.jpg) Short withFerencváros in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Craig Jonathan Short[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1968-06-25)25 June 1968 (age 57) | ||
| Place of birth | Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1986–1987 | Pickering Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1989 | Scarborough | 63 | (7) |
| 1989–1992 | Notts County | 128 | (6) |
| 1992–1995 | Derby County | 118 | (9) |
| 1995–1999 | Everton | 99 | (4) |
| 1999–2005 | Blackburn Rovers | 134 | (4) |
| 2005–2007 | Sheffield United | 23 | (0) |
| 2008 | Ferencváros | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 565 | (30) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009–2010 | Ferencváros | ||
| 2010 | Notts County | ||
| 2023 | Oxford United (caretaker) | ||
| 2023 | Oxford United (caretaker) | ||
| 2025–2026 | Oxford United (caretaker) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Craig Jonathan Short (born 25 June 1968) is an English former professionalfootballer who played as acentre-back.
Short was born inBridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, and after attendingAmotherby primary school andLady Lumley's School (Pickering) along with his brotherChris, he started his professional career atPickering Town in the1986–87 season. In October the following year they moved toScarborough together, and in June 1989,Notts County together. However, while his brother was dogged by injury, Craig managed to ascend to greater things.
After four seasons for Notts County he moved toDerby County at the beginning of the1992–93 season. He signed for £2.5million – a record for a club outside the top flight, and the highest fee for a defender at the time. He had been subject of a similarly high bid for ambitiousPremier League sideBlackburn Rovers, but opted to join Derby instead.
He completed more than 100 competitive games for both Derby and his next club,Everton who he joined three seasons later. He left theMerseyside club in 1999, joining Blackburn Rovers for £1.7 million – seven years after they had first tried to buy him.
Short endeared himself to fans as a mainstay in the 2000–01 team which won promotion and established itself back in the top flight.
However, he missed the 2002League Cup final againstTottenham Hotspur through suspension, a match which Blackburn won 2–1. He did gain European experience in the following season, playing two games in theUEFA Cup.
After a 4–0 victory away toBirmingham City on 6 December 2003, managerGraeme Souness labelled Short the "perfect professional" after outplaying City strikerChristophe Dugarry, who was sent off for elbowing Short.[3]
In his final league game for Rovers on 7 May 2005 againstFulham, Short was handed the captain's armband by then managerMark Hughes. However, in an out of character incident, he was sent off for violent conduct against Fulham'sLuis Boa Morte after the Portuguese striker dangerously fouledLucas Neill and Short pushed Boa Morte in the chest. He did however lead the team out for one final time a few weeks later inTony Parkes'testimonial match, who was also leaving the club.
In the summer of 2005 he was allowed to move on toSheffield United and was an important member of United's successful promotion campaign. He signed a one-year contract but only made twoLeague Cup appearances that season. He was released at the end of the2006–07 season and retired from football.[4]
In September 2008, it was announced that Short had joined Sheffield United's sister club,Ferencvaros, as a player-coach toBobby Davison. He played two games for the club, both in theHungarian League Cup.[5]
On 30 November 2009,Ferencvaros officially appointed Short as their new manager.[6] However, he left the club at the end of the2009–10 season because he did not possess theUEFA Pro Licence required in theHungarian top division.[7]
On 4 June 2010, he was appointed as the new manager of Notts County.[8] He was sacked on 24 October 2010.[9]
After a break from football, Short returned as Head of Recruitment for Derby County's academy.[10] In 2013 Short was appointed first team coach at Blackburn Rovers where he had enjoyed a six-year spell as a player.[11]
Short was appointed toDarren Wassall's coaching staff atDerby County for the closing stages of the 2015–16 campaign.[12]
In August 2020, he was appointed as a coach atOxford United.[13] Following the departure ofKarl Robinson in February 2023, he was appointed caretaker manager.[14] Having overseen two matches in charge, he returned to the coaching staff following the managerial appointment ofLiam Manning.[15] He was once again appointed caretaker manager following the departure of Manning toBristol City in November 2023.[16] The U's won 5–0 against Chelsea U21s in theEFL Trophy in the first game of his second spell, with Short giving a debut to 15 year-old Leo Snowden, who became Oxford's youngest ever player.[17]
In December 2025, Short was appointed caretaker manager again, following the departure ofGary Rowett[18]
After retiring as a player, Short began a sailing business onWindermere, teaching sailing to the public and corporate teams, and delivering boats to their owners.[19]
| Team | Country | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Ferencváros | Hungary | 30 November 2009 | May 2010 | 21 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 042.86 | |
| Notts County | England | 4 June 2010 | 24 October 2010 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 044.44 | |
| Oxford United (caretaker) | England | 26 February 2023 | 12 March 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 000.00 | |
| Oxford United (caretaker) | England | 7 November 2023 | 16 November 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | |
| Oxford United (caretaker) | England | 23 December 2025 | 9 January 2026 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 025.00 | |
| Total | 47 | 20 | 9 | 18 | 042.55 | ||||
Blackburn Rovers
Individual
