Denis Smith (football manager)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Denis Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 19 November 1947 | ||
| Place of birth | Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1964–1968 | Stoke City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1968–1982 | Stoke City | 407 | (29) |
| 1982 | → York City (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 1982–1983 | York City | 30 | (4) |
| Total | 444 | (34) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1982–1987 | York City | ||
| 1987–1991 | Sunderland | ||
| 1992–1993 | Bristol City | ||
| 1993–1997 | Oxford United | ||
| 1997–1999 | West Bromwich Albion | ||
| 2000 | Oxford United | ||
| 2001–2007 | Wrexham | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Denis Smith (born 19 November 1947) is an English former professional footballer and manager. He made 531 appearances in all competitions in 15 seasons as a player in the Football League, and as a manager took charge for 1,195 competitive matches.
Born in Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, he joined local club Stoke City as an amateur in 1964, making his first team debut in September 1968. A hard-tackling defender, he soon established himself in the first team, playing in a centre-back partnership with Alan Bloor for much of his career. Stoke enjoyed one of the most successful periods of their history during his time at the club, as he helped Stoke to win the League Cup in 1972, featuring in successive FA Cup semi-finals in 1971 and 1972 and helping the club to successive fifth-place finishes in the First Division in 1973–74 and 1974–75. His bravery as a player meant that he also entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most injured man in football, although he was never able to fully recover after breaking his leg for the fifth time in his career in March 1975. He did manage to continue to play competitive football, and helped Stoke to win promotion from the Second Division in 1978–79. He missed the entire 1980–81 season due to injury, and left the club in May 1982.
He began his management career at York City in May 1982, having played for the club on loan the previous season. He led the club to the Fourth Division title in 1983–84, totalling five seasons at the club . He took charge of Sunderland in May 1987, and took the club to the Third Division title in 1987–88, before getting the club promoted from the Second Division in 1989–90. Sacked by Sunderland in December 1991, he took charge at Bristol City three months later. He steered the club away from relegation in 1992–93, but was sacked in January 1993 after falling out with the club's directors. He was appointed manager of Oxford United in September 1993 and, although unable to avoid relegation in 1993–94, led the club to promotion from the Second Division in 1995–96. He switched clubs to West Bromwich Albion in December 1997, remaining in charge for two-and-a-half seasons before being sacked in July 1999.
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