| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Ryan | ||
| Date of birth | 12 May 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Stirling, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1963–1966 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1966–1970 | Manchester United | 24 | (4) |
| 1970–1976 | Luton Town | 184 | (21) |
| 1976–1979 | Dallas Tornado | 97 | (21) |
| 1979–1982 | Wichita Wings (indoor) | 101 | (73) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1990–1991 | Luton Town | ||
| 1991–2000 | Manchester United Reserves | ||
| 1998–1999 | Manchester United (assistant) | ||
| 2001–2002 | Manchester United (assistant) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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James "Jimmy" Ryan (born 12 May 1945 in Stirling) is a Scottish former football player. He is currently Director of Youth Football at Manchester United's youth academy, working alongside Brian McClair.
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Ryan started his career with Manchester United in 1963. He made his first team debut in 1966, and helped the club win the 1966–67 league championship and the 1968 European Cup. He played as a right-wing forward, but being in competition for a position with George Best, his appearances were limited. He left the club in 1970 for Luton Town after scoring four goals for United. He played for Luton Town until 1976, when he left to play four seasons in the North American Soccer League with the Dallas Tornado. In 1979, the NASL players decided to strike for better pay. Of the Tornado players, Ryan was the only one to honor the strike.[1] At the end of the 1979 season, Ryan moved to the Wichita Wings of the Major Indoor Soccer League where he finished his career with three indoor seasons.
He managed Luton Town for an 18-month spell in 1990 and 1991 and saved the club from relegation on the last day of two successive seasons. In 1991, Ryan returned to Manchester United as reserve team manager, a position he held until 2000, when he was promoted to coach the first-team. After assistant manager Brian Kidd left to manage Blackburn Rovers, Ryan stood in as Alex Ferguson's assistant from December 1998 until Steve McClaren's appointment in February 1999. Ryan was named as assistant manager again after McClaren left to manage Middlesbrough in 2001, but remained in the post for just one season. From 2002, he was named as the club's Director of Youth Football.
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