Barnsley's new Head Coach provided his own personal insight on his friend and colleague. As a preface, many Reds supporters would be left drooling with excitement, whilst the current crop of players learned that there's more than one new face they are going to have to please.
"He has extensive knowledge of the players throughout the divisions, has done a lot of scouting, of course he's had a good career as well. He's a technically good coach. He's got that change of tempo in his voice in training sessions, he can demand that Scottish aggression if you like, that's on the verge of being over the top, but it demands that players raise the tempo"
- Lee Johnson heaps praise on his new assistant Tommy Wright, Oakwell, 25 February 2015
It was an introduction like no other. In just a few short sentences, Barnsley's new Head Coach provided his own personal insight on his friend and colleague. As a preface, many Reds supporters would be left drooling with excitement, whilst the current crop of players learned that there's more than one new face that they will have to please.
In a playing career that spanned 18 years, the goal scoring winger racked up 455 senior appearances, finding the net on 86 occasions, working under the likes of Joe Royle and David Pleat. It was a journey through a number of destinations including Oldham Athletic, Leicester City, Middlebrough, Bradford City, St. Johnstone and Livingstone, before retirement finally beckoned after a stint at Doncaster Rovers.
Wright was working with the Under 16s at the Latics in 2006 when his old Leeds United colleague John Sheridan asked him to step up as his assistant.
"I always said that if I went into management I would take him with me," Sheridan told the club website. "Tommy has a terrific record at bringing young players through this club and, like myself, is very excited about the future."
And when Sheridan joined Chesterfield in June 2009, it was to his trusty sidekick he turned once more to support him in mounting a promotion challenge. A success they achieved together in 2010/11 as Champions of League 2.
Wright had a brief spell as caretaker boss of the Spireites, before leaving in April 2013 and returning to Oldham as assistant manager, nearly five years after leaving the League One club.
“I knew Lee Johnson, as he played under us at Chesterfield on loan there. I saw him at a reserve game and we had a chat. A few days ago he asked if I would be interested. I was desperate to get back in on the coaching side, so I didn’t have any second thoughts.”
It's certainly recommended listening for all those Oakwell Anoraks out there.
- Lee Johnson heaps praise on his new assistant Tommy Wright, Oakwell, 25 February 2015
It was an introduction like no other. In just a few short sentences, Barnsley's new Head Coach provided his own personal insight on his friend and colleague. As a preface, many Reds supporters would be left drooling with excitement, whilst the current crop of players learned that there's more than one new face that they will have to please.
Career
Thomas Elliott (Tommy) Wright, also referred to jokingly as Tommy Johnson, by Barnsley's new head coach, was spotted by Leeds United's senior Scottish scout as a 16 year old, moving to Elland Road in 1982, breaking in to the senior squad alongside the likes of John Sheridan, Denis Irwin, Scott Sellars and Neil Aspin under manager Eddie Gray.In a playing career that spanned 18 years, the goal scoring winger racked up 455 senior appearances, finding the net on 86 occasions, working under the likes of Joe Royle and David Pleat. It was a journey through a number of destinations including Oldham Athletic, Leicester City, Middlebrough, Bradford City, St. Johnstone and Livingstone, before retirement finally beckoned after a stint at Doncaster Rovers.
Wright was working with the Under 16s at the Latics in 2006 when his old Leeds United colleague John Sheridan asked him to step up as his assistant.
"I always said that if I went into management I would take him with me," Sheridan told the club website. "Tommy has a terrific record at bringing young players through this club and, like myself, is very excited about the future."
And when Sheridan joined Chesterfield in June 2009, it was to his trusty sidekick he turned once more to support him in mounting a promotion challenge. A success they achieved together in 2010/11 as Champions of League 2.
Wright had a brief spell as caretaker boss of the Spireites, before leaving in April 2013 and returning to Oldham as assistant manager, nearly five years after leaving the League One club.
“I knew Lee Johnson, as he played under us at Chesterfield on loan there. I saw him at a reserve game and we had a chat. A few days ago he asked if I would be interested. I was desperate to get back in on the coaching side, so I didn’t have any second thoughts.”
What makes him tick?
Naturally time will tell. However, we found an audio file on SoundCloud from just under two years ago. In this interview with the Chesterfield Post, Wright comes across as being refreshingly honest and a very likeable character. There's certainly no hint of a 'HillCroft' (Guardiola Complex) ego at work here.It's certainly recommended listening for all those Oakwell Anoraks out there.
On a final note
Could Tommy Wright have inadvertently been singing the praises of Lee Johnson in return when he made the following remarks?
"I think, over the last four or five years, I've really studied, I've worked extremely hard - obviously you have to get your coaching badges - but in other ways such as watching DVDs and reading books.
"The best coaches now are probably the best educated coaches, not necessarily the best as players in their careers but they are the best educated."
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