David Unsworth

David Gerald Unsworth (born 16 October 1973) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of Oldham Athletic. Prior to this, he was academy director and under-23s head coach at Premier League side Everton.

David Unsworth
Unsworth as Everton caretaker manager in 2017
Personal information
Full name David Gerald Unsworth[1]
Date of birth (1973-10-16) 16 October 1973[2]
Place of birth Chorley, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back, left-back
Youth career
0000–1992 Everton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1997 Everton 116 (11)
1997–1998 West Ham United 32 (2)
1998 Aston Villa 0 (0)
1998–2004 Everton 188 (23)
2004–2005 Portsmouth 15 (2)
2005 → Ipswich Town (loan) 16 (1)
2005–2007 Sheffield United 39 (4)
2007 Wigan Athletic 10 (1)
2007–2008 Burnley 29 (1)
2008–2009 Huddersfield Town 4 (0)
Total 449 (45)
International career
1994–1995 England U21 7 (0)
1995 England 1 (0)
Managerial career
2010–2011 Preston North End (caretaker)
2011–2012 Preston North End (caretaker)
2013 Sheffield United (assistant)
2014–2022 Everton U23
2016 Everton (caretaker)
2017 Everton (caretaker)
2022–2023 Oldham Athletic
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

As a player, Unsworth played as a centre-back or left-back from 1991 until 2009. Unsworth is best remembered for his time at Everton during the 1990s, where he was part of their FA Cup-winning team of 1995 and acquired the nickname "Rhino". He earned one full England cap in 1995. He also played in the Premier League for West Ham United, Portsmouth, Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic, and in the Football League for Ipswich Town, Burnley and Huddersfield Town.

After retiring, he moved into coaching with Preston North End where he was twice appointed caretaker manager. He returned to Everton in September 2013 as assistant to Everton U21s head coach Alan Stubbs, and succeeded him in 2014. He was twice named caretaker manager of the club in 2016 and 2017.

Club career

Born in Chorley, Lancashire, Unsworth began his career in the youth system at Everton.[3] He made his first team debut in an away game at Tottenham Hotspur in April 1992.[3] He made few appearances for the senior side until the appointment of Joe Royle as manager.[3] Royle made Unsworth a regular member of the starting XI, and he was part of the 1995 FA Cup winning team.[3] After 133 league and cup games over several impressive seasons at Everton, Unsworth transferred to West Ham United for the 1997–98 season. He made his West Ham debut on 23 August 1997 against his old club, Everton. After receiving an ovation from Everton fans, Unsworth was on the losing side as West Ham lost 2–1.[4] After his family failed to settle in London and only one season and 41 games he asked for a move closer to his Merseyside home.[5] Rather than moving back to Merseyside, he was signed by Birmingham-based club Aston Villa for £3 million but his family did not settle in Birmingham. After only a month, before the season had even begun, citing problems with the lengthy commute from his home, he returned to Everton who paid Villa the same £3 million West Ham had accepted only a few weeks before.[5]

Unsworth was a consistent performer in his second spell with Everton, being first choice left-back, but also scoring some vital goals in his role as dead-ball specialist, mostly penalties.[6] At the end of the 2003–04 season, after a further 216 games and his contract expired, a disagreement with the club over the length of a new contract led to Unsworth leaving on a free transfer.

On 12 July 2004, he was signed by Portsmouth for the 2004–05 season on a free transfer.[7] He made his debut in a 1–1 home draw with Birmingham City, scoring the equaliser from a penalty.[8] He also scored another spot-kick in Portsmouth's famous 2–0 victory over Manchester United in October 2004.[9] However, following the resignation of manager Harry Redknapp, Unsworth lost his place having played just 18 games, and spent the second half of the season on loan at Ipswich Town, making 16 appearances, scoring on his debut against Sheffield United.[10]

On 22 August 2005, Unsworth was signed by Sheffield United on a three-year contract, on a free transfer after it became clear that Ipswich Town could not afford his wages.[11] He was part of the team which were promoted to the Premier League as Championship runners-up at the end of the season. He missed a penalty for United in a 0–0 draw against Blackburn Rovers on 9 September 2006.[12] Unsworth fell out of favour at Sheffield United under the management of Neil Warnock, and was placed on the transfer list in the January window.

On 5 January 2007, Unsworth signed for Wigan Athletic from Sheffield United on a free transfer.[13] He played his first match on 13 January against Chelsea.[14] On the last day of the 2006–07 Premier League season, in a twist of fate, Unsworth would score the penalty that sent down his former club Sheffield United, whilst simultaneously saving his new employers Wigan Athletic from relegation.[15] Unsworth was released by Wigan at the end of the 2006–07 season on 17 May 2007.[16]

On 11 August, he signed for Burnley on a one-year contract,[17] scoring his first goal against Leicester City.[18] At the end of the season, he was offered a new deal as a player-coach by manager Owen Coyle, but he rejected the offer and left the club on 30 June 2008.[19]

On 8 August 2008, Unsworth joined Huddersfield Town on a one-year deal after impressing on trial in their pre-season.[20] He along with five other players made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Stockport County at the Galpharm Stadium on 9 August 2008. Unsworth missed a penalty in a 2–1 defeat away at Millwall on 30 August 2008 and did not feature again. He was released from his contract on 30 March 2009 after making four appearances,[21] and announced his retirement from football shortly afterwards.

International career

Unsworth was part of England's U20 squad that finished third at the 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia, scoring the first goal in their 2–1 third-place play-off win over Australia at the Sydney Football Stadium.[22] He played for the England under-21 team on 7 occasions between 1994 and 1995. He made a single appearance for England's senior team, in a 2–1 victory against Japan at Wembley on 3 June 1995.[23][24]

Coaching career

Unsworth announced his retirement on 3 April 2009.[25] After retiring, he joined Preston North End as development coach. He was promoted to first team coach following the departure of Alan Irvine, and appointed caretaker manager on 30 December 2010 following the departure of Darren Ferguson,[26] until the arrival of Phil Brown on 6 January 2011. On the dismissal of Brown and his assistant Brian Horton, Unsworth was appointed caretaker manager in December 2011 with Graham Alexander. On the appointment of new manager Graham Westley, Unsworth was dismissed.[27]

He turned down the chance to manage Irish club Sligo Rovers in 2012.[28] On 6 December 2012, Unsworth returned to former club Sheffield United as Head of Academy Coaching. Following the departure of Blades manager Danny Wilson in April 2013, Unsworth was named as assistant to caretaker-manager Chris Morgan at United.[29] The following summer, and having reverted to his previous role following the arrival of David Weir as club manager, Unsworth was given permission to speak with Kilmarnock about their vacant managerial position.[30] However, Unsworth rejected the approach,[31] only to subsequently leave the Blades on 1 August 2013.[32]

Since departing Sheffield United, he had been working alongside the Scottish FA as a course tutor and within the Everton academy system. In September 2013, he was appointed as assistant manager of the Everton U21 team, working with Alan Stubbs.[33] In 2014, Stubbs moved to Hibernian, leaving Unsworth in charge. In May 2016, following the departure of Roberto Martínez as Everton manager, Unsworth took charge of the final game of the 2015–16 Premier League, a 3–0 win over Norwich City, alongside Joe Royle in a caretaker capacity.[34] He returned to coaching Everton's Under-23 team following the appointment of Ronald Koeman as first team manager. After Koeman was sacked on 23 October 2017, Unsworth again became caretaker manager of the senior side.[35] On 12 April 2022, Unsworth left Everton in order to pursue his ambition of becoming a first-team manager.[36]

On 20 September 2022, Unsworth was appointed manager of National League club Oldham Athletic.[37] He lost his first game in charge, a 3–0 defeat at Bromley.[38] After a seven game winless run, Unsworth was sacked by Oldham on 17 September 2023. His final game in charge was another 3-0 defeat at Bromley.[39][40]

Career statistics

Player
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[41][42]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Everton1991–92First Division210 00 00 021
1992–93Premier League300 02 0—50
1993–94800000—80
1994–953835020—453
1995–96312201 04[lower-alpha 1]1383
1996–973450 020—365
Total 116 11 7 0 7 0 4 1 134 12
West Ham United1997–98Premier League3224050—412
Aston Villa 1998–99 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Everton1998–99Premier League3413130—402
1999–20003365310—399
2000–012951020—325
2001–02333400 0—373
2002–033351031—376
2003–042633020—313
Total 188 23 17 4 11 1 — 216 28
Portsmouth2004–05Premier League1521030—192
Ipswich Town (loan)2004–05Championship1610 00 00 0161
Sheffield United2005–06Championship3440 00 0—344
2006–07Premier League500 010—60
Total 39 4 0 0 1 0 — 40 4
Wigan Athletic2006–07Premier League1010 00 0—101
Burnley2007–08Championship2910 020—311
Huddersfield Town2008–09League One400 00 01[lower-alpha 2] 050
Career total 449452942915151251
  1. One appearance in FA Charity Shield; three appearances one goal in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  2. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy

Manager
As of 16 September 2023[43]
Team From To Record
GWDLWin %
Preston North End (caretaker) 30 December 2010 6 January 2011 2 0 0 2 000.00
Preston North End (caretaker) 14 December 2011 16 January 2012 5 2 2 1 040.00
Everton (caretaker) 12 May 2016 14 June 2016 1 1 0 0 100.00
Everton (caretaker) 24 October 2017 29 November 2017 8 2 1 5 025.00
Oldham Athletic 20 September 2022 17 September 2023 51 14 18 19 027.45
Total 67 19 21 27 028.36

Honours
Everton
Sheffield United

References
  1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. p. 417. ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0.
  2. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2008). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008–09. Mainstream. ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8.
  3. "David Unsworth | Everton Football Club". www.evertonfc.com. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  4. "23rd August 1997 ON THIS DAY: DAVID UNSWORTH makes his Hammers debut against EVERTON at Goodison Park". whu-programmes.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  5. McFarland, Ben (5 March 2008). "Footballers whose loved ones have told them who to play for". London: www.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  6. "Everton's under-23 squad are buying a house for young homeless people". BBC Three. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  7. "Transfers - July 2004". BBC News. 29 July 2004.
  8. "Portsmouth 1–1 Birmingham". BBC Sport. 14 August 2004. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  9. "Portsmouth 2–0 Man Utd". BBC Sport. 30 October 2004. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  10. "Sheff Utd 0–2 Ipswich". BBC Sport. 5 February 2005. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  11. "Transfers - August 2005". BBC News. 1 September 2005.
  12. Lyon, Sam (9 September 2006). "Sheff Utd 0–0 Blackburn". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  13. "Wigan snap up defender Unsworth". BBC Sport. 5 January 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2007.
  14. "Tactical Formation". Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved 20 January 2007.
  15. McNulty, Phil (14 May 2007). "Sheff Utd 1–2 Wigan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  16. "Unsworth and De Zeeuw leave Wigan". BBC Sport. 17 May 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
  17. BBC Radio Lancashire, 11 August 2007
  18. "Burnley 1–1 Leicester". BBC. 4 December 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  19. "Unsworth Leaves Burnley". Burnley FC. 30 June 2008. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  20. Ltd, Vitalnetwork. "Unsworth Signs Up at Town - VitalFootball.co.uk". Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  21. "Unsworth released by Huddersfield". BBC Sport. 30 March 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  22. "World Youth Cup (U-20) 1993". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  23. "England's last side to reach a World Under-20s semi-final: where are they now?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  24. Doyle, Ian (24 October 2017). "Just who is Everton caretaker manager David Unsworth?". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  25. "Rhino Retires". Everton F.C. 3 April 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  26. "David Unsworth made Preston North End caretaker boss". BBC Sport. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  27. "Preston North End's David Unsworth leaves club whilst Paul Coutts will captain the side". www.clicklancashire.com. 24 January 2012. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  28. "David Unsworth turns down Sligo Rovers managerial role". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  29. "Promotion is the aim". Sheffield United FC Official web Site. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  30. "David Unsworth a candidate for Kilmarnock manager's post". BBC Sport. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  31. "Heartache for Jean-François as United place their faith in youth". Sheffield Telegraph. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  32. "Unsworth leaves Sheffield United". Euro Sport. 1 August 2013. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  33. "Rhino Returns". evertonfc.com. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  34. "Everton 3-0 Norwich City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  35. Hunter, Andy (23 October 2017). "David Unsworth in temporary charge after Ronald Koeman sacked by Everton". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  36. "Unsworth To Leave Everton To Pursue Managerial Ambitions". www.evertonfc.com. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  37. "Unsworth Appointed Latics Manager". www.oldhamathletic.co.uk. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  38. "Bromley 3-0 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  39. "Oldham sack boss Unsworth after winless run". BBC Sport. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  40. "Bromley 3-0 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  41. David Unsworth at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  42. "David Unsworth Profile". Burnley FC. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  43. "David Unsworth's statistics as manager". Soccerbase. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
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