Micky Adams
Encyclopedia
Michael Richard "Micky" Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English
former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two
side Port Vale
. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League
, including five years with Southampton
at the highest level. He began his managerial career as player-manager for Fulham
in 1994 and has lead several teams at varying levels with mixed success, being named Manager of the Season twice, and sacked a number of times.
Born in Sheffield
, Adams was part of the youth team at Sheffield United
from the age of twelve until released in 1977. He turned professional at the Third Division team Gillingham
in 1979, where he established himself in the first team, winning a move in 1983 to Coventry City
who were in the First Division. He spent four years at Coventry before being sold on to Leeds United
in 1987. He was bought by Southampton for £250,000 in 1989, where he enjoyed five years of top-flight football. He was loaned out to Stoke City
in 1994, before he signed with Fulham later in the year. Appointed as Fulham's player-manager in March 1996, he led the club out of the Third Division
in 1996–97, and was named as the Third Division Manager of the Season. Sacked by Fulham despite his success, he walked out on Swansea City
after less than two weeks in charge, and instead took charge at Brentford
in November 1997. He was sacked after the club were relegated at the end of the season. At this point he ended his playing career.
He joined Nottingham Forest
as assistant manager, taking charge for one Premier League game in a caretaker capacity. He returned to management with Brighton & Hove Albion
in April 1999. He led the club to the Third Division title in 2000–01, winning the division's Manager of the Season award for a second time. He then moved to Leicester City
as an assistant, before finally being named as the club's manager in April 2002. He took the club to the Premier League as First Division
runners-up in 2002–03, though he tendered his resignation in October 2004, having failed to keep the club in the top-flight. He took charge at former club Coventry City in January 2005, though lost his job in January 2007 after failing to take the club out of the Championship
. He returned to Brighton in May 2008, though his second spell in charge would only last nine months. He was appointed as manager of Port Vale in June 2009, before he departed for Sheffield United in December 2010, with Vale heading for promotion out of League Two. He failed to prevent United being relegated into League One
, and was sacked in May 2011; this enabled him to return to Port Vale as manager. He has been married twice and has four daughters and one son.
, and was an associate schoolboy with Sheffield United
from the age of twelve, where his boyhood idol was Tony Currie. He was a favourite of manager Jimmy Sirrel
, though Adams was released from the youth set-up a few months after Harry Haslam replaced Sirrel as manager in September 1977. United's youth team coach John Shaw also left the club and became a coach at Gillingham
, and so Adams then travelled 240 miles out from home to join Gillingham as an apprentice in August 1978. During his time as an apprentice he won four caps for the England youth team
, and competed in a tournament in Yugoslavia
. He went on to sign as a professional at Gillingham in November 1979. Due to his natural pace, Adams started his playing career as a left-winger
before being converted into a left-back after he was found to lack the technical skill necessary to beat opponents. Coming through the club's ranks at the same time as Steve Bruce
, Adams later cited Buster Collins
as a major influence upon his career. In 1982–83 he was named in the PFA
's Third Division Team of the Year
.
After 103 appearances for Third Division
Gillingham he moved on to top-flight Coventry City
in 1983 for a fee between £75,000 and £85,000. He struggled with injury during his time at Highfield Road
, and was never popular with the fans. Despite this he managed to play over 100 games for City over a four year period before Leeds United
manager Billy Bremner
took him to the Second Division
for a £110,000 fee. Near the end of his first season at Leeds he played in the club's FA Cup Semi-final
defeat to former club Coventry at Hillsborough
, as Coventry won 3–2 in extra time. Leeds suffered further heartbreak in 1987 by losing the play-off Final to Charlton Athletic
, again after extra time. His return to First Division
football instead came in March 1989 when Southampton
offered Leeds £250,000 for his services. Adams made his debut for the "Saints" on 25 March 1989, taking Derek Statham
's place at left-back in a 3–1 defeat by Arsenal
. Adams retained his place for the next seven games, before losing out to Gerry Forrest
for the last few matches of the season. Adams played the first seven matches of the 1989–90 season before losing his place through injury to Francis Benali
, who then began to form a useful full-back partnership with Jason Dodd
. In April 1990, Adams was recalled alongside new signing Oleksiy Cherednyk
and they played out the remainder of the season together.
Adams began to establish himself as the first-choice left-back at the start of the 1990–91 season, partnered first by Cherednyk and then Dodd, and finally by Barry Horne
on the right. Once he had overcome the niggling injuries of his first two seasons at The Dell, Adams' consistency began to ensure that the left-back position was more or less his own, with his energetic forays along the touchline helping to give the side an extra cutting edge. His first goals for the Saints came in the 1991–92 season against Everton
, Tottenham Hotspur
and West Ham United
. Against West Ham on 14 April 1992, he scored the only goal with a far-post volley in the 88th minute after Matthew Le Tissier
had created space to whip over a cross: the goal was described as "a moment of true class in an otherwise ordinary game".
During the inaugural season of the Premier League, Adams missed only four games, making 38 appearances with four goals, with his right-wing partner now being Jeff Kenna
, with manager Ian Branfoot
playing Dodd and Benali further forward. He wrote himself into the history books, for all the wrong reasons, when he was sent off for dissent on 19 August 1992 against Queens Park Rangers
at Loftus Road
, during the second game of the season. His was the first ever red card in the Premiership. The 1993–94 Premiership season was Adams' last in the top flight; he started the season as the preferred choice at left-back before losing out to Simon Charlton
. He featured in 19 out of 42 league games that season as Southampton finished 18th and narrowly avoided relegation. His final game for Southampton came in a 1–0 defeat at home to Norwich City
, immediately following which Branfoot was sacked as manager, to be replaced by Alan Ball. Adams never played under Ball and was loaned out to Stoke City
in March 1994 until the end of the season. He scored three goals in ten games for the "Potters", but did not join the club on a permanent basis as the management staff refused to allow him to help out as a coach at the club's academy. In his five years with Southampton, Adams made a total of 174 first-team appearances, scoring seven goals.
In July 1994, he joined Fulham
on a free transfer where he was reunited with Ian Branfoot in preparation for the "Cottagers" 1994–95 season. Fulham had just been relegated to Division Three (the bottom tier of the professional league) for the first time in their history. He signed with the club on the understanding that Branfoot would teach him the ropes of coaching. They finished seventh in the league that season, but due to a restructuring of the league which saw one less promotion place in the three lower divisions, Fulham missed out on a play-off place. When Branfoot became general manager in March 1996, Adams was appointed player-manager of a Fulham side on course for their lowest ever finish – 17th in Division Three.
man" had already demonstrated his ability to spot talented youngsters. Around 1994 he spotted Wayne Bridge
playing for Olivers Battery; he recommended Bridge to Southampton
, who then signed him as a trainee in July 1996.
, taking over from Ian Branfoot
in March 1996 with the London club languishing in 91st place in the league pyramid. After he had helped the club avoid non-league football, Fulham were promoted to Division Two as runners-up in the following season's final table, and Adams was given the Third Division Manager of the Season award. He built his side on free transfers and small fees, installing belief and self-confidence in the players at his disposal rather than spending big money. The highest fee he spent on a player during his reign was £200,000 for former "Saints" teammate Paul Moody
.
Following Mohamed Al-Fayed
's takeover of Fulham, Adams was dismissed as manager in September 1997 in favour of the higher profile combination of Kevin Keegan
(director of football) and Ray Wilkins
(head coach).
in Division Three, but left after thirteen days and three matches in charge. Adams claimed that the money he had been promised to strengthen the team had not been forthcoming.
Before 1997 was out, Adams took his third job of the 1997–98 season when he was named manager of Brentford
. The club had suffered a slump in league form after losing the previous season's Division Two play-off final
, and were struggling near the foot of the table. He signed striker Andy Scott
from Sheffield United
for a fee of £75,000. Despite Adams' efforts, Brentford were relegated
to Division Three on the last day of the season, and the club was bought out by Ron Noades
, who installed himself as the new Brentford manager.
After taking a break from the game, Adams joined Nottingham Forest
as assistant manager under Dave Bassett
. Bassett was dismissed in January 1999 and so Adams took charge as caretaker manager
for a single Premiership match, before Ron Atkinson
was appointed as Bassett's replacement.
. The club were in the middle of a financial crisis, which had seen the board sell the Goldstone Ground
just to stay afloat; on the pitch the club were facing a battle for their league status. His first full season as manager was a matter of consolidation as the club finished a respectable 11th, whilst Adams signed talent such as star striker Bobby Zamora
. The £100,000 spent on Zamora was the only transfer outlay Adams made in building his squad.
In his second season as manager, 2000–01, Adams guided Brighton to promotion as Division Three champions after the club had spent five seasons in the league's basement division. A late chase for the title proved to be unnecessary, as high flying Chesterfield were deducted nine points for financial irregularities, leaving Brighton ten points clear at the season's end. He was named as Third Division Manager of the season for a second time, also picking up the Third Division Manager of the Month award in September 2000.
Adams was clear about his ambitions at managing at a higher level, stating his disappointment at not being offered the management positions at either Southampton
or West Ham United
in the summer of 2001. He did leave "Seagulls" in October 2001, though by then he had already set the foundations for Brighton to achieve a second successive promotion as Division Two champions in 2001–02. Over the summer he had brought in players such as Simon Morgan
, Geoff Pitcher
, Robbie Pethick
and Dirk Lehmann
, to give Brighton depth.
at Leicester City
. Peter Taylor, the former Leicester manager, was drafted in to complete Brighton's promotion campaign. Adams chose the move in an attempt to get closer to his dream of managing a Premiership club. He understood that Bassett was to move 'upstairs' at the end of the season, leaving Adams free to take the management job for 2002–03.
Adams spent six months working under Bassett, during which time Leicester were almost permanently stuck to the bottom of the Premier League table. In March 2002 he demanded the management position for the next season, though he later apologised for his comments and insisted he was happy working under Bassett, and had no regrets about leaving Brighton. The next month, just before relegation was confirmed, Adams was promoted to the manager's seat while Bassett became Director of Football. Adams said: "I'm not expecting to produce a miracle, I'm still working with the same group of players".
In July 2002 he appointed Alan Cork
as his number two. Losing just one of their opening eleven games, his side made an excellent start to the campaign, seeing Adams rewarded with the Manager of the Month award
for September 2002. Despite Leicester going into receivership with debts of £30 million and being banned from the transfer market until a takeover was completed, Adams was able to guide them to promotion back to the Premiership at the first attempt—they ended the 2002–03 season as Division One runners-up behind champions Portsmouth
. At the end of the campaign he signed a new three year contract.
He was in charge for the first game at the Walkers Stadium. Despite a good start to their campaign, the club fell into the relegation zone in the new year. Adams was clearly resentful of lucrative long term contracts dealt out to his less talented players by previous managers, which restricted his ability to bring in fresh faces to boost their campaign. Leicester slipped back down again in 2003–04 to 18th place, bracketed together with the two other relegated sides — Leeds United
and Wolverhampton Wanderers
— whose goal difference was inferior to Leicester's. The "Foxes" were becoming a "yo-yo club" and Adams blamed this on a lack of investment. During March 2004 nine Leicester players were arrested for various offences related to a drunken outing that ended with an alleged sexual assault on three German tourists, with three players being charged: Paul Dickov
, Frank Sinclair
and Keith Gillespie
. The three faced up to fourteen years in prison if found guilty of rape, and the trio's bail totalled £196,500. The club had already been rocked by various incidents on overseas tours over years, with Stan Collymore
arrested for setting off a fire extinguisher in 2000, and Dennis Wise
breaking Callum Davidson
's jaw in a row over a card game in 2003. Adams had previously initiated a crackdown in club discipline, going so far as to enforce random breathalyser tests. Adams said that "in a lot of people's eyes, the players are guilty before they have had a fair trial - which is not the case". The incident also cast doubt over Adams' future at the club, as reports surfaced that he planned to quit the club. He did in fact offer his resignation, which was rejected by the club. However he kept faith in his players' innocence, and claimed "if they are guilty of anything it is of being unprofessional - of being drunk to excess". His faith was later vindicated when it transpired that all allegations against the players were false.
The club lost their talismanic Turk
Muzzy Izzet in the summer of 2004. Adams had previously stated his concern that they would be unable to regain their top tier status before he resigned as Leicester manager in October 2004, after a poor start to the Championship
campaign dashed the club's hopes of an instant return to the Premiership.
, a club he had been at during his playing career. Adams managed to save the club from relegation by the end of the season, winning the Football League Championship Manager of the Month
award for April in the process.
He was expected by some to mount a challenge for promotion to the Premiership in 2005–06, which was the club's first season in the new Ricoh Arena
. The team started out poorly, but improved in the second half of the season to rise up the table, with Adams making an inspired signing in Dennis Wise
. However, despite excellent home form, he could only guide Coventry as high as 8th, missing out on a play-off place by only two league places, though several points adrift of that year's standard.
Midway through the following season however, following a run of five games without defeat, Coventry suddenly and unexpectedly hit a bad run of form. A 5–0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion
began a sequence of eight games without a win, including six defeats. This culminated in a 2–0 home defeat to Bristol City
in the FA Cup
, a game which also saw a record low attendance at the Ricoh Arena. On 17 January 2007, the day after the cup exit, the club parted company with Adams, with Coventry lying 16th in the Championship. Adams stated that he intended to return to management as soon as possible. He admitted that the sale of Gary McSheffrey
to Birmingham City
had been a turning point in the club's season, but also said that "I genuinely believe that I could have turned it around" and "I tried my best and that's all I can do."
as assistant manager to Geraint Williams
, replacing Mick Harford
who had left the previous month. He subsequently left this role in January 2008, stating that he wanted to return to management.
In May 2008, Adams returned to the helm at Brighton & Hove Albion, supplanting Dean Wilkins
. On 21 February 2009, Adams left the club by "mutual consent", (although he had stated he wished to stay) due to poor team performances. He later acknowledged that it had been a mistake to return to Brighton, and that he should have instead sought a fresh opportunity elsewhere.
after Dean Glover
's departure from the club. On 4 June, it was announced that Adams was to be appointed the new manager at Vale Park
. His appointment was welcomed by the Vale players and supporters. Chairman Bill Bratt
stated that Adams' first goal would be to stabilize the club, a point reiterated by observers such as Robbie Earle
, as well as Adams himself. This followed the "Valiants" fall from the second tier
to near the bottom of the Football League
within ten years.
He made his first signing on 15 June, bringing to the club on a free transfer a midfielder who had played for Adams at Brighton, 21 year old Tommy Fraser
. After confirming the signing of Adam Yates
, who was linked to the club before Adams' arrival, Adams signed Doug Loft
, who had also played under him at Brighton. After a pre-season friendly
, Adams considered switching to a 3–5–2 formation
for the 2009–10 season
. Over his two spells in charge with the club he would switch between the 3–5–2 and 4–4–2 formations. On 21 July, it was announced that Adams had appointed veteran striker Geoff Horsfield
as player-assistant manager.
His first competitive game in charge was a 1–1 draw with Rochdale
on 8 August. Three days later the club beat Championship
side Sheffield United
2–1 at Bramall Lane
in the League Cup
First Round
. The solid opening day performance and especially the giant-slaying in the cup gave Vale fans great optimism for the season ahead. He was still strengthening his squad early in the season, signing midfielders Kris Taylor
and Claus Bech Jørgensen
on short-term deals. In order to raise cash he placed six youngsters on the transfer list. The Vale defeated Sheffield Wednesday
2–0 in the League Cup Second Round, with goals from Adams' signing Kris Taylor and Rob Taylor
– a player not appreciated under Glover. It was only after the Wednesday game that Adams signed his managerial contract – two months after taking charge. The delay was blamed on "legal complications". After a period of three defeats in seven days, including being knocked out of the League Cup at the Third Round, Adams decided to place his whole squad on the transfer list, saying of his team's performance: "We looked like a woman who had a big fur coat on but underneath she’s got no knickers on." It was a controversial move, one that divided opinion among analysts and fans, also bringing the fourth tier club to national attention. The move appeared to many to be a motivational tactic. He later admitted he merely played "a psychological game with them... [and] I don't think they fell for it – I don't think anybody fell for it". Three wins, including a cup
win over League One Stockport County
and a league win at local rivals Crewe Alexandra
, and three draws within four weeks saw Adams nominated for the League Two Manager of the Month
award for October 2009. He signed a contract extension in November 2009, keeping him at the club until summer 2012. His salary was believed to be around £65,000 a year.
In the January 2010 transfer window he signed winger Lewis Haldane
permanently, and took winger Sean Rigg
and striker Craig Davies on loan. Adams' men stormed into the play-off places for the first time in the season with just two games left to play, following a 2–1 win over champions-elect Notts County
. Yet with just one point from their final two games, the Vale finished the season in 10th place.
Before the start of the 2010–11 season
there was speculation that Adams would be approached by his former employers at Championship side Leicester City
, having impressed in his position at Port Vale. Adams continued to make his mark at Vale though, releasing nine players, and signing Sean Rigg, Stuart Tomlinson
, Justin Richards
, Ritchie Sutton
and Gary Roberts
. The season began similarly to the previous campaign, with a 3–1 win at Championship side Queens Park Rangers
in the League Cup First Round
, new signing Richards scoring twice. After his side won their opening four away league fixtures for the first time in their history, talks began to extend Adams' contract beyond 2012 as early as September 2010. Five wins in five for September saw Adam's gifted the League Two Manager of the Month
award, his team also boasting five clean sheets. He was also handed the award for November, after his club advanced into the Third Round
of the FA Cup
and rose to the top of the League Two
table on the back of five clean sheets in seven games. Departing for his boyhood club at the end of December 2010, he left the club in second position in League Two.
's departure from the job as manager of Sheffield United
for the position as the head coach of Wales
, Adams was one of a handful of names linked to the vacant position at United. On Christmas Eve
, Vale chairman Bill Bratt
announced he had "reluctantly" given Adams permission to talk to Sheffield United. Six days later it was announced that he would be taking the position, and he announced his three aims as manager would be to firstly avoid relegation, to then challenge for promotion, and finally "to develop a structure that will build us a reputation for home grown talent that fans can be proud of in their team". Former United player Alan Cork
was installed as his assistant, Cork had worked as Adams' assistant at Fulham, Swansea, Leicester and Coventry. The fourth manager at the club that season
, he brought in Dave Bassett
in a consultancy role after finding managing the club a bigger task than he had previously assumed. As Adams explained: "When you're manager at Port Vale you probably get three calls a day and one of those is from the wife asking me what time I'm coming home for my tea." His honeymoon period dissipated quickly, as United failed to win in his first eleven games in charge (four draws and seven defeats) and slipped into 23rd spot after letting slip a two goal lead to lose 3–2 to fellow relegation strugglers Scunthorpe United
. Adams told the press that "The fans were singing 'you're not fit to wear the shirt', I cannot disagree with them. That is as disappointing a result as I have ever had in my career." It took three months before he achieved his first win. The victory came on 8 March 2011 (his fourteenth game in charge), as his side came from behind to beat Nottingham Forest
2–1. Sheffield United were relegated to League One
at the end of the season, finishing six points short of safety. Adams and United parted company after a meeting with owner Kevin McCabe. McCabe stated that he wished to initiate a "clean sweep at the top and start afresh"; whilst Adams said that whilst he was "very, very disappointed with the decision... I am a Blade and will always be a Blade."
, he was immediately offered a three year contract at former club Port Vale. He signed the contract within days, saying it was time to "finish the job I started". Upon hearing the news, star defender Gareth Owen reversed his decision to leave the club, and promptly signed a two year deal as player-coach. Following an Extraordinary General Meeting
at the club in which two of the club's five directors were voted off, Adams' transfer plans were disrupted as the club's constitution stipulated that at least four directors must be in place for financial transactions such as issuing new contracts to take place. In a shock move Adams announced that he intended to take up a directorship at the club, and after being sponsored onto the board through the support of former director Stan Meigh, he was quoted as saying that "this is a purely footballing decision... I understand that the last few months have been difficult for everyone and am asking all of our supporters to put their differences aside, to support my candidacy for the Board and then to get behind the team in the coming season." Supporters' groups opposed to Bill Bratt
's chairmanship did not welcome the news. However shareholders voted him onto the board. His first signings of the season were former Glenn Hoddle Academy
youngsters Ryan Burge
and Ben Williamson. He followed this by tying Gary Roberts
to the club for another season, and signing Walsall
centre-half Clayton McDonald
, left-back Mike Green
, and Sheffield United teenagers Kingsley James
and Phil Roe. Days before the start of the season
he let Justin Richards
leave on a free transfer to Burton Albion
, and replaced him with Rotherham United
striker Tom Pope
, also a free transfer signing. After his team started the campaign with a glut of goals – both scoring and conceding – Adams decided to give his players "a kick up the backside" by signing experienced defenders Liam Chilvers
(on loan) and Robert Kozluk
. He stepped down as a director on 5 November, the day of his 100th game in charge at Port Vale, after former director Stan Meigh withdraw the £50,000 sponsorship he had provided to keep Adams on the board of directors.
His team exited the three cup competitions at the First Round in 2011–12, and after losing to non-league Grimsby Town
in the FA Cup
in a run of five games without a win – which included 388 minutes without scoring a goal – he signed Guy Madjo
, Jennison Myrie-Williams
and Shane O'Connor
on loan.
and his father was a steelworker
; he grew up with two sisters and one brother; his brother suffers from cerebral palsy
.
He has three daughters from his first marriage; the marriage broke down during his time at Fulham
, due in part to the amount of time he was putting into his football career. He later married Claire, with whom he had son Mitchell, born 2002, and daughter Madison, born 2004.
Adams made an appearance on BBC Radio Leicester
's version of Desert Island Discs
in August 2004, and chose songs from Nat King Cole
(Love Letters
), Billy Joel
(Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
), The Style Council
(Shout to the Top!
), and INXS
(Mystify
).
Awards
Fulham
Brighton & Hove Albion
Leicester City
Coventry City
Port Vale
Promotions
Trophies
Port Vale
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of 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 Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in 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...
, including five years with Southampton
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...
at the highest level. He began his managerial career as player-manager for 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 1994 and has lead several teams at varying levels with mixed success, being named Manager of the Season twice, and sacked a number of times.
Born in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Adams was part of the youth team at Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
from the age of twelve until released in 1977. He turned professional at the Third Division team Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
in 1979, where he established himself in the first team, winning a move in 1983 to 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...
who were in the First Division. He spent four years at Coventry before being sold on to 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...
in 1987. He was bought by Southampton for £250,000 in 1989, where he enjoyed five years of top-flight football. He was loaned out to Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
in 1994, before he signed with Fulham later in the year. Appointed as Fulham's player-manager in March 1996, he led the club out of 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...
in 1996–97, and was named as the Third Division Manager of the Season. Sacked by Fulham despite his success, he walked out on Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
after less than two weeks in charge, and instead took charge at Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
in November 1997. He was sacked after the club were relegated at the end of the season. At this point he ended his playing career.
He joined Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
as assistant manager, taking charge for one Premier League game in a caretaker capacity. He returned to management with 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 April 1999. He led the club to the Third Division title in 2000–01, winning the division's Manager of the Season award for a second time. He then moved to Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
as an assistant, before finally being named as the club's manager in April 2002. He took the club to the Premier League as 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....
runners-up in 2002–03, though he tendered his resignation in October 2004, having failed to keep the club in the top-flight. He took charge at former club Coventry City in January 2005, though lost his job in January 2007 after failing to take the club out of the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
. He returned to Brighton in May 2008, though his second spell in charge would only last nine months. He was appointed as manager of Port Vale in June 2009, before he departed for Sheffield United in December 2010, with Vale heading for promotion out of League Two. He failed to prevent United being relegated into League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
, and was sacked in May 2011; this enabled him to return to Port Vale as manager. He has been married twice and has four daughters and one son.
Playing career
Adams was born in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, and was an associate schoolboy with Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
from the age of twelve, where his boyhood idol was Tony Currie. He was a favourite of manager Jimmy Sirrel
Jimmy Sirrel
James "Jimmy" Sirrel was a Scottish football player and manager best known for his management career....
, though Adams was released from the youth set-up a few months after Harry Haslam replaced Sirrel as manager in September 1977. United's youth team coach John Shaw also left the club and became a coach at Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
, and so Adams then travelled 240 miles out from home to join Gillingham as an apprentice in August 1978. During his time as an apprentice he won four caps for the England youth team
England national youth football team
England national youth football team can refer to the following age group teams:* England national under-23 football team* England national under-22 football team* England national under-21 football team* England national under-20 football team...
, and competed in a tournament in Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. He went on to sign as a professional at Gillingham in November 1979. Due to his natural pace, Adams started his playing career as a left-winger
Outside forward
Outside forward is a position in association football which refers to a footballer who plays as an advanced forward on the right or left wing - as an outside right or outside left. Typically as part of a 2-3-5 formation or one of its variants...
before being converted into a left-back after he was found to lack the technical skill necessary to beat opponents. Coming through the club's ranks at the same time as Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
, Adams later cited Buster Collins
Bill Collins (footballer)
William Hanna "Bill" Collins, also popularly known as Buster Collins is a Northern Irish former professional football player...
as a major influence upon his career. In 1982–83 he was named in the PFA
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
's Third Division Team of the Year
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the top four tiers of English football; the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two, whom are seen to be deserving of being named in a "Team of the Year".The award...
.
After 103 appearances for 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...
Gillingham he moved on to top-flight 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...
in 1983 for a fee between £75,000 and £85,000. He struggled with injury during his time at Highfield Road
Highfield Road
The Highfield Road Stadium was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City F.C. until the club moved to the new Ricoh Arena after the 2005-06 season...
, and was never popular with the fans. Despite this he managed to play over 100 games for City over a four year period before 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...
manager Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...
took him 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...
for a £110,000 fee. Near the end of his first season at Leeds he played in the club's FA Cup Semi-final
FA Cup Semi-finals
The FA Cup Semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.- Location :...
defeat to former club Coventry at Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
, as Coventry won 3–2 in extra time. Leeds suffered further heartbreak in 1987 by losing the play-off Final to 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,...
, again after extra time. His return to 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....
football instead came in March 1989 when Southampton
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...
offered Leeds £250,000 for his services. Adams made his debut for the "Saints" on 25 March 1989, taking Derek Statham
Derek Statham
Derek James Statham is a former English footballer who played at defensive left-back. He played for West Bromwich Albion, Southampton, Walsall and Stoke City....
's place at left-back in a 3–1 defeat by Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. Adams retained his place for the next seven games, before losing out to Gerry Forrest
Gerry Forrest
Gerald "Gerry" Forrest is a retired English footballer who played at full-back for Rotherham United and Southampton.-Football career:...
for the last few matches of the season. Adams played the first seven matches of the 1989–90 season before losing his place through injury to Francis Benali
Francis Benali
Francis Vincent Benali is an English professional footballer and coach who spent most of his playing career at Southampton.-Schoolboy football:...
, who then began to form a useful full-back partnership with Jason Dodd
Jason Dodd
Jason Robert Dodd is an English former footballer and manager, who spent most of his playing career with Southampton, where he was briefly First-Team Coach...
. In April 1990, Adams was recalled alongside new signing Oleksiy Cherednyk
Oleksiy Cherednyk
Oleksiy Valentynovich Cherednyk is a retired Soviet and Ukrainian football player and a current scout.-Honours:* Olympic champion: 1988....
and they played out the remainder of the season together.
Adams began to establish himself as the first-choice left-back at the start of the 1990–91 season, partnered first by Cherednyk and then Dodd, and finally by Barry Horne
Barry Horne (footballer)
Barry Horne is a Welsh former professional footballer and former chairman of the Professional Footballers Association.-Playing career:...
on the right. Once he had overcome the niggling injuries of his first two seasons at The Dell, Adams' consistency began to ensure that the left-back position was more or less his own, with his energetic forays along the touchline helping to give the side an extra cutting edge. His first goals for the Saints came in the 1991–92 season against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
and 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...
. Against West Ham on 14 April 1992, he scored the only goal with a far-post volley in the 88th minute after Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...
had created space to whip over a cross: the goal was described as "a moment of true class in an otherwise ordinary game".
During the inaugural season of the Premier League, Adams missed only four games, making 38 appearances with four goals, with his right-wing partner now being Jeff Kenna
Jeff Kenna
Jeffrey Jude Kenna is an Irish football manager and former player who played the largest part of his career as a defender with Southampton and Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League. He has managed Galway United and St Patrick's Athletic...
, with manager Ian Branfoot
Ian Branfoot
Ian Grant Branfoot is an English former footballer and manager.He played as a defender, and after starting at Gateshead joined Sheffield Wednesday, making his Football League debut in 1965. After 42 senior appearances for the club he left in 1969-70 for Doncaster Rovers...
playing Dodd and Benali further forward. He wrote himself into the history books, for all the wrong reasons, when he was sent off for dissent on 19 August 1992 against Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
at Loftus Road
Loftus Road
Loftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
, during the second game of the season. His was the first ever red card in the Premiership. The 1993–94 Premiership season was Adams' last in the top flight; he started the season as the preferred choice at left-back before losing out to Simon Charlton
Simon Charlton
Simon Thomas Charlton is an English former footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing for Huddersfield Town, Southampton, Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers, Norwich City and Oldham Athletic. He played most frequently as a left back, but could...
. He featured in 19 out of 42 league games that season as Southampton finished 18th and narrowly avoided relegation. His final game for Southampton came in a 1–0 defeat at home to Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, immediately following which Branfoot was sacked as manager, to be replaced by Alan Ball. Adams never played under Ball and was loaned out to Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
in March 1994 until the end of the season. He scored three goals in ten games for the "Potters", but did not join the club on a permanent basis as the management staff refused to allow him to help out as a coach at the club's academy. In his five years with Southampton, Adams made a total of 174 first-team appearances, scoring seven goals.
In July 1994, he joined 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...
on a free transfer where he was reunited with Ian Branfoot in preparation for the "Cottagers" 1994–95 season. Fulham had just been relegated to Division Three (the bottom tier of the professional league) for the first time in their history. He signed with the club on the understanding that Branfoot would teach him the ropes of coaching. They finished seventh in the league that season, but due to a restructuring of the league which saw one less promotion place in the three lower divisions, Fulham missed out on a play-off place. When Branfoot became general manager in March 1996, Adams was appointed player-manager of a Fulham side on course for their lowest ever finish – 17th in Division Three.
Managerial career
Before going into management, the "straight-talking YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
man" had already demonstrated his ability to spot talented youngsters. Around 1994 he spotted Wayne Bridge
Wayne Bridge
Wayne Michael Bridge is an English footballer who plays as a left back for Manchester City.A graduate of the Southampton Academy where he made his debut in 1998, he has also played for Chelsea and Fulham during his Premiership career....
playing for Olivers Battery; he recommended Bridge to Southampton
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...
, who then signed him as a trainee in July 1996.
Fulham
Adams moved into management with FulhamFulham 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...
, taking over from Ian Branfoot
Ian Branfoot
Ian Grant Branfoot is an English former footballer and manager.He played as a defender, and after starting at Gateshead joined Sheffield Wednesday, making his Football League debut in 1965. After 42 senior appearances for the club he left in 1969-70 for Doncaster Rovers...
in March 1996 with the London club languishing in 91st place in the league pyramid. After he had helped the club avoid non-league football, Fulham were promoted to Division Two as runners-up in the following season's final table, and Adams was given the Third Division Manager of the Season award. He built his side on free transfers and small fees, installing belief and self-confidence in the players at his disposal rather than spending big money. The highest fee he spent on a player during his reign was £200,000 for former "Saints" teammate Paul Moody
Paul Moody (footballer)
Paul Moody is a retired English football forward.-References:*...
.
Following Mohamed Al-Fayed
Mohamed Al-Fayed
Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed is an Egyptian businessman and billionaire. Amongst his business interests are ownership of the English Premiership football team Fulham Football Club, Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods Department Store, Knightsbridge...
's takeover of Fulham, Adams was dismissed as manager in September 1997 in favour of the higher profile combination of 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....
(director of football) and Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins
Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit...
(head coach).
Swansea to Brentford to Nottingham
Shortly after his dismissal from Fulham, Adams made a quick return to management with Swansea CitySwansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
in Division Three, but left after thirteen days and three matches in charge. Adams claimed that the money he had been promised to strengthen the team had not been forthcoming.
Before 1997 was out, Adams took his third job of the 1997–98 season when he was named manager of Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
. The club had suffered a slump in league form after losing the previous season's Division Two play-off final
1997 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The 1997 Football League Second Division play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1997, at the end of the 1996–97 season. It was the 11th play-off final in all at the third level of English football...
, and were struggling near the foot of the table. He signed striker Andy Scott
Andy Scott (English footballer)
Andrew "Andy" Scott is an English former professional footballer whose clubs included Sheffield United, Brentford, Oxford United and Leyton Orient. He is currently manager of League Two team Rotherham United, after being sacked from Brentford in February 2011. During his playing career, Scott was...
from Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
for a fee of £75,000. Despite Adams' efforts, Brentford were relegated
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...
to Division Three on the last day of the season, and the club was bought out by Ron Noades
Ron Noades
Ron Noades is an English businessman who has a strong connection with investments in football clubs. In his time, he has been chairman of Southall, Wimbledon, Crystal Palace and Brentford between 1981 and 1998.-Crystal Palace:...
, who installed himself as the new Brentford manager.
After taking a break from the game, Adams joined Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
as assistant manager under Dave Bassett
Dave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
. Bassett was dismissed in January 1999 and so Adams took charge as caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
for a single Premiership match, before Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
was appointed as Bassett's replacement.
Brighton
Adams returned to management in April 1999 with Division Three team Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton & 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....
. The club were in the middle of a financial crisis, which had seen the board sell the Goldstone Ground
Goldstone Ground
The Goldstone Ground was a football stadium and home ground of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. between 1902 and 1997. The club currently plays at American Express Community Stadium, a stadium on the outskirts of the city, following the move from their temporary stadium in the Brighton suburb of...
just to stay afloat; on the pitch the club were facing a battle for their league status. His first full season as manager was a matter of consolidation as the club finished a respectable 11th, whilst Adams signed talent such as star striker Bobby Zamora
Bobby Zamora
Robert Lester "Bobby" Zamora is an English footballer who plays for Fulham and the England national football team. Zamora began his career at Football League club Bristol Rovers, but was soon signed by Brighton & Hove Albion, where he found first team success...
. The £100,000 spent on Zamora was the only transfer outlay Adams made in building his squad.
In his second season as manager, 2000–01, Adams guided Brighton to promotion as Division Three champions after the club had spent five seasons in the league's basement division. A late chase for the title proved to be unnecessary, as high flying Chesterfield were deducted nine points for financial irregularities, leaving Brighton ten points clear at the season's end. He was named as Third Division Manager of the season for a second time, also picking up the Third Division Manager of the Month award in September 2000.
Adams was clear about his ambitions at managing at a higher level, stating his disappointment at not being offered the management positions at either Southampton
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...
or 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...
in the summer of 2001. He did leave "Seagulls" in October 2001, though by then he had already set the foundations for Brighton to achieve a second successive promotion as Division Two champions in 2001–02. Over the summer he had brought in players such as Simon Morgan
Simon Morgan
Simon Morgan was a footballer most famously playing for Fulham and Leicester. He also represented England at Under 21 level....
, Geoff Pitcher
Geoff Pitcher
Geoffrey Pitcher is an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder in The Football League for Millwall , Watford, Colchester United and Brighton alongside a host of non-league clubs.-External links:**...
, Robbie Pethick
Robbie Pethick
Robert 'Robbie' Pethick is a retired English football defender.Pethick played for Weymouth, Portsmouth and Bristol Rovers before his 2001 move to Brighton. He returned to Weymouth to play under Steve Claridge, whilst the BBC show Football Diaries was shown...
and Dirk Lehmann
Dirk Lehmann
Dirk Lehmann is a retired German association football player.-Career:He made his senior debut with 1. FC Koln, and after a brief spell with Lierse S.K., joined another Belgian side in R.W.D...
, to give Brighton depth.
Leicester
In October 2001 Adams left Brighton to become assistant manager to Dave BassettDave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
at Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
. Peter Taylor, the former Leicester manager, was drafted in to complete Brighton's promotion campaign. Adams chose the move in an attempt to get closer to his dream of managing a Premiership club. He understood that Bassett was to move 'upstairs' at the end of the season, leaving Adams free to take the management job for 2002–03.
Adams spent six months working under Bassett, during which time Leicester were almost permanently stuck to the bottom of the Premier League table. In March 2002 he demanded the management position for the next season, though he later apologised for his comments and insisted he was happy working under Bassett, and had no regrets about leaving Brighton. The next month, just before relegation was confirmed, Adams was promoted to the manager's seat while Bassett became Director of Football. Adams said: "I'm not expecting to produce a miracle, I'm still working with the same group of players".
In July 2002 he appointed Alan Cork
Alan Cork
Alan Cork is an English former professional football player. He played as a striker for several clubs, most notably Wimbledon and has held a number of managerial and coaching posts since his retirement from playing. Cork is a member of the Wimbledon Old Players Association...
as his number two. Losing just one of their opening eleven games, his side made an excellent start to the campaign, seeing Adams rewarded with the Manager of the Month award
Football League First Division Manager of the Month
The Football League First Division Manager of the Month award was a monthly prize of recognition given to association football managers in the Football League First Division, the second tier of English football from 1992 to 2004. The award was announced in the first week of the following month...
for September 2002. Despite Leicester going into receivership with debts of £30 million and being banned from the transfer market until a takeover was completed, Adams was able to guide them to promotion back to the Premiership at the first attempt—they ended the 2002–03 season as Division One runners-up behind champions Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. At the end of the campaign he signed a new three year contract.
He was in charge for the first game at the Walkers Stadium. Despite a good start to their campaign, the club fell into the relegation zone in the new year. Adams was clearly resentful of lucrative long term contracts dealt out to his less talented players by previous managers, which restricted his ability to bring in fresh faces to boost their campaign. Leicester slipped back down again in 2003–04 to 18th place, bracketed together with the two other relegated sides — 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...
and Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
— whose goal difference was inferior to Leicester's. The "Foxes" were becoming a "yo-yo club" and Adams blamed this on a lack of investment. During March 2004 nine Leicester players were arrested for various offences related to a drunken outing that ended with an alleged sexual assault on three German tourists, with three players being charged: Paul Dickov
Paul Dickov
Paul Dickov is a retired Scottish footballer, turned manager who is currently in charge of League One side Oldham Athletic...
, Frank Sinclair
Frank Sinclair
Frank Mohammed Sinclair is an English-born Jamaican footballer who plays for Hendon in the Isthmian League Premier Division.-Chelsea:...
and Keith Gillespie
Keith Gillespie
Keith Robert Gillespie is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays in midfield for Longford Town....
. The three faced up to fourteen years in prison if found guilty of rape, and the trio's bail totalled £196,500. The club had already been rocked by various incidents on overseas tours over years, with Stan Collymore
Stan Collymore
Stanley Victor "Stan" Collymore is an English football pundit and former footballer, who played from 1990 until 2001. He held the British transfer record when he moved from Nottingham Forest to Liverpool for £8.5 million in 1995 and was capped three times at senior level by the England...
arrested for setting off a fire extinguisher in 2000, and Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
breaking Callum Davidson
Callum Davidson
Callum Ian Davidson is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a left back for St. Johnstone of the Scottish Premier League. He signed for the Perthshire SPL club on 26 May 2011.-Club career:...
's jaw in a row over a card game in 2003. Adams had previously initiated a crackdown in club discipline, going so far as to enforce random breathalyser tests. Adams said that "in a lot of people's eyes, the players are guilty before they have had a fair trial - which is not the case". The incident also cast doubt over Adams' future at the club, as reports surfaced that he planned to quit the club. He did in fact offer his resignation, which was rejected by the club. However he kept faith in his players' innocence, and claimed "if they are guilty of anything it is of being unprofessional - of being drunk to excess". His faith was later vindicated when it transpired that all allegations against the players were false.
The club lost their talismanic Turk
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
Muzzy Izzet in the summer of 2004. Adams had previously stated his concern that they would be unable to regain their top tier status before he resigned as Leicester manager in October 2004, after a poor start to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
campaign dashed the club's hopes of an instant return to the Premiership.
Coventry City
In January 2005, Adams made a return to management in the Championship with struggling Coventry CityCoventry 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...
, a club he had been at during his playing career. Adams managed to save the club from relegation by the end of the season, winning the Football League Championship Manager of the Month
Football League Championship Manager of the Month
The Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the manager adjudged best for each month of the season in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
award for April in the process.
He was expected by some to mount a challenge for promotion to the Premiership in 2005–06, which was the club's first season in the new Ricoh Arena
Ricoh Arena
The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino...
. The team started out poorly, but improved in the second half of the season to rise up the table, with Adams making an inspired signing in Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
. However, despite excellent home form, he could only guide Coventry as high as 8th, missing out on a play-off place by only two league places, though several points adrift of that year's standard.
Midway through the following season however, following a run of five games without defeat, Coventry suddenly and unexpectedly hit a bad run of form. A 5–0 defeat 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...
began a sequence of eight games without a win, including six defeats. This culminated in a 2–0 home defeat to Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
in the 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...
, a game which also saw a record low attendance at the Ricoh Arena. On 17 January 2007, the day after the cup exit, the club parted company with Adams, with Coventry lying 16th in the Championship. Adams stated that he intended to return to management as soon as possible. He admitted that the sale of Gary McSheffrey
Gary McSheffrey
Gary McSheffrey is an English footballer who plays as a left winger. He is currently in his second spell with hometown team Coventry City in the Football League Championship....
to Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
had been a turning point in the club's season, but also said that "I genuinely believe that I could have turned it around" and "I tried my best and that's all I can do."
Colchester and return to Brighton
In July 2007, Adams was appointed by Colchester UnitedColchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
as assistant manager to Geraint Williams
Geraint Williams
David Geraint Williams is a former professional footballer who also played for Wales. He has also managed Colchester United and Leyton Orient.- Career :...
, replacing Mick Harford
Mick Harford
Michael Gordon "Mick" Harford , is an English former football player turned manager. He is former manager of Rotherham and Luton Town and has also been caretaker manager of Nottingham Forest and QPR...
who had left the previous month. He subsequently left this role in January 2008, stating that he wanted to return to management.
In May 2008, Adams returned to the helm at Brighton & Hove Albion, supplanting Dean Wilkins
Dean Wilkins
Dean Mark Wilkins is an English former footballer and the ex manager of English football team Brighton & Hove Albion. Wilkins was temporarily in charge of Southampton, after the sacking of Alan Pardew, but was succeeded by Nigel Adkins after only 3 games.-Club career:Born in Hillingdon, Wilkins...
. On 21 February 2009, Adams left the club by "mutual consent", (although he had stated he wished to stay) due to poor team performances. He later acknowledged that it had been a mistake to return to Brighton, and that he should have instead sought a fresh opportunity elsewhere.
Port Vale
In May 2009, Adams was a late applicant for the vacant manager's job at Port ValePort Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
after Dean Glover
Dean Glover
Dean Victor Glover is an English former footballer and football manager. A cultured and stylish defender, he had the ball control skills of a midfielder. He played 457 league games in a seventeen year career in the Football League.He started his career at Aston Villa in 1980, before he moved on to...
's departure from the club. On 4 June, it was announced that Adams was to be appointed the new manager at Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
. His appointment was welcomed by the Vale players and supporters. Chairman Bill Bratt
Bill Bratt
William Amos "Bill" Bratt MBE is the former chairman of Port Vale Football Club, who served the club in this post from 2003 to 2011....
stated that Adams' first goal would be to stabilize the club, a point reiterated by observers such as Robbie Earle
Robbie Earle
Robert Fitzgerald "Robbie" Earle MBE is an English-born Jamaican former international footballer who played as a midfielder. He played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals....
, as well as Adams himself. This followed the "Valiants" fall from the second tier
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....
to near 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...
within ten years.
He made his first signing on 15 June, bringing to the club on a free transfer a midfielder who had played for Adams at Brighton, 21 year old Tommy Fraser
Tommy Fraser
Thomas Francis Peter "Tommy" Fraser is a professional footballer, who is without a club having departed Barnet in November 2011. A central midfielder, he can also play on the right wing....
. After confirming the signing of Adam Yates
Adam Yates
Adam Paul Yates is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Port Vale as a full back. He is a former semi-pro international with England....
, who was linked to the club before Adams' arrival, Adams signed Doug Loft
Doug Loft
Douglas James "Doug" Loft is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Port Vale as a midfielder....
, who had also played under him at Brighton. After a pre-season friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
, Adams considered switching to a 3–5–2 formation
Formation (association football)
In association football, the formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football....
for the 2009–10 season
2009–10 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Port Vale's ninety-eighth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in League Two. Micky Adams received plaudits for his first full season in charge. He took a squad of players that had previously been near the bottom of the division and made...
. Over his two spells in charge with the club he would switch between the 3–5–2 and 4–4–2 formations. On 21 July, it was announced that Adams had appointed veteran striker Geoff Horsfield
Geoff Horsfield
Geoffrey Malcolm "Geoff" Horsfield is an English former professional footballer, now football coach. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League playing as a striker. He is now a coach at Port Vale....
as player-assistant manager.
His first competitive game in charge was a 1–1 draw with Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
on 8 August. Three days later the club beat Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
2–1 at Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
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...
First Round
2009–10 Football League Cup
The 2009–10 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 50th season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
. The solid opening day performance and especially the giant-slaying in the cup gave Vale fans great optimism for the season ahead. He was still strengthening his squad early in the season, signing midfielders Kris Taylor
Kris Taylor
Kris Taylor is an English footballer who plays for Conference National side Darlington.Never making the first team at Manchester United, he spent over three seasons at Walsall, after signing in February 2003. He spent two seasons at Hereford United from 2007 to 2009, before moving on to Port Vale...
and Claus Bech Jørgensen
Claus Bech Jørgensen
Claus Bech Jørgensen is a Danish-born Faroese international footballer currently without a team following his release from Tamworth on 11 August 2010....
on short-term deals. In order to raise cash he placed six youngsters on the transfer list. The Vale defeated Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
2–0 in the League Cup Second Round, with goals from Adams' signing Kris Taylor and Rob Taylor
Rob Taylor (footballer)
Robert James "Rob" Taylor is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Port Vale. He plays on the left flank and is known for his pace and dribbling ability....
– a player not appreciated under Glover. It was only after the Wednesday game that Adams signed his managerial contract – two months after taking charge. The delay was blamed on "legal complications". After a period of three defeats in seven days, including being knocked out of the League Cup at the Third Round, Adams decided to place his whole squad on the transfer list, saying of his team's performance: "We looked like a woman who had a big fur coat on but underneath she’s got no knickers on." It was a controversial move, one that divided opinion among analysts and fans, also bringing the fourth tier club to national attention. The move appeared to many to be a motivational tactic. He later admitted he merely played "a psychological game with them... [and] I don't think they fell for it – I don't think anybody fell for it". Three wins, including a cup
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...
win over League One Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
and a league win at local rivals Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, and three draws within four weeks saw Adams nominated for the League Two Manager of the Month
Football League Two Manager of the Month
The Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the manager adjudged best for each month of the season in the Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor and announced alongside The...
award for October 2009. He signed a contract extension in November 2009, keeping him at the club until summer 2012. His salary was believed to be around £65,000 a year.
In the January 2010 transfer window he signed winger Lewis Haldane
Lewis Haldane
Lewis Oliver Haldane is a Welsh under-21 international football winger who plays for League Two side Port Vale....
permanently, and took winger Sean Rigg
Sean Rigg
Sean Michael Rigg is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Port Vale. He can play on the wing or as a striker.Having graduated through the Bristol Academy of Sport, his professional career began at Bristol Rovers in 2006...
and striker Craig Davies on loan. Adams' men stormed into the play-off places for the first time in the season with just two games left to play, following a 2–1 win over champions-elect Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
. Yet with just one point from their final two games, the Vale finished the season in 10th place.
Before the start of the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2010–11 season was Port Vale's ninety-ninth season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in League Two. Vale enjoyed a solid start to the campaign, looking like good prospects for promotion. However Micky Adams left the club in December to take charge of Sheffield...
there was speculation that Adams would be approached by his former employers at Championship side Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, having impressed in his position at Port Vale. Adams continued to make his mark at Vale though, releasing nine players, and signing Sean Rigg, Stuart Tomlinson
Stuart Tomlinson
Stuart Charles Tomlinson is an English football goalkeeper who plays for League Two side Port Vale. Though a solid all-round keeper, he is a particularly strong shot-stopper....
, Justin Richards
Justin Richards (footballer)
Justin Donovan Richards is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Burton Albion. A striker, he has a tally of around one goal every three games, playing in the Conference and lower reaches of the Football League...
, Ritchie Sutton
Ritchie Sutton
Ritchie Aidan Sutton is an English footballer who plays for Mansfield Town as a defender. He can operative as a centre-back or a full-back....
and Gary Roberts
Gary Roberts (footballer born 1987)
Gary Steven Roberts is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Port Vale. A deep-lying playmaker, he has been praised for his vision and ball distribution skills...
. The season began similarly to the previous campaign, with a 3–1 win at Championship side Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
in the League Cup First Round
2010–11 Football League Cup
The 2010–11 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
, new signing Richards scoring twice. After his side won their opening four away league fixtures for the first time in their history, talks began to extend Adams' contract beyond 2012 as early as September 2010. Five wins in five for September saw Adam's gifted the League Two Manager of the Month
Football League Two Manager of the Month
The Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the manager adjudged best for each month of the season in the Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor and announced alongside The...
award, his team also boasting five clean sheets. He was also handed the award for November, after his club advanced into the Third Round
2010–11 FA Cup
The 2010–11 FA Cup was the 130th season of the world's oldest association football knock-out competition; The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short...
of the 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...
and rose to the top of the 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....
table on the back of five clean sheets in seven games. Departing for his boyhood club at the end of December 2010, he left the club in second position in League Two.
Sheffield United
In December 2010, following Gary SpeedGary Speed
Gary Andrew Speed, MBE was a Welsh football player and manager. He was captain of the Wales national football team until he retired from international football in 2004 and he remains the most capped outfield player for Wales and the second overall, having appeared 85 times at senior level between...
's departure from the job as manager of Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
for the position as the head coach of Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
, Adams was one of a handful of names linked to the vacant position at United. On Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
, Vale chairman Bill Bratt
Bill Bratt
William Amos "Bill" Bratt MBE is the former chairman of Port Vale Football Club, who served the club in this post from 2003 to 2011....
announced he had "reluctantly" given Adams permission to talk to Sheffield United. Six days later it was announced that he would be taking the position, and he announced his three aims as manager would be to firstly avoid relegation, to then challenge for promotion, and finally "to develop a structure that will build us a reputation for home grown talent that fans can be proud of in their team". Former United player Alan Cork
Alan Cork
Alan Cork is an English former professional football player. He played as a striker for several clubs, most notably Wimbledon and has held a number of managerial and coaching posts since his retirement from playing. Cork is a member of the Wimbledon Old Players Association...
was installed as his assistant, Cork had worked as Adams' assistant at Fulham, Swansea, Leicester and Coventry. The fourth manager at the club that season
2010–11 Sheffield United F.C. season
The 2010-11 season was Sheffield United's third consecutive season in the Football League Championship after coming 8th in the 2009–10 season. It was Kevin Blackwell's third season in charge of United; however, he left Bramall Lane in mid-August after losing at home to QPR...
, he brought in Dave Bassett
Dave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
in a consultancy role after finding managing the club a bigger task than he had previously assumed. As Adams explained: "When you're manager at Port Vale you probably get three calls a day and one of those is from the wife asking me what time I'm coming home for my tea." His honeymoon period dissipated quickly, as United failed to win in his first eleven games in charge (four draws and seven defeats) and slipped into 23rd spot after letting slip a two goal lead to lose 3–2 to fellow relegation strugglers Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
. Adams told the press that "The fans were singing 'you're not fit to wear the shirt', I cannot disagree with them. That is as disappointing a result as I have ever had in my career." It took three months before he achieved his first win. The victory came on 8 March 2011 (his fourteenth game in charge), as his side came from behind to beat Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
2–1. Sheffield United were relegated to League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
at the end of the season, finishing six points short of safety. Adams and United parted company after a meeting with owner Kevin McCabe. McCabe stated that he wished to initiate a "clean sweep at the top and start afresh"; whilst Adams said that whilst he was "very, very disappointed with the decision... I am a Blade and will always be a Blade."
Return to Port Vale
After losing his job at Bramall LaneBramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
, he was immediately offered a three year contract at former club Port Vale. He signed the contract within days, saying it was time to "finish the job I started". Upon hearing the news, star defender Gareth Owen reversed his decision to leave the club, and promptly signed a two year deal as player-coach. Following an Extraordinary General Meeting
Extraordinary General Meeting
An extraordinary general meeting, commonly abbreviated as EGM, is a meeting of members of an organisation, shareholders of a company, or employees of an official body, which occurs at an irregular time. The term is usually used where the group would ordinarily hold an annual general meeting , but...
at the club in which two of the club's five directors were voted off, Adams' transfer plans were disrupted as the club's constitution stipulated that at least four directors must be in place for financial transactions such as issuing new contracts to take place. In a shock move Adams announced that he intended to take up a directorship at the club, and after being sponsored onto the board through the support of former director Stan Meigh, he was quoted as saying that "this is a purely footballing decision... I understand that the last few months have been difficult for everyone and am asking all of our supporters to put their differences aside, to support my candidacy for the Board and then to get behind the team in the coming season." Supporters' groups opposed to Bill Bratt
Bill Bratt
William Amos "Bill" Bratt MBE is the former chairman of Port Vale Football Club, who served the club in this post from 2003 to 2011....
's chairmanship did not welcome the news. However shareholders voted him onto the board. His first signings of the season were former Glenn Hoddle Academy
Glenn Hoddle Academy
The Glenn Hoddle Academy was established in 2008, by former England international footballer Glenn Hoddle. Hoddle set the academy up in the memory of his brother, Carl, a former Tottenham Hotspur player who died aged 40....
youngsters Ryan Burge
Ryan Burge
Ryan James Burge is an English football midfielder who plays for League Two side Port Vale. He had an unusual start to his career, playing on trial for clubs as far apart as Holland, Japan, and England. He was under contract at Birmingham City, Barnet and Japanese side Machida Zelvia.He joined the...
and Ben Williamson. He followed this by tying Gary Roberts
Gary Roberts (footballer born 1987)
Gary Steven Roberts is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Port Vale. A deep-lying playmaker, he has been praised for his vision and ball distribution skills...
to the club for another season, and signing 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...
centre-half Clayton McDonald
Clayton McDonald
Clayton Rodney McDonald is an English football defender who plays for League Two side Port Vale. He is the son of former professional Rod McDonald, and brother to another footballer also called Rod McDonald....
, left-back Mike Green
Mike Green (footballer born 1989)
Michael John "Mike" Green is an English footballer. Green has spent the majority of his career with Bristol Rovers including loan spells at various non league sides including Gloucester City and Cirencester Town....
, and Sheffield United teenagers Kingsley James
Kingsley James
Kingsley Tyrone James is an English footballer who plays for Northern Premier League Premier Division club Chasetown, on loan from League Two side Port Vale. A former Sheffield United youth team captain, he switched to Port Vale in summer 2011...
and Phil Roe. Days before the start of the season
2011–12 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2011–12 season is Port Vale's one-hundredth season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in League Two. It marked the start of Micky Adams' second spell in charge of the club, and despite fan unrest with the board, Vale fans and players were hopeful of promotion come...
he let Justin Richards
Justin Richards (footballer)
Justin Donovan Richards is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Burton Albion. A striker, he has a tally of around one goal every three games, playing in the Conference and lower reaches of the Football League...
leave on a free transfer to Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
, and replaced him with Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
striker Tom Pope
Tom Pope
Thomas John "Tom" Pope is a professional English footballer who plays as a centre forward for League Two side Port Vale....
, also a free transfer signing. After his team started the campaign with a glut of goals – both scoring and conceding – Adams decided to give his players "a kick up the backside" by signing experienced defenders Liam Chilvers
Liam Chilvers
Liam Christopher Chilvers is an English footballer who plays as a centre back for League Two side Port Vale, on loan from League One club Notts County.A graduate of the Arsenal Academy, he won the FA Youth Cup with the club in 2000...
(on loan) and Robert Kozluk
Robert Kozluk
Robert Kozluk is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Port Vale. Predominantly a right-back, he can also operate on the left or at the centre of defence when needed....
. He stepped down as a director on 5 November, the day of his 100th game in charge at Port Vale, after former director Stan Meigh withdraw the £50,000 sponsorship he had provided to keep Adams on the board of directors.
His team exited the three cup competitions at the First Round in 2011–12, and after losing to non-league Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
in the 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...
in a run of five games without a win – which included 388 minutes without scoring a goal – he signed Guy Madjo
Guy Madjo
Guy Bertrand Madjo is a Cameroonian footballer currently playing for League Two side Port Vale on loan from League One side Stevenage....
, Jennison Myrie-Williams
Jennison Myrie-Williams
Jennison Machisti Myrie-Williams is an English footballer who plays as a winger for League Two club Port Vale, on loan from League One side Stevenage....
and Shane O'Connor
Shane O'Connor (footballer)
Shane O'Connor is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender for League Two club Port Vale, on loan from Championship club Ipswich Town.A graduate of the Liverpool F.C. Academy, he signed professionally with Ipswich Town in July 2009...
on loan.
Personal life
His mother was a cookCook (servant)
A cook is a household staff member responsible for food preparation. The term can refer to the head of kitchen staff in a great house or to the cook-housekeeper, a far less prestigious position involving more physical labour....
and his father was a steelworker
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
; he grew up with two sisters and one brother; his brother suffers from cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
.
He has three daughters from his first marriage; the marriage broke down during his time 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...
, due in part to the amount of time he was putting into his football career. He later married Claire, with whom he had son Mitchell, born 2002, and daughter Madison, born 2004.
Adams made an appearance on BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Leicester is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The station broadcasts from studios in Leicester on 104.9 FM, on DAB, and via the BBC iPlayer.-History:...
's version of Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
in August 2004, and chose songs from Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
(Love Letters
Love Letters (song)
"Love Letters" is a 1945 popular song with music by Victor Young and lyrics by Edward Heyman. The song appeared, without lyrics, in the movie of the same name, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song for 1945....
), Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
(Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 album The Stranger.Although never released as a single, it has become one of Joel's most celebrated compositions among fans, appearing on most of his compilation albums. The song is effectively a medley of three individual songs...
), The Style Council
The Style Council
The Style Council were an English band, formed in 1983 by the ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller, with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also...
(Shout to the Top!
Shout to the Top!
"Shout to the Top!" is the title of a single by The Style Council, which featured on the soundtrack to the 1985 film Vision Quest and 1985 album Our Favourite Shop...
), and INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
(Mystify
Mystify (song)
"Mystify" is a song by Australian rock band INXS, and is the fifth single from their 1987 album Kick.The song was written by Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence as part of the first sessions for "Kick"...
).
Managerial statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| 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... |
1 August 1996 | 25 September 1997 |
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| Swansea City Swansea City A.F.C. Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position... |
9 October 1997 | 22 October 1997 |
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| Brentford Brentford F.C. Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One.... |
5 November 1997 | 1 July 1998 |
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| Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
5 January 1999 | 11 January 1999 |
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| 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.... |
12 April 1999 | 10 October 2001 |
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| Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
7 April 2002 | 11 October 2004 |
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| 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... |
23 January 2005 | 17 January 2007 |
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| 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.... |
8 May 2008 | 21 February 2009 |
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| Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
5 June 2009 | 30 December 2010 |
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| Sheffield United Sheffield United F.C. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production... |
30 December 2010 | 10 May 2011 |
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| Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
13 May 2011 | Present |
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| Total |
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Honours
As a player- PFAProfessional Footballers' AssociationThe Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe 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...
Team of the YearPFA Team of the YearThe Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the top four tiers of English football; the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two, whom are seen to be deserving of being named in a "Team of the Year".The award...
: 1982–83
Awards
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...
- Football League Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe 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...
Manager of the Season: 1996–97
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....
- Football League Third Division Manager of the Month: September 2000
- Football League Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe 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...
Manager of the Season: 2000–01 - Football League Second Division Manager of the MonthFootball League Second Division Manager of the MonthThe Football League Second Division Manager of the Month award was a monthly prize of recognition given to association football managers in the Football League Second Division, the third tier of English football from 1992 to 2004. The award was announced in the first week of the following month...
: September 2001
Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
- Football League First Division Manager of the MonthFootball League First Division Manager of the MonthThe Football League First Division Manager of the Month award was a monthly prize of recognition given to association football managers in the Football League First Division, the second tier of English football from 1992 to 2004. The award was announced in the first week of the following month...
: September 2002
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...
- Football League Championship Manager of the MonthFootball League Championship Manager of the MonthThe Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the manager adjudged best for each month of the season in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
: April 2005
Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
- Football League Two Manager of the MonthFootball League Two Manager of the MonthThe Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the manager adjudged best for each month of the season in the Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor and announced alongside The...
: September 2010 & November 2010
Promotions
- 1996–97: Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe 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...
Runner Up (promotion to the Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
) – FulhamFulham 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... - 2000–01: Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe 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...
Champion (promotion to the Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
) – Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton & 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.... - 2002–03: First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe 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....
Runner Up (promotion to the Premier League) – Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
Trophies
Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
- Staffordshire Senior CupStaffordshire Senior CupThe Staffordshire Senior Challenge Cup is a football cup tournament based in the county of Staffordshire in England first competed for in 1877-78. Organised by the Staffordshire Football Association, it is competed for by a mix of clubs from Staffordshire and the surrounding areas. Both...
runners-up: 2010
External links
- Profile at the League Managers AssociationLeague Managers AssociationThe League Managers Association is the organisation which collectively represents all Premiership and Football League managers in English football...
website