Stuart Balmer

{{Infobox football biography

| image =

| name = Stuart Balmer

| fullname = Stuart Murray Balmer{{Cite book

| editor-first = Barry J.

| editor-last = Hugman

| title = The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004

| year = 2003

| publisher = Queen Anne Press

| isbn = 1-85291-651-6

| page = 33 }}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|9|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = Falkirk, Scotland

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}

| currentclub =

| position = Defender

| youthyears1 = {{0|000}}?–1987

| youthclubs1 = Celtic

| years1 = 1987–1990

| years2 = 1990–1998

| years3 = 1998–2001

| years4 = 2001–2003

| years5 = 2002

| years6 = 2002–2004

| years7 = 2004–2005

| years8 = 2005–2006

| years9 = 2006–2008

| clubs1 = Celtic

| clubs2 = Charlton Athletic

| clubs3 = Wigan Athletic

| clubs4 = Oldham Athletic

| clubs5 = → Scunthorpe United (loan)

| clubs6 = Boston United

| clubs7 = Clyde

| clubs8 = Hamilton Academical

| clubs9 = St Mirren

| caps1 = 0

| caps2 = 227

| caps3 = 101

| caps4 = 36

| caps5 = 6

| caps6 = 47

| caps7 = 13

| caps8 = 15

| caps9 = 0

| goals1 = 0

| goals2 = 8

| goals3 = 3

| goals4 = 6

| goals5 = 0

| goals6 = 3

| goals7 = 0

| goals8 = 1

| goals9 = 0

| totalcaps = 445

| totalgoals = 21

| managerclubs1 = Forfar Athletic (interim manager)

| manageryears1 = 2017

}}

Stuart Murray Balmer (born 20 September 1969 in Falkirk) is a Scottish professional footballer, who played as a defender.

Playing career

Balmer was a young player at Celtic, having progressed from the Celtic Boys Club, in the late 1980s.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/desperate-times-as-celtic-find-themselves-short-at-the-back-1.581916|title=Desperate times as Celtic find themselves short at the back|first=James|last=Traynor|work=The Herald|publisher=Herald & Times Group|date=12 April 1990|accessdate=1 December 2011}} Having never made a competitive first team appearance at Parkhead, he was sold to Charlton Athletic in August 1990 for a fee of £120,000.{{cite web| url = http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=365| title = Stuart Balmer {{!}} Football Stats {{!}} No Club {{!}} Age 52 {{!}} 1989-2007 {{!}} Soccer Base}} He has the distinction of being the first outfield player in the English league to be allocated the squad number 1; Charlton in the early 1990s allocated their squad numbers alphabetically, hence Balmer (and not a goalkeeper as is typical) wore the number 1 shirt for the season.{{cite news |title=Which maverick outfield footballers have worn the No 1 shirt? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/sep/25/which-maverick-outfield-footballers-have-worn-the-no-1-shirt |access-date=12 January 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=25 September 2019}}{{cite web |title=Letters, WSC 274 |url=https://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/38-readers-letters/5247-letters-wsc-274 |website=When Saturday Comes |access-date=12 January 2022 |date=December 2009}}

After eight years at Charlton, Balmer moved to Wigan in September 1998 for £200,000. In three seasons there, Balmer made over 100 appearances before going on to play for several lower league English sides. Whilst at Wigan he also played in the final as they won the 1998–99 Football League Trophy.{{cite news |url=http://www.cockneylatic.co.uk/match-reports/1998-1999/1399-wigan-athletic-1-millwall-0 |title=Auto Windscreens Shield Final - Sunday 18th April 1999 |publisher=cockneylatic.co.uk |accessdate=17 June 2019 |archive-date=17 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617105727/http://www.cockneylatic.co.uk/match-reports/1998-1999/1399-wigan-athletic-1-millwall-0 |url-status=dead }}

In July 2004, Balmer returned to Scotland as player/assistant-manager to Billy Reid at Clyde{{cite news |title=Reid takes charge at Clyde|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/clyde/3841401.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=9 January 2004}} and then followed him when he moved to Hamilton Academical a year later.{{cite news |title=Jones becomes Accies' assistant |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hamilton_academical/5410936.stm|work=BBC Sport|date=5 October 2006}} Balmer scored one goal for Hamilton, ironically in a game against former club Clyde.{{cite web

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_div_1/4652340.stm |title=Clyde 2-2 Hamilton Academical |publisher=BBC |date=28 January 2006 |accessdate=4 September 2012}}

Coaching career

In January 2011, Balmer joined the coaching staff at Ross County as assistant to manager Willie McStay.{{cite web|title=Stuart Balmer to assist Derek Adams at Ross County|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/13717070|work=BBC Sport|accessdate=1 February 2014|date=9 June 2011}} McStay was sacked as manager a month later, but Balmer remained on the coaching staff under Jimmy Calderwood who was appointed to manage the side until the end of the season. Ross County only narrowly avoided relegation and Calderwood left at the end of the season. Balmer was re-appointed assistant manager by Derek Adams on his appointment as manager in June 2011, and that following season the management team helped Ross County win the Scottish First Division championship and promotion to the Scottish Premier League.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17672808|title=Ross County celebrate promotion to SPL|work=BBC Sport|publisher=BBC|date=11 April 2012|accessdate=1 February 2014}} In a further readjustment of the coaching staff at Victoria Park in November 2012, Balmer took on the duties of coaching the Under-20 side.,{{cite web|title=Neale Cooper returns to Ross County as assistant manager|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20466503|work=BBC Sport|accessdate=1 February 2014|date=23 November 2012}} before leaving the club completely in May 2013.{{cite tweet|user=TheStaggies|author=Ross County Fans|number=336507204695896065|date=20 May 2013|title=Ross County Football Club can confirm that Under 20s Coach Stuart Balmer has left the Club with immediate effect....}}

Balmer joined Airdrie in November 2013 as assistant to their recently appointed manager, Gary Bollan{{cite web|last=Paterson|first=Colin|title=Gary Bollan appoints Stuart Balmer as Airdrieonians assistant|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gary-bollan-appoints-stuart-balmer-2685957|work=Daily Record|location=Glasgow|accessdate=1 February 2014|date=7 November 2013}} and subsequently followed Gary, as his assistant, to Forfar in December 2015.{{cite web| url = http://www.forfarathletic.co.uk/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=6%3Anews&id=2113%3Aour-new-management-team&Itemid=27| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201726/http://www.forfarathletic.co.uk/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=6:news&id=2113:our-new-management-team&Itemid=27| archive-date = 2016-03-04| title = News - Forfar Athletic Football Club - News - Official Website of the Loons}} After Bollan was sacked by Forfar in September 2017, Balmer took charge of the side on an interim basis.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41310888 |title=Gary Bollan: Forfar Athletic sack manager after run of defeats |work=BBC Sport |publisher=BBC |date=18 September 2017 |accessdate=18 September 2017}}