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Mel Machin

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English footballer and manager

Mel Machin
Personal information
Full name Melvyn Machin
Date of birth (1945-04-16) 16 April 1945 (age 79)
Place of birth Newcastle-under-Lyme, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Port Vale
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962–1966 Port Vale 30 (6)
1966–1970 Gillingham 157 (11)
1970–1974 AFC Bournemouth 110 (7)
1974–1978 Norwich City 96 (4)
1977 → Seattle Sounders (loan) 19 (0)
Total 412 (28)
Managerial career
1987–1989 Manchester City
1989–1993 Barnsley
1994–2000 AFC Bournemouth
2000–2002 AFC Bournemouth (Director of football)
2003 Huddersfield Town (caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Melvyn Machin (born 16 April 1945) is an English former football player and manager.

A midfielder, he started his career at Port Vale in 1962 before he moved on to Gillingham four years later. He made his name at the club from 1966 to 1970 before he transferred to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic for three years. In 1974, he signed with Norwich City, also playing on loan at American club Seattle Sounders, before he retired in 1978 – he was later voted into Norwich City's Hall of Fame in 2002.

Appointed manager of Manchester City in 1987, he won them promotion out of the Second Division in 1988–89, before he left to take up the reins at Barnsley. In September 1994, he was appointed manager at Bournemouth, where he would remain for the next six years, managing them to a Football League Trophy final in 1998. He later served Bournemouth as Director of football between 2000 and 2002 before briefly managing Huddersfield Town in 2003.

Playing career

Despite being a Stoke City fan, Machin started his playing career at nearby Port Vale, signing professional forms in July 1962. He made the odd appearance from October 1962 to 1964, after which he started appearing rather more frequently. He was not a favourite with Stanley Matthews or trainer Lol Hamlett as he had a habit of talking back to the pair, so he put in a transfer request in 1966. In all competitions he made 32 appearances, scoring 6 goals, being utilised mostly as an inside-forward.

In July 1966, he joined Gillingham, where he attained regular first-team football. After 156 league matches and 11 goals, Machin was signed in 1970 by Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, at the time managed by John Bond.

His spell at Bournemouth ended after 110 appearances in December 1973, when he followed Bond to Norwich City, despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace. Converted to a full-back role, Machin played 117 appearances and scored four times for the club. He conceded a penalty in the 1975 League Cup final defeat to Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium, handling on the line to prevent a headed goal from Chris Nicholl. After problems with injuries he finished his career in 1978, following a brief spell in the NASL with Seattle Sounders, in which time he was named in the NASL All-Stars team.

Coaching and management career

After retiring as a player, Norwich then invited him to join their coaching set-up. He worked as youth team and reserve team coach and was then promoted to chief coach before being appointed as assistant to manager Ken Brown. The partnership finished in May 1987, when he accepted an offer to manage Manchester City.

After two seasons in charge, he got the club promoted to Division One with a young and promising squad. In the first season in the top-flight, his team beat local rivals Manchester United by 5–1 on 23 September 1989, in what Alex Ferguson described as the lowest point of his career. Despite the victory, two months later, on 27 November, Machin was sacked by chairman Peter Swales as the club was bottom of the division. He became Barnsley manager on 29 December but resigned on 5 May 1993, as he was disillusioned with the club policy of selling their best players to make ends meet.

Machin then worked as a scout for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool before he was appointed manager of Bournemouth in September 1994. In his first season at the helm he managed to keep the club in the Second Division despite a start with seven consecutive defeats and a serious financial crisis, this feat later became known as "The Great Escape". In 1998, Bournemouth lost to Grimsby Town in the Football League Trophy final in their first ever Wembley appearance. In August 2000, he became director of football role and later retired on 29 August 2002, having had his testimonial match the previous month. It was in his testimonial – a 3–2 victory for Manchester United, that United's £29.3 million signing Rio Ferdinand made his debut. In October 2002 he was linked to the vacant management position at Swindon Town.

On 28 January 2003, Machin came out of retirement to assist Mick Wadsworth at the helm of Huddersfield Town. Two months later he was promoted to the manager role as Wadsworth was sacked. Machin and Huddersfield parted ways at the end of the season as he failed to avoid relegation to the Third Division.

Career statistics

Playing statistics

Source:

Club Season League FA Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Port Vale 1962–63 Third Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1963–64 Third Division 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1964–65 Third Division 11 4 1 0 0 0 12 4
1965–66 Fourth Division 18 2 1 0 0 0 19 2
Total 30 6 2 0 0 0 32 6
Gillingham 1966–67 Third Division 42 4 2 0 5 0 49 4
1967–68 Third Division 32 5 1 0 0 0 33 5
1968–69 Third Division 31 1 2 0 2 0 35 1
1969–70 Third Division 44 1 6 1 1 0 51 2
1970–71 Third Division 8 0 1 0 0 0 9 0
Total 157 11 12 1 8 0 177 12
AFC Bournemouth 1970–71 Fourth Division 22 0 0 0 0 0 22 0
1971–72 Third Division 34 1 3 1 1 0 38 2
1972–73 Third Division 36 5 4 0 4 0 44 5
1973–74 Third Division 18 1 1 0 3 0 22 1
Total 110 7 8 1 8 0 126 8
Norwich City 1973–74 First Division 15 0 0 0 0 0 15 0
1974–75 Second Division 24 3 1 0 11 0 36 3
1975–76 First Division 28 0 4 0 6 0 38 0
1976–77 First Division 26 1 1 0 4 0 31 1
1977–78 First Division 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Total 96 4 6 0 21 0 123 4
Seattle Sounders (loan) 1977 NASL 19 0 – – – – 19 0
Career total 412 28 28 2 37 0 477 30

Managerial statistics

Source:

Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Manchester City 31 May 1987 29 November 1989 130 59 27 44 045.38
Barnsley 1 December 1989 5 May 1993 192 66 51 75 034.38
AFC Bournemouth 1 September 1994 18 August 2000 327 120 84 123 036.70
Huddersfield Town (caretaker) 26 March 2003 6 May 2003 7 2 2 3 028.57
Total 656 247 164 245 037.65

Honours

Playing career

Norwich City

Individual

Managerial career

Manchester City

AFC Bournemouth

References

  1. "Mel Machin". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  2. Rothmans football yearbook. 1976-77. London : Queen Anne Press. 1976. ISBN 978-0-362-00259-1. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  3. ^ Mitchener, Mark (30 August 2002). "Machin quits Cherries". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  4. Kent, Jeff (December 1991). Port Vale Tales: A Collection of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories. Witan Books. p. 31. ISBN 0-9508981-6-3.
  5. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 180. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  6. ^ "Flown the Nest". ex-canaries.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  7. "Ray Graydon treasures his Aston Villa memories". Birmingham Mail. 27 February 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  8. ^ "Mid Cities Daily News - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. 24 August 1977. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  9. "Machin's magical derby memories". BBC Sport. 14 November 2000. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  10. "Five memorable Dean Court games". BBC Sport. 8 November 2001. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  11. "Machin moves upstairs". BBC Sport. 19 August 2000. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  12. "Rio in Man Utd bow". BBC Sport. 27 July 2002. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  13. "Rio raring to go". BBC Sport. 28 July 2002. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  14. "Machin poised for Robins post". BBC Sport. 18 October 2002. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  15. "Terriers snap up Machin". BBC Sport. 28 January 2003. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  16. "Huddersfield sack Wadsworth". BBC Sport. 26 March 2003. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  17. "Machin leaves Huddersfield". BBC Sport. 6 May 2003. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  18. ^ Mel Machin at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  19. Mel Machin management career statistics at Soccerbase
1973–74 Football League Third Division PFA Team of the Year
1977 NASL All-Stars
First Team
Second Team
Honorable Mention
Norwich City F.C. – Hall of Fame inductees
2002
2003
2006
2009
2012
Manchester City F.C. – managers
(c) = caretaker manager
Barnsley F.C. – managers
(c) = caretaker manager
AFC Bournemouth – managers
(c) = caretaker manager
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. – managers
(c) = caretaker manager
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