 Mimms as goalkeeping coach forWest Ham United in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Andrew Mimms[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1963-10-12)12 October 1963 (age 61)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | York, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981 | Halifax Town | 0 | (0) |
| 1981–1985 | Rotherham United | 83 | (0) |
| 1985–1988 | Everton | 29 | (0) |
| 1986 | →Notts County (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 1986–1987 | →Sunderland (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 1987 | →Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 1987 | →Manchester City (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1988–1990 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | (0) |
| 1990 | →Aberdeen (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 1990–1996 | Blackburn Rovers | 128 | (0) |
| 1996 | Crystal Palace | 1 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Preston North End | 27 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Rotherham United | 43 | (0) |
| 1998 | →York City (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | York City | 53 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | Mansfield Town | 45 | (0) |
| Total | 477 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1985–1986 | England U21 | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Andrew Mimms (born 12 October 1963) is an English football coach and former player who played as agoalkeeper.
Mimms' career lasted twenty years, and is best known for his tenure withBlackburn Rovers, where he was a member of thePremier League winning squad in 1995. He also played top flight football forEverton,Tottenham Hotspur andManchester City as well as a spell in theScottish Premier League withAberdeen. Mimms also turned out in theFootball League forHalifax Town,Rotherham United,Notts County,Sunderland,Crystal Palace,Preston North End,York City andMansfield Town. He was capped three times atEngland U21 level.
Since retiring from playing, Mimms has worked as a goalkeeping coach forWolverhampton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers,Oldham Athletic,Bahrain,West Ham United,Blackpool,Bolton Wanderers,Hull City,Jamshedpur,ATK,Bangladesh andSC East Bengal.
Born inYork, Mimms began hisfootball career as an apprentice atHalifax Town.[2] However, he failed to break into the first team and joinedRotherham United in November 1981 for a fee of £15,000. In 1985, he was sold toEverton, who had just won the league title andEuropean Cup Winners' Cup. During the 1980s, Mimms played for no less than eight different clubs, as he went out on loan from Everton more than once. However, due to an injury toNeville Southall, Mimms played in goal for Everton in the final weeks of the1985–86 season. Everton were top of the league for most of the last three months of the season, but were pipped to the title on the last day bylocal rivalsLiverpool. Liverpool won the FA Cup as well that season, beating Everton 3–1 in the final, with Mimms in goal for the losers. He played as Everton shared the1986 FA Charity Shield with Liverpool and won the1987 FA Charity Shield againstCoventry City.[3][4] He was later sold toTottenham Hotspur in 1988, following the retirement ofRay Clemence, and had more first team chances atWhite Hart Lane than he had been given atGoodison Park.
In December 1990,Blackburn Rovers managerDon Mackay signed him for a fee of £250,000 fromTottenham Hotspur making him Blackburn's most expensive transfer at the time.[5] He was signed in the early stages ofJack Walker's backing of Blackburn, and just weeks before Walker took full control of the Second Division club. Blackburn had a slow start to the1991–92 season, and Mackay was sacked in early September, being replaced the following month byKenny Dalglish. Dalglish made several substantial signings during the season and Blackburn reached the playoff final where they beatLeicester City 1–0, ending 26 years outside the top flight. Mimms was one of the players who kept his place in the team throughout the season. Mimms was an integral part of this team. However, Jack Walker was not one to rest on his laurels and after the club's promotion vast amounts of money were spent to recruit the finest talents in the country toEwood Park. Players such asAlan Shearer,Stuart Ripley,Graeme Le Saux andKevin Gallacher were brought to the club and Mimms was a key part of the team which finished fourth in the1992–93 season, just missing out on aUEFA Cup place. In November 1993,Southampton goalkeeperTim Flowers was brought in as the new number one. From then on, Mimms was rarely selected in the starting line-up, his four appearances in the1994–95 season not being enough for a title medal, and in early 1996 joinedCrystal Palace, where he played just once. He then dropped into the lower divisions, playing forPreston North End,Rotherham United, hometown clubYork City and finished off his playing career atMansfield Town in 2001.
Between 2001 and 2008, Mimms worked as goalkeeping coach atWolverhampton Wanderers, before returning to Blackburn to fulfil the same role in August 2008,[6] until he was sacked on 27 December 2012. During the pre-season preceding the 2013–14 season, Mimms was appointed goalkeeping coach atOldham Athletic.[7] In February 2014, he left his role at Oldham to join theBahrain as their new goalkeeping coach.[8] In October 2014, Mimms was appointed as goalkeeping coach atPremier League sideWest Ham United.[9]
After leaving West Ham, he had short spells coaching atBlackpool andBolton Wanderers,[10] and in November 2016, joined the coaching staff atHull City following goalkeeper coachGary Walsh's move toAston Villa.[11] He left the club in January 2017, following the sacking of head coachMike Phelan.[12]
After leaving Hull City, he joinedJamshedpur in theIndian Super League as a goalkeeper coach underSteve Coppell in September 2017.[13] In June 2018, he joinedATK with Coppell as a goalkeeper coach.[14] After the sacking of Coppell, he also left the club after theSuper Cup in April 2019. In June 2019, he was appointed as the goalkeeper coach ofBangladesh.[15] He became goalkeeping coach ofSC East Bengal,[16] but left his role in September 2021.
In October 2022 Mimms signed a twelve-month contract with theFiji Football Association to be the Fiji national goalkeeper coach and to work closely with the other goalkeeping coaches in Fiji.[17] In May 2023 Mimms was head coach of theFiji national under-20 football team at the2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[18][19]
Everton
Blackburn Rovers
