Ex-Cardiff City and Middlesbrough star Lee Tomlin lands surprise new job | OneFootball

Lee Tomlin has recently been named as Morecambe's new assistant manager.

Lee Tomlin is a name that is certainly familiar to followers of the EFL over the course of the last couple of decades - and he's now taken his first step into coaching.

The man who came through at Rushden & Diamonds was a cult hero at many clubs, including Middlesbrough, where he played 64 games and scored 14 goals at the Riverside.

He has also played on both sides of the Severn Bridge, having had good spells at both Bristol City and Cardiff City, on a CV that also boasts Nottingham Forest, AFC Bournemouth and Peterborough United.

But his new role, having retired from playing due to injury in October 2022, is arguably his most intriguing yet.

Lee Tomlin is the new assistant manager at Morecambe

Upon retiring, Tomlin had previously coached at both non-league club Ilkeston Town and Championship side Leicester City, whom he was picked up from at a young age.

But now he is adventuring into the world of National League football, as he is now going to become the new assistant manager at Morecambe.

Having been in League One as recently as two years ago, the football world was in shock to see Morecambe being pushed right to the death recently, with their future hanging by a thread.

However, in a situation that Bolton Wanderers fans will know all too well, they were saved at the eleventh hour by Panjab Warriors, who have come in to take charge and relieve the club of its financial difficulties that were caused by previous owner Jason Whittingham.

And, in coming in, one of the first acts of the new owners was to dismiss popular manager Derek Adams and replace him with Ashvir Singh Johal - the first Sikh to manage an English professional football team and also the youngest manager in England's top five leagues.

Singh Johal has turned to a familiar face to be his right-hand man, with Tomlin coming in, having already worked with him before.

Ashvir Singh Johal explains why Lee Tomlin is Morecambe's new assistant manager

Singh Johal and Tomlin have actually already crossed paths before, with the new manager at Morecambe explaining how he was aware of Tomlin's coaching abilities before taking over in Lancashire.

"Lee is someone I have known for a very long time." Singh Johal said.

"I knew that when I became a manager, Lee was the person I wanted to be my assistant manager.

"He had a fantastic playing career and has played in all the divisions of English professional football, including the Premier League.

He’s now gone into coaching after playing, and he’s worked at some great clubs.

"Lee has experience at Leicester City, and then he was at Sheffield United, so for me to bring him here as assistant manager is something that I’m really proud of. "

Tomlin indeed did play in the Premier League at AFC Bournemouth under Eddie Howe, but was unable to really repay the £3.5m transfer fee that the then-Premier League newcomers forked out for him, having only scored one goal in 10 appearances during his time at the Vitality Stadium, with a move to Bristol City to follow thereafter.