Martin Dobson
Encyclopedia
Martin Dobson, popularly known as "Sir Dobbo", was born on 14 February 1948 in Rishton
, England
. He is a former professional footballer and England
international who played as a midfielder.
He had a long and successful playing career, playing for almost 20 years and totalling over 600 league appearances while playing for Burnley
, Everton
and Bury
. He won 5 England caps overall, 4 while at Burnley and 1 at Everton. His first England cap was given to him on 3 April 1974 in a 0-0 draw against Portugal
by manager Sir Alf Ramsey because of FA Cup
commitments of other players. However, he impressed enough to win 4 more caps throughout the year.
As well as finishing his playing career with Bury
, Dobson became their manager until 1989. During this period they were promoted from the old Fourth Division and became an established Third Division side.
Dobson was appointed manager of Bristol Rovers
in July 1991, however he was sacked after only 12 games in charge in October of the same year. On 10 January 2010 he was appointed caretaker manager of Premier League side and former club Burnley
after Owen Coyle
left the club for Bolton Wanderers
, Dobson managed the team along with Brian Law and Graham Alexander
against Manchester United which Burnley lost 3-0.
Brian Laws
, the Burnley manager at the time kept Dobson on his coaching staff in the short-term as he built up his backroom staff. Dobson has now returned full-time to his role of Director of Youth Development at Burnley FC.
Rishton
Rishton is a small town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, about west of Clayton-le-Moors and north-east of Blackburn. It was an urban district from 1894 to 1974....
, England
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...
. He is a former professional footballer and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international who played as a midfielder.
He had a long and successful playing career, playing for almost 20 years and totalling over 600 league appearances while playing for Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
. He won 5 England caps overall, 4 while at Burnley and 1 at Everton. His first England cap was given to him on 3 April 1974 in a 0-0 draw against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
by manager Sir Alf Ramsey because of FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
commitments of other players. However, he impressed enough to win 4 more caps throughout the year.
As well as finishing his playing career with Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
, Dobson became their manager until 1989. During this period they were promoted from the old Fourth Division and became an established Third Division side.
Dobson was appointed manager of 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 July 1991, however he was sacked after only 12 games in charge in October of the same year. On 10 January 2010 he was appointed caretaker manager of Premier League side and former club Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
after Owen Coyle
Owen Coyle
Owen Columba Coyle is a Scottish-born Irish international former professional player and professional association football manager . He is currently the manager of Bolton Wanderers....
left the club for Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, Dobson managed the team along with Brian Law and Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander is a Scottish international footballer who plays for Preston North End. He is naturally a right back, but has recently been deployed in defensive midfield, as he did early on in his career with Scunthorpe. He is currently the third oldest player to score in Premier League history...
against Manchester United which Burnley lost 3-0.
Brian Laws
Brian Laws
Brian Laws is an English former footballer and manager, most recently of Burnley.Playing as a defender, Laws made over 100 appearances for each of Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest. In 1994, Laws became player-manager of Grimsby Town before taking a similar position with Scunthorpe...
, the Burnley manager at the time kept Dobson on his coaching staff in the short-term as he built up his backroom staff. Dobson has now returned full-time to his role of Director of Youth Development at Burnley FC.
Manager stats
| Club | From | To | P | W | D | L | %Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bristol RoversBristol 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.... |
2 July 1991 | 3 October 1991 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8.3 |