Mick Tait
FullnameMichael Paul Tait[1]
Birth date30 September 1956 (age 70)
Birth placeWallsend, England
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
PositionDefender, midfielder
Youthclubs 1Wallsend Boys Club
Clubs 1Oxford United
Clubs 2Carlisle United
Years 11974–1977
Years 21977–1979
Caps 164
Caps 2106
Goals 123
Goals 220
Managerclubs 1Hartlepool United (player)
Managerclubs 2Hartlepool United
Manageryears 11996–1998
Manageryears 21999
Years 31979–1980
Years 41980–1987
Years 51987–1990
Years 61990–1992
Years 71992–1994
Years 81994
Years 91994–1998
Clubs 3Hull City
Clubs 4Portsmouth
Clubs 5Reading
Clubs 6Darlington
Clubs 7Hartlepool United
Clubs 8Gretna
Clubs 9Hartlepool United
Caps 333
Goals 33
Caps 4240
Goals 430
Caps 599
Goals 510
Caps 679
Goals 62
Caps 761
Goals 71
Caps 810
Goals 82
Caps 977
Goals 92
Totalcaps769
Totalgoals93
Manageryears 31999–2000
Manageryears 42002–2003
Manageryears 52003
Manageryears 62009
Manageryears 72009–2011
Managerclubs 3Blyth Spartans
Managerclubs 4Darlington (caretaker)
Managerclubs 5Darlington
Managerclubs 6Newcastle Blue Star
Managerclubs 7Blyth Spartans

Michael Paul Tait (born 30 September 1956) is an English former footballer and later a manager at the end of his playing career. His 760 league games puts him 13th in the list of English footballers. His clubs were Oxford United, Carlisle United, Hull City, Portsmouth, Reading, Darlington and Hartlepool United as well as Gretna in Scotland. Tait also later managed two of these clubs; Darlington and Hartlepool United. In 2012 he became a scout for Newcastle United.

Playing career

Tait started his career as an apprentice at Oxford scoring 23 goals in 64 league appearances before moving on to Carlisle for £65,000 in 1977.[citation needed] He scored 20 goals for Carlisle in 106 league appearances before moving on to Hull City £150,000 in 1979. Tait scored 3 goals in 33 league appearances whilst at Boothferry Park before moving on to Portsmouth for £100,000 in 1980. At Portsmouth he scored 30 goals in 240 league appearances. In 1987, he moved to Reading for £50,000 scoring 10 goals in 99 league appearances before moving on to Darlington in 1990 for free. At Darlington he scored 2 goals in 79 league appearances. In the 1992 close season he joined Hartlepool United, scoring 1 goal in 61 league appearances. In the 1994 close season he joined Gretna, but within weeks he was re-signed by Hartlepool and remained registered as a player with them until 1998, by which time he had been playing in the Football League for 24 years.

Coaching career

In 1998, two years into his second spell at Victoria Park, Tait retired as a player and took over as player manager for the team until he was released in 1999. Tait then took over as manager for Northern Premier League Premier Division team Blyth Spartans, but left the Croft Park club at the end of the season. Two years later Tait was back in the Football League but this time at Darlington, taking over as caretaker manager in 2002. In June 2003 he was offered the job on a permanent basis, but was released by Darlington four months later in October 2003 until the club brought him back as reserve team coach. In February 2008 it was confirmed by Darlington that Tait had left the club. In 2009 Tait had a brief spell as coach at then Northern Premier League First Division club Newcastle Blue Star before taking over as manager at Conference North club Blyth Spartans in May of the same year. After the 2010–11 season his contract expired and was not renewed.

Managerial statistics

TeamFromToRecord
GWLDWin %
Hartlepool UnitedNovember 1996January 199911533374528.7
Blyth SpartansOctober 1999May 2000
Darlington (caretaker)October 2002June 20033511111331.4
DarlingtonJune 2003October 200319511326.3
Blyth SpartansMay 2009May 2011

Honours

As a player

Portsmouth

Reading

Darlington

References

  1. ^
  2. ^ Rollin, Jack (1981). Rothmans Football Yearbook: 1981–82. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 280. ISBN 0-362-02046-9. OCLC 868301130