Marc Bircham
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marc Stephen John Bircham | ||
| Date of birth | 11 May 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Wembley, England[1] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender/Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Arizona United SC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–2002 | Millwall | 104 | (3) |
| 2002–2007 | Queens Park Rangers | 152 | (7) |
| 2007–2009 | Yeovil Town | 16 | (0) |
| Total | 272 | (10) | |
| National team | |||
| 1999–2004 | Canada | 17 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2009 | Queens Park Rangers (caretaker) | ||
| 2009–2014 | Queens Park Rangers (coach) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Millwall (assistant manager) | ||
| 2015 | Chicago Fire (assistant manager) | ||
| 2016– | Arizona United (assistant coach) | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Marc Stephen John Bircham (born 11 May 1978 in Wembley) is an English-born Canadian footballer. He is now an assistant coach with Arizona United SC of the United Soccer League.[2]
Club career
London-born Bircham started his professional career at Millwall and after 6 seasons joined Queens Park Rangers where he became a crowd favorite. Bircham used to be known for his unusual hairstyle – a dyed blue and white streak down the centre of his hair from when he played for QPR and a red and white streak while playing for Canada. QPR fans sang a song to the tune of I love you baby: "We love you Bircham because you got blue hair, we love you Bircham because you're everywhere, we love you Bircham because you're Rangers through and through"
In 2007 he moved to Yeovil Town. He scored his first and what turned out to be only goal for Yeovil against Brentford in the Football League Trophy.[3] After a series of ankle injuries in the 2008–09 season it was revealed that Bircham had quit football and is going to set up a youth coaching camp in Cyprus.[4][5]
International career
Bircham was eligible to play for Canada because one of his grandfathers was born in Winnipeg. He made his debut for Canada in an April 1999 friendly match against Northern Ireland in Belfast. He is the only player to have played for a country without actually visiting it when his first cap – as well as his first and only goal – came. He scored that goal only 8 minutes after coming on as a substitute for another player making his debut, Davide Xausa.
Bircham earned 17 caps for his adopted country, representing Canada in two FIFA World Cup qualification matches.[6] His final international was a June 2004 World Cup qualification match against Belize.
International goals
- Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 April 1999 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly match |
Coaching career
After becoming a QPR youth coach at the start of the 2009–10 season, he was put in temporary charge with fellow Youth Coach Steve Gallen due to manager Jim Magilton's suspension on 9 December 2009.[7][8]
Personal life
Bircham's wife, Jadene, took part in the reality television series WAGs Boutique on ITV2. The couple have four children; boys Sonny and Frankie, and girls Layla-Rose and Dolly Lola-Belle. They live in Hemel Hempstead.
He currently appears on Talksport.
References
- ↑ Hugman, Barry J. (ed) (2008). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008–09. Mainstream. ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8.
- ↑ "Marc Bircham Added to Coaching Staff; Kelly Signed". Arizona United SC. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ↑ "Brentford 2-2 Yeovil". BBC. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
- ↑ "Bircham Hangs Up His Boots". Ciderspace. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2008.
- ↑ "Bircham forced to hang up boots". BBC Sport. 31 January 2008.
- ↑ Record at FIFA Tournaments – FIFA
- ↑ "Duo in caretaker charge". Queen's Park Rangers. 9 December 2009.
- ↑ "Manager Jim Magilton suspended by QPR". BBC News. 9 December 2009.
External links
- Marc Bircham career statistics at Soccerbase
- Player profile – CanadaSoccer
- Marc Bircham at National-Football-Teams.com
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