John Filan
Template:Short description Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football biography John Richard Filan (born 8 February 1970) is an Australian football coach and former professional player.
As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1989 until 2008 and notably played in the Premier League for Coventry City where he was a specialist at kicking the ball out of the stadium when under pressureScript error: No such module "Unsubst"., Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic, having also been contracted without playing for Nottingham Forest in England's top division. He also played in the Football League for Cambridge United and Doncaster Rovers, and in his native country for St. George Saints, Wollongong Wolves and Sydney F.C. He was capped three times by Australia.
Following retirement, Filan has worked as a coach and held a role with Sydney FC before a spell as assistant manager with both Macclesfield Town and Shrewsbury Town.
Club career
He played for St. George Saints and Wollongong Wolves in the old National Soccer League in Australia before moving to England to join Cambridge United in 1993, after an unsuccessful trial at Southampton.[1] In 1995, he signed for Coventry City, then moved on to Blackburn Rovers in 1997.
He joined Wigan Athletic in December 2001 for £600,000.[2] Prior to the start of Wigan's debut season in the Premier League he had missed only one match for the club but was injured at the start of the 2005–06 season with Wigan's new signing Mike Pollitt taking his place in the side. Filan, however signed a new contract which kept him at the club until 2007.[3] Seeing out his contract with Wigan, he was released at the end of the season. Whilst at Wigan he appeared as a substitute in the 2006 Football League Cup Final when Pollitt had to come off early in the first half with an injury. He is also remembered for saving a Nolberto Solano penalty in a 1–0 win over Newcastle United in February 2007.[4]
International career
Filan was a member of the Australian team that competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and finished in fourth place. As he has an Irish passport through his ancestry, he once sought to play international football for Ireland. However, FIFA ruled against it in February 1999 because he had played for the Australian Olympic team.[5][6]
Coaching career
Filan returned to Australia in semi-retirement, resettling in his home town of Sydney. In August 2007 agreed terms with A-League side Sydney FC as backup to Clint Bolton,[7] however the deal fell through citing outside issues.[8]
Filan was appointed as assistant manager to John Askey at League One side Shrewsbury Town in June 2018, having previously worked with Askey during his managerial tenure at Macclesfield Town.[9] This role lasted only five months, with the whole management team departing after only four wins in seventeen league matches.[10]
Honours
Blackburn Rovers
- Football League First Division runner-up: 2000–01
Wigan Athletic
- Football League Championship runner-up: 2004–05
- Football League Second Division: 2002–03
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2005–06[11]
Individual
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Given hoping return to Ewood is a happy one Template:Webarchive
- ↑ FIFA rule Leeds must free players
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
- Sydney FC profile
- Template:First word Template:PAGENAMEBASE at SoccerbaseTemplate:EditAtWikidataTemplate:WikidataCheck
- English Premier League profile
- ESPN profile
- Australian Olympic Committee profile
Template:Australia football squad 1992 Summer Olympics Script error: No such module "navboxes". Template:2002–03 Football League Second Division PFA Team of the Year Template:Blackburn Rovers F.C. Player of the Year Template:Wigan Athletic F.C. Player of the YearScript error: No such module "navboxes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Pages with script errors
- 1970 births
- Living people
- Soccer players from Sydney
- Australian people of Irish descent
- Men's association football goalkeepers
- Australian expatriate men's soccer players
- Australia men's international soccer players
- Olympic soccer players for Australia
- Footballers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in England
- Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Premier League players
- English Football League players
- National Soccer League (Australia) players
- Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
- Cambridge United F.C. players
- Coventry City F.C. players
- Doncaster Rovers F.C. players
- Nottingham Forest F.C. players
- Sydney FC players
- Wigan Athletic F.C. players
- Wollongong Wolves FC players
- St. George Saints players
- Blackburn Rovers F.C. non-playing staff
- Macclesfield Town F.C. non-playing staff
- Shrewsbury Town F.C. non-playing staff
- Australian men's soccer players