| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brian Horton[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1949-02-04)4 February 1949 (age 76)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Hednesford, England[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Wing-half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1964–1966 | Walsall | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1966–1970 | Hednesford Town | ||
| 1970–1976 | Port Vale | 236 | (33) |
| 1976–1981 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 218 | (33) |
| 1981–1984 | Luton Town | 118 | (8) |
| 1984–1986 | Hull City | 38 | (0) |
| Total | 610 | (74) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1984–1988 | Hull City | ||
| 1988–1993 | Oxford United | ||
| 1993–1995 | Manchester City | ||
| 1995–1997 | Huddersfield Town | ||
| 1998–1999 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 1999–2004 | Port Vale | ||
| 2004–2006 | Macclesfield Town | ||
| 2012 | Macclesfield Town | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Brian"Nobby"Horton (born 4 February 1949) is an English formerfootballer andmanager. 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 acoach and assistant manager.
Horton played atwing-half, though he was forced to find employment as a builder after being released fromWalsall's youth team in 1966. He joinedHednesford Town in theWest Midlands (Regional) League, winning theStaffordshire Senior Cup in his final appearance for the club in 1970. He turned professional by signing withPort Vale of theEnglish Football League in July 1970. He established himself in the first team, making 258 appearances, before being sold on toBrighton & Hove Albion for£30,000 in March 1976. Installed as clubcaptain, he helped the club to winpromotions to theFirst Division from theThird Division in 1976–77 and 1978–79, being named on thePFA 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 wastransferred toLuton Town in August 1981. He captained the team to theSecond 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 asplayer-manager atHull 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 asOxford United's assistant manager the following month. He succeededMark 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 ownerRobert Maxwell. Horton was the surprise appointment asManchester City manager in August 1993 and kept the club competitive in the Premier League before being dismissed by new club chairmanFrancis Lee in May 1995. He took charge atHuddersfield 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 atPriestfield Stadium in Gillingham. He moved to another former club, Port Vale, in January 1999. Vale wererelegated out of the First Division in 2000. However, Horton won his first trophy in management as they secured theFootball League Trophy in2001. He resigned in February 2004 following a change in ownership.
He took charge atMacclesfield 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 asPhil Brown's assistant manager in May 2007. The club were promoted to thePremier League, though the two were sacked in March 2010. He spent 2011 as Phil Brown's assistant atPreston 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 joinedDoncaster Rovers asPaul Dickov's assistant in June 2013, before he was appointed as football coordinator atSouthend United by Phil Brown in August 2015. He later assisted Phil Brown atSwindon Town for two months, leaving the club in May 2018. He has been married twice and has twins.
Born inHednesford, Staffordshire, Horton's father, Richard, was acoal miner at theNorth Staffordshire Coalfield and his mother, Irene, worked as a cook atCannock Grammar School.[4] He started his career as a member ofWalsall'syouth team at the age of 15.[5] He played regularly in theWest Midlands (Regional) League, though was released after two years without having appeared for the first-team, and joined hometown clubHednesford Town in the West Midlands (Regional) League after being signed byplayer-managerDick Neal.[5] During his time at the club he worked in the building trade in the Walsall area.[6] He became known asNobby to fans, a nickname that stuck with him throughout his career, after a supporter stated that Horton played likeNobby Stiles.[7] He won theStaffordshire Senior Cup in his final appearance for the club, a victory overKidderminster Harriers.[5]
Horton returned to theFootball League at the age of 21 when he signed for newly-promotedThird Division clubPort Vale in July 1970.[8] It was reported that histransfer fee was a pint ofshandy, 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'.[8] Port Vale agreed to play a pre-seasonfriendly with Hednesford and allowed them to keep all the gate receipt money from the match.[7] 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.[9]
A first-team regular from the start under managerGordon Lee, Horton played 40 games in the1970–71 season, and scored his first competitive goal in a 3–2 win againstBury atGigg Lane.[8] He then found his scoring form in the1971–72 campaign, as he hit eight goals in 47 appearances; he also became the club'spenalty taker, with half of his goals coming from the spot.[8] He hit seven goals in 43 games in the1972–73 season, four of his strikes coming from the penalty spot.[8] 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 promotedNotts County.[10] The injury had come in a 2–0 defeat atCharlton Athletic, when a knee-hightackle left him with a hairlinefracture of the leg, which also caused him to miss anFA Cup third round tie withWest Ham United.[11]
Lee changed the team'sformation from 4–4–2 to 4–3–3 for the1973–74 campaign, hoping that this would allow Horton more room in the centre of the field.[10] However, Vale's form suffered, and Lee was replaced asmanager byRoy Sproson in January.[8] Vale finished the campaign one place above therelegation zone, though were seven points clear of the relegation zone. Horton played 46 games, scoring four goals.[8] Vale missed out on promotion by just four points at the end of the1974–75 season, as Horton hit thirteen goals in 47 games, leaving him one goal behind top-scorersRay Williams andTerry Bailey.[8] He hit four goals in 35 games in the1975–76 season, including both of Vale's goals in a win overMillwall atVale Park.[8] Much to the disappointment of Vale supporters, he was sold to league rivalsBrighton & Hove Albion in March 1976 for a fee of £30,000.[8] Their offer trumped the £25,000. offered by bothHereford United andPlymouth Argyle.[12] In total he spent nearly six years with Port Vale, scoring a total of 37 goals in 258 games in league and cup competitions.[8]
ManagerPeter Taylor immediately installed Horton as clubcaptain, giving him acontract worth £100-a-week.[13] Brighton finished fourth at the end of the1975–76 season, three points shy of promotion, and Taylor quit the club.[14] Incoming managerAlan 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 thepitch, so Mullery retired as a player to concentrate fully on management.[15] For his performances at both Vale and Brighton, Horton was named on thePFA Team of the Year, along with Brighton teammatesGraham Cross andPeter Ward.[16] The "Seagulls" finished second in1976–77 under Mullery's stewardship, and thus were promoted into theSecond Division.[5] 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.[17] Horton was named as the club's Player of the Year, ahead of 36-goal record-breaking top-scorer Peter Ward.[17]
Albion made a fourth-place finish to the1977–78 season, missing out on promotion to theFirst Division only because third-placedTottenham Hotspur had superiorgoal difference.[17] Undeterred, Brighton won promotion as runners-up in1978–79, one point behind championsCrystal Palace and one point ahead of fourth-placeSunderland.[5] Horton was named on the PFA Team of the Year for a second time, alongside teammateMark Lawrenson.[18] Brighton played top-flight football for the first time intheir history in the1979–80 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.[19] However, they endedNottingham Forest's 42-game unbeaten run. They would do the double overBrian Clough's team that season.[19] They finished in 16th-place, some six points clear of the relegation zone. The1980–81 season was a much narrower affair. Still, Brighton finished in 19th place, two points clear of relegatedNorwich City, having won their final three games of the campaign.[20] Mullery left the club and was replaced byMike Bailey, who wanted Horton out of the club.[21] He left theGoldstone Ground having scored 47 goals in 251 league and cup games.[5]
Horton transferred toLuton Town in August 1981, as the club were competing in the Second Division under the stewardship ofDavid Pleat.[5] He was signed to replaceAlan West, who had been sold on toMillwall.[22] 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 withLil Fuccillo andRicky Hill.[23] He was again promoted into the top-flight, as the "Hatters" topped the Second Division table in1981–82 by an eight-point margin, some 18 points clear of fourth-placeSheffield Wednesday.[5] He was named on the PFA Team of the Year for the third time in his career, alongside teammatesKirk Stephens, Ricky Hill, andDavid Moss.[24]
Luton then went on to escaperelegation on the final day of the1982–83 season atMaine Road, following a 1–0 overManchester 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.[25] 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".[26] However, in the tunnel Horton was punched byDennis Tueart, starting a brawl amongst the players.[27] Horton was offered a contract byChelsea, but could not agree on terms with the chairmanKen Bates, and instead signed a new two-year contract with Luton.[28] Horton leftKenilworth Road after the1983–84 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.[5] His next move was toHull City, who appointed him theirplayer-manager, and with whom he ended his playing career in 1986 after making 46 competitive appearances.[5]
Horton was a fiercely competitivewing-half who was skilled attackling andpassing.[29]
Horton became player-manager of Hull City in July 1984 and led his side to promotion to the Second Division at the end of the1984–85 season.[5] He quickly built up a reputation as a "strong-minded, tactically-awarecoach."[30] Due to theLeague Cup draw, three of his first four games as manager were againstLincoln City, and his very first game in charge was a 0–0 draw atSincil Bank.[31] In November, his team came from 4–1 down to beatLeyton Orient 5–4 after he instructed assistant managerChris Chilton to "get some verbals going" athalf-time.[31] He signed former Luton Town teammateFrankie Bunn as a replacement for top-scorerBilly Whitehurst, who he sold toNewcastle United for £232,000.[32] After promotion was secured, Horton was offered a place on the board of directors.[33]
The club had an excellent youth policy, which saw talent such asAndy Payton andLeigh Jenkinson develop, thoughNick Barmby was such a prodigious talent that he was signed to Tottenham Hotspur at the age of 16.[34] Horton also brought in defenderRichard Jobson fromWatford for £40,000 andGarry Parker from former club Luton for £72,000.[34] He attempted to signMark Bright fromLeicester City for £45,000, but the chairman could not agree terms with the player.[35] The1985–86 season saw Hull come very close to earning promotion to the First Division, finishing in sixth-place, which was then the third-highest finish in theclub's history.[35] At the end of the campaign Horton quit playing to concentrate on full-time management, having beensent off againstCrystal Palace in his final appearance.[36] Despite the introduction of theplay-off system in1986–87, the "Tigers" ended the campaign in 14th-place.
The1987–88 campaign began promisingly, and Hull was in the top six, chasing the automatic promotion places by the halfway stage. However, a dreadful run of results in which there was just one win in 17 games ended any hope of promotion. Their form was not helped by the sale of star play-maker Garry Parker to Nottingham Forest for a £270,000 fee, which Horton later admitted was a mistake.[37] After a 4–1 home defeat toSwindon Town, chairman Don Robinson was furious and immediately fired Horton. The players took responsibility for the defeat and urged the chairman to reconsider. Robinson obliged, but Horton refused the offer of reinstatement.[25] During his reign he turned down the opportunity to sign apprenticeDean Windass.[38]
Horton's next move was to become assistant to former Brighton teammate Mark Lawrenson, now rookie manager at Second DivisionOxford United in May 1988.[39] Lawrenson left theManor Ground in October 1988 after star playerDean Saunders was sold toDerby County without his consent, and the board elected Horton as his replacement; at the time both Derby and Oxford were owned by members ofRobert Maxwell's family.[40][41] The million pound fee for Saunders allowed Horton to build a squad of his own: former Brighton teammateSteve Foster (Luton Town),Wales internationalAndy Melville (£270,000 fromSwansea City),New Zealand internationalCeri Evans (free agent), defensive midfielderMickey Lewis (part-exchange to Derby forTrevor Hebberd),Jim Magilton (£100,000 fromLiverpool),John Durnin (£250,000 from Liverpool), andEngland under-21 international wingerPaul Simpson (£200,000 fromManchester City).[42] He also gave débuts toJoey Beauchamp andPaul Kee. Under his leadership, Oxford finished the1988–89 Second Division campaign in 17th place. In preparation for the1989–90 campaign, he exploited the relationship between Derby and Oxford to signDave Penney for £175,000. On the pitch, it was a case of deja vu, as Oxford finished the season in 17th place, again with 54 points. Hoping to build a promotion-winning squad for the1990–91 campaign, he boughtDoncaster Rovers defenderLes Robinson for £150,000. The "Yellows" finished in tenth place, eight points off the play-off places.
The club faced a financial crisis following the mysterious death of Robert Maxwell, and over the summer, Horton was forced to sell strikerMartin Foyle to Port Vale for £375,000. He made no major signings in Foyle's place and instead handed débuts toPaul Wanless,Chris Allen, andBobby Ford. He also sold Paul Simpson to Derby for £650,000 in February 1992.[43] The loss of close to £1 million of talent showed on the pitch, as Oxford ended the1991–92 season one place and two points ahead of relegatedPlymouth Argyle. They secured their safety with a final-day win overTranmere Rovers.[44] At the end of the season, he gaveSteve McClaren his first job in management, putting him in charge of Oxford's youth team.[45] There was less drama in1992–93, as his side finished in 14th-place, seven points above the relegation zone.[46] Over the summer, he paidCorby Town £20,000 for strikerMatt Murphy, and sold Andy Melville on toSunderland for £500,000.
In August 1993, four games after the start of the1993–94Premier League campaign, Horton resigned as Oxford manager to replacePeter Reid as manager ofManchester City – to the surprise of manysupporters and commentators, who were expecting the appointment of someone more high-profile.[47] Horton initially told chairmanPeter Swales that "we have the makings, the backbone of a really good squad" and that he was satisfied in not making many additions if it meant keeping hold of the existing squad; he cancelled a pre-arranged sale ofSteve Lomas toPreston North End.[48] City's previous three seasons in the top-flight had yielded top-ten finishes, but Horton struggled with injuries – key strikerNiall Quinn was missing through acruciate ligament injury – and City were 20th and bottom in mid-February.[47] He traded eight-year club veteran strikerDavid White toLeeds United in exchange forDavid Rocastle;[47] Rocastle failed to live up to expectations, and scored just two league goals. But then Horton transformed his attack by signingUwe Rösler (Nürnberg),Paul Walsh (£750,000 fromPortsmouth) andPeter Beagrie (£1.1 million fromEverton), and City escaped relegation after losing only two of their last 14 games of the season.[47]
Horton played with two out-and-out wingers in1994–95: Peter Beagrie and £1.3million summer signingNicky Summerbee (Swindon Town).[47] This led to Rösler, Walsh and Quinn scoring 47 goals between them, but also to some heavy defeats, such as the 5–0 loss torivalsManchester United.[47] City were sixth on 3 December and there was talk of a much-awaited return to European football, as young talents such asGarry Flitcroft,Richard Edghill, and Steve Lomas came to the fore. However, they won only four of their remaining 25 league games, finishing just four points clear of relegation, and Horton was sacked.[47] His sacking was predicted by many, asFrancis Lee had taken over as chairman after Horton's appointment and wished to have his 'own man' in the dugout atMaine Road.[47] City went on to suffer relegationthe following season underAlan Ball and Horton said that "once I had left, Francis made transfers which I could not fathom".[49]
Horton made a swift return to management withHuddersfield Town, a club that had just won promotion to the First Division underNeil Warnock, who announced his surprise resignation days afterthe club's play-off success. Horton had been recommended to the club byTrevor Cherry.[50] The "Terriers" started the1995–96 campaign positively and enjoyed a mid-season run of just two defeats in 19 games. They also reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, where they lost to Premier LeagueWimbledon in areplay atPlough Lane.[51] The team were on course for a play-off place, but a run of just three wins in their final 13 games left them in eighth-place, eight points behind sixth-placedCharlton Athletic.[52]
Horton broke theclub's transfer record when he splashed out £1.2 million onBristol Rovers strikerMarcus Stewart. However, he also sold top-scorerAndy Booth toSheffield Wednesday for £2.7 million.[53] Huddersfield finished the1996–97 season just two places and eight points ahead of relegatedGrimsby Town. Huddersfield had suffered injuries throughout the spine of the team as midfielderLee Makel, striker Marcus Stewart and defenderAndy Morrison (£500,000 fromBlackpool) missed much of the campaign due to injury, though £325,000 summer signing Andy Payton proved to be a revelation, hitting 19 goals in all competitions.[54] Horton was sacked in October 1997 following a defeat to Nottingham Forest at theKirklees Stadium that left Huddersfield bottom of the table.[55]
In February 1998, Horton returned to one of his old clubs when he became manager of Brighton & Hove Albion. The club were second-from-bottom in theThird Division and playing their home games 75 miles (121 km) away atGillingham'sPriestfield Stadium.[56] He led the club to victory overChester City, Brighton's first win in five months.[57] The "Seagulls" secured their Football League status in April after winning a point at league leadersNotts County. They went on to finish the1997–98 season second-from-bottom, fifteen points clear of relegatedDoncaster Rovers.[58]
Aiming for a complete overhaul of the playing squad and unimpressed by thereserve and youth teams, Horton told chairmanDick Knight "I want 18 out and 18 in".[58] One of the new arrivals wasGary Hart, signed fromStansted of theEssex Senior Football League for £1,000 and a set ofkit.[59] Other signings includedJamie Moralee (Crewe Alexandra) andIan Culverhouse (Kingstonian), whilst he broughtMartin Hinshelwood andDean Wilkins onto the backroom staff.[60] One unusual but effective piece of business was midfielderPaul Holsgrove, who Horton signed on afree transfer from Stoke City and then sold on toHibernian for £113,000 in the sametransfer window.[60] Brighton started the1998–99 campaign well, though Horton left the club in January 1999 to take charge of another of his old clubs, Port Vale, after the sacking of long-serving managerJohn Rudge.[61]
To help the Vale to avoid relegation at the end of the1998–99 season, Horton brought in five players:Dave Brammer (Manchester City),Tony Butler (Blackpool),Carl Griffiths (Leyton Orient),Alex Smith (Chester City), andChris Allen (Nottingham Forest).[62] This spending spree set the club back £630,000, and so Horton first sold offPeter Beadle to Notts County for £250,000 to raise the cash needed for his new signings.[62] He won his first game in charge, a 2–0 win over Huddersfield Town, thanks to a brace fromMartin Foyle.[63] A five-game unbeaten run in April allowed the Vale to finish above relegatedBury on goals scored.[64]
In a bid to survive another season in the First Division, Horton allowed ten players to leaveVale Park; the most significant departure wasNeil Aspin, as the 34-year-old dropped down two divisions as his career wound down. To replace these players, Horton signed three players on free transfers:Jeff Minton from former club Brighton,Tommy Widdrington fromGrimsby Town, andSteve Rimmer from Manchester City. As the season progressed, he releasedMarcus Bent and sold Carl Griffiths back toLeyton Orient for £100,000. He further sold highly rated young centre-backAnthony Gardner to Tottenham Hotspur for £1 million,[65] and sold Tony Butler toWest Bromwich Albion for £140,000. In their place he signedMicky Cummins,Mark Goodlad,Sagi Burton, andVille Viljanen; and also tookMartin Bullock,Gareth Taylor, andDavid Healy in onloan. His side finished second-from-bottom and was relegated inhis first full season as manager.[65] At the end of the campaign, Martin Foyle retired, whilst key playersPaul Musselwhite andIan Bogie also departed.[66]
In preparation for life in the Second Division, Horton signedDean Delany,Marc Bridge-Wilkinson andMichael Twiss on free transfers.[67][68] Horton came under pressure from the board at the start of the2000–01 campaign, as his team went 13 games without a win,[69] and were knocked out of the FA Cup bynon-LeagueCanvey Island.[70] Horton described it as "the greatest embarrassment of my football career".[71] He responded to this humiliation by placing five players on the transfer list.[72] He signedSteve Brooker for £15,000; brought inOnandi Lowe andRichard Burgess on free transfer, whilst also offloading Jeff Minton toRotherham United. Vale's form improved, as they avoided defeat to Stoke City in bothPotteries derby games. Horton was namedManager of the Month in March, after a good run of results ended fears of a second successive relegation.[73] He also won his first trophy as a manager as Vale lifted theFootball League Trophy, coming from behindto beatBrentford at theMillennium Stadium.[74] Vale upset supporters by selling Dave Brammer to Crewe Alexandra for £500,000.[75]
The club entered a financial crisis following the collapse ofITV Digital, which cost the club £400,000 in revenue.[76] This meant Horton had to build his squad for the2001–02 season entirely on free transfers, the most influential proving to be formerCoventry City strikerStephen McPhee. Vale beat rivals Stoke City but ended the season in 14th place. Horton was named Manager of the Month after his team earned 13 points from a possible 18 in February.[77] Horton signedJon McCarthy,Brett Angell,Ian Brightwell,[78]Phil Charnock,Sam Collins,[79][80] andMark Boyd[81] for the2002–03 campaign. Four straight defeats were followed by five consecutive victories, as he supplemented his squad with the additions ofLee Ashcroft,[82]Peter Clarke[83][84] andAdrian Littlejohn.[85] Though relegation was avoided, Horton still remained unpopular with some sections of the Vale's supporters.[86] However, the season was dominated by off-the-field issues, as Vale enteredadministration,[87] and were taken over byBill Bratt's fan-based consortium.[88]
Building for the2003–04 campaign, Horton had to find a replacement for departing defenderMatt Carragher.[89] He found his replacement inEverton's reliable youngGeorge Pilkington;[90] he also signed goalkeeperJonny Brain and Austrian defenderAndreas Lipa.[91][92] By the start of the campaign Horton had completed the rebuilding of his squad that was necessitated by the financial crisis and the ageing of the highly successful side of the mid-1990s.[93] A good start saw the club top of the table and Horton was named as Manager of the Month.[94] The Vale were one point outside the play-offs by February, at which point Horton tendered his resignation.[95]
Linked with the management position atSwansea City,[96] Horton was instead appointed as manager of struggling Third Division clubMacclesfield Town at the start of April 2004, replacingJohn Askey, who stayed on as a coach. This was initially until the end of the season. Still, Horton was given the job permanently in May.[97] He rejuvenated a demoralised side and kept them in the Football League, as they finished seven points clear of the relegation zone in2003–04. Over the summer he signedIraqi internationalJassim Swadi,[98] experienced strikerMike Sheron,[99] veteran defenderTony Barras,[100] left-backMark Bailey,[101] andTommy Rooney.[102] He allowedMartin Carruthers to leave,[103] though extendedTommy Widdrington's contract,[104] and offered fresh deals to six others.[105] He later added to his squad by signingMark Boyd[106] andSimon Weaver;[107] whilst transfer listing Tommy Widdrington andMichael Welch.[108] Many pundits were tipping the "Silkmen" to slip out of the newly namedLeague Two at the end of the2004–05 season,[109] but Horton proved the observers wrong as his side were in the top-seven of the division virtually all season long.[110][111] Horton celebrated his 1000th game as a manager on 3 November 2004, as Macclesfield beat Mansfield 4–0 in the Football League Trophy.[112] He also won theLeague Two Manager of the Month award for February.[113] Macclesfield qualified for the play-offs in sixth place, but their promotion challenge was finally ended byLincoln City in the semi-finals, following a 2–1aggregate defeat.[114] At the end of the season, Horton released nine players, including club captainMatthew Tipton.[115] In the place of these nine players he signedKevin Sandwith,Kevin Townson,Martin Bullock, andDavid Beresford.[116]
Despite high expectations,[117] Horton's men were not to challenge for promotion in the2005–06 season. The club were hit by financial troubles after being told they had to pay fines totalling £250,000, and at one point were at risk of being wound up.[118] As a result, Horton was forced to cope without assistant John Askey, after Askey was dismissed to cut costs.[119] The sale of top-scorerJon Parkin also robbed Horton of his best player.[120] Following a poor start to the season he placed four players on the transfer list.[121] He also placed Kevin Townson on the transfer-list,[122] before sacking the striker after Townson displayed "serious misconduct".[123] Throughout the campaign, Horton signed goalkeeperTommy Lee,[124] strikerClyde Wijnhard,[125] midfielderAlan Navarro,[126] forwardAllan Russell,[127] and strikerMatty McNeil.[128] The "Silkmen" finished in 17th-place, five points above the relegation zone.[129] Horton prepared for the2006–07 campaign by searching for a new midfield player,[130] and found one inShrewsbury Town'sJamie Tolley.[131] He also signed versatile attackerColin Heath,[132] defenderCarl Regan,[133] and former Port Vale goalkeeperJonny Brain;[134] whilst releasing five players.[135] Horton was sacked in October 2006, after his team failed to win any of their opening twelve league games, leaving them bottom of the Football League.[136]
In May 2007, Horton returned toHull City as assistant manager toPhil Brown; this appointment came 19 years after he resigned as Hull manager.[137] His contacts were instrumental in bringing inFraizer Campbell on loan from Manchester United, who would score 15 goals in 37 games for Hull.[138] He helped the club win promotion to the Premier League via theplay-offs in May 2008, the first time Hull City made it to the top-flight in their 104-year history.[139] In March 2009, Horton was featured heavily in the press after accusingArsenal club captainCesc Fàbregas of spitting following an encounter in the FA Cup.[140][141] Fàbregas was later cleared of any wrongdoing.[142] The "Tigers" struggled in the2009–10 season, and Phil Brown was put on gardening leave on 15 March, as Horton andSteve Parkin were appointed as the club's joint-caretaker managers.[143] Horton offered to stay on until the end of the campaign but Hull instead appointedIain Dowie, who could not keep the club from being relegated.[144]
In January 2011, Phil Brown was appointed manager ofPreston North End, and Horton was appointed as his assistant.[145] Preston were relegated from theChampionship at the end of the2010–11 campaign. Horton left Preston when Phil Brown was sacked on 14 December 2011.[146]
In March 2012, following the departure ofGary Simpson, Horton returned to Macclesfield Town as manager for the rest of the2011–12 season.[147] Assisted byGlyn Chamberlain, he had been tasked with steering the club clear of relegation from League Two, much the same task as he faced the first time he was appointed manager.[148] A 2–0 defeat toBurton Albion atMoss Rose on 28 April sent the "Silkmen" into the Conference after 15 years in the Football League.[149] He stepped down as manager on 30 April, having gained just two points from his eight games in charge.[150]
Horton turned down the chance of joining Phil Brown for a third time, now atSouthend United.[151] In June 2013, he was appointed as assistant manager toPaul Dickov at Championship clubDoncaster Rovers.[152] He left the role in July 2015.[153] He was appointed as football coordinator at Southend United by Phil Brown in August 2015.[154] He leftRoots Hall on 17 January 2018 after Brown was placed on gardening leave.[155] On 15 March 2018, Brown appointed Horton as his assistant at new clubSwindon Town.[156] However, Horton left the club just two months later, ending the pair's 11-year partnership in management.[157]
He married Denise, a computer programmer, in the 1970s.[9] They had twins: Matthew and Lucy.[158] He married his second wife, Val, in October 2002.[55] Before meeting Val he had released her son, Simon McMain, from the Manchester City youth team.[159] Horton was diagnosed withprostate cancer and went public with the news in October 2023 after being persuaded to do so byMick Harford.[160][161]
Source:[162]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other[A] | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Port Vale | 1970–71 | Third Division | 39 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 1 |
| 1971–72 | Third Division | 42 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 8 | |
| 1972–73 | Third Division | 39 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 8 | |
| 1973–74 | Third Division | 41 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 4 | |
| 1974–75 | Third Division | 44 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 13 | |
| 1975–76 | Third Division | 31 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| Total | 236 | 33 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 262 | 37 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1975–76 | Third Division | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 1976–77 | Third Division | 45 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 54 | 12 | |
| 1977–78 | Second Division | 42 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 50 | 10 | |
| 1978–79 | Second Division | 40 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 45 | 11 | |
| 1979–80 | First Division | 42 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 48 | 7 | |
| 1980–81 | First Division | 38 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
| Total | 218 | 33 | 10 | 2 | 24 | 6 | 252 | 41 | ||
| Luton Town | 1981–82 | Second Division | 41 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 2 |
| 1982–83 | First Division | 40 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 5 | |
| 1983–84 | First Division | 37 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 3 | |
| Total | 118 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 132 | 10 | ||
| Hull City | 1984–85 | Third Division | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| 1985–86 | Second Division | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 1986–87 | Second Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 47 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 610 | 74 | 36 | 8 | 43 | 6 | 689 | 88 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Hull City | 1 June 1984 | 13 April 1988 | 195 | 77 | 58 | 60 | 039.5 |
| Oxford United | 25 October 1988 | 27 August 1993 | 243 | 77 | 65 | 101 | 031.7 |
| Manchester City | 28 August 1993 | 16 May 1995 | 96 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 030.2 |
| Huddersfield Town | 21 June 1995 | 6 October 1997 | 120 | 39 | 35 | 46 | 032.5 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 26 February 1998 | 22 January 1999 | 43 | 14 | 10 | 19 | 032.6 |
| Port Vale | 22 January 1999 | 12 February 2004 | 262 | 84 | 67 | 111 | 032.1 |
| Macclesfield Town | 1 April 2004 | 1 October 2006 | 131 | 47 | 35 | 49 | 035.9 |
| Macclesfield Town | 19 March 2012 | 30 April 2012 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 000.0 |
| Total[163] | 1,098 | 367 | 305 | 426 | 033.4 | ||
Hednesford Town
Brighton & Hove Albion
Luton Town
Individual
Hull City
Port Vale
Individual
Specific
General