Steve Guppy

Stephen Andrew Guppy (born 29 March 1969) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who now coaches at Nashville SC.

He made a handful of appearances in the Saints reserves at the end of the 1988–89 season (but failed to break into the first team) before moving to Jim Kelman's Wycombe Wanderers in September 1989.

A winger, he started his senior career with Wycombe Wanderers in 1989, over a five-year period he made around 200 appearances for the club, helping Wycombe win promotion to the Football League.

Guppy was spotted playing for his local team, Colden Common and offered a chance with Southampton in March 1989.

He turned professional with Wycombe in 1992, at the age of 23.

Prior to turning professional he worked on building sites.

At Wycombe, he first teamed up with newly appointed Martin O'Neill and helped take them into the Football League as Conference champions in 1992–93 as well as completing the non-League double by winning the FA Trophy.

He was a virtual ever-present in Wycombe's debut 1993–94 season in the Football League at the end of which they secured promotion to Second Division via the play-offs.

Earning a move to Newcastle United in 1994, later in the year he transferred to Port Vale.

In August 1994, he was signed by Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United for a fee of £150,000.

He made one first team appearance as a substitute in the League Cup in Newcastle's 2–0 defeat of Manchester United.

He subsequently moved on to Port Vale in November 1994 for £225,000.

He later recalled seeing a local newspaper headline "'Vale sign Premiership star' and I thought 'Great! Who else have they signed?’ but of course the headline was about me. I thought – but I’ve only played a handful of games in the Premiership I'm hardly a star!" Vale was a step down, but another top manager – in the form of John Rudge, helped him focus on being a first team performer again.

He played in the 1996 Anglo-Italian Cup final, as Vale lost 5–2 to Genoa.

In nearly three seasons at the then First Division club he became a firm fan favourite and is now classed a club legend after his memorable performances on the left wing.

After three successful years at Vale he signed to Leicester City in 1997.

After a four-year spell with the "Foxes" he moved to Scotland to play for Celtic.

In February 1997 he was tracked down by his former boss Martin O'Neill, who paid £850,000 to take him to Premier League club Leicester City for the first time.

He was cup-tied for their victory in the 1997 League Cup final.

It was in his first spell with the Foxes that he was most successful, playing in over 140 matches under O'Neill.

He gained League Cup honours with Leicester City in 2000, having also reached the final in the previous season.

However, he was dropped by new manager Peter Taylor in the 2000–01 campaign.

In August 2001, Guppy re-joined O'Neill at Celtic for £700,000, where he spent two-and-a-half years.

During his time at Celtic, they won the Scottish Premier League in his first season at the club.

The following season, 2002–03, Guppy had a number of injury problems, meaning he missed the 2003 UEFA Cup final.

In 2003-04 Guppy only made one appearance for Celtic, in a Scottish League Cup tie against Partick Thistle, before leaving Celtic to re-join Leicester City in January 2004.

However, he found that he did not suit manager Micky Adams's style of play.

In 2004, he returned to Leicester, before brief spells with Leeds United, Stoke City, and another return to Wycombe.

Guppy left Leicester in the summer of 2004, to try to get to the US to play.

He then spent a brief spell at Leeds United in August 2004, scoring once against Nottingham Forest, before gaining a short-term deal at Stoke City, where former Vale manager John Rudge was director of football.

This was followed by a short spell back at Wycombe, scoring once against Swansea City.

He moved to the United States but his short stint in Major League Soccer with Washington-based D.C. United was ended prematurely due to injury, and he was released by the club after playing in just five league games in which he was featured in a starting line-up alongside Freddy Adu in midfield.

In 2005, he joined American club D.C. United, and after another year returned to the English non-League scene with Stevenage Borough.

In August 2006 he signed for Stevenage Borough, scoring his first goal for them in a 1–1 draw at Exeter City.

With Jeff Kenna, Guppy became the first player to play at both the new Wembley and the old Wembley.

This was achieved on 12 May 2007 when Kidderminster Harriers played Borough in the 2007 final of the FA Trophy at the new Wembley Stadium.

Borough won 3–2 despite being 2–0 down at half-time; Craig Dobson, who replaced Guppy on 63 minutes, scored the equalizing goal.

Due to Stevenage winning, Guppy became the first ever person to win medals at both the old and new Wembley Stadium.

He then retired in 2008 following a spell back in the States with Rochester Rhinos.

As well as a successful nineteen-year club career, he earned England caps at under-21, semi-pro, 'B', and finally at full senior level.