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Marine

200px
Full name	Marine Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Mariners, The Lilywhites
Founded	1894
Ground	Rossett Park, Crosby (Capacity: 3,185 (389 seated))
Chairman	Paul Leary
Manager	Kevin Lynch
2011–12	Northern Premier League Premier Division, 7th
Home colours Away colours

Marine (yellow shirts) playing away against Leek Town in 2006

Marine Football Club is an English football club in Crosby, Merseyside. The club, which was founded in 1894, is a member of both the Liverpool County and Lancashire County Football Associations, and currently plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Marine is notable for having the longest serving manager in post-war English football. Roly Howard occupied the post for 33 years, and a total of 1,975 games. His final match, in May 2005, was a 1–0 defeat against Everton in the Liverpool Senior Cup final.^[1]

History[link]

The club was formed in 1894 by a group of local businessmen and former college students. Marine takes its name from a hotel on the River Mersey sea front at Waterloo, seven miles to the north of Liverpool, where the founders of the club met. Marine moved to its present ground, the Arriva Stadium (formerly known as Rossett Park), in 1903.^[2]

Marine quickly made an impression on local football, winning numerous titles in the I Zingari League and the Liverpool Combination. The club's greatest success as an amateur team in this period culminated in an F.A. Amateur Cup Final appearance in 1931–32, when they lost 7–1 to Dulwich Hamlet in front of a 22,000 crowd at Upton Park.

In 1935–36 the club moved to the all-professional Lancashire Combination and enjoyed limited success before moving to the Cheshire County League in 1969–70. In 1972 Roly Howard was appointed first team manager and completed 1,975 competitive games over a 33-year period before he was forced out at the end of the 2004–05 season. He was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the longest serving manager in world football as Marine enjoyed its most successful period, winning some 30 trophies.

The club relinquished its amateur status and became professional in 1974. Three Cheshire League Championships were won in five seasons, before Marine progressed to the Northern Premier League in 1979–80. They have twice been Champions (1993–94 and 1994–95) as well as twice being runners-up and have won the League Cup on three occasions (1984–85, 1991–92, and 2002–03).

The club has its own supporters association knows as the M.S.A (Marine Supporters Association).

The club's best performance in the FA Cup was reaching the 3rd Round in 1992–93 when they lost 3–1 to Crewe Alexandra. Marine have also achieved ten first and two second round appearances in the FA Cup and have beaten two Football League Clubs (Barnsley and Halifax Town) in the competition. Marine have twice reached the semi-finals of the F.A. Trophy in 1983–84 and 1991–92 and have been winners of 13 senior county cups.

Under the management team of Alvin McDonald and his assistant, Peter Carroll, Marine began to challenge for honours again. In the first two years of McDonald's management, the Mariners qualified for the Northern Premier League Premier Division play-offs only to lose to the eventual winners on both occasions. In the 2007–08 season Marine finished seventh and won the Liverpool Senior Cup.

In 2008–09, Marine started brilliantly, looking at first to be strong challengers for promotion. However, the team's good run came to an end around December, and eventually led to the departure of several players and, ultimately, their manager Alvin McDonald. Kevin Lynch, club captain, and Phil Brazier, both players at Marine, were given the job of joint caretaker managers. After the end of the season, Lynch was appointed as permanent manager with Brazier as his assistant. Marine finished the 2008–09 season in thirteenth place.

Stadium[link]

The club plays at Rossett Park, known as The Arriva Stadium since 2006 for sponsorship reasons. It is located on College Road in Crosby. Marine has played at Rossett Park since 1903, when it relocated from its previous ground at Waterloo Park, Crosby. The ground's current capacity is 2,800, of which 389 are seated, but in 1949, Marine played host to Nigeria at Rossett Park, and the crowd on that day was over 4,000. Everton Ladies also play there.

On January 24, 2011, the club announced plans to develop the Arriva Stadium. Plans include replacing the current floodlighting system with a new, eco-friendly 4-corner/column system, as the current 8-column floodlighting system is now over 30 years old and is not sustainable, having had three electrical faults in the last 12 months resulting in fire and failure. Further to these plans, the club plans to build a 130-seat covered stand at the Crosender Road end of the ground. The total cost of all the improvements is estimated at £150,000.^[3]

Squad[link]

Current squad[link]

As of 26 May 2012.^[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Ryan McMahon GK David Newnes GK Callum Williams DF Louis Barnes DF Sam Barnes DF Phil Brazier (Player/Assistant manager) DF Matty Brown DF Liam Duff DF Ian Latham DF Paul Lundon DF John Shaw MF Paul Brown

No. Position Player MF Liam Dawson MF Joe Fowler MF Jonathan Goulding MF Paul Henry MF Robbie Lawton MF Kevin Lynch (Player/Manager) MF Thomas Moore FW Darren Byers FW Carl Gargan FW Nick Rogan FW Craig Connor FW Rafael Leal Pezan

Backroom staff[link]

Position	Name
Player-Manager	Kevin Lynch
Player/Assistant Manager	Phil Brazier
First-Team Coach
Sports Therapist	Nick McCarthy
Assistant Sports Therapist	Alison Houghton
Reserve Team Manager	Dave Radin
Reserve Team Assistant Manager	Ronnie McGowan
Reserve Team Coach	Robbie Gibbons
Youth Team Coach	John Woodward

Committee, directors and club officials[link]

• President – Jean-Pierre Hall

• Patron – Kenny Dalglish MBE

• Chairman & Press Officer – Paul Leary

• Vice Chairman & Hon. Solicitor – Brian Lawlor

• Hon. Club Secretary – Richard Cross

• Hon. Treasurers – Geoff Kewley & Mark Prescott

• Management Committee – Paul Eustace, Peter McCormack, Dave McMillan, Barry Godfrey, Graham Gibson & Mark Williams

Honours[link]

^[5]

References[link]

1. ^ "Longest Serving Football Club Manager.". The Guiness World Records. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/Search/Details/Longest-serving-football-club-manager/60198.htm. 
2. ^ "The History of Marine F.C.". The Official Marine F.C. Website. http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/marine/a/history-of-marine-fc-8604.html. 
3. ^ "Marine F.C News.". The Official Marine F.C. Website. http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/marine/news/marine-announce-plans-for-furt-245710.html. 
4. ^ "Marine F.C. Players & Coaches". The Official Marine F.C. Website. http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/marine/a/history-of-marine-fc-8604.html. 
5. ^ "Marine F.C. Honours". The Official Marine F.C. Website. http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/marine/a/honours-10442.html. 

External links[link]

• Club website

Coordinates: 53°29′07″N 3°02′01″W / 53.485157°N 3.03363°W / 53.485157; -3.03363

Chris Simms

Simms after a Broncos game on November 22, 2009.
New England Patriots
Coaching assistant
Personal information
Date of birth: (1980-08-29) August 29, 1980 (age 31)
Place of birth: Ridgewood, New Jersey
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Weight: 230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
College: Texas
NFL Draft: 2003 / Round: 3 / Pick: 97
Debuted in 2004 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last played in 2009 for the Denver Broncos
Career history
As player:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003–2007) Tennessee Titans (2008) Denver Broncos (2009) Tennessee Titans (2010)
As coach:
New England Patriots (2012–present) (Coaching assistant)
Career highlights and awards
ESPN RISE National High School Junior Player of the Year (1997) USA Today Offensive High School Player of the Year (1998) College Records and Awards 1x NFL FedEx Air Player of the week
Career NFL statistics as of 2009
Pass attempts 511 Pass completions 297 Percentage 58.1 TD-INT 12-18 Passing yards 3,117 QB Rating 69.1 Stats at NFL.com

Christopher David Simms (born August 29, 1980) is a former American football quarterback and current coaching assistant with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.

Simms has also played for the Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is the son of former New York Giants quarterback and Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms and the older brother of current New York Jets quarterback Matt Simms.

Early years[link]

Simms grew up in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey and attended Ramapo High School there, where he was a standout in both football and basketball.^[1] In football, he was a two-time All-State honoree, and was named the 1998 USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year.^[1] Simms graduated from Ramapo High School in 1999.^[2] After committing to the University of Tennessee during his senior year, Simms decommitted and enrolled at the University of Texas instead.^[3]

College career[link]

Simms during a Texas Longhorns football team autograph session

Simms played college football at the University of Texas at Austin. In a controversial decision, Simms was named starter over Major Applewhite in 2001, before Applewhite's senior season. After turning the ball over four times in the 2001 Big Twelve Championship Game, Simms gave way to fan favorite Applewhite, who nearly led Texas to a victory against Colorado (Texas lost 37-39). Applewhite later passed for a then school record 473 yards as the starter in the Holiday bowl. Simms played with Cedric Benson and Roy Williams his last three years of his college career.

Career statistics[link]

Accomplishments and records[link]

University of Texas Records

• 2nd Highest Passer Rating (Career) - 138.4. (Behind Colt McCoy)
• 5th Best Winning Percentage (Career) - 26-6, 0.812 (Behind James Street, Bobby Layne, Vince Young and McCoy).
• 3rd Most Touchdowns (Career) - 58 (Behind Major Applewhite and McCoy).
• 2nd Most Touchdowns (Single Season) - 26 (Behind McCoy, tied with Young).
• 2nd Most Touchdowns (Single Game) - 5 (Behind McCoy, tied with Layne).
• 3rd most passing yards in a game (vs Nebraska) - 419 (Behind Applewhite & McCoy).^[4]

Professional career[link]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers[link]

Simms was drafted with the last pick of the 3rd round in 2003 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the expectation that he would eventually be the successor to Brad Johnson. He was cast 3rd on the Bucs depth chart behind Johnson and former Buccaneers starter Shaun King. Simms sat his entire rookie year without playing a single snap in the regular season.^[5]

In 2004, Simms started the season as the 3rd string quarterback again, this time behind Johnson and former Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins starter Brian Griese, but quickly advanced to backup quarterback after a poor preseason by Griese. Simms saw his first action on September 19, 2004 against the Seattle Seahawks after a below-average performance by Johnson, coming into the game with 10:32 left in the 2nd quarter. Simms went 21-32 with 175 yards and an interception.^[6] Simms received his first start two games later against the New Orleans Saints on October 10, 2004 after the Bucs started 0-4 and Johnson was benched for his poor performance. Simms went 5-8 for 75 yards but injured his shoulder early in the game and missed three weeks, allowing Brian Griese to secure the position with 3 straight wins. Simms saw occasional action as the backup QB to Griese and started a meaningless final game against the Arizona Cardinals where he threw for 224 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.^[7]

In 2005, Simms was slated on the depth chart as the backup quarterback, behind Griese and ahead of former Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Luke McCown. Simms got his first snap of the season after Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas was pushed onto Griese's leg with several minutes left in the game on October 16, 2005. Despite the injury, the Buccaneers prevailed 27-13 in the game in which Griese was lost for the season. Simms performed well, completing 6 of 10 passes for 69 yards.^[8] Simms got his first start of the season the following week against a weak San Francisco 49ers squad. While Simms had decent numbers (21-34, 264yds, 1TD, 2INT), his performance was considered poor, as there were many times when he underthrew his receivers, missed open receivers, or incorrectly read the defensive coverage. Simms followed up this performance with about the same performance (25-42, 259, 1TD, 2INT) against the division rival Carolina Panthers, who were considered a much better team than San Francisco. Since these two losses however, Simms has performed better than expected and has a knack for late-game heroics. He led fourth-quarter charges against fellow division rival Atlanta twice, as well as the Washington Redskins. The Redskin game was his best performance of the year as Simms threw for 3 scores as the Buccaneers won 36-35 in a remarkable game. Simms had a much more impressive performance in the rematch against Carolina on the road. The two losses in this stretch were against the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, and the Chicago Bears, who were ranked #1 in the league in total defense, and in both of these games, Simms did not throw any interceptions, and was sacked a combined 11 times. He even led Tampa Bay to another fourth-quarter comeback against the Bears but a 29-yard field goal attempt floated wide right giving the Bears a 13-10 victory.^[9]

Simms led the Buccaneers to their first playoff berth since their Super Bowl victory in the 2002. In the rematch vs. the Redskins Simms led Tampa Bay back again from a 17–3 halftime deficit. With the score at 17–10 late in the fourth quarter, Simms hit Edell Shepherd on an apparent 35-yard TD strike. However, Shepherd failed to maintain possession as he hit the ground. Tampa Bay lost 17–10 in a game where Washington gained only 120 yards of offense, the lowest total for a playoff winner in NFL history.^[10]

Chris Simms had played well at the end of the 2005 season, and thus came into the 2006 season with high expectations around him. However, for no particular obvious reason, Simms's play in the first two weeks was abysmal. In back-to-back games against the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons, Simms posted up 45 completions on 82 attempts for 446 yards, but had zero touchdowns and six interceptions. He continued to have several of his passes tipped by defensive linemen. Largely due to his inexplicably poor play, the Bucs scored a mere 3 points in two games.

Life-Threatening Injury[link]

Simms suffered a season-ending injury in Game 3 of the 2006 schedule. On Sunday, September 24, he was taken off the field after taking hard hits from the Carolina Panthers defense. Simms returned to the game and even led a successful scoring drive, but remained in physical distress and was taken to a nearby hospital after the game. Tests revealed a ruptured spleen, and Simms immediately underwent emergency surgery. In the aftermath, Simms said he lost five pints of blood before the operation and conceded that another 45 minutes without treatment could have been fatal. The injury was caused by an illegal hit from Al Wallace who was later fined by the NFL.^[11] Simms has become a spokesman in the Tampa area for blood donations.^[12] Playing on a one-year/$2.1 million contract signed before the season, Simms was eligible for free agency for 2007.

On December 27, 2006, Simms announced that he had signed a two-year extension to remain with the Buccaneers with the expectation that he would start. However, due to complications from his recovery and the performance of Jeff Garcia in mini-camp, Simms was expected to serve as a backup to Garcia.^[13] On October 9, Simms was placed on Injured Reserve for the rest of the season.^[14] The Bucs were expected to keep Simms on the roster for mini camp as their fifth quarterback.

Simms' relationship with head coach Jon Gruden worsened significantly during this period. Simms attributed his lack of playing time to how Gruden treated Simms during his recovery from spleen injury. He has even said that "The relationship between me and coach Gruden, it’s broken," Simms said. "And I don’t see any way it’s going to get better." Simms also said that he will never forgive Gruden, although he still respects the Buccaneers as an organization.^[15]

On August 30, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Simms. He worked out with the Baltimore Ravens during the preseason but was not signed.

First stint with Titans[link]

Simms signed with the Tennessee Titans on September 9, 2008 after starter Vince Young was sidelined with a sprained MCL.^[16] In Young's absence, Simms served as the backup quarterback behind Kerry Collins until October 3, when Simms was released to make room for punter Josh Miller. Simms was re-signed the following week on October 6.

Denver Broncos[link]

Simms on the sidelines in 2009.

On March 4, 2009, Simms signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Denver Broncos. The deal included a $1.5 million signing bonus and Simms could have earned an additional $3 million through incentives. He was the backup quarterback to Kyle Orton. However, he took over in the second half of a game against the Washington Redskins after Orton left with a sprained ankle, and eventually gave up the lead to the Redskins while going 3-13 passing for 13 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. He started against the San Diego Chargers on November 22, 2009 but was quickly replaced by Orton in the second quarter after going a disappointing 2 for 4 for only 10 yards. He was released on March 15, 2010 after the Broncos traded for Brady Quinn.^[17]

Second stint with Titans[link]

On April 12, 2010, Simms was re-signed by the Tennessee Titans.^[18]

On September 4, 2010, Simms was cut from the Titans roster. On November 22, 2010, he was re-signed to backup quarterback Rusty Smith, after the season ending injury to Vince Young.

Career statistics[link]

Coaching career[link]

Simms was hired as a coaching assistant by the New England Patriots on March 26, 2012.^[19] It is unknown what role Simms holds with the team, as he was not listed in the Patriots release of coaching positions.

Personal[link]

Simms married Danielle Marie Puleo in August 2004, whom he first met in high school.^[20] In 2006, Danielle gave birth to a girl.

On July 1, 2010, Simms was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated with marijuana in New York.^[21] In May 2011, Simms was acquitted on charges of DWI.^[22]

His younger brother, Matt Simms,^[23] was a quarterback at the University of Louisville before transferring to El Camino College, a junior college in Torrance, CA. Matt signed a letter of intent to transfer and play for the University of Tennessee on December 16, 2009.^[24] Matt was Tennessee's starting quarterback until November, 2010 when Tyler Bray replaced him. On May 6, 2012, Matt Simms was signed to a rookie contract with the New York Jets.^[25]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Denver Broncos bio
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio
• Tennessee Titans bio

Levi Stanley Junior Reid (born 19 December 1983) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder.

He played for Port Vale between 2003 and 2005, before dropping into non-league football with Stafford Rangers. He signed with Macclesfield Town, but moved on to Oxford United the following year. In 2009 he returned to Rangers for another two year spell. He signed with Telford United in March 2011, before joining Gainsborough Trinity in January 2012 following a loan spell at Chasetown. His brother, Izak Reid, is a professional footballer – the pair played together at Macclesfield.

Playing career[link]

Reid started his career at Port Vale, rising from the youth ranks to make his first team debut on the last day of the 2002–03 season, a 2–0 defeat at Bristol City. He came on as a 65th minute substitute, replacing the veteran John Durnin. He made his full debut on 8 November 2003, in an embarrassing 2–2 draw with non-league Ford United at Vale Park, during an FA Cup first round encounter. Reid made fourteen appearances in the 2003–04 season. A regular in the first team throughout the 2004–05 season, he scored his first senior goal in an FA Cup tie with Kidderminster Harriers on 12 November. He was released in May 2005 by manager Martin Foyle,^[1] having made 49 appearances for the "Valiants" in all competitions. At his trial for affray later the year, his defence team stated that he had been released from his contract due to his part in a nightclub brawl.^[2]

Joining Stafford Rangers, his strike in the Conference North play-off final penalty shootout booked Rangers a place in the Conference National for the 2006–07 season.^[3] Rangers struggled to adapt to their new division in 2006–07, though Reid was a regular in the latter half of the season. Reid made his return to the Football League in 2007–08, joining Macclesfield Town on trial, who were managed by his former teammate Ian Brightwell.^[4] He impressed at the season's start and was offered a four month deal.^[5] Enjoying regular football for the League Two club, he signed an end-of-season deal in December.^[6] In August 2008 he joined Oxford United on trial, alongside former Macclesfield teammate Michael Husbands.^[7] Reid was given a six month contract with Oxford,^[8] but left late in September 2008 in order to help care for his sick baby back in Stafford.^[9]

In August 2009 he re-signed with Stafford Rangers. At the end of the 2009–10 campaign he left the club to search for full-time football,^[10] but returned to Rangers after his search was unsuccessful. Rangers were relegated out of the Conference North at the end of the 2010–11 season, but Reid managed to win a short-term deal at Telford United in March.^[11] Telford won the Conference North play-offs to seal a place in the Conference National, and though Reid failed to make a first team appearance he was still invited back to the club in the summer to try to prove himself worthy of a new deal.^[12] In September 2011, he was loaned out to Chasetown of the Northern Premier League Premier Division.^[13]

On 3 January 2012, he joined Conference North side Gainsborough Trinity.^[14][15] Steve Housham's side qualified for the play-offs with a fourth place finish in 2011–12, but lost 1–0 to Nuneaton Town in the final. Reid was not amongst those players retained at the end of the season and thus departed The Northolme.^[16]

Personal life[link]

His younger brother, Izak Reid, is a professional footballer – the pair played together at Macclesfield Town.

Reid was found Guilty of affray in December 2005, and was sentenced to 200 hours community punishment and ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation to his victim.^[17] He had claimed to be acting a peacemaker, but was told that "You could not complain if a custody sentence was passed today. I accept you are of good character but you went out into the street knowing trouble was brewing. If you did not kick or stamp on anyone you were with those who did."^[18]

Honours[link]

with Stafford Rangers

• Conference North play-off winner: 2005–06

References[link]

External links[link]

• Levi Reid career stats at Soccerbase