1. Brian Little was born on 25 November 1953 and is an English football manager and former player.
32 Facts About Brian Little
1. 2.
Brian Little made 247 league appearances, scoring 60 goals and earning a single cap for England in 1975.
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Brian Little was then appointed as manager of fellow top flight side Aston Villa where he went on to win the Football League Cup in 1996.
4.
Brian Little had later spells in charge of Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City, Tranmere Rovers, Wrexham, Gainsborough Trinity and Jersey.
5.
On leaving school in May 1969, Brian Little signed for Aston Villa who would be relegated to the Third Division for the first and only time in their history the following season.
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Brian Little only made two senior appearances that season but was a key player in Villa's FA Youth Cup winning side of 1972.
7.
Brian Little made 247 appearances for the club and scored 60 goals, and made one full international appearance for England in 1975.
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Brian Little's playing career came to a halt in 1980 when he retired at the age of 26 due to a knee injury.
9.
Ironically, the previous year it was a congenital spinal defect that was detected in x-rays when Brian Little was undergoing a medical at Villa's local rivals Birmingham City.
10.
Brian Little was a flamboyant forward who formed a particularly prolific partnership with Andy Gray.
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Brian Little is regarded as an all-time great at Villa Park, and in 2007 he was named as one of the 12 founder members of the Aston Villa Hall of Fame.
12.
When manager Tony Barton was sacked in the summer of 1984, Brian Little's contract was terminated and he became first-team coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
13.
Brian Little was appointed caretaker manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers on 31 August 1986 as successor to Sammy Chapman.
14.
Brian Little's appointment came at the end of the blackest spell in the club's history, when three successive relegations had dragged them from the First Division to the Fourth.
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Shortly after leaving Wolverhampton, Brian Little was recruited as a first team coach by Middlesbrough manager Bruce Rioch.
16.
Brian Little was unable to prevent them from getting relegated to the Conference but they were promoted back into the League at the first time of asking.
17.
The Foxes had just avoided relegation to the Third and Brian Little was chosen as the man to turn the club's fortunes around.
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In November 1994, following the dismissal of Aston Villa manager Ron Atkinson, Brian Little was linked with a return to Villa Park as manager.
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In February 1998, Brian Little resigned after just over three years as Aston Villa manager, with the club in the bottom half of the Premiership.
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Brian Little was appointed manager of Stoke City in May 1998, just after their relegation to Division Two.
21.
Brian Little made a quick return to management when he was appointed manager of West Bromwich Albion.
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Brian Little was sacked in March 2000 after just eight months in charge and replaced by Gary Megson, who guided Albion to promotion two years later.
23.
In October 2003, Brian Little made a return to football management with Tranmere Rovers, who were in Division Two.
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Brian Little's first season with the Merseyside club was a success.
25.
Brian Little won the Second Division manager of the month award for April 2004.
26.
Out-of-work Brian Little was linked with a return to management with both Gillingham and Port Vale.
27.
However, Brian Little signed a two-year contract, promising to revive the club's fortunes.
28.
On 28 August 2009, Brian Little was appointed manager of Conference North side Gainsborough Trinity.
29.
Brian Little was appointed as the Jersey FA's Director of Football in November 2014, overseeing the work of first team manager Jimmy Reilly.
30.
Reilly went on to lead the islanders to their first Muratti Vase Final victory in four years the following May Months later, Jersey announced their intention to join UEFA, and when Reilly stepped aside in early 2016 Brian Little was appointed to replace him.
31.
Brian Little won the Muratti in May 2016, but stepped down as manager the following month and reverted to his position as Director of Football; allowing him to concentrate on his commitments at Aston Villa.
32.
In January 2024, Brian Little was named by Aston Villa as a member of the Honorary Anniversary Board ahead of the club's 150th anniversary season.