| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Seith[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1932-03-09)9 March 1932 (age 93) | ||
| Place of birth | Coatbridge, Scotland | ||
| Position | Right half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Monifeith Tayside | |||
| 1948–1953 | Burnley | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1953–1960 | Burnley | 211 | (6) |
| 1960–1965 | Dundee | 134 | (5) |
| Total | 345 | (11) | |
| International career | |||
| 1962[2] | SFL trial v SFA | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1968–1970 | Preston North End | ||
| 1970–1974 | Heart of Midlothian | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Seith (born 9 March 1932) is a Scottish formerfootball player andmanager. He won league championships in bothEngland andScotland, withBurnley andDundee respectively.[3]
Seith began his professional career with Burnley, whom he joined in 1948 aged 16. He made his debut for theClarets in 1953, in a 2–1 away victory againstManchester United, and soon became their regularright half. By1959–60 Burnley had become a genuine title challenger and Seith played 27 games in that league campaign as they moved towards their first championship since1920–21. However a defensive blip in a game against challengersWolves saw him dropped in March 1960 and he was still absent from the side when they eventually clinched the title.
That summer, a dispute with the Burnley chairman led to Seith's transfer back to Scotland, where he joined Dundee for £7,500. TheDens Park side contained famous names such asAlan Gilzean,Gordon Smith andIan Ure and was a potent threat to the traditional dominance of theOld Firm, eventually winning theLeague title in the1961–62 season. This allowed Seith the opportunity to compete in theEuropean Cup which had been denied him by his acrimonious departure fromTurf Moor and he featured prominently in theDark Blues run to the semi-final, where they eventually lost to eventual winnersA.C. Milan.
Seith retired from playing in 1964, joining the Dundee coaching staff before moving to a similar role withRangers; he was to resign from his Rangers post in protest at the sacking of managerScot Symon in 1967. He earned his first opportunity as a manager when appointed to replaceJimmy Milne atPreston North End but left in 1970. He had a brief period in charge of the Scottish national youth team before being hired as manager ofHeart of Midlothian. It was Seith who brought strikerDrew Busby to Tynecastle. TheMaroons had endured several seasons of mediocrity prior to Seith's appointment but gradually improved under his charge and in the1973–74 season topped the League for several months following a 13-match unbeaten run. An inconsistent finish saw them narrowly miss out on European qualification though and following a 10 games winless streak at the beginning of1974–75, he was dismissed.
Seith left the football business following his departure fromTynecastle and has since worked as achiropodist, based inBroughty Ferry. He was belatedly awarded a medal for his efforts in Burnley's 1959–60 league title win in 1999, having been denied one at the time due a dispute with the then club chairman. He was presented with this medal in a public ceremony prior to a Burnley home match in October 1999.