Eddie Thomson facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Edward Thomson | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 25 February 1947 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rosewell, Scotland | |||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 21 February 2003 (aged 55) | |||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Sydney, Australia | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Whitehill Welfare | ||||||||||||||||
| Penicuik Athletic | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1966–1973 | Heart of Midlothian | 162 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 1973–1976 | Aberdeen | 91 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 1976 | San Antonio Thunder | 19 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 1977–1980 | Sydney City | 66 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 338 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1969 | Scottish League XI | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1969–1970 | Scotland U23 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1986 | Sydney City | |||||||||||||||
| 1986–1989 | Sydney Olympic | |||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Australia B | |||||||||||||||
| 1984–1988 | Australia (Assistant coach) | |||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Football Federation Australia (Coaching director) | |||||||||||||||
| 1990–1996 | Australia | |||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Eddie Thomson (born February 25, 1947 – died February 21, 2003) was a famous Scottish football player and coach. He played as a defender. Eddie played for teams like Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen in Scotland. He also played for San Antonio Thunder in the United States and Sydney City in Australia.
After his playing career, Eddie became a successful coach. He managed Sydney City and Sydney Olympic in Australia. Later, he coached the Australian national team, also known as the Socceroos, from 1990 to 1996. His last coaching job was with Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Japan.
Contents
Eddie Thomson's Playing Career
Eddie Thomson was born in Rosewell, Scotland. He started his professional football journey with Heart of Midlothian in 1966. He played 162 games for them until 1973.
Playing for Aberdeen and San Antonio
After leaving Hearts, Eddie moved to Aberdeen, where he played 91 more games. In 1976, he had a short time playing for the San Antonio Thunder in the NASL in the United States.
Success in Australia
In 1977, Eddie moved to Australia and joined Sydney City. This was for the very first season of Australia's National Soccer League. He helped Sydney City win two NSL championships as a player. The first win was in 1977, and the second was in 1980, when he was both a player and a coach. During his time at Hearts, he also played for the Scottish Under-23 team.
Eddie Thomson's Coaching Career
After his playing days, Eddie immediately became the full-time coach for Sydney City. He led them to win two more national championships in 1981 and 1982. He also won an NSL Cup trophy with them in 1986.
Coaching Sydney Olympic
When Sydney City left the NSL in 1987, Eddie took over as coach of Sydney Olympic. He guided them to the grand final in 1989. He then left early in the next season to become the head coach of the Australian national team.
Coaching the Australian National Team
Eddie's journey with the Australian national team began earlier. He coached the Australia B team in 1984. Then, in 1985, he became the assistant coach for the Socceroos.
Leading the Socceroos
As the main coach of the Socceroos, Eddie led the team to some impressive friendly game results. They played well against teams like Sweden and the USA. The team came very close to qualifying for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the USA. They only lost 1–0 to an Argentine team that had brought back football legend Diego Maradona.
Olympic Football Success
At the same time, Eddie also coached the Australian Olympic football team. In 1992, his team beat the Netherlands in a memorable match to qualify for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The team almost reached the gold medal match, but they lost to Poland. They then lost to Ghana in the match for the bronze medal.
Coaching Sanfrecce Hiroshima
After the 1996 Summer Olympics, where Australia did not get past the group stage, Eddie resigned. He then took on a new challenge, becoming the coach of the Japanese team Sanfrecce Hiroshima. During his time there, several Australian players, including Aurelio Vidmar, Graham Arnold, and Steve Corica, also played for the club.
Honours and Achievements
Eddie Thomson had a very successful career, both as a player and a coach.
As a Player
- Scottish Cup Runners-up: 1967–68
- Sydney City
- National Soccer League: 1977, 1980
As a Manager
- Sydney City
- National Soccer League: 1980, 1981, 1982
- NSL Northern Division: 1984, 1985
- NSL Cup: 1986
- Sydney Olympic
- National Soccer League Runners-up: 1986
- NSL Minor Premiership Runners-up: 1986
- NSL Cup: Runners-up: 1989
- Australia
- OFC Nations Cup: 1996
- Trans-Tasman Cup: 1991, 1995
Individual Awards
- NSL Coach of the Year: 1981, 1984, 1985
- National Soccer Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2002
Later Life and Passing
Eddie Thomson returned to Australia in 2000. Soon after, he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer. He sadly passed away from this illness in 2003.
Images for kids
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A robot, representing the "See also" section.
See also
In Spanish: Eddie Thomson para niños
