Liam Manning

Liam Manning

Personal information
Full name	Liam John Manning[1]
Date of birth	(1985-10-20) 20 October 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth	Norwich, England
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Bristol City (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
Managerial career
2015–2019	West Ham United U23
2020–2021	Lommel
2021–2022	Milton Keynes Dons
2023	Oxford United
2023–	Bristol City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Liam John Manning (born 20 October 1985) is an English football manager and coach. He is the head coach of EFL Championship club Bristol City.

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.^[2]

Upon his return from Iceland, Manning re-signed for Leiston, playing for the club between 2006 and 2008.^[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.^[2]

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][6]

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.^[7] 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.^[8] He repeated the achievement four months later, being named League One Manager of the Month for January 2022 after a similarly successful period.^[9]

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.^[10]

Following a poor start to the season that found his side in the relegation zone, Manning was dismissed on 11 December 2022,^[11] having accumulated just fifteen points from twenty matches.^{[citation needed]}

Oxford United

On 11 March 2023, Manning was appointed head coach of League One side Oxford United.^[12] An impressive start to the following season for the club saw him lead his new club to four wins from five matches, and he was named League One Manager of the Month.^[13] Manning left the club in November 2023 after 29 games in charge with the club second in League One.^[14]

Bristol City

On 7 November 2023, Manning, together with his assistant Chris Hogg, departed Oxford United and joined EFL Championship club Bristol City as the head coach, signing a contract until June 2027.^[15][16]

Coaching style

Manning favours a high possession, high pressing style of football.^[17][18]

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]

Personal life

Manning took compassionate leave from Bristol City from 14 October 2024 for an indefinite period of time following the death of his newborn son Theo.^[19]

Career statistics

Managerial record

As of 22 December 2024

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	[20]
Milton Keynes Dons		13 August 2021	11 December 2022	83	40	15	28	125	91	+34	048.19	[21]
Oxford United		11 March 2023	7 November 2023	29	14	7	8	45	29	+16	048.28	[22]
Bristol City		7 November 2023	present	58	18	20	20	66	66	+0	031.03
Total				200	86	46	68	294	228	+66	043.00

Honours

Individual

• EFL League One Manager of the Month: September 2021,^[8] January 2022,^[9] August 2023^[13]

References

1. "Leikmaður: Liam John Manning" [Player: Liam John Manning] (in Icelandic). Football Association of Iceland. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
2. "Liam Manning". Tim's ITFC Player A-Z. Pride of Anglia. Tim Hodge. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
3. "Manning is plotting Town's downfall following his journey to MK - via Ipswich, Iceland, West Ham, New York and Belgium". East Anglian Daily Times. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
4. "MK Dons confirm appointment of Liam Manning as first ever head coach". ITV. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
5. "Out of my comfort zone". coachesvoice.com.
6. "Manchester City owners City Football Group now have reigning champions in three different countries". ESPN. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
7. "Liam Manning named Head Coach". MK Dons. 13 August 2021.
8. "Manning named League One's Manager of the Month". Milton Keynes Dons. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
9. "Manning named January's Manager of the Month". Milton Keynes Dons. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
10. "Milton Keynes Dons 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers (agg 1-2)". BBC. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
11. "Statement: Liam Manning". www.mkdons.com. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
12. "Liam Manning Becomes Head Coach at Oxford United". Oxford United F.C. 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
13. "See the Sky Bet League One Manager and Player of the Month winners for August". www.efl.com. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
14. "Liam Manning: Bristol City appoint Oxford boss as new head coach 10 days after Nigel Pearson sacking". Sky Sports. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
15. "Liam Manning To Leave For Bristol City". www.oufc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
16. "Liam Manning appointed Bristol City Head Coach". Bristol City FC. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
17. "'You don't see many teams as extreme as we are' – MK Dons boss Liam Manning on his philosophy and road to League One". The Athletic. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
18. "Liam Manning outlines MK Dons' unique style of play". Football League World. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
19. "Liam Manning to take leave of absence". Bristol City FC. 14 October 2024.
20. "Belgium - Lommel SK - Results". Socccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
21. "MK Dons Results". Soccerbase. CenturyComm. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
22. "Oxford United Results". Soccerbase. CenturyComm. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2021.

External links

• Liam Manning at Soccerway