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Gareth McAuley

Personal information
Full name	Gareth Gerald McAuley[1]
Date of birth	(1979-12-05) 5 December 1979 (age 32)
Place of birth	Larne, Northern Ireland
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	West Bromwich Albion
Number	23
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–2000	Linfield	0	(0)
1999–2000	→ Ballyclare Comrades (loan)	7	(0)
2000–2002	Crusaders	64	(3)
2002–2004	Coleraine	65	(4)
2004–2006	Lincoln City	72	(8)
2006–2008	Leicester City	74	(5)
2008–2011	Ipswich Town	117	(5)
2011–	West Bromwich Albion	22	(2)
National team‡
2003	Northern Ireland B	1	(0)
2005–	Northern Ireland	35	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:06, 3 March 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:45, 20 February 2012 (UTC)

Gareth 'Big G' McAuley (born 5 December 1979) is a Northern Ireland footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion as a defender.

Club career[link]

Early career[link]

Coming from Glenoe outside of Larne and nicknamed "Big G", McAuley began his career at Linfield and spent some time in early 2000 on loan at Ballyclare Comrades. After four years at Linfield, he moved to Crusaders in the summer of 2000. After two successful seasons, he moved to Coleraine. During this period, he worked as a window draftsman.

Lincoln City[link]

In the summer of 2004, McAuley decided the time had come to look for a move into full-time football in the English Football League.^[2] After attracting interest from Lincoln City and Stockport County he linked up with Edgeley Park based club for a two week trial under the eye of the former Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy who had given McAuley his first Northern Ireland B call-up.^[3] After impressing in his trial, McAuley seemed set to sign for Stockport^[4] but talks broke down and he instead joined Lincoln City on a two-year deal with Coleraine receiving £10,000 for his services.^[5] With Lincoln already boasting one of the strongest defences in League Two at the time of McAuley's arrival, he did not walk straight into the first team. His first few appearances for the club were all as a substitute, and often in the role of a target man striker.

However, when Dean West was dropped from the squad and club captain Paul Morgan sidelined with injury, McAuley moved into central defence to partner Ben Futcher. He immediately drew the plaudits for his excellent performances, which included a man of the match display against Derby County. He thereafter battled for a starting centre back roll with fellow giant Jamie McCombe for much of the season.

However, in March 2005, McAuley earnt a starting roll as the right full back, replacing the perpetually out of form fan favourite Matthew Bloomer. He continued to play in this position for the rest of the season, helping Lincoln to the play off final, not just with his exceptional defensive performances, but with 5 goals, including both in a 2–1 aggregate victory over Macclesfield in the play off semi final.

The 2005/2006 season however saw him cement a spot in the centre of the Imps defence. With Ben Futcher leaving on a free transfer to join rivals Boston United, McAuley took his place. He enjoyed a fantastic season, which culminated ultimately in play off defeat for Lincoln again, but saw him named in the League Two Team of the Year, and also caught the attention of a number of bigger clubs.

The lure of playing at a higher level saw McAuley reject Lincoln City's offer of a new contract in the summer of 2006, and he moved on a free transfer to Leicester City.

Leicester City[link]

McAuley signed for Leicester City on 5 June 2006, after reaching the end of his contract at Lincoln, signing a three-year deal.^[6] He scored his first senior goal for Leicester on January 17 in a 4–3 defeat to Fulham in the FA Cup,^[7] and was also on the scoresheet against Ipswich Town on February 10, heading in both as Leicester won 2–0.^[8]

McAuley (No. 5) watches as Coventry score a penalty kick in an M69 derby at the Ricoh Arena

In the 2007–08 season, McAuley was appointed captain in a 0–0 draw against Wolves on October 2, 2007, following Stephen Clemence's injury.^[9] He scored his fourth goal on 5 October against Sheffield Wednesday, helping Leicester earn their second only league win of the season,^[10] and was then named in the Championship Team of the Week three days later.^[11] McAuley is one of three players (DJ Campbell & Carl Cort) who netted in three goals against Chelsea in a League Cup match on October 31 at Stamford Bridge, but could not prevent his side from losing 4–3.^[12]

In January 2008, Ipswich Town manager Jim Magilton made two bids to sign McAuley, but both of these were turned down.^[13] Despite signing a new three-and-a-half year deal on 8 February,^[14] McAuley decided to leave Leicester following their relegation three months later.

Ipswich Town[link]

McAuley signed for Ipswich Town on 18 June 2008 and was named captain for the 08/09 season.^[15] The defender got off too a somewhat shakey start, but after settling into the squad, established himself as a commanding leader and consistent defender. McAuley further enhanced his international credentials whilst with the Suffolk team. On 6 November 2010, McAuley played his 100th game for Ipswich Town, in which he scored the winner in a 2–1 win against Sheffield United.

West Bromwich Albion[link]

On 23 May 2011, West Bromwich Albion officially announced McAuley would be signing a three year contract (pending a medical) beginning 1 July;^[16] he scored his first goal for the team in a 3-2 win away at Newcastle in December 2011. McAuley scored his 2nd West Bromwich Albion goal by helping them beat Chelsea after 33 years without a point against the blues, he scored on the 82nd minute for the game to finish 1-0.

International career[link]

In May 2003, McAuley received his first senior international call when he was one of five Irish League players named in the squad for the Northern Ireland B team fixture with Scotland B on 20 May 2003.^[17] Selected in the starting eleven,^[18] the team fell to a 2–1 defeat in front of just 1,502 spectators at Firhill Stadium.^[19]

He received his first cap against Germany as his team lost 4–1 in a friendly match on 4 June 2005.^[20]

McAuley contemplated international retirement after being left out of the squad to face Sweden on 17 October 2007.^[21] But on 9 October, Nigel Worthington recalled him to the squad.^[22] McAuley made his comeback against Sweden on October 17, drawing 1–1.^[23] He was also part of the squad that defeated Denmark 2–1 in a memorable victory on November 17, keeping the national team's hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2008.^[24] Their hopes were dashed when they lost 1–0 to Spain in Las Palmas on November 21, finishing third in Group F with twenty points.^[25] McAuley scored his first international goal against San Marino on February 11, 2009.

McAuley was called up to the Northern Ireland squad for the European qualification games against Serbia and Slovenia in March 2011. He scored his second international goal against Serbia, but could not prevent his side losing 2-1. For the second game, against Slovenia, McAuley was named captain for the first time. He led his side to a 0-0 draw, putting in a man of the match display himself at the same time.^[26]

International goals[link]

Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 February 2009	Serravalle, San Marino	San Marino	1–0	3–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	25 March 2011	Stadion Crvena Zvezda, Serbia	Serbia	1–0	1-2	UEFA Euro 2012 Qualification

Honours[link]

Coleraine

• Irish Cup: 2003

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gareth McAuley career stats at Soccerbase

Chris Brunt

Personal information
Full name	Christopher Brunt
Date of birth	(1984-12-14) 14 December 1984 (age 27)
Place of birth	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) [1]
Playing position	Left Winger / Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club	West Bromwich Albion
Number	11
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2004	Middlesbrough	0	(0)
2004	→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)	6	(2)
2004–2007	Sheffield Wednesday	137	(22)
2007–	West Bromwich Albion	171	(32)
National team‡
2002–2003	Northern Ireland U19	8	(3)
2005–2006	Northern Ireland U21	2	(1)
2005	Northern Ireland U23	1	(0)
2004–	Northern Ireland	36	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 February 2012

Christopher Brunt (born 14 December 1984 in Belfast) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion. He plays as a left winger and more recently an attacking midfield position. He is also the Albion captain.

Early life[link]

Brunt grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he attended Newtownbreda Primary School. His father Colin was a talented rugby union player. He then went on to study at Wellington College, a grammar school in Belfast. As a youth player he appeared for Saint Andrews Boys Club.^[2]

Club career[link]

Middlesbrough[link]

Brunt had trials with both professional teams Manchester United and Middlesbrough, eventually signing for Middlesbrough, but he failed to break into the first team.

Sheffield Wednesday[link]

He moved to Sheffield Wednesday in March 2004 on an initial short-term deal. A permanent free transfer followed soon after as Brunt signed a two-year contract at Wednesday.^[3] In 2004–05, his first full season at the club, Brunt helped Wednesday achieve promotion to the Championship by scoring five goals. In July 2005 he agreed a one-year extension to his existing contract.^[4]

He went on to hit seven goals the following season, finishing the campaign as the club's top goalscorer. During the 2006–07 campaign Brunt passed the 100 appearance mark for Wednesday, making him the club's most experienced player at the time. His impressive displays during the 2006–07 season Brunt linked with a move away from Hillsborough. With only one year remaining on his contract, negotiations between Brunt and Wednesday broke down in July 2007, due to what the club described as 'excessive wage demands'.^[5]

West Bromwich Albion[link]

West Bromwich Albion had a bid accepted for Brunt on 14 August 2007.^[6] They completed the signing the next day, in a £3 million four-year deal, which includes £500,000 of performance-related add-ons.^[7] Brunt made his Albion debut as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 home win over Barnsley on 1 September 2007.^[8] He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 victory away at Scunthorpe United on 22 September 2007.^[9] Brunt's performance in the 3–0 home win against Plymouth Argyle on 1 March 2008 saw him named in the Championship Team of the Week.^[10] On 28 April 2008 Brunt scored a late equalising goal against Southampton in a 1–1 draw; this effectively secured Albion's promotion to the Premier League because of their superior goal difference.^[11] He went on to score the free-kick in West Brom's 2–0 win over QPR that sealed automatic promotion.^[12] Brunt was the club's top scorer in the 2008–09 season, scoring eight goals. Following the club's relegation, Brunt then signed a new three-year deal at the club. In the 2009/10 season, he once again helped the club reach the highest tier of English football, scoring the second goal in a 3–2 win over Doncaster, which sealed the club's Premier League status. In January 2011 Brunt was made the stand-in captain of West Bromwich Albion as the manager decided to drop old club captain Scott Carson. When the new manager came in February 2011, he confirmed that he had made Brunt the permanent captain for the club.

International career[link]

Brunt has won 33 caps for the Northern Ireland national team. He scored his first goal for his country in February 2009, when his free-kick helped Northern Ireland to a 3–0 victory over San Marino.

In April 2012 it was revealed that Brunt was in manager Stuart Pearce's provisional squad for the 2012 Olympic Great Britain Football Team. The final 18 players in the squad, that is highly anticipated to be captained by David Beckham, will be announced at a later date.

Honours[link]

Sheffield Wednesday

• Football League One play-off winners: 2004–05

West Bromwich Albion

• Football League Championship winners: 2007–08

Personal life[link]

Brunt became a father for the first time on 1 May 2008, when his wife Cathy gave birth to a baby boy named Charlie. The couple then welcomed a second child, Zach David Brunt, on 18th April 2011.^[13][14]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Chris Brunt player profile at wba.co.uk
• Chris Brunt career stats at Soccerbase
• Chris Brunt profile on the Irish FA website
• Chris Brunt player profile at Premier League
• Chris Brunt player profile at BBC Sport

Steve Clarke

Personal information
Full name	Stephen Clarke[1]
Date of birth	(1963-08-29) 29 August 1963 (age 48)
Place of birth	Saltcoats, Scotland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Liverpool (First-Team Coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1982–1987	St. Mirren	200	(7)
1987–1998	Chelsea	330	(7)
National team
	Scotland U21	8
1987–1994	Scotland	6	(0)
Teams managed
1998–1999	Newcastle United (Assistant Manager)
1999	Newcastle United (Caretaker)
2004–2008	Chelsea (Assistant Manager)
2008–2010	West Ham United (Assistant Manager)
2011-	Liverpool (First Team Coach)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Stephen "Steve" Clarke (born 29 August 1963 in Saltcoats) is a former Scottish association football player and current First Team Coach of Liverpool FC. He played for St. Mirren, Chelsea and Scotland, winning three major trophies with Chelsea towards the end of his career. After retiring as a player he moved into coaching and has worked as an assistant manager for Newcastle United, enjoyed successes working alongside Jose Mourinho for Chelsea, and then alongside Gianfranco Zola at West Ham United.

Playing career[link]

Spotted whilst playing for Beith Juniors, Clarke started his professional football career with St. Mirren.^[2] Clarke was initially on a part-time contract with St. Mirren, while he completed an apprenticeship as an instrument engineer.^[2] He was transferred to Chelsea for £422,000 in February 1987.^[3] He stayed at Chelsea until 1998, making 421 appearances.^[3] He was a part of the Chelsea sides which won the 1997 FA Cup Final, 1998 Football League Cup Final and 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final. The latter game, against VfB Stuttgart in Stockholm, was Clarke's final appearance for the club.^[3] In 2005 he was voted into Chelsea's centenary XI, occupying the right-back berth.

Coaching career[link]

Newcastle United[link]

In 1998 Clarke joined Newcastle United as assistant manager to Ruud Gullit, his former boss at Chelsea. Clarke was caretaker manager following Gullit's resignation,^[4] taking charge of one match, a 5–1 (1–1 HT) defeat against Manchester United.^[5] For that game, Clarke reinstated Alan Shearer and Rob Lee to the team.^[5]

Chelsea[link]

After a stint in charge of the youth teams at Chelsea, Clarke was promoted to the position of assistant manager when José Mourinho was appointed manager in the summer of 2004.^[6] Clarke was a part of the coaching set-up which saw Chelsea win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups over three seasons under Mourinho. During this period he completed his UEFA Pro Licence in 2006^[7]

When Mourinho departed from Chelsea in September 2007, his services were retained by Avram Grant, although Henk ten Cate was brought in as another assistant coach.^[8] Both Grant and ten Cate left the club at the end of the 2007–08 season.^[8][9] BBC Sport and The Times both reported then that although Clarke remained on the Chelsea coaching staff, he would be looking to pursue opportunities to become a manager in his own right.^[8][9] Chelsea assured Clarke of his status, citing his loyalty, popularity amongst the club's supporters and work in the aftermath of Mourinho's departure.^[9]

West Ham United[link]

On 12 September 2008 Clarke handed in his resignation to Chelsea, hoping to move to West Ham to be assistant to former Chelsea teammate Gianfranco Zola.^[6][10] Chelsea initially rejected his resignation, demanding compensation worth two years of Clarke's salary.^[6] After a deal was agreed between the clubs, Clarke became West Ham's first-team coach on 15 September.^[11]

West Ham finished ninth in the Premier League in the 2008–09 season,^[12] earning Clarke and Zola extended contracts that made Clarke the highest paid assistant manager in the league.^[13] The club struggled during the next season, however, narrowly avoiding relegation.^[12] In June 2010, not long after the dismissal of Zola as manager,^[12] Clarke left the club by mutual consent.^[14]

Liverpool[link]

On 10 January 2011, Clarke was appointed first team coach at Liverpool by Kenny Dalglish,^[15] after Dalglish had replaced the dismissed Roy Hodgson two days before.^[16] Clarke was credited (alongside Dalglish) for turning Liverpool's season around, having a points average of around 2 points per match from his arrival, coupled with an improved defensive record. On 12 May 2011, Clarke, as well as manager Dalglish, signed a 3 year permanent contract to remain in his current role as first team coach.

On 14th May 2012 Clarke offered his resignation Liverpool soon after Kenny Dalglish was sacked following Liverpool's disappointing 8th spot finish in the Premier League, however it was declined.

Honours[link]

Team playing honours[link]

Chelsea

• FA Cup: 1997
• League Cup: 1998
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1998
• Full Members Cup: 1990

Individual playing honours[link]

Chelsea

• Chelsea Player of the Year: 1994
• Chelsea centenary XI: 2005

Coaching honours[link]

Chelsea

• FA Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06
• FA Cup: 2007
• League Cup: 2005, 2007

Liverpool

• League Cup: 2012

Managerial statistics[link]

As of 21:00, 10 October 2010 (UTC)^[17]

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	L	D	Win %
Newcastle United		28 August 1999	2 September 1999	1	0	1	0	00.00

References[link]

External links[link]

• Steve Clarke career stats at Soccerbase
• Steve Clarke at scottishfa.co.uk