Ian Watson (football coach)
English football coach (born 1985)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ian Watson (born 30 December 1985) is an English football manager who is currently the head coach of League Two club Rochdale.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ian Watson | ||
| Date of birth | 30 December 1985[1] | ||
| Place of birth | England | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rochdale (manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Whitley Bay | |||
| 2013–2014 | Blyth Spartans | ||
| 2014–2015 | Darlington 1883 | ||
| 2015–2017 | Spennymoor Town | ||
| 2017–2019 | Blyth Spartans | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2025–2026 | South Shields | ||
| 2026– | Rochdale | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
Coaching career
Watson joined the coaching staff at Gateshead in January 2019.[4]
On 17 October 2023, Watson was appointed assistant head coach at Milton Keynes Dons, joining head coach Mike Williamson whom he worked with at Gateshead.[5] On 19 September 2024, Watson was appointed assistant head coach at Carlisle United, once again linking up with head coach Williamson.[6] On 17 February 2025, Watson left Carlisle following the appointment of Mark Hughes as manager.[7]
On 3 March 2025, Watson was named a part of the interim coaching staff at Milton Keynes Dons.[8] He left the club on 28 May 2025, in order to pursue a managerial career.[9]
Managerial career
South Shields
On 28 May 2025, Watson was appointed manager of National League North side South Shields.[10] He was named Manager of the Month for August and September 2025.[11][12]
Rochdale
On 9 June 2026, Watson was appointed head coach of League Two side Rochdale on a three-year contract.[13][14]
Managerial statistics
- As of 19 September 2026
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| South Shields | 28 May 2025 | 9 June 2026 | 54 | 33 | 11 | 10 | 61.1 | [15] |
| Rochdale | 9 June 2026 | Present | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 22.2 | [16] |
| Total | 63 | 35 | 13 | 15 | 55.6 | |||
Honours
Individual
- National League North Manager of the Month: August 2025,[11] September 2025[12]