Richie Wellens

Manchester United

Born in Manchester, Wellens started his career at Manchester United, playing alongside the likes of Wes Brown and John O'Shea. His only first team appearance for the club was as a substitute in a 3–0 League Cup defeat to Aston Villa on 13 October 1999.

Blackpool

Frustrated at the lack of opportunities at Manchester United, he moved to Blackpool in March 2000. Wellens became an instant first team regular at the club and before long he was a fan's favourite. While at the club he helped them win promotion via winning the 2001 Football League Third Division play-off final which he played in at the Millennium Stadium. He would return to win at the Cardiff stadium two more times with Blackpool, both with the Football League Trophy; first in 2002 after scoring a crucial opening goal against Huddersfield Town in the first leg of the North Area Final, and again in 2004, the same season he was placed in the 2003–04 Football League Second Division PFA Team of the Year. He made 226 appearances with Blackpool before his move in 2005 to Oldham Athletic.

Oldham Athletic

In 2005, he left Blackpool for his local side Oldham Athletic, with Scott Vernon going the other way. This was done to bypass the 50% sell-on clause that Manchester United had added during Wellens' transfer to the Seasiders. In summer 2007, after turning down an improved contract offered by Oldham, he signed a two-year contract with fellow League One side Doncaster Rovers.…

Oldham Athletic

On 4 July 2017, Wellens returned to Oldham Athletic as a first-team coach. Following the departure of John Sheridan on 25 September, Wellens was put in charge of Oldham Athletic on an caretaker basis, with his first game in charge being a 3–2 win against Peterborough United. Wellens said he was ready to be a manager, and hoped he and the club could adopt an approach for long-term success. After a five-match unbeaten run, he was appointed manager on a permanent basis on 18 October 2017 on a two-year contract, following a recommendation from Paul Scholes. He was dismissed on 8 June 2018 after Oldham's relegation to League Two. Wellens said it was "the right time" to part ways, and stated he had made mistakes that he hoped to learn from for a future managerial role.

Swindon Town

On 13 November 2018, Wellens was appointed manager of League Two side Swindon Town following the sacking of Phil Brown. His first game in charge was a 4–0 home defeat to Carlisle United, described as "the worst possible start". Wellens secured his first win as manager a week later, with a goal from Elijah Adebayo giving his side a 1–0 away win to Port Vale, and his first home victory came three days later, when academy graduate Sol Pryce scored twice on his league début to help Swindon win 3–2 against Stevenage. Wellens would guide Swindon to a 13th-place finish, ending the season with a 3–1 comeback victory against Notts County, who were relegated out of the Football…

His son, Charlie Wellens, is also a footballer who is currently contracted to Leyton Orient.

Player

Blackpool

Football League Third Division play-offs: 2001 Football League Trophy: 2001–02, 2003–04 Doncaster Rovers

Football League One play-offs: 2008 Individual

PFA Team of the Year: 2003–04 Second Division, 2006–07 League One, 2007–08 League One Doncaster Rovers Player of the Year: 2007–08 Football League Championship Player of the Month: January 2011 Leicester City Player of the Year: 2010–11

Manager

Swindon Town

EFL League Two: 2019–20 Salford City

EFL Trophy: 2019–20 Leyton Orient

EFL League Two: 2022–23 Individual

EFL League Two Manager of the Season: 2022–23 EFL League One Manager of the Month: January 2024, December 2024, January 2025 EFL League Two Manager of the Month: November 2019, August 2022, September 2022