Robbie Neilson

Robbie Neilson
Neilson with Hearts in 2006
Personal information
Full name Robbie Neilson[1]
Date of birth (1980-06-19) 19 June 1980 (age 44)[2]
Place of birth Paisley, Scotland
Position(s) Right-back[2]
Team information
Current team
Tampa Bay Rowdies (head coach)
Youth career
1994–1996 Rangers
1996–1999 Heart of Midlothian
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2009 Heart of Midlothian 200 (1)
1999–2000Cowdenbeath (loan) 8 (0)
2002–2003Queen of the South (loan) 13 (0)
2009–2011 Leicester City 26 (0)
2011Brentford (loan) 15 (0)
2011–2012 Dundee United 21 (0)
2012 Falkirk 3 (0)
2013 East Fife 5 (0)
Total 291 (1)
International career
2000 Scotland U21[3] 2 (0)
2005 Scotland B[4] 1 (0)
2006 Scotland 1 (0)
Managerial career
2014–2016 Heart of Midlothian
2016–2018 Milton Keynes Dons
2018–2020 Dundee United
2020–2023 Heart of Midlothian
2023– Tampa Bay Rowdies
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robbie Neilson (born 19 June 1980) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of USL Championship club Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Neilson, who played as a right-back, started his senior career with Heart of Midlothian, making 200 Scottish Premier League (SPL) appearances and winning the Scottish Cup in 2006 with the club. Earlier on in his career, Neilson was loaned to Scottish Football League (SFL) clubs Cowdenbeath and Queen of the South. After failing to agree a new contract with Hearts, Neilson left and signed for English Championship club Leicester City in 2009. After about a year he was dropped from the Leicester first team, and was loaned to Brentford, and was then given a free transfer in the summer of 2011. Neilson played for Dundee United during the 2011–12 season, and later played for Falkirk and East Fife.

He became Hearts' head coach in 2014, winning the 2014–15 Scottish Championship title in his first season. Neilson moved to Milton Keynes Dons during the 2016–17 season, leaving by mutual consent in January 2018. He was appointed manager of Dundee United in October 2018, and guided them to promotion in the curtailed 2019–20 season. He then returned to Hearts, leading them to the 2020–21 Scottish Championship title as champions.

  1. ^ "List of players under written contract whose registrations have been cancelled by mutual consent between 1 July 2011 and 31 July 2011". The Football Association. p. 36. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Robbie Neilson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Scotland U21 Player Robbie Neilson". Fitbastats.com. Bobby Sinnet & Thomas Jamieson. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Scotland B Player Robbie Neilson". Fitbastats.com. Bobby Sinnet & Thomas Jamieson. Retrieved 31 October 2012.