| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1970-12-13)13 December 1970 (age 54) | ||
| Place of birth | Portsoy,Aberdeenshire, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984–1987 | Rangers | ||
| 1987–1989 | Aberdeen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1996 | Aberdeen | 201 | (50) |
| 1996–1997 | Coventry City | 39 | (1) |
| 1997–2001 | Aberdeen | 111 | (29) |
| 2001 | →Bradford City (loan) | 17 | (3) |
| 2001–2002 | Bradford City | 45 | (14) |
| 2002–2005 | Nottingham Forest | 86 | (7) |
| 2005–2007 | Northampton Town | 38 | (1) |
| Total | 537 | (105) | |
| International career | |||
| 1989–1992 | Scotland U21 | 9 | (1) |
| 1992–1999 | Scotland | 18 | (2) |
| 1994–1996 | Scotland B | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Eoin Jess (born 13 December 1970) is a Scottishfootball coach and former player.
As a player he was anattacking midfielder who notably played in thePremier League forCoventry City andBradford City, and in theScottish Premier League forAberdeen. He also played in theFootball League forNottingham Forest andNorthampton Town. He was capped 18 times byScotland, scoring two goals. He is ranked 11th on Aberdeen's all-timeappearances list.
Following retirement, Jess spent time as an academy coach initially returning to former club Nottingham Forest before later having a spell withPeterborough United.
Born in the village ofPortsoy inAberdeenshire, Jess began his career in Glasgow as a traineestriker atRangers (alongside future Scotland teammateJohn Spencer)[1] but was allowed to leave in 1987;[2] he soon moved back to his home region, signing forAberdeen. Having made his debut at the end of the1988–89 season, 18-year-old Jess made an impact in the first team from the outset of thefollowing campaign, starting againstRapid Vienna in theUEFA Cup and against Rangers in the1989 Scottish League Cup Final atHampden Park, which Aberdeen won 2–1.[3][4][5] The club finished runners-up in the Premier Division, and Jess picked up another winner's medal as an unused substitute in the1990 Scottish Cup Final.[6]
In1990–91 he scored 13 league goals and linked up withHans Gillhaus to great effect[4][7] as Aberdeen missed out on the title on the final day.[1][8] The strikes including ahat-trick away toDundee United,[9] four away toDunfermline[10] and three across two home wins overCeltic.[11] He won thePFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award for the season. Although Jess played 42 games in1991–92, the season was a disappointment as Aberdeen finished only 6th in the league. He scored in a September victory over Rangers atIbrox Stadium which proved to be Aberdeen's last win at that venue until 2017.[2][4]
1992–93 brought an improvement as the club were league runners-up and reached both cup finals. Jess scored the winning goal in the semi-final of the1992–93 Scottish League Cup against Celtic and played all 120 minutes ofthe final which ended in a 2–1 defeat to Rangers.[12] In March 1993 he suffered a fractured ankle in the quarter-final of the1992–93 Scottish Cup againstClydebank[4][3] but was rushed back to fitness after only two months out[13] and appeared as a substitute inthe final of the competition, which Aberdeen again lost 2–1 to Rangers.[14] Despite failing to win any trophies and missing part of the season with his injury, he won the PFA Young Player award for a second time.[4]
In1993–94 Jess helped Aberdeen to another second-place finish in the Premier Division. He also scored five goals in four matches in theCup Winners' Cup, finishing joint-top scorer in the competition. Thenext season almost ended in relegation for the club and Jess started only 15 league games due to a persistent foot injury.[15] He returned as a regular starter in1995–96 playing in a more withdrawn central midfield role[16] to accommodate strikersDodds,Booth[17] andShearer. He produced an impressive performance in the semi-final of theLeague Cup as Aberdeen overcame Rangers,[2][4] scored a long-range goal in a league game against the same opponents a few weeks later[2][4] and was in the team which won the1995 Scottish League Cup Final, beatingDundee.[18]
Following this victory, he decided to seek a new challenge in his career and requested a move with his contract due to expire.[1][16] As he had impressed in Europe against Italian opposition (Torino),Serie A clubs showed an interest and Jess has stated thatSampdoria were keen to sign him under theBosman ruling at the end of the season,[1] but he was determined that Aberdeen should receive a transfer fee, therefore agreed to a£2 million transfer toCoventry City of the EnglishPremier League in February 1996.[16] He left Aberdeen for the first time having made 253 official appearances for the club, scoring 63 goals, and the transfer fee they received for him was a record amount.
25-year-old Jess made his Coventry debut againstMiddlesbrough on 24 February 1996 and made 12 league appearances in the latter part ofthat season under managerRon Atkinson, scoring what would prove to be his only league goal for the club againstQPR.[19] In1996–97 he played 27 times in the league but only started 19 of those, and scored an own goal in a game againstManchester United.[20] He scored twice in Coventry's run in the1996–97 FA Cup, netting in thethird round game againstWoking,[21] and again in thefourth round victory atBlackburn Rovers.[22] By that timeGordon Strachan had taken over from Atkinson as manager, and in the close season he allowed Jess to leave as he could not guarantee his place in the team. Despite his stay atHighfield Road being fairly brief, he later described the experience as "fantastic" due to the excitement of the games fighting relegation.[1]
In summer 1997 Jess returned to Aberdeen, rejoiningRoy Aitken's side for a fee of £700,000.[1][3] This spell atPittodrie was shorter and less successful than his first, although he did manage a career-best total of 14 league goals in1998–99[4] including on the opening day which was the first goal of theScottish Premier League era.[23][2] He also played in the2000 Scottish League Cup final[24] and2000 Scottish Cup final,[25] both of which ended in defeat.
Having been a regular starter since his return he played less frequently in his final season,2000–01, under managerEbbe Skovdahl. In December 2000 he stated publicly that he may not sign a new contract and suggested that Aberdeen's ambition did not match his own (unaware of the club's financial plight at the time),[1] alienating him from the hierarchy;[26] he soon departed for a second time upon the opening of the winter transfer window, having made a further 126 Aberdeen appearances (31 goals).
Jess returned to thePremier League at the age of 30 withBradford City, initially on loan, and scored on his debut for theBantams on 1 January 2001 againstLeicester City.[27] Bradford wererelegated in last place but the loan move was a success (17 games, three goals), with the deal being made permanent in the summer when Jess's Aberdeen contract expired. In the2001–02 First Division he made 45 league appearances and finished the season as top scorer with 14 goals[1] (including a hat-trick in a home win overWatford),[28] but financial problems meant he was released by Bradford in June 2002 following the collapse ofITV Digital.
He joinedNottingham Forest in August 2002 and in hisfirst season steered Forest into the play-offs in 6th place. However they dropped to 14th the next year and were relegated in2005, and Jess moved on as a free agent.
In July 2005 he signed forNorthampton Town and in hisfirst season with the club achieved promotion from the fourth tier; in April 2007 he was released from his contract withThe Cobblers, aged 36, and retired from playing.[29]
Having represented theUnder-21 side,[30] Jess helped the team reach the semi-finals ofUEFA under-21 Euros in1992,[31]and theToulon Tournament in 1991.[32]
After declining an approach fromNorthern Ireland (his father's birthplace),[1] Jess made his debut forScotland in November 1992 againstItaly.[4][3] He went on to earn 18 fullcaps. As an intermittent member of the main squad, he also appeared twice for theB team in 1994 and 1996.[33]
Whilst at Coventry City he was selected forUEFA Euro 1996, and made one appearance during the tournament as a substitute in a 2–0 defeat toEngland. His two international goals were both scored while playing for Aberdeen, although four years apart: the first came againstSan Marino in 1995, and the second in a 2–1UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier defeat at home to theCzech Republic in March 1999; he appeared from the bench in the return fixture three months later, which proved to be his final Scotland match.
Jess later rejoined Nottingham Forest as a coach for theiryouth team from 2007 until he left the post in May 2012. He also spent time on the coaching staff atPeterborough United, joining in August 2012 to work underDarren Ferguson as a replacement forMark Robson[34] but departing less than a year later, replaced byGary Breen.[35]
In April 2009, at the age of 38, Jess suffered a mild stroke.[36] During further tests it was discovered that a hole had been present in his heart all his life and in 2010 he underwent surgery to correct this.[2]
In 2015 Jess was voted into Aberdeen's 'greatest ever team' by supporters of the club.[37] In November 2018, he was one of four inductees into the AberdeenHall of Fame.[38]
In 2016 he was living inBarcelona.[11][7]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aberdeen | 1988–89 | Scottish Premier Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989–90 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 16 | 3 | ||
| 1990–91 | 27 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3[d] | 1 | 35 | 15 | ||
| 1991–92 | 39 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 44 | 12 | ||
| 1992–93 | 31 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | – | 40 | 16 | |||
| 1993–94 | 41 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4[d] | 5 | 54 | 12 | ||
| 1994–95 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 32 | 3 | |||
| Total | 201 | 50 | 17 | 3 | 25 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 253 | 63 | ||
| Coventry City | 1995–96 | Premier League | 12 | 1 | – | – | – | 12 | 1 | |||
| 1996–97 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 32 | 2 | |||
| Total | 39 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 44 | 3 | |||
| Aberdeen | 1997–98 | Scottish Premier Division | 35 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 39 | 10 | |
| 1998–99 | Scottish Premier League | 36 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 39 | 14 | ||
| 1999–2000 | 26 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | 34 | 6 | |||
| 2000–01 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Total | 111 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 127 | 31 | ||
| Bradford City (loan) | 2000–01 | Premier League | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 3 | ||
| Bradford City | 2001–02 | First Division | 45 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 48 | 14 | |
| Total | 62 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 66 | 17 | |||
| Nottingham Forrest | 2002–03 | First Division | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 33 | 3 | |
| 2003–04 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 36 | 2 | |||
| 2004–05 | Championship | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 24 | 2 | ||
| Total | 86 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | 93 | 7 | |||
| Northampton Town | 2005–06 | League Two | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 18 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | League One | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 30 | 1 | ||
| Total | 38 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 48 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 537 | 105 | 36 | 6 | 47 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 631 | 122 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 2 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1997 | — | ||
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 18 | 2 | |
Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jess goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 November 1995 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, Scotland | San Marino | 1–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifying |
| 2 | 31 March 1999 | Celtic Park,Glasgow, Scotland | Czech Republic | 1-2 | 1-2 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qualifying |
 | ||