Iffy Onuora
3572297
225548023
2008-07-14T07:03:56Z
ChrisTheDude
625916
no need for capital letters there
{{Football player infobox2
| playername = Iffy Onuora
| image =
| fullname = Ifem Onuora
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=2}}
| dateofbirth = {{birth date and age|1967|7|28}}
| cityofbirth = [[Glasgow]]
| countryofbirth = [[Scotland]]
| currentclub = [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]] (assistant manager)
| clubnumber =
| position = [[Striker]] (retired)
| youthyears =
| youthclubs =
| years = 1988-1989<br />1989-1994<br />1994-1996<br />1996-1998<br />1998-2000<br />2000<br />2000-2002<br />2002-2004<br />2003<br />2003<br />2003-2004<br />2004<br />2004<br />2004
| clubs = British Universities<br />[[Huddersfield Town F.C.|Huddersfield Town]]<br />[[Mansfield Town F.C.|Mansfield Town]]<br />[[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]] <br />[[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]]<br />→ [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]] (loan) <br />[[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]] <br />[[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]]<br />→ [[Wycombe Wanderers F.C.|Wycombe Wanderers]] (loan)<br />→ [[Grimsby Town F.C.|Grimsby Town]] (loan)<br />[[Grimsby Town F.C.|Grimsby Town]]<br>[[Tranmere Rovers F.C.|Tranmere Rovers]]<br />[[Huddersfield Town F.C.|Huddersfield Town]]<br />[[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]]
| caps(goals) = ''unknown''<br />165 (30)<br />{{0}}28 {{0}}(8)<br />{{0}}62 (23)<br />{{0}}74 (25)<br />{{0}}{{0}}1 {{0}}(0)<br />{{0}}85 (26)<br />{{0}}{{0}}7 {{0}}(1)<br />{{0}}{{0}}6 {{0}}(0)<br>{{0}}{{0}}8 {{0}}(1)<br />{{0}}11 {{0}}(2)<br />{{0}}{{0}}3 {{0}}(0)<br />{{0}}{{0}}3 {{0}}(1)<br />{{0}}{{0}}0 {{0}}(0)
| manageryears = 2005<br />2007<br/>2008
| managerclubs = [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]]<br />[[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]] (caretaker)<br/>[[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]] (during [[Peter Jackson (footballer born 1961)|Peter Jackson's]] absence)
}}
'''Ifem "Iffy" Onuora''' (born [[28 July]], [[1967]] in [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]]) is a coach and ex-professional [[association football|footballer]] born in [[Scotland]] of [[Nigeria]]n descent. He is assistant manager at [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]] and acted as joint-manager with [[Grant Brown]] during the absence due to illness of [[Peter Jackson (footballer born 1961)|Peter Jackson]].
==Playing career==
Ifem Onuora was a journeyman striker who got his professional break playing for [[Huddersfield Town F.C.|Huddersfield Town]], he went on to play just under 200 times for The Terriers, and scored over 30 goals for the club before he was transfered to [[Mansfield Town F.C.|Mansfield Town]] in 1994.
Onoura stayed with The Stags until [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]] payed £25,000 for him in August 1996. It was at [[Priestfield Stadium]] where Onuora's goal scoring ability started to show, as he notched himself a tally of just under 30 goals in an 18 month stay with the club, before the Gills cashed in on their big front man by selling him to [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]] in March 1998. More goal scoring success was on the cards and he remained at the club until he secured a move back to Gillingham in January 2000, following a short loan spell.
Onuora went on to feature heavily for The Gills for the next two seasons before [[Neil Warnock]] tempted the player into moving to [[Bramall Lane]] to sign a two year deal with [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] . However football for Onoura was rare with the club and he only made 8 appearances in both league and cup competitions, scoring one goal. In August 2003, it was announced that he would be carrying on with The Blades, but was loan listed where he signed for [[Wycombe Wanderers F.C.|Wycombe Wanderers]] at the start of the season on a one month loan deal.
After appearing six times for The Chairboys, Onuora returned too Sheffield, only to be poached by [[Paul Groves]] to sign for [[Grimsby Town F.C.|Grimsby Town]] also on a one month loan. After a reasonable month with Grimsby, Onuora made his move to [[Blundell Park]] a permanent one, with the club pairing him up front with [[Michael Boulding]] in the absence of the injured [[Phil Jevons]].
This seemed to work as a jinx for Onuora, as despite earning himself a permanent deal, his performances slipped and he was singled out by the clubs supporters for booing, something which the player later spoke publicly about to the [[Grimsby Telegraph]]. Following the club's huge dip in form, Paul Groves was dismissed from his managerial duties and Onuora was to be the first player shown the door, after only signing a permanent deal 4 months previously.
He made his next port of call [[Tranmere Rovers F.C.|Tranmere Rovers]] but after 3 league appearances, the club decided to release him a month later. On the [[25 March]] [[2004]], Onuora signed professional terms once again for [[Huddersfield Town F.C.|Huddersfield Town]] ,who were his first career club. He played 5 times for The Terriers, scoring an important goal in the play-off semi final against [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]] but didn't make an appearance in the final at the [[Millennium Stadium]] .
In July 2004, [[Paul Merson]] hired Onoura as a player/coach for [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]], but this was short lived, and he was released a few months later following Merson's sacking. Onuora never played a game for The Saddlers and retired in October 2004. He scored 133 goals in nearly 500 professional matches.
==Managerial and coaching career==
Upon retiring in 2004, Onuora moved into coaching. In July 2007 he successfully completed the final part of the UEFA Pro Licence course and joined a group of only 111 coaches holding the game’s top qualification<ref>[http://www.thefa.com/GrassrootsNew/FALearning/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2007/07/Pro_Licence2007 TheFA.com - The Class of 2007]</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.thefa.com/GrassrootsNew/FALearning/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2007/07/PL2007_Onuora.htm
|title=Onuora on his way
|publisher=TheFA.com
|date=[[10 July]] [[2007]]
|accessdate=2008-02-12}}</ref>.
His coaching career began when he was appointed first-team coach at [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]] in July 2004 but his contract was terminated by Walsall's manager [[Paul Merson]] in October 2004, with Merson feeling a more experienced coach was required<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/walsall/3721162.stm
|title=Walsall sack Onuora
|publisher=BBC Sport
|date=[[6 October]] [[2004]]
|accessdate=2008-02-12}}</ref>.
Later in the 2004-05 season, Onuora became a coach and youth development officer at [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]]. When [[Andy King (footballer)|Andy King]] was sacked after a poor start to season 2005/06, Onuora was appointed as Swindon's caretaker manager. In December [[2005]], [[Ron Atkinson]], who had previously been fired from TV jobs for making racist remarks, was reportedly appointed to work alongside Onuora - one of the league's few black managers. Onuora later denied that this was the case, claiming that Atkinson was at the club to film a [[fly-on-the-wall]] documentary called ''[[Big Ron Manager]]''.
[[Dennis Wise]] later became the new Swindon manager and Onoura was offered the chance to stay in a reduced capacity but he turned down that offer and left the club.<ref>
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/swindon_town/4989058.stm BBC Sport]</ref> He later commentated on [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]] matches on [[BBC Radio Kent]].
He returned to Gillingham in June 2007 as a first team coach.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gillingham/6758481.stm BBC Sport]</ref> When manager [[Ronnie Jepson]] resigned in September 2007 he was named, alongside [[Mick Docherty]], as joint caretaker manager.<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gillingham/6987487.stm
| title = Gills coaches in caretaker charge
| accessdate = 2007-09-10
| publisher = BBC Sport
|date=2007-09-10
}}</ref> He held the position until the appointment of [[Mark Stimson]] on [[1 November]] [[2007]] and briefly remained as a first team coach under the new regime before departing approximately two weeks later.<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Stimson unveiled as new Gills boss
| accessdate = 2007-11-01
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/gillingham/article.asp?article_id=35859&startrecord=3
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
| title = Coach Onuora leaves Gillingham post
| accessdate = 2007-11-19
| url = http://www.kentonline.co.uk/sport/default.asp?article_id=36254
|author=Luke Cawdell
}}</ref> In February 2008 he was appointed assistant to [[Peter Jackson (footballer born 1961)|Peter Jackson]] at [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]].
As of [[March 1]] [[2008]], he became Lincoln's acting manager<ref>{{Cite web
|url = http://www.redimps.com/archive3/index.mv?cat=managers&drop=matchsearch
|title = The Managers
|publisher = The Official Lincoln City FC Archive
|accessdate = 2008-04-29}}
</ref> whilst Peter Jackson underwent treatment for throat cancer. He was assisted in this role by Grant Brown. Under Onuora's tenure, Lincoln won five and lost six of their remaining fixtures.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{soccerbase|id=5998|name=Iffy Onuora}}
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/swindon_town/4563400.stm BBC Article on Onuora & Atkinson]
*http://thefishy.co.uk/story.php?id=8326860 Onuora joins Grimsby permanently after loan
{{Gillingham F.C. managers}}
{{Swindon Town F.C. managers}}
{{Lincoln City F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onuora, Iffy}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Scottish footballers]]
[[Category:Scottish football managers]]
[[Category:Football (soccer) strikers]]
[[Category:The Football League players]]
[[Category:Huddersfield Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:Gillingham F.C. players]]
[[Category:Grimsby Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:Mansfield Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:Sheffield United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Swindon Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:Tranmere Rovers F.C. players]]
[[Category:Walsall F.C. players]]
[[Category:Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players]]
[[Category:Swindon Town F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Gillingham F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Walsall F.C. managers]]
[[Category:British people of Nigerian descent]]