Keith Gordon Downing was born on 23 July 1965 and is an English former footballer and football manager who is an assistant coach at EFL Championship club Derby County.
23 Facts About Keith Downing
1.
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Keith Downing made most of his appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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Keith Downing joined Birmingham City in 1993 before moving on to Stoke City the following year.
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Keith Downing was appointed England U20 head coach in July 2015 and then took up the same role at the England U19's 13 months later, whom he led to the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship title.
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Keith Downing left Meadow Lane and moved on to Graham Turner's Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1987.
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Keith Downing became player-coach in 1998 and subsequently returned to Wolves as a youth team coach in March 1999.
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Keith Downing joined Cheltenham Town as an assistant manager in July 2004, working alongside manager John Ward, who he had met through his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers where Ward had been assistant manager.
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When Ward left the club to join Carlisle United in October 2007, Keith Downing stepped in as caretaker manager, before being given the position on a full-time basis on 2 November.
9.
Keith Downing left the club by mutual consent on 13 September 2008 with the "Robins" bottom of League One.
10.
In July 2009, Keith Downing was appointed the academy coach at West Bromwich Albion.
11.
Keith Downing served as joint-assistant head coach for the "Baggies" under Steve Clarke and in December 2013 temporarily took over first-team duties at the Premier League club after Clarke was sacked and before Pepe Mel was appointed as manager early the following month.
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Keith Downing was not a popular figure with fans at The Hawthorns due to his years of service at Black Country derby rivals Wolves.
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Alan Irvine got the job however, and Keith Downing left the club in January 2015 following a backroom reshuffle by new boss Tony Pulis.
14.
Keith Downing was appointed head coach of the England U20 team in July 2015, initially on an interim basis.
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Keith Downing changed roles to become head coach of the England U19 team in August 2016.
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Keith Downing was a part of Gareth Southgate's scouting team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
17.
Keith Downing left his post in August 2020 to join Championship club Bristol City as an assistant head coach to Dean Holden.
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Keith Downing was appointed as first-team head coach at Plymouth Argyle in December 2021, working under manager Steven Schumacher, who clarified that "Keith has come in as my No 2, if you like".
19.
In July 2022, Keith Downing returned to Birmingham City as one of two assistants to newly appointed head coach John Eustace.
20.
Keith Downing left the club on 10 October 2023 after Eustace's dismissal.
21.
Eustace changed jobs to manage Derby County 12 months later and Keith Downing followed him to Pride Park Stadium to become a first-team coach.
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Keith Downing married in 1993 and has two sons from that marriage.
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Keith Downing has an interest in criminology and history, specifically the history of World War II.