Colin Lee
Encyclopedia
Colin Lee is an English
football
manager and former footballer
. He is currently Chief Executive of League Two side Torquay United
and President of Buckfastleigh Rangers Football & Social Club.
, turning professional in July 1974, but failed to break into the first team. He joined Hereford United
on loan in November 1974, playing 9 times before returning to the reserves at Ashton Gate. He moved to Torquay United
in January 1977, quickly establishing himself in Frank O'Farrell
's side and attracting attention from higher level clubs.
In October 1977, after 14 goals in 35 games he left Plainmoor
to join Tottenham Hotspur
for £60,000, making an immediate impact by scoring 4 goals on his debut in a 9-0 win over Bristol Rovers
in the Football League Second Division
, helping Spurs win promotion at the end of that season
.
In January 1980, he moved back down to the Second Division and signed for Chelsea
for a fee of £200,000, having scored 18 times in 62 games for Spurs. He stayed at Stamford Bridge for over seven years, scoring 36 goals in 185 league games, playing as a central defender towards the end of his time there. He helped them win promotion to the First Division as Second Division champions in 1984, followed by seventh and sixth place finishes - the peak sixth place finish coming in the 1985-86 season
, for much of which Chelsea looked like serious title contenders.
In the 1985-86
Chelsea won the Full Members Cup
, with Lee scoring the win over Manchester City
5-4 at Wembley
.
In July 1987 a fee of £17,500 took him to Third Division
side Brentford
where he combined his playing duties with that of his position of youth development officer. He retired from playing in the summer of 1989 after scoring once in 24 games.
before taking over as manager in March 1990. However, he was sacked in November the following season after a dismal start had seen Watford win only two games when they had been hoping for a promotion challenge in the Second Division.
In 1991, Lee returned to the game as youth coach at Reading
, later becoming assistant manager to Mark McGhee
. He helped them win the Division Two championship in 1994 and followed McGhee to Leicester
a few months later. When McGhee ended his year-long reign at Filbert Street to take charge of Wolves, Lee again followed.
, towards the end of his spell as Wolves manager.
After leaving Molineux he joined Leeds United as a scout, a job he held until March 2001, when he was called in by Torquay United
chairman Mike Bateson as a consultant to the under pressure manager Wes Saunders in a desperate battle to keep Torquay out of the Conference
. When Saunders was sacked soon after (on the 28th of March 2001), Lee took over as caretaker-manager until the end of the season, and guided the side to the heights of 21st place and safety thanks to a nerve-wracking win at Barnet
on the final day of the season which saw Barnet relegated.
.
, and against all odds kept them clear of relegation for the next two seasons. However, he was sacked in March 2004 after allegedly talking to Plymouth Argyle
about the possibility of replacing Paul Sturrock
as manager, and his successor Paul Merson
was unable to stave off relegation. While Walsall actually gave permission for Lee to speak to Plymouth, and Lee publicly turned the job down, Walsall owner Jeff Bonser claimed that if Lee was truly committed then he wouldn't have even spoke to Plymouth, and that as his actions were tantamount to misconduct, he would not receive any compensation (though Bonser eventually paid up Lee's contract after intervention from the League Managers Association). However, his sacking also co-incided with a bad run of results for Walsall including a 6-1 home defeat to Coventry City.
, succeeding Steve Claridge
who had been sacked after just 36 days at the helm by the club's new owners. But Millwall were bottom for much of the first half of the 2005-06 Championship campaign, and just before Christmas he became Director of Football. Defender David Tuttle took over the managerial duties, with Lee leaving Millwall in January 2006.
on the 6 February on a three year contract, making his first act the appointment of former Torquay United and England player Keith Curle
as the replacement for Kubik. Lee and Curle were unable to save Torquay from relegation and Lee was made redundant on 14 May 2007 after club owner Mike Bateson
stood down as chairman. However, Lee returned to Torquay United, this time as Chief Executive, on 25 May 2007 after Bateson's sale of the club to a local consortium headed by Cris Boyce. On 2 June 2007. He appointed former Torquay player Paul Buckle
as the new team manager.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
manager and former footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. He is currently Chief Executive of League Two side Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
and President of Buckfastleigh Rangers Football & Social Club.
Playing career
Colin Lee began his football career with Buckfastleigh Rangers and then as an apprentice with Bristol CityBristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
, turning professional in July 1974, but failed to break into the first team. He joined Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
on loan in November 1974, playing 9 times before returning to the reserves at Ashton Gate. He moved to Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
in January 1977, quickly establishing himself in Frank O'Farrell
Frank O'Farrell
Francis 'Frank' O'Farrell is an Irish former football player and manager.-Early:Frank O'Farrell started his playing career with Cork United, but followed his former Cork teammate, Tommy Moroney to West Ham United in January 1948. A quietly spoken, but nonetheless determined and talented wing-half,...
's side and attracting attention from higher level clubs.
In October 1977, after 14 goals in 35 games he left Plainmoor
Plainmoor
Plainmoor is a suburb of Torquay, Devon, but is best known as the name of the stadium in which Torquay United Football Club currently play.-History:...
to join Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
for £60,000, making an immediate impact by scoring 4 goals on his debut in a 9-0 win over Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
in the Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, helping Spurs win promotion at the end of that season
1977-78 in English football
The 1977–1978 season was the 98th season of competitive football in England, from August 1977 to May 1978:-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month...
.
In January 1980, he moved back down to the Second Division and signed for Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
for a fee of £200,000, having scored 18 times in 62 games for Spurs. He stayed at Stamford Bridge for over seven years, scoring 36 goals in 185 league games, playing as a central defender towards the end of his time there. He helped them win promotion to the First Division as Second Division champions in 1984, followed by seventh and sixth place finishes - the peak sixth place finish coming in the 1985-86 season
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...
, for much of which Chelsea looked like serious title contenders.
In the 1985-86
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...
Chelsea won the Full Members Cup
Full Members Cup
The Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
, with Lee scoring the win over Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
5-4 at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
.
In July 1987 a fee of £17,500 took him to Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
side Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
where he combined his playing duties with that of his position of youth development officer. He retired from playing in the summer of 1989 after scoring once in 24 games.
Watford
He was appointed youth coach at WatfordWatford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
before taking over as manager in March 1990. However, he was sacked in November the following season after a dismal start had seen Watford win only two games when they had been hoping for a promotion challenge in the Second Division.
In 1991, Lee returned to the game as youth coach at Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, later becoming assistant manager to Mark McGhee
Mark McGhee
Mark Edward McGhee is a former Scottish professional football player. McGhee started his career at Greenock Morton in 1975 and spent spells at clubs including Newcastle United, Aberdeen, Hamburg, Celtic, IK Brage and Reading...
. He helped them win the Division Two championship in 1994 and followed McGhee to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
a few months later. When McGhee ended his year-long reign at Filbert Street to take charge of Wolves, Lee again followed.
Wolves
During Lee's time as coach, Wolves were semi finalists in the Division One playoffs and the F.A Cup, and Lee was promoted to the manager's seat in November 1998, after McGhee was sacked. His initial caretaker spell beginning with a 6-1 win against Bristol City at Ashton Gate. The next two seasons saw Wolves just miss out on the Division One playoffs, and he was sacked in December 2000 with the Midlanders struggling in the bottom half of the division. His task was not helped by the sale of several key players, including top scorer Ade AkinbiyiAde Akinbiyi
Adeola Peter Oluwatoyin "Ade" Akinbiyi is a professional footballer.Akinbiyi has had a much-travelled career with many different clubs with transfer fees totalling more than £11.5 million during his career, including being Leicester City's record signing .Born in England, Akinbiyi qualifies to...
, towards the end of his spell as Wolves manager.
After leaving Molineux he joined Leeds United as a scout, a job he held until March 2001, when he was called in by Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
chairman Mike Bateson as a consultant to the under pressure manager Wes Saunders in a desperate battle to keep Torquay out of the Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
. When Saunders was sacked soon after (on the 28th of March 2001), Lee took over as caretaker-manager until the end of the season, and guided the side to the heights of 21st place and safety thanks to a nerve-wracking win at Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
on the final day of the season which saw Barnet relegated.
Torquay United
After much negotiating at the end of the season, Lee verbally agreed to become the new manager of Torquay. However, on the 2nd of July, the day on which he was expected to formally sign his contract, he turned down the offer, leaving Torquay managerless less than a week before the start of pre-season training. The reason he gave that he was still looking for a job at a higher level, although in November 2001 he was still scouting for Leeds United, as well as working for both television and radio. The following month he was appointed first team coach at Second Division Wigan AthleticWigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
.
Walsall
In January 2002, Lee was named as manager of Division One strugglers WalsallWalsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
, and against all odds kept them clear of relegation for the next two seasons. However, he was sacked in March 2004 after allegedly talking to Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
about the possibility of replacing Paul Sturrock
Paul Sturrock
Paul Whitehead Sturrock is a Scottish football manager who, since July 2010, is the manager of Southend United. Until this appointment, Sturrock had most recently been at English League 1 club Plymouth Argyle in a business support role, having been relieved of his managerial duties, until he quit...
as manager, and his successor Paul Merson
Paul Merson
Paul Charles Merson is a retired English football player, and former player-manager of Walsall. His playing career has included spells at Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and finishing his playing career at Tamworth. He also played for England 21 times...
was unable to stave off relegation. While Walsall actually gave permission for Lee to speak to Plymouth, and Lee publicly turned the job down, Walsall owner Jeff Bonser claimed that if Lee was truly committed then he wouldn't have even spoke to Plymouth, and that as his actions were tantamount to misconduct, he would not receive any compensation (though Bonser eventually paid up Lee's contract after intervention from the League Managers Association). However, his sacking also co-incided with a bad run of results for Walsall including a 6-1 home defeat to Coventry City.
Millwall
Colin Lee began his fourth full-time manager's job in July 2005 with MillwallMillwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, succeeding Steve Claridge
Steve Claridge
Stephen Edward Claridge is an English football player, pundit and coach. He is currently a pundit for BBC Sport football shows including Football Focus and the The Football League Show, whilst also playing as a striker for semi-professional team Gosport Borough.Claridge's career is known for its...
who had been sacked after just 36 days at the helm by the club's new owners. But Millwall were bottom for much of the first half of the 2005-06 Championship campaign, and just before Christmas he became Director of Football. Defender David Tuttle took over the managerial duties, with Lee leaving Millwall in January 2006.
Torquay United
In January 2007 he returned to the coaching staff at Torquay United, taking temporary control of playing matters with the departure of Lubos Kubik in early February, he was then appointed Director of FootballDirector of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
on the 6 February on a three year contract, making his first act the appointment of former Torquay United and England player Keith Curle
Keith Curle
Keith Curle is an English former professional football player, who is currently first team coach at Queens Park Rangers.As a player, he was capped three times by England at senior level.-Playing career:...
as the replacement for Kubik. Lee and Curle were unable to save Torquay from relegation and Lee was made redundant on 14 May 2007 after club owner Mike Bateson
Mike Bateson
Mike Bateson is an English businessman and former chairman of Torquay United Football Club.Bateson was brought up in Blackpool and after a spell in the Scots Guards made his fortune selling double glazing in the South-West of England...
stood down as chairman. However, Lee returned to Torquay United, this time as Chief Executive, on 25 May 2007 after Bateson's sale of the club to a local consortium headed by Cris Boyce. On 2 June 2007. He appointed former Torquay player Paul Buckle
Paul Buckle
Paul John Buckle is an English professional footballer and football club manager. He is currently manager of League Two side Bristol Rovers.-Career:...
as the new team manager.