Tommy Wright (footballer, born 1963)
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Thomas James Wright[1] | ||
Date of birth | 29 August 1963 | ||
Place of birth |
Ballyclare, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | ||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Northern Ireland U21 (manager) | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
Linfield | |||
1988–1993 | Newcastle United | 73 | (0) |
1991 | → Hull City (loan) | 6 | (0) |
1993–1997 | Nottingham Forest | 11 | (0) |
1996 | → Reading (loan) | 17 | (0) |
1997 | → Manchester City (loan) | 5 | (0) |
1997–2001 | Manchester City | 29 | (0) |
1999 | → Wrexham (loan) | 16 | (0) |
1999 | → Newcastle United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
2001 | → Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 4 | (0) |
2001 | Bolton Wanderers | 0 | (0) |
Total | 169 | (0) | |
International career | |||
1989–1999 | Northern Ireland | 31 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
2003–2005 | Limavady United | ||
2005–2008 | Ballymena United | ||
2009–2011 | Lisburn Distillery | ||
2013–2020 | St Johnstone | ||
2021 | Kilmarnock | ||
2023– | Northern Ireland U21 | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Thomas James Wright (born 29 August 1963) is a Northern Irish football coach and former player who currently is the manager of Northern Ireland’s under 21 team.
As a player, he was a
Since retiring as a player he has worked as a coach or
Club career
Wright was born in Ballyclare. After playing in his native Northern Ireland until he was 25, he entered English football with Newcastle United in the 1988–89 season and had a spell as first choice goalkeeper after Dave Beasant was sold to Chelsea in January 1989, but Newcastle went down to the Second Division that season.
After losing his place to
Injuries blighted his playing career, and he found dislodging other goalkeepers, once he regained fitness, difficult or impossible.
International career
Wright won 31 caps for Northern Ireland in a ten-year period from 1989 to 1999. The high point of his Northern Ireland career was his performance in Nuremberg in 1996, as Northern Ireland earned a 1–1 draw against reigning European champions, Germany, in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification match. Wright had not played an international match in over two years prior to that point and had just returned to club action, on loan at Reading, after a prolonged injury absence.
Managerial career
Wright was first a goalkeeping coach for
He was a full-time goalkeeping coach at
St Johnstone
Wright left Distillery in November 2011 to become assistant manager of Scottish Premier League club St Johnstone.[4]
After Steve Lomas left the Perth club to manage Millwall in June 2013, Wright was promoted to manager.[5] Wright's first game in charge was a UEFA Europa League tie in Norway against Rosenborg. St Johnstone won 1–0, their first-ever away victory in European competition.[6] The second leg ended in a 1–1 draw, putting St Johnstone through 2–1 on aggregate, and through to the third round of the qualifying stages for the first time.[7] Despite winning 1–0 win against Minsk in the first leg of the next round, they went on to lose on penalties.[8] After the match, Wright criticised Minsk, believing they lacked class in victory.[9] After winning two games and drawing once in October, Wright won the Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month award.[10]
In March 2014, Wright was involved in a touchline incident with Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara.[11] This resulted a one-match ban for Wright.[12] A few days later, Wright was taken to hospital after suffering stomach pains.[13] Despite being in the hospital, Wright was still involved in the squad selection ahead of a match against Hibernian.[14] The operation was a success, and Wright made his return in a match against Partick Thistle.[15][16]
After Wright led the club to a top-six position in the Premiership, he guided them to their first Scottish Cup Final after a 2–1 win over
He was voted Premiership Manager of the Season for the 2015–16 season, leading St Johnstone to another fourth-place finish[21] and a third domestic cup semi-final, losing out to Hibernian.[22]
St Johnstone secured a third successive fourth-place finish in the Premiership in 2016–17 under Wright, with two games remaining, also qualifying for Europe again.[23]
Wright resigned as St Johnstone manager on 2 May 2020.[24]
Kilmarnock
Wright was appointed Kilmarnock manager on 8 February 2021.[25] Kilmarnock finished the 2020–21 Scottish Premiership in 11th place, and were then relegated to the Championship after they lost a play-off to Dundee.[26] Wright was sacked by Kilmarnock in December 2021, with the club sitting in 5th place in the Championship.[27]
Northern Ireland U21
Wright was appointed Northern Ireland U21 manager on 14 August 2023
Media work
Wright from time to time does co-commentary work for
Managerial statistics
- As of match played 21 November 2023
Team | From | To | Record | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | D | L | Win % | Ref. | |||
Limavady United | November 2003 | May 2005 | 54 | 23 | 15 | 16 | 42.59 | |
Ballymena United | May 2005 | April 2008 | 117 | 44 | 29 | 44 | 37.61 | |
Lisburn Distillery | September 2009 | November 2011 | 97 | 36 | 16 | 45 | 37.11 | |
St Johnstone | 10 June 2013 | 2 May 2020 | 309 | 126 | 67 | 116 | 40.78 | |
Kilmarnock | 8 February 2021 | 18 December 2021 | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 47.62 | |
Northern Ireland U21 | 14 August 2023 | Present | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 20.00 | |
Total | 625 | 250 | 134 | 241 | 40.00 | — |
- Kilmarnock statistics include Scottish League Cup forfeit defeat to East Kilbride on 16 July 2021 (ineligible player in original tie in which Kilmarnock won).
Honours and achievements
As a player
Newcastle United
- Football League Division One: 1992–93
Bolton Wanderers
- Football League Division One play-offs: 2000–01
As a manager
Lisburn Distillery
- Irish League Cup: 2010–11
St Johnstone
- 2013–14
References
- ^ "Tommy Wright". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ uefa.com (14 November 2003). "Limavady make Wright move – UEFA.com".
- ^ "Wright takes over at Whites".
- ^ "Tommy Wright resigns as Lisburn Distillery manager". BBC Sport. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ "St Johnstone appoint Tommy Wright as new manager". BBC Sport. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ^ "Rosenborg 0–1 St Johnstone". BBC Sport. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ "St Johnstone 1–1 Rosenborg (agg 2–1)". BBC Sport. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ "St Johnstone 0 – 1 Minsk". UEFA. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright slams 'ungracious' Minsk". BBC Sport. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "St Johnstone: Stevie May and Tommy Wright win October awards". BBC Sport. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "Jackie McNamara and Tommy Wright issued with notices of complaint". STV Sport. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "Jackie McNamara receives three-match ban for Tommy Wright spat". BBC Sport. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ "St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright hospitalised". The Scotsman. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "Tommy Wright picks St Johnstone team from hospital". The Scotsman. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "St Johnstone's Tommy Wright misses game after op 'success'". BBC Sport. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "Tommy Wright set for St Johnstone return". The Courier. DC Thomson. 27 March 2014. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "Scottish Cup: Stevie May the hero in St Johnstone win over Aberdeen". BBC Sport. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "St Johnstone 2–0 Dundee United". Daily Telegraph. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "St Johnstone: Manager Tommy Wright signs three-year contract". BBC Sport. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ^ "St Johnstone: Tommy Wright signs new St Johnstone contract". BBC Sport. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- SPFL. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "Hibernian 2:1 St Johnstone". BBC Sport. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "St Johnstone: Manager Tommy Wright so proud to finish above Hearts". BBC Sport. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "St Johnstone: Tommy Wright quits as manager after seven years". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ Barnes, John (8 February 2021). "Tommy Wright: Kilmarnock appoint Northern Irishman as Alex Dyer's successor". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Tommy Wright: Kilmarnock manager to continue despite relegation". BBC Sport. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- ^ "Kilmarnock sack Wright after game abandoned". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Northern Ireland v Slovenia, 2015/2016, Match of the Day Northern Ireland – BBC One".
- ^ https://twitter.com/BTSportSPFL/status/711561052136325120[permanent dead link]
External links
- Tommy Wright at Soccerbase