Bobby Seith

Robert Seith (born 9 March 1932) is a Scottish former football player and manager. He won league championships in both England and Scotland, with Burnley and Dundee respectively.[3]

Bobby Seith
Personal information
Full name Robert Seith[1]
Date of birth (1932-03-09) 9 March 1932
Place of birth Coatbridge, Scotland
Position(s) Right half
Youth career
Monifeith Tayside
1948–1953 Burnley
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1953–1960 Burnley 211 (6)
1960–1965 Dundee 134 (5)
Total 345 (11)
National team
1962[2] SFL trial v SFA 1 (0)
Teams managed
1968–1970 Preston North End
1970–1974 Heart of Midlothian
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Seith began his professional career with Burnley, whom he joined in 1948 aged 16. He made his debut for the Clarets in 1953, in a 2–1 away victory against Manchester United, and soon became their regular right half. By 1959–60 Burnley had become a genuine title challenger and Seith played 27 games in that league campaign as they moved towards their first championship since 1920–21. However a defensive blip in a game against challengers Wolves saw him dropped in March 1960 and he was still absent from the side when they eventually clinched the title.

That summer, a dispute with the Burnley chairman led to Seith's transfer back to Scotland, where he joined Dundee for £7,500. The Dens Park side contained famous names such as Alan Gilzean, Gordon Smith and Ian Ure and was a potent threat to the traditional dominance of the Old Firm, eventually winning the League title in the 1961–62 season. This allowed Seith the opportunity to compete in the European Cup which had been denied him by his acrimonious departure from Turf Moor and he featured prominently in the Dark Blues run to the semi-final, where they eventually lost to eventual winners A.C. Milan.

Coaching career

Seith retired from playing in 1964, joining the Dundee coaching staff before moving to a similar role with Rangers; he was to resign from his Rangers post in protest at the sacking of manager Scot Symon in 1967. He earned his first opportunity as a manager when appointed to replace Jimmy Milne at Preston North End but left in 1970. He had a brief period in charge of the Scottish national youth team before being hired as manager of Heart of Midlothian. It was Seith who brought striker Drew Busby to Tynecastle. The Maroons had endured several seasons of mediocrity prior to Seith's appointment but gradually improved under his charge and in the 1973–74 season topped the League for several months following a 13-match unbeaten run. An inconsistent finish saw them narrowly miss out on European qualification though and following a 10 games winless streak at the beginning of 1974–75, he was dismissed.

Seith left the football business following his departure from Tynecastle and has since worked as a chiropodist, based in Broughty Ferry. He was belatedly awarded a medal for his efforts in Burnley's 1959–60 league title win in 1999, having been denied one at the time due a dispute with the then club chairman. He was presented with this medal in a public ceremony prior to a Burnley home match in October 1999.

References
  1. "Bobby Seith". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  2. Ronnie McDevitt (2016). Scotland in the 60s: The Definitive Account of the Scottish National Football Side During the 1960s. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781785312458.
  3. Pattullo, Alan (28 April 2012). "Dundee class of '62 hit their half century". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
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