 John in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stern John[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1976-10-30)30 October 1976 (age 49)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Saint Lucia (manager) | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995 | Mercer County Vikings | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996 | Malta Carib Alcons | 7 | (1) |
| 1997 | Carolina Dynamo | 5 | (0) |
| 1997 | New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers | 26 | (16) |
| 1998–1999 | Columbus Crew | 55 | (44) |
| 1999–2002 | Nottingham Forest | 72 | (18) |
| 2002–2004 | Birmingham City | 77 | (16) |
| 2004–2007 | Coventry City | 78 | (26) |
| 2005 | →Derby County (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2007 | Sunderland | 16 | (5) |
| 2007–2009 | Southampton | 47 | (19) |
| 2008–2009 | →Bristol City (loan) | 24 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | Crystal Palace | 16 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | →Ipswich Town (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | North East Stars | ||
| 2012 | Solihull Moors | ||
| 2014 | WASA FC | ||
| 2017–2018 | Central F.C. | ||
| Total | 437 | (150) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995–2011[2] | Trinidad and Tobago | 115 | (70) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2017–2020 | Central F.C. | ||
| 2020–2022 | Anguilla | ||
| 2022– | Saint Lucia | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stern John (born 30 October 1976) is a Trinidadianfootballmanager and former player who is currently[when?] managingSaint Lucia. He managed Anguilla from 2020 to 2022. He previously played for a number of American and English football clubs that includedColumbus Crew,Nottingham Forest,Birmingham City,Coventry City,Derby County,Sunderland,Southampton,Bristol City,Crystal Palace andIpswich Town. He is theall-time Central American/Caribbean men's top goal scorer in international football with 70 goals.
John was born inTunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago,[1] to a sporting family that included several professional footballers and cricket players. He played on the Trinidad and Tobago cricket youth national team until age 16, when he switched to playing soccer full-time.[3] John moved to the United States in 1995 to attend New Jersey'sMercer County Community College.[4] He had been recruited in Trinidad by the college's head coach,Charlie Inverso, who had previously sought international talent.[5] John led the Mercer County Vikings to the 1995NJCAA soccer championship and scored 27 goals, including one in the final againstYavapai College.[6][7]
He made his professional debut for theCarolina Dynamo of theA-League, the second division of U.S. club soccer, in April 1997 while on loan from theTrinidad and Tobago Football Association.[8] John was traded to theNew Orleans Riverboat Gamblers forJamie Wellington a month later, having not scored a goal in five appearances for Carolina.[9][10] With New Orleans, where he was paired with fellow Trinidadian forwardMickey Trotman, John scored 16 goals in 21 appearances and was named Rookie of the Year.[11][12]
John was invited by theNew England Revolution to their 1998 preseason camp, but was not retained after his trial. Following the1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he scored two goals, John was invited for a walk-on trial by theColumbus Crew.[10] His second cousinAnsil Elcock, a fellow Trinidad and Tobago international who had been signed by the Crew,[13] had recommended John to head coachTom Fitzgerald.[3] Following a successful trial, John was signed and made hisMajor League Soccer debut on 29 March 1998 against theDallas Burn, where he replaced Elcock but failed to score.[14] He scored his first MLS goal in his fifth appearance, a 5–1 victory over theMiami Fusion, and ended the match with ahat-trick and an assist.[15] John ended his rookie MLS season as theleague scoring champion with 26 goals in 27 matches and a place in theMLS Best XI.[16][17] He was the first MLS player to score three hat-tricks in a single season, including 16 goals in a span of 12 matches.[18][19]
He scored 18 goals in the 1999 season, tied for the league's scoring leaderboard,[16] and attracted interest from European clubs but declined a mid-season transfer.[3] He ended his MLS career with 44 goals in 55 matches.[20]
After the 1999 season with Columbus, John was acquired byNottingham Forest of the English First Division for a fee of £1.5 million. However, eventual financial difficulties at Forest following the team's failed bid at promotion forced John's sale toBirmingham City in February 2002, then pushing for promotion to thePremier League, for the sum of £100,000. John scored 18 goals in 49 starts for Forest.
At Birmingham, John scored nine goals in 60 Premier League appearances in two full seasons and was effective with his hold up play and also had some memorable moments in the blue shirt of Birmingham, such as his turn and finish away at West Ham in 2002; his last minute equaliser at Villa Park in the Birmingham derby; and his last minute goal away at Millwall which put Birmingham through to the Playoff Final in 2002.[21] He then scored one of the penalties in the play-off final shootout to help them get promoted to the Premier League.[22] Popular with the Birmingham fans for his goals,[23] he nonetheless fell out of favour with management, and was sold toCoventry City on 14 September 2004.
In his first season with Coventry, John finished second in team scoring with 12 goals despite starting in barely half of Coventry's games.
At the start of the2005–06 season, following the signing ofJames Scowcroft, John found himself outside of managerMicky Adams's first-team plans. As a result, he was loaned toDerby County on 16 September 2005. He rejoined Coventry three months later.
On 29 January 2007, John was transferred toSunderland for an undisclosed fee. The signing was Sunderland managerRoy Keane's sixth signing of the2006–07 season January transfer window. He scored his first goals againstSouthend United in a 4–0 victory on 17 February 2007.
On 29 August 2007, John moved toSouthampton as part of a deal that took his international teammateKenwyne Jones in the opposite direction.[24][25]
He scored his first goals with two in a 3–2 win againstWest Bromwich Albion on 6 October 2007. From then on he scored regularly for "The Saints", with nine goals in his first fifteen appearances, including a second halfhat trick againstHull City on 8 December 2007.[26] He finished the 2007–08 season fourth highest scorer in the Championship with 19 goals for Southampton. (He had also scored once for Sunderland in thePremier League prior to his transfer.) Before being sent off for a second bookable offence, John scored two goals, including the match winner, in Southampton's final game of the season againstSheffield United, as the Saints narrowly avoided relegation to League One.
John was loaned toBristol City in October 2008 until the end of the 2008–09 season.[27] John made his first Bristol City appearance, coming on as a substitute, againstBarnsley in a 0–0 draw. John scored his first goal for Bristol City in a 4–1 defeat toReading atAshton Gate Stadium on 1 November 2008.
On 29 July 2009, John signed forCrystal Palace on a year-long deal after turning down an offer to stay at Southampton.[28] He made his debut on the opening day of the season againstPlymouth Argyle, he had to come off after 35 minutes due to an injury. He returned in mid-October, but joinedIpswich Town on a one-month loan at the end of November. He scored his first goal for Ipswich in a 3–2 win over Coventry City on 16 January 2010.[29] Upon his return to Palace he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win at Watford on 30 March 2010.[30] New Palace managerGeorge Burley had hoped to discuss the player's future at the end of the season, but no discussion occurred, and John left the club.[31]
In August 2012, after two seasons out of English football, John returned, signing forSolihull Moors.[32] He did not make an appearance in any competition for the club.
John retired and moved back to his nativeTrinidad and Tobago after his spell at Solihull Moors. He came out of retirement a second time in order to joinWASA FC of theNational Super League of Trinidad and Tobago in January 2014. He scored on his debut[33]
John came out of retirement once again in 2016 when he was appointed as player-coach ofCentral F.C. in theTT Pro League.[34]
John made his international debut forTrinidad and Tobago national team on 15 February 1995 againstFinland in afriendly at theQueen's Park Oval, scoring one goal on his debut. He was a vital player for the "Soca Warriors" and remains the team's all-time leading scorer with 70 goals in 115 caps. He was also the7th highest international goalscorer at the time of his retirement in 2011. He is also the all-time top CONCACAF goal scorer.
John was instrumental in helping his country qualify for the2006 FIFA World Cup and played in all three of his country's World Cup group matches at Germany 2006. In Germany, he scored an offside goal. He was also namedTrinidad and Tobago Football Federation Player of the Year in 2002. John is currently the second most capped Trinidad and Tobago international behind former teammateAngus Eve. He was the only player to score in 12 consecutive international matches, from 1998 to 1999.
On 9 November 2020, John become the new manager of theAnguilla national team.[35] On 23 May 2022, theSaint Lucia Football Association announced that John had taken over as head coach of theSaint Lucia national team.[36][37]
As a member ofthe squad that competed at the2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, John was awarded theChaconia Medal (Gold Class), the second higheststate decoration of Trinidad and Tobago.[38]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Columbus Crew | 1998[39][40] | Major League Soccer | 27 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 30 |
| 1999[39][41] | Major League Soccer | 28 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 25 | |
| Total | 55 | 44 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 75 | 58 | ||
| Nottingham Forest | 1999–2000[42] | First Division | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 3 | ||
| 2000–01[43] | First Division | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 32 | 3 | ||
| 2001–02[44][45] | First Division | 26 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 28 | 14 | ||
| Total | 72 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | 80 | 20 | |||
| Birmingham City | 2001–02[44] | First Division | 15 | 7 | — | — | 3[c] | 1 | 18 | 8 | ||
| 2002–03[46] | Premier League | 30 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | 32 | 9 | ||
| 2003–04[47] | Premier League | 29 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 4 | ||
| 2004–05[48] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 77 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 85 | 21 | ||
| Coventry City | 2004–05[48] | Championship | 30 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 12 | |
| 2005–06[49] | Championship | 25 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 11 | ||
| 2006–07[50] | Championship | 23 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 6 | ||
| Total | 78 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 88 | 29 | |||
| Derby County (loan) | 2005–06[49] | Championship | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Sunderland | 2006–07[50] | Championship | 15 | 4 | — | — | — | 15 | 4 | |||
| 2007–08[51] | Premier League | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| Total | 16 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 5 | ||||
| Southampton | 2007–08[51] | Championship | 40 | 19 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 19 | ||
| 2008–09[52] | Championship | 7 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Total | 47 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 52 | 20 | |||
| Bristol City (loan) | 2008–09[52] | Championship | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 2009–10[53] | Championship | 16 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 2 | ||
| Ipswich Town (loan) | 2009–10[53] | Championship | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 399 | 133 | 26 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 454 | 158 | ||
Source:[54]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1995 | 2 | 1 |
| 1996 | 8 | 5 | |
| 1997 | 2 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 11 | 13 | |
| 1999 | 8 | 9 | |
| 2000 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 18 | 9 | |
| 2002 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 5 | 5 | |
| 2004 | 11 | 10 | |
| 2005 | 20 | 9 | |
| 2006 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2008 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 115 | 70 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 February 1995 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Finland | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 March 1996 | Miami, United States |  Haiti | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 2 June 1996 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Martinique | 2–1 | 1996 Caribbean Cup[a] |
| 4 | 23 June 1996 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Dominican Republic | 8–0 | 1998 World Cup qualifier |
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | 18 December 1997 | Fort-de-France, Martinique | Martinique | 2–3 | Friendly[a] |
| 8 | 4 January 1998 | Bridgetown, Barbados |  Barbados | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 1 February 1998 | Oakland, United States |  Honduras | 3–1 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 10 | |||||
| 11 | 22 July 1998 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Antigua and Barbuda | 3–2 | 1998 Caribbean Cup |
| 12 | 24 July 1998 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Martinique | 2–1 | 1998 Caribbean Cup[a] |
| 13 | |||||
| 14 | 26 July 1998 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Dominica | 8–0 | 1998 Caribbean Cup |
| 15 | |||||
| 16 | |||||
| 17 | |||||
| 18 | 29 July 1998 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Haiti | 4–1 | 1998 Caribbean Cup |
| 19 | |||||
| 20 | 31 July 1998 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Jamaica | 1–2 | 1998 Caribbean Cup |
| 21 | 28 March 1999 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Jamaica | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 22 | 6 May 1999 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  South Africa | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 23 | 3 June 1999 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Jamaica | 1–0 | 1999 Caribbean Cup |
| 24 | 11 June 1999 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Haiti | 6–1 | 1999 Caribbean Cup |
| 25 | 13 June 1999 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Cuba | 2–1 | 1999 Caribbean Cup |
| 26 | 8 September 1999 | Miami, United States |  Colombia | 4–3 | Friendly |
| 27 | |||||
| 28 | |||||
| 29 | 17 November 1999 | Tegucigalpa, Honduras | Honduras | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 30 | |||||
| 31 | 25 February 2001 | Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands |  Cayman Islands | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 32 | 15 May 2001 | Malabar, Trinidad and Tobago | Barbados | 5–0 | 2001 Caribbean Cup |
| 33 | |||||
| 34 | 22 May 2001 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Cuba | 2–0 | 2001 Caribbean Cup |
| 35 | 16 June 2001 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Honduras | 2–4 | 2002 World Cup qualifier |
| 36 | 23 June 2001 | Prospect, Bermuda |  Bermuda | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 37 | |||||
| 38 | 30 June 2001 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Jamaica | 1–2 | 2002 World Cup qualifier |
| 39 | 7 October 2001 | San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Honduras | 1–0 | 2002 World Cup qualifier |
| 40 | 20 January 2002 | Miami, United States |  Costa Rica | 1–1 | 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 41 | 26 March 2003 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Antigua and Barbuda | 2–0 | 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifier |
| 42 | 28 March 2003 | Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago |  Guadeloupe | 1–0 | 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifier[a] |
| 43 | 30 March 2003 | Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago | Cuba | 1–3 | 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifier |
| 44 | 3 July 2003 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Venezuela | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 45 | |||||
| 46 | 31 March 2004 | Cairo, Egypt |  Egypt | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 47 | 23 May 2004 | West Bromwich, England |  Iraq | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 48 | |||||
| 49 | 30 May 2004 | Edinburgh, Scotland |  Scotland | 1–4 | Friendly |
| 50 | 13 June 2004 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | 4–0 | 2006 World Cup qualifier |
| 51 | |||||
| 52 | 4 September 2004 | Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2–1 | 2006 World Cup qualifier |
| 53 | 8 September 2004 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Mexico | 1–3 | 2006 World Cup qualifier |
| 54 | 13 June 2004 | Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 5–1 | 2006 World Cup qualifier |
| 55 | |||||
| 56 | 3 February 2005 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Haiti | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 57 | 25 May 2005 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Bermuda | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 58 | 27 May 2005 | Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago | Bermuda | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 59 | 4 June 2005 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Panama | 2–0 | 2006 World Cup qualifier |
| 60 | 3 September 2005 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Guatemala | 3–2 | 2006 World Cup qualifier |
| 61 | |||||
| 62 | 8 October 2005 | Panama City, Panama | Panama | 1–0 | 2006 World Cup qualifier |
| 63 | 12 October 2005 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | Mexico | 2–1 | 2006 World Cup qualifier |
| 64 | |||||
| 65 | 27 May 2006 | Graz, Austria |  Wales | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 66 | 7 October 2006 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 67 | |||||
| 68 | 15 June 2008 | Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago | Bermuda | 1–2 | 2010 World Cup qualifier |
| 69 | 22 June 2008 | Hamilton, Bermuda | Bermuda | 2–0 | 2010 World Cup qualifier |
| 70 | 21 August 2011 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  India | 3–0 | Friendly |
Columbus Crew
Birmingham City
Sunderland
Trinidad and Tobago
Individual
Medals
Chaconia Medal Gold Class: 2006
Trinidad and Tobago squads | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
