Greg Brown (soccer)

Football player infobox
playername = Greg Brown
fullname = Greg Brown
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1962|7|21
cityofbirth = Manchester
countryofbirth = England
height =
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Forward
youthyears =
youthclubs = Manchester United Schoolboys
years = 1985
1986
1987-89
1989-92
1991
1992-94
clubs = Napier City Rovers
Miramar Rangers
Parramatta Eagles
Parramatta Eagles
POSCO Atoms
West Adelaide SC
caps(goals) = 0? 0(?)
0? 0(?)
0? 0(?)
070 0(34)
02 0(0)
051 0(23)
nationalyears = 1986
1991-92
nationalteam = New Zealand
Australia
nationalcaps(goals) = 00 0(0)
012 0(1)
manageryears = 1997-99
2004-07
managerclubs = Australian women's team
Mitchelton FC
pcupdate = 19 June 2008
ntupdate = 19 June 2008

Greg Brown (born February 21, 1962 in Manchester, England) is a Manchester United schoolboys striker who went on to play for both the New Zealand All Whites and Australian Socceroos national soccer teams.

Playing career

Brown played semi-professionally for Hyde United, Southport FC and Mossley FC in the United Kingdom before being brought to New Zealand by Napier City Rovers midway through 1985.

Despite being sent off in his club debut, Brown's goalscoring touch immediately turned struggling Napier's season around leading them from the bottom of the national soccer league to Chatham Cup winners in a final that became known as "Greg Brown's final", in which he scored one goal and set up two others in the 3-1 win over North Shore United. He was named man of the match in the final.

However, with Brown injured, Napier failed to avoid relegation from the national league during the following week's promotion/relegation play-offs and Brown was pursued by several national league clubs, eventually moving to Miramar Rangers for the 1986 season. He was the national league's top scorer for the first half of the 1986 season but hit a dry spell during the second half.

In February 1986 he was selected in the New Zealand national team, making four B-international appearances in friendlies against a touring USSR XI. [ [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesn/nz-intres-det80.html New Zealand International Matches - Details 1980-1989] ]

In 1987, Brown moved across the Tasman to play for the Parramatta Eagles from 1987 to 1992 and the West Adelaide Sharks from 1992 till his retirement from professional soccer in 1994, aged 32.cite web|url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Players/B/BRO.html|title=Australian Player Database|author=|publisher=OzFootball|date=|accessdate=2008-09-03] He was named Australian soccer player of the year in 1990 and was picked in the Australian national team in 1991, going on to make 12 appearances and scoring one goal.

Management career

Brown joined Mitchelton FC in the local Brisbane competition in 1996 and was the club's head coach from 2004 to 2007.

From November 1997 to March 1999, Brown was coach of the Matildas, the Australian national women's team, and took them to a record 14 internationals without a loss. He resigned from the position after the side's poor showing at the World Cup in the United States.

References

External links