Ian Atkins

Ian Leslie Atkins ( born January 16, 1957 in Birmingham ) is an English former football player and coach. Flexible use, but mostly accruing as a central defender or in midfield, he was in the mid -1980s, active in Sunderland and for short periods of time at Everton and Ipswich Town in the English top flight. From 1990, he moved successively into coaching specialist, moreover managed mostly unterklassige pro teams and had his most sustainable, almost five years ongoing commitment to Northampton Town.

Sports career

Playing career

Atkins ' active career began in 1973 in the junior department of Shrewsbury Town and as the fourth division in season 1974/75 Third Division to the next climb, he was fitted in January 1975 with the first professional contract. As most central defense and midfield, he was then under coaches like Alan Durban and Richie Barker from the 1975/76 season integral part of a team that prepared the club in 1979, the first part in the second division in the club's history. In the subsequent three years, Atkins recommended a total of 118 league appearances in three second division seasons - and in the last season 1981/82 were with 17 goals as well as the quarter-finals of the FA Cup - for better things and changed before the start of season 1982/83 in the First Division for the AFC Sunderland.

In Sunderland Atkins met his former coach Durban and although this place is made ​​after one year for his successor Len Ashurst were also among this his performances in such constant satisfactorily that he in autumn 1984 - despite an earlier four-month break, which after surgical removal a cyst in his knee had become necessary - for many internationals studded reigning champions FC Everton. In the team of Howard Kendall he remained during his one-year stay, not even just a reserve player. In addition to six appearances in the championship season in 1984/85, which were insufficient for the official receipt of the same coin, he contributed two Eimwechslungen in cup matches little to reach the FA Cup Finals and won the European Cup Winners' Cup in - in the latter competition was he quarter-final second leg against Fortuna Sittard (2-0) for a short time on the pitch. After only a mandatory second game at the beginning of the subsequent 1985/86 season Atkins moved already in September 1985 further to the fighting to avoid relegation Erstligakonkurrenten Ipswich Town.

In Ipswich Atkins was as a central defender again starting players of a team that adopted in the spring of 1986 by relegation to the second division. This was followed by a missed resurgence following a play-off semi-final defeat against Charlton Athletic - previously Atkins had completed 40 league games - and another second division season 1987/88, in Atkins with the exception of a series of nine league operations from the year more into second place fell back. Before the end of the round then he hired in March 1988 in his home at Birmingham City on. In his home town he helped the "Blues " in the remaining matches still to relegation in the second division. But in the following two years he was able to with 85 league inserts not prevent the club first descent and then the playoff games for the targeted resurgence nearly did not reach. Successive Atkins moved then to the coach compartment, but he again Birmingham City and Sunderland AFC stood on the square itself even further for Colchester United, Cambridge United to Doncaster Rovers and until 1994.

Coaching career

Atkins ' career as a head coach began in the season 1990/91 at Colchester United. As a player, a coach, he reached with the team that was previously relegated from the fourth division in the Football Conference, the second place. However, for he missed the intended target of resurgence - this was not until the following year, under his successor Roy McDonough - and then assisted Terry Cooper at Birmingham City. After the climb with the " blues " in the second division in 1992 ( from December 1992) was followed by further engagements with the second division Cambridge United and later a short time at the fourth division Doncaster Rovers, where he dismounted in Cambridge as a table next to last in the third division and in Doncaster his active career ended.

His first countable successes then get him as manager of Northampton Town. After he had there taken up his head coach job in January 1995, he led the team in the 1996/97 season in fourth place and play-off victory against the Welsh club Cardiff City as well as in the final Swansea City in the third league and missed the following year direct walkover in the second division only slightly due to a playoff final defeat against Grimsby Town. The sporty trend was surprising, since Northampton Town at that time went through bankruptcy proceedings and thus the financial flexibility for Atkins was very close. And so, this trend was not sustainable, what turned the descent in the season 1998/99 to the test. After a disappointing start to the following season 1999/2000 and disagreements with the club's management on the future direction we finally parted " by mutual consent ".

In January 2000 it moved to the fourth division and Abstiegskandiaten Atkins Chester City and although it succeeded in Atkins, to reduce the distance to the non-relegation places, the three- fight fell with Shrewsbury Town and Carlisle United on the final day to the detriment of Chester from. In July 2000, he hired then to the former fellow competitors from Carlisle and fitted again under difficult economic conditions and with a minimal budget, he fulfilled despite a slow start thanks to a significant increase especially from January 2001, the league goal. However, he also left the club now ahead of schedule again, which was particularly on problems " outside the square " and uncertainty as to the ownership structure. In July 2001, Atkins assistant to Alan Cork to Cardiff City, but had been in October 2001 to vacate his chair again - to the surprise of actin itself and with the simple reasoning as to the club's management that cooperation for Cork " did not work".

Shortly after, Atkins took a job as sports director at fourth division Oxford United and in November 2001 he followed Mark Wright as head coach after. In a little over two years, Wright formed from a team that just came in 21st place in the 2001/ 02 season, a serious rise candidates, which, however, in the season 2002 /03 after a long stay in the direct promotion places at the end ran out of breath and the eighth final standings even far away from the play-off places landed. Nevertheless, Atkins took with the team in the season 2003/ 04 a new, promising trial and sat down at the table top before the anger of his employer announced the upcoming change to the Bristol Rovers in the summer in March 2004 and therefore shortly after the termination obtained.

A little more than a year Atkins spent at the Rovers and even though his team only twelve defeats imports in the 2004/05 season in 46 league games, ensured equal to 21 draw for a slightly disappointing place in the table in the middle of the fourth league. As then the following season 2005/ 06 slowly began and Atkins to got caught in the crossfire of a split club leadership, his commitment ended in September 2005. In April 2006, he returned as manager of Torquay United, after the previous month only as a sporting advisor his predecessor John Cornforth had been hired. Again was the league the goal and when he reached this despite the negative sign and thus on the final day left the relegation zone, his contract was extended at the beginning of the following season 2006/ 07. Once again, faster than expected left Atkins Torquay then the end of November 2006. Blame was the obligation of the former Czech international's Luboš Kubík, who was a close friend of the President Chris Roberts. Kubík should be the new head coach and Atkins instead the role of sporting director hold, but which the latter refused.

Atkins then left the " coach carousel " and reoriented himself with his subsequent work as a scout for Sunderland.