Tony Strudwick is an English football coach who is currently employed by Manchester United as the club's fitness coach. Strudwick has a PhD in sports science, which he earned from Liverpool John Moores University.[1]
Strudwick began his football career as a player with Colchester United,[2] but did not make a first team appearance for the club. He gave up playing soon after and moved into coaching. He had previously worked with Coventry City, West Ham United and The Football Association before becoming one of Mark Hughes' first appointments when he took over as manager of Blackburn Rovers in 2004. Strudwick was at Blackburn for three seasons, before Manchester United approached him as a replacement for their outgoing fitness coach, Valter Di Salvo, in the summer of 2007.[3]
In April 2008, Strudwick was involved in an altercation between some of Manchester United's players, including Patrice Evra and Gary Neville, and the ground staff at Chelsea. During a warm-down led by Strudwick, it was claimed by Chelsea's head groundsman, Jason Griffin, that Strudwick had become abusive and foul-mouthed when asked not to warm down in the penalty area. Strudwick counter-claimed that Griffin had been less than polite in asking the players not to warm down in the penalty area, alleging that Griffin was "instantly aggressive" and that he had threatened to "shove the fucking fork [Griffin was carrying a pitchfork at the time] up [Strudwick's] arse".[4]