Les Reed (football coach)
Encyclopedia
Leswyn Reed is an English
football
coach
and was the manager of Charlton Athletic
, between 14 November and 24 December 2006. Reed was formerly Technical Director
of the Football Association
between 2002 and 2004. Reed is now Head of Football Development at Southampton F.C.
.
, Watford
, and Wycombe Wanderers
as a centre forward but did not play any League matches for any of the three clubs.
and Wealdstone
. In 1986 he joined the Football Association
as development officer, and worked there for nine years. In 1995 he left the FA to become Alan Curbishley
's assistant at Charlton Athletic. There he helped Charlton win promotion to the Premiership
via the playoffs in 1998.
national coaching setup under Kevin Keegan
. During England's worst tournament in recent memory, Euro 2000, Keegan's farcical management was highlighted by his abnegation of tactical responsibility and allowing Reed to respond to virtually all the tactical questions posed by the English press. Many journalists wondered in their columns how a manager and his coaching team had allowed a minor member of their entourage such an important role, one which they should have been taking responsibility for themselves.
In 2002 he replaced Howard Wilkinson
as the FA's Technical Director. During his second spell at the FA he authored the FA's official coaching manual, The Official FA Guide to Basic Team Coaching (ISBN 0340816007) but was sacked by the FA in 2004; the FA still owe Reed £700,000 on his contract in a dispute that has not been resolved, as of November 2006.
team (helping them beat England in 2005), Reed returned to Charlton to become Iain Dowie
's assistant manager in summer 2006. After Dowie's sacking on 14 November 2006, Reed was promoted to the manager's post. During his six-week spell in charge, Reed managed just one victory and his Charlton side were knocked out of the Carling Cup
by Football League Two
side Wycombe Wanderers
. Reed's spell at Charlton became infamous as the media attacked him on a regular basis, nicknaming him "Les Misérables" and "Santa Clueless", and was later voted in an unofficial online poll "the worst manager of all time". Reed was replaced by Alan Pardew
as manager on 24 December, leaving Charlton Athletic by mutual consent.
, who approached Reed after a League Managers’ Association meeting at West Bromwich Albion
in February 2007. He had been considering consultancy roles with the FA’s of Turkey and Latvia, and he revealed that he could return to Charlton in an overseas development role. Reed re-surfaced as Director of Football at Fulham
in April 2007, where, ironically, he helped the club stay up at the expense of Charlton.
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
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...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and was the manager of 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,...
, between 14 November and 24 December 2006. Reed was formerly Technical Director
Technical director
The Technical Director or Technical Manager is usually a senior technical person within a software company, film studio, theatrical company or television studio...
of the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
between 2002 and 2004. Reed is now Head of Football Development at Southampton F.C.
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
.
Playing career
Reed was on the books as a football player for Cambridge UnitedCambridge 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...
, Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
, and Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
as a centre forward but did not play any League matches for any of the three clubs.
Early career
Reed started his coaching career in non-league football, coaching both FinchleyFinchley F.C.
Finchley Football Club was an English football club based in Finchley, Greater London. Established in 1874, the club merged with Wingate to form Wingate & Finchley in 1991.-History:...
and Wealdstone
Wealdstone F.C.
Wealdstone Football Club are an English semi-professional football club who formed in Wealdstone, in the London Borough of Harrow, but are currently based a few miles away in Ruislip, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. At present, the club are members of the Isthmian League Premier Division. They...
. In 1986 he joined the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
as development officer, and worked there for nine years. In 1995 he left the FA to become Alan Curbishley
Alan Curbishley
Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player....
's assistant at Charlton Athletic. There he helped Charlton win promotion to the Premiership
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...
via the playoffs in 1998.
The FA and England
That same year he rejoined the FA as part of the EnglandEngland 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...
national coaching setup under 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....
. During England's worst tournament in recent memory, Euro 2000, Keegan's farcical management was highlighted by his abnegation of tactical responsibility and allowing Reed to respond to virtually all the tactical questions posed by the English press. Many journalists wondered in their columns how a manager and his coaching team had allowed a minor member of their entourage such an important role, one which they should have been taking responsibility for themselves.
In 2002 he replaced Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson is a former English football player and manager, and has recently stepped down as a Non-Executive Director at Sheffield Wednesday after formerly relinquishing the chairman role to Milan Mandaric...
as the FA's Technical Director. During his second spell at the FA he authored the FA's official coaching manual, The Official FA Guide to Basic Team Coaching (ISBN 0340816007) but was sacked by the FA in 2004; the FA still owe Reed £700,000 on his contract in a dispute that has not been resolved, as of November 2006.
Charlton Athletic
After working as a consultant, his clients including the Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
team (helping them beat England in 2005), Reed returned to Charlton to become Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United...
's assistant manager in summer 2006. After Dowie's sacking on 14 November 2006, Reed was promoted to the manager's post. During his six-week spell in charge, Reed managed just one victory and his Charlton side were knocked out of the Carling 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...
by Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
. Reed's spell at Charlton became infamous as the media attacked him on a regular basis, nicknaming him "Les Misérables" and "Santa Clueless", and was later voted in an unofficial online poll "the worst manager of all time". Reed was replaced by Alan Pardew
Alan Pardew
Alan Scott Pardew is an English football manager and former player, currently the manager of Newcastle United....
as manager on 24 December, leaving Charlton Athletic by mutual consent.
Fulham FC
Reed was linked with a consultancy role helping Northern Ireland boss Lawrie SanchezLawrie Sanchez
Lawrence Philip "Lawrie" Sanchez is a former Northern Irish football manager, and a former player. He is currently the manager of League Two side Barnet...
, who approached Reed after a League Managers’ Association meeting at West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
in February 2007. He had been considering consultancy roles with the FA’s of Turkey and Latvia, and he revealed that he could return to Charlton in an overseas development role. Reed re-surfaced as Director of Football at 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...
in April 2007, where, ironically, he helped the club stay up at the expense of Charlton.
Bishop's Stortford FC
On December 19, 2008, Reed was appointed assistant-manager at Bishop's Stortford FC in the Conference South (currently known as the Blue Square Bet South for sponsorship reasons), to caretaker Mark Simpson.Southampton FC
On 16 April 2010, Reed was appointed as Head of Football Development and Support Centre at Southampton FC, overseeing oversee four main areas - the Academy, Scouting, Sports medicine and Equipment procurement.Managerial stats
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| 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,... |
 |
14 November 2006 | 24 December 2006 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 14.28 |