Conor Sellars

Conor Joseph Sellars (born 15 January 1992) is an English football coach and former player who is the under-23 lead professional development phase coach at Hull City.

Conor Sellars
Personal information
Full name Conor Joseph Sellars[1]
Date of birth (1992-01-15) 15 January 1992[2]
Place of birth Leeds, England
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Hull City (coach)
Youth career
2007–2010 Middlesbrough
2010–2011 Rochdale
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Fão 9 (0)
2012–2013 Hallam (9)
2013 Höttur 8 (1)
2013 Harrogate Railway Athletic
2013–2014 Harrogate Town 14 (1)
2014–2015 Worksop Town
2015–2018 Tadcaster Albion
Managerial career
2020–2021 Bradford City (joint caretaker manager)
2021 Bradford City (joint manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Born in Leeds,[1] Sellars, a midfielder, began his youth career at Middlesbrough and Rochdale,[1] before playing professionally in Portugal for Fão and in Iceland for Höttur.[3] He made 8 appearances for 2. deild karla side Höttur, scoring once.[4] He also played non-league football in England for Hallam,[1] Harrogate Railway Athletic,[5] Harrogate Town,[6] Worksop Town,[7] and Tadcaster Albion,[5][8][9] before retiring in May 2018 to concentrate on his coaching career.[10]

Coaching career

He has worked for Bradford City as a youth coach,[11] before being appointed caretaker manager alongside Mark Trueman in December 2020.[12][13] Their first match was a 1–1 draw away at Crawley Town on 15 December 2020, the club's first point in six games.[14][15] The club's CEO Ryan Sparks said that Trueman and Sellars had the board's full support whilst the search for a permanent manager was ongoing.[16] Their second match was a 1–0 victory at home against Cambridge United on 19 December 2020, the club's first league win in eight matches.[17][18] After the result, Truman and Sellars had a celebratory beer, and then spent seven to eight hours the next day planning for the next game.[19] Sellars later said that the players were reacting to the caretaker managers' hard work.[20]

On 28 December 2020 it was announced that Trueman and Sellars had been promoted to 'interim' managers and would remain in charge of the team for at least January 2021.[21][22][23] Sellars later spoke about being in charge for this first transfer window in January 2021,[24] telling players who might have lost their place in the first-team as a result of new signings to continue training and working hard.[25]

In February 2021 Bradford City CEO Ryan Sparks said that Trueman and Sellars were happy with their 'interim' status and were not pushing to be made permanent managers.[26] Later that month Trueman and Sellars were nominated for the January 2021 EFL League Two Manager of the Month award, after 2 wins and 1 draw in their 3 league games that month.[27] Trueman and Sellars were also praised by player Connor Wood for their maturity and detail.[28]

On 22 February 2021 Trueman and Sellars were announced as Bradford City's joint permanent managers, on a contract until the end of the 2021–22 season.[29] They were the youngest managers in the English Football League.[30]

By 8 March 2021, Trueman and Sellars had won 10 out of 15 league games, only losing once, and guided Bradford City from 22nd to 10th in the division.[30] That same day the duo were nominated for the February 2021 EFL League Two Manager of the Month award, after one loss and four successive victories.[31]

In May 2021, after a dip in the team's form which saw them lose 5 matches in a row, Sellars said that he and Trueman would get out of their slump and that they had done their job in guiding the club away from relegation.[32] On 10 May 2021 however, the two managers had their management contracts terminated by the club, having finished the season with a run of just one point from a possible 21 that ended in a mid-table finish. The two were offered alternative roles at the club,[33][34] who were hopeful that the duo would remain.[35] It was later announced that Trueman would stay with the club as a first-team link coach, although Sellars had yet to make a decision.[36]

Sellars left Bradford City on 18 June 2021, after 7 years with the club, although the club said they would still fund Sellars' UEFA Pro (Level 5) license coaching course.[37] In July 2022 he became the under-23 lead professional development phase coach at Hull City.[38]

Coaching style

In February 2021 Sellars said that he is influenced by foreign coaching styles, including the Italian football he watched as a child and the time he spent as a player in Portugal and Iceland.[39]

Personal life

His father is former footballer Scott Sellars.[3]

Managerial statistics

As of 18 February 2023
Team From To Record
P W D L Win %
Bradford City[40] 13 December 2020 10 May 2021 30 13 7 10 043.33
Total 30 13 7 10 043.33

References

  1. Conor Sellars at ForaDeJogo (archived)
  2. "Conor Sellars - Free". footballdatabase.eu.
  3. "TAFC strengthen squad by signing former Middlesbrough midfielder". www.tadalbion.com.
  4. "Conor Sellars" (in Icelandic). Football Association of Iceland. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  5. Grayson, James (11 December 2015). "Tadcaster grab Conor Sellars". Non League Yorkshire.
  6. "England - C. Sellars - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com.
  7. "Non-league football: Conor Sellars delighted with form for Worksop Town". Sky Sports.
  8. "Sellars stays with Tadcaster Albion | Non League Daily".
  9. Grayson, James (23 May 2017). "Sellars agrees to extend Tad stay". Non League Yorkshire.
  10. "BREAKING NEWS | Wizard Waves Goodbye". www.tadalbion.com.
  11. "SELLARS LOOKING FORWARD TO CHELSEA TEST". www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk.
  12. "Stuart McCall sacked by lowly Bradford City". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk.
  13. "Time for McCall-less Bantams to step up, says temporary boss Trueman". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  14. "BANTAMS REACTION: Fighting spirit in Crawley draw pleases caretaker boss Trueman". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  15. "MATCH REPORT: Happier ending to Trueman show as Bantams stop the rot". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  16. "Stand-in duo aiming to keep it simple for Bantams". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  17. "BANTAMS REACTION: Trueman's delight as City get back to winning ways". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  18. "SIMON PARKER'S VERDICT: Dynamic duo put Bantams back on firmer footing". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  19. "Trueman and Sellars transforming Bradford City's mood". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  20. "Players respect our openness and honesty, says caretaker Bantams coach Sellars". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  21. "Bradford City promote Trueman and Sellars to interim bosses". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  22. "Bradford City: Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars will remain in interim charge until further notice". Sky Sports.
  23. "Bantams duo in charge 'until further notice'". BBC Sport.
  24. ""It's not a normal month - but we can make up for the sleep in February"". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  25. "Sellars warns Bantams: Don't get lazy if you're not in team | Bradford Telegraph and Argus". Thetelegraphandargus.co.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  26. "Bradford City management duo remain comfortable with interim position". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  27. "TRUEMAN AND SELLARS IN MANAGER OF MONTH NOMINATION". www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk.
  28. ""It's as if they've been managing a first team for years"". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  29. "Bradford City name Trueman and Sellars as permanent joint managers". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  30. Robertson, Gregor. "The joint managers ready to end Bradford's 'toxic' era of struggle" via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  31. "Bradford City management duo nominated for monthly award again". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  32. ""Our aim was to avoid relegation and we did that really early on. Anything from that was a bonus"". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  33. "CLUB STATEMENT: MARK TRUEMAN AND CONOR SELLARS". www.bradfordcityafc.com. 10 May 2021.
  34. "Trueman and Sellars SACKED as City look to rebuild". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  35. "Bradford City future of former managerial duo to be decided "in coming days"". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  36. "Trueman signs three-year deal to stay at Bradford City in new link role". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  37. "Sellars says farewell as he leaves City after seven years". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  38. "New coaching role for former Bantams boss Sellars". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  39. "The continental influence behind Bradford City coaching methods". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  40. "Player details. Conor Sellars". footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 29 March 2023.


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