David Owen Phillips (born 29 July 1963) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

football coach, commentator and former player. As a player he was a midfielder and played in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

for both

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 2 ...

and

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

. He also had lengthy spells in the top flight for both

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...

and

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the ...

as well as playing in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. ...

and Lincoln City. He retired in 2001 with non-league club

Stevenage Borough Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English f ...

. During his career he was capped 62 times by

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, scoring twice.

Club career

Phillips was a member of the Plymouth team that reached the semi-final of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...

in 1984, losing 1–0 to

Watford Watford () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal en ...

. Whilst at Manchester City he featured several times on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

Match of the Day ''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights, during the Premier League season. The show's current presenter is former England international striker Gary ...

programme as a Goal of the Month nominee, scoring a number of spectacular long-range goals. An early signing by George Curtis and

John Sillett John Charles Sillett (20 July 1936 – 30 November 2021) was an English football player and manager. He played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle. He won the Championship with Chelsea in 1955, playing alongside his brother P ...

, Phillips was a useful player to have in any squad due to his versatility, as he could play on either flank both defensively and offensively. He was probably at his peak during the 86/87 FA Cup winning season, where the team spent the entire season in the top ten. As at

, Phillips was a strong industrious midfielder that could drop back into a defensive position if need be, but it was his long range striking ability which often caught the eye. Memorable goals include a 25-yard strike during a 4–1 defeat of

QPR Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

in 86/87 and the following season, going to then champions Everton, and scoring a pile-driver, again from outside the box, in a 2–1 win at Goodison Park. His

1987 FA Cup Final The 1987 FA Cup Final between Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur on 16 May 1987 at Wembley Stadium, London, England was the 106th Final of the FA Cup, English football's primary cup competition. It was the third final for Tottenham Hotspur in ...

appearance typified his time at the Sky Blues, industrious, hard working and fast on the counterattack. His three seasons at Coventry (86–89) coincide with some of the most stable and successful times in the club's history. The £550,000 fee that Norwich City paid Coventry for him in 1989 was at the time a club record. He scored within three minutes of his debut for the Canaries in a 2–0 win at

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...

. He was part of the Norwich side that finished third in the inaugural Premiership season 1992–93, but left the club in the summer of 1993 after a contract dispute, joining

. He helped Forest win promotion to the Premiership in his first season at the City Ground, winning the club's Player of the Year award. Following on from his spell at Forest, Phillips went on to play for

and Lincoln City before retiring in 2001 with non-league side

International career

Phillips made his senior debut for Wales on 2 May 1984 in a 1–0 Home Championship win over

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and soon become a regular for the national side. He was capped a total of 62 times for Wales, scoring twice. His last cap came on 24 January 1996 in a 3–0 friendly defeat to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Coaching career

Following on from his retirement, Phillips coached the

under-14 team.

Personal life

David's son Aaron Phillips is a professional footballer on the books of Kidderminster having previously played for Coventry City and had a loan spell at

Nuneaton Town Nuneaton Borough Football Club is an English football club that is based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. The men's 1st team competes in the , the seventh tier of English football. In 1889, Nuneaton St. Nicholas FC was the first team in Nuneaton t ...

. He now co-commentates for

BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales i ...

as a summariser on

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ...

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

and

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the county ...

games.

Honours

: 1986–87

References

Sources

*''Canary Citizens'' by Mark Davage, John Eastwood, Kevin Platt, published by Jarrold Publishing, (2001),

External links

Career Information at ex-canaries.co.ukCareer stats at SoccerbaseUnofficial Dave Phillips Profile
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The Forgotten Imp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, David Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Norwich City F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Lincoln City F.C. players Stevenage F.C. players Coventry City F.C. non-playing staff Welsh footballers Wales international footballers Living people Premier League players English Football League players 1963 births People from Wegberg Sportspeople from Cologne (region) Association football midfielders Footballers from North Rhine-Westphalia FA Cup Final players