Steven is a former professional footballer and coach. He came through the academy at Millwall and made his debut there in 1998. He then moved to Blackburn Rovers in 2003, joined West Bromwich Albion in 2010 and finished his career at Burnley in 2015. He won 23 caps for the Republic of Ireland, captained his country and was part of the squad at the 2002 World Cup. Injuries were a recurring feature of his career. Famously, he once played 45 minutes against Arsenal at the Emirates with a broken leg.

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After retiring, Steven moved into coaching. He was first-team coach at Reading, then Crystal Palce and later worked with Scotland, including at the European Championships. At Nottingham Forest he was briefly caretaker manager and was part of the coaching staff that took the club back to the Premier League in 2022 for the first time since 1999.

 

Steven has been open that he struggled with confidence and his mental health throughout his playing and coaching career. He dealt with self-doubt and a persistent sense of not being good enough, even at the highest level. He credits the support network around him with getting him through. When he left Forest, he did so to become that support for players and staff who might not have one.

 

Now a therapeutic qualified counsellor, Steven joins B5 as a Senior Consultant. He delivers talks on imposter syndrome and self-doubt and works one-to-one with players and staff. Because he has lived through both the highs and the lows of the elite game, and now has professional training as well, he can reach people in a way few others can.

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