Football on this day: November 8th 1986
The date of Alex Ferguson's first match as manager of Manchester United. It didn't prove to be the best of starts with a 2-0 First Division defeat at the Manor Ground home of Oxford United. I think that the smartest person that day was the fan who got hold of Fergie's team-sheet for the match - in June 2013 he sold it at auction for a mahoosive £19,000! Not bad for a scrappy bit of paper on which the manager had listed his team for that fixture - Chris Turner, Mike Duxbury, Arthur Albiston, Kevin Moran, Paul McGrath, Graeme Hogg, Clayton Blackmore, Remi Moses, Frank Stapleton, Peter Davenport, Peter Barnes with the one sub being Jesper Olsen. Where are they now?
I In 1996, on the same day of the year Steve Coppell Left Crystal Palace to take over at Manchester City where after 33 days and 6 matches, he resigned the Maine Rod job due to stress and Phil Neal, his assistant, took over as a "fill in".
Chris Turner, goalkeeper, born 1958, is the Director of Football at Wakefield FC. Mike Duxbury, born 1959, last known as Soccer coach at the Independent Bolton School, part of ISFA. Arthur Albiston aged 64, a MUTV summariser and retired coach. Kevin Moran has a football agency (ProActive Sports' Management) and works for Irish TV as well as sitting on the "board" of his brother's medical business; he is knee surgeon, Doctor Cruciate!
Paul McGrath suffers from alcoholism and missed occasional matches as a result. In an interview with FourFourTwo he admitted to playing football while still under the influence of alcohol; additionally, his recurrent knee problems resulted in him undergoing a total of eight operations during his career. McGrath's autobiography, Back from the Brink, was the inaugural winner of the William Hill Irish Sports' Book of the Year. Upon retiring, he settled in Wexford In 2004, one year after being taken to court, charged with a breach of the peace, McGrath returned to the football world after five years, moving to Waterford Utd in Ireland as Director of Football. In 2011, McGrath recorded a cover version of the Gerry Goffinand Carole King song "Going Back". He followed that single up with an 11 track album released in 2011 with going to his two designated charities the Acquired Brain Injury Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Ireland. On 29 June 2013, McGrath was arrested over an alleged public order offence at a hotel in County Offlay He was bailed and appeared at Tullamore district court on 17 July. He is 61.
Graham Hogg began his career with United in 1984 and went on to play 83 league games for the club before joining Portsmouth in 1988. During his time at United, they were FA Cup winners in 1985 but Hogg was not part of the squad that beat Everton 1-0. When he played for Heart of Midlothian his nose was broken when team HIS captain, Craig Levein punched him after an on-field dispute during a pre-season friendly match. He also played for WBA, Noitts County (won the Anglo-Italian Cup) and Brentford.
Clayton Blackmore began his professional career at Manchester United in 1982, having progressed through the club's youth ranks. After twelve years and 186 league appearances, he switched to Middlesbrough on a free transfer, and made 53 league appearances in five years, whilst also having a brief loan spell at Bristol City in 1996. Having left Middlesbrough in 1999, he had short spells at Barnsley, Notts Countyand Leigh RMI over the next couple of seasons, before a much longer stint at Bangor City commenced in 2000. Then he went to Porthmadog (player-manager), switched to Neath Athletic in 2007, before retiring in 2010. Internationally, Blackmore won 39 caps for Wales between 1985 and 1997.
Remi Moses, is 60 and injuries had gradually forced him out of the team and he finally announced his retirement from playing in the 1988-9 at the age of just 28. In 2000, Moses was working as a property dealer in Greater Manchester, and in his spare time, coaching the Manchester Warriors under-20 inline SKATING side, which had just won the GB Inline Hockey League and "every other trophy going".
Frank Stapleton, played and managed for Ajax, for about 6 games, in 1987. He then moved to Belgian side Anderlecht at the end of 1987, followed by a three-month loan back to England with Derby County. He then played for French club, Le Havre, for a season, before returning to England with Blackburn Rovers (81 apps) in 1989, followed by moves to Aldershot, Huddersfield Town (as player-coach) and Bradford City (68 apps).
After three seasons as player-manager at Bradford, he was sacked following their narrow failure to qualify for the Division Two play offs at the end of the 1993-4. He then had a brief spell at Brighton He moved to the United States to manage MLS side New England Revolution in 1996. In the 2003-4 season he briefly returned to English football as a specialist coach of Bolton Wanderers with manager Sam Allardyce wanted Stapleton to enhance the skills of the strikers at the club and saw the Irishman as an ideal candidate, given his successful playing career. Stapleton was appointed assistant manager to former teammate Ray Wilkins with the Jordan national side on 3 September 2014. He won 71 caps for Ireland scoring 20 goals and for clubs he made 777 apps scoring 207 goals.
Peter Davenport...made 497 apps scoring 130 goals for clubs between 1980 (Cammell Laird FC) and 2004 (Bangor City). Mostly he featured with Nottingham Forest, Man U and Sunderland.... Airdrieonians, St Johnstone, Sotuhport. Macclesfield, Congleton etc etc......
Peter Barnes, you know... that silky winger played for 29 clubs (367 apps) ranging from Man City to Footscray JUST. England 22 times! Teams managed Gibraltar and Runcorn !! and worked behnd the scenes at Man City for TV and Radio.
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