- For the American politician, see Allen Buckley
- For the rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s for Great Britain, England, Lancashire and Swinton, see Alan Buckley
Alan Peter Buckley (born 20 April 1951 in Mansfield, England) is an English football manager. He was manager of League Two side Grimsby Town until his dismissal in September 2008. Buckley was formerly a professional footballer, most notably as a striker for Walsall F.C.
Buckley is one of only 14 managers to have reached 1,000 matches in charge of a league club, but the only one of the 14 never to have managed a team in the Premiership or its predecessor, the First Division.
His younger brother Steve played over 300 games as a full-back for Derby County, and well over 100 for Luton Town. His son Adam played in midfield for Grimsby Town and Lincoln City, and his other son Simon also had a brief stint with Grimsby.
Buckley began his career with Nottingham Forest, but was transferred to Walsall in 1973 having never managed to win a regular place in the first team. He became a prolific striker at Fellows Park, before he was transferred briefly to Birmingham City in October 1978. He returned to Walsall as their record signing (£175,000) in June 1979. He began his managerial career with 'The Saddlers', initially as player/manager and briefly as co-manager with Neil Martin. This was an era that became a hallmark for some of the most attractive football seen in Walsall and the side gradually established itself as promotion contenders. Buckley also gained something of a reputation as a giant killer during his time in the Black Country, scoring against Manchester United as a player during an FA Cup upset in January 1975, and leading his Walsall side as a manager to victories against the likes of Arsenal, and a draw at Anfield during a League Cup run which took them to the semi-finals, just '90 Minutes From Europe'. He was sacked in August 1986, as enigmatic millionaire Terry Ramsden bought the club, installing his own managerial team. He joined Tamworth as a player in October 1986, playing a total of five games for the club,[1] three in the West Midlands Premier League, with a debut in the 2-0 victory at Tividale on 4 October 1986.[2]
Later as a manager, after a spell with non-league Kettering Town, he guided Grimsby Town to promotion from the Fourth Division in 1990 and they reached the Second Division a year later - where they spent all but one of the next 12 seasons. In his first two spells at the club, Buckley's Grimsby sides were renowned for their attractive passing game and mounted periodic challenges for the play-offs. Buckley remained at Blundell Park until the autumn of 1994 when he joined Grimsby's Division One rivals West Bromwich Albion. His spell at the Hawthorns lasted two-and-a-half years before he was sacked for failing to get Albion anywhere near a promotion challenge.
A few months after being sacked by Albion, Buckley returned to Grimsby in summer 1997 for his second spell as manager. Town had just been relegated to Division Two, but he took them back to Division One at the first time of asking with two Wembley visits in 1998. Buckley remained in charge for two full seasons after that, but was dismissed after just two games of 2000–01. A couple of brief, short-lived spells in Division Three followed - first with Lincoln City, arriving at Sincil Bank in January 2001.[3] Buckley left the Imps in April 2002, with the club stating that financial reasons were behind his departure.[4] He then took charge of Rochdale in June 2003,[5] but left by mutual consent in December of the same year after failing to revive the club's fortunes.[6] On 9 November 2006 Buckley was appointed manager of Grimsby for a third time.[7]
In his first season back with Grimsby, a mid-table finish was considered a creditable achievement after relegation from the Football League had looked a distinct possibility. In 2007–08, Grimsby made a slow start but soon picked up. A good run in the Football League Trophy saw The Mariners travel to the new Wembley 10 years after their first visit. However this time Grimsby lost 2-0 to MK Dons. League form suffered terribly afterwards, the season ending with eight straight defeats. After gaining just two points from the opening six games of the 2008–09 season, Buckley was again dismissed as manager.[8] In his three stints as Grimsby Town manager—spanning, in total, over 10 years—the club was never relegated.
[edit] Honours as a player
[edit] Walsall
- All time scoring record: 202 goals in all major competitions
- Most expensive signing: £175,000 from Birmingham City in June 1979
[edit] Honours as a manager
[edit] Kettering Town
[edit] Grimsby Town
[edit] Managerial stats
As of 24 May 2007.
| Team |
Nat |
From |
To |
Record |
| G |
W |
L |
D |
Win % |
| Walsall |
 |
27 June 1979 |
1 July 1981 |
93 |
36 |
24 |
33 |
38.70 |
| Walsall |
|
1 July 1981 |
1 January 1982 |
18 |
9 |
4 |
5 |
50.00 |
| Walsall |
|
1 July 1982 |
1 August 1986 |
201 |
87 |
66 |
48 |
43.28 |
| Grimsby Town |
|
6 June 1988 |
20 October 1994 |
327 |
130 |
109 |
88 |
39.75 |
| West Bromwich Albion |
|
20 October 1994 |
22 January 1997 |
118 |
39 |
45 |
34 |
33.05 |
| Grimsby Town |
|
21 May 1997 |
22 August 2000 |
175 |
67 |
63 |
45 |
38.28 |
| Lincoln City |
|
28 February 2001 |
25 April 2002 |
69 |
16 |
29 |
24 |
23.18 |
| Rochdale |
|
1 June 2003 |
30 December 2003 |
28 |
8 |
15 |
5 |
28.57 |
| Grimsby Town |
|
9 November 2006 |
15 September 2008 |
97 |
33 |
41 |
23 |
34.02 |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Buckley, Alan |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
Footballer; football manager |
| Date of birth |
20 April 1951 |
| Place of birth |
Mansfield, England |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
