Gavin Strachan
Personal information
Full name Gavin David Strachan[1]
Date of birth (1978-12-23) 23 December 1978 (age 45)
Place of birth Aberdeen, Scotland
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Celtic (first team coach)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2003 Coventry City 16 (0)
1999 → Dundee (loan) 6 (0)
2002 → Motherwell (loan) 0 (0)
2003 Peterborough United 2 (0)
2003 Southend United 7 (0)
2003–2007 Hartlepool United 79 (7)
2005 → Stockport County (loan) 4 (0)
2007 → Peterborough United (loan) 2 (0)
2007–2008 Peterborough United 17 (3)
2008–2009 Notts County 25 (1)
2009–2010 Corby Town 13 (2)
2010–2011 Hinckley United 24 (4)
2011 St Neots Town 1 (0)
Total 195 (17)
International career
1998 Scotland U21 8 (0)
Managerial career
2014–2015 Ilkeston
2015–2018 Doncaster Rovers (assistant manager)
2018–2020 Peterborough United (assistant manager)
2020– Celtic (first team coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gavin David Strachan (born 23 December 1978) is a Scottish professional association football coach, and former player and sports journalist. He is currently a first team coach at Scottish Premiership club Celtic, and he was assistant manager at Doncaster Rovers from 2015 to 2018, then Peterborough United until 2020. He is the son of former manager and player Gordon Strachan, and the father of player Luke Strachan.

Spending most of his early years with Coventry City, Strachan has played for ten different senior clubs, and is a self-described journeyman.[3] He was capped eight times for the Scotland U21 national team.[4]

As part of a degree in sports journalism at Staffordshire University Strachan wrote a blog for BBC News 2008–2009.[5]

Playing career

Strachan was born in Aberdeen. He began his football career at Coventry City where his father, Gordon Strachan, had taken over as player-manager in 1996. He was loaned out to Dundee in 1998, making nine appearances. Back at Coventry he played in sixteen league games, eleven of them as a substitute;[6] he left soon after the senior Strachan stepped down as manager in late 2001. He scored once during his spell at Coventry; scoring a penalty against Preston North End in the League Cup.[7]

In March 2003 Strachan joined Peterborough United, in a loan deal scheduled for the remainder of the season.[8] He joined Southend on a free transfer shortly afterwards however, but was released by the club six weeks later, at the end of 2002/03.[9] He then moved to Hartlepool United on a free transfer. He enjoyed more success here and managed to play regular first team football for three seasons, appearing in seventy-eight matches and scoring seven. During this, the most successful spell of his playing career, Strachan was pencilled into the Scotland international squad, but the call for his first full international cap never came.

During the 2005–06 season, Strachan missed a large amount of the season after fracturing a foot against Blackpool. Despite the injury, he managed to complete the match. After recovering, he was loaned out to Stockport County in his third season at Hartlepool.

In the 2006–07 season, Strachan saw limited selection by new Pools boss Danny Wilson after the signings of Gary Liddle and Willie Boland. He consequently signed for Peterborough United initially on loan in January 2007, before making the move permanent just two days before the close of the January transfer window.[10]

Strachan signed for Notts County on 10 January 2008 after his release from Peterborough United.[11] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 victory against Exeter City on 10 January 2009.[12]

On 30 April 2009, Notts County announced that five players would be released from the club at the end of the season, Strachan being among them.[13] He subsequently joined Corby Town F.C. on 24 July 2009.[14]

In June 2010, Strachan signed a one-year deal with Hinckley United[15] Strachan joined United Counties League side St Neots Town in March 2011[16] scoring on his debut in the UCL cup. St Neots were later investigated as Strachan's registration papers had been delayed.[17]

Coaching career

In July 2011, Strachan returned to Peterborough United as youth team coach, replacing David Oldfield who departed to take up a similar role with West Bromwich Albion.[5] Strachan was subsequently promoted to a first team coach position with Peterborough.[18]

In June 2015, Strachan was appointed the new manager of Ilkeston, his first managerial job, after Kevin Wilson left the club to manage National League North side Nuneaton Town.[19]

On 16 October 2015, Strachan became assistant manager to Darren Ferguson at Doncaster Rovers.[18]

On 26 January 2019, Strachan became assistant manager to Darren Ferguson at Peterborough United after the dismissal of Steve Evans and Paul Raynor.[20]

On 22 June 2020 Strachan became the first team coach at Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Strachan had to manage the first team for two games due to an outbreak of COVID-19 throughout the Celtic squad in January 2021.

International career

Strachan received eight caps for the Scotland U21 national team, though he had no appearances for the senior team.[4] His first call-up was in a friendly against Denmark in March 1998.[21]

Media

In September 2008, Strachan began writing a blog for the BBC News site to help his degree in Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting at Staffordshire University.[3]

Career statistics

Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Coventry City 1997–98 Premier League 9 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
1998–99 Premier League 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
1999–00 Premier League 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0
2000–01 Premier League 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 3 1
2001–02 Division One 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2002–03 Division One 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 15 0 4 0 4 1 0 0 23 1
Dundee (loan) 1998–99 Scottish Premiership 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Peterborough United (loan) 2002–03 Division Two 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Southend United 2002–03 Division Three 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Hartlepool United 2003–04 Division Two 36 5 3 0 2 0 1 0 42 5
2004–05 League One 30 1 2 0 2 0 4 1 38 2
2005–06 League One 9 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 10 1
2006–07 League Two 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 0
Total 79 7 5 0 5 0 6 1 95 8
Stockport County (loan) 2005–06 League Two 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Peterborough United 2006–07 League Two 16 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 18 2
2007–08 League Two 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 6 0
Total 19 2 2 0 1 0 2 0 24 2
Notts County 2007–08 League Two 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
2008–09 League Two 18 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 19 1
Total 25 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 26 1
Career total 157 10 12 0 10 1 8 1 187 12

References

  1. ^ "Gavin Strachan". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Gavin Strachan Midfielder, Profile & Stats | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Welcome to the Gavin Strachan blog". BBC Sport. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
  4. ^ a b Strachan, Gavin (2 April 2009). "Remembering my international heyday". Gavin Strachan's blog. BBC News. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  5. ^ a b Waddell, Gordon (2 June 2012). "Gavin Strachan: I never dreamed I'd follow my dad Gordon into the world of management". Daily Record.
  6. ^ Herringshaw, George. "Gavin Strachan". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  7. ^ "Preston 1–3 Coventry". BBC Sport. 19 September 2000. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  8. ^ "Strachan joins Posh". BBC Sport. 14 March 2003. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  9. ^ "Southend release Strachan". BBC Sport. 7 May 2003. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  10. ^ "Posh seal permanent Strachan deal". BBC Sport. 29 January 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  11. ^ "Strachan completes County switch". BBC Sport. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  12. ^ "Notts County vs Exeter City". Notts County FC & FL Interactive Ltd 1997–2008. 10 January 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
  13. ^ "Notts County let five players go". Sport – Football. BBC News. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  14. ^ "Strachan move confirmed". Corby Town F.C. 24 July 2009. Archived from the original on 12 August 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  15. ^ "Strachan signs for Hinckley". Hinckley United Official site. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  16. ^ "Strachan signs for St Neots". Hunts Post. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  17. ^ "Neots Face UCL Cup expulsion". Hunts Post. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  18. ^ a b "Ferguson and Strachan to work together at Doncaster". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. 16 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Ilkeston FC set to appoint Gavin Strachan as head coach". www.ilkestonfc.co.uk.
  20. ^ "Ferguson Appointed As Manager Until End Of Season". theposh.com. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  21. ^ Buckland, Simon (25 March 1998). "Young Dane a class apart". Sport – Football. London: The Independent. Retrieved 30 April 2009.

External links

Ilkeston F.C. – managers
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