Paul John Bodin (born 13 September 1964) is a Welsh former professional
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 ...
and
coach who is the coach of the
Wales under-21 team. His son,
Billy Bodin, is also a professional footballer.
A former
Chelsea youth team
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
product, he moved to
Cardiff City via
Newport County in 1982. He helped Cardiff to win
promotion out of the
Third Division in 1982–83. He returned to
non-League football
Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
with
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...
and
Bath City in 1985 before rejoining Newport for a £15,000 fee in January 1988. Two months later he was sold on to
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded as Swindon A ...
for twice this sum and became the club's first-choice
left-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categ ...
, helping them to win the
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
Second Division play-off
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...
final and winning himself a place on the
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
in 1990–91. He was sold to
Crystal Palace for £550,000 in March 1991 but was
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
ed out to
Newcastle United before being sold back to Swindon for £225,000 in January 1992. Named as Swindon's Player of the Season in 1992–93, he scored the winning goal in the
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
First Division play-off final. He featured in the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, though after two successive
relegation
Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
s, he again earned a place on the Second Division's PFA Team of the Year in 1995–96. He then spent two seasons with
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
, as well as a loan spell at
Wycombe Wanderers, before entering management with Bath City in 1998. He also won 23
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
s for
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
between 1990 and 1994.
He spent three seasons as Bath City's
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
before spending 12 years as a youth team coach at Swindon, also spending two games in
caretaker charge of the first team in 2011. He then coached at
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
's
Academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
before becoming assistant manager at
Port Vale in May 2015. In August 2019, he was promoted from
Wales under-19 coach to Wales under-21
head coach
A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
, remaining in the role until July 2022.
Club career
Early career
Bodin began his career with
Chelsea as a schoolboy, travelling via train to
London Paddington station
Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London station group, London railway station and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by ...
every weekend to train with the club. However, he left
Stamford Bridge without making a first-team appearance for the "Blues" and moved onto a brief spell with
Newport County under manager
Len Ashurst, rejecting interest from his hometown side
Cardiff City after watching Newport draw 2–2 with German side
Carl Zeiss Jena in the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
.
As a young trainee player, Bodin's role at the club included helping paint the stands at the club's
Somerton Park ground.
He eventually followed Ashurst to Cardiff. He was handed his professional debut on the opening day of the
1982–83 season against
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
at the age of 17.
He quickly established himself in the first-team, making over 30 appearances in his first season,
helping Ashurst's "Bluebirds" to
promotion into the
Second Division,
finishing as
Third Division runners-up to
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
.
Jimmy Goodfellow then led Cardiff to a 15th-place finish in the
1983–84 season, before
Alan Durban took charge at
Ninian Park and led Cardiff to
relegation
Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
in the
1984–85 campaign, after which Bodin left the club and joined
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...
. During his time as a semi-professional, he supplemented his income by working as a
roofer's assistant and
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...
salesman.
Bath City and Newport County
He signed with
Conference
A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
club
Bath City, who finished 12th at the end of the
1985–86 season. He scored 21 goals for the "Romans" in the
1986–87 season, helping the
Twerton Park club to a tenth-place finish. Bath were relegated to the
Southern League out of the Conference in the
1987–88 season, though in January 1988 Bodin went in the opposite direction as he made a return to the
English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
with
Brian Eastick's Newport for a £15,000
transfer fee, who themselves were heading for relegation at the end of
the season. Newport's financial difficulties meant that Bath never received payment for Bodin's transfer.
Swindon Town and Crystal Palace
Bodin left Newport for
Second Division side
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded as Swindon A ...
in March 1988 for a fee of £30,000 after Eastick was ordered to sell players in an attempt to raise funds. Newport were forced to fold less than a year later with debts of over £300,000. Signed by Swindon as cover for
Phil King; he signed a three-year
contract
A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
.
Lou Macari took the "Robins" to the
play-offs in the
1988–89 season, where they were beaten by
Crystal Palace. When King left for
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
in November the following year, Bodin became the club's first-choice left-back.
He was almost ever-present under
Osvaldo Ardiles in the
1989–90 campaign as Swindon reached the
play-off final at
Wembley, where they beat
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 ...
1–0. However, they were denied a place in the
First Division due to a financial scandal after the club were found to have been making irregular payments to players, initially being demoted to the Second Division before being allowed to remain in the First Division on appeal. Bodin was sold on to
Steve Coppell's Crystal Palace for a £550,000 fee on 20 March 1991.
He failed to break into the "Eagles" first-team as Palace reached third in the league in the
1990–91 campaign, though he was still named on the Second Division
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
for his time at Swindon. Ardiles took him back into the Second Division with
Newcastle United for a short
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
spell in December 1991.
Return to Swindon
Bodin returned to the
County Ground just ten months after he had left -
Glenn Hoddle paying a fee of £225,000 on 10 January 1992.
Hoddle played Bodin as a more attack-minded wing-back, making better use of Bodin's
crossing ability.
He also installed Bodin as the club's
penalty taker - moves which were to come to fruition the
following season, when he scored a total of twelve goals from his new position.
Five of these goals came from the penalty spot - the last of which gave Swindon the lead in the dying minutes of the 1993
play-off final win over
Leicester City. He was named as the club's Player of the Season for 1992–93. He performed well in the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, scoring seven league goals, including penalty strikes against
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
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
as Swindon were relegated at the end of the
1993–94 season.
He remained as
John Gorman's first-choice left-back for two more seasons, despite a second-successive relegation in
1994–95. He helped the club to the Second Division championship under
Steve McMahon in
1995–96, ahead of initial first-choice left-back
Jason Drysdale, before leaving the club at the end of that season despite being named on the PFA Team of the Year for the second time in his career.
Later career
He was signed by his former teammate
Jimmy Quinn at
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
in July 1996.
He made 36 appearances in the
1996–97 campaign despite being told he would only be used as emergency cover in case of injuries. He spent the first half of the
1997–98 season on loan at
John Gregory's Second Division
Wycombe Wanderers. He left
Elm Park after
Tommy Burns's "Royals" were relegated out of the First Division in 1998. He returned to Bath City to take a position as
player-manager
A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
. He led the club to fourth-place finishes in the
Southern League in
1998–99 and
1999–2000, and a 15th-place finish in
2000–01. In 2001, his position was dropped to part-time due to financial troubles at the club, and he subsequently resigned. In August 2002, he signed with
Devizes Town of the
Western League. He played for
Swindon Supermarine later in the year.
International career
During his time with Cardiff, Bodin won a single
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
at
under-21 level for Wales.
He went on to win 23 caps for
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
under the management of
Terry Yorath and
Mike Smith, making his debut in a 1–0 win over
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
.
He missed a penalty when the score was 1–1 in Wales' final and decisive
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...
qualifier at home to
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, a game Wales needed to win in order to qualify but they subsequently lost 2–1. Speaking in 2015, he said "I have had to live with that hurt and it never quite goes away".
Coaching career
Bodin was appointed a
coach in
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded as Swindon A ...
's
youth team
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
set-up in 2001.
In April 2011 he took over as
caretaker manager
In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...
of Swindon for the final two games of the
2010–11 season after the departure of
Paul Hart. Following the arrival of
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made over 500 league appearances and scored over one hundred goals as a Forward (association football), forward. He primari ...
, Bodin rebuffed advances from
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
to become assistant
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
under good friend
Martin Ling
Martin Ling (born 15 July 1966) is an English Association football, football manager and former player currently director of football for Leyton Orient F.C., Leyton Orient. He played in over 100 The Football League, Football League matches for ...
, and opted to sign a new long-term deal with Swindon Town following the revelations he had been working without a contract for three and a half years. He left the club in June 2013. He went on to work in
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
's
Academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
.
In May 2015,
Rob Page appointed Bodin as his assistant manager at
Port Vale. He rejected the chance to follow Page to
Northampton Town in May 2016, and resigned his post at
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...
for "personal reasons". In August 2019, Bodin was promoted from
Wales under-19 coach to
Wales under-21 team coach. In July 2022 Bodin's contract with Wales Under-21 was terminated by mutual consent.
Personal life
His son,
Billy Bodin, is also a professional footballer.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Cardiff City
*
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 Football League, 1920–21 and again from 1958–59 Football League, 1958 until 1991–92 Football League, 1992. When the FA Premier League ...
second-place promotion:
1982–83
Swindon Town
*
Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
play-offs:
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
*
Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
play-offs:
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
*Football League Second Division:
1995–96
Individual
*
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
(
Second Division):
1990–91,
1995–96
*
Swindon Town F.C. Player of the Season:
1992–93
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodin, Paul
1964 births
Footballers from Cardiff
Living people
Welsh men's footballers
Wales men's under-21 international footballers
Wales men's international footballers
Men's association football fullbacks
Chelsea F.C. players
Newport County A.F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
Merthyr Tydfil F.C. players
Bath City F.C. players
Swindon Town F.C. players
Crystal Palace F.C. players
Newcastle United F.C. players
Reading F.C. players
Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players
Devizes Town F.C. players
Swindon Supermarine F.C. players
English Football League players
Premier League players
Southern Football League players
Western Football League players
Men's association football player-managers
Welsh football managers
Bath City F.C. managers
Swindon Town F.C. managers
Wales national under-21 football team managers
Southern Football League managers
English Football League managers
Welsh football coaches
Southampton F.C. non-playing staff
Port Vale F.C. non-playing staff