Lee Bradbury

Lee Bradbury
Personal information
Full name Lee Michael Bradbury
Date of birth (1975-07-03) 3 July 1975
Place of birth Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position Striker, Right back
Club information
Current team
 Havant & Waterlooville (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1997 Portsmouth 54 (15)
1995 → Exeter City (loan) 14 (5)
1997–1998 Manchester City 40 (10)
1998–1999 Crystal Palace 32 (6)
1999 → Birmingham City (loan) 10 (0)
1999–2004 Portsmouth 99 (28)
2002–2003 → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 11 (3)
2003–2004 → Derby County (loan) 7 (0)
2004 Walsall 8 (1)
2004–2006 Oxford United 63 (9)
2006–2007 Southend United 47 (5)
2007 → AFC Bournemouth (loan) 1 (0)
2007–2011 AFC Bournemouth 126 (10)
Total 512 (92)
Teams managed
2011–2012 AFC Bournemouth
2012 Portsmouth (youth coach)
2012– Havant & Waterlooville
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Lee Michael Bradbury (born 3 July 1975) is an English former footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League. After retiring as a player, he spent 14 months as manager of AFC Bournemouth. He is the manager of National League club Havant & Waterlooville.

Playing career

When he was an army recruit, Bradbury played part-time when on leave for Halstead Town under 18 side, and during the 1994-95 season Cowes Sports. Bradbury started his professional career at Portsmouth, where he played for three years. A number of impressive performances in the 1996–97 season resulted in interest from a number of clubs, and in July 1997 he was purchased by Manchester City manager Frank Clark for a club record £3 million. However, Bradbury struggled to make an impact at Maine Road, and at the end of the 1997–98 season City were relegated, with Bradbury having scored just six goals.

Three months into the following season Bradbury moved to Crystal Palace for £1.5 million. Less than a year later Bradbury was on the move again, returning to Portsmouth for £300,000.

Bradbury's career started to recover at Pompey, making more than 100 appearances in his second spell at the club. However, in the 2002–03 season Bradbury lost his first team place as Portsmouth pushed for the First Division title. Loan spells at Derby, Sheffield Wednesday and Walsall (where he scored once against former club Derby)[1] followed in the 2003–04 season.

At the end of the 2004–05 season Bradbury was playing for Oxford United. Bradbury signed a four-month contract with Southend United on 31 January 2006. He subsequently signed a longer contract.

In August 2007, Bradbury signed for AFC Bournemouth on a four-month loan deal. After playing one game for the club the loan was made permanent, and Bradbury signed a contract until the end of the season.[2]

In the later stages of Bradbury's career, he played in a much different role, being converted into a right back for Bournemouth during an injury crisis he became the first choice right back for the south coast club, but with the arrival of defender Stephen Purches, who returned after three seasons away from Bournemouth, Bradbury went back to his former role of striker whilst attacking options were limited.

Management career

AFC Bournemouth

On 15 January 2011, Bradbury was appointed as caretaker manager after the departure of Eddie Howe to Burnley. The next day, he announced his retirement from playing,[3] and on 28 January, was given a two-and-a-half-year deal as permanent manager of the club.[4] In January 2012, Bradbury signed an improved three-and-a-half-year contract to manage the League One club, keeping him at Bournemouth until the summer of 2015.[5] During his first season at the helm, Bradbury steered the Cherries into the League One Play-offs, eventually losing to Huddersfield on penalties. On 25 March, during his second season, Bradbury was dismissed from Bournemouth following the club's run of poor form.[6]

Havant & Waterlooville

Bradbury was appointed manager of Conference South club Havant & Waterlooville on 9 October 2012.[7] At the time, Bradbury was coaching the Under-14s at Portsmouth's Academy set up[8] In his first game as manager, his side won 2–1 against Basingstoke Town on 13 October 2012.[9] Following Michael Appleton's departure to become manager at Blackpool, Bradbury was linked with a return to Portsmouth, however Guy Whittingham was appointed instead.[10] On 30 April 2016, Havant & Waterlooville's relegation from the National League South was confirmed.[11] A whole season in The Isthmian league followed (Havant and Waterlooville being favourites to get promoted), and promotion was achieved on the last day of the season on 22 April 2017. Bradbury earned the [12] 'Manager of the year' award for winning the league. Hawks played the 2017-18 season back in the National League South and won it at the first attempt. 2018/19 will see Bradbury managing Havant & Waterlooville in the National League Premier Division.

References

  1. ↑ "Derby 0–1 Walsall". BBC. 3 April 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  2. ↑ Bournemouth bag striker Bradbury
  3. ↑ "Lee Bradbury Exclusive". AFC Bournemouth. 16 January 2011. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  4. ↑ "Bournemouth hand long-term deal to Lee Bradbury". BBC Sport. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Bradbury agrees new Cherries deal". BBC Sport. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  6. ↑ "Bournemouth managerial change needed – Eddie Mitchell". BBC Sport. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
    "Ex-Bournemouth boss Lee Bradbury claims he was sacked". BBC Sport. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  7. ↑ "Bradbury is new boss at Westleigh Park". Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  8. ↑ "Bradbury makes Pompey return". Portsmouth News. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  9. ↑ "Love-Lee start for new Hawks boss Bradbury". Portsmouth News. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  10. ↑ "Hawks boss in Pompey link". Portsmouth News. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  11. ↑ Vimpany, Mike (30 April 2016). "Misery for Havant & Waterlooville as they are relegated from the National League South". Southern Daily Echo. Southampton. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "Bradbury named Manager Of The Year".
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