Tony Bloom gets ruthless with Hearts Scottish Cup hero as former Everton and Scotland man leaves Brighton
The former Hearts, Everton and Scotland man has left his role working under the Brighton owner.
Hearts investor Tony Bloom has opted to refresh behind the scenes at Brighton and Hove Albion - at the expense of a former Jambo and Everton man.
The man who invested £9.86m into the Tynecastle side over the summer and has backed the club with his Jamestown Analytics software is also heavily involved at Premier League level with Brighton, and in Belgium through Royal Union Saint-Gilloise. He has now made a key decision at the Seagulls, with David Weir leaving his role as technical director.
Brighton have been lauded after becoming an established top flight side in recent years, largely down to their player-trading model. Weir initially joined Brighton as a pathway development manager in 2018 and became assistant technical director, before taking on the role himself after Dan Ashworth’s exit three years ago. Bloom has admitted change is needed.
Why David Weir has left Brighton
Bloom said: “David has served our club very well but we now wish to refresh our technical area with new leadership and direction. I’d like to thank David for everything he has done for us, and to wish him well for the future”.
Chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber said, “I have greatly enjoyed working with David over the past eight years and have appreciated his support and hard work throughout this period. I wish David all the best going forward.”
A Brighton statement adds: “Brighton & Hove Albion has confirmed that David Weir has left the club. David joined Brighton as pathway development manager in 2018. After a short spell as assistant technical director he became the club’s technical director in May 2022 following Dan Ashworth’s departure. Paul Barber will continue to oversee all technical areas of the club, working with the existing senior team until David’s successor is confirmed.”
Who is David Weir?
The former defender has had a lengthy career in football, both on the pitch and off it. He started his career at Falkirk during the 90s and made more than 150 appearances before making his move to Hearts in 1996. Weir would go on to clinch hero status in Gorgie after he helped the Jambos secure the Scottish Cup in 1998 with a 2-1 victory over Rangers. Overall, he played 116 games in maroon with 12 goals before making a move south to Everton.
Again, while at Goodison park, Weir was a fan favourite over an eight year spell. He became club captain and having worked with Walter Smith while in Merseyside, the man who was regularly capped for Scotland during his extensive playing days joined him at Rangers. There, he won three league titles, two Scottish Cups and three League Cups and was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame in 2011.
Since hanging up his boots, Weir has returned to Everton as a coach and had a brief spell as the manager of Sheffield United. He was named assistant to Mark Warburton at Brentford and returned to Rangers as number two in 2015. He exited Ibrox in 2017 and joined Brighton the following year.