 Birch in 1950 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1931-11-18)18 November 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Salford,Lancashire, England | ||
| Date of death | 1989 (aged 57–58) | ||
| Place of death | Johannesburg, South Africa | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1946–1948 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1948–1952 | Manchester United | 11 | (4) |
| 1952 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 | (1) |
| 1952–1955 | Lincoln City | 56 | (15) |
| 1955–1956 | Boston United | ? | (?) |
| 1956–1958 | Barrow | 60 | (27) |
| 1958–1960 | Exeter City | 19 | (1) |
| 1960–1961 | Oldham Athletic | 35 | (10) |
| 1961–1962 | Rochdale | 11 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1971–1974 | Galatasaray | ||
| 1976–1977 | Helsingborg | ||
| 1977–1979 | Ethnikos Piraeus | ||
| 1980–1982 | Galatasaray | ||
| 1987 | Ankaragücü | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Brian Birch (18 November 1931–1989) was an Englishfootballer who played for several English clubs in the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s.
Born inSalford, Birch joinedManchester United as a 14-year-old in May 1946, before turning professional two years later. He was 17 when he made his debut on 27 August 1949, playing at inside left in a 1–1 home draw withWest Bromwich Albion. Birch was always on the fringes of the United first team, but apart from a spell midway through the 1950–51 season in which he scored four goals in nine appearances, he never lived up to his potential and was sold toWolverhampton Wanderers for £10,000 towards the end of the 1951–52 season. His tenure at Wolves was short, however, and he was transferred toLincoln City after just nine months in the West Midlands.
In three years with Lincoln, Birch played in more than fifty matches, scoring 15 goals. He then dropped out of league football for a season in 1955, joiningBoston United, before moving toBarrow in 1956. He became a first team regular at Barrow, making 60 appearances and scoring 27 goals in just over two seasons there.Exeter City signed him in September 1958, but he was on the move again in January 1960, this time toOldham Athletic. He moved toRochdale in March 1961, before going into coaching at the end of the 1961–62 season.
He dipped in and out of playing for the next few years, picking up appearances for Boston United,Mossley andEllesmere Port, but his coaching experience eventually led him toBlackburn Rovers in 1967, where he became the coach to one of the club's junior teams.
Birch was trainer ofGalatasaray from 1971 to 1973. He won two consecutive championships with Galatasaray in the Turkish First League[1] andHelsingborgs IF. In the summer of 1980 he returned to Galatasaray, but was not able to be successful like he was in the 1970s with the club and his contract was terminated after one and a half years.[2] He managed the Turkish clubAnkaragücü for three matches in 1987.[3]
Galatasaray
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