| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Robert Purches | ||
| Date of birth | 14 January 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Ilford, London, England | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Newcastle United (first team coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2000 | West Ham United | 0 | (0) |
| 2000–2007 | AFC Bournemouth | 272 | (12) |
| 2007–2010 | Leyton Orient | 122 | (5) |
| 2010–2014 | AFC Bournemouth | 43 | (1) |
| Total | 437 | (18) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2013–2017 | AFC Bournemouth Under-21s | ||
| 2017–2020 | AFC Bournemouth (first team coach) | ||
| 2020–2021 | AFC Bournemouth (assistant manager) | ||
| 2021– | Newcastle United (first team coach) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stephen Robert Purches (born 14 January 1980 in Ilford, England) is the current first team coach at Premier League side Newcastle United.
A former professional footballer, he made more than 400 appearances during a 16 year playing career which included two spells at AFC Bournemouth and as captain of Leyton Orient.
Purches was a versatile performer who could operate across both defence and midfield.
He joined West Ham United at the age of 10 and progressed through the much-vaunted academy ranks, playing in the same squad as future England internationals like Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Frank Lampard, before signing his first professional contract under manager Harry Redknapp.
Although Purches did not make a competitive appearance for the first team, he was on the bench against Steaua Bucharest during their 1999/2000 UEFA Cup campaign. [1] At the age of 20, he was signed by manager Mel Machin for AFC Bournemouth, who were then in Division Two. After the opening game of the 2000/01 season, Purches was already working under his second manager after Sean O'Driscoll took over from Machin, who became the club's director of football.
In his first season Purches was a key player along with former teammate Jermain Defoe, on loan from West Ham, as Bournemouth narrowly missed out on reaching the Division Two play offs, surrendering a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 against Reading with Purches denied a winning goal by a goal line clearance in the closing minutes.
Purches scored his first goals for the club in 2001/02 during a 3-1 home win against Stoke City and a 5-1 home victory against Northampton Town.
In May 2003, Purches scored one of the most memorable team goals seen at the Millennium Stadium as the Cherries triumphed 5-2 against Lincoln City in the Division Three play-off final, ensuring an immediate return to the third tier of English football following relegation in 2002.
In the summer of 2007, after seven years with Bournemouth, missing just three league games, Purches chose to turn down the offer of a new contract to join League One side Leyton Orient on a free transfer. Having grown up watching some of his first football matches at Brisbane Road, he described his move as "like coming home" and was also handed the captaincy by manager Martin Ling.
During the 2008/09 season he scored winning goals away at MK Dons on 27 January 2009 and at home against Crewe Alexandra on 14 February 2009.
After 132 appearances in all competitions, Purches left Orient in June 2010 following the conclusion of his contract and returned to Bournemouth, who had just been promoted to League One, being lured back by his former teammate Eddie Howe, who had since become the manager. [2]
Howe left halfway through Purches’ first season back at Bournemouth to become manager of Burnley, being replaced by Lee Bradbury, as the team reached the League One play-off semi finals.
In January 2012, following a string of impressive performances in central midfield, Purches was rewarded with a new two-year contract. [3]
Just a month later, however, Purches suffered a double fracture of his right leg during a match against Rochdale.
On 19 May 2014, Purches formally retired from playing football due to injury and moved into coaching, taking control of Bournemouth's under-21s.[4]
In 2017, Purches was promoted to serve as a first-team coach under Eddie Howe, before again being promoted to assistant manager in 2020, after Howe left and his successors Jason Tindall and Jonathan Woodgate were respectively named manager.[5] He left the club in June 2021 after the appointment of new head coach, Scott Parker.[6]
Following Eddie Howe’s appointment as Newcastle United head coach, Purches joined his coaching staff as first team coach in November 2021, with Newcastle having recorded their lowest ever Premier League points tally at that point of the season. [7]The team went on to finish in 12th position.
In their first full season at St James’ Park, in 2022/23, the team finished fourth in the Premier League, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since the 2002/03 season, [8] and reached the EFL Cup Final.
