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Stephen Joseph McMahon (born 20 August 1961) is an English football manager, 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 current television pundit. As a player, he was 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 ...
from 1979 to 1998, most notably playing for
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in the late 1980s. McMahon was placed in 42nd position in the '100 Players Who Shook The Kop' poll, which asked Red supporters to name the best 100 Liverpool players of all time. He also played for Everton,
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
and
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, playing 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 ...
for the latter. He was capped 17 times by
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. After his playing career ended, he began his coaching and managing career with
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 ...
, and later managed
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 ...
, winning promotion with both of these clubs. He later had a brief spell as manager of Perth Glory in Australia.


Club playing career


Everton

Halewood Halewood is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England, near the city of Liverpool's southeastern boundary, bordered by the suburbs of Netherley, Hunt's Cross and Woolton. Historically part of Lanca ...
-born McMahon started his career at Everton, playing for them as a teenager after appearing at
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
as a ball boy. He made his league debut on 16 August 1980 in the 3–1 defeat to
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 ...
at Roker Park, and he went on to be voted the supporters player of the year by the end of the 1980/81 season. His commanding presence in the Toffees midfield earned him the captaincy of the club. After 4 seasons, including 100 league appearances and 11 league goals McMahon moved to Aston Villa.


Aston Villa

He joined
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
on 20 May 1983 for £175,000, he made his league debut on 27 August 1983 in the 4–3 derby win over
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
at
Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
. McMahon settled quickly and established himself in the heart of the Villans midfield. However Villa finished 10th in his first season, while his previous club, Everton, finished 3 places above them in 7th spot. The following season, 1984/85, ended up worse than the previous one as Villa finished in 10th spot again, only this time Everton won the title.


Liverpool

McMahon agreed to join Liverpool on 12 September 1985 for £350,000 thus becoming the first signing to be made by new manager
Kenny Dalglish Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time as well as one of Celtic's, Liv ...
, and filling the void left by
Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit. A midfielder, Souness achieved his greatest period of success as an integral part of the Liverpool team of the late 19 ...
over a year earlier. He made his debut 2 days later on the 14th in the 2–2 league draw with
Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
at the Manor Ground. He didn't have to wait long for his first goal either, it came a week later on 21 September against his former club, Everton. McMahon's 42nd-minute strike turned out to be the winner as the Reds triumphed 3-2. He played a crucial role in Liverpool's "double" winning side of that season. However, his joy at winning a League championship medal was tempered slightly by his omission from the side for the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
final which again was ironically against rivals and former club Everton, the first all
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...
FA Cup final. However, he was more fortunate than the other players left out by Dalglish, as McMahon was given the substitute's role and ended up with a winners' medal when Liverpool won 3–1, though he did not get on to the pitch. The following year, McMahon this time started at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
when Liverpool contested the League Cup final against
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 ...
. He set up the opening goal for
Ian Rush Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best Welsh playe ...
but they ultimately lost the match 2–1. He had earlier scored four goals in Liverpool's record 10–0 victory over
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
in the same competition. McMahon had also missed a penalty in the same game, which would have made him the only Liverpool player to score five goals in a competitive game that season but scored another hat-trick in the following round against Leicester. In total, he scored nine goals in the League Cup that season, as well as five in the league, totaling 14 in all competitions, although Liverpool endured their second trophyless season in more than a decade. Dalglish reshaped the side the following season, incorporating new signings
John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Barnes currently works as an ...
,
Peter Beardsley Peter Andrew Beardsley (born 18 January 1961) is an English football coach and former footballer who played as a forward or midfielder. In 1987, he set a record transfer fee in the English game and represented his country 59 times between 1 ...
, John Aldridge and
Ray Houghton Raymond James Houghton (born 9 January 1962) is a former professional Association football, footballer and current sports analyst and commentator with RTÉ Sport. As a player, he was a midfielder, notably playing for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool w ...
but McMahon remained in the side. By now his reputation as one of the best hardmen in the game was established. Though his tackling was often subjected to scrutiny by the football authorities and criticism from opposing players and managers, there was no doubt that his skills as a footballer were of the highest order. McMahon frequently scored for a man in his position as Liverpool won the 1988 League title. Memorable strikes included a 30-yard shot 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 the opener in a crucial Merseyside derby against Everton, although Liverpool only won the latter of those two games. When Liverpool reached the FA Cup final again, McMahon was one of the team's two
Scouse Scouse ( ), more formally known as Liverpool English or Merseyside English, is an Accent (dialect), accent and dialect of English language, English associated with the city of Liverpool and the surrounding Merseyside. The Scouse accent is h ...
rs (along with Aldridge) obliged to perform a localised rap on the official FA Cup final song Anfield Rap, written in a trend-encapsulating rap and
house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
style by teammate Craig Johnston. The song got to No. 3 in the UK charts, but Liverpool lost the final at Wembley to
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
. McMahon was afforded the ultimate respect by
Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is an English actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, C ...
, who said that if he could stop McMahon, then Wimbledon could stop Liverpool. Jones and McMahon locked horns early on, and Jones fouled McMahon aggressively early on in the game with a two footed tackle. In Jones's autobiography he recounted that he wanted to "take out their top man" and McMahon actually managed to smash Jones in the eye with his elbow on the way down from the tackle, which led to a cut and scar on his face that remained on his face for a while. McMahon clashed with John Fashanu and Dennis Wise frequently throughout the match, although Liverpool lost on the day. McMahon was voted second place in the PFA Player Of the Year Awards, the winner being his colleague
John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Barnes currently works as an ...
. In 1989 McMahon was again a regular fixture as Liverpool again chased a "double" of League and FA Cup. As one of the local lads in the team, he was deeply affected by the
Hillsborough disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal crowd crush at a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the tw ...
during the FA Cup semi-final on 15 April. Brian Clough was publicly critical of McMahon afterwards. Liverpool won the Cup by 3 goals to 2 – McMahon set up the opening goal for Aldridge after just 4 minutes of the final – but they lost the League title in a decider at
Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
against
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 ...
. McMahon again played frequently as Liverpool won back the title in 1990 but lost out on another "double" when they were beaten 4–3 by Crystal Palace in a thrilling FA Cup semi-final, in which McMahon scored.
Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit. A midfielder, Souness achieved his greatest period of success as an integral part of the Liverpool team of the late 19 ...
had by now taken over as Liverpool manager in 1991 and he immediately had some disagreements with some senior players including McMahon. In Souness's book, ''The Management Years'' he recounted that several players who were over 30, including McMahon, were looking for bigger contracts at the end of their careers and were prepared to move elsewhere if their terms weren't met. There was also some resentment as new signings like Mark Wright were on bigger salaries, and the senior players wondered why players who had yet to win any trophies at Anfield could be earning more. Souness decided to sell McMahon, Houghton, Beardsley, and Steve Staunton, thus removing some of Liverpool's best players under Dalglish and breaking up the last great Liverpool team to win a title. After playing 15 games of the 1991/1992 season, McMahon left Liverpool to join
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
for £900,000 on
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
1991 after playing 276 games, during which time he scored 50 goals. Souness later admitted that he had sold some key players too soon, when he should have kept them longer until suitable replacements were found. In the end, Souness brought
Michael Thomas Michael or Mike Thomas may refer to: Entertainment * Michael M. Thomas (1936–2021), American novelist of financial thrillers * Michael Tilson Thomas (born 1944), American conductor, pianist, and composer * Michael Thomas (actor) (1952–2019), B ...
and Paul Stewart to compete in central midfield, neither of whom were to ever reach the same level as McMahon, as Thomas was beset by injuries and never able to fully replicate the important role vacated by McMahon. Stewart too was blighted with injuries, and only enjoyed anything like regular action in his first season at
Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
, making his final appearance some two years before finally departing in 1996.


Manchester City

McMahon made his City debut two days later on
Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...
in a 2–1 win over
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
at
Maine Road Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...
. During his time for City, McMahon was initially seen as someone who would help raise their game due to his aggression and quality, but unfortunately the quality of the team around him was not the same as at Anfield.
Niall Quinn Niall John Quinn (honorary Order of the British Empire, MBE; born 6 October 1966) is an Irish former professional Association football, footballer, manager, businessman and sports television pundit. As a player, he was a Striker (association f ...
recalled in his autobiography that McMahon reminded him of
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 ...
in his intensity and will to win: "Because he expected to win trophies, he could make the players at City feel bad about themselves, because we didn't have the same expectations... He was too intense for us... The lucky-go-happy atmosphere in our squad just didn't appeal to him". In 1993, McMahon was featured in
Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is an English actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, C ...
's Soccer's Hard Men video, in which Jones talks about his adoration and respect for other "hard men" from the past and present including Souness,
Bryan Robson Bryan Robson (born 11 January 1957) is an English association football, football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion F.C., West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club ca ...
, Mike Bailey, Norman Hunter, Jack Charlton, Peter Storey, Ron Harris and
Nobby Stiles Norbert Peter Stiles (18 May 194230 October 2020) was an English professional footballer. He played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal. He played every minute of England's victorious 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign. I ...
. Jones described McMahon as his "only real rival" in modern-day football for the accolade of "hardest man in football". He described how McMahon got his revenge on Vinnie Jones for Jones' early foul on McMahon in the 1988 FA Cup Final, by kicking Jones to the floor with his studs at Anfield, forcing him to have stitches on a major cut. McMahon played in 87 league matches for the Sky Blues before an offer to become player-manager of
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 ...
tempted him away from
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
.


International career

McMahon first represented England at senior level on 17 February 1988 in a goalless friendly draw against
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. There had been widespread clamouring in the press for manager Bobby Robson to select him, and indeed ITV commentator Brian Moore rapped a verse to that effect on the Cup final song (''"Well Steve McMahon sure can rap, it's about time he had an England cap; so come on Bobby Robson, he's your man; 'cause if anyone can, Macca can!"'') with the last expression repeated in a scratch mix manner to emulate
Melle Mel Melvin Glover (born May 15, 1961), better known by his stage name Grandmaster Melle Mel or simply Melle Mel (), is an American rapper who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Career Glover began per ...
's rap which praised
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
on her 1984 hit, ''I Feel For You''. He was in England's squad for that summer's
European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
in
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, and played in the final group game, which England lost 3–1 to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, failing to progress to the semi-finals. McMahon played on England's
1990 World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second ...
squad. In the second half of the first group game against
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, with England leading 1–0, McMahon failed to control the ball on the edge of the English 18 yard box. Immediately, Republic of Ireland player Kevin Sheedy pounced and drove a left foot shot beyond
Peter Shilton Peter Leslie Shilton (born 18 September 1949) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. His 31-year career included spells at 11 clubs and he has the uni ...
in the English goal. McMahon had just come on to the pitch as a substitute for
Peter Beardsley Peter Andrew Beardsley (born 18 January 1961) is an English football coach and former footballer who played as a forward or midfielder. In 1987, he set a record transfer fee in the English game and represented his country 59 times between 1 ...
. The game ended up as a 1–1 draw. He made further appearances by starting in England's final group match with Egypt and their second round tie with Belgium though did not play in either England's quarter final or semi final matches where both times he was an unused substitute. He made his 17th and final England appearance on 14 November 1990 in a 1-1 Euro 92 qualifying match draw against
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. He never scored for England at senior level.


Managerial and coaching career


Swindon Town

When he arrived at
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 November 1994, they had recently been relegated from 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 ...
and were battling against a second successive relegation. McMahon joined them as they were preparing for a League Cup match with Derby County. Caretaker manager Andy Rowland picked the team, and the Town progressed to the next round. McMahon took full control for the next game – a league match at Southend – and he picked himself in the starting line-up. The Town lost 2–0, and McMahon was sent off. His first victory came with a 2–1 scoreline against top-of-the-table
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
. As transfer deadline day approached, rumours were rife that leading goalscorer, Jan Åge Fjørtoft, would be leaving the club – most sources quoting a fee of between £3m and £4m. When the day finally came, Fjørtoft was sold for £1.3m – McMahon saying that no other offers were on the table. After Fjørtoft left, the goals dried up. The Town failed to score in six of the next eight matches, and were relegated to Division Two. McMahon was quoted as saying the relegation left him "feeling lower than a snake's belly". The Town bounced back the following season, winning the Second Division championship. McMahon won three manager of the month awards, and the manager of the year. The two top scorers that season were McMahon signings: Wayne Allison, arriving from Bristol City, and Steve Finney, from
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, and the only real problems the Town had were breaking down the opposition's stubborn defence, with most sides playing for a draw. The next two seasons followed similar patterns – a decent start, followed by a poor run-in. In 1996–97, Town held a mid-table position right up until the middle of March, but then scored just two goals in their last ten games – getting defeated 7–0 at
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
, 5–1 at
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
and 4–0 at Ipswich Town in the process – ending up in 19th place. In August 1996, following the departure of Alan Ball as Manchester City manager, McMahon was linked with a return to
Maine Road Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...
as manager, but speculation that he would take the City job was swiftly ended when he signed a new five-year contract as Swindon manager. The following season's demise was far more dramatic. A win at
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 ...
on 31 October 1997 took the Town to the top of the table, a position they held until the middle of November. They remained in a play-off position up until the middle of December, and then won just three of the remaining 24 matches, scoring just twelve goals. Again the Town slumped to heavy defeats – 6–0 at Manchester City, 6–0 at Middlesbrough and 5–0 at
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
. When the 1998–99 season kicked off, Town had no wins and just three goals (two of which were own goals) in the first five games, the calls for McMahon's head began to be heard. Chairman Rikki Hunt and McMahon seemed united – McMahon saying he wouldn't resign, Hunt saying he wouldn't sack him. Two consecutive derby wins, against Bristol City and
Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
, only strengthened their position. This was followed by a 5–2 defeat at Portsmouth – and when
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
then won 4–1 at the County Ground, the fans held an on-pitch protest, sitting in the centre circle at the end of the match, demonstrating that both McMahon and Hunt should resign. McMahon resigned on 22 September 1998.


Blackpool

His next stop came at
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 ...
, with whom he signed an 18-month contract on 7 January 2000. He stated that the job was a "great opportunity" and that his main task was to "keep us afloat this year and get us in a position where we can be safe". It was not to be, however: in May they were relegated to Division Three, but McMahon took them to promotion via the play-offs the following season and also won two Football League Trophies in three years. He signed a new contract with the club on 8 February 2001 that would see him remain in charge until at least the end of the 2002–03 season. He left Blackpool following an argument over funds just before the final game of the 2003–04 season, having resigned midway through the season, only to burst in on 15 January press conference announcing his decision to withdraw the resignation following a talk with chairman Karl Oyston. At the time of his departure, McMahon was the fifth-longest-serving Blackpool manager in terms of Football League games in charge.


Perth Glory

He was signed in early 2005 as the manager of
Perth Glory FC Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...
for the inaugural Australian
A-League Men A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football, soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as ...
season. However his tenure at the club was short and he left the club in December 2005, part way through the season.


Media career

In early February 2006 through 2007, McMahon signed an initial eighteen-month contract to work as a television pundit for Asia-based ESPN Star Sports, and subsequently extended his contract by three years. There, he worked alongside the likes of John Dykes as commentators, written his own
blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...
, and is based in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
. He has also been responsible for recruiting other former English football stars such as Les Ferdinand and fellow ex-Liverpool players,
Ian Rush Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best Welsh playe ...
and Steve McManaman.


''First XI''

In 2012–13, McMahon was featured in ''First XI'', a reality television show that features amateur players and him being the head coach to guide them to professional footballing. They faced tough competitions and also went to Thailand and Spain to play friendly matches with BC Tero and Real Madrid Second Team. At the end of the season, they faced the All Stars team featuring former Singapore football players, Des Walker, as well as former Liverpool legends Robbie Fowler and Steve Harkness. They lost 0–1 in 2012 and lost again 0–3 in 2013.


Profitable Group

McMahon joine
Profitable Group
on their board of Directors as Group Commercial Director in March 2008, leading the Group's Strategic Sports Investment Division. It was revealed in the ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national "Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top" Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling ...
'' that the group had tried to purchase his former club, Everton, but were knocked back. In late July 2009. McMahon has explained that Profitable Group had ended its interest in buying the club due to a lack of "communication and response" from Bill Kenwright.


Personal life

McMahon's brother, John McMahon (football coach), John, is a former footballer and now coach. McMahon is married to Julie and has two sons, Stephen and Paul. In December 2019, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 58. He had the tumour removed in January 2020 at Liverpool's Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Royal Hospital.


Managerial statistics


Honours


Player

Liverpool *Football League First Division: 1985–86 Football League First Division, 1985–86, 1987–88 Football League First Division, 1987–88, 1989–90 Football League First Division, 1989–90 *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
: 1986 FA Cup Final, 1985–86, 1989 FA Cup Final, 1988–89 *FA Charity Shield: 1986 FA Charity Shield, 1986, 1988 FA Charity Shield, 1988, 1989 FA Charity Shield, 1989, 1990 FA Charity Shield, 1990 Individual *PFA Team of the Year: 1987–88 Football League#First Division, 1987–88 First Division, 1989–90 Football League#First Division, 1989–90 First Division


Manager

Swindon Town * Football League Second Division: 1995–96 Football League Second Division, 1995–96 Blackpool *Football League Third Division play-offs: 2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, 2001 *Football League Trophy: 2001–02 Football League Trophy, 2001–02, 2003–04 Football League Trophy, 2003–04


References


External links


Profile at LFCHistory.net
* * (English football only) *
England biography (part 1) 1988-Oct '89 at sporting-heroes.net

England biography (part 2) Nov 1989–90 at sporting-heroes.net

England caps 1988–90 at sporting-heroes.net

Everton seasonal record 1979/80-1982/83 at sporting-heroes.net

Aston Villa seasonal records 1983/84-1985/86 at sporting-heroes.net

Liverpool seasonal record (part 1) 1985/86-1987/88 at sporting-heroes.net

Liverpool seasonal record (part 2) 1988/89-1991/92 at sporting-heroes.net

Manchester City seasonal record 1991/92-1994/95 at sporting-heroes.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:McMahon, Steve 1961 births Living people English people of Irish descent People from Halewood Sportspeople from the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley Footballers from Liverpool English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Everton F.C. players Aston Villa F.C. players Liverpool F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players England men's under-21 international footballers England men's B international footballers England men's international footballers UEFA Euro 1988 players 1990 FIFA World Cup players English football managers Swindon Town F.C. managers Blackpool F.C. managers Perth Glory FC managers English Football League managers A-League Men managers English expatriate football managers English expatriate sportspeople in Australia Expatriate soccer managers in Australia