 Unsworth asEverton caretaker manager in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Gerald Unsworth[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1973-10-16)16 October 1973 (age 52)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Chorley, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back,left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –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) | ||
| 2014–2022 | Everton U23 | ||
| 2016 | Everton (caretaker) | ||
| 2017 | Everton (caretaker) | ||
| 2022–2023 | Oldham Athletic | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
David Gerald Unsworth (born 16 October 1973) is an English football coach and former professionalfootballer who was most recently the manager ofOldham Athletic. Prior to this, he was academy director and under-23s head coach atPremier League sideEverton.
As a player, Unsworth played as acentre-back orleft-back from 1991 until 2009. Unsworth is best remembered for his time at Everton during the 1990s, where he was part of theirFA Cup-winning team of1995 and acquired the nickname"Rhino". He earned one fullEngland cap in 1995. He also played in thePremier League forWest Ham United,Portsmouth,Sheffield United andWigan Athletic, and in theFootball League forIpswich Town,Burnley andHuddersfield Town.
After retiring, he moved into coaching withPreston North End where he was twice appointed caretaker manager. He returned to Everton in September 2013 as assistant to Everton U21s head coachAlan Stubbs, and succeeded him in 2014. He was twice named caretaker manager of the club in 2016 and 2017.
Born inChorley,Lancashire, Unsworth began his career in the youth system atEverton.[3] He made his first team debut in an away game atTottenham Hotspur in April 1992.[3] He made few appearances for the senior side until the appointment ofJoe Royle as manager.[3] Royle made Unsworth a regular member of the starting XI, and he was part of the1995 FA Cup winning team.[3] After 133 league and cup games over several impressive seasons at Everton, Unsworth transferred toWest Ham United for the1997–98 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 hisMerseyside home.[5] Rather than moving back to Merseyside, he was signed byBirmingham-based clubAston 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 the2003–04 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.[citation needed]
On 12 July 2004, he was signed byPortsmouth for the2004–05 season on a free transfer.[7] He made his debut in a 1–1 home draw withBirmingham City, scoring the equaliser from a penalty.[8] He also scored another spot-kick in Portsmouth's famous 2–0 victory overManchester United in October 2004.[9] However, following the resignation of managerHarry Redknapp, Unsworth lost his place having played just 18 games, and spent the second half of the season on loan atIpswich Town, making 16 appearances, scoring on his debut againstSheffield United.[10]
On 22 August 2005, Unsworth was signed bySheffield 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 thePremier League as Championship runners-up at the end of the season. He missed a penalty for United in a 0–0 draw againstBlackburn Rovers on 9 September 2006.[12] Unsworth fell out of favour at Sheffield United under the management ofNeil Warnock, and was placed on the transfer list in the January window.
On 5 January 2007, Unsworth signed forWigan Athletic from Sheffield United on a free transfer.[13] He played his first match on 13 January againstChelsea.[14] On the last day of the2006–07 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 fromrelegation.[15] Unsworth was released by Wigan at the end of the2006–07 season on 17 May 2007.[16]
On 11 August, he signed forBurnley on a one-year contract,[17] scoring his first goal againstLeicester City.[18] At the end of the season, he was offered a new deal as a player-coach by managerOwen Coyle, but he rejected the offer and left the club on 30 June 2008.[19]
On 8 August 2008, Unsworth joinedHuddersfield 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 againstStockport County at theGalpharm Stadium on 9 August 2008. Unsworth missed a penalty in a 2–1 defeat away atMillwall 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.
Unsworth was part of England's U20 squad that finished third at the1993 FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia, scoring the first goal in their 2–1 third-place play-off win over Australia at theSydney Football Stadium.[22] He played for theEngland under-21 team on 7 occasions between 1994 and 1995. He made a single appearance forEngland's senior team, in a 2–1 victory againstJapan atWembley on 3 June 1995.[23][24]
Unsworth announced his retirement on 3 April 2009.[25] After retiring, he joinedPreston North End as development coach. He was promoted to first team coach following the departure ofAlan Irvine, and appointed caretaker manager on 30 December 2010 following the departure of Darren Ferguson,[26] until the arrival ofPhil Brown on 6 January 2011. On the dismissal of Brown and his assistantBrian Horton, Unsworth was appointed caretaker manager in December 2011 withGraham Alexander. On the appointment of new managerGraham Westley, Unsworth was dismissed.[27]
He turned down the chance to manage Irish clubSligo 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 managerDanny 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 ofDavid Weir as club manager, Unsworth was given permission to speak withKilmarnock 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 toHibernian, leaving Unsworth in charge. In May 2016, following the departure ofRoberto Martínez as Everton manager, Unsworth took charge of the final game of the2015–16 Premier League, a 3–0 win overNorwich City, alongsideJoe Royle in a caretaker capacity.[34] He returned to coaching Everton's Under-23 team following the appointment ofRonald Koeman as first team manager. After Koeman was sacked on 23 October 2017, Unsworth again becamecaretaker 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 ofNational League clubOldham Athletic.[37] He lost his first game in charge, a 3–0 defeat atBromley.[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]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Everton | 1991–92 | First Division | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1993–94 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| 1994–95 | 38 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 45 | 3 | |||
| 1995–96 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 1 | 38 | 3 | ||
| 1996–97 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 5 | |||
| Total | 116 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 134 | 12 | ||
| West Ham United | 1997–98 | Premier League | 32 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 41 | 2 | |
| Aston Villa | 1998–99 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Everton | 1998–99 | Premier League | 34 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 40 | 2 | |
| 1999–2000 | 33 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 9 | |||
| 2000–01 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 5 | |||
| 2001–02 | 33 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 37 | 3 | |||
| 2002–03 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 37 | 6 | |||
| 2003–04 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 3 | |||
| Total | 188 | 23 | 17 | 4 | 11 | 1 | — | 216 | 28 | |||
| Portsmouth | 2004–05 | Premier League | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 19 | 2 | |
| Ipswich Town (loan) | 2004–05 | Championship | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| Sheffield United | 2005–06 | Championship | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 4 | |
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 39 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 40 | 4 | |||
| Wigan Athletic | 2006–07 | Premier League | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | |
| Burnley | 2007–08 | Championship | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | |
| Huddersfield Town | 2008–09 | League One | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career total | 449 | 45 | 29 | 4 | 29 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 512 | 51 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| 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 (joint 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 | |||
