Martin Buchan

Martin McLean Buchan (born 6 March 1949 in Aberdeen) is a Scottish former international footballer. He played as a centre back for Aberdeen, Manchester United and Oldham Athletic. He also played in 34 international matches for Scotland between 1971 and 1978 including at two World Cups. Buchan later managed Burnley.

Martin Buchan
Personal information
Full name Martin McLean Buchan[1]
Date of birth (1949-03-06) 6 March 1949
Place of birth Aberdeen, Scotland
Position(s) Centre-back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Banks O' Dee
1965–1972 Aberdeen 134 (9)
1967 → Washington Whips (guest) 8 (1)
1972–1983 Manchester United 456 (4)
1983–1985 Oldham Athletic 28 (0)
Total 626 (14)
National team
1971–1978 Scotland 34 (0)
Teams managed
1985 Burnley
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Aberdeen

Buchan started his professional career with his hometown club Aberdeen. He captained the team when they won the 1970 Scottish Cup Final 3–1 against Jock Stein's Celtic.[2]

Manchester United

Buchan was signed by Manchester United manager Frank O'Farrell on 29 February 1972 for £120,000, and at the time was the club's record signing.[3][4] His first game for United came on 4 March 1972 against Tottenham in the First Division. He was unable to prevent United from suffering relegation to the Second Division in 1973–74, his first season as club captain following the retirement of Bobby Charlton. However, United bounced back at the first attempt as Second Division champions.

Buchan helped United win the 1977 FA Cup Final against Liverpool, which they won 2–1. This meant that Buchan became the only player to captain both Scottish and English FA Cup-winning sides. He also helped United reach another FA Cup final in 1979, where they lost 3–2 to Arsenal. He was still with United when they beat Brighton 4–0 in the replayed 1983 FA Cup Final, but he did not make the team for the final. Buchan left the club in August 1983 after injuries caught up with him, signing for Oldham Athletic on a free transfer. He had played in 456 games, scoring 4 goals, one of which was a superb, yet somewhat uncharacteristic, long-range drive against Everton.

International

Buchan won 34 caps for Scotland, making his international debut in 1971 against Portugal and his last appearance in 1978 against the same country. He played in the 1974 World Cup finals and 1978 World Cup finals and captained Scotland twice: in 1975 against Romania and in 1977 against Argentina.

After playing

On 22 June 1985, Buchan was appointed manager of Burnley, who had just been relegated to the Fourth Division for the first time in their history – 25 years after being league champions. Buchan lasted less than four months at Turf Moor, resigning on 10 October 1985.[5]

Buchan currently works for the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) in Manchester.[6]

Personal life

Buchan's brother George[7] and father Martin senior[8] and both played for Aberdeen, the latter only in unofficial competitions during World War II. His son Jamie played with Aberdeen, Dundee United and Partick Thistle.[9]

Honours

Club
Aberdeen
Manchester United

See also

References
  1. "Martin Buchan". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  2. Martin Buchan [2], AFC Heritage Trust
  3. "Buchan Signs for United". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 29 February 1972. p. 26. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. O'Callaghan, Eoin (20 October 2017). "George Best's chaos, his Cork boss and a club in crisis: when United last faced Huddersfield". The42. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  5. Martin Buchan managerial career
  6. Simpson, Ray (2007). The Clarets Chronicles: The Definitive History of Burnley Football Club 1882–2007. p. 554. ISBN 978-0-9557468-0-2.
  7. George Buchan, AFC Heritage Trust
  8. Martin Buchan [1], AFC Heritage Trust
  9. Jamie Buchan, AFC Heritage Trust
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