Stephen Glass (footballer)

Stephen Glass

Personal information
Date of birth	(1976-05-23) 23 May 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth	Dundee, Scotland
Position(s)	Midfielder, Left-winger
Youth career
1992–1994	Aberdeen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1994–1998	Aberdeen	108	(9)
1994–1995	→ Crombie Sports (loan)	27	(1)
1998–2001	Newcastle United	43	(7)
2001–2003	Watford	64	(4)
2003–2007	Hibernian	86	(3)
2007–2010	Dunfermline Athletic	69	(9)
2010–2011	Carolina RailHawks	17	(0)
Total		414	(33)
International career
1995–1997	Scotland U21	11	(3)
1996–2003	Scotland B	3	(0)
1998	Scotland	1	(0)
Managerial career
2012–2014	Shamrock Rovers (assistant)
2012	Shamrock Rovers (interim)
2019–2020	Atlanta United 2
2020	Atlanta United (interim)
2020–2021	Atlanta United 2
2021–2022	Aberdeen
2022–2024	Memphis 901
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Stephen Glass (born 23 May 1976) is a Scottish former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of Memphis 901 in the USL Championship.

A midfielder, Glass started his career at Aberdeen, with whom he won the 1995 Scottish League Cup. In 1998, he moved to England, transferring to Newcastle United of the Premier League. Shortly after joining Newcastle, Glass made an appearance for the Scotland national football team. He joined Watford in the First Division in 2001, before returning to Scotland in 2003 with Hibernian. He joined Dunfermline Athletic in 2007 and was released at the end of the 2009–10 season. Glass finished his playing career with American club Carolina RailHawks.

Glass worked as an assistant manager for Shamrock Rovers. He then had four years in the Atlanta United organisation, including a spell as interim head coach of their MLS team. Glass was appointed Aberdeen manager in March 2021, but was sacked after less than a year in that position.

Playing career

Aberdeen

Glass started his career with Aberdeen where he was regarded as one of Scotland's brightest prospects. He broke through into the first team during a relegation struggle in the 1994–95 season, and scored goals in the final league fixture and in both legs of the subsequent playoff to maintain his club's top-division status. In Aberdeen's League Cup victory against Dundee in November 1995, he set up both goals in the Dons' 2–0 success. ^[1] His performance earned him the man-of-the-match award (a mountain bike) as well as a winner's medal. ^[2]

Newcastle United

Glass moved to English Premier League team Newcastle United in 1998, for a fee of £650,000. ^{[3] [4]} In his first season at St James' Park, Glass made 29 appearances in all competitions, but was hampered by an injury in February. ^[5] He did however recover to make a substitute appearance in the 1999 FA Cup Final against Manchester United at Wembley. ^[6]

Injury, particularly a serious knee problem, ^[4] blighted his second season in the Premiership. By the time Glass had regained full fitness, manager Bobby Robson had decided that Glass was no more than a solid squad player. Glass played a bit-part role in Newcastle's following two campaigns, making only six league starts out of a possible seventy-six, although he did score the equaliser in a 1–1 home draw with Manchester United in December 2000. ^[7] He left the club at the end of the 2000–01 season. ^[5]

Watford

In the summer of 2001 Glass signed for Watford on a free transfer, as part of Gianluca Vialli's new-look side. He was one of the more successful Vialli signings, and one of the few to be kept on by his successor, Ray Lewington. However, due to financial constraints Glass had to be released when his contract ended in the summer of 2003. Ironically, after this announcement was made he scored a stunning free-kick in Watford's victory over Burnley in the FA Cup quarter-final. ^{[8] [9]}

Hibernian

Glass was released by Watford at the end of the 2002–03 season and then signed for Hibernian on a three-year contract. ^[4] He came to Hibs at a time when the club were cutting their budget and several younger players were being introduced to the squad. ^[4] Glass made his debut for Hibs in the 2–1 win over Dundee United in August 2003 and also featured in an Edinburgh derby win over Hearts the following week. Despite flashes of his expected pedigree, Glass' first season at Easter Road was also blighted by injury, causing him to miss the 2004 Scottish League Cup Final.

His second season in Edinburgh, however, proved much more successful and his performances under new boss Tony Mowbray helped the club gain a UEFA Cup place by finishing third in the SPL. ^[10] Glass missed only two league games due to injury in 2004–05 and his presence helped hold together a Hibernian midfield which was weakened by lengthy injuries to star players Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson and Guillaume Beuzelin. Along with numerous goal assists, Glass also chipped in with two key goals in Hibernian's league campaign; the first was a volley which proved to be a winning goal against Aberdeen in December 2004, ^[11] while his free-kick helped Hibs to a 2–1 over Dunfermline the following week. ^[12]

Glass was forced to start the 2005–06 season on the bench for Hibs. Injury to left-back David Murphy in November, however, saw him drafted in as cover and his dependable performances won him his midfield berth back after the new year. Although injuries and inconsistency thwarted Hibs bid for both a top-three finish and a Scottish Cup final place, Glass nonetheless featured in Hibs' impressive wins over Rangers and Hearts in 2006. He accepted Tony Mowbray's offer of a two-year contract extension in April 2006. Glass was overlooked for the vacant Hibs captaincy in favour of Gary Caldwell and then Kevin Thomson in 2005 and 2006, perhaps because manager Mowbray no longer saw him to be certain of automatic first-team selection. When Mowbray was succeeded as Hibs manager by John Collins in October 2006, Glass fell further down the pecking order.

Dunfermline Athletic

Having made only two first-team starts for Hibs during the first half of the 2006–07 season, he was allowed to move to Dunfermline Athletic to gain more regular first team football. He joined the Pars on 25 January 2007 on loan until the end of the season. After impressing Pars then-manager Stephen Kenny, Glass signed a two-year contract with the Fife club. ^[13] At the start of the 2008–09 season, Glass was made vice-captain to Scott Wilson by manager Jim McIntyre ^[14] and was made captain for the 2009-10 season. ^[15] Glass suffered a knee injury early in that season and was released by Dunfermline at the end of the season. ^[15]

Glass then went on trial with SPL side St Mirren and came on as a substitute in their pre-season friendly with Dumbarton on 19 July 2010. ^[16] St Mirren manager Danny Lennon confirmed soon afterwards, however, that he would not be following up his interest in Glass. ^[17]

Carolina RailHawks

Glass was signed by Carolina RailHawks of the second division North American Soccer League on 7 March 2011. ^[18] Soon afterwards, Glass injured a hip, which prompted him to retire from playing football. ^[15]

International career

Having left Aberdeen for Newcastle, Glass returned to Pittodrie in October 1998, making his first and only appearance for his country's full side as a substitute in Scotland's 2–1 win over the Faroe Islands. He had already appeared for the under-21 ^[19] and 'B' teams. ^[20]

Coaching career

Shamrock Rovers

On 13 January 2012, Glass joined Shamrock Rovers as assistant manager, working for his former Dunfermline boss Stephen Kenny. ^{[15] [21]} On 11 September 2012 he was put in temporary charge of Shamrock Rovers, following Kenny's dismissal as manager. ^[22]

Atlanta United

After becoming an academy coach of Atlanta United FC in August 2018, Glass made the move to become the head coach of the club's USL Championship side Atlanta United 2 on 30 January 2019. ^[23] On July 27, 2020, Glass was named interim coach of Atlanta United, ^[24] replacing Frank de Boer, who had departed the club by mutual agreement a few days prior. ^[25] Glass returned to his role at Atlanta United 2 after Gabriel Heinze was appointed the full-time coach of the club's first-team in January 2021. ^[26]

Aberdeen

Glass was appointed Aberdeen manager in March 2021, succeeding Derek McInnes. ^[27] He was sacked by Aberdeen in February 2022, following a Scottish Cup defeat at Motherwell. ^[28] The team were in ninth place in the Premiership at the time of his departure. ^[29]

Memphis 901

On 22 November 2022, Glass was named head coach for USL Championship club Memphis 901. ^[30] Glass remained manager of Memphis until the club folded on 13 November 2024. ^[31]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ^{[32] [33] [34]}

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Aberdeen	1994–95	Scottish Premier Division	21	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	23	3
	1995–96		32	3	4	0	5	0	0	0	-	-	41	3
	1996–97		24	1	2	0	3	1	3	2	-	-	32	4
	1997-98		31	2	1	0	2	1	0	0	-	-	34	3
	Total		108	9	9	0	10	2	3	2	-	-	130	13
Crombie Sports (loan)	1994-95	-	27	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	27+	1+
Newcastle United	1998-99	Premier League	22	3	4	0	2	0	2	0	-	-	30	3
	1999-00		7	1	1	0	1	0	3	0	-	-	12	1
	2000-01		14	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	16	3
	Total		43	7	7	0	3	0	5	0	-	-	58	7
Watford	2001-02	First Division	31	3	0	0	2	0	-	-	-	-	33	3
	2002-03		33	1	2	1	1	0	-	-	-	-	36	2
	Total		64	4	2	1	3	0	-	-	-	-	69	5
Hibernian	2003-04	SPL	12	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	-	-	14	0
	2004-05		36	2	3	0	3	1	2	0	-	-	44	3
	2005-06		28	1	4	0	1	0	1	0	-	-	34	1
	2006-07		10	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	-	-	13	0
	Total		86	3	7	0	7	1	5	0	-	-	105	4
Dunfermline Athletic	2006-07	SPL	11	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	11	3
	2007-08	Scottish First Division	31	4	1	0	1	0	2	0	4	2	39	6
	2008-09		26	2	4	0	3	0	-	-	0	0	33	2
	2009-10		1	0	0	0	1	0	-	-	1	0	3	0
	Total		69	9	5	0	5	0	2	0	5	2	86	11
Carolina RailHawks	2010	USSF Division 2	17	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	17+	0+
	Total		17	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	17+	0+
Career total			414	33	30+	1+	28+	3+	15	2	5	2	492+	41+

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year ^[35]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Scotland	1998	1	0
Total		1	0

Managerial statistics

As of match played 3 August 2024

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	Nat	From	To	Record								Ref
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Shamrock Rovers (interim)		11 September 2012	6 November 2012	8	4	0	4	18	12	+6	050.00	[36]
Atlanta United 2		30 January 2019	27 July 2020	38	9	9	20	48	85	−37	023.68	[37]
Atlanta United FC (interim)		27 July 2020	18 December 2020	19	5	4	10	20	25	−5	026.32	[38]
Atlanta United 2		18 December 2020	23 March 2021	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	!—
Aberdeen		12 April 2021	13 February 2022	41	14	7	20	52	56	−4	034.15	[39]
Memphis 901		22 November 2022	Present	62	26	16	20	98	86	+12	041.94
Total				168	58	36	74	236	263	−27	034.52	—

Honours

Player

Aberdeen

• Scottish League Cup: 1995–96 ^[40]

Newcastle United

• FA Cup runner-up: 1998–99 ^[41]

Individual

• 1995 Scottish League Cup Final Man of the Match ^[2]

References

1. "Football: Classic touch of Glass" . The Independent . 26 September 1998. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
2. "Stephen out to pedal Pars home with a cup shock". www.afc.co.uk. Aberdeen F.C. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
3. "Newcastle United player profiles". BBC News . BBC. 20 May 1999. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
4. Hepburn, Ray (13 July 2003). "Football: All the latest news from your club: HIBERNIAN: HE'S STILL A". Sunday Mirror . Retrieved 27 February 2011.
5. "Newcastle player appearances". Soccerbase . Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
6. "Glass welcomes Final Challenge". www.dafc.co.uk. Dunfermline Athletic F.C. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
7. "Magpies grab draw against Man Utd". BBC Sport. BBC. 30 December 2000. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
8. Grant, Michael (22 December 2002). "A cut above, but Watford wage gap may break Glass". Sunday Herald . Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
9. Atkin, Ronald (16 March 2003). "Watford's new savior on the hallowed Cup road" . The Independent . London. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
10. Campbell, Alan (22 May 2005). "Glass Has Euro Vision". Sunday Herald . Retrieved 27 February 2011.
11. Hardie, David (14 December 2004). "Hibees had no doubt it would be a green day at Easter Road". Edinburgh Evening News . Retrieved 27 February 2011.
12. Hardie, David (20 December 2004). "Persistence ensures Hibs kids get Christmas wish". Edinburgh Evening News . Retrieved 27 February 2011.
13. "Glass on board for First Division campaign" . Retrieved 17 July 2007.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
14. "Squad for Austria". dafc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2008.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
15. "Ex-Hibs star Stephen Glass clear on football future". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Press. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
16. "Dumbarton 2-2 Saint Mirren". Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
17. "St Mirren sign former Falkirk midfielder Sean Lynch". BBC News. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
18. "RailHawks Announce Player Signings and Preseason Schedule". 7 March 2011.
19. "Scotland U21 profile". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
20. "Scotland 'B' profile". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
21. "Kenny assembles new backroom team". www.shamrockrovers.ie. Shamrock Rovers F.C. 13 January 2012. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
22. "Stephen Kenny: Ex-Derry boss sacked by Shamrock Rovers". BBC Sport. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
23. "Atlanta United 2 announces Stephen Glass as head coach | Atlanta United FC".
24. "Stephen Glass Named Atlanta United Interim Head Coach | Atlanta United FC". atlutd.
25. Campbell, Andy (19 August 2020). "Stephen Glass: Atlanta United interim head coach takes charge for first time". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
26. "Atlanta United announces Gabriel Heinze's technical staff". Atlanta United. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
27. Smith, Tyrone (23 March 2021). "Aberdeen: Stephen Glass named new Pittodrie boss". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
28. McKenzie, Lewis (13 February 2022). "Aberdeen sack manager Stephen Glass following Scottish Cup defeat". STV Sport. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
29. Smith, Tyrone (13 February 2022). "Stephen Glass: Aberdeen manager departs after 11 months". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
30. Clayton, J. "Memphis 901 FC Tabs Former MLS, Scottish Premiership Manager Stephen Glass as new Head Coach". Memphis901FC.com. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
31. "United Soccer League announces transfer of Memphis 901 FC's USL Championship rights to Santa Barbara SKY FC". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship . Retrieved 13 November 2024.
32. "Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust - Player Profile". afcheritage.org. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
33. "Hibernian Player Stephen Glass Details". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
34. Scott, Kenneth H. "Stephen Glass | Player Profile | toon1892 ~ a site for Newcastle United fans everywhere..." toon1892.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
35. "Stephen Glass | Scotland | Scottish FA". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
36. "Shamrock Rovers: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
37. "Atlanta United 2: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
38. "Atlanta United: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
39. "Aberdeen: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
40. "Dodds and Shearer end Aberdeen's wait" . Independent. 26 November 1995. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
41. "Double joy for Man United". BBC. 22 May 1999. Retrieved 23 March 2021.

External links

• Stephen Glass at Soccerbase
• Newcastle profile at Toon1892
• Stephen Glass at the Scottish Football Association
• Profile and stats at AFC Heritage Trust
• Stephen Glass at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database