Bryan Roy

Bryan Eduard Steven Roy (born 12 February 1970) is a Dutch football manager and a former professional player.

As a player he was a winger and notably played for Ajax, Nottingham Forest and Hertha BSC. His spell at Forest culminated in three Premier League seasons with his debut year resulting in a 3rd-place finish and qualification for the following seasons UEFA Cup. He also played professionally for Foggia. He was capped 32 times by the Netherlands, scoring nine goals.

Following the end of his playing career, Roy moved into coaching and was appointed head coach of Ajax's youth teams – formerly Ajax E1. He was later appointed to a similar position with the Ajax B team in 2010, a position he remained in until 2015.

Club career

Born in Amsterdam, Roy started his professional playing career at Ajax, making his debut in the first team under manager Johan Cruyff against FC Twente on 6 September 1987. He later won the Dutch Eredivisie in the 1989-90 season and the UEFA Cup in 1992. In November 1992, Roy was sold to the Italian club Foggia and replaced as left winger by Marc Overmars. During his time in Italy, he represented his country at the 1994 World Cup, scoring once as the Netherlands reached the quarter-finals. After the World Cup, he moved to England after Nottingham Forest paid their record fee of £2.5 million for his services.

Roy's first season at the City Ground was a success, as he provided a strong partnership with Stan Collymore. He helped the newly promoted side finish third in the Premiership and qualify for the UEFA Cup – the first time Forest had achieved European qualification in the post-Heysel era. Collymore was sold to Liverpool in the summer of 1995, although Forest did reach the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. His first-team opportunities were limited by injury and form in 1996–97, and Roy decided to leave England.