Nigel Gibbs

Under the management of Graham Taylor, Gibbs eventually established himself as a first-team player at Watford, making 100 Football League appearances before the club's relegation from the First Division in 1988.

Gibbs featured regularly in Watford's rise from the Second Division[a] to the Premier League between 1997 and 1999, and went on to play a further 17 games at the top level of English football.

Born in the city of St Albans, Hertfordshire, Gibbs attended How Wood primary school, and as a nine-year-old striker helped his team win a district six-a-side competition.

Three days later, he made his Watford debut in a UEFA Cup third round home match against Sparta Prague at the club's stadium, Vicarage Road.

[6][7] Gibbs made his first Football League appearances in Watford's final three First Division games of 1983–84, including as a substitute in a 2–1 win over Arsenal.

His first goal came on 5 April 1986 in a 4–1 home victory over Newcastle United, while he also played in a 5–1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the final day of the season.

Gibbs lost his place shortly before Bassett's departure in January, and although he soon returned to the side under Steve Harrison, Watford were relegated in 1988.

Gibbs briefly lost his place in the team following Harrison being replaced by Colin Lee, but regained it before the end of the campaign.

[15] Nonetheless, Watford managed to climb to 20th place, and despite missing 14 games, Gibbs was once again shortlisted for the club's end of season award.

Missing only three matches, he rounded off a good season by scoring his first goal in four years in Watford's last league game, cementing a top-ten finish in the Second Division.

[5][18] After making only nine appearances during Watford's 1995–96 relegation season, general manager Graham Taylor released him upon the expiry of his contract, over injury concerns.

A combination of Gibbs' age, and a desire to acquire more strength in depth for the Premier League, prompted Taylor to sign right-backs Des Lyttle and Neil Cox in 1999.

[5][7] Despite the competition, Gibbs managed to make 20 appearances in 1999–2000, and his Premier League experience included victories over Chelsea, Coventry City and Southampton, although these were not enough to prevent relegation back to the First Division.

[5] Gibbs retired as Watford's second highest all-time appearance maker, although he started more matches than Luther Blissett, the man ahead of him.

"[19] Considerably shorter than the average footballer at 5 ft 7in, Gibbs made up for his physical disadvantage with positional play, determination, accurate tackling, and staying on his feet.

[30]After retiring, Gibbs served Watford as a coach for three years, initially working with the reserve and youth teams, and later as an assistant manager.

During this period he oversaw the development of players such as Ashley Young, Lloyd Doyley and Hamer Bouazza, and helped Watford to a Premier Reserve League win in 2002–03.

[31] Following Ray Lewington's sacking in March 2005, Gibbs briefly managed Watford on a caretaker basis, although his reign did not include a single game.

[34] In 2006, Gibbs received his UEFA Pro Licence, which means he can manage any football club in England on a full-time basis.

[35] At the beginning of the 2006–07 season, Gibbs joined the management team at Reading, where his initial responsibility was working with the younger players at the club.

[42] On 1 February 2014, after the dismissal of Brian McDermott, Gibbs took charge of Leeds United as caretaker manager in the 5–1 win over local rivals Huddersfield Town.

[50] He left Tottenham in September of 2024 to become assistant manager of Asteras Tripolis in Greece under Claude Makelele with whom he had worked at Swansea City.

[51] On 13 December 2024, Gibbs was confirmed as having joined the first team coaching setup at Reading under Noel Hunt as Assistant Manager.

[27][54] Among others, Gibbs remains close friends with former teammates Luther Blissett and Kenny Jackett, both of whom coached him after ending their playing careers.

[7] During the "Let's buy back the Vic" fundraising show at Vicarage Road in 2005, John dedicated his performance of Electricity to Gibbs' wedding anniversary.