Simon Grayson
Simon Nicholas Grayson ( born December 16, 1969 in Ripon, England ) is an English former football player and current coach of third division side Preston North End. As a player he was, inter alia, 1988-2005 active for Leicester City, Aston Villa and Blackpool FC.
Playing career
Originally from the own youth department Simon Grayson started his playing career in 1988 with the English first division club Leeds United. However, the defender did not make it to prevail against top-class competition as Chris Fairclough, Tony Dorigo and Mel Sterland. After only two league games in nearly four years, he moved in March 1992 to Leicester City. Leeds, meanwhile, took in the 1991/92 season the league title.
With his new team, he spent the next two years in the second English league. In the 1993/94 season Leicester City reached with a 2-1 victory in the play-off final against Derby County move up to the 1992 newly introduced Premier League. The return to the excellence was initially limited to one year, because as Penultimate City rose again directly from the Premier League 1994/95 from. But the re- start in the second division ended after only one year with the direct resurgence. Once again, the club won the play-off final, this time 2-1 against Crystal Palace. A repeat start in the Premier League in 1996/97 was significantly more successful this time. The since 1995 by Martin O'Neill coached team to Grayson, Kasey Keller and Emile Heskey finished ninth in the standings and also won the title in the League Cup against Middlesbrough FC. Despite these successes, Simon Grayson left the club and joined for 1.3 million pounds of the League rivals Aston Villa on.
After a seventh place with Villa in the Premier League 1997/98 Grayson played in the following year for the first time in international competition. Aston Villa but failed already in the 2nd round of the UEFA Cup in 1998/99 on the Spanish side Celta Vigo. There, he went on from 1999 to 2002 at Blackburn Rovers and from 2002 to 2005, in the third division FC Blackpool.
Coaching career
Blackpool FC
On 10 November 2005 Simon Grayson took over as coach in Blackpool at the Seasiders. The June 2005 working as a team captain for the club Grayson took over from his predecessor and former coach Colin Hendry. After the secured relegation 2005/ 06 he led his team in the season 2006/ 07 to third place in the third-tier Football League One. In the subsequent play-off final at Wembley Blackpool beat fifth-placed Yeovil Town 2-0 and returned so that after 30 years in the second highest English league back. The return to the second division could be celebrated in addition to the relegation almost reached 2007/ 08 in the Football League Championship. During the 2008/09 season Simon Grayson finished his three-year work as a trainer in Blackpool and took over the vacant manager job at Leeds United.
Leeds United
In the traditional club from Leeds Gary McAllister had been released before. Grayson led the club in the course of the season still to fourth place in the third-tier Football League One. In the subsequent playoffs but the team failed in the Fifth Millwall FC. In the 2009/10 season it was for better for the team and by a second behind third league champions Norwich City rose to United in the Football League Championship. The new season in the Football League Championship 2010/11 was a success for the upstart. Leeds reached the seventh place in the standings, falling short of a place in the play-offs only to a place. During the 2011/12 season Grayson was released on February 1, 2012. United finished at this time the tenth place in the table and the board looked after last changing results the expected rise risk.
Huddersfield Town
On February 20, 2012 Simon Grayson took over as coach at third division Huddersfield Town and led the club after a success in the play-off final of the Football League One 2011/12 in the second division. After a good start in the Football League Championship 2012/13, the performance of the team during the season deteriorated significantly before Grayson was released on 24 January 2013.
Preston North End
Less than a month after his release in Huddersfield Grayson was introduced on 18 February 2013 as the new coach of third division side Preston North End.