John Wile

John Wile

Personal information
Full name	John David Wile
Date of birth	9 March 1947(1947-03-09)
Place of birth	Sherburn, County Durham, England
Playing position	Centre-half
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1966?–1967	Sunderland	0	(0)
1967–1970	Peterborough United	118	(7)
1970–1983	West Bromwich Albion	500	(24)
1982?	→ Vancouver Whitecaps (loan)	?	(?)
1983–1986	Peterborough United	87	(3)
Teams managed
1977–1978	West Bromwich Albion (caretaker)
1983–1986	Peterborough United
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

John David Wile (born 9 March 1947 in Sherburn, County Durham) is an English former footballer and manager.

Wile played as a central defender for Sunderland, although he did not play a Football League match for them. In 1967–68 he signed for Peterborough United, having had a trial there first. He made 130 senior appearances for The Posh between 1967 and 1970.

Wile then joined West Bromwich Albion in December 1970. He spent more than 12 years at Albion, and formed a solid defensive partnership with Ally Robertson. Wile was club captain during the late 1970s and early 1980s, leading the team to two FA Cup semi-finals and a 3rd place finish in Division One. Wile was also briefly caretaker manager at Albion, taking charge following the departure of Ronnie Allen in December 1977 until the appointment of Ron Atkinson in January 1978.

His most famous moment came when he played with blood pouring from a headwound during the 1978 FA Cup semi-final against Ipswich at Highbury. After leaving Albion in June 1983, Wile returned to Peterborough as player-manager after missing out on a similar post at Bolton Wanderers a year earlier. He later returned to West Bromwich as managing director, a position he occupied from 1997 through to 2002.

In 2004 he was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.

External links

• John Wile profile on www.wba.co.uk