Les Reed (football manager) facts for kids
Reed in 2017
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 December 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Wapping, England | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Cambridge United | 0 | (0) | |
| Watford | 0 | (0) | |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 0 | (0) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2006 | Charlton Athletic | ||
|
|||
Leslie Arnold Reed (born 12 December 1952) is an English football coach. He used to be a player. He managed Charlton Athletic for a short time in 2006.
From 2002 to 2004, he was the technical director for The FA. Later, from 2010 to 2018, Reed was a top leader at Southampton. He helped develop players and manage the club's football side. In 2021, he became an advisor for Wrexham.
Contents
Early Life and Playing Days
Reed was born in Wapping, London. He played football as a centre forward for a few clubs. These included Cambridge United, Watford, and Wycombe Wanderers. However, he did not play in any official league matches for these teams.
Coaching and Managing Career
Starting Out as a Coach
Les Reed began his coaching journey in non-league football. He coached teams like Finchley and Wealdstone. In 1985, Wealdstone won two big trophies with him: the Football Conference and the FA Trophy.
In 1986, he joined The FA. He worked there for nine years. He helped develop young players and coaches. He even coached future stars like Joe Cole and Michael Owen at The FA National School. Reed also went to three World Cup tournaments with the England team.
In 1995, Reed left The FA. He became assistant manager at Charlton Athletic. He helped the team get promoted to the Premier League in 1998. After this success, he returned to The FA. He became the Director of Technical Development. He coached England's under-15 team to win a trophy at Wembley. They beat a strong Argentine team that included Carlos Tevez.
Working with The FA and England Team
In 1998, Reed joined the England coaching staff. He worked under manager Kevin Keegan. During the Euro 2000 tournament, Reed sometimes spoke to the press about team tactics. This was unusual for someone in his role.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard wrote in his book about a disagreement with Les Reed during Euro 2000. Gerrard felt that Reed's actions during that time were not helpful.
In 2002, Reed became The FA's Technical Director. He wrote an official coaching book for The FA. However, he was later let go from his job at The FA in 2004.
Managing Charlton Athletic
After leaving The FA, Reed worked as a consultant. He even helped the Northern Ireland national football team when they beat England. In 2006, he returned to Charlton Athletic as assistant manager.
He became the main manager on 14 November 2006. His time as manager was very short, lasting only six weeks. Charlton won only one game under him. They were also knocked out of the League Cup by a lower-league team. The media often criticized him, giving him nicknames like "Les Misérables." He left Charlton on 24 December 2006.
Time at Fulham
In April 2007, Reed became a first-team coach at Fulham. He helped the club stay in the top league. In June 2007, he became Fulham's Director of Football. He helped bring in talented young players. One player he found, Chris Smalling, later moved to Manchester United for a lot of money.
Helping Bishop's Stortford
On 19 December 2008, Reed became assistant manager at Bishop's Stortford. He did this job for free to help a friend. He also helped a player named Danny Green get noticed by a bigger club.
Maccabiah Games Experience
Reed was the head coach for Team GB at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel. This is a big sports event for Jewish athletes. His team won a silver medal, losing to Argentina in the final. Reed said this experience was one of the best parts of his coaching career.
Leading at Southampton
On 16 April 2010, Reed joined Southampton. He became the Head of Football Development. Later, he was made Vice-Chairman. He was in charge of many important areas. These included the Youth Academy, finding new players, sports science, and managing team equipment. Reed left Southampton on 8 November 2018.
Return to The Football Association
On 21 December 2018, it was announced that Les Reed would return to The FA. He took up the role of technical director again in February 2019.
Managerial Stats
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Charlton Athletic |  |
14 November 2006 | 24 December 2006 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 12.5 |
