Phil Brown (footballer born 1959)

Philip " Phil " Brown (born 30 May 1959 in South Shields ) is an English former football player and current coach. His most successful period as a player, he spent between 1988 and 1994 at Bolton Wanderers. As a coach, he led Hull City in the 2007/ 08 season for the first time in the club's history in the first English league. Most recently, he coached until December 2011, the third division side Preston North End.

Playing career

Phil Brown began his career as a player in 1978 with the English fourth division team Hartlepool United and remained in this division, when he moved to Halifax Town in 1985. Even with his new club, he did not achieve promotion to the third division until 1988. The next stop of the 29 -year-old Phil Brown were the Bolton Wanderers, who had in the preseason managed the direct return to the Third Division. After relegation in the 1988/89 season, the Wanderers failed in the following two years each in the play-offs and thus missed promotion to the second division. This became possible after the restructuring of the English professional football, as Bolton in 1992/ 93, the runner-up won behind Stoke City and ascended into the First Division now called second division. After relegation in the First Division in 1993/94 Brown moved to the third and last time the club and signed for FC Blackpool. With his new team he played for two years in the third division, before the age of 37 in 1996 ended his playing career.

Coaching career

After he had worked in the last two years of his playing career also as a co- coach of FC Blackpool, he took over from 1996, the assistant position at Bolton Wanderers. After the dismissal of coach Colin Todd, he took over from 22 September to 19 October 1999 a post of head coach on an interim basis. After the signing of Sam Allardyce as their new coach, he took over again until 2005, the position of assistant coach.

Derby County (2005-2006)

His first stop was as head coach of the second division Derby County, where he became the successor of George Burley. After unsatisfactory performance during the Football League Championship 2005/ 06 Brown, however, was dismissed on 30 January 2006.

Hull City (2006-2010)

After he had previously been involved already in the coaching staff of the club, he followed Phil Parkinson on 4 December 2006 as interim head coach of the second division Hull City. After good results, he signed on 4 January 2007 a ​​contract as head coach until the end of the season. After the brief relegation in the Football League Championship 2006/ 07 Brown Hull City led in the 2007/ 08 season on the third place in the standings behind the direct climbers West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City. In the subsequent first play-off round of the club turned on the Sixth Watford FC with 2:2 and 4:2 and moved into the finals against the Fourth Bristol City. In the final at Wembley Hull won thanks to a goal from Dean Windass 1-0 against Bristol and moved the first time in the club's history in the first league. In March 2008, Phil Brown was elected Manager of the Month of the Championship. After a strong season so far in the Premier League 2008 /09 with wins over Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, the performance in the second half deteriorated significantly. Finally managed to Brown and his team as Seventeenth with one point ahead of relegated Newcastle United in the league. During the first round, Brown was elected in September 2008 Trainer of the Month Premier League. The season in the Premier League 2009/10 spent the club from the start in a relegation battle and eventually rose last but one in the second year again. Phil Brown was sacked by the Executive Board on March 15, 2010.

Preston North End (2011)

On January 6, 2011 Brown took over as the successor of Darren Ferguson as coach at relegation-threatened second division side Preston North End. Also Brown managed in Preston not turn and rose finish the season with his new club as a third of the Last Football League Championship 2010/ 11. After the first round in the Football League One was not proceeding according to expectations of 2011/12 and was in danger of losing touch with the advancement courses Preston, Phil Brown was released on 14 December 2011.

Achievements

• Promotion to the Premier League 2007 /08
• Trainer of the Month March 2008 ( First Division)
• Trainer of the Month September 2008 ( First League )