Dennis Wise facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dennis Wise

Wise in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Dennis Frank Wise
Date of birth	(1966-12-16) 16 December 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth	Kensington, England
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1983–1985	Southampton
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1985–1990	Wimbledon	135	(27)
1985	→ Grebbestads IF (loan)	10	(5)
1990–2001	Chelsea	332	(53)
2001–2002	Leicester City	17	(1)
2002–2005	Millwall	85	(7)
2005–2006	Southampton	11	(1)
2006	Coventry City	13	(6)
2006	Swindon Town	0	(0)
Total		593	(95)
National team
1988	England U21	1	(0)
1989–1990	England B	3	(1)
1991–2000	England	21	(1)
Teams managed
2003–2005	Millwall
2005	Southampton (caretaker)
2006	Swindon Town
2006–2008	Leeds United
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Dennis Frank Wise (born 16 December 1966) is a famous English former football player and manager. He played as a central midfielder. Dennis Wise spent most of his playing career at Chelsea from 1990 to 2001.

He started his career at Wimbledon. There, he was part of the "Crazy Gang" team. In 1988, he helped Wimbledon win the FA Cup in a big upset against Liverpool. In 1990, he joined Chelsea. He became captain three years later. At Stamford Bridge, Wise won two FA Cups, a League Cup, and a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He is Chelsea's second most successful captain, after John Terry. Chelsea fans really liked Wise. He was named the club's Player of the Year twice. In June 2001, he moved to Leicester City.

Dennis Wise also played for the England national football team. Most of his international games were in 2000. He was part of the UEFA Euro 2000 squad. He played in all three of England's group games. His only goal for England was on his first game on 1 May 1991, against Turkey.

Later in his career, Wise started managing teams. He became a player-manager at Millwall. He led them to the FA Cup Final. This was the first time Millwall reached a European competition. He was briefly a caretaker manager at Southampton. Then, he took over at Swindon Town. In October 2006, he became manager of Leeds United. Even though Leeds was relegated, Wise rebuilt the team. They had a great start in the third tier of English football. In January 2008, Wise left Leeds. He joined Newcastle United in an executive role. He was tasked with finding young players and helping the academy. Wise left Newcastle on 1 April 2009. He has since worked as a football expert for Sky Sports. In 2017, Wise appeared on the TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.

Playing Career Highlights

Wimbledon: The "Crazy Gang" Years

Dennis Wise started his football journey at Southampton. He then moved to Wimbledon on 28 March 1985. He was 18 years old. In 1985, he played for Grebbestads IF in Sweden on loan. He helped Wimbledon get promoted to the top division in 1986. In his first season in the First Division, he scored four goals. The team finished in sixth place, surprising many.

He was a key player in the famous Wimbledon "Crazy Gang". This team reached the 1988 FA Cup Final. On 12 March 1988, he set up a goal against Watford. This helped Wimbledon reach the FA Cup semi-finals. In the semi-final against Luton Town, he scored the winning goal. Wimbledon won 2–1. In the final on 14 May, they beat Liverpool. Liverpool was the big favourite. Wise played a vital role. He provided the free-kick that Lawrie Sanchez headed in for the winning goal.

Chelsea: Captain and Trophy Winner

Wise joined Chelsea on 3 July 1990. He was bought for a club record fee of £1.6 million. In his first season, he scored 13 goals in 44 matches. Chelsea finished 11th. His former Wimbledon teammate Vinnie Jones joined Chelsea in 1991. This helped Wise play even better. He was Chelsea's top scorer that season with 14 goals. One of his best games was a 2–1 win against Liverpool in 1992. This was Chelsea's first league win at Anfield since 1935.

In 1993, Glenn Hoddle became manager. Wise became Chelsea's captain. He led Chelsea to their first FA Cup Final in 24 years. However, they lost 4–0 to Manchester United. Wise scored his first goal in Europe in 1994. Chelsea beat Viktoria Žižkov 4–2 in the Cup Winners' Cup.

Wise captained Chelsea to victory in the 1997 FA Cup Final. They beat Middlesbrough 2–0. This was Chelsea's second FA Cup win. Chelsea's success continued in the 1997–98 season. Wise led them to win the League Cup. They won 2–0 against Middlesbrough again. Wise also helped Chelsea win the Cup Winners' Cup final. He set up Gianfranco Zola for the winning goal.

Wise then captained Chelsea to beat Real Madrid in the 1998 UEFA Super Cup. Gus Poyet scored the winning goal. In the Premier League, he led Chelsea to their highest ever finish at the time, third place. This meant Chelsea qualified for the Champions League for the first time.

In Chelsea's first Champions League match, they beat Skonto FC 3–0. Wise was captain. On 20 October 1999, he scored Chelsea's fourth goal. They beat Galatasaray 5–0 in Istanbul. He scored a memorable Champions League goal against A.C. Milan in the San Siro. This secured top spot in their group. Wise captained Chelsea to their second FA Cup win in three years. He was named Man of the Match. Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1–0 in 2000. Wise's last major trophy as Chelsea captain was the 2000 FA Charity Shield. Chelsea beat Manchester United 2–0.

New manager Claudio Ranieri wanted a younger squad. Wise was sold to Leicester City on 25 June 2001 for £1.6 million. He spent 11 years at Stamford Bridge. He played 445 times and scored 76 goals. This made him fourth in Chelsea's all-time appearances.

Leicester City: A Short Stay

Wise's time at Leicester was not as successful. He played only 17 league games. He scored one goal against Liverpool. He left the club in August 2002.

Millwall: Player-Manager and FA Cup Finalist

Wise then signed for Millwall on 24 September 2002. He became a player-manager in 2003. He led Millwall to their first ever FA Cup Final in 2004. They were the first team from outside the top division to reach the final since 1992. Millwall lost 3–0 to Manchester United. Even though they lost, Millwall qualified for the UEFA Cup. This was because Manchester United had already qualified for the Champions League. Millwall was knocked out in the first round by Ferencváros. Wise resigned at the end of the 2004–05 season.

Southampton and Coventry City

Wise returned to Southampton on a free transfer on 27 June 2005. He played 12 games for the club. When Harry Redknapp resigned, Wise was briefly a joint-caretaker manager. He left Southampton on 26 December 2005. He scored one league goal for Southampton.

He then signed a six-month deal with Coventry City on 19 January 2006. He joined his former manager, Micky Adams. Wise started strongly, scoring in his first three games. This included a great overhead kick against Hull City. On 9 May, Wise decided to retire from playing. He wanted to focus on managing. He scored six goals in thirteen games for Coventry.

International Career with England

Dennis Wise made his England debut on 1 May 1991. He scored the only goal as England beat Turkey 1–0. This was a Euro 92 qualifying match. After a good season, Wise was expected to be in the squad for the 1996 European Championships. However, he just missed out. Even after leading Chelsea to win the League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup in 1998, he was not picked for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

He was called back to the England team in 1999. He played against Belgium. He then had a strong game against Argentina on 23 February 2000. The game ended 0–0.

Wise played in three friendly matches before the Euro 2000 tournament. He was included in the final squad by manager Kevin Keegan. He came on as a substitute in England's first match on 12 June 2000. England lost 3–2 to Portugal. He started England's next match against Germany. He was praised for his role in the 1–0 win. This was England's first win over Germany in a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup final. He also started England's final group game against Romania. England lost 3–2 and was eliminated.

After Euro 2000, Wise played the full game against France. The game ended 1–1. His last game for England was a 0–0 World Cup qualifying match against Finland on 11 October 2000.

Managerial Career

Swindon Town: A Strong Start

On 22 May 2006, Wise became Swindon Town player-manager. His former Chelsea teammate Gustavo Poyet was his assistant. They had a great start to the season. They won six out of seven games. Swindon topped the League Two table. Wise won the Manager of the Month award for this strong start.

On 24 October, Wise left Swindon to join Leeds United. Swindon was third in the league at the time.

Leeds United: Rebuilding the Team

On 20 September 2006, Wise was linked to the vacant Leeds United manager job. Swindon gave Wise and Poyet permission to talk to Leeds. After some discussions, Wise, Poyet, and Andrew Beasley joined Leeds United. Wise became manager, Poyet assistant manager, and Beasley goalkeeping coach.

Wise watched his new team lose 3–1 to Southend United. He received a warm welcome from the fans. He said his goal was to bring Leeds back to the Premiership. Wise took over when the club was near the bottom of the Championship. They were also in a difficult financial situation.

Wise's first game in charge was against Southend again. This time, Leeds won 2–0. However, the team struggled for the rest of the season. Leeds was relegated to League One for the first time in their history. Despite this, chairman Ken Bates kept Wise as manager.

Leeds started the 2007–08 season very well. They won their first 7 league games. Wise was named Manager of the Month for August and September. On 29 October 2007, Poyet left Leeds. He became assistant manager at Tottenham. Three days later, Dave Bassett, Wise's former manager, became his assistant. Leeds lost their unbeaten record on 3 November.

Leeds briefly topped the table on Boxing Day. They were third in the league going into 2008. Wise left the club on 28 January 2008. This was a surprise move. He took on a new role at Newcastle United. His last game in charge was a 1–1 draw against Luton Town.

Executive Roles

Newcastle United: A New Challenge

On 29 January 2008, Newcastle United announced Wise would join as Executive Director (Football). He would advise the board on football matters. His role involved transfers, scouting, and youth development. He worked with Tony Jimenez and Jeff Vetere. This happened after manager Kevin Keegan returned to the club.

Wise's role was to be a "football-related" executive director. He was chosen for his energy. His job was to travel and find young players. He also helped develop the club's academy. Keegan left the club on 4 September. Wise, Jimenez, and owner Mike Ashley faced pressure from fans to leave. Wise left Newcastle on 1 April 2009.

Como 1907: Technical Consultant

On 9 May 2019, the Italian team Como 1907 hired Dennis Wise. He became a technical consultant for SENT Entertainment. This group had taken over the club. In February 2021, he became the sole administrator of the club.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Score and result list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Wise goal.

International goal scored by Dennis Wise

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1 May 1991	İzmir Atatürk Stadium, İzmir, Turkey	Turkey	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying

Managerial Statistics

Team	Nat	From	To
				P	W	D	L	Win %
Millwall		15 October 2003	9 May 2005	89	36	24	29	40.45
Swindon Town		22 May 2006	24 October 2006	17	9	5	3	52.94
Leeds United		24 October 2006	28 January 2008	69	30	12	27	43.48
Total				&&&&&&&&&&&&0175.&&&&&0175	&&&&&&&&&&&&&075.&&&&&075	&&&&&&&&&&&&&041.&&&&&041	&&&&&&&&&&&&&059.&&&&&059	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.90000042.9

Includes all League, Cup & European first team fixtures.

Honours and Awards

Player Achievements

Wimbledon

• FA Cup: 1987–88

Chelsea

• FA Cup: 1996–97, 1999–2000
• Football League Cup: 1997–98
• FA Charity Shield: 2000
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997–98
• UEFA Super Cup: 1998

Millwall

• FA Cup runner-up: 2003–04 (as player-manager)

Individual Awards

• Chelsea Player of the Year: 1997–98, 1999–2000
• Alan Hardaker Trophy: 1998

Managerial Awards

Individual

• Football League One Manager of the Month: August 2007, September 2007
• Football League Two Manager of the Month: August 2006