ADRIAN BOOTHROYD

'Adrian Neil "Aidy" Boothroyd' (born February 8, 1971 in Baildon, near Bradford, England) is an English former footballer and is the current manager of Watford Football Club of the Championship, and is the youngest manager in the division.

Contents

Playing career

Coaching career

Managerial stats

References

External links

Playing career

As a player Boothroyd was an undistinguished lower division full back, who played for Huddersfield Town, Bristol Rovers, Hearts, Mansfield Town and Peterborough United. His playing career ended at the premature age of 26 due to injury.

Coaching career

After ending his playing career at Peterborough United, Boothroyd was appointed coach of the Under 17, Under 19 and reserve teams at the club. His tactical nous and drive impressed, and he left Peterborough in 2001 to join Norwich City as their Youth Team coach under Nigel Worthington. After two years at Carrow Road, Boothroyd assumed the positions of Youth Development Officer and Technical Director at West Bromwich Albion, joining in October 2003.^[1] A short spell at The Hawthorns ended when he was appointed first-team coach at Leeds United in July 2004,^[2] where he continued to build his reputation until he was appointed manager of Watford in March 2005 at the age of 34.
Many Watford fans were surprised at the decision of the board to appoint a relatively unknown manager, and many voiced their concerns over the issue. They reasoned that whilst the club was in such a precarious league position in the Championship, it would have been more logical to approach a manager with experience at such a level. However, the board backed their decision and the club entered a new era under Boothroyd. He managed to steer the club clear of relegation, and won the hearts of the fans in doing so.
At the beginning of the 2005-06 season, Boothroyd signalled his intentions by declaring that his aim for the forthcoming campaign would be promotion to the Premiership. Many saw this strong ambition as unrealistic, yet they backed him to try and prove them wrong. As the season progressed, Boothroyd's side gained more and more confidence, and come the end of the season, had cemented a place in the play-offs. After overcoming Crystal Palace in the two-legged semi-final, Boothroyd's team came up against the club where he used to coach; Leeds United. After a dominant, crushing display, Watford won 3-0 and claimed a place in the top league of English football. The rapid improvement in Watford's results in his first season in charge lead to Boothroyd winning the Coca-Cola Manager of the Month in February 2006. Boothroyd continued as Watford manager for the duration of the 2006-07 Premier League season, but Watford finished 20th and were relegated. Nevertheless, Watford reached the FA Cup semi-finals, and Boothroyd was awarded a new contract.

Managerial stats

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	L	D	Win %
Watford		March 292005	''Present''	91	34	29	28	37.36

References

1. Boothroyd becomes a Baggie
2. Boothroyd set for Leeds role


★ Adrian Boothroyd

External links

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