| The Dave Phillips Trophy pays tribute to one of FFO’s most respected managers who tragically passed away in December 2019. | ||
| Phillips kicked off his career at Sampdoria where he guided the team to a surprising 6th place finish in Serie A. His work there turned heads and saw him hired by one of the game’s most prestigious clubs – AC Milan. | ||
| He spent one season with the Rossoneri as Phillips would never feel comfortable at big clubs during his career. He moved to England next, taking the helm at Burnley who were in League One at the time. Phillips helped the team to the title, collecting an impressive 105 points in the process. | ||
| Burnley’s first season in the Championship was also successful as they finished third and won promotion via the playoffs. There was no stopping the momentum of Phillips as he led the team to a sixth place finish in the club’s first season in the top flight. He would leave the club at the end of the season. | ||
| Phillips made his way to PSV Eindhoven in ROE1 for a season before returning to England and taking over Brighton Hove & Albion who were floundering in League One at the time. He set his sights long term and put together one of the league’s youngest teams. His first season on the coast was tough with a 21st place league finish proving to be the low point of Phillips’ career. | ||
| Brighton turned it all around the following season finishing third in League One although they lost in the playoffs. The following campaign saw the team finish fourth, but foiled in the playoffs once again. | ||
| They didn’t have to worry about the playoffs in Season 11 as the squad finished second and finally earned promotion while also advancing to the semifinals of the FL Trophy. | ||
| As a long time Liverpool fan, that job was one Phillips had long coveted. He landed the lead role at Anfield with the club impressed with his work at both Brighton and Burnley. But it wasn’t a good fit for either party and he left after a few weeks in charge. | ||
| Phillips spent the reminder of his career pursuing passion projects where he felt that he could make a difference. He was named manager of Athletic Bilbao and went about restoring the club’s Basque player policy. Despite a limited roster, Phillips was able to keep Bilbao competitive at all levels. | ||
| His final stop was Aberdeen where he built an impressive young roster that looked poised to become a contender in the future. | ||
| However, we lost Dave on December 11th, 2019 due to a brain tumor. He will forever be remembered in FFO as a genuine person who was respected both in and out of the game. We pay tribute to Dave’s contributions to FFO with the Dave Phillips Trophy, our version of the Europa League. We miss you Dave | ||