Dave Sexton
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2012) |
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | David James Sexton[1] | ||
Date of birth | 6 April 1930 | ||
Place of birth | Islington, London, England | ||
Date of death | 25 November 2012 | (aged 82)||
Position(s) |
Inside forward | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
Newmarket Town | |||
Chelmsford City | |||
1951–1952 | Luton Town | 9 | (1) |
1952–1955 | West Ham United | 74 | (27) |
1956–1957 | Leyton Orient | 24 | (4) |
1957–1958 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 49 | (26) |
1959 | Crystal Palace | 27 | (11) |
Total | 183 | (69) | |
Managerial career | |||
1965 | Leyton Orient | ||
1967–1974 | Chelsea | ||
1974–1977 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
1977–1981 | Manchester United | ||
1977–1990 | England U21 | ||
1981–1983 | Coventry City | ||
1994–1996 | England U21 | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
David James Sexton
Playing career
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Son of former professional boxer Archie Sexton, he started his professional career with Luton Town in 1951, following spells with non-league clubs Newmarket Town and Chelmsford City.[4] Playing mainly at inside-forward, he would finish his career with time at West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Brighton and Hove Albion, and Crystal Palace. His biggest success came at Brighton, where he won the Third Division (South) Title in 1957–58.[5]
Coaching and managerial career
Sexton started off as a coach at
A few weeks later in October 1974 he was appointed manager of
Sexton took over at Manchester United – again succeeding Tommy Docherty – in the middle of 1977 but his reign was characterised by dour football and he was not popular with the fans. In appointing Sexton it appeared as if the United board had again opted for safety following the tumultuous tenure of Docherty (sacked for having an affair with the wife of the club's physiotherapist), whose four-and-a-half-year spell had overseen relegation from the First Division but an immediate comeback followed by high league finishes and completed with an FA Cup triumph in the season before Sexton's appointment.
The highlight was an FA Cup final appearance in 1979, losing 3–2 to
Sexton was dismissed on 30 April 1981,[8] despite having won his final seven games in charge, as United had finished eighth in the league and Sexton had now been in charge of them for four seasons without winning a major trophy. The FA Cup final appearance two years earlier and the narrow second-place finish behind Liverpool a year earlier was of little consolation.
A few weeks after being dismissed, he was appointed as manager of Coventry City. In his first season, he managed a relatively average 14th-place finish (which was still a slight improvement on the previous year), and the club appeared to be making progress, with the side mounting a serious challenge for the UEFA Cup places halfway through the 1982–83 season. However, a disastrous end to the campaign saw them win just once in their last fifteen games, with the club only avoiding relegation in the penultimate game of the season, which led to Sexton's dismissal. This would prove to be his last role in club management.
Sexton also had a very successful period as coach of the
He later lived in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, where in 2008 he was commemorated with a new building in the town centre. He lived in Kenilworth after becoming Coventry City manager in 1981 and the building in his honour, Sexton House, is a refurbished building divided between shops and offices.[9]
Managerial statistics
Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
Leyton Orient | January 1965 | December 1965 | 37 | 7 | 20 | 10 | 18.92 | |
Chelsea | October 1967 | October 1974 | 333 | 140 | 93 | 100 | 42.04 | |
Queens Park Rangers | October 1974 | July 1977 | 130 | 57 | 41 | 32 | 43.85 | |
Manchester United | July 1977 | April 1981 | 201 | 81 | 56 | 64 | 40.30 | |
England Under-21s | 1977 | 1990 | 90 | 52 | 16 | 22 | 57.78 | |
Coventry City | May 1981 | May 1983 | 88 | 28 | 39 | 21 | 31.82 | |
England Under-21s | 1994 | 1996 | 27 | 17 | 8 | 2 | 62.96 |
Honours
Player
Leyton Orient
Brighton & Hove Albion
Manager
Chelsea
- 1969–70[10]
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1970–71[10]
- Football League First Division third place: 1969–70
- 1971–72
- FA Charity Shield runner-up: 1970
Manchester United
- FA Charity Shield: 1977 (shared)
- Football League First Division runner-up: 1979–80
- 1978–79
England U21
- 1984
Individual
References
- ^ a b Ponting, Ivan (26 November 2012). "Dave Sexton: Footballer who went on to manage Chelsea, QPR and Manchester United". The Independent. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
- ^ "Former Chelsea manager Dave Sexton dies, aged 82". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 25 November 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
- ^ "European Cup Winners' Cup Champions In 1971🏆". chelseafc.com. Chelsea FC. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "Player search". English National Player Archive. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ McOwan, Gavin (26 November 2012). "Dave Sexton obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
- ^ "Dave Sexton". The Daily Telegraph. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
- ^ "When Saturday Comes – Queens Park Rangers 1975–76". wsc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- Leader-Post. Regina. Reuters. 1 May 1981. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "Sexton's namesake house is 'up there with OBE'". Kenilworth Weekly News. 17 November 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ^ a b "League Managers Association - Dave Sexton". leaguemanagers.com. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "2005 Birthday Honours List". The London Gazette. p. 12. Retrieved 22 July 2022.