Dave Sexton

19th May 1981 – 16th May 1983

In the summer of 1981, when Gordon Milne was relieved of responsibility for playing matters, the role of Coventry City team manager was given, ironically, to a man seven years Milne’s senior. Dave Sexton had just been sacked by Manchester United, despite the Reds winning their last seven games of the season. Sexton arrived with a reputation as an astute thinker on the game and an outstanding coach and in his two seasons at the club helped develop City’s latest crop of talented youngsters.

He was the son of Archie Sexton, a middleweight boxer of the 1930s and his career started at Newmarket Town and progressed via Chelmsford City, Luton Town, West Ham, Leyton Orient and Brighton to Crystal Palace where a knee injury ended his playing career. He was a good lower division player whose only honour was a Third Division championship medal with Brighton in 1958.

He took up coaching and earned a fine reputation at Chelsea, Fulham and Arsenal before taking his first managerial job at Leyton Orient in 1965. In 1967 he succeeded Tommy Docherty at Chelsea and inherited a strong squad which included Osgood, Hollins, Cooke and McCreadie. In 1970 they won the FA Cup, beating Leeds in a memorable replayed final: the following year they beat Real Madrid to win the European Cup Winners Cup.

He was sacked by Chelsea after a couple of mediocre seasons but within weeks he was appointed manager at Queens Park Rangers where he was unlucky not to win the League Championship in 1976 with an outstanding team built around Gerry Francis, Don Masson and Stan Bowles.

In 1977 he resigned from QPR and was on the verge of rejoining Arsenal as coach when Manchester United persuaded him to replace Docherty again. He lacked the charisma for the Old Trafford job and despite an FA Cup final appearance in 1979 and League runners-up the following year he failed to end the long wait for the championship.

His first game in charge for the Sky Blues was against United and he tactically outthought his successor, Ron Atkinson, to give City a 2-1 win. During his time at Highfield Road City’s style became more cultured but it rarely set the world alight, although in Sexton’s defence he was never given the freedom to spend like other City managers. His first season in charge went well until Christmas then City picked up just three points in twelve games including a 5-1 home defeat to Notts County. However, just as things were at their blackest, and fans wondered where the next league win was going to come from, City mounted a tremendous revival. A run of thirteen games with only one defeat including a never-to-be-forgotten 5-5 draw at the Dell, and a 6-1 win over Sunderland took them well clear of relegation.

In his second season with gates falling under 10,000 he had to survive with a squad of 14-15 players. After Garry Thompson was sold over his head in February 1983 the team’s form fell away disastrously and 13 games without a win took them to the brink of relegation. They survived by the skin of their teeth but Sexton was sacrificed for the return of Bobby Gould much to the disgust of the players.

Whilst at Coventry he managed the England Under-21 side to victory in the European Championship and after leaving City he was appointed assistant manager of the England team under Bobby Robson. He never managed at club level again although he had numerous coaching roles and headed up Sven Goran Ericsson’s scouting network.

He was awarded the OBE for Services to Football in 2005 and continued to live in Kenilworth after retirement. Sexton died aged 82 on 25 November 2012.

From: 19th May 1981
First game: 29th August 1982 v Manchester United, home, First Division, won 2-1

Until: 16th May 1983
Last game: 14th May 1983 v West Ham United, home, First Division, lost 2-4

96 games as manager

	Lge	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Win %	Pos
1981-82	Div 1	42	13	11	18	56	62	50	30.9	14th
1982-83	Div 1	42	13	9	20	48	59	48	30.9	19th
Totals		84	26	20	38	104	121	98	30.9

League Cup: 5 games (3 draws, 2 losses)

FA Cup: 7 games (4 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses)