Brian Horton
Brian '"Nobby" Horton' is an English former footballer and manager. He spent 16 years as a professional player and 22 years as a manager, making 689 appearances and managing 1,098 matches. In addition to this, he spent four years as a semi-professional player and around 11 years as a coach and assistant manager.
Horton played at wing-half, though he was forced to find employment as a builder after being released from Walsall's youth team in 1966. He joined Hednesford Town in the West Midlands League, winning the Staffordshire Senior Cup in his final appearance for the club in 1970. He turned professional by signing with Port Vale of the English Football League in July 1970. He established himself in the first team, making 258 appearances, before being sold on to Brighton & Hove Albion for £30,000 in March 1976. Installed as club captain, he helped the club to win promotions to the First Division from the Third Division in 1976–77 and 1978–79, being named on the PFA Team of the Year on both occasions. He also won the club's Player of the Year in 1977. Having played 251 games for the club, he was transferred to Luton Town in August 1981. He captained the team to the Second Division title in 1981–82 and helped the club to remain in the First Division, playing 132 games in league and cup competitions.
Horton was installed as player-manager at Hull City in June 1984 and led the club to promotion out of the Third Division in 1984–85. He was sacked in April 1988 and was appointed as Oxford United's assistant manager the following month. He succeeded Mark Lawrenson as Oxford manager in October of that year. He managed to keep the club in the Second Division for five seasons despite a financial crisis caused by the death of owner Robert Maxwell. Horton was the surprise appointment as Manchester City manager in August 1993 and kept the club competitive in the Premier League before being dismissed by new club chairman Francis Lee in May 1995. He took charge at Huddersfield Town the following month but was sacked with the club bottom of the Second Division in October 1997. He returned to his former club Brighton & Hove Albion as manager in February 1998, who were struggling near the foot of the Third Division and forced to play home games at Priestfield Stadium in Gillingham. He moved to another former club, Port Vale, in January 1999. Vale were relegated out of the First Division in 2000. However, Horton won his first trophy in management as they secured the Football League Trophy in 2001. He resigned in February 2004 following a change in ownership.
He took charge at Macclesfield Town in April 2004, steering the club away from the Third Division relegation zone. He spent two full seasons in charge before being sacked in October 2006. Having spent some time out of the game, he returned to Hull City as Phil Brown's assistant manager in May 2007. The club were promoted to the Premier League, though the two were sacked in March 2010. He spent 2011 as Phil Brown's assistant at Preston North End and then returned to management with Macclesfield Town in March 2012, though he was unable to prevent the club from being relegated from the Football League. He joined Doncaster Rovers as Paul Dickov's assistant in June 2013, before he was appointed as football coordinator at Southend United by Phil Brown in August 2015. He later assisted Phil Brown at Swindon Town for two months, leaving the club in May 2018. He has been married twice and has twins.
Playing career
Hednesford Town
Born in Hednesford, Staffordshire, Horton's father, Richard, was a coal miner at the North Staffordshire Coalfield and his mother, Irene, worked as a cook at Cannock Grammar School. He started his career as a member of Walsall's youth team at the age of 15. He played regularly in the West Midlands League, though was released after two years without having appeared for the first-team, and joined hometown club Hednesford Town in the West Midlands League after being signed by player-manager Dick Neal. During his time at the club he worked in the building trade in the Walsall area. He became known as Nobby to fans, a nickname that stuck with him throughout his career, after a supporter stated that Horton played like Nobby Stiles. He won the Staffordshire Senior Cup in his final appearance for the club, a victory over Kidderminster Harriers.Port Vale
Horton returned to the Football League at the age of 21 when he signed for newly-promoted Third Division club Port Vale in July 1970. It was reported that his transfer fee was a pint of shandy, as Vale were struggling financially and simply haggled with the Hednesford Town chairman by plying him with alcohol, therefore his transfer fee was 'a pint of shandy'. Port Vale agreed to play a pre-season friendly with Hednesford and allowed them to keep all the gate receipt money from the match. Horton had been earning £7-a-week at Hednesford, rising to £20 with win bonuses, supplemented by a £20-a-week income from building work, and so actually took a significant pay cut to turn professional at Port Vale on wages of £23-a-week.A first-team regular from the start under manager Gordon Lee, Horton played 40 games in the 1970–71 season, and scored his first competitive goal in a 3–2 win against Bury at Gigg Lane. He then found his scoring form in the 1971–72 campaign, as he hit eight goals in 47 appearances; he also became the club's penalty taker, with half of his goals coming from the spot. He hit seven goals in 43 games in the 1972–73 season, four of his strikes coming from the penalty spot. He missed a period around Christmas due to injury, and during this time his teammates struggled to find results; this ultimately cost the "Valiants", as they finished four points behind promoted Notts County. The injury had come in a 2–0 defeat at Charlton Athletic, when a knee-high tackle left him with a hairline fracture of the leg, which also caused him to miss an FA Cup third round tie with West Ham United.
Lee changed the team's formation from 4–4–2 to 4–3–3 for the 1973–74 campaign, hoping that this would allow Horton more room in the centre of the field. However, Vale's form suffered, and Lee was replaced as manager by Roy Sproson in January. Vale finished the campaign one place above the relegation zone, though were seven points clear of the relegation zone. Horton played 46 games, scoring four goals. Vale missed out on promotion by just four points at the end of the 1974–75 season, as Horton hit 13 goals in 47 games, leaving him one goal behind top-scorers Ray Williams and Terry Bailey. He hit four goals in 35 games in the 1975–76 season, including both of Vale's goals in a win over Millwall at Vale Park. Much to the disappointment of Vale supporters, he was sold to league rivals Brighton & Hove Albion in March 1976 for a fee of £30,000. Their offer trumped the £25,000. offered by both Hereford United and Plymouth Argyle. In total he spent nearly six years with Port Vale, scoring a total of 37 goals in 258 games in league and cup competitions.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Manager Peter Taylor immediately installed Horton as club captain, giving him a contract worth £100-a-week. Brighton finished fourth at the end of the 1975–76 season, three points shy of promotion, and Taylor quit the club. Incoming manager Alan Mullery had planned to also play in midfield for the club but after witnessing Horton in his first training session he came to the conclusion that Horton would provide the necessary leadership and skill on the pitch, so Mullery retired as a player to concentrate fully on management. For his performances at both Vale and Brighton, Horton was named on the PFA Team of the Year, along with Brighton teammates Graham Cross and Peter Ward. The "Seagulls" finished second in 1976–77 under Mullery's stewardship, and thus were promoted into the Second Division. Mullery was However, disappointed in his players after they won only one of their final four games to miss out on the chance of winning the divisional title. Horton was named as the club's Player of the Year, ahead of 36-goal record-breaking top-scorer Peter Ward.Albion made a fourth-place finish to the 1977–78 season, missing out on promotion to the First Division only because third-placed Tottenham Hotspur had superior goal difference. Undeterred, Brighton won promotion as runners-up in 1978–79, one point behind champions Crystal Palace and one point ahead of fourth-place Sunderland. Horton was named on the PFA Team of the Year for a second time, alongside teammate Mark Lawrenson. Brighton played top-flight football for the first time in their history in the 1979–80 season. The team got off to a poor start amidst discontent with the club's board over bonus pay, losing four of their opening five games and sinking to bottom of the league by November. However, they ended Nottingham Forest's 42-game unbeaten run. They would do the double over Brian Clough's team that season. They finished in 16th-place, some six points clear of the relegation zone. The 1980–81 season was a much narrower affair. Still, Brighton finished in 19th place, two points clear of relegated Norwich City, having won their final three games of the campaign. Mullery left the club and was replaced by Mike Bailey, who wanted Horton out of the club. He left the Goldstone Ground having scored 47 goals in 251 league and cup games.
Luton Town
Horton transferred to Luton Town in August 1981, as the club were competing in the Second Division under the stewardship of David Pleat. He was signed to replace Alan West, who had been sold on to Millwall. Horton was installed as captain and told to play a more attacking midfield role than he had previously been used to, playing in between a midfield three with Lil Fuccillo and Ricky Hill. He was again promoted into the top-flight, as the "Hatters" topped the Second Division table in 1981–82 by an eight-point margin, some 18 points clear of fourth-place Sheffield Wednesday. He was named on the PFA Team of the Year for the third time in his career, alongside teammates Kirk Stephens, Ricky Hill, and David Moss.Luton then went on to escape relegation on the final day of the 1982–83 season at Maine Road, following a 1–0 over Manchester City, who took their place in the relegation zone. The match became famous for the images of David Pleat dancing across the pitch in jubilation. Pleat ran straight to Horton after finishing his dance and kissed his out-of-contract midfielder, telling him "you can go anywhere you want to". However, in the tunnel Horton was punched by Dennis Tueart, starting a brawl amongst the players. Horton was offered a contract by Chelsea, but could not agree on terms with the chairman Ken Bates, and instead signed a new two-year contract with Luton. Horton left Kenilworth Road after the 1983–84 campaign, as the club secured their top-flight status with a 16-place finish. He had played 131 first-team games for the club, scoring 14 goals. His next move was to Hull City, who appointed him their player-manager, and with whom he ended his playing career in 1986 after making 46 competitive appearances.