Graeme Lee (footballer, born 1978)
{{Short description|English football manager (born 1978)}}
{{for|the Australian rules player|Graeme Lee (Australian footballer)}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Graeme Lee
| image = Graeme Lee.jpg
| image_size = 150
| caption =
| fullname = Graeme Barry Lee{{Cite book
| editor-first = Barry J.
| editor-last = Hugman
| title = The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10
| year = 2009
| publisher = Mainstream Publishing
| isbn = 978-1-84596-474-0
| page = 247 }}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|5|31|df=y}}
| birth_place = Middlesbrough, England
| currentclub = Spennymoor Town (manager)
| clubnumber =
| position = Defender
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 =
| years1 = 1995–2003
| years2 = 2003–2006
| years3 = 2006–2008
| years4 = 2008
| years5 = 2008
| years6 = 2008–2009
| years7 = 2009–2011
| years8 = 2011–2012
| years9 = 2012–2013
| clubs1 = Hartlepool United
| clubs2 = Sheffield Wednesday
| clubs3 = Doncaster Rovers
| clubs4 = → Hartlepool United (loan)
| clubs5 = → Shrewsbury Town (loan)
| clubs6 = Bradford City
| clubs7 = Notts County
| clubs8 = Darlington
| clubs9 = Celtic Nation
| caps1 = 219
| goals1 = 20
| caps2 = 78
| goals2 = 5
| caps3 = 60
| goals3 = 5
| caps4 = 3
| goals4 = 0
| caps5 = 5
| goals5 = 0
| caps6 = 44
| goals6 = 2
| caps7 = 50
| goals7 = 4
| caps8 = 24
| goals8 = 1
| totalcaps = 483
| totalgoals = 37
| manageryears1 = 2021–2022
| managerclubs1 = Hartlepool United
| manageryears2 = 2023–2024
| managerclubs2 = Marske United
| manageryears3 = 2024–
| managerclubs3 = Spennymoor Town
}}
Graeme Barry Lee (born 31 May 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a defender. He is the manager of Spennymoor Town.
He has previously played for Hartlepool United, Sheffield Wednesday, Doncaster Rovers, Bradford City, Darlington and also had loan spells with Hartlepool and Shrewsbury Town. Lee has won the Football League Trophy with Doncaster Rovers, and helped both Hartlepool United and Sheffield Wednesday to promotion in the mid-2000s.
Playing career
=Hartlepool United=
Born in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, Lee started his career at Hartlepool United. At the age of 17, Lee made his first team debut for Hartlepool as a substitute in a 5–0 defeat to Arsenal in the League Cup.{{cite news|url=http://www.inthemadcrowd.co.uk/UI/Person.aspx?oid=437 |title=Graeme Lee |website=In The Mad Crowd |access-date=28 February 2023}} He formed a strong partnership with Chris Westwood as Pools reached the play-offs for three consecutive seasons. In 2001–02, Lee won the Player of the Year award. He was a member of Hartlepool's successful 2002–03 season which saw promotion to the Second Division, narrowly missing out on the League championship. Overall, he made over 250 appearances at centre back and also as a striker for Hartlepool, scoring 23 goals for the club.
=Sheffield Wednesday=
In 2003, he was snapped up by former boss Chris Turner for Sheffield Wednesday. He made 67 appearances for Wednesday and scored five goals in his first season and took up the captain's arm band when Dean Smith was injured, this made him a shining light in one of the Owl's worst ever seasons which led to him picking up a fans' player of the season award.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/football_heaven/player_of_season/nomination_gallery/08.shtml|title = South Yorkshire Sport – Football Heaven Player of the Season award|publisher=BBC}} Lee started the 2004–05 season in the same vein as he ended the last. Although dogged by injuries at the tail end of the season he was voted defender of the year by fans of the club.{{Cite web |url=http://www.anzowls.com/ |title=Anzowls.com – fan site for Sheffield Wednesday Football Club – The Owls |access-date=23 March 2007 |archive-date=2 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202170130/http://www.anzowls.com/ |url-status=dead }} Sheffield Wednesday won promotion to the Championship after defeating former club Hartlepool United in the 2005 play-off final, however, Lee missed the match.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/4580603.stm |title=Hartlepool 2–4 Sheff Wed (aet) |publisher=BBC Sport |date=29 May 2005 |access-date=1 December 2021}}
{{Quote box|width=200px|align=right|quote="Every single one of the players and staff at the club wants promotion. I've come here to help do that and if I can lift something at the end of the season, it would be absolutely brilliant."|source=Graeme Lee, whilst at Bradford}}
=Doncaster Rovers=
Lee was deemed as not good enough for the Championship following the side's promotion by Paul Sturrock and signed for Doncaster Rovers from Sheffield Wednesday for £50,000 in 2005.[http://news2.thdo.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/football/teams/d/doncaster/4603904.stm BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Doncaster | Doncaster agree fee for defender]{{Dead link|date=April 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He was Rovers' captain. He scored the winning goal in their 3–2 win over Bristol Rovers in the 2007 Football League Trophy final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
At the start of the 2007–08 season, he was ruled out for six weeks with a neck problem, and when he returned he was sidelined for another four months because of a fractured knee.{{cite web
|url=http://www.givemefootball.com/interviews.html?interviewID=1500
|title=Graeme Lee – Bradford
|access-date=4 July 2008
|publisher=Professional Footballers' Association
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705190456/http://www.givemefootball.com/interviews.html?interviewID=1500
|archive-date=5 July 2008
|url-status=dead
}} Instead on 14 February 2008, Lee signed for former club Hartlepool United on loan for one-month. Following his return to the Keepmoat Stadium, Lee was loaned out again, this time to Shrewsbury Town until the end of the season.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/shrewsbury/7306389.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Shrews sign Doncaster captain Lee | date=20 March 2008 | access-date=4 May 2010}} He was recalled with two games remaining, after a series of injuries had left Rovers short of defensive cover.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/doncaster/7362850.stm BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Shrewsbury | Doncaster recall Lee from Shrews] In June 2008, after a season in which he was limited to a couple of substitute performances, Lee was released by Doncaster Rovers.
=Bradford City=
On 30 June 2008, he signed a two-year deal with League Two side Bradford City.{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bradford_city/7482167.stm |title=Bradford swoop for defender Lee |date=30 June 2008 |access-date=30 June 2008 |publisher=BBC Sport}} On 6 August 2008, Lee was made Bradford City club captain for the 2008–09 season, taking over from David Wetherall, who had retired at the end of the previous season. At the same time, he said it was his goal to lift the league title.{{cite news|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sportbcfc/sportbcfcheadlines/3572280.Lee_plots_silver_service/ |title=Lee plots silver service |date=6 August 2008 |access-date=6 August 2008 |newspaper=Telegraph & Argus |first=Simon |last=Parker |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924203358/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sportbcfc/sportbcfcheadlines/3572280.Lee_plots_silver_service/ |archive-date=24 September 2008 }} He was one of four Bradford players to make his debut on the opening day of the 2008–09 season against Notts County, which Bradford won 2–1.{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/7541104.stm |title=Bradford 2–1 Notts County |date=9 August 2008 |access-date=9 August 2008 |publisher=BBC Sport}} His first goal for the club came in a 3–1 victory at Grimsby Town on 24 October 2008, having played in all City's opening 13 league games of the season.{{cite news|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sportbcfc/sportbcfcheadlines/3790692.GRIMSBY_1_CITY_3/ |title=Grimsby 1 City 3 |date=24 October 2008 |access-date=24 October 2008 |newspaper=Telegraph & Argus |first=Simon |last=Parker |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029110355/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sportbcfc/sportbcfcheadlines/3790692.GRIMSBY_1_CITY_3/ |archive-date=29 October 2008 }} Two weeks later he added a second goal, helping City to upset League One-side Milton Keynes Dons 2–1 in the FA Cup.{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7700417.stm |title=MK Dons 1–2 Bradford |date=8 November 2008 |access-date=8 November 2008 |publisher=BBC Sport}} He played in the club's first 34 league and cup games of the season, before he missed his first game in February because of suspension from picking up five bookings.{{cite news|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/sportbcfcheadlines/4129966.McCall_faced_with_selection_headache/ |title=McCall faced with selection headache |date=17 February 2009 |access-date=18 February 2009 |newspaper=Telegraph & Argus |first=Simon |last=Parker}}
=Notts County=
Lee signed a two-year deal for Notts County joining on a free transfer on 30 June 2009{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/notts_county/8127001.stm |title=Notts County sign Bradford's Lee |date=30 June 2009 |access-date=4 July 2009 |publisher=BBC Sport}}
just prior to the infamous takeover of the club by Munto Finance. Lee played an important role as County were promoted as Champions of League Two in 2010 under Ian McParland, Sven-Göran Eriksson, Hans Backe, Dave Kevan and Steve Cotterill. He started the 2010–11 season as first choice centre back for yet another new County manager Craig Short but he would not be part of next manager Paul Ince's plans and was made a free agent in December 2010 bringing to an end a memorable 18 months at the club.
=Darlington=
Lee then signed for Darlington on a one-year deal on 30 June 2011. Darlington suffered financial difficulties during Lee's time at the club and his contract was terminated on 16 January 2012, along with the rest of the playing squad and caretaker manager Craig Liddle.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16584216.stm
|title=Darlington axe manager Craig Liddle and players |date=16 January 2012 |access-date=16 January 2012 |publisher=BBC Sport}}
However, despite the ongoing financial and contractual issues at Darlington, Lee continued to play on until a knee injury ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
Lee joined Celtic Nation during the 2012–13 close season break.{{cite web|title=High-Profile Arrivals at Celtic Nation |url=http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=87114 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104104720/http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=87114 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=4 January 2013 |publisher=NonLeagueDaily.com |access-date=1 October 2012 |date=20 August 2012 }}
Coaching career
=Hartlepool United=
On 1 December 2021, he left his role at Middlesbrough to take over as manager at League Two side Hartlepool United.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59489309|title=Graeme Lee: Hartlepool United appoint former defender as boss|publisher=BBC|date=1 December 2021|accessdate=1 December 2021}} On 5 May 2022, with one game left in the season, Lee was sacked as manager of Hartlepool.{{cite web|url=https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/news/2022/may/club-statement--graeme-lee|title=Club Statement – Graeme Lee|publisher=Hartlepool United FC|date=5 May 2022|accessdate=5 May 2022}} During his five–month spell as manager, Lee led the team to the semi-finals of the EFL Trophy losing on penalties to eventual trophy winners Rotherham United and the fourth round of the FA Cup losing away to Premier League side Crystal Palace. However, it was the downturn in form following the defeat to Rotherham that was citing in Lee losing his job with the club only winning once out of their previous eleven games.
=Marske United=
On 22 May 2023, Lee was appointed as the manager of Marske United.{{cite web|url=https://www.marskeunitedfc.org/news/seasiders-appoint-graeme-lee-as-first-team-manager-2781444.html|title=Seasiders Appoint Graeme Lee As First Team Manager|publisher=Marske United FC|date=22 May 2023|access-date=22 May 2023}}
=Spennymoor Town=
Lee stepped down as Marske manager on 2 January 2024 to take up the role of manager at National League North club Spennymoor Town. In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of his father Tony Lee who had also managed the Moors.{{cite web |url=https://spennymoortownfc.co.uk/2024/01/02/graeme-lee-named-as-spennymoor-town-boss/ |title=Graeme Lee Named As Spennymoor Boss |publisher=Spennymoor Town FC |date=2 January 2024 |access-date=3 January 2024}} Despite a slow start to his tenure in charge, Lee turned around the club's form, leading them away from the relegation zone, earning the league's Manager of the Month award for February 2024. {{cite web|url=https://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/now-lets-meet-the-national-league-north-big-winner-80757|title=Now Let's Meet The National League North Big Winners!|website=www.thenationalleague.org.uk|date=6 March 2024|accessdate=6 March 2024}} He won the award for a second consecutive month having guided his side to within three points of a play-off place. {{cite web|url=https://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/norths-promotion-hunters-sparkle-as-they-make-hay--81308|title=North's Promotion Hunters Sparkle As They Make Hay In March|website=www.thenationalleague.org.uk|date=11 April 2024|access-date=11 April 2024}} Despite winning 13 of their final 18 matches, Spennymoor missed out on a play-off finish by one point. On 2 May 2024, Lee signed a new deal to keep him with Spennymoor for the 2024–25 season.{{cite news |url=https://spennymoortownfc.co.uk/2024/05/02/graeme-lee-agrees-new-moors-deal/ |title=Graeme Lee Agrees New Moors Deal |website=Spennymoor Town FC |date=2 May 2024 |access-date=2 May 2024}} In the 2024–25 season, Spennymoor reached the 2025 FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium.{{cite news |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/25067718.graeme-lees-wembley-ashes-pledge-spennymoors-fa-trophy-final/ |title=Graeme Lee's Wembley Ashes pledge for Spennymoor's FA Trophy final |first=Scott |last=Wilson |website=The Northern Echo |date=6 April 2025 |access-date=10 April 2025}}
Personal life
Career statistics
{{notelist}}
Managerial statistics
{{updated|match played 26 April 2025}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Managerial record by team and tenure | ||||
| rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|From !rowspan="2"|To !colspan="5"|Record !rowspan="2"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{abbr|P|Matches played}} | {{abbr|W|Matches won}} | {{abbr|D|Matches drawn}} | {{abbr|L|Matches lost}} | {{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}} |
| align="left"|Hartlepool United
|align="left"|1 December 2021 |align="left"|5 May 2022 {{WDL|33|10|12|11|decimals=1}} | ||||
| align="left"|Marske United
|align="left"|22 May 2023 |align="left"|2 January 2024 {{WDL|25|9|0|16|decimals=1}} | | ||||
| align="left"|Spennymoor Town
|align="left"|2 January 2024 |align="left"|Present {{WDL|78|40|19|19|decimals=1}} | | ||||
| colspan="3"|Total
{{WDLtot|135|59|31|45|decimals=1}} !— |
Honours
=As a player=
Hartlepool United
- Football League Third Division runner-up: 2002–03
Doncaster Rovers
- Football League One play-offs: 2008{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/7418498.stm |title=Doncaster 1–0 Leeds |publisher=BBC Sport |date=25 May 2008 |access-date=1 December 2021}}
- Football League Trophy: 2006–07{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6514043.stm |title=Bristol Rovers 2–3 Doncaster AET |publisher=BBC Sport |date=1 April 2007 |access-date=1 December 2021}}
Notts County
- Football League Two: 2009–10{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2010/04/notts_county_rochdale_show_dif.html |title=Notts County's title but Rochdale's triumph |last=Fletcher |first=Paul |publisher=BBC Sport |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=1 December 2021}}
Individual
- Hartlepool United Player of the Year: 2001–02
- PFA Team of the Year: 2002–03 Third Division{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2003/apr/28/newsstory.premierleague200203 |title=Henry lands PFA award |last=McKechnie |first=David |work=The Guardian |date=28 April 2003 |access-date=14 January 2023}}
=As a manager=
Individual
- National League North Manager of the Month: February 2024, March 2024
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerbase}}
{{National League North managers}}
{{Navboxes
|bg = gold
|fg = navy
|title = Awards
|list1 =
{{2002–03 Football League Third Division Team of the Year}}
{{Hartlepool United F.C. Player of the Year}}
{{Doncaster Rovers F.C. Player of the Year}}
}}
{{Hartlepool United F.C. managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Graeme}}
Category:Footballers from Middlesbrough
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Hartlepool United F.C. players
Category:Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Category:Doncaster Rovers F.C. players
Category:Shrewsbury Town F.C. players
Category:Bradford City A.F.C. players
Category:Notts County F.C. players
Category:Darlington F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:National League (English football) players
Category:Celtic Nation F.C. players
Category:English Football League managers
Category:Hartlepool United F.C. managers
Category:Marske United F.C. managers
Category:Spennymoor Town F.C. managers
Category:English football managers