Neil Bailey (born 26 September 1958) is an English former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. He played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. He began his career at Newport County in the early 1980s, during the most successful period in the club's history. Bailey was part of the team that won promotion and the

Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup (), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most prestigious of the cup competitions ...

and, in the subsequent season, reached the quarter-finals of the 1980–81 European Cup Winners' Cup. Bailey made 134 appearances for Newport, scoring seven goals. He joined his hometown club,

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

, in 1983. He spent three years at Springfield Park, making 41 league appearances and scoring two goals. In 1986, Bailey joined Stockport County and went on to make a half-century of appearances for the

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

club. During his time at Edgeley Park, he was loaned out to his first club, Newport County. Bailey retired from playing in 1988, but stayed on at Stockport County as a coach. In 1992, Bailey joined Billy Ayre's

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

, also as a coach, but occasionally took to the field as an emergency fill-in when injuries dictated. Bailey was later a youth team coach at

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

and then a coach for the Professional Footballers' Association between 2002 and 2007. In January 2007

Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most ...

was appointed team manager of

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

and he appointed Bailey as first team coach. When Keane resigned in December 2008 Bailey was promoted to joint Assistant Manager with Dwight Yorke under caretaker manager Ricky Sbragia. Steve Bruce was appointed Sunderland manager in July 2009 with Sbragia and Bailey subsequently being released by Sunderland. In 2010 Bailey rejoined the PFA as a Regional Coach Educator in North West England.

References

Newport County A-Z of transfers
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Neil 1958 births Living people Footballers from Wigan English men's footballers Newport County A.F.C. players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Stockport County F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Stockport County F.C. non-playing staff Blackpool F.C. non-playing staff Manchester United F.C. non-playing staff Sunderland A.F.C. non-playing staff English Football League players Men's association football midfielders