Paul Jewell facts for kids

Paul Jewell (born 28 September 1964) is a well-known English football manager and a former player. He started his football journey as a player and later became a successful manager for several clubs. Most recently, he worked as the director of football at Swindon Town.

Paul began his playing career at Liverpool. He then played for Wigan Athletic and spent ten years at Bradford City. He also had a short time on loan at Grimsby Town. After he stopped playing, he joined the coaching team at Bradford City.

In 1998, Paul became the manager of Bradford City and helped them reach the Premier League, which is the top football league in England. He then managed Sheffield Wednesday. Later, he returned to Wigan Athletic and led them to the Premier League too. He also managed Derby County and Ipswich Town. In recent years, he has taken on assistant coaching roles and worked as a director of football.

Playing Career Highlights

Paul Jewell was born in Liverpool, England. He went to De La Salle School and started his football training as a young player with his hometown club, Liverpool.

In December 1984, Paul moved to Wigan Athletic. He played 137 games for Wigan and scored 35 goals. After that, he joined Bradford City in 1988. He played for Bradford City for ten years, scoring 56 goals in 269 games. During his time there, he formed a strong partnership with another player, Sean McCarthy. His best season as a player was in 1992–93, when he scored 16 league goals.

Paul also had a short loan period at Grimsby Town before returning to Bradford. He stopped playing football in 1998, the same year Bradford won promotion from Division Two.

Managerial Journey

Leading Bradford City

Paul Jewell started coaching even before he stopped playing. He joined Bradford City's coaching staff in 1995. In 1998, he became the manager of Bradford City. In his first 21 games, he helped the team finish 13th, which was their best position in a long time.

The club chairman wanted to aim for promotion, so Paul signed new players, including Lee Mills, Isaiah Rankin, and Stuart McCall. After a difficult start, the team gained momentum and finished second in the league, earning promotion to the Premier League. This was a huge achievement, as Bradford had not been in the top league for 77 years!

In the 1999–2000 season, Bradford City struggled in the Premier League. However, they managed to stay in the league on the very last day by beating Liverpool 1–0. After this, Paul Jewell decided to leave Bradford City.

Time at Sheffield Wednesday

In June 2000, Paul Jewell became the manager of Sheffield Wednesday. He hoped to help them get promoted back to the top league. However, his time there was tough, and he was sacked in February 2001. During his time, they did have some good wins, including beating local rivals Sheffield United and Premier League club West Ham United in the League Cup.

Success with Wigan Athletic

Paul Jewell returned to management in June 2001 with Wigan Athletic. In his second season (2002–03), Wigan won the Division Two championship. This meant they moved up to a higher league than ever before.

In the 2004–05 season, Paul's Wigan team achieved promotion to the Premier League, bringing top-flight football to Wigan for the first time in history! In their first Premier League season (2005–06), they played in the League Cup final against Manchester United, but they lost 4–0.

In 2007, Paul had a disagreement with a referee after a game against Arsenal. He was fined and given a short ban from the touchline. On the last day of the 2006–07 season, Paul successfully kept Wigan from being relegated. The very next day, he resigned as Wigan manager due to health reasons.

Managing Derby County

After leaving Wigan, Paul Jewell became the new manager of Derby County in November 2007. He signed some well-known players like Robbie Savage and Roy Carroll. His first win as manager came in an FA Cup game.

Derby County struggled a lot in the Premier League that season. They were relegated in March 2008, finishing with a very low number of points. This equaled a 108-year Football League record for the fewest points in a season.

Paul's first league win as Derby manager came 10 months after he joined, in September 2008. He led Derby to their first League Cup semi-final in 40 years. However, he resigned in December 2008 after a loss to Ipswich Town.

Leading Ipswich Town

Paul Jewell was announced as Ipswich Town manager in January 2011. His first match was a loss, but he won his second game. He also led Ipswich in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final against Arsenal. He signed his former player Jimmy Bullard on loan. Ipswich's performance improved at first, and they finished the season in 13th place.

In the 2011 summer, Paul signed several experienced players for Ipswich. The team started the 2011–12 season well but then had a tough period, losing many games in a row. Their form was inconsistent throughout the season, and they finished 15th.

The 2012–13 season started poorly for Ipswich, with only one win in their first twelve league matches. Paul Jewell left his role as Ipswich Town's manager in October 2012.

Later Career Roles

In January 2015, Paul Jewell briefly worked as an assistant manager at West Bromwich Albion, but he resigned after only one week. Two years later, in November 2017, he became assistant manager at Oldham Athletic, but he left after just over a month.

In December 2018, Paul Jewell was appointed as director of football at Swindon Town. In October 2019, he was fined and banned from attending three matches for using inappropriate language towards a match official. He left Swindon Town in July 2021.

Personal Life

Paul Jewell lives in Witney with his wife, Ann-Marie. They have two children: a son named Sam, who works in recruitment for the football club Chelsea, and a daughter named Alex. Paul's father was a trade union activist in Liverpool.

Honours and Achievements

Paul Jewell has achieved success both as a player and as a manager.

As a Player

Wigan Athletic

• Associate Members' Cup: 1984–85

As a Manager

Bradford City

• Football League First Division runner-up: 1998–99 (meaning they finished second and got promoted)

Wigan Athletic

• Football League Second Division: 2002–03 (champions)
• Football League Championship runner-up: 2004–05 (finished second and got promoted)
• Football League Cup runner-up: 2005–06 (reached the final)

Individual Awards

• LMA Second Division Manager of the Year: 2002–03
• EFL Championship Manager of the Month: August 2004, October 2004
• Premier League Manager of the Month: September 2005, October 2005