sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Liam Manning (born 20 August 1985) is an English football manager and coach. He is currently the head coach of EFL League One club Milton Keynes Dons.

Liam Manning

Personal information
Date of birth	(1985-08-20) 20 August 1985 (age 37)
Place of birth	Norwich, England
Position(s)	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Milton Keynes Dons (head coach)
Youth career
	Bungay Town
1999–2002	Norwich City
2002–2004	Ipswich Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2005	Ipswich Town	0	(0)
2005	Bishop's Stortford
2005	Long Melford
2005	Leiston
2005	Woodbridge Town
2005–2006	Selfoss
2006–2008	Leiston	63	(5)
2008	Woodbridge Town
2008	Wroxham
2008–2009	Melton St Audrey
2010	Ipswich Wanderers
Teams managed
2015–2019	West Ham United U23
2020–2021	Lommel SK
2021–	Milton Keynes Dons
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Manning played for the academy of his local side Norwich City before joining Ipswich Town in 2002, where he spent a year as a professional before being released in 2005. Following his release from Ipswich, Manning dropped into non-league, playing for Bishop's Stortford, Long Melford and Leiston, before enjoying a brief spell playing in Iceland for Selfoss.[1]

Upon his return from Iceland, Manning re-signed for Leiston, playing for the club between 2006 and 2008.[2][3] Manning later returned to Woodbridge, followed by spells with Wroxham, Melton St Audrey and Ipswich Wanderers, before retiring from football to concentrate on coaching.[1]

Management and coaching

Early coaching career

Manning worked as an academy coach at Ipswich Town before joining Premier League side West Ham United in 2015 as head coach of the club's U23s.[4]

In 2019 he left to join City Football Group, initially as Director of Coaching with Major League Soccer side New York City FC before later progressing to the role of Academy Director.[5]

Lommel SK

Staying within City Football Group, in July 2020 Manning was named head coach of Belgian First Division B club Lommel SK, where he led the previously bottom of the table side to a third-placed finish at the end of the 2020–21 season.[4]

Milton Keynes Dons

On 13 August 2021, Manning joined League One club Milton Keynes Dons, becoming the club's first ever head coach.[6] On 8 October 2021, after just eleven league games in charge, Manning was named EFL League One Manager of the Month for September 2021, a month in which he led the club to an unbeaten run of five league games achieving eleven points.[7] He repeated the achievement just four months later, being named League One Manager of the Month for January 2022 after a similarly successful period.[8]

At the end of his first season, Manning had led the club to a third-place finish with 89 points and play-off qualification, having missed out on automatic promotion by a single point. The club however later failed to gain promotion via the play-offs, losing out to Wycome Wanderers over two semi-final legs.[9]

Coaching style

Manning favours a high possession, high pressing style of football.[10][11]

He has a reputation for developing young players, having spent much of his early coaching career working with the academy sides of West Ham United, Ipswich Town and New York City FC. Manning is credited as having contributed to the development of England international Declan Rice.[4]

Career statistics

Managerial record

As of 12 November 2022

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	Nat	From	To	Record								Ref
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Lommel		12 August 2020	11 August 2021	30	14	4	12	58	42	+16	046.67	[12]
Milton Keynes Dons		13 August 2021	Present	78	39	14	25	117	81	+36	050.00	[13]
Total				108	53	18	37	175	123	+52	049.07

Honours

Individual

• EFL League One Manager of the Month: September 2021,[7] January 2022[8]

References

External links

Liam Manning at Soccerway

---