Derek Adams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Derek Adams

Adams as manager of Bradford City in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Derek Watt Adams
Date of birth	(1975-06-25) 25 June 1975 (age 50)
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Morecambe (manager)
Youth career
1991–1992	Aberdeen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1992–1995	Aberdeen	0	(0)
1995–1996	Burnley	2	(0)
1996–1998	Ross County	72	(41)
1998–2004	Motherwell	159	(18)
1999–2000	→ Ayr United (loan)	4	(0)
2004–2005	Aberdeen	20	(4)
2005–2006	Livingston	25	(0)
2006–2009	Ross County	36	(4)
Total		318	(67)
Managerial career
2007–2010	Ross County
2011–2014	Ross County
2015–2019	Plymouth Argyle
2019–2021	Morecambe
2021–2022	Bradford City
2022–2023	Morecambe
2023–2024	Ross County
2024–	Morecambe
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Derek Watt Adams (born 25 June 1975) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Morecambe, a team in the National League.

Adams has had a successful career both as a player and a manager. He first became a manager at Ross County in 2007. He helped them win promotion and even reach the Scottish Cup Final. Later, he led Plymouth Argyle to promotion in 2017. He also guided Morecambe to promotion to League One in 2021, which was a big achievement for the club. Adams has managed Ross County and Morecambe multiple times throughout his career.

Early Life and Football Beginnings

Derek Watt Adams was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 25 June 1975. He grew up with a passion for football.

Playing Career Highlights

Adams started his professional football journey at Aberdeen. He later played for English club Burnley before returning to Scotland.

He joined Ross County in 1996. In 1998, he moved to Motherwell for six years. During this time, he also had a short loan spell at Ayr United. Adams returned to Aberdeen in 2004 and then played for Livingston in 2005.

Becoming a Coach

First Time at Ross County

In 2006, Adams went back to Ross County as a player-coach. In November 2007, he became the player-manager. This meant he was both playing and managing the team.

He led Ross County to win the Scottish Second Division championship in 2008. This helped the team get promoted to a higher league. At 33, Adams earned the UEFA Pro Licence, which is a very high coaching qualification. In 2010, he guided Ross County to the Scottish Cup Final. They beat bigger teams like Hibernian and Celtic along the way. However, they lost 3–0 to Dundee United in the final match.

Assistant Manager at Hibernian

Adams left Ross County in November 2010 to become the assistant manager at Hibernian. He worked there for a short period.

Second Time at Ross County

Derek Adams (middle) with Richard Brittain and Alex Cooper.

In May 2011, Adams returned to Ross County as manager. In his first season back, he led the club to win the Scottish First Division championship. This meant they were promoted to the Scottish Premier League, the top league in Scotland.

Ross County had an amazing season, going 34 games without losing. They finished 24 points ahead of the second-place team. Because of this success, Adams was named PFA Scotland Manager of the Year for the 2011–12 season.

In the 2012–13 season, Ross County finished 5th in the top league. This was a great achievement for their first season there. Adams continued to lead the team, and they finished 7th in the 2013–14 Scottish Premiership season. He left Ross County in August 2014.

Managing Plymouth Argyle

Adams became the manager of Plymouth Argyle on 11 June 2015. In his first season, he led them to the League Two Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium. They unfortunately lost this match.

However, in the next season, Adams guided Plymouth Argyle to a 2nd-place finish. This meant they were promoted to League One, a higher division. In the 2017–18 season, Plymouth finished 7th in League One, just missing out on another promotion play-off spot. Adams left Plymouth Argyle in April 2019.

First Time at Morecambe

On 7 November 2019, Adams became the manager of Morecambe. He took over from their long-serving manager.

In the 2020–21 season, Morecambe almost got promoted directly but missed out by just one point. They then entered the play-offs. They won their semi-final match against Tranmere Rovers. On 31 May 2021, Adams led Morecambe to promotion to the third tier of English football for the first time ever. They won the play-off final 1–0 against Newport County with a penalty goal. Just three days after this historic win, Adams left Morecambe.

Time at Bradford City

On 4 June 2021, Adams was announced as the new manager of Bradford City. He signed a three-year contract with the club.

Adams was sacked by Bradford City on 15 February 2022. His last game was a 1–0 loss at home. He was replaced by Mark Hughes.

Second Time at Morecambe

Adams returned to Morecambe on 24 February 2022. He took over after the previous manager left.

He stayed at Morecambe until 20 November 2023. At that time, Morecambe was in ninth place in League Two.

Third Time at Ross County

Adams left Morecambe to become the manager of Ross County for a third time in November 2023. His first game back was a 0–0 draw.

Adams resigned from his position at Ross County on 7 February 2024. This happened the day after a big 5–0 defeat.

Third Time at Morecambe

On 3 June 2024, Adams was appointed manager of Morecambe for a third time. Morecambe was relegated from EFL League Two to the National League at the end of the 2024–25 season.

Managerial Record

Here is a summary of Derek Adams's record as a manager:

Awards and Achievements

Derek Adams has won several awards and achieved great things in his football career.

As a Player

Ross County

• Scottish Challenge Cup: 2006–07

As a Manager

Ross County

• Scottish First Division: 2011–12
• Scottish Second Division: 2007–08
• Scottish Cup runner-up: 2009–10

Plymouth Argyle

• EFL League Two second-place promotion: 2016–17

Morecambe

• EFL League Two play-offs: 2021 (promoted)

Individual Awards

• PFA Scotland Manager of the Year: 2011–12
• EFL League Two Manager of the Month: October 2015, September 2016, December 2020, November 2024
• EFL League One Manager of the Month: February 2018