Paul Bracewell
William Paul Bracewell ( born July 19, 1962 in Heswall ) is an English former football player and coach. The mostly used as a defensive midfielder triple England midfielder won the 1985 with Everton, the English Championship and the European Cup Winners' Cup. To this end, he stood four times in an FA Cup final, but won in any of them. Immediately after the end of his active career he was briefly manager of professional teams, but had it both at FC Halifax Town Fulham as well as a little luck.
Playing career
Club career
Stoke City (1980-1983)
Bracewell came from the youth development program of Stoke City and in February 1980 he was promoted to the Senior Department. He was one of a number of promising talents of the " Potter " at this time, to those with Adrian Heath and Lee Chapman included two more later English champions. In March 1980, Bracewell was as a substitute against Wolverhampton Wanderers ( 0-3 ) made his debut for the trained by Alan Durban first division and in the 0-1 defeat at Anfield against Liverpool in the following month, he stood for the first time in the starting lineup. Shortly after his 18th birthday matured the former captain of the youth team of Stoke in the 1980/81 season approach for regular players. This was mainly because that after the car accident by Sammy Irvine a gap in the central midfield had emerged, which was both assessed, the tackle and pass strong novice to close the position. By the summer of 1983, he established himself on his position in the top English league, it also brought to the English U-21 national team and followed for a transfer fee of £ 250,000 to his former coach Durban for the AFC Sunderland.
About Sunderland to Everton (1983-1989)
The 1983/84 season was the first of three " Sunderland periods " in Bracewells active career, because after a one-year only guest at the first meeting he was to return at later time points of his career once again to the "Black Cats". End of May 1984, it went for him first for 425,000 pounds to ambitious Premier League rivals Everton and there he gave in the season 1984/85 right off the bat the best performances in his career from. Together with Peter Reid, Kevin Sheedy and Trevor Steven, he formed the middle of a very successful team that won the British Championship and the European Cup Winners' Cup in the spring of 1985. Only in the FA Cup when he drew 0-1 against Manchester United the worst of what marked the beginning of his career for four lost English Cup finals. The following year, Bracewell finally succumbed to the " Toffees " local rivals Liverpool as it were in the FA Cup Final and in the fight for the league title, which had but less located at the more stable performances by Bracewell.
For a severe setback ensured subsequent injuries not only his career in the England team put an abrupt end. Also for Everton he came to the end of the season 1987/88 not a single time in a league game for use, which is why it was also a champion medal after winning the English Championship 1987 withheld. In the 1988/89 season he finally succeeded awaited comeback and the turn of the year and the end of the season he cemented his status as a defensive midfielder back a little. To this end, he stood in the re- Cup defeat against Liverpool ( 2-3 aet ) back in the starting, but was not substituted after less than an hour for the subsequent double goal scorers Stuart McCall. In August 1989, he then returned for 250,000 to Sunderland AFC, which was now relegated to the second division.
Sunderland, Part 2 & Newcastle United ( 1989-1995 )
In Sunderland, he helped the team in the spring of 1990 to reach the playoff games, and although he was defeated there in the final against Swindon Town 0-1, the team rose after the announcement of financial discrepancies in Swindon " green table " on. However, the stay in the English top flight lasted only a year and last but one it was on a direct path back to the second division. In his third and first last year in Sunderland, he reached the fourth time in his career an FA Cup final and Liverpool was again the opponent, who eventually prevailed 2-0. Something was bitter for the followers to the subsequent summer of 1992 Bracewells transfer calculated to local rivals Newcastle United.
A decisive factor for the change was that Bracewell did not get the required two-year contract and since him Newcastle's new manager Kevin Keegan even offered a contract with a three-year term, the target person did not hesitate. Fears again that the trailer in Newcastle might have problems with the ex- players of the rival, proved already after ten minutes in the first game against Southend United ( 3:2 ) as null and void, as Bracewell immediately scored a goal. With its aggressive and persistent midfielders and defenders work he brought stability to the game of " Magpies " and had. Mainly as a hedge for an offensive -oriented players like Gavin Peacock, Rob Lee, Scott Sellars and Peter Beardsley a high priority within the team At his nickname "Iceman", he came during his time in Newcastle in that it the pain was cooled with ice due to his constant ankle problems after each game. At the end of his first year in Newcastle the rise as second division champions in 1993 was in the Premier League and in the second season, he was usually in the middle " first choice ". He shot on 27 April 1994 against Aston Villa ( 5-1 ) his first and only Premier League goal and in the end succeeded on the surprising third place qualifying for the UEFA Cup. However, an application there was denied him, and a severe pelvic injury caused ultimately that Bracewells third year in Newcastle remained his last. In summer 1995, he signed on for a third time in Sunderland and served it to his former team-mate Peter Reid in addition to serving on the court additionally as Kotrainer.
Sunderland, Part 3 & Fulham (1995-1999)
With his experience of now 33 years, he was in spite of further injuries extended arm of Reid and key players in a team than last year's " Fast Movers " now has the second division championship in the top English league climb - only eight league games had Bracewell missed it. However as six years earlier, he was with Sunderland also in this case the league in the first year not accomplish, although the descent in 1997 with 40 points, narrowly failed. Here, however, it became clear that he could not keep up so well because of his advanced age footballer at the highest level and after three matches in the 1997/98 season he was with Fulham FC in the third division a new club.
In Fulham his former coach Keegan had taken together with Ray Wilkins in the beginning of the era of Mohamed Al -Fayed, the sports management and Bracewell worked - as in Sunderland - in a similar function in the coaching staff. Disappointing however was the first season in 1997/98 because of the large energy targeted first ascent failed in the second division because of the playoff defeat against Grimsby Town. In his last active season 1998/99 he won with the " Cottagers " but superior with 101 points, the third league championship and as new England manager Kevin Keegan was Bracewell followed him in May 1999, after as head coach.
England national team
Even as a 13-time English U -21 players Bracewell had strongly recommended for higher tasks and stood at winning the European Championship 1984 in all six official matches up to the final against Spain in the starting from the quarter-finals. As he matured into one of the best central defensive midfielder mid -1980s at Everton on the side of Peter Reid, coach Bobby Robson called him for an international game trip to Mexico in June 1985., Where he came in the 3-0 win against Germany in the late phase of the game for Bryan Robson in a short use. This was followed against the USA (5-0 ) and in November 1985 in the World Cup qualifiers against Northern Ireland (0-0 ) two more games from the beginning, but the hopes for a possible participation in the upcoming 1986 World Cup in Mexico did not realize because he incurred in training such a serious injury that he has been out of action for almost two years. Then he could not go on his sat as a level even after the comeback and from then on he was not taken at the " Three Lions ".
Coach stations
Bracewells first station as the main responsible coach in professional football was under an unlucky star. This was first of all that he had little luck with its numerous signings for Fulham, with the exception of Lee Clark and when still a young coach, who had noticed as a former player rather by athletic merits and had also acquired respect in this regard was it the charisma of his predecessor foreign. In the first second division season Fulham after 13 years the expectations of the fans after the offensive performances shown in previously put up and as Bracewell more emphasis on tactical discipline and a more defensive basic order, this caused rapidly for discrepancies. As then failed to the good results and the team with the exception an own goal scored no hits in December 1999 in eight consecutive games, the farewell announced at the place before the end of the 1999/2000 season. A place in the upper midfield was given the high claims not sufficient, which end of March 2000 led to his dismissal - interim took Karl -Heinz Riedle, had the Bracewell yet been lured to the Thames, his successor before with Jean Tigana before the start of the season 2000/ 01, the desired "big name " for Fulham began his service.
Two Divisions deeper Bracewell was then in October 2000 with Halifax Town a new club. There Bracewell was able to provide the desired league, but his era should be - including transfers of players like Neil Redfearn - prove to be extremely expensive, what was done in retrospect to be partly responsible for the subsequent financial problems at the club. For this purpose, a sensational 0-2 home defeat came in the FA Cup against FC unterklassigen Gateshead and when the debtor in the summer of 2001 for a lot of money Harsley Paul and Andy Woodward and the injury-prone Dominic Ludden after opening win against Lincoln City FC ensured no further sense of achievement, Bracewell came two days after a 0-2 home defeat against Oxford United back end of August 2001 from his office. In the end he had won with Halifax Town and only eleven of 41 games.
His head coaching career in professional football was actually completed after these failures; later he worked for two years as a coach for the England youth team.
Title / Awards
- European Cup Winners' Cup ( 1): 1985
- English Championship ( 1): 1985
- Charity Shield (2): 1984, 1985
- U-21 European Championship ( 1): 1984