| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Colin Terence Cooper | ||
| Date of birth | (1967-02-28)28 February 1967 (age 58)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Durham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984–1991 | Middlesbrough | 188 | (6) |
| 1991–1993 | Millwall | 77 | (6) |
| 1993–1998 | Nottingham Forest | 180 | (20) |
| 1998–2006 | Middlesbrough | 158 | (4) |
| 2004 | →Sunderland (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 606 | (36) | |
| International career | |||
| 1988–1989 | England U21 | 8 | (0) |
| 1995 | England | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009 | Middlesbrough (caretaker) | ||
| 2011 | Bradford City (caretaker) | ||
| 2013–2014 | Hartlepool United | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Colin Terence Cooper (born 28 February 1967) is an English football manager and former professionalfootballer.
As a player, he was adefender who notably played in thePremier League forNottingham Forest andMiddlesbrough. He played over 500 league appearances combined for both clubs. He also played in theFootball League for bothMillwall andSunderland. He was capped twice byEngland, having previously earned eight games atU21 level.
Following retirement, he moved into coaching and worked in the Middlesbrough academy, later progressing into the first team before taking charge on a temporary basis in 2009. He later moving toBradford City as assistant manager and then in 2013 becoming manager ofHartlepool United. In 2016 he joined the coaching staff of the England U21 setup under former teammateGareth Southgate.
He played as a centre back, but was equally useful at full-back. He spent the first seven years of his professional career contracted toMiddlesbrough, making 188 league appearances and scoring six league goals in the process. During this time, he helped Middlesbrough throughliquidation in1986.[3]
In the summer of 1991, he was transferred toDivision Two sideMillwall for the sum of £300,000 spending two successful seasons atThe Den.[4]
After impressing several big name clubs, he decided to move toNottingham Forest in 1993 for £1,700,000. It was at Forest where Colin arguably played the best football of his career, his form earning him twoEngland caps in 1995 againstSweden andBrazil.[5]
After experiencing the joys of two promotions and the heart-break of a relegation, "Super Coops" was re-purchased by his first club, Middlesbrough, in a £2,500,000 deal. Many people questioned the signing of the stalwart from Nottingham Forest, but Colin proved to many people that he was more than capable of playingPremier League football. He maintained a consistent level of play throughout the seven years that he spent with Middlesbrough, and could always be relied upon to do a job. He almost gave up the game in 2002 after his son, Finlay, died in an accident at the family home[6] just hours after their victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup.[7] In 2003–04, he spent some time on loan withSunderland. Cooper was part of Middlesbrough's2004 League Cup-winning team. Despite not making the squad for the final[8] he appeared in the earlier rounds.[9]
In 2005, Cooper was awarded a one-year contract extension, which saw him play at the age of 39. His final season with Middlesbrough,2005–06, saw Boro reach the2006 UEFA Cup Final. However, he made just one appearance all campaign, coming on as a late substitute on the last day of the season againstFulham.[10]
Cooper made his England international debut in a 3–3 draw againstSweden.[11] He gained two caps for theEngland national team and made eight caps for theUnder-21 side where he finished runners-up with the U21s in the 1988 Tournoi Espoirs de Toulon tournament.
After he retired from playing, in June 2006, Cooper was officially given a job with theMiddlesbrough coaching staff, as the Reserve team coach.[12] FollowingSteve Round's departure from the club in December 2006, Cooper was promoted to a more active role with the first team.[13] Following the departure ofMalcolm Crosby on 17 June 2009,[14] Cooper was promoted to assistant manager at Middlesbrough.[15] On 22 October 2009, following the departure of managerGareth Southgate, Cooper was appointed caretaker manager at Middlesbrough.[16] However, he was only employed in this position for four days, asGordon Strachan was announced as the new manager on 26 October.[17] Cooper's solitary match in charge was a 2–2 draw withPreston North End on 24 October 2009.[18] In May 2010, Cooper was relieved of all duties at Middlesbrough by Strachan.[19]
On 9 March 2011, Cooper was appointed as assistant to interim managerPeter Jackson atLeague Two sideBradford City.[20][21] Jackson was subsequently appointed full-time manager on 25 May 2011,[22] but he resigned on 25 August 2011,[23] resulting in Cooper taking over as caretaker manager.[24] winning his first game 4–2 againstBarnet.Phil Parkinson was appointed as Jackson's permanent successor,[25] and on 8 September 2011, Cooper left Bradford to rejoin Middlesbrough and take up a coaching role with Middlesbrough's under-18 side.[26]
On 24 May 2013, he became manager atFootball League Two sideHartlepool United, replacingJohn Hughes, who had been sacked the previous month.[27] He named fellow ex-Middlesbrough playerCraig Hignett as his assistant manager.[27] After winning four out of five league games in October, Cooper won theSky Bet League Two Manager of the Month Award.[28]
Cooper resigned as Hartlepool United manager on 4 October 2014, after a 3–0 home defeat byCarlisle United, which left the club at the bottom of the League Two table.[29]
In April 2016, Cooper joinedGareth Southgate's coaching staff with theEngland U21s.[30]
Cooper was a regular guest on the ITV late night football review programmeSoccer Night, which was hosted by Roger Tames. During this programme, three legendary figures, representing one of each of the North-East's top three clubs (Middlesbrough,Sunderland, andNewcastle United), come to the studio and discuss recent footballing events.
In 2006, Colin and his wife Julie, formed the charity the Finlay Cooper Fund, named after his son who died in a tragic accident in 2002, which raises money for children's causes.[31] In 2013, Colin and 12 others (which includedCraig Hignett andJeff Stelling) climbedMount Kilimanjaro for charity;[32] the climb raised £100,000.[33]
Statistics for league appearances only
| Club | Season | League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | ||
| Middlesbrough | 1984–85 | Division 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985–86 | Division 2 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1986–87 | Division 3 | 46 | 0 | |
| 1987–88 | Division 2 | 43 | 2 | |
| 1988–89 | Division 1 | 35 | 2 | |
| 1989–90 | Division 2 | 21 | 2 | |
| 1990–91 | Division 2 | 32 | 0 | |
| Total | 188 | 6 | ||
| Millwall | 1991–92 | Division 2 | 36 | 2 |
| 1992–93 | Division 1 | 41 | 4 | |
| Total | 77 | 6 | ||
| Nottingham Forest | 1993–94 | Division 1 | 37 | 7 |
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 35 | 1 | |
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 37 | 5 | |
| 1996–97 | Premier League | 36 | 2 | |
| 1997–98 | Division 1 | 35 | 5 | |
| Total | 180 | 20 | ||
| Middlesbrough | 1998–99 | Premier League | 32 | 1 |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 26 | 0 | |
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 27 | 1 | |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 18 | 2 | |
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 20 | 0 | |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 19 | 0 | |
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 15 | 0 | |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 158 | 4 | ||
| Sunderland (on loan) | 2003–04 | Division 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Career total | 606 | 36 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Middlesbrough (caretaker) | 20 October 2009 | 26 October 2009 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 050.0 |
| Bradford City (caretaker) | 25 August 2011 | 29 August 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 |
| Hartlepool United | 24 May 2013 | 4 October 2014 | 65 | 19 | 14 | 32 | 029.2 |
| Total | 68 | 21 | 15 | 32 | 030.9 | ||
Middlesbrough
Nottingham Forest
England U21s
Individual
Individual