Sammy Chapman

This article is about the Northern Irish footballer. For the Nottingham Forest footballer, see Bob Chapman.

Sammy Chapman
Personal information
Full name Samuel Edward Campbell Chapman
Date of birth (1938-02-16)16 February 1938
Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland
Date of death 24 July 2019(2019-07-24) (aged 81)
Place of death Wombourne, Staffordshire, England[1]
Position(s) Wing Half
Youth career
0000–1953 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1953–1955 Glentoran ? (5)
1955 Crusaders ? (0)
1955–1956 Glenavon ? (7)
1956 Shamrock Rovers 0 (0)
1956–1958 Mansfield Town 50 (25)
1958–1961 Portsmouth 48 (10)
1961 → Benoni United (loan)
1961–1964 Mansfield Town 105 (15)
1965–1966 East Rand United 13 (1)
International career
1957 Northern Ireland B 1 (1)
Managerial career
1985–1986 Wolverhampton Wanderers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Samuel Edward Campbell Chapman (16 February 1938 – 24 July 2019)[1] was a Northern Ireland international footballer and football manager.

Career

A former youth player with Manchester United, Chapman signed for Glentoran upon returning to Northern Ireland. In the summer of 1955, he moved to Crusaders, but by October had signed for Glenavon.[2] In July 1956 Chapman joined Shamrock Rovers.[3]

In October 1956 he moved to Mansfield Town without having played a game for the Hoops.[4] He moved to Portsmouth in February 1958. He re-joined Mansfield Town in December 1961.[5] Having last played professionally in 1963, Chapman was banned from football following a bribes scandal two years later.[6]

The ban signalled the end of Chapman's playing career, although he played a few games for South African club East Rand United. (The ban was ignored by the Apartheid-era South African federation which had been suspended by FIFA.) He eventually returned to the game as a coach with Portsmouth and then Crewe Alexandra. He then served Wolverhampton Wanderers as chief scout, becoming interim manager following the dismissal of Tommy Docherty on 4 July 1985 after a second successive relegation saw Wolves fall into the Third Division. He remained in charge of the first team until Bill McGarry (previously manager of Wolves from 1968 to 1976) returned to manage the club on 4 September 1985.[7] However, McGarry's return as manager lasted just 61 days and he quit on 4 November and Chapman was restored to the manager's seat. However, he was unable to prevent Wolves from suffering a third successive relegation which dragged them into the Fourth Division for the first time in their history. He left on 15 August 1986, just before the start of the 1986-87 season.[8]

Chapman was a member of Northern Ireland's 1958 FIFA World Cup squad (though not one of the 17 players that travelled).

Notes

  1. ^ a b Edwards, Joe (26 July 2019). "Tributes paid after former Wolves boss Sammy Chapman passes away". Express & Star. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Chapman joins Glenavon". Belfast Telegraph. 28 October 1955. p. 12.
  3. ^ "Register". Dublin. 21 July 1956. ISSN 0791-5144. Retrieved 9 June 2023 – via The Irish Times.
  4. ^ "Register". Dublin. 21 September 1956. ISSN 0791-5144. Retrieved 9 June 2023 – via The Irish Times.
  5. ^ Hugman, Barry J. The PFA Premier & Football League Player's Records 1946-2005. p. 116.
  6. ^ "SAMMY CHAPMAN". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
  7. ^ "Next Wolverhampton Wanderers Manager Odds | Bruno Lage". 2 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Wolves Managers from 1885 to Today". Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2013.