Paul Raynor

{{for-multi|the Chester City footballer|Paul Raynor (footballer, born 1957)|the English-New Zealand ceramicist|Paul Rayner}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Paul Raynor

| image = Raynor, Paul.jpg

| caption = Raynor in 2014

| fullname = Paul James Raynor

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|4|29|df=y}}

| birth_place = Nottingham, England

| currentclub =

| height = 6 ft 0 in{{cite book |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88 |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Dunk |publisher=Queen Anne Press |location=London |date=1987 |page=356 |isbn=978-0-356-14354-5}}

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Nottingham Forest

| years1 = 1984–1985

| clubs1 = Nottingham Forest

| caps1 = 3

| goals1 = 1

| years2 = 1984

| clubs2 = → Bristol Rovers (loan)

| caps2 = 8

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1985–1987

| clubs3 = Huddersfield Town

| caps3 = 50

| goals3 = 9

| years4 = 1987–1992

| clubs4 = Swansea City

| caps4 = 191

| goals4 = 27

| years5 = 1988

| clubs5 = → Wrexham (loan)

| caps5 = 6

| goals5 = 0

| years6 = 1992–1993

| clubs6 = Cambridge United

| caps6 = 49

| goals6 = 2

| years7 = 1993–1995

| clubs7 = Preston North End

| caps7 = 80

| goals7 = 9

| years8 = 1995–1997

| clubs8 = Cambridge United

| caps8 = 79

| goals8 = 7

| years9 = 1997

| clubs9 = Guangdong Hongyuan

| caps9 = 10

| goals9 = 1

| years10 = 1998

| clubs10 = Leyton Orient

| caps10 = 15

| goals10 = 0

| years11 = 1998–1999

| clubs11 = Kettering Town

| caps11 =

| goals11 =

| years12 = 1999–2000

| clubs12 = Ilkeston Town

| caps12 =

| goals12 =

| years13 = 2000–2001

| clubs13 = Boston United

| caps13 =

| goals13 =

| years14 = 2001

| clubs14 = King's Lynn

| caps14 = 5

| goals14 = 0

| years15 = 2001

| clubs15 = Hednesford Town

| caps15 = 11

| goals15 = 0

| years16 = 2001

| clubs16 = Gainsborough Trinity

| caps16 =

| goals16 =

| years17 = 2002

| clubs17 = Ossett Albion

| caps17 =

| goals17 =

| years18 = 2002–2004

| clubs18 = King's Lynn

| caps18 = 68

| goals18 = 1

| years19 = 2007–2009

| clubs19 = Crawley Town

| caps19 = 4

| goals19 = 1

| manageryears1 = 2001

| managerclubs1 = Hednesford Town

| manageryears2 = 2004–2006

| managerclubs2 = Boston United (assistant manager)

| manageryears3 = 2006–2007

| managerclubs3 = Boston United

| manageryears4 = 2007–2012

| managerclubs4 = Crawley Town (assistant manager)

| manageryears5 = 2012–2015

| managerclubs5 = Rotherham United (assistant manager)

| manageryears6 = 2015–2016

| managerclubs6 = Leeds United (assistant head coach)

| manageryears9 = 2016–2018

| managerclubs9 = Mansfield Town (assistant head coach)

| manageryears10 = 2018–2019

| managerclubs10 = Peterborough United (assistant manager)

| manageryears11 = 2019–2022

| managerclubs11 = Gillingham (assistant manager)

| manageryears12 = 2022–2024

| managerclubs12 = Stevenage (assistant manager)

| manageryears13 = 2024–

| managerclubs13 = Rotherham United (assistant manager)

}}

Paul James Raynor (born 29 April 1966) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He has worked as assistant manager under Steve Evans at Rotherham United, Leeds United, Mansfield Town, Peterborough United, Gillingham and Stevenage. He is currently at Rotherham United.

Career

He played in the Football League for Nottingham Forest, Bristol Rovers,{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/nottmfor/nottmfor.html |title=Nottingham Forest : 1946/47–2008/09 |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |accessdate=20 October 2009}}

Huddersfield Town,{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/huddersfield/huddersfield.html |title=Huddersfield Town : 1946/47–2008/09 |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |accessdate=20 October 2009}}

Swansea City, Wrexham,{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/swansea/swansea.html |title=Swansea City : 1946/47–2008/09 |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |accessdate=20 October 2009}}

Cambridge United,{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/cambridge/cambridge.html |title=Cambridge United : 1970/71–2004/05 |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |accessdate=20 October 2009}}

Preston North End{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/preston/preston.html |title=Preston North End : 1946/47–2008/09 |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |accessdate=20 October 2009}} (where he briefly played alongside a young David Beckham), and

Leyton Orient.{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/leyton/leyton.html |title=Leyton Orient : 1946/47–2008/09 |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |accessdate=20 October 2009}} He also spent a year in the Chinese Jia-A League with Guangdong Hongyuan.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-sheffield-united-rate-kendalls-loss-at-pounds-1m-1258112.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-sheffield-united-rate-kendalls-loss-at-pounds-1m-1258112.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Sheffield United rate Kendall's loss at £1m |first=Alan |last=Nixon |newspaper=The Independent |date=26 June 1997 |accessdate=20 October 2009}}

After leaving Leyton Orient, Raynor moved into non-League football with clubs including Kettering Town, Ilkeston Town, Boston United,{{cite web |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=6602 |title=Paul Raynor All-time playing career |work=Soccerbase |publisher=Centurycomm |access-date=20 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050910210351/http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=6602 |archive-date=10 September 2005 |url-status=live }}

King's Lynn, Hednesford Town, where he spent a few months as player-manager,{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/birmingham-post-england-the/mi_7996/is_2001_May_26/raynor-vow-rescue-pitmen-dr/ai_n36332568/ |format=reprint |via=FindArticles |title=Raynor vow to rescue Pitmen |first=Colin |last=Stoner |newspaper=Birmingham Post |date=26 May 2001 |accessdate=20 October 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/birmingham-post-england-the/mi_7996/is_2001_Oct_12/pitmen-move-raynor-sacked-fa/ai_n36424417/ |format=reprint |via=FindArticles |title=Pitmen to move fast as Raynor is sacked |first=Colin |last=Stoner |newspaper=Birmingham Post |date=12 October 2001 |accessdate=20 October 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

Gainsborough Trinity,{{cite web |url=http://www.soccerfactsuk.co.uk/s2001/player_details.php?playerid=2846 |title=Player Details: Season 2001–2002 |publisher=SoccerFacts UK |accessdate=20 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304174147/http://www.soccerfactsuk.co.uk/s2001/player_details.php?playerid=2846 |archive-date=4 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}

Ossett Albion, and then King's Lynn again, to be released at the end of the 2002–03 season, only to rejoin for the next.{{cite news |url=http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=3525 |work=NonLeague Daily |title=Morris Influence Easy To See at the Walks |date=5 April 2002 |url-status=usurped |access-date=27 October 2009 |archive-date=25 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925140214/http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=3525 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.thelinnets.co.uk/archivednews04-0803.shtml |title=News Archive May–August 2003 |publisher=King's Lynn F.C |accessdate=20 October 2009}}

Coaching career

Raynor has coached at clubs Sheffield United and Boston United, where he was assistant manager for a time to Steve Evans.{{cite web |url=http://www.bufc.co.uk/article/27286/Paul-Raynor-Assistant-Manager |title=Paul Raynor (First Team Coach) |publisher=Boston United F.C |accessdate=20 October 2009}} In May 2007 Evans and Raynor left Boston to take over as manager and assistant at Crawley Town,{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/crawley_town/6700235.stm |title=Crawley appoint Evans as new boss |publisher=BBC Sport |date=29 May 2007 |accessdate=20 October 2009}} where he occasionally appeared as a player in the Conference. The pair subsequently moved to Rotherham United. On 28 September 2015, Raynor left Rotherham. On 19 October 2015, Raynor joined fellow Championship side Leeds United, once again as assistant to Evans.{{Cite news

| title = Steve Evans Appointed United Head Coach

| url = http://www.leedsunited.com/news/article/lm93yhyyeu4216fh9qrmospzg/title/steve-evans-appointed-united-head-coach

| publisher = Leeds United F.C.

| date = 19 October 2015}}{{Cite news

| title = Steve Evans: Leeds appoint new boss as Massimo Cellino banned

| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34570202

| publisher = BBC Sport

| date = 19 October 2015}} On 31 May 2016, Evans and Raynor were both sacked by Leeds owner Massimo Cellino, with Evans becoming the sixth manager sacked by Cellino in two years.{{cite news|publisher=BBC Sport| date= 31 May 2016 | accessdate= 31 May 2016 | title= Steve Evans: Leeds United sack head coach| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36420398}}

In June 2019 Raynor linked up with Evans once again at Gillingham.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34380186|title = Rotherham part company with Evans|publisher = BBC Sport}} Both departed the club on 9 January 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/2022/january/club-statement---09.01.22/|title=Club Statement|website=gillinghamfootballclub.com|date=9 January 2022|accessdate=9 January 2022}}