Scarborough Athletic appoint ex-Man Utd player and Champions League winner as new manager

Scarborough Athletic appoint an ex-Man Utd player Jonathan Greening as their new manager, and this has got plenty of talk online.

The 42 year old joins the club set for a big summer, following the surprise departure of Darren Kelly who left for a ‘dream EFL job’.

The Seadogs ended the current season 11th for the Northern Premier League Premier Division, taking 11 points from 8 games.

For the 2019/20 campaign, the ended up in 8th, picking up 50 points from 35 games played, before Covid stopped the season.

We are delighted to announce @JonoGreening8 as new manager.
Welcome aboard Jono!!!!!!https://t.co/jyUIZtTcYE pic.twitter.com/srVHXGsWMs

— Scarborough Athletic FC (@safc) May 21, 2021

CLUB STATEMENT:

Scarborough Athletic are delighted to appoint Champions League winner and home-town hero Jono Greening as new manager.

After a swift, but thorough recruitment process, the former Manchester United and Middlesbrough midfielder came out on top ahead of a number of other creditable applicants.

After what was a glittering career at the top level of football, Greening became a UEFA A Licensed coach, having coached at both Nottingham Forest and York City.

He now takes the reins at Boro in an exciting appointment for the club, replacing the outgoing Darren Kelly.

Greening said: “The fact that Scarborough is my home-town is 100% the reason that I put in for the job.

“I have applied for it two or three times before and when Daz left I received a few calls asking if I’d sent my CV over.

“I thought, why don’t I give this one more crack and I was surprised to be offered the chance to meet up.

“It is a very nice fit for me. I was a fan and a ball boy at Scarborough FC, I used to walk down Seamer Road with my dad and my brothers, stopping off at the pub, drinking Coke and eating crisps.

“I have great memories of it and now I am looking forward to what the future holds.”

Greening is looking to bring a fresh and exciting approach to football at the Flamingo Land Stadium and he is keen to get the fans, young and old, involved in this journey.

The ex-Premier League player said: “I am young and hungry to do well. It isn’t going to be easy and we are not going to win every game.

“It is a hard league, so we will have to be disciplined, but I’ve played in some very good teams and I want to replicate that, I want my team to entertain.

“I want to bring a freshness to it. I want to excite our supporters and I want to get the younger generation off their Xboxes and PlayStations and down to the Flamingo Land Stadium.

“I want my players to play, not only for me, but for the town of Scarborough.

“I honestly can’t wait to get going and my first job will be to assess the squad and then start bringing in the players we need to push on.”

Chairman Trevor Bull added: “Following the shock departure of Darren on Monday it’s been a hectic week but I’m delighted to say we’ve got our man.

“We were flooded with applications from some top managers within the game but these things are never easy when we are charged with finding the right person to take our club forward.

“We interviewed some great people, who were all more than capable of doing the job but in the end we chose Jono, who showed a real desire to work with us to make our club the best it can be.

“His strong connection to Scarborough means that he knows our town and he knows our people. He has been a “Seadog” and stood on the terraces at the McCain Stadium so he has a clear idea of our supporters’ expectations.

“I’m looking forward to working with Jono who I’m sure will help us “Paint the Town Red” and create a bright future for us.”

PLAYING CAREER:

Youth career
1994–1996 – York City

Senior career
1996–1998 – York City – 25 games (2 goals)
1998–2001 – Manchester United – 14 games (0 goals)
2001–2004 – Middlesbrough – 99 games (4 goals)
2004–2010 – West Brom – 196 games (7 goals)
2009–2010 → Fulham (loan) – 23 games (1 goal)
2010–2011 – Fulham – 10 games (0 goals)
2011–2014 – Nottingham Forest – 49 games (0 goals)
2012 → Barnsley (loan) – 6 games (1 goal)
2014–2015 – Tadcaster – 15 games (5 goals)
2015 – York City – 3 games (0 goals)
2015–2017 – Tadcaster – 33 games (2 goals)
Total – 473 games (22 goals)

National team
1998 – England U18
1999–2002 – England U21 – 17 games (3 goals)

GREENING’S HONOURS:

Manchester United
UEFA Champions League: 1998–99

Middlesbrough
Football League Cup: 2003–04

West Brom
Football League Championship: 2007–08

Tadcaster
Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division: 2015–16

Individual
Denzil Haroun Reserve Team POTY: 1999–2000
West Brom POTY: 2005–06
PFA Team of the Year (Championship): 2007–08

Fans reacted as Scarborough Athletic appoint an ex-Man Utd player and Champions League winner as their new manager…

@joshfotherz90: Absolutely buzzing . Well done Trev and the board . And Jono for applying

@paulburnett10: Absolute fantastic appointment for both the club and @JonoGreening8 👌👌

@stgavalot: Well that’s an interesting one. Good luck Jono!

@YfrontFanzine: I’m not sure how I feel about this…….

@Johnbryant70: Well done @JonoGreening8 and good luck!!

@Curso113: Excellent news. Well done all!

@Scarborian133: I’m liking this ! Played for #manutd & Won champions league… what more can you ask! #scarborough lad also #Seadogs #Boro #Scarbados #Safc

@HullCityLive: Interesting appointment. The lad has more Champions League winner’s medals than Arsenal and Spurs!

@Mr_B_Heat: Another ex player of Fergie to become a manager. His legacy continues.

@catter100: Bit of a coup that! I’d imagine he’d have some decent contacts on the game. Could possibly still do a job on the pitch too!

@Sports_Darren: So @JonoGreening8 is the new Boro manager… Used to play footy as a youngster with Jono at the local park… about time you landed at Scarborough mate 😅 Good luck mate 👊

@peel_acres: This looks a interesting appointment. Good luck Jono.

@allykernaghan: Great appointment 🔴🔴

@garrity_angela: Absolutely Buzzing for you @JonoGreening8. It’s got an air of excitement, couldn’t be a better person !!

@HEREFORD10: Best of luck to former baggie Jono

@caseystewart169: Best appointment they could of made! Congrats @JonoGreening8

@jbusby21: Interesting but quite exciting the more I think about it. Young hungry coach whose played at the highest level. Welcome to the club

@MattS_121098: Gwarn Jono!

@Con_027: Non-league announcements in pubs are back, good times