Grayson: Simon Nicholas (Simon)

2008-Current (Manager Details) (Player Details)

Simon Nicholas Grayson was born 16th December 1969 in Ripon, North Yorkshire and started his football career at Leeds United in June 1988 and progressed through the junior ranks as a right sided defender or midfielder but was unable to make the big breakthrough at Leeds, playing just twice in four years. He signed for Leicester City in March 1992 and went on to make two hundred and twenty-nine appearances in five years. He won a League Cup Winners’ Medal with Leicester in 1997, and was voted the club's player of the season in the same year. Grayson moved to Aston Villa for £1,350,000 in July 1997 and made another forty-nine EPL appearances at Villa Park. He then signed for Blackburn Rovers for £750,000 in July 1999, where he made thirty-four appearances in his first season. He lost his place in the team the following season and spent most of the next two years on loan, with spells at Sheffield Wednesday, in August 2000, playing five games, Stockport County, in January 2001, playing fourteen times, Notts County, in September 2001 scoring once in thirteen games, and Bradford City from February to April 2002, where he got in seven games, all to restrict his games with Rovers, before joining Blackpool permanently in July 2002. Grayson signed for Blackpool on a free transfer on 19th July 2002. He made more than one hundred appearances for the Seasiders and captained the side. He started his career at Blackpool in the right-back berth, but was moved to midfield by former boss Colin Hendry to bolster an area of weakness. Grayson moved into coaching in the 2004–05 season, managing the reserve squad at Bloomfield Road with some success before he was named Caretaker Manager of the first team in November 2005, following the departure of Colin Hendry. After diverting Blackpool away from relegation that season he was given the job on a permanent basis for the start of the 2006–07 season. Grayson retired from playing at the end of the 2005–06 season to focus purely on the managerial side of the game. In late 2006, he led Blackpool to only one defeat in fourteen League games, a sequence that included five wins out of six, resulting in their appearance in the four play-off positions. The run also brought attendances of more than 7,000 to Bloomfield Road. This led to Grayson being awarded the Manager of the Month award for December. On 6th January 2007, he guided Blackpool to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup for the first time in seventeen years, after beating Aldershot Town 4–2 at Bloomfield Road. They were knocked out by Norwich City, who beat them 3–2 after extra time, in a replay at Carrow Road on 13th February, narrowly missing out on a trip to London to face Chelsea in the last sixteen. Grayson received his second League One Manager of the Month award of the 2006–07 season in May 2007. Two days later, on 5th May 2007, Grayson guided Blackpool to a final placing of third, and thus a place in the play-offs. Blackpool beat Oldham Athletic 5–2 on aggregate over the two legs of the Play-off Semi-Final. They met Yeovil Town in the Final at the newly-renovated Wembley Stadium on 27th May 2007 and won 2–0, securing promotion to The Championship. It was their tenth consecutive victory, a new club record. This was extended in Blackpool's first game in the CCCL with a League win over Leicester City and a victory against Huddersfield Town in the League Cup. In October 2007, Grayson guided Blackpool to the Fourth Round of the League Cup for the club's first time in thirty-five years. They were drawn against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, where Spurs won 2–0. In December 2007 Grayson signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, following two years working without a formal contract. In May 2008, Blackpool finished nineteenth in the CCCL, their highest finish in the Football League since 1971–72. Grayson was heavily linked with the vacant managerial post at Leeds United, with whom he started his playing career, following the sacking of Gary McAllister in December 2008, but Blackpool refused permission for Leeds to speak to Grayson. Despite this Grayson tendered his resignation, which the Blackpool board did not accept, and he was announced as Leeds United's new Manager. Blackpool were considering taking legal action against both Grayson and his new club. Grayson's first game in charge was at Elland Road on Boxing Day against one of his former clubs, Leicester City, who were top of the League. Leeds had lost their previous five games, but a late equaliser from Robert Snodgrass gave Grayson's new club a 1–1 draw. He recorded his first victory with a 3–1 win away at Stockport County to break a run of six games without a win for Leeds, during which period the team had slipped from second to ninth. After winning five and drawing one of his first eight games in charge, United suffered consecutive away defeats at Huddersfield Town and Hereford United and appeared to be loosing touch with the leaders and even a play off place looked in doubt. They put in a good recovery losing only one of their last fifteen League games and finished the season in fourth spot. The play-offs were a disappointment going out to Millwall on aggregate by 1-2. Leeds and Grayson were off to a flying start, winning eight and drawing one of their first nine fixtures to head the table.