Alan Durban
Alan Durban was born in Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom on July 7th, 1941 and is the Soccer Player. At the age of 82, Alan Durban biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
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William Alan Durban (born 7 July 1941) is a Welsh former international footballer and boss who lived in Wales from the 1970s to the 1990s.
He played in the Football League for Cardiff City, Derby County, and was player-manager of Shrewsbury Town.
He was in charge of Stoke City (two spells), Sunderland, and Cardiff City.
Personal life
Durban's career was chronicled in David Snowdon's book titled Give Us Tomorrow: Alan Durban's Mission Impossible, mainly describing his time in Sunderland.
Club career
Durban was born in Margam, Port Talbot, on Bracken Road. He began his career at Cardiff City, defeating Derby County 2–1 in 1959, his first appearance in the city. He fell out of favour and was transferred to Derby County for £10,000 in July 1963 at the age of 22, having played over 50 times for Cardiff City, and was originally a pioneer on the team. He made his Derby debut in 1963 in a 3–1 loss to Newcastle United and helped the team to their thirteenth position in his first season, as well as his relationship with newly arrived Eddie Thomas, who saw the team advance to the top of the table in the ensuing two years.
Tim Ward was appointed as the Derby boss by Brian Clough after finishing in seventeenth place in the 1966–67 season. Durban was moved from inside-forward to an attacking midfield role under Clough, and was named captain for the first time in a 5–1 victory over his former club Cardiff City. He won a Second Division championship in 1968–69 and later a coveted First Division championship medal in 1971–72. He left Derby in 1973 after deciding to become Shrewsbury Town's player-assistant manager after scoring 110 goals in 404 appearances. Following Maurice Evans' dismissal, the man who had signed him three months before, he was named manager on December 4, 1973. Richie Barker, a former Derby teammate, was appointed as his assistant, and he helped Shrewsbury gain promotion in 1974-75 and solidify their position in the Third Division. He retired from playing when he was appointed manager of Stoke City in February 1978.
International career
On May 18, 1966, Durban was given his first appearance for Wales in a 1–0 loss to Brazil at the age of 24. He went on to make 27 appearances for Wales, his last appearance for Wales being on May 27, 1972, after a 0–0 draw with Northern Ireland on May 27.
Managerial career
He began his managerial career at Shrewsbury Town in February 1974 and was in charge of them until 1978, when he joined Stoke City. He had won promotion from the Fourth Division and the Welsh Cup in 1977. In a dramatic fashion victory over Notts County 1–0 on the final day of the 1978-19 season, Stoke gained promotion back to the First Division. In 1979–80, Stoke kickstarted a relegation fight, achieving 18th place in 18th place. Stoke suffered out a humiliating 2–0 loss at Arsenal, and a journalist told Durban that his team's performance was nothing to watch, to which Durban replied, "This is soccer." "If you want entertainment, then you should watch a bunch of clowns." Stoke finished mid-table in 1980-1981, 1981, he shocked Stoke by rennouncing in favour of becoming the head of Sunderland. Sunderland had offered to buy his house in Shrewsbury for the same price he paid for it, which was one of the primary reasons why he moved.
In the season's last game, 1981–82, Roker Park, Durban, survived a struggling squad and relegation was skipped. Ally McCoist, Nick Pickering, Barry Venison, and Colin West were among the first players to form a youthful team that would mature, introducing Ally McCoist, Nick Pickering, Barry Venison, and Colin West. However, he was hampered by a stringent restriction on transfer funds. The following two seasons brought hope of better things, but an FA Cup departure has reignited boardroom dissatisfaction, and he was suspended in March 1984. Willington was manager of Willington in the Northern League for a short time after leaving Sunderland. He left Sunderland six months after leaving Sunderland, but his two-year tenure at Ninian Park turned into a disaster, losing from the Second Division to the Fourth Division, and Durban was replaced by Frank Burrows.
Several years later, Durban returned to Sunderland to serve as the chief scout under Peter Reid. After a brief stint as caretaker for five games in the 1997–98 season, he was unable to prevent Stoke from falling into the third tier. He began working part-time as a regional scout for Norwich City's Championship side.
Durban rejoined Stoke City on a part-time basis as a mentor for young academy players needing assistance off the field. He died at the age of 75.