Steve Staunton facts for kids
Staunton in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Staunton | ||
| Date of birth | 19 January 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Drogheda, Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1985–1986 | Dundalk | ||
| 1986–1991 | Liverpool | 65 | (0) |
| 1987 | → Bradford City (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 1991–1998 | Aston Villa | 208 | (16) |
| 1998–2000 | Liverpool | 44 | (0) |
| 2000 | → Crystal Palace (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2000–2003 | Aston Villa | 73 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | Coventry City | 70 | (4) |
| 2005 | Walsall | 7 | (0) |
| Total | 481 | (21) | |
| International career | |||
| 1987–1989 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 1988–2002 | Republic of Ireland | 102 | (8) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Republic of Ireland | ||
| 2009–2010 | Darlington | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stephen Staunton (born 19 January 1969) is an Irish football manager and former professional player. He was also a scout. He played as a defender.
Steve Staunton had two separate times playing for Premier League teams Aston Villa and Liverpool. He also played for other clubs like Bradford City and Coventry City.
He played 102 games for the Republic of Ireland national football team. He was the captain when his team reached the knockout stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This achievement put him in the FIFA Century Club.
After he stopped playing, he became the coach for the Republic of Ireland national football team. He also managed Darlington for a short time. Later, he worked as a coach for teams like Leeds United and Sunderland.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Early Days in Ireland
Steve Staunton was born in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. He was a very good all-round sportsman. He played Gaelic football for his county's U-16 team. He also played soccer for his local club, Dundalk.
Joining Liverpool F.C.
When Steve was 17, Liverpool noticed him playing for Dundalk. They signed him on 2 September 1986 for £20,000. He spent his first two seasons playing for the reserve team. He also went on loan to Bradford City for eight games in 1987–88.
He made his first game for Liverpool on 17 September 1988. It was a 1–1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. He played so well that he stayed in the team for the rest of the season. He scored his first goal three days later, but Liverpool still lost the game.
When the team captain was injured, Steve got his chance to play more. He became a strong and reliable player in Liverpool's defense.
Hillsborough and FA Cup Success
In 1989, a sad event called the Hillsborough disaster happened. Many fans lost their lives. Steve Staunton was one of the players who helped comfort the families. He also went to many of the funerals.
He played very well when the FA Cup semi-final was replayed. Liverpool won 3–1 against Nottingham Forest. Steve also played in the FA Cup Final at Wembley. Liverpool beat their rivals Everton 3–2.
Liverpool won the League title the next year, in 1990. Steve scored his first goals for Liverpool in a special way. He came on as a substitute and scored three goals in a League Cup game. He left Liverpool on 7 August 1991 to join Aston Villa.
Time at Aston Villa
Steve Staunton quickly became a favorite with Aston Villa fans. He scored a goal in his first game on 17 August. Aston Villa finished seventh in the league that season. The next year, he helped the club challenge for the first Premier League title. They finished second behind Manchester United.
In 1994, he won a League Cup medal. Aston Villa beat Manchester United 3–1. This medal meant he had won all the main domestic trophies. He also won another League Cup medal in 1996, but he was a substitute and did not play in the final.
He continued to be an important player for Villa. He helped them reach the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 1996–97. He also helped the team finish fifth and seventh in the league.
Back to Liverpool and Crystal Palace
On 3 July 1998, Steve made a surprising move back to Liverpool. He joined them for free. In 1999, during a game against Everton, Steve even played the last 15 minutes in goal! This happened after Liverpool's goalkeeper was sent off and they had no more substitutes.
His second time at Liverpool lasted two years. He then had a short loan spell at Crystal Palace. He played six games there and scored one goal. After that, he played his last game for Liverpool in November 2000.
Another Return to Aston Villa
On 7 December 2000, Steve went back to Aston Villa again, also for free. He played regularly for two more seasons. He scored one goal in his second time at Villa, in an Intertoto Cup game.
Later Club Career
Steve then joined Coventry City on 15 August 2003. He played 75 games for them until 2005. After that, he joined Walsall on 2 August 2005. He played 10 games for Walsall and was also an assistant coach. His last game as a professional footballer was on New Year's Eve 2005.
International Career for Ireland
Steve Staunton played his first game for the Republic of Ireland in a 4–0 win against Tunisia. He was part of the team that went to Italy for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. This was Ireland's first time in the World Cup finals. Steve was the youngest player and played in every game. Ireland reached the quarter-finals.
He also played for Ireland in the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Again, he played in every game. Ireland lost in the second round to the Netherlands.
Ireland did not qualify for Euro 96 or the 1998 World Cup. However, Steve was still chosen to play for the team often.
Ireland qualified for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Steve was the captain of the team. On 5 June, he made history by becoming the first Irishman to play 100 games for his country. This was during a 1–1 draw against Germany. He played in every game for Ireland in that tournament.
Ireland lost to Spain in a penalty shoot-out in the second round. After this, Steve announced he was stopping playing for Ireland. He had played a record 102 games for his country. He is the only player to have played in all 13 of Ireland's World Cup finals games. He even scored directly from corner kicks twice in international matches.
Managerial Career
Managing the National Team
After Ireland did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) looked for a new manager. Steve Staunton was chosen on 13 January 2006. This was a surprise to many people because he did not have much coaching experience.
His first game as manager was a great start. Ireland won 3–0 against Sweden. But after that, they lost two friendly games. One was a big 4–0 loss to Holland.
Before the Holland game, a man threatened Steve outside the team hotel. The man had a fake gun. No one was hurt, but it was a difficult time.
His first important game was a 1–0 loss to Germany. Steve was sent off during this game for kicking a water bottle. Then, Ireland lost 5–2 to Cyprus, which was a very disappointing result. Many people started asking for him to resign.
Ireland then drew 1–1 with the Czech Republic. They also won 5–0 against San Marino. Later, they had two important 1–0 wins against Wales and Slovakia. These wins put them closer to qualifying for Euro 2008.
However, Ireland's chances ended in September. They drew 2–2 with Slovakia after leading 2–1. Then, they lost 1–0 to the Czech Republic. A 0–0 draw with Germany and a 1–1 draw with Cyprus meant Ireland would not play in Euro 2008.
Because of these results, the FAI decided to end Steve Staunton's time as manager. This happened on 23 October 2007, after 21 months.
Coaching at Clubs
On 4 February 2008, Steve Staunton became the assistant manager at Leeds United. He worked with manager Gary McAllister. He left Leeds in December 2008 when McAllister was sacked.
In May 2009, he became a scout for Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 5 October 2009, he was named manager of Darlington. He won only four games out of 23 league matches. He was sacked on 21 March 2010.
Later, on 22 August 2011, Steve became a scout at Sunderland. He left this role in 2013.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bradford City (loan) | 1987–88 | Second Division | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Liverpool | 1987–88 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1988–89 | First Division | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 | ||
| 1989–90 | First Division | 20 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | – | – | 28 | 3 | |||
| 1990–91 | First Division | 24 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 33 | 2 | |||
| Total | 65 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 4 | – | 1 | 0 | 90 | 5 | |||
| Aston Villa | 1991–92 | First Division | 37 | 4 | – | – | 37 | 4 | ||||||
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 42 | 2 | – | – | 42 | 2 | |||||||
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 24 | 3 | – | – | 24 | 3 | |||||||
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 35 | 5 | – | – | 35 | 5 | |||||||
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 13 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 0 | |||||||
| 1996–97 | Premier League | 30 | 1 | – | – | 30 | 1 | |||||||
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 39 | 2 | ||
| Total | 208 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 220 | 17 | |||
| Liverpool | 1998–99 | Premier League | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | 40 | 0 | |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 16 | 1 | |||
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 44 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 0 | – | 58 | 1 | |||
| Crystal Palace (loan) | 2000–01 | First Division | 6 | 1 | – | – | – | 6 | 1 | |||||
| Aston Villa | 2000–01 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 17 | 0 | |||
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 38 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 32 | 1 | ||
| Total | 73 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | – | 87 | 1 | |||
| Coventry City | 2003–04 | First Division | 35 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 3 | ||
| 2004–05 | Championship | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 1 | |||
| Total | 70 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 75 | 4 | ||||
| Walsall | 2005–06 | League One | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Career total | 481 | 21 | 31 | 2 | 22 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 557 | 29 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 1988 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1990 | 13 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 8 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 7 | 3 | |
| 1994 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 102 | 8 | |
Managerial
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Republic of Ireland | January 2006 | October 2007 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 35.29 |
| Darlington | October 2009 | March 2010 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 16.00 |
| Total | 42 | 10 | 8 | 24 | 23.81 | ||
Honours
Liverpool
- Football League First Division: 1989–90
- FA Cup: 1988–89
- FA Charity Shield: 1988, 1990 (shared)
Aston Villa
- Football League Cup: 1993–94, 1995–96
Individual
- FAI Senior International Player of the Year: 1993
- FAI Young International Player of the Year: 1989
See also
In Spanish: Steve Staunton para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
