The sad news was announced yesterday was that Dave Sexton had died aged 82.
His managerial career:
- Leyton Orient: (1965)
- Chelsea: (1967-74) – FA Cup 1970, European Cup Winners’ Cup 1971
- QPR: (1974-77)
- Manchester United: (1977-81) – Charity Shield 1977 (shared)
- England U-21: (1977-90) – European U-21 Championship 1982, 1984
- Coventry: (1981-83)
- England U-21: (1994-96)
Apart from his successful silverware winning term at Chelsea perhaps his most remarkable achievement came at Loftus Road were he built a QPR side that finished one point behind Liverpool in the 1975-76 title race.
He was well respected among his players as an innovative coach and was one of the first of a new breed of manager.
“When I was a kid aged about 12 I once ran on the pitch after Villa v Chelsea to try and touch/speak to players heading down the tunnel. Sexton was passing and asked what we were doing and, far from getting angry, then invited us into the Chelsea dressing room where we got to meet Osgood, Bonetti, Hollins and the rest of the stars as they were getting out of their muddy kits etc. Says a lot for him – and speaks volumes for how football has changed…” Deryck Wilson
