Doug Fraser (Scottish footballer)

Doug Fraser
Personal information
Full name Douglas Michael Fraser[1]
Date of birth (1941-12-08) 8 December 1941 (age 83)
Place of birth Aberdeen, Scotland
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Full back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1960–1963 Aberdeen 64 (1)
1963–1971 West Bromwich Albion 257 (8)
1971–1973 Nottingham Forest 85 (3)
1973–1974 Walsall[2] 27 (0)
Total 433 (11)
International career
1967–1968 Scotland 7 (0)
Managerial career
1974–1977 Walsall
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Douglas Michael Fraser (born 8 December 1941) is a Scottish former football full-back.

Fraser began his career in Scottish minor football, appearing for Eaglesham Amateur and Blantyre Celtic.[3] After being rejected by both Celtic and Leeds United, following trials Fraser turned professional with Aberdeen. Fraser's form attracted the attentions of English clubs and in September 1963 West Bromwich Albion manager Jimmy Hagan paid £23,000 for his signature. Making his debut against Birmingham City that same month, Fraser initially played in a number of defensive and midfield positions before making the right back slot his own.[4] Fraser played in four cup finals during his time at The Hawthorns.[4] His final Albion game was a 2–2 draw against Chelsea in November 1970 before manager Alan Ashman sold him to Nottingham Forest for £35,000.[4] He would later play for Walsall where he hit the headlines after he was red carded for fighting with Bristol Rovers' Kenny Stephens - a former Albion teammate.[4]

During his time with West Brom, Fraser made seven appearances for the Scotland national team. He made two appearances in 1968, against Cyprus and the Netherlands. The other five appearances were during a 1967 overseas tour that the Scottish Football Association decided in October 2021 to reclassify as full internationals,[5] which increased Fraser's cap tally from two to seven.

After his retirement from playing Fraser was appointed manager at Walsall, a position he held until 1977. Following this Fraser left football and took up a position as a prison guard at Nottingham Gaol.[3]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[6] [7]
Club Seasons League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Aberdeen 1959–60 Scottish Division One 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - 1 0
1960–61 Scottish Division One 24 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - - 25 0
1961–62 Scottish Division One 28 0 5 1 6 0 0 0 - - 39 1
1962–63 Scottish Division One 8 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 - - 13 0
1963–64 Scottish Division One 3 1 0 0 6 0 0 0 - - 9 1
Total 64 1 6 1 17 0 0 0 - - 87 2
West Bromwich Albion 1963–64 First Division 33 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 - - 37 1
1964–65 First Division 33 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - - 34 0
1965–66 First Division 42 1 1 0 9 2 0 0 - - 52 3
1966–67 First Division 35 4 2 0 7 2 4 0 - - 48 6
1967–68 First Division 40 1 10 0 1 0 0 0 - - 51 1
1968–69 First Division 34 1 5 0 2 0 6 0 1 0 48 1
1969–70 First Division 34 0 1 0 9 0 0 0 - - 44 0
1970–71 First Division 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 - - 7 0
Total 257 8 24 0 29 4 10 0 1 0 321 12
Nottingham Forest 1970–71 First Division 19 0 - - - - - - - - 19+ 0+
1971–72 First Division 36 0 - - - - - - - - 36+ 0+
1972–73 Second Division 30 3 - - - - - - - - 30+ 3+
Total 85 3 - - - - - - - - 85+ 3+
Walsall 1973–74 Third Division 27 0 - - - - - - - - 27+ 0+
Career total 433 12 30+ 1+ 46+ 4+ 10 0 1 0 520+ 17+

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[5][8]
National team Year Apps Goals
Scotland 1967 5 0
1968 2 0
Total 7 0

Managerial record

Team From To Record
P W L D Win %
Walsall 1 January 1974 7 March 1977 163 60 58 45 36.8%

Honours

West Bromwich Albion

See also

References

  1. ^ "Doug Fraser". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  2. ^ B.J. Hugman, Rothmans Football League Players Records The Complete A-Z 1946-1981, 1981, p. 145
  3. ^ a b T. Matthews, West Bromwich Albion - The Complete Record, 2007, p. 111
  4. ^ a b c d G, Willmore, The Hawthorns Encyclopedia, 1996, p. 78
  5. ^ a b "Former Scotland players to be recognised with international caps including Sir Alex Ferguson". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust - Player Profile". afcheritage.org. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Albion Till We Die - An Independent West Bromwich Albion Website". www.albiontillwedie.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  8. ^ Doug Fraser at the Scottish Football Association
  9. ^ Vernon, Leslie; Rollin, Jack (1977). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1977–78. London: Brickfield Publications Ltd. p. 491. ISBN 0354 09018 6.