John Philliben is a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 former professional football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 player and manager.

Career

A schoolboy international, Philliben started his career at Stirling Albion

Stirling Albion F.C.

Stirling Albion F.C. are a Scottish football club currently playing in the Scottish Second Division. The club are nicknamed The Binos . They play at Doubletree Dunblane Stadium in Stirling, on the outskirts of the city near the River Forth...

. In 1982, he was part of the Scotland under-18

Scotland national under-19 football team

The Scotland national under-19 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national football team for players of 19 years of age or under at the start of a European Under-19 Football Championship campaign....

 side which won the European Under-19 Championship

UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship

The European Under 19 Football Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. The competition has been held since 1948. It was originally called the FIFA junior tournament, until it was taken over by UEFA in 1955...

. He earned a £70,000 transfer to 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 March 1984, becoming the club's record signing and went on to spend three years there, spending some time on loan to Cambridge United

Cambridge United F.C.

Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...

 in 1986.

Philliben returned to Scotland in 1987 with Motherwell

Motherwell F.C.

Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...

, where he spent ten years. In 1991, he helped them on their way to victory in the Scottish Cup

Scottish Cup 1990-91

The 1990–91 Scottish Cup was the 106th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Motherwell who defeated Dundee United F.C...

. In 1998, Philliben left Motherwell and returned to first club Stirling Albion as player/manager, although he quickly returned on 2008-07-25 for his testimonial match

Testimonial match

A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....

 against West Ham United

West Ham United F.C.

West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...

. Philliben spent two years in charge at Forthbank

Forthbank Stadium

Forthbank Stadium is a football stadium in Stirling, Scotland. It is the home ground of Stirling Albion. The stadium has a capacity of 3,808. The pitch size is 110 x 74 yards....

 but could only guide the side to mid-table finishes and was sacked in 2000. After returning to Motherwell as coach, Philliben was placed temporarily in charge with Miodrag Krivokapic

Miodrag Krivokapić

Miodrag Krivokapić is a Montenegrin former footballer who played in defence. He lives in Glasgow.-Career:...

 after Billy Davies' sacking. Although then chief executive Pat Nevin

Pat Nevin

Patrick Kevin Francis Michael "Pat" Nevin is a retired Scottish footballer. In a 20-year career, he played for Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell as a winger. Nevin was a fans' favourite at Chelsea during the 1980s...

 said he had "not harmed his chances" of being appointed on a permanent basis, Eric Black

Eric Black

Eric Black is a former professional football player who played for Aberdeen and Metz. He played in attack. He won 2 international caps for Scotland. He was caretaker manager at Birmingham City following the departure of Steve Bruce. He is currently caretaker manager at Sunderland A.F.C...

 was appointed instead.

As of May 2005, Philliben was working outside of football as a driving instructor in his native Stirling.

Scotland

• European Under-18 Championship
  UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
  The European Under 19 Football Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. The competition has been held since 1948. It was originally called the FIFA junior tournament, until it was taken over by UEFA in 1955...
  
  : 1

1982

External links

• Independent profile