1. Noel Hunt was born on 26 December 1982 and is an Irish football manager and former professional footballer who is currently the head coach at Reading.
34 Facts About Noel Hunt
1. 2.
Noel Hunt moved to Scotland in 2003, where he played for Dunfermline Athletic and Dundee United.
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Noel Hunt has played in England since 2008, with spells at Reading, Leeds United, Ipswich Town, Southend United, Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic, prior to returning to Ireland and rejoining Waterford 2018.
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Noel Hunt was awarded the Shamrock Rovers Player of the Year award that season.
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Noel Hunt's goals continued with winners against St Mirren, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and Motherwell.
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From my conversations with Noel Hunt, it is clear that he possesses the qualities of hunger and determination that Steve Coppell wants at this club as we attempt to regain a place in the Premier League.
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In February 2011, Noel Hunt revealed he turned down SPL side Celtic to stay at Reading and signed a new 2-year deal with the club.
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In February 2012, Noel Hunt was nominated for the PFA Player in the Community award.
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Noel Hunt made 24 appearances in the Premier League and a further 6 in cup competitions, scoring 6 goals in all competitions, Noel Hunt's first team opportunities were limited after competing with Adam Le Fondre, Pavel Pogrebnyak, and Jason Roberts for first team places.
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On 3 July 2013, Noel Hunt signed a two-year contract with Championship side Leeds United linking up with his former Reading boss, Brian McDermott.
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Noel Hunt was handed the Number 10 shirt that had been left vacant after the departure of Luciano Becchio.
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Noel Hunt revealed the club's reputation and fans- as well as joining up his former boss- were big reasons for joining the club.
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Noel Hunt picked up a hamstring injury in the fixture against Derby County on 5 October and was substituted and subsequently missed all of the following fixtures in 2013 through injury.
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Noel Hunt returned to training during late December with the hope of returning to the first team in 2014.
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On 7 January 2015, Noel Hunt agreed to terminate his contract with Leeds, not having appeared for the club since August 2014, and having failed to score in 22 first-team appearances.
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Noel Hunt rejoined Ipswich Town on a permanent deal on 8 January 2015 after being released by Leeds United.
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Noel Hunt was later released by the club, at the end of the season.
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Noel Hunt signed a one-year contract which could be extended to two depending on performances.
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On 4 August 2016, Noel Hunt signed a one-year deal with Portsmouth.
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On 3 August 2017, Noel Hunt signed for League One club Wigan Athletic on a one-year contract.
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On 31 May 2018, Noel Hunt returned to his hometown club of Waterford in a player-assistant manager role.
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Noel Hunt made his debut as a substitute for his country at Rugby Park in a Republic of Ireland under-21 national football team friendly game against Scotland in February 2003.
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Noel Hunt went on to play four times at this level scoring once in Tbilisi.
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Noel Hunt was called up to the senior squad for the Poland friendly in November 2008, after injuries to Robbie Keane and Aiden McGeady, making his debut in the game, coming on as a substitute in the 60th minute.
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Noel Hunt came on as a substitute for his then Reading colleague, Kevin Doyle.
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Noel Hunt started his first competitive game in Ireland's last World Cup qualifying tie in October 2009.
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On 13 November 2018, Noel Hunt was appointed assistant manager at Swindon Town working alongside the newly appointed manager, Richie Wellens.
28.
Swindon Town owner, Lee Power, confirmed during an interview with BBC Radio Wiltshire that Noel Hunt had been registered as a player.
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On 2 December 2020, Noel Hunt left Swindon Town by mutual consent.
30.
In May 2021, Noel Hunt became assistant manager to Richie Wellens at Doncaster Rovers, following Wellens in leaving the club in December 2021.
31.
On 20 February 2022, Reading announced that Noel Hunt had been appointed as Senior Professional Development Coach.
32.
On 11 April 2023, Noel Hunt was announced as Reading's Interim First Team Manager until the end of the season following the sacking of Paul Ince.
33.
On 7 December 2024, following the departure of Ruben Selles to Hull City, Noel Hunt was appointed first-team manager on a two-and-a-half year contract.
34.
In 2012 Noel Hunt became a joint owner with former Clare hurler Davy Fitzgerald of a pub called The Dugout in Ennis, County Clare.