It`s the Management

Still in their first season as our management dream team, our in-depth look at the management series continues with a good gander at our top chap`s credentials.
Not only is our Director of Football a shrewd tactician with contacts far and wide he could play a bit too.

John Deehan was born 06/08/1957 Coming up through the youth system he made 110 appearances for Villa, scoring 40 times. Internationally the prolific forward gained 7 England Youth and 11 Under 21 caps before sitting on the bench for a full international against Brazil. This prompted Big Ron Atkinson to sign him for West Bromwich Albion in September 1979 for half a million quid.

The big fee weighed heavily at the Hawthorns as he netted just five times in 47 appearances before being loaned to Norwich. John was a consistent scorer for the Canaries over the next four years and was in the team that won the Milk Cup in 1985 and the Second Division Championship the following year. John’s 70 goals in 199 appearances leaves him Norwich’s sixth highest all-time scorer. In June 1986, he joined East Anglian rivals Ipswich Town in an exchange deal netting 11 times in 49 appearances.

In 1989 he finished one career whilst starting another as player coach at Manchester City under Mel Machin. Manchester City as usual sacked their manager leaving John in charge until Howard Kendall took over two weeks later. Mel Machin invited him to join him at Barnsley where he even played 11 times.
In June 1992, the prodigal son returned to Carrow Road as Assistant Manager to Mike Walker.

The Walker-Deehan partnership brought City their most successful season finishing third in the Carling Premiership and qualifying for Europe. Success in the UEFA Cup over Vitesse Arnhem and Bayern Munich led to a high profile tie with Inter Milan that saw City lose a respectable 2-0 on aggregate. Sadly before Delia dished the dosh at the Canaries, Robert Chase held the helm. Disillusioned with Robert Chase’s lack of ambition and unwillingness to invest further funds into the City side led Mike Walker to accept the manager’s position at Everton in January 1994. John Deehan was appointed as manager of the Canaries. The remainder of that season saw City win only twice and slip to 12th place. The following season saw relegation as JD was forced to preside over the sales of Chris Sutton, Ruel Fox and Mark Robins (who scored two in a 4-2 win at Highbury). Not surprisingly 13 points from the 23 post-Christmas matches saw the dreaded drop. After a 3-0 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday April 8th, Deehan resigned.

JD described his last days at Carrow Road as ‘like I’d been in a car crash and I could either sit there and look at the wreckage of what had happened and dither around or get up and start walking. I got up and started walking’ (source: The Pink Un Saturday April 12th 1997). Deehan blamed chairman Robert Chase’s insistence on selling Norwich’s stars without investing the transfer fees received into the playing side. In the aforementioned interview, Deehan wrote ‘What I can’t forgive Robert Chase is that he made life difficult for my family and I think I was probably a bit ill myself in the end. I was going home and not sleeping because I was trying to come up with the answer to an equation that was unanswerable – how to help a young side stay in the Premiership with no money’.

Deehan was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic in November 1995. In his first full season 1996/97, he led Wigan to the Division Three championship showing them that they could play their way out of the basement.. Steve Bruce and Sheffield United poached him in 1998 as First Team Coach. We know JD as a mild mannered chap , rather dapper in his club blazer and tye. However he hit the headlines 1998 when he was arrested for ‘threatening behaviour’ during Sheffield United’s game with Q P R at Loftus Road. In a normal world that means swearing. Huddersfield beckoned in June 1999 with John acting again as Bruce’s Assistant Manager. Following Bruce’s sacking (and he fancies his chances under the Gold Brothers at Birmingham, careful Stevie they might give you one of their adult toys on the way out mate) on 16th October 2000, John and Lou Macari were placed in charge of the United first team for the 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United. Lou Macari was subsequently appointed manager with Joe Jordan as his assistant. The idea was that JD would stay on as First Team Coach.

Not if your dream job comes knocking you don`t. No not the Imps job the other one. An ecstatic Deehan completed the dream move when John Gregory appointed him as Aston Villa’s first team coach on July 20th 2001. He was promoted to Assistant Manager in November 2001 with Stuart Gray acting as first team coach. Following John Gregory’s resignation on 24 January 2002, Deehan and Gray took over the management responsibilities until someone else could be appointed. That person was Graham Taylor who had probably wanted to punch his lights out some years earlier. In April 1984 a JD in his prime had scored 4 against Taylor’s Watford that day. Deehan and Gray remained with Villa until early June 2003. Following a poor season where Villa narrowly avoided relegation, Graham Taylor parted company with the club. David O’Leary was appointed as the new manager, and as such wanted to bring in his own management team. Thus Deehan and Gray left Villa Park on June 11th 2003. The following month saw John return to Portman Road, appointed as a part-time scout within Joe Royle`s management team.
In early October 2003, John was appointed Director of Football at Northampton to work with newly appointed manager Colin Calderwood who had been plucked from overseeing Spurs’ reserve team. The partnership eventually came good with Northampton securing promotion to League One on 29th April 2006. However Calderwood left a month later to take over as manager of Notts Forest. Deehan was expected to apply for the managerial role at Northampton but instead quit to become Director of Football at Lincoln City in June 2006, with John Schofield assisting him as head Coach.

We are fortunate to have a man who is so knowledgeable and passionate about the game. His contacts have enabled us to get quality in without spending a penny in transfers. Mazza is a better keeper for it. Amoo has him to thank for his football career. Before JD signed him his outlook was as bleak as ex Jade Goodies.

Oh and thanks for the football JD whatever happens!

Next week: Other half of the equation King Schofield the First.