 Maamria acting as coach ofStevenage Borough in the2009 FA Trophy Final | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Noureddine Maamria[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1974-02-18)18 February 1974 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Gafsa,Tunisia[2] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1991 | AS Marsa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1994 | AS Marsa | 28 | (9) |
| 1994–1995 | CO Transports | 12 | (4) |
| 1996 | Burnley | 0 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Glentoran | 7 | (2) |
| 1998–2000 | Doncaster Rovers | 53 | (12) |
| 2000–2001 | Southport | 25 | (3) |
| 2001–2003 | Leigh RMI | 54 | (24) |
| 2003 | Stevenage Borough | 11 | (5) |
| 2003 | Charleston Battery | 9 | (0) |
| 2003–2006 | Stevenage Borough | 84 | (26) |
| 2006–2007 | Southport | 17 | (5) |
| 2007 | Rushden & Diamonds | 4 | (1) |
| 2007 | →Southport (loan) | 10 | (2) |
| 2007–2008 | Northwich Victoria | 11 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | Stevenage Borough | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 326 | (93) | |
| International career | |||
| 1991 | Tunisia U21 | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2007–2008 | Northwich Victoria | ||
| 2015–2016 | Southport | ||
| 2017–2018 | Nuneaton Town | ||
| 2018–2019 | Stevenage | ||
| 2019–2020 | Oldham Athletic | ||
| 2022–2023 | Burton Albion | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Noureddine "Dino"Maamria (born 18 February 1974) is a Tunisianfootball manager and former player who played as astriker. He was most recently manager ofBurton Albion.
Maamria started his playing career withAS Marsa of Tunisia. He left the club in 1994, and spent a season atCO Transports. He moved to England in 1996, and joinedBurnley. Maamria subsequently signed forGlentoran of theIFA Premiership, spending the remainder of 1996–97 season with the club. He joinedConference National clubDoncaster Rovers in 1998, spending two years there. He spent the2000–01 season atSouthport, before signing forLeigh RMI in July 2001. After two seasons at Leigh, Maamria signed forStevenage Borough for a five-figure fee in February 2003. He left the club after making 11 appearances, joiningCharleston Battery of theUSL First Division. He made nine appearances for Charleston, before rejoining Stevenage in September 2003. Maamria went on to spend three seasons with Stevenage. In July 2006, he rejoined Southport, before signing forRushden & Diamonds on a free transfer in January 2007. After being released by Rushden at the end of the2006–07 season, Maamria signed forNorthwich Victoria in August 2007.
He made the transition from playing to coaching and management, managing Northwich Victoria, Southport andNuneaton Town in non-League. During his time as manager of Northwich, Maamria won the Conference Premier Manager of the Year award for the2007–08 season, during which he guided Northwich to Conference Premier safety having been in administration and 15 points adrift of safety at the time of his appointment. In March 2018, he was appointed as manager of League Two club Stevenage, a position he held until September 2019. Later that month, Maamria was appointed as head coach of Oldham Athletic. He has also been a first-team coach and assistant manager at Stevenage,Preston North End,Newport County and Burton Albion.
Maamria was born and raised inTunisia.[4] He is the youngest of seven siblings, having five brothers and one sister.[5] Maamria stated he came from a "poor background",[5] living in a tent until he was four years old.[5] Of his upbringing, Maamria stated — "Yes, I was poor but I loved it and I wouldn’t swap it for the world."[5] He and his siblings would run the 20-mile round trip to school.[5] The family owned two goats, one of which Maamria named 'Gary' after footballerGary Lineker.[5] Maamria's father worked in thephosphate mines.[5] He always wanted to be a footballer since watching the1978 FIFA World Cup in which theTunisian team made their first appearance in the finals.[5] His footballing hero isDiego Maradona, and believes that Maradona is "the best player to have ever played the game".[4]
Maamria came through the youth system atAS Marsa in his native Tunisia, making his first-team debut in 1992. He spent two years with the club.[4] One of his final games for AS Marsa was in theTunisian President Cup Final in 1994, played atStade El Menzah, beatingÉtoile Sportive du Sahel 1–0.[4] Maamria has described it as one of the "proudest moments" of his career, owing this to the match being played in front of the Tunisian President, as well as the stadium being full of spectators.[4] He briefly played forCO Transports, who also played in theTunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1, leaving the club in 1995.[4]
He started his English career withBurnley in 1996.[1] While playing for AS Marsa in an away match against Étoile Sportive du Sahel, a tourist resort in the north of Tunisia, he was watched by Burnley's chief scout at the time,Brian Miller, who was on holiday.[5] Miller offered Maamria a two-week trial at Burnley.[5] After scoring in a reserve match againstBradford City, he earned a short-term contract at Burnley, although he failed to make a first-team appearance for the club after he suffered a broken leg.[1][6] After being released by Burnley at the end of 1996, Maamria signed forGlentoran of theIFA Premiership.[1][7] Burnley caretaker managerClive Middlemass had recommended Maamria to Glentoran managerTommy Cassidy, with the player spending the remainder of the 1996–97 campaign with the club.[1]
Maamria signed forDoncaster Rovers in August 1998.[8] During the1999–2000 season, a season in which Maamria finished as the club's top goalscorer,[9] he was transfer-listed by Doncaster, and subsequently attracted transfer interest fromCardiff City andKingstonian,[10] with Cardiff City making a formal bid for the player, although no move materialised.[10] He was released by Doncaster in June 2000.[11] He joinedSouthport in July 2000,[8][12] making 34 appearances and scoring 12 goals for the club.[13] He joinedLeigh RMI in August 2001,[14] combining playing for the club with a coaching job at his former employers, Burnley.[1] He made 58 appearances and scored 26 goals for the club.[8] He joinedStevenage Borough for a five-figure fee in February 2003.[15] After making 11 appearances and scoring five goals,[16] he joinedCharleston Battery in theUSL A-League,[17] where he failed to score in nine appearances.[18]
He rejoined Stevenage in September 2003 after receiving international clearance.[17] During this spell with the club, he made 96 appearances and scored 33 goals.[16] He rejoined Southport in July 2006.[8]Rushden & Diamonds managerGraham Westley wanted to sign Maamria in December 2006,[19] and Southport denied having received an official approach for him from Rushden.[20] Southport said they wanted an improved offer from Rushden if they were to let Maamria leave.[21] After making 17 appearances and scoring five goals with Southport,[13] he joined Rushden on a one-and-a-half year on a free transfer in January.[22]
Maamria made one appearance for the Tunisia under-21 team in 1991.[1]
Maamria's first experience coaching came at Burnley in the summer of 1997 where he worked as an academy coach to help "find, produce and develop youngsters" within the youth system at Burnley.[23] He helped develop players such asJay Rodriguez during his time there.[23] He gained hisUEFA 'B' licence in 1999 and earned his 'A' licence two years later, both whilst also playing in the early stages of his career in England.[23] In June 2000, Maamria went on a two-week course atLilleshall in order to get anFA coaching badge.[11]
Whilst playing for Conference Premier clubNorthwich Victoria towards the end of his playing career, Maamria was madecaretaker manager in October 2007.[24][25] At the time of his appointment, Northwich were in last place in the Conference Premier having lost 15 of their opening 17 matches to start the season, drawing the other two, and were 15 points adrift of safety.[26] They had also just enteredadministration.[25] On the situation, Maamria stated — "We can't do anything about things off the pitch but we can change results on the pitch. I said to the players there are two things we can do: we can either make excuses and say that we have had financial problems and lie down and die or we can go out and perform and try and beat the teams in front of us".[25] In his second game in charge, Northwich won their first match of the season, a 3–1 away victory at Southport in theFA Cup on 27 October 2007.[26][27]
A month later, on 24 November 2007, Northwich secured their first league win of the season with a 1–0 home victory againstRushden & Diamonds.[28] Northwich's prospective new owners said they wanted to make him the club's permanent manager once their takeover was complete.[29] Following the completion of their takeover on 11 December 2007, he was confirmed as the club's permanent manager.[30] Northwich won six matches out of eleven and went on an eight-match unbeaten run in March 2008.[26] Two victories within the space of three days in April 2008,[26] the latter a 2–1 away win against former club Stevenage, meant that Northwich had secured their Conference Premier status for another year.[31] The survival, achieved with a game to spare, resulted in Maamria winning the Conference Manager of the Year for the2007–08 season.[23][32]
Following on from securing Northwich's safety the previous season, Maamria remained at the club for the start of the2008–09 season.[33] Northwich started the season by losing seven out of their first 10 matches.[33] Maamria was placed ongardening leave for "reasons still unconfirmed" in September 2008,[34] and was subsequently sacked by Northwich "following an internal investigation surrounding his suspension" on 23 October 2008.[35][34][36]
Maamria subsequently rejoined former club Stevenage as part ofGraham Westley's coaching team in November 2008, appointed as the club's first-team coach.[23] Shortly after joining, Maamria recommended Stevenage signMark Roberts, who he had previously managed at Northwich, with Roberts stating he joined the club because of Maamria's belief and desire.[37] Maamria's appointment, alongside a number of new signings such as Roberts andJon Ashton, coincided with an upturn in form for Stevenage, with the club going on a club record 24-game unbeaten run stretching from December 2008 to April 2009.[38] During the season, he was also included as part of the playing squad, helping the club to its first everHerts Senior Cup title in April 2009, scoring twice in the final againstCheshunt in a 2–1 victory.[39] Later that month, he made a 90th-minute appearance in Stevenage's 1–0 victory overEbbsfleet United, in what turned out to be his last professional appearance.[40] Maamria earned his first piece of silverware as first-team coach when the club won theFA Trophy atWembley Stadium, defeatingYork City 2–0 in thefinal on 9 May 2009.[41]
In his first full season back at Stevenage in his coaching role, the clubwon the Conference Premier title by finishing the season as champions and were subsequently promoted to theFootball League for the first time in their history.[42] During the season, Maamria also featured on the bench in Stevenage's match away toEastbourne Borough in March 2010.[43] The club earned back-to-back promotions intoLeague One during the2010–11 season after winning theLeague Two play-offs, beatingTorquay United 1–0 in thefinal atOld Trafford on 28 May 2011.[44] That season, following a shortage of players for Stevenage's match againstLincoln City in September 2010, Maamria was assigned the number 27 shirt and was as an unused substitute in the club's 1–0 victory.[45]
In January 2012, Maamria joined fellow League One clubPreston North End as first-team coach after Westley was appointed as the club's manager.[46] Despite a squad overhaul, the coaching team did not replicate the success that they had experienced at Stevenage, and he left the club in February 2013 after Westley was sacked.[47] A month later, Maamria rejoined Stevenage as assistant manager to Westley, who had returned for a third spell in-charge of the Hertfordshire club.[48][49] During the2014–15 season, Stevenage made the League Two play-offs, losing toSouthend United over two legs at the semi-final stage in May 2015.[50] A week after the defeat to Southend, Maamria left the club alongside Westley when the club appointedTeddy Sheringham as manager.[51] During his time out of the game in 2015, Maamria earned theUEFA Pro Licence, the highest certificate available in coaching.[23] Two months into the2016–17 season, on 10 October 2016, Maamria was once again appointed as assistant manager to Westley, this time at League Two clubNewport County.[52] He left the club when Westley was sacked on 9 March 2017.[53]
Maamria was appointed manager ofNational League club Southport on 19 November 2015, his first managerial role since keeping Northwich Victoria in the same division seven years earlier.[54] He returned to Southport having played for the club during three separate spells in his playing career.[54] Southport were sitting in the relegation zone at the time of his appointment having won three matches out of 20 during the opening months of the season, and were eight points adrift of safety.[54][55] His first match as Southport manager was on 21 November 2015, as Southport secured a late 1–0 away victory overWelling United.[56] Under Maamria's management, the club won eight out of their next 10 matches, also recording a nine-match unbeaten run.[55] Maamria was subsequently named Manager of the Month for December 2015.[57] He left Southport on 14 March 2016, five months after joining, citing "family and travel reasons" as the reasons behind his departure.[58] Southport were in 17th position in the league at the time of his exit, eight points above the relegation zone.[58]
After leaving his coaching role at Newport, Maamria stated he had "plenty of chances to get back into football", but was waiting for the right opportunity.[59] He was named as manager ofNuneaton Town of theNational League North on 28 October 2017.[59] Similarly to when he joined both Northwich and Southport as manager, Nuneaton were struggling in the league, sitting one place above the relegation zone having won just four league matches in the opening2+1⁄2 months of the2017–18 season.[60] Maamria's first game as manager of Nuneaton was a 2–1 away defeat toFC United of Manchester on the same day his appointment was announced.[61] He discussed a need to "manage expectations" given the club's lowly position and highlighted the defence as an area in need of improvement if the club were to start climbing the table.[62] A 2–1 victory over promotion-chasingHarrogate Town on 9 January 2018 served as the catalyst for Nuneaton to produce a 10-game unbeaten run that lasted over two months, conceding six goals during the run.[60][63] At the time of Maamria's departure in March 2018, Nuneaton had moved to within five points of the play-off places.[60]
Maamria was appointed as manager of League Two club Stevenage on 20 March 2018,[64] having previously played for the club and been first-team coach and assistant manager in separate spells.[65] Maamria's first match in charge was a 1–0 home defeat toColchester United on 24 March 2018.[66] He secured his first win as Stevenage manager with a 4–1 home victory over local rivalsBarnet on 2 April 2018.[67] He was sacked on 9 September 2019 after a poor start to the season.[68]
On 19 September 2019, Maamria was appointed as head coach of League Two clubOldham Athletic.[69] On 31 July 2020, after 10 months in charge, Maamia was sacked as manager of Oldham.[70]
On 8 January 2021, Maamaria was appointed as assistant manager at League One Club Burton Albion toJimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The pair oversaw a positive start to their tenure, earning 9 league victories in their first 12 matches, including a 6 match winning streak in February and March to steer the club towards safety and out of the relegation zone. Mammria and Hasselbaink would earn praise for their quick turn around in results given Burton's poor start to the season which included 2 league victories in their first 21 matches, at which point Hasselbaink was appointed manager to replaceJake Buxton.
Following Hasselbaink's resignation on 5 September 2022, Maamria was placed in temporary charge of first team matters.[71] Despite keeping the club in League One, the following season he was dismissed after a six-game winless run.[72]
Dino has since described his time at Burton Albion as a "success".
“I can only look back at my time at Burton Albion as a success. And I look back at the season-and-a-half I had there, they accumulated more points since when Nigel Clough was there in 2019. And, that was their first season back from the Championship.”
“Football is a crazy game… I think if I would have stayed a little bit longer, the club would have been in a much better position last season. And, they certainly would be in a better position this season."[73]
Since being out of work Dino also revealed that he has rejected numerous job opportunities to get back into management.[74]
He also enjoys listening tohip hop andR&B music.[4] During his time playing at Leigh RMI, Maamria also worked as an Ethnic Minorities Development Officer atTurf Moor.[1][75][76]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Doncaster Rovers | 1998–99[77] | Football Conference | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 |
| 1999–2000[77][78] | Football Conference | 35 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 39 | 9 | |
| Total | 53 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 13 | ||
| Southport | 2000–01[13] | Football Conference | 25 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6[b] | 8 | 34 | 12 |
| Leigh RMI | 2001–02[79] | Football Conference | 29 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | 31 | 13 |
| 2002–03[80] | Football Conference | 25 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | 27 | 13 | |
| Total | 54 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 58 | 26 | ||
| Stevenage Borough | 2002–03[16] | Football Conference | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 |
| Charleston Battery | 2003[18] | USL A-League | 9 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Stevenage Borough | 2003–04[16] | Football Conference | 25 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3[d] | 1 | 32 | 13 |
| 2004–05[16] | Conference National | 29 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4[e] | 3 | 33 | 13 | |
| 2005–06[16] | Conference National | 30 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 7 | |
| Total | 84 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 96 | 33 | ||
| Southport | 2006–07[f][13] | Conference National | 27 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2[g] | 0 | 30 | 7 |
| Rushden & Diamonds | 2006–07[81] | Conference National | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1[h] | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Northwich Victoria | 2007–08[82] | Conference Premier | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Stevenage Borough[i] | 2008–09[83] | Conference Premier | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009–10[84] | Conference Premier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010–11[85] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011–12[86] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career totals | 279 | 78 | 12 | 5 | 23 | 14 | 314 | 97 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | Ref | |||
| Northwich Victoria | 19 October 2007 | 23 October 2008 | 45 | 13 | 11 | 21 | 028.9 | [26][33] |
| Southport | 19 November 2015 | 14 March 2016 | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 040.9 | [55][87] |
| Nuneaton Town | 28 October 2017 | 20 March 2018 | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 045.5 | [60][88] |
| Stevenage | 20 March 2018 | 9 September 2019 | 69 | 24 | 15 | 30 | 034.8 | [88] |
| Oldham Athletic | 19 September 2019 | 31 July 2020 | 32 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 028.1 | [88] |
| Burton Albion | 5 September 2022 | 9 December 2023 | 73 | 27 | 17 | 29 | 037.0 | [88] |
| Total | 263 | 92 | 63 | 108 | 035.0 | — | ||
Stevenage
Individual
