1. Early life and education
James Alan Irvine was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 12 July 1958. While playing for Queen's Park, he pursued qualifications to become an insurance broker. Irvine was a boyhood fan of Leeds United, and he frequently cited fellow Scottish footballer Eddie Gray as his favorite player.
2. Playing career
After his time at Queen's Park, Irvine embarked on a professional career as a winger, playing for several clubs. From 1981 to 1984, he played for Everton, making 60 appearances and scoring 4 goals. During this period, he played a significant role in Everton's 1983-84 FA Cup campaign; although he was not included in the final match day squad for the 1984 FA Cup final, he had started all seven previous FA Cup matches, including the semi-final, and scored crucial goals in the third and fifth rounds. He also started in both the 1984 League Cup Final and its replay, where Everton ultimately lost to Liverpool by a score of 1-0.
From 1984 to 1987, Irvine played for Crystal Palace, where he made 109 appearances and scored 12 goals. He then moved to Dundee United, playing from 1987 to 1989, with 24 appearances and 3 goals. His final playing club was Blackburn Rovers, where he played from 1989 to 1992, making 58 appearances and scoring 3 goals. In 1992, he was a key member of the Blackburn team that secured promotion to the newly formed Premier League. He announced his retirement from playing professional football just prior to the start of the 1992-93 season. Across his playing career, Irvine accumulated a total of 339 appearances and scored 31 goals.
3. Coaching and managerial career
Following his retirement as a player, James Alan Irvine transitioned into a long and varied career in football coaching and management. This phase of his career saw him take on roles ranging from academy director to assistant manager and, ultimately, head coach for several professional clubs across England and Scotland.
3.1. Early coaching roles
Irvine began his coaching career at Everton, serving as the manager of their youth academy from 1993 to 1998. Subsequently, he served as an academy director at both Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. At these academies, he was highly regarded for his ability to identify and develop young talent, and he is credited with bringing through notable players such as Steven Taylor and Peter Ramage. Former player Damien Duff famously described Irvine as "the best coach" he had ever worked under. In addition to his academy roles, Irvine also held assistant coaching positions, including a stint at Preston North End from 1998 to 2001, and a further period as assistant coach at Everton from 2005 to 2007. He was also in charge of the Everton Academy for three years, from 2011 to 2014.
3.2. Preston North End
Irvine took on his first senior managerial role at Preston North End on 20 November 2007, at a time when the club was struggling in a relegation battle. He successfully guided Preston to a respectable 15th-place finish in the 2007-08 season. In his first full season in charge (2008-09), Irvine notably led Preston to the play-offs. On a dramatic final day of the season, Preston secured the last play-off spot with goals from Jon Parkin and Sean St. Ledger. His performance that month earned him the Championship Manager of the Month award for April 2009. However, Preston's play-off journey ended in the semi-finals, where they were defeated by Sheffield United with a 2-1 aggregate score. Irvine's tenure at Preston concluded on 29 December 2009, when he was dismissed following a poor run of results that saw the team win only one of their last ten games. His dismissal prompted protests from many fans who disagreed with the club's decision.
3.3. Sheffield Wednesday
Irvine was appointed manager of Sheffield Wednesday on 8 January 2010. His tenure began positively, with Wednesday securing wins against Barnsley, Blackpool, and Peterborough United. This early success led to Irvine being named Championship Manager of the Month for January 2010. However, this promising form was not maintained. On the final day of the season, Wednesday faced a crucial relegation match at Hillsborough Stadium against Crystal Palace, a team that had been deducted 10 points. Wednesday needed a home victory to avoid relegation, but the match concluded in a 2-2 draw, resulting in the club's relegation to League One.
Following relegation, Sheffield Wednesday faced severe financial difficulties, leading to two court appearances over winding up orders. The situation improved significantly after Milan Mandarić successfully took over the club at the end of 2010, providing Irvine with transfer funds to strengthen his squad. Despite the acquisition of several new players, the team continued to deliver consistently poor results. Consequently, on 3 February 2011, Irvine was dismissed from his role, with Sheffield Wednesday positioned 12th in League One. On 12 July 2011, it was announced that Irvine would return to Everton to take over from Ray Hall as the manager of the club's academy.
3.4. West Bromwich Albion
On 14 June 2014, West Bromwich Albion announced Irvine's appointment as their new head coach on a 12-month rolling contract. This marked his first managerial position in the Premier League. His inaugural league match in charge, on 16 August, resulted in a 2-2 home draw against Sunderland. West Brom secured their first league victory under Irvine in their fifth match, on 21 September, when James Morrison scored the only goal in a 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. A week later, on 28 September, Irvine celebrated his first home league win, a dominant 4-0 victory over Burnley at The Hawthorns. This was the team's largest league win since 2012 and propelled them seven places up the league table to 10th position. During Irvine's tenure, West Bromwich Albion forward Saido Berahino earned a call-up to the senior England team after an impressive run of seven goals in ten league matches. However, after only seven months in the role, Irvine was dismissed by West Bromwich Albion on 29 December 2014. At the time of his departure, the team was in 16th position in the Premier League, having won only four of 19 league games under his management and sitting just one point above the relegation zone.
Following his departure from West Brom, Irvine rejoined Blackburn Rovers as an assistant manager in November 2015, a role he held until 2016.
3.5. Norwich City
On 2 July 2016, Irvine joined Norwich City as an assistant manager. He subsequently took over as caretaker manager on 10 March 2017, following the dismissal of then-manager Alex Neil. Irvine remained in this caretaker role until 25 May 2017, when Daniel Farke was appointed as the permanent head coach, at which point Irvine departed from the club.
3.6. West Ham United
In November 2017, Irvine was appointed as an assistant to David Moyes at West Ham United. This reunion marked another collaboration between the two, who had previously worked together at Preston North End and Everton. Irvine left West Ham at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, after Moyes' contract was not renewed. However, he rejoined the club on 30 December 2019, following Moyes' reappointment as manager. In May 2021, Irvine transitioned from his role as assistant manager, being replaced by Billy McKinlay, and moved into a technical advisory position within the club. David Moyes praised Irvine's contribution in this role, stating that "We have Alan who is always watching and analysing the opposition for us."
3.7. Return to Everton
In January 2025, James Alan Irvine is slated to return to Everton for a second stint on the coaching staff, once again serving as an assistant manager under David Moyes.
4. Managerial statistics
| Team | From | To | Matches played | Matches won | Matches drawn | Matches lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston North End | 20 November 2007 | 29 December 2009 | 110 | 45 | 25 | 40 | 40.9% |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 8 January 2010 | 3 February 2011 | 59 | 24 | 13 | 22 | 40.7% |
| West Bromwich Albion | 14 June 2014 | 29 December 2014 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 22.7% |
| Norwich City | 10 March 2017 | 25 May 2017 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 50.0% |
| Total | 201 | 79 | 46 | 76 | 39.3% | ||
5. Honours
James Alan Irvine has received several honours throughout his career, both as a player and as a manager.
- Everton (as player)
- FA Cup: 1983-84
- Blackburn Rovers (as player)
- Second Division play-offs: 1992
- Individual (as manager)
- Championship Manager of the Month: April 2009
- League One Manager of the Month: August 2010