Where is Gary Charles now?
A skilful defender whose career was cut short early at the age of 32, Gary Charles officially retired from playing in 2002 after an injury-ravaged time at his boyhood club West Ham United.
He was the player who was famously fouled by Paul Gascoigne in the 1991 FA Cup Final which resulted in the Tottenham Hotspur man tearing his cruciate ligaments and delaying his move to Italian side Lazio.
Despite his injury problems Charles still managed to rack up over 300 first-team appearances for seven different teams winning the League Cup with Aston Villa in 1996.
Upon retiring from playing Charles went into the coaching side of the game and spent time at Lincoln City as manager David Holdsworth’s assistant. He then went onto have roles at the University of Nottingham as their Director of Football and head coach as well as working in player recruitment for Sunderland and Burnley.
He got his first taste of management in March 2018 when he was appointed as manager of non-league side Nuneaton Town but this was short-lived and he was replaced in June 2018 by ex-Barnsley player Nicky Eaden.
Taking to Twitter to say that he only heard about his sacking through social media, the club issued a statement to say that his appointment was only on an informal basis and that he never had a contract.
Away from football Charles has founded GCSportscare which is an organisation that provides support and advice for sportspeople who are suffering from a wide range of problems. He set it up after experiencing problems with drink himself during his playing career when he was out injured.
This came to a head in 2003 when he was jailed for six months for dangerous driving and failing to provide a breath sample after a series of drunken incidents in his car.
Alongside his counselling work with he is a sports ambassador at the Delamere Sports Clinic and also runs his own sports management company.
Follow on Twitter @GaryCharlesFRJ
Back to Aston Villa
Gary Charles: Premier League Statistics
| Nationality | English |
| Position | Defender |
| Appearances | 98 |
| Goals Scored | 3 |
| Yellow Cards | 6 |
| Red Cards | 1 |
| Premier League Teams Played for | Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, West Ham |
Statistics courtesy of www.premierleague.com
Last Updated on 23 September 2022 by Admin