. His playing career included spells at Charlton Athletic
, Bournemouth
and Walsall
.
, after joining from home town club Bournemouth
in 1977. In his first spell with Charlton, he experienced one relegation to the Third Division
(1980), one promotion to the Second Division
(1981) and one promotion to the First Division
(1986). In 1989 he moved to Walsall
for a brief spell but soon returned to Charlton. In his second spell, he experienced another relegation in 1990.
In all, Gritt made 435 appearances for Charlton, with 26 goals, placing him fifth on Charlton's all time appearance list. He played a further two seasons after being appointed manager, retiring in 1993. He later had brief spells with non-league teams Welling United
and Tooting & Mitcham after leaving Charlton in 1995.
. In his four year tenure, Gritt helped to lay the foundations for future successes under Curbishley, who succeeded him as sole manager in 1995. Several key players were debuted under the joint managers, including Lee Bowyer
, John Robinson
, Richard Rufus
and Shaun Newton
, and went on to be important components of Charlton's successful team of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Gritt was made manager of Brighton & Hove Albion
in 1996, who were at the time eleven points adrift at the bottom of the Football League
. He was able to turn Brighton's form around, and they successfully avoided relegation to the Conference
on the final day of the 1996–97
season. Brighton were never in danger of relegation the following season, but the club's board had higher expectations and Gritt was fired in 1998. Nevertheless, Gritt is still fondly remembered by the Seagulls' supporters.
Gritt later moved to Millwall
and became reserve-team manager. In 2000, he had a short spell as caretaker manager of the Lions and was then assistant manager to Mark McGhee
until 2003. In June 2004, Gritt returned to Charlton in the role of academy manager.
It is little known that Gritt's first attempt at football management was in 1980 as manager of amateur Medway Area Sunday League team Hever Farm.
This was whilst still a player with Charlton Athletic whose Manager decided the two did not mix and he was ordered to quit managing the amateur team.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
) is a former 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 player and manager. His playing career included spells at Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
and Walsall
Walsall 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...
.
Playing career
Gritt spent most of his playing career with Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, after joining from home town club Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
in 1977. In his first spell with Charlton, he experienced one relegation to the 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...
(1980), one promotion 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...
(1981) and one promotion to 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....
(1986). In 1989 he moved to Walsall
Walsall 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 a brief spell but soon returned to Charlton. In his second spell, he experienced another relegation in 1990.
In all, Gritt made 435 appearances for Charlton, with 26 goals, placing him fifth on Charlton's all time appearance list. He played a further two seasons after being appointed manager, retiring in 1993. He later had brief spells with non-league teams Welling United
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...
and Tooting & Mitcham after leaving Charlton in 1995.
Managerial career
Gritt was named as joint player-manager of Charlton in 1991, alongside Alan CurbishleyAlan Curbishley
Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player....
. In his four year tenure, Gritt helped to lay the foundations for future successes under Curbishley, who succeeded him as sole manager in 1995. Several key players were debuted under the joint managers, including Lee Bowyer
Lee Bowyer
Lee David Bowyer is an English professional footballer born in Canning Town, London, who plays as a midfielder for Ipswich Town of the Football League Championship....
, John Robinson
John Robinson (footballer)
John Robert Campbell Robinson is a Rhodesian-born former Welsh professional footballer. He made over 400 appearances during his professional career with Brighton & Hove Albion, Charlton Athletic, Cardiff City and Gillingham and also won 30 caps for Wales.-Early life:Robinson was born in Bulawayo,...
, Richard Rufus
Richard Rufus
Richard Raymond Rufus is a former English football player, who spent his entire career at Charlton Athletic.Born in nearby Lewisham, Rufus progressed through the youth system at The Valley, making his debut for the club as a teenager in 1994 at the age of 19...
and Shaun Newton
Shaun Newton
Shaun O'Neill Newton is an English footballer whose favoured position is that of attacking right-sided midfielder...
, and went on to be important components of Charlton's successful team of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Gritt was made manager of Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
in 1996, who were at the time eleven points adrift at the bottom of 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...
. He was able to turn Brighton's form around, and they successfully avoided relegation to the Conference
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...
on the final day of the 1996–97
1996-97 in English football
The 1996–1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.Arrival into the league and exit out of the league returns in the fourth tier for the first time after its 3 season absence with only 1 relegation spot.- Premier League :...
season. Brighton were never in danger of relegation the following season, but the club's board had higher expectations and Gritt was fired in 1998. Nevertheless, Gritt is still fondly remembered by the Seagulls' supporters.
Gritt later moved to Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
and became reserve-team manager. In 2000, he had a short spell as caretaker manager of the Lions and was then assistant manager to Mark McGhee
Mark McGhee
Mark Edward McGhee is a former Scottish professional football player. McGhee started his career at Greenock Morton in 1975 and spent spells at clubs including Newcastle United, Aberdeen, Hamburg, Celtic, IK Brage and Reading...
until 2003. In June 2004, Gritt returned to Charlton in the role of academy manager.
It is little known that Gritt's first attempt at football management was in 1980 as manager of amateur Medway Area Sunday League team Hever Farm.
This was whilst still a player with Charlton Athletic whose Manager decided the two did not mix and he was ordered to quit managing the amateur team.
Personal life
Gritt suffered a tragedy on 7 December 2002 when his 18-year-old daughter Hayley died as a result of cancer. Hayley, who had battled a brain tumour for 10 years, was a lifelong Charlton supporter and a season ticket holder at The Valley, even after her father's departure from the club in 1995.Gritt has been involved in numerous fundraising activites for cancer charities ever since.External links
- Steve Gritt managerial statistics at soccerbase.com
- Steve Gritt - Football Heroes profile