Neil Dewsnip

Neil Dewsnip

Personal information
Full name	Neil David Dewsnip [1]
Place of birth	Whiston, England
Team information
Current team	Plymouth Argyle (director of football and caretaker manager)
Youth career
Years	Team
	Liverpool
Managerial career
2014–2019	England U18
2015	England U17
2017	England U20
2023–2024	Plymouth Argyle (caretaker)
2024–	Plymouth Argyle (caretaker)

Neil David Dewsnip is an English football coach who is director of football, and caretaker manager, of EFL Championship side Plymouth Argyle.

Dewsnip had been a youth player at Liverpool and later worked as a teacher at a number of schools before becoming a coach. He worked with Everton's academy for 17 years before beginning work with the England national youth teams in 2013, leaving that role in 2019 to join Plymouth Argyle.

Early and personal life

Dewsnip was born in Whiston. ^[2]

His father Jim worked as a coach at Liverpool under manager Bill Shankly. ^[2]

Playing and teaching career

Dewsnip was a youth player at Liverpool. ^[2] His father "realised that he would not make the grade as a professional and so he steered him towards the academic route". ^[2] Dewsnip trained as a PE teacher, attending the Carnegie College of Physical Education for four years, ^[2] which later became part of Leeds Beckett University. ^[3]

He began his teaching career in 1983 at Broad Oak High School in Bury, teaching there for a year-and-a-half. ^[4] He later taught at New Heys Comprehensive School, where two of his former pupils, Karl Robinson and Jim Bentley, would later become managers in the Football League. ^[2] He also taught at Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in Liverpool, and taught future professional footballer Steven Gerrard. ^[2]

Coaching career

Dewsnip had worked at the Everton Academy for 17 years, coaching future England national football team internationals Wayne Rooney, Ross Barkley, Leon Osman and Jack Rodwell, ^[5] before leaving in July 2013 to work for the Football Association, initially as the technical lead for the England under-17 to under-21 teams. ^[6]

He was working as the under-18 team manager by September 2014. ^[4] Whilst still under-18 manager, he managed the under-17 team at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup following the departure of John Peacock, ^[2] and he also managed the under-20s in their title winning campaign at the 2017 Toulon Tournament. ^[7]

In August 2021 Dewsnip was part of Bev Priestman's coaching and mentoring team for the Canada women's team that won Gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. ^{[8] [9]}

Plymouth Argyle

In August 2019 he joined then EFL League Two side Plymouth Argyle as a technical consultant. ^{[10] [11]} On 30 November of the same year, Dewsnip was formally appointed as director of football at the club, overseeing the club's entire footballing operations. ^[12]

In December 2023, with the club in the EFL Championship, Dewsnip, supported by first team coach Kevin Nancekivell, took on caretaker manager duties, following the departure of Steven Schumacher to Stoke City. ^{[13] [14]} Dewsnip took charge of four games as caretaker, with three score draws against Birmingham City, Cardiff City and Watford, and a defeat to Southampton. On 5 January 2024 Ian Foster was named as the new head coach at Argyle, and despite Dewsnip setting up the team for the following day's match against Sutton United in the FA Cup, it was Foster who was credited as officially 'managing' the team. ^[15]

Following Ian Foster's sacking on 1 April 2024, Dewsnip, again supported by Kevin Nancekivell, was re-appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the 2023–24 season. At the time of appointment, Argyle sat just one point above the EFL Championship relegation zone, with six games to play. ^{[16] [17]}

References

1. "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020: Squad list, Canada" (PDF). FIFA . 7 July 2021. p. 3. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
2. Hytner, David (13 October 2015). "Neil Dewsnip has his sights set on World Cup glory with England U17s". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
3. "Carnegie School of Sport: Our Heritage". Leeds Beckett University. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
4. "England Under-18s coach Neil Dewsnip hopes to revive "happy memories" on his Bury return". Bolton News. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
5. "Neil Dewsnip on teaching Gerrard and coaching Ross Barkley". theFA.com. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
6. O'Keefe, Greg (24 July 2013). "Everton FC coach Neil Dewsnip calls time on 17 years at Goodison to take up England youth role". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
7. "Dewsnip ready for Toulon test". The Football Association. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
8. "Dewsnip Heads to the Olympics | Plymouth Argyle - PAFC". www.pafc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
9. "Football DEWSNIP Neil - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". Olympics.com/tokyo-2020/. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
10. "Neil Dewsnip's In". www.pafc.co.uk.
11. Errington, Chris (21 August 2019). "Former England under-18 head coach Neil Dewsnip takes up Argyle post". plymouthherald.
12. "Director of Football". PAFC.co.uk. 30 November 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
13. Errington, Chris (23 December 2023). "Neil Dewsnip's Argyle pride after latest Home Park thriller". Plymouth Live.
14. Errington, Chris (28 December 2023). "Neil Dewsnip honoured to be taking charge of Argyle". Plymouth Live.
15. "Sutton (H) Foster's Reaction". PAFC.co.uk. 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
16. "Foster departs". PAFC.co.uk. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
17. "Plymouth Argyle sack head coach Foster" – via www.bbc.co.uk.