Greg Abbott (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Gregory Stephen "Greg" Abbott (born 14 December 1963) 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 manager and former player. He played as a right back or 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...

, and is now manager of Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....

.
Born in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...

, Abbott started his career with his hometown team Coventry City
Coventry 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...

. He was released without playing a game but recommended to Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....

, where he won the Division Three
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...

 title in the 1984–85
1984-85 in English football
The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...

 season and went on to play more than 300 games. He had spells with 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...

 and non-league Guiseley
Guiseley A.F.C.
Guiseley A.F.C. are an English football club from Guiseley, West Yorkshire, England.-History:Founded in 1909 by a local group of enthusiasts, the club’s first success came in 1913 when they won the local Wharfedale League...

 before he returned 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...

 with former manager Terry Dolan at Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

. He spent four seasons with Hull playing another 100 games to take his career total to in excess of 500 first team matches.

After retiring, he went into coaching. He spent a decade at Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

 coaching a number of junior and reserve sides, before he was appointed assistant manager of Carlisle United in 2006. He spent a brief spell as caretaker manager in 2007, before he was given the job full-time 13 months later after John Ward was sacked.

Coventry City

Abbott was born in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...

, 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...

 on 14 December 1963. He started his football career with his hometown club Coventry City
Coventry 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...

, first signing schoolboy forms, before becoming an apprentice in June 1980. He developed through the junior and reserve teams to sign a professional contract in January 1982 but at the end of the season he was given a free transfer without making a league appearance for the Division One
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....

 side. The youth development team at Coventry instead recommended Abbott to Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....

, where he was given a trial in July, before earning a one year contract at the newly-promoted
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...

 Division Three
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...

 club.

Bradford City

Abbott had to wait eight months for his first team debut, which came in a 3–1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...

 at right back. However, he was a regular member of the club's reserve side, which won the 1983 Northern Intermediate League Cup. Abbott finished with 11 first team games in his first season with City at full back or in midfield
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...

, who finished 12th in the first season in Division Three.

Abbott became a more regular member of the first team the following season as City won just one of their first 15 games, following a summer where the club was nearly closed. However the club resigned striker Bobby Campbell
Bobby Campbell (Northern Irish footballer)
Robert McFaul "Bobby" Campbell is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for many clubs in England....

 from Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

 and embarked on a club record ten consecutive victories, during which Abbott scored his first senior goal as City defeated Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....

. The club eventually finished seventh after winning only once in the final six fixtures of the season. Abbott finished the season with four goals from 39 games, which included starting the final 20 games of the season.

During the summer of 1984, City signed winger John Hendrie
John Hendrie
John Grattan Hendrie is a Scottish former professional association footballer who played on the right wing or in attack....

, who had played with Abbott at Coventry, as well as defender Dave Evans
Dave Evans (footballer)
David G. "Dave" Evans is an English retired professional footballer who made more than 500 league appearances for three clubs.-Career:...

. Abbott missed two of the season's first six games and was substitute for another two, but after that he missed only two more as City won the title by four points. Abbott's games again were shared between his roles in midfield and at full back as he weighed in with six league goals, four from penalties
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

. City's joy, however, was overshadowed on the final day of the season against Lincoln City, when the game was abandoned because of a fire killing 56 supporters, only an hour after the team had paraded the Division Three trophy.

City played their home games at a number of grounds during the 1985–86
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...

 season during the redevelopment of their Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...

 ground. That season, Abbott had his best season in terms of goals, scoring 13 times, which included ten in the league, and a total of nine penalties; his tally helped Abbott to be the club's joint top goalscorer tied with John Hendrie. Despite having no home ground, City finished in mid-table in Division Two
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 added another ten the following season, which included a penalty against top flight side 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...

 in 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...

. Despite struggling during the first half of the season, City returned to Valley Parade and ended in tenth position thanks to seven games in the final nine fixtures under new manager Terry Dolan.

On 16 September 1987, Abbott scored the first hat-trick of his career to give City a 3–1 victory against Plymouth Argyle and elevate them to the top of the division. City remained in promotion contention for most of the season, with Abbott playing 32 games, though he did not start in any of the final eight fixtures, as City missed out on promotion after losing the final two matches. Abbott returned to the side for the play-off
Football League Play-Offs
The Football League play-offs are an annual series of football matches to determine some of the promotion places within the Football League. Essentially, each division of the league offers a certain number of automatic promotion places to the top two or three clubs. A further promotion place is...

 semi-final matches against 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...

, which City lost 3–2 on aggregate
Two-legged match
In sport , a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or legs, with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of the scores of the two legs...

 to prevent them from winning promotion to Division One.

As a result of the defeat, both Stuart McCall
Stuart McCall
Andrew Stuart Murray McCall , usually known as Stuart McCall, is a former footballer who played in central midfield. He played a total of 763 league games during his career, the 13th highest of all British footballers...

 and John Hendrie left the club and City could not maintain their form finishing in the bottom half for the first time in three years. Abbott was limited to just 23 league starts. Abbott was more of a regular the following season, playing 40 games in all competitions, but City were relegated back to Division Three.

John Docherty
John Docherty
John Docherty is a Scottish former football player and manager.Having previously been manager of Cambridge United between January 1978 and December 13, 1983, and Brentford. His spell at Cambridge United saw the club in the Second Division where they managed respectable finishes, with eighth in...

 had taken over as City manager and Abbott's first team opportunities were limited with Docherty favouring a number of players he had bought from his former team 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...

. Abbott left City at the end of the first season back in Division Three one season short of his testimonial year, with his last start coming in January 1991. He had played 281 league games with the club, scoring 38 goals. Abbott claimed Docherty had split the dressing room and said: "I thought John Docherty was a disaster."

Later career

Abbott signed for City's West Yorkshire neighbours 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...

 for a fee of £25,000. He spent just over a season with Halifax, in Division Four, but played only 28 league games, and a total of 34 matches, before he left because of injury. He moved to non-league side Guiseley
Guiseley A.F.C.
Guiseley A.F.C. are an English football club from Guiseley, West Yorkshire, England.-History:Founded in 1909 by a local group of enthusiasts, the club’s first success came in 1913 when they won the local Wharfedale League...

 for three months, before he was given another chance in the Football League, by his former manager Terry Dolan, who was now in charge of Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

. Abbott scored on his debut against Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...

 in a 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...

 game. He spent four seasons at Hull, playing 124 games and scoring 15 goals before he retired in 1996.

Leeds United

When he finished his playing career, Abbott was invited to join the Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

 coaching staff, by Ces Podd
Ces Podd
Cyril "Ces" Podd is a retired international footballer from Saint Kitts and Nevis who played professionally in England. He was one of the first black players to establish themselves in English football.-Club career:...

, who had played with Abbott at Bradford City. Abbott worked with Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd is an English football coach and former player, who is currently Assistant Manager to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City....

 at Leeds' academy with the teams from under 10s to under 18s level. He also had a brief stint as reserves team manager, but wanted to coach senior teams. He turned down an offer from Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell
Paul Steven Jewell is a former English footballer who is currently the manager of Ipswich Town.His playing career started with Liverpool before moving to Wigan Athletic and then a ten-year spell with Bradford City...

, another player Abbott knew from his time at Bradford City, to do some short-term coaching at Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...

. During his time with Leeds he also spent a brief period as assistant manager at his former side Guiseley before he resigned in February 1998. Five months after leaving Guiseley, he also combined his role at Leeds, with that of joint manager of Thackley
Thackley F.C.
Thackley F.C. are a football club based in the village of Thackley in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They were established in 1930 and joined the Yorkshire League Division Two in 1967. In the current 2011-12 season, they are members of the Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division....

, a role he shared with another former Guiseley coach Brendan Hudson. He resigned in January 1999, to concentrate on his role with Leeds United as well as radio commentary with BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.- Frequencies :It broadcasts from its studios at St...

.

Carlisle United

In July 2006, he joined Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....

 as assistant manager to Neil McDonald. When McDonald was sacked by Carlisle on 13 August 2007, Abbott was appointed as caretaker manager. He won five of his ten games in charge to guide Carlisle to fourth position, before Carlisle appointed Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...

 manager John Ward as their new boss in October; Abbott returned to his original assistant manager role with the club and signed a new two-year contract. The pair led Carlisle to the League One play-offs
Football League One play-offs
The Football League One Playoffs are a series of playoff matches, contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the NPower Football League One table to determine the third spot for promotion to the second tier of English football, the Championship....

 where they were defeated by Leeds United in the semi-finals.

When Ward left the club after 13 months in charge following a run of nine defeats in ten games, which left the club in 20th place, Abbott was once again appointed caretaker manager. Abbott's first game as caretaker was an 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...

 game with 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...

-side Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic F.C.
Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season...

, in which they were only six minutes from being knocked out, before a late equaliser avoided an upset to force a replay. He won three games while in caretaker charge and was appointed the club's permanent manager on 5 December on an 18-month contract.

Playing statistics

Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Coventry City
Coventry 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...

1981–82 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....

1982–83 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
1983–84 35 3 0 0 2 0 2 1 39 4
1984–85 42 6 3 1 3 0 3 1 51 8
1985–86 39 10 2 2 4 1 1 0 46 13
1986–87 33 7 3 0 4 2 3 1 43 10
1987–88
Bradford City A.F.C. season 1987–88
The 1987–88 season was the 85th season in Bradford City A.F.C.'s history, and their 73rd in The Football League. They finished fourth in the Football League Second Division, having been six points clear at the top of the table at one point. City went into the play-offs and lost over two legs...

32 5 2 0 4 1 6 1 44 7
1988–89 28 4 2 0 3 0 2 0 35 4
1989–90 35 3 2 0 2 1 1 0 40 4
1990–91 26 0 2 0 3 1 3 1 34 2
Total 2813816325621534352
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...

1991–92 |
1992–93 |
Total 281202020341
Guiseley
Guiseley A.F.C.
Guiseley A.F.C. are an English football club from Guiseley, West Yorkshire, England.-History:Founded in 1909 by a local group of enthusiasts, the club’s first success came in 1913 when they won the local Wharfedale League...

1992–93 |
Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

1992–93 27 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 29 2
1993–94 40 6 2 0 2 1 2 1 46 8
1994–95 26 2 1 0 1 0 2 0 30 2
1995–96 31 6 1 0 2 0 2 0 36 6
Total 1241540518214118
Career totals 4335422332731751871

Managerial statistics

As of 26 November 2011.
Team Nat From To Record
GWLDWin %
Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....

 (caretaker)
  13 August 2007 3 October 2007
Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....

  3 November 2008 Present

Player

Bradford City
  • Northern Intermediate League Cup: 1983
  • Football League 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...

    : 1984–85
    1984-85 in English football
    The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...


Manager

Carlisle United
  • 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...

    : 2011
    2010–11 Football League Trophy
    The 2010–11 Football League Trophy, known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is the 27th season in the history of the competition. It is a knock-out tournament for English football clubs in League One and League Two, the third and fourth tiers of the English football.In all,...


External links

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