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40 Facts About Nigel Gibbs

1.

Nigel James Gibbs was born on 20 November 1965 and is an English professional football manager and former player.

2.

Nigel Gibbs is currently a first team coach at Reading and has been an assistant coach at Swansea City, has previously worked as a coach with the Under-19 squad of Tottenham Hotspur and has been assistant manager of Asteras Tripolis in Greece.

3.

Nigel Gibbs was assistant manager of Leeds United after being appointed on 12 April 2013 alongside Brian McDermott, whom he assisted at Reading.

4.

Nigel Gibbs made his Watford debut in 1983, in front of 38,000 spectators in a UEFA Cup match against Sparta Prague.

5.

Under the management of Graham Taylor, Nigel Gibbs eventually established himself as a first-team player at Watford, making 100 Football League appearances before the club's relegation from the First Division in 1988.

6.

Nigel Gibbs remained a key player for the team in the Second Division, and was voted Watford FC Player of the Season in 1992.

7.

Nigel Gibbs featured regularly in Watford's rise from the Second Division to the Premier League between 1997 and 1999, and went on to play a further 17 games at the top level of English football.

8.

Watford were relegated in 2000, and Nigel Gibbs made eight further appearances before retiring in 2002.

9.

Nigel Gibbs remained at Watford as a coach, primarily working with the youth and reserve teams.

10.

Nigel Gibbs took charge of the first team for a week following Ray Lewington's sacking as manager in 2005, but in turn was dismissed by incoming manager Aidy Boothroyd just before the start of the following season.

11.

Nigel Gibbs began training with and supporting Watford from an early age, and was watching from the Main Stand at Vicarage Road as Watford sealed the Fourth Division title in 1978.

12.

Nigel Gibbs played for Hertfordshire schools at under-14 to under-16 levels.

13.

However, after signing as an apprentice in July 1982, Nigel Gibbs played in midfield for the reserves.

14.

Nigel Gibbs played in the away fixture, in front of 38,000 spectators.

15.

Nigel Gibbs missed only two games all season, both of which resulted in defeat for Watford.

16.

Nigel Gibbs' consistency helped him to third place in the voting for the club's Player of the Season award.

17.

Nigel Gibbs lost his place shortly before Bassett's departure in January, and although he soon returned to the side under Steve Harrison, Watford were relegated in 1988.

18.

At the time of the club's relegation, Nigel Gibbs had made precisely 100 First Division appearances.

19.

Nigel Gibbs is consistent, enthusiastic, honest and plays over 35 games a year.

20.

Nigel Gibbs briefly lost his place in the team following Harrison being replaced by Colin Lee, but regained it before the end of the campaign.

21.

Nigel Gibbs's return coincided with a winless run of seven league matches, leaving Watford seven points from safety with nearly half the season gone.

22.

Nonetheless, Watford managed to climb to 20th place, and despite missing 14 games, Nigel Gibbs was shortlisted for the club's end of season award.

23.

Nigel Gibbs sustained a knee injury against Notts County on 7 September 1992, putting him out of first team contention for six weeks.

24.

Nigel Gibbs missed just one of the club's 57 fixtures, scoring in a game against Brentford.

25.

Nigel Gibbs played part of the season at left-back due to an injury to Paul Robinson, although in turn Nigel Gibbs missed games to injury.

26.

Nigel Gibbs made only seven first team appearances, although Watford managed to avoid defeat in six of those.

27.

Nigel Gibbs retired as Watford's second highest all-time appearance maker, although he started more matches than Luther Blissett, the man ahead of him.

28.

Nigel Gibbs refuted the suggestion that he didn't attack enough, while former managers Roeder and Taylor both considered Nigel Gibbs to be an excellent crosser of the ball when he did venture forward.

29.

Nigel Gibbs scored his first professional goal during his 59th game.

30.

In 2006, Nigel Gibbs received his UEFA Pro Licence, which means he can manage any football club in England on a full-time basis.

31.

Nigel Gibbs left Reading on 11 March 2013 following McDermott's departure as manager.

32.

On 15 December 2014, Nigel Gibbs was appointed first-team coach at Millwall.

33.

Nigel Gibbs later became an assistant to Paul Clement at Swansea City, but left the club in December 2017 following the sacking of Clement.

34.

Nigel Gibbs worked in Reading as an assistant manager, before he left in late 2018 with the arrival of new manager Jose Manuel Gomes.

35.

In July 2019, Nigel Gibbs returned to Tottenham Hotspur and was appointed Assistant Head of Player Development for Under-17 to Under-23.

36.

On 20 April 2021, Nigel Gibbs was confirmed as interim head coach at Tottenham Hotspur alongside Chris Powell, following the appointment of Ryan Mason as interim manager.

37.

On 25 April 2023, Nigel Gibbs was appointed acting first team coach at Tottenham following several dismissals from the coaching staff.

38.

Nigel Gibbs left Tottenham in September of 2024 to become assistant manager of Asteras Tripolis in Greece under Claude Makelele with whom he had worked at Swansea City.

39.

On 13 December 2024, Nigel Gibbs was confirmed as having joined the first team coaching setup at Reading under Noel Hunt as Assistant Manager.

40.

Nigel Gibbs maintains a connection with his former club, regularly attending club events and occasionally playing for their masters football team.