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Tony Mowbray
Personal information
Mowbray in 2009
Date of birth	(1963-11-22) 22 November 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth	Saltburn, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	West Bromwich Albion (head coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1982–1991	Middlesbrough	348	(26)
1991–1995	Celtic	77	(5)
1995–2000	Ipswich Town	128	(5)
Total		553	(36)
National team
1989	England B	3	(0)
Teams managed
2002	Ipswich Town (caretaker)
2004–2006	Hibernian
2006–2009	West Bromwich Albion
2009–2010	Celtic
2010–2013	Middlesbrough
2015–2016	Coventry City
2017–2022	Blackburn Rovers
2022–2023	Sunderland
2024	Birmingham City
2025–	West Bromwich Albion
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Anthony Mark Mowbray (born 22 November 1963) is an English football manager and former footballer. He is currently the head coach for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion. Mowbray played as a defender for teams like Middlesbrough, Celtic, and Ipswich Town.

He started his coaching journey at Ipswich Town. His first main manager job was at Scottish Premier League team Hibernian. There, he won the Scottish Football Writers' Association Manager of the Year award in his first season. In 2006, he joined West Bromwich Albion, where he helped them win the Football League Championship in 2008. He later managed Celtic and another of his old clubs, Middlesbrough. After managing Coventry City, he became the manager of Blackburn Rovers in 2017. He led them back to the Championship after one season.

Tony Mowbray's Playing Career

Playing for Middlesbrough

Tony Mowbray played his first game for Middlesbrough in 1982. By 1986, when he was just 22, he became the team captain. Fans called him "Mogga." He became a club legend because he was a local player who helped the club recover from serious financial problems. He led them back to the top league in English football in just two seasons.

In 2007, a local newspaper listed him as one of Middlesbrough's top legends. The club's fanzine, Fly me to the Moon, got its name from a quote about Mowbray. Former Middlesbrough manager Bruce Rioch once said, "If I had to fly to the moon I'd take Tony Mowbray, my captain, with me. He's a magnificent man." In 1991, after playing 348 games for Middlesbrough, Mowbray moved to the Scottish club Celtic.

Playing for Celtic

During his time playing for Celtic, Tony Mowbray's first wife, Bernadette, passed away. This difficult time is mentioned in his book, "Kissed by an Angel." Many people believe that the "huddle" that Celtic players do before each match started as a tribute to Bernadette. However, Mowbray actually suggested it during a pre-season trip to Germany. He wanted to bring the team closer together during a time of change and uncertainty.

Playing for Ipswich Town

After Celtic, Mowbray joined Ipswich Town. He played there for five years and became the team captain. In the 2000 Division One playoff final against Barnsley, he scored a goal that helped Ipswich win 4–2. This win meant Ipswich was promoted to the Premier League. This match was his first time playing at Wembley Stadium, and it was also the very last game of his playing career.

Tony Mowbray's Coaching Journey

After he stopped playing football, Tony Mowbray started coaching. He began as a first-team coach at Ipswich Town. He also had a short time as a temporary manager for Ipswich.

Managing Hibernian

In May 2004, Mowbray became the manager of Hibernian. He was praised for his work and won the Scottish Football Writers' Association Manager of the Year award in his first season. Hibs finished in the top four of the Scottish Premier League in his two full seasons. This was the first time the club had done this in many years.

His team also played in European competitions. In 2006, Mowbray was offered the manager job at Ipswich Town, but he decided to stay with Hibs. However, just one month later, he moved to West Bromwich Albion.

Managing West Bromwich Albion

Tony Mowbray became the manager of West Bromwich Albion on 13 October 2006. His main goal was to help the team get back into the Premier League. They finished fourth in the Championship and went into the play-offs. Even though they beat their rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, they lost the final to Derby County at Wembley.

Mowbray then made many changes to the team, bringing in new players. Despite these big changes, he won the Championship Manager of the Month award in September 2007. His young team played an exciting style of attacking football.

Mowbray led West Brom to win the EFL Championship title, which meant they were promoted to the Premier League. They also reached the semi-final of the FA Cup. West Brom lost to Portsmouth in the semi-final. Mowbray won the Championship manager of the month award for April and the League Managers Association manager of the year award.

After a tough 2008–09 season, West Bromwich was relegated from the Premier League. However, fans still respected Mowbray. He left the club to join Celtic soon after.

Managing Celtic

Mowbray as Celtic manager

On 16 June 2009, Tony Mowbray was announced as the new manager of Celtic. He brought in Neil Lennon and other coaches to help him. In September 2009, he was named the Coach of the Month in the Scottish Premier League.

Mowbray made big changes to his team in January 2010. After some difficult results, especially a 4–0 loss to St Mirren, Mowbray left the club on 25 March.

Managing Middlesbrough

Mowbray became the manager of Middlesbrough on 26 October 2010. He helped the team avoid relegation from the Championship. They finished the season strong, winning their last four games and ending up 12th in the league. Mowbray also gave young players a chance to play in the first team.

Middlesbrough started the 2011–12 season well, and Mowbray won manager of the month for September. They finished 7th that season, just missing out on a play-off spot. In October 2012, Mowbray won the Championship Manager of the Month award again. On 21 October 2013, Mowbray left the club after a period of mixed results.

Managing Coventry City

On 3 March 2015, Mowbray became the manager of Coventry City. The club was in danger of being relegated to the fourth division. Tony Mowbray's main job was to keep them in the third division. A win on the last day of the season meant Coventry City stayed in League One for the next season.

Mowbray signed a new two-year contract to stay as manager. However, he resigned from Coventry City on 29 September 2016 after a series of games without a win.

Managing Blackburn Rovers

On 22 February 2017, Mowbray was appointed head coach of Blackburn Rovers. Even though the team's performance improved, Blackburn was relegated to League One at the end of the 2016–17 season.

Mowbray signed a new contract to stay with the club. Under his leadership, Blackburn won promotion back to the Championship after just one year in League One. They secured their promotion on 24 April with a 1–0 win against Doncaster Rovers.

In the 2018–19 season, Mowbray led Blackburn to finish 15th in the Championship. He left Blackburn in May 2022 after five years in the role.

Managing Sunderland

On 30 August 2022, Mowbray became the head coach of Championship club Sunderland.

He guided Sunderland to the play-offs, finishing 6th in his first season. Sunderland won the first game against Luton Town 2–1. However, they lost the second game, and Luton Town won overall.

On 4 December 2023, Mowbray left Sunderland.

Managing Birmingham City

Mowbray was appointed manager of Championship club Birmingham City on 8 January 2024. On 19 February, the club announced that he needed to step away temporarily for medical treatment. His assistant, Mark Venus, took over for a month. On 19 March, Birmingham confirmed that Mowbray was taking medical leave until the start of the 2024–25 pre-season. Former manager Gary Rowett took charge for the last eight games of the season. The team was not able to avoid relegation. On 21 May, Mowbray resigned as manager. He said his health would not allow him to return soon enough for the club's needs. He also wanted to spend "quality time" with his family before returning to football.

Return to West Bromwich Albion

On 18 January 2025, Tony Mowbray was reappointed head coach of EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.

Tony Mowbray's Personal Life

Tony Mowbray has three sons with his wife, Amber Mowbray. His first wife, Bernadette Doyle Mowbray, passed away on New Year's Day 1995. Tony Mowbray's brother, Darren, works as the head of recruitment at Southampton.

Tony Mowbray's Football Achievements

As a Player

Middlesbrough

Football League Second Division third place: 1987–88
Football League Third Division runner-up: 1986–87

Ipswich Town

Football League First Division play-offs: 2000

Individual Awards

Middlesbrough Player of the Year: 1984–85, 1985–86
PFA Team of the Year: 1987–88 Second Division
Ipswich Town Hall of Fame: Inducted 2016

As a Manager

West Bromwich Albion

Football League Championship: 2007–08

Blackburn Rovers

EFL League One runner-up: 2017–18