Greg Shields
{{short description|Scottish footballer and coach}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Greg Shields
| image = Greg-shields.jpg
| image_size = 175
| fullname = Greg Shields{{Hugman|17899|accessdate=9 April 2017}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1976|8|21}}
| birth_place = Falkirk, Scotland
| height =
| position = Defender
| currentclub = Dunfermline Athletic
(head of academy – football)
| clubnumber =
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Gairdoch United
| youthyears2 = {{0|0000}}–1995
| youthclubs2 = Rangers
| years1 = 1995–1997
| clubs1 = Rangers
| caps1 = 7
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 1997–1999
| clubs2 = Dunfermline Athletic
| caps2 = 75
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 1999–2002
| clubs3 = Charlton Athletic
| caps3 = 25
| goals3 = 2
| years4 = 2002
| clubs4 = → Walsall (loan)
| caps4 = 7
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2002
| clubs5 = → Kilmarnock (loan)
| caps5 = 5
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2002–2004
| clubs6 = Kilmarnock
| caps6 = 53
| goals6 = 2
| years7 = 2004–2009
| clubs7 = Dunfermline Athletic
| caps7 = 129
| goals7 = 4
| years8 = 2009–2010
| clubs8 = Carolina RailHawks
| caps8 = 11
| goals8 = 0
| years9 = 2010
| clubs9 = → Partick Thistle (loan)
| caps9 = 5
| goals9 = 0
| years10 = 2010–2013
| clubs10 = Carolina RailHawks
| caps10 = 33
| goals10 = 0
| totalcaps = 350 | totalgoals = 8
| nationalyears1 = 1996{{cite web|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotlandu21/player.php?playerid=263|title=Scotland U21 player Greg Shields|website=FitbaStats|access-date=13 September 2018}}
| nationalteam1 = Scotland U21
| nationalcaps1 = 2
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2003{{cite web|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotlandb/player.php?playerid=177|title=Scotland B player Greg Shields|website=FitbaStats|access-date=13 September 2018}}
| nationalteam2 = Scotland B
| nationalcaps2 = 1
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| ntupdate =
| manageryears1 = 2013–2019 | managerclubs1 = North Carolina FC (assistant)
| manageryears2 = 2019–2022 | managerclubs2 = Dunfermline Athletic (assistant)
| manageryears3 = 2021 | managerclubs3 = Dunfermline Athletic (interim manager)
| manageryears4 = 2022–2024 | managerclubs4 = Dunfermline Athletic (head of academy – football)
| manageryears5 = 2024– | managerclubs5 = St Andrews United
}}
Greg Shields (born 21 August 1976) is a Scottish football player and coach, who is currently head of academy – football with Dunfermline Athletic. His playing career was most closely associated with Dunfermline Athletic, as he played for the club over 200 times across two spells and was their captain in two national cup finals. Shields also played for Rangers, Charlton Athletic, Walsall, Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle and the Carolina RailHawks. He represented Scotland in under-21 and B internationals.
Playing career
=Early career=
Shields started his career with Gairdoch United Boys Club before joining the youth system at Rangers. One of his first senior appearances was in October 1996 in a UEFA Champions League tie against Ajax.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rangers-come-to-end-of-road-1361140.html|title=Rangers come to end of road|work=The Independent|location=London|author=David McKinney|date=31 October 1996 |access-date=13 September 2018}} He went on to play only 11 times for the Glasgow club{{cite web|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/rangers/player.php?playerid=1315|title=Rangers player Greg Shields|website=FitbaStats|access-date=13 September 2018}} before a £200,000 move to Dunfermline Athletic in 1997.
=England and Scotland=
After 86 consecutive appearances for Dunfermline he swapped west Fife for south London in a £600,000 move to Alan Curbishley's Charlton Athletic in 1999. After an impressive start at The Valley, Shields ran into some injury problems which eventually ruined his Charlton career.
After a brief spell on loan at Walsall, Jim Jefferies brought him back home to Scotland at SPL side Kilmarnock, initially on loan then permanently. He quickly established himself in the Rugby Park side,{{cite web|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/kilmarnock/player.php?playerid=7731|title=Kilmarnock player Greg Shields|website=FitbaStats|access-date=13 September 2018}} becoming captain in season 2002–03. This alerted his former employers Dunfermline Athletic, who swooped to take him back to East End Park during the January 2004 transfer window (coincidentally, both his goals for Killie were scored against Dunfermline and they were also the last opponent he faced while at the Ayrshire club).
Dunfermline played in the final of the Scottish Cup that season but Shields was cup-tied after playing in an earlier round for Kilmarnock. Injury again wrecked most of the 2004–05 season for him. He captained the "Pars" in the 2006 Scottish League Cup Final and the 2007 Scottish Cup Final, both of which ended in defeat to Celtic; his defensive colleagues included former Rangers youth teammate Scott Wilson.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/4807338.stm|title=Dunfermline 0-3 Celtic |date=19 March 2006|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=13 September 2018}}{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/6684941.stm|title=Celtic 1-0 Dunfermline |date=26 May 2007|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=13 September 2018}}
=United States=
On 26 May 2009, Shields was poised to join Carolina RailHawks in the United States, managed by Scotsman Martin Rennie.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/dunfermline_athletic/8069190.stm|title=Shields to leave Pars for America |date=26 May 2009|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=27 May 2009}} Carolina RailHawks announced on 16 July 2009 that they had signed Shields.{{cite web|url=http://usl1.uslsoccer.com/home/347856.html|title=Carolina signs Shields of Dunfermline|date=16 July 2009|publisher=Carolina RailHawks News Release|access-date=16 July 2009}} He had a loan spell back in Scotland with Partick Thistle before returning to RailHawks where he finished his playing career in 2013.
Coaching career
Shields worked as an assistant coach with the RailHawks,{{cite web |url=http://www.carolinarailhawks.com/greg-shields |title=Greg Shields |publisher=Carolina RailHawks |access-date=4 November 2016}} as well as being a head coach with Capital Area RailHawks, Carolina RailHawks' academy programme.{{cite web |url=http://www.capitalarearailhawks.com/Default.aspx?tabid=690664 |title=Greg Shields |publisher=Capital Area RailHawks |access-date=4 November 2016}} He was appointed assistant head coach at Dunfermline Athletic in January 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46830261 |title=Dunfermline: Stevie Crawford appointed head coach |publisher=BBC Sport |date=10 January 2019 |access-date=10 January 2019}} After Peter Grant's tenure as Dunfermline manager ended, Shields and Steven Whittaker were appointed joint interim managers of the club.{{cite web |url=https://dafc.co.uk/story.php?t=DAFC_Board_Statement_&ID=13410 |title=DAFC Board Statement |publisher=Dunfermline Athletic FC |date=31 October 2021 |accessdate=31 October 2021}} Shields and Whittaker were in charge for two matches, before John Hughes was appointed on a permanent basis.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59260160 |title=Dunfermline Athletic appoint John Hughes as manager on two-and-a-half year deal |publisher=BBC Sport |date=12 November 2021 |accessdate=17 November 2021}}
The creation of Dunfermline's new youth academy as well as the change to the management team following relegation to League 1 saw Shields promoted to head of academy – football, working alongside Bill Hendry as head of academy – operations.{{cite web | url=https://dafc.co.uk/story.php?t=New_Academy_Structure_Announced&ID=13889 | title=New Academy Structure Announced | Dunfermline Athletic Football Club }}
Managerial statistics
{{updated|match played on 13 November 2021}}
| class=wikitable style="text-align: center"
|+ Managerial record by team and tenure | ||||
| rowspan=2|Team
!rowspan=2|From !rowspan=2|To !colspan=5|Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{abbr|P|Matches played}} | {{abbr|W|Matches won}} | {{abbr|D|Matches drawn}} | {{abbr|L|Matches lost}} | {{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}} |
| align=left|Dunfermline AthleticJoint caretaker manager with Steven Whittaker
|align=left|31 October 2021 |align=left|15 November 2021 {{WDL|2|1|0|1|decimals=1}} | ||||
| colspan=3|Total
{{WDLtot|550|218|123|209|decimals=1}} |
{{reflist|group=Note}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerbase}}
- {{Soccerway|greg-shields/1023}}
{{Dunfermline Athletic F.C. managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shields, Greg}}
Category:Footballers from Falkirk
Category:Scottish men's footballers
Category:Scottish football managers
Category:Scottish Premier League players
Category:Scottish Football League players
Category:Premier League players
Category:Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players
Category:North Carolina FC players
Category:Charlton Athletic F.C. players
Category:Kilmarnock F.C. players
Category:Scotland men's B international footballers
Category:USL First Division players
Category:USSF Division 2 Professional League players
Category:North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players
Category:Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Category:Scottish expatriate men's footballers
Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Category:Scotland men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Partick Thistle F.C. players
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Scotland men's youth international footballers