Darren Wassall
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 27 June 1968 | ||
| Place of birth | Edgbaston, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team |
| ||
| Youth career | |||
| – | Nottingham Forest | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1986–1992 | Nottingham Forest | 27 | (0) |
| 1987 | → Hereford United (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1989 | → Bury (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 1992–1997 | Derby County | 98 | (0) |
| 1996 | → Manchester City (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 1997 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 1997–2000 | Birmingham City | 17 | (0) |
| 2000–2005 | Burton Albion | 37 | (0) |
| Total | 213 | (1) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2013 | Derby County (caretaker) | ||
| 2016– | Derby County (head coach) | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Darren Wassall (born 27 June 1968) is an English former football defender who made 177 appearances in the Football League. He was appointed academy manager at Derby County in 2009, and briefly acted as caretaker manager following the dismissal of Nigel Clough. He was appointed head coach again in February 2016 after Paul Clement was sacked.
Career
Wassall began his career in 1984 at Nottingham Forest, where he was a product of the youth system. He failed to win a regular first team place, although he was a reliable stand-in to the likes of Des Walker, and was loaned out to Hereford United and Bury. Despite his limited opportunities Wassall featured in two finals for Forest, winning a medal in the 1992 Full Members Cup 3–2 victory over Southampton (having scored his one and only Forest goal in the semi-final second leg against Leicester City at the City Ground) and playing in the 1–0 defeat in the 1992 Football League Cup Final against Manchester United. He left Forest for Derby County in 1992 in a £600,000 deal amid rumours of a dressing room incident with manager Brian Clough which left Wassall feeling unable to remain at Forest. While at Derby he had loan spells at Manchester City and Birmingham City.
Wassall joined Birmingham full-time in 1997 in a £150,000 deal, although his impact was limited as he struggled with injuries. He retired in 2000 after suffering an achilles injury. However Wassall was able to continue playing by dropping out of the Football League and playing for Burton Albion. He retired altogether in 2005 to take charge of the club's youth team.[1] He scored once during his spell at Burton, in a 4–2 FA Cup defeat to Kidderminster Harriers in November 2000.[2]
In 2009, Wassall became academy manager at Derby County under Nigel Clough's regime. He is still in the position and is responsible for bringing through a number of players to Derby's first team including Mark O'Brien, Callum Ball, Jeff Hendrick, Mason Bennett and Will Hughes. In May 2013, Wassall was rewarded for his work, winning the President's Award at the clubs awards night.[3]
In September 2013, Clough was sacked by Derby County, and his backroom staff sent on gardening leave. However, Wassall remained at the club, continuing his work with the youth academy under the tenure of new head coach Steve McClaren.[4][5] After McClaren's successor Paul Clement was sacked in February 2016, Wassall was appointed head coach until the end of the season.[6]
References
- ↑ Bevis, Gavin (19 January 2005). "Wass Going On?". BBC Derby. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ↑ "Burton 2–4 Kidderminster". BBC Sport. 28 November 2000. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
- ↑ "Keogh Named Club Player Of The Year". Derby County F.C. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ↑ "Derby County set to name Steve McClaren as new manager". BBC Sport. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ↑ "Derby County FC Staff Profiles". Derby County F.C. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ↑ Nicholson, Steve (8 February 2016). "Derby County: Paul Clement sacked". Derby Telegraph. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
External links
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