| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Paul Morgan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1977-11-09)9 November 1977 (age 47) | ||
| Place of birth | Barnsley, England | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Hoyland Common Falcons | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–2003 | Barnsley | 185 | (7) |
| 2003–2012 | Sheffield United | 247 | (14) |
| Total | 432 | (21) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2013 | Sheffield United (caretaker) | ||
| 2013 | Sheffield United (caretaker) | ||
| 2017 | Port Vale (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Christopher Paul Morgan (born 9 November 1977) is an English former professionalfootballer and footballcoach. An "uncompromising"defender, he scored 24 goals in 491 league and cup appearances in a 16-year career in English football.
He began his career atBarnsley, making his debut for the club in thePremier League in January 1998. Barnsley wererelegated at the end of the season, and he would stay on at the club to make a total of 212 league and cup appearances across six seasons, scoring eight goals. He signed withSheffield United in July 2003 and was soon appointed clubcaptain. He was named the club'sPlayer of the Year in 2004. He helped the club to securepromotion out of theChampionship in 2005–06, though United's stay in the Premier League lasted only one season. He scored 16 goals in 279 league and cup appearances in nine seasons atBramall Lane. He wassent off six times each for Barnsley and Sheffield United, holding the club record for red cards at both clubs.
He retired due to injury in July 2012 and went on to coach at Sheffield United, serving the club ascaretaker manager over two separate spells in 2013. He then joinedChesterfield as first-team coach in December 2015 andPort Vale as a coach in March 2017.
Morgan attendedPenistone Grammar School and playedSunday league football for Hoyland Common Falcons.[2] He began his career atBarnsley, and made his first-team debut underDanny Wilson in a 6–0 defeat toWest Ham United in aPremier League tie atUpton Park on 10 January 1998.[3] He was one of three "Tykes" playerssent off in a 3–2 defeat toLiverpool atOakwell on 28 March after his arm appeared to make contact withMichael Owen's head.[4] He ended the1997–98 season with 11 Premier League and threeFA Cup appearances to his name as Barnsley wererelegated in 19th-place. He played 19First Division games underJohn Hendrie's stewardship in the1998–99 campaign, and was in a 3–1 home defeat toNorwich City on 8 September.
He established himself as a key first-team player underDave Bassett and was named as the club's Player of the Year in the1999–2000 season, playing a total of 45 games, including three appearances in theplay-offs as Barnsley reached theplay-off final atWembley, where they lost 4–2 toIpswich Town.[5][6] He also scored his first goal in professional football in a 3–2League Cup victory overBradford City atValley Parade on 12 October. He made 45 appearances in the2000–01 season. He scored the only goal of the game againstBurnley incaretaker managerEric Winstanley's first game in charge on Boxing day.[7] He was also sent off twice, firstly for a badfoul onBirmingham City'sDavid Holdsworth in a 4–1 defeat atSt Andrew's on 28 August and secondly for aprofessional foul onIan Moore in a 2–1 defeat to Burnley atTurf Moor on 20 January.[8][9] Late in 2000 he was also linked with a move toBobby Robson'sNewcastle United However, this never materialised.[10][11]
He scored four goals in 45 appearances in the2001–02 campaign as Barnsley were relegated in 23rd-place after going through threemanagers inNigel Spackman,Glyn Hodges andSteve Parkin; his goals came in victories overSheffield Wednesday andStockport County and draws with Burnley andRotherham United.[12][13] He also received the fifth and sixth red cards of his career, in defeats away toWolverhampton Wanderers andCrewe Alexandra, leaving him as the club record-holder for red cards.[14][15][16] He scored two goals in 36Second Division matches in the2002–03 season, with both goals coming in a 3–2 home victory overCardiff City on 9 November.[17]
Morgan signed for First Division clubSheffield United on afree transfer in July 2003. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw withGillingham atBramall Lane on 9 August.[18] He was sent off for violent conduct on his seventh appearance for the club, during a 3–1 defeat toNottingham Forest at theCity Ground on 13 September.[19] He scored his first goal for the "Blades" with avolley in a 3–0 FA Cup fourth round win at Nottingham Forest on 25 January 2004.[20] He ended the2003–04 season with 36 appearances to his name, and added to his goal tally with aheader against Bradford City on 20 March.[21] He was voted as United'sPlayer of the Year for 2004 and following the departure ofRob Page in the summer, Morgan was named as the club's newcaptain by managerNeil Warnock.[22][23] He made 47 appearances in the2004–05 campaign, scoring three goals and receiving two red cards. He was sent off once and scored four goals in 42 games in the2005–06 season as United securedpromotion to the Premier League after finishing as runners-up toReading. His fourth goal of the season came on the final day of the season as United celebrated promotion with a 1–0 home victory overCrystal Palace.[24]
Morgan made 24 Premier League appearances in the2006–07 season, scoring once in a 2–1 home win overCharlton Athletic on 2 December.[25] However, United were relegated ongoal difference after losing 2–1 at home toWigan Athletic on the final day of the season.[26] He played 30 games of the2007–08 campaign underBryan Robson andKevin Blackwell, and was twice sent off for receiving two bookable offences in wins overPreston North End andHull City.[27][28] This took Morgan on to six red cards at the club, giving him the distinction of becoming theclub's all-time most sent off player.[29]
On 8 November 2008, during a 2–1 defeat at former club Barnsley, MorganelbowedIain Hume as he was waiting for an aerial ball, and Hume suffered afractured skull as a result whilst Morgan received only ayellow cardcard.[30] Hume underwent emergency surgery and spent 48 hours in the high-dependency unit of a Manchester hospital with life-threatening injuries.[31]The Football Association chose not to charge Morgan asrefereeAndy D'Urso had shown Morgan a yellow card at the time of the incident; this was despiteBarnsley Central MPEric Illsley calling anEarly day motion inParliament for the FA to review their decision.[32] Barnsley and Hume considered taking legal action against Morgan, who described the period since the incident as "a test of character".[33] Morgan went on to make a total of 50 appearances throughout the2008–09 campaign, helping the club to qualify for the play-offs with a third-place finish, However, they lost 1–0 to Burnley in theplay-off final at Wembley.[34]
He featured 40 times during the2009–10 as United finished two places outside the play-offs. He played nine games at the start of the2010–11 season underGary Speed, making his final appearance in professional football in a 1–0 home defeat toCoventry City on 30 October.[35] In July 2012, during the Blades' pre-season tour of Malta, Morgan announced his retirement from professional football as he had not appeared for the first-team for almost two years due to a long-standingcruciate ligament problem and was now an established member of thecoaching staff atBramall Lane.[36]
Morgan was described byThe Yorkshire Post as a "granite-hard, uncompromising defender". In November 2008, he severely injured Barnsley striker and Canadian international Iain Hume with an elbow to the head. Hume sustained a fractured skull and internal bleeding.[37] He was sent off six times each for Barnsley and Sheffield United, holding the club record for red cards at both clubs.[16][29]
Morgan became Sheffield United'sreserve team coach shortly after sustaining a serious knee injury in October 2010. During the2011–12 season, while still a registered player but unable to play due to injury, he led United's reserves to the Central League title. In April 2013, Morgan was appointed as caretaker-manager for the remainder of the2012–13 season after the departure of manager Danny Wilson.[38] Despite United winning Morgan's first game in charge,[39] results did not significantly improve and they failed to clinch promotion, losing toYeovil Town in the semi-final of theLeague One play-offs.[40] Despite publicly expressing his desire to take on the role on a permanent basis, Morgan was overlooked for the post of full-time manager in favour of formerScotland defenderDavid Weir.[41] Weir's brief reign was ended on 11 October, at which point Morgan resumed his role as caretaker manager.[42] He worked as first-team coach under new bossNigel Clough, before going on to coach the under-21 side afterNigel Adkins took charge in the summer of 2015.[43]
On 30 December 2015, Sheffield United announced that they had "reluctantly" released Morgan, and that he would be joiningChesterfield as first-team coach under manager Danny Wilson.[44] Wilson and Morgan were sacked in January 2017.[45][46] He joined the coaching staff atPort Vale two months later, where former teammateMichael Brown was caretaker manager.[47] On 16 September, Brown was sacked following seven games without a win, and Morgan andDavid Kelly were installed as caretaker managers.[48] The duo took charge of four games, before both men left the club onceNeil Aspin was appointed on 4 October.[49][50]
Morgan was appointed inaugural Chairman of the Sheffield United Former Players' Association in November 2015.[51]
In February 2018, Morgan joined a high-profile agencyStellar Group to work as a football intermediary.[52]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barnsley | 1996–97[53] | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997–98[54] | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 1998–99[55] | First Division | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 1999–2000[56] | First Division | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3[a] | 0 | 45 | 1 | |
| 2000–01[57] | First Division | 40 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 1 | |
| 2001–02[58] | First Division | 42 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 4 | |
| 2002–03[59] | Second Division | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 38 | 2 | |
| Total | 185 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 212 | 8 | ||
| Sheffield United | 2003–04[60] | First Division | 32 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| 2004–05[61] | Championship | 41 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 3 | |
| 2005–06[62] | Championship | 39 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 4 | |
| 2006–07[63] | Premier League | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| 2007–08[64] | Championship | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
| 2008–09[65] | Championship | 41 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 50 | 2 | |
| 2009–10[66] | Championship | 37 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 2 | |
| 2010–11[67] | Championship | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2011–12[68] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 247 | 14 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 279 | 16 | ||
| Career total | 432 | 21 | 26 | 1 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 491 | 24 | ||
| Team | From | To | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield United (caretaker) | 12 April 2013 | 10 June 2013 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 028.57 | [69] |
| Sheffield United (caretaker) | 11 October 2013 | 23 October 2013 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 033.33 | [69] |
| Port Vale (caretaker) | 16 September 2017 | 4 October 2017 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 025.00 | [69] |
| Total | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 028.57 | |||
Sheffield United
Individual