 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Graeme Barry Lee[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-05-31)31 May 1978 (age 47) | ||
| Place of birth | Middlesbrough, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Spennymoor Town (manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–2003 | Hartlepool United | 219 | (20) |
| 2003–2006 | Sheffield Wednesday | 78 | (5) |
| 2006–2008 | Doncaster Rovers | 60 | (5) |
| 2008 | →Hartlepool United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2008 | →Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Bradford City | 44 | (2) |
| 2009–2011 | Notts County | 50 | (4) |
| 2011–2012 | Darlington | 24 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Celtic Nation | ||
| Total | 483 | (37) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2021–2022 | Hartlepool United | ||
| 2023–2024 | Marske United | ||
| 2024– | Spennymoor Town | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Graeme Barry Lee (born 31 May 1978) is an English professionalfootball manager and formerplayer who played as adefender. He is the manager ofSpennymoor Town.
He has previously played forHartlepool United,Sheffield Wednesday,Doncaster Rovers,Bradford City,Darlington and also had loan spells with Hartlepool andShrewsbury Town. Lee has won theFootball League Trophy with Doncaster Rovers, and helped both Hartlepool United and Sheffield Wednesday to promotion in the mid-2000s.
Born inMiddlesbrough, North Yorkshire, Lee started his career atHartlepool United. At the age of 17, Lee made his first team debut for Hartlepool as a substitute in a 5–0 defeat toArsenal in theLeague Cup.[3] He formed a strong partnership withChris Westwood as Pools reached the play-offs for three consecutive seasons.[3] In2001–02, Lee won the Player of the Year award.[3] He was a member of Hartlepool's successful2002–03 season which saw promotion to theSecond Division, narrowly missing out on the League championship.[3] Overall, he made over 250 appearances at centre back and also as a striker for Hartlepool, scoring 23 goals for the club.
In 2003, he was snapped up by former bossChris Turner forSheffield Wednesday. He made 67 appearances for Wednesday and scored five goals in his first season and took up the captain's arm band whenDean Smith was injured, this made him a shining light in one of the Owl's worst ever seasons which led to him picking up a fans' player of the season award.[4] Lee started the 2004–05 season in the same vein as he ended the last. Although dogged by injuries at the tail end of the season he was voted defender of the year by fans of the club.[5] Sheffield Wednesday won promotion to theChampionship after defeating former clubHartlepool United in the2005 play-off final, however, Lee missed the match.[6]
"Every single one of the players and staff at the club wants promotion. I've come here to help do that and if I can lift something at the end of the season, it would be absolutely brilliant."
Lee was deemed as not good enough for the Championship following the side's promotion byPaul Sturrock and signed forDoncaster Rovers from Sheffield Wednesday for £50,000 in 2005.[8] He was Rovers' captain. He scored the winning goal in their 3–2 win over Bristol Rovers in the 2007Football League Trophy final at Cardiff'sMillennium Stadium.
At the start of the 2007–08 season, he was ruled out for six weeks with a neck problem, and when he returned he was sidelined for another four months because of a fractured knee.[9] Instead on 14 February 2008, Lee signed for former club Hartlepool United on loan for one-month. Following his return to theKeepmoat Stadium, Lee was loaned out again, this time toShrewsbury Town until the end of the season.[10] He was recalled with two games remaining, after a series of injuries had left Rovers short of defensive cover.[11] In June 2008, after a season in which he was limited to a couple of substitute performances, Lee was released by Doncaster Rovers.
On 30 June 2008, he signed a two-year deal withLeague Two sideBradford City.[12] On 6 August 2008, Lee was made Bradford City club captain for the2008–09 season, taking over fromDavid Wetherall, who had retired at the end of the previous season. At the same time, he said it was his goal to lift the league title.[7] He was one of four Bradford players to make his debut on the opening day of the2008–09 season againstNotts County, which Bradford won 2–1.[13] His first goal for the club came in a 3–1 victory atGrimsby Town on 24 October 2008, having played in all City's opening 13 league games of the season.[14] Two weeks later he added a second goal, helping City to upset League One-sideMilton Keynes Dons 2–1 in theFA Cup.[15] He played in the club's first 34 league and cup games of the season, before he missed his first game in February because of suspension from picking up five bookings.[16]
Lee signed a two-year deal forNotts County joining on a free transfer on 30 June 2009[17]just prior to the infamous takeover of the club byMunto Finance. Lee played an important role as County were promoted as Champions ofLeague Two in 2010 underIan McParland,Sven-Göran Eriksson,Hans Backe,Dave Kevan andSteve Cotterill. He started the 2010–11 season as first choice centre back for yet another new County managerCraig Short but he would not be part of next managerPaul Ince's plans and was made a free agent in December 2010 bringing to an end a memorable 18 months at the club.
Lee then signed for Darlington on a one-year deal on 30 June 2011. Darlington suffered financial difficulties during Lee's time at the club and his contract was terminated on 16 January 2012, along with the rest of the playing squad and caretaker managerCraig Liddle.[18]
However, despite the ongoing financial and contractual issues at Darlington, Lee continued to play on until a knee injury ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
Lee joinedCeltic Nation during the 2012–13 close season break.[19]
In June 2019, Lee was appointed asMiddlesbrough U23 head coach.[20]
On 1 December 2021, he left his role at Middlesbrough to take over as manager atLeague Two sideHartlepool United.[21] On 5 May 2022, with one game left in the season, Lee was sacked as manager of Hartlepool.[22] During his five–month spell as manager, Lee led the team to the semi-finals of theEFL Trophy losing on penalties to eventual trophy winnersRotherham United and the fourth round of theFA Cup losing away toPremier League sideCrystal Palace.[3] However, it was the downturn in form following the defeat to Rotherham that was citing in Lee losing his job with the club only winning once out of their previous eleven games.[22]
On 22 May 2023, Lee was appointed as the manager ofMarske United.[23]
Lee stepped down as Marske manager on 2 January 2024 to take up the role of manager atNational League North clubSpennymoor Town. In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of his fatherTony Lee who had also managed the Moors.[24] Despite a slow start to his tenure in charge, Lee turned around the club's form, leading them away from the relegation zone, earning the league's Manager of the Month award for February 2024.[25] He won the award for a second consecutive month having guided his side to within three points of a play-off place.[26] Despite winning 13 of their final 18 matches, Spennymoor missed out on a play-off finish by one point.[27] On 2 May 2024, Lee signed a new deal to keep him with Spennymoor for the 2024–25 season.[27] In the 2024–25 season, Spennymoor reached the2025 FA Trophy final atWembley Stadium.[28] They lost 3–0 in the final toAldershot Town in front of an attendance of 38,600.[29]
He is the son of former footballerTony Lee.[30]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hartlepool United | 1995–96[31] | Third Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 1996–97[31] | Third Division | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 1997–98[32] | Third Division | 37 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2[a] | 1 | 41 | 5 | |
| 1998–99[33] | Third Division | 24 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 29 | 3 | |
| 1999–2000[34] | Third Division | 38 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[b] | 1 | 46 | 8 | |
| 2000–01[35] | Third Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2001–02[36] | Third Division | 39 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 44 | 5 | |
| 2002–03[37] | Third Division | 45 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 2 | |
| Total | 219 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 252 | 23 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2003–04[38] | Second Division | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3[a] | 1 | 37 | 5 |
| 2004–05[39] | League One | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
| 2005–06[40] | Championship | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| Total | 67 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 75 | 7 | ||
| Doncaster Rovers | 2005–06[40] | League One | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| 2006–07[41] | League One | 39 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6[a] | 1 | 49 | 6 | |
| 2007–08[42] | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 60 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 70 | 7 | ||
| Hartlepool United (loan) | 2007–08[42] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 2007–08[42] | League Two | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Bradford City | 2008–09[43] | League Two | 44 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 48 | 3 |
| Notts County | 2009–10[44] | League Two | 32 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 36 | 4 |
| 2010–11[45] | League One | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 55 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 448 | 36 | 21 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 26 | 4 | 508 | 44 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Hartlepool United | 1 December 2021 | 5 May 2022 | 33 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 030.3 | [46] |
| Marske United | 22 May 2023 | 2 January 2024 | 25 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 036.0 | |
| Spennymoor Town | 2 January 2024 | Present | 96 | 51 | 21 | 24 | 053.1 | |
| Total | 153 | 70 | 33 | 50 | 045.8 | — | ||
Hartlepool United
Doncaster Rovers
Notts County
Individual
Spennymoor Town
Individual
