Bill Dodgin Jr.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Dodgin | ||
| Date of birth | 4 November 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Gateshead, England | ||
| Date of death | June 2000 (aged 68) | ||
| Place of death | Woking, England | ||
| Playing position | Centre half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1948–1949 | Southampton | 0 | (0) |
| 1949–1952 | Fulham | 35 | (0) |
| 1952–1961 | Arsenal | 191 | (0) |
| 1961–1964 | Fulham | 69 | (0) |
| Total | 295 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1954 | England U23 | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1968 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
| 1969–1972 | Fulham | ||
| 1973–1976 | Northampton Town | ||
| 1976–1980 | Brentford | ||
| 1980–1982 | Northampton Town | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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William "Bill" Dodgin (4 November 1931 – June 2000) was an English former football player and manager.
Dodgin was born in Wardley, Gateshead, and is the son of footballer Bill Dodgin Sr. He began his career as an amateur, before signing for Southampton, whom his father managed. When Dodgin Sr. moved to Fulham in 1949, his son followed him there, although he still had to wait two years before making his debut in December 1951, against Preston North End at left back.
He soon switched to right back, but could not prevent Fulham from being relegated to the Second Division. Feeling the pressure from the fans (who questioned whether he would have been picked, were his father not manager), Dodgin transferred to Arsenal for a fee of £4,000 in December 1952, having played 35 League matches for the Cottagers. By now, he was a centre half, and after a spell in the reserves he made his debut against Bolton Wanderers on 15 April 1953. Arsenal won the old First Division in 1952–53 but the Bolton game was his only contribution to that success.
After the departure of regular centre half Ray Daniel to Sunderland that summer, Dodgin became first choice at the back for Arsenal, missing only three matches that season. However, despite his height Dodgin was a rather cumbersome defender, and could not live up to the performances of his predecessor. He was dropped at the start of 1954–55 in favour of Jim Fotheringham. He returned in 1956–57 and was a regular in the side for the next four seasons; in total he played 208 matches for Arsenal, scoring just one goal. All through this time, Arsenal were going through a barren patch, and apart from a third-place finish in 1958–59, they were never close to winning a trophy. Although Dodgin played for (and captained) England at under-23 level, he never appeared for the first team.
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