An interview with Brian Horton, by Callum McFadden for WFi.
During your playing career, you played at Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton, and then finished at Hull City before going on to manage the club as well. How do you reflect on your playing days?
“I started at Walsall as a schoolboy and signed professional terms, but at 17, I got a free transfer, which was heartbreaking. I thought that was the end. I went to play non-league football for my hometown, Hednesford Town, which was a good standard. After four years, Gordon Lee, who was also from Hednesford, spotted me and brought me to Port Vale in 1971.
“I stayed at Port Vale until 1976, playing under both Gordon Lee and Roy Sproson. Those days at Port Vale were formative because the club had no money, and we signed a lot of non-league and free transfer players. That built a great team spirit and mentality, which has stayed with me throughout my career.”
You achieved promotions with both Brighton & Hove Albion and Luton as a player. What do you think is the key to building a promotion-winning side?
“It’s about building a strong team ethic and having the right mentality. At Brighton, Peter Taylor signed me for £30,000, but he left soon after, and Alan Mullery took over. He kept me as captain, and we got promotion in my first full season.
“I then went to Luton and got promoted in my first season there too. Later, at Hull City as player-manager, I also won promotion in my first season. Those were fantastic times. What gave me the most satisfaction was that, after getting a free transfer at 17, I went on to play over 700 league games. That resilience and determination were key.”
You mentioned Peter Taylor, who is best known for his partnership with Brian Clough. What was it like working with him on his own?
“I only played under Peter for about eight games, but he made me captain straight away. We missed out on promotion that season, and then he went back to work with Brian Clough. Even in that short time, you could see his qualities, and he left a good foundation for Alan Mullery to build on when he came in.”
Your first managerial role was at Hull City as a player-manager. How did you balance playing and managing?
“It was tough. At 34, I was still relatively fit, so I maintained my standards on the pitch while managing off it. I relied heavily on my coaches, Chris Chilton and Dennis Booth, for support.
“I implemented a system similar to the one we played at Luton under David Pleat—a 4-3-3 with me as the holding midfielder. I learned a lot from managers like Alan Mullery and David Pleat, who were both very demanding. They instilled in me a desire to always strive for more, which I carried into my own management style.”
At Hull City, you won promotion and nearly achieved a double promotion. Is it true that the players tried to get you reinstated after you were sacked?
“Yes, it’s true. When I was sacked, the players were furious and confronted the chairman, Don Robinson, in the dressing room. He came back to me and asked if I would return, but I declined. I said, ‘You can’t sack me and then ask me to come back five minutes later.’ I had five wonderful years at Hull and learned a lot, but it was time to move on.”
After Hull, you joined Oxford United and eventually got the opportunity to manage Manchester City in the Premier League. How did you handle the step up?
“It was a surprise to many, but I had been a manager for 10 years and felt I’d earned the right. At City, I lost only one of my first 10 games, and we played some fantastic football.
“I brought in players like Nicky Summerbee, Paul Walsh, Peter Beagrie, and Uwe Rösler, alongside talented young players like Gary Flitcroft and Steve Lomas. The fans were brilliant, and I’m still welcomed back warmly. Although my time there was only 20 months, I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
You gave players like Flitcroft and Lomas their first opportunities at that level. How did you manage the blend of youth and experience?
“I’ve always been keen on developing young players. At City, I balanced experienced forwards like Niall Quinn and Peter Beagrie with young talent. It was a joy to work with such a blend of players, and the football we played was exciting and forward-thinking.”
You also managed your former clubs, Brighton and Port Vale. At Port Vale, you won the Football League Trophy at the Millennium Stadium. What was that experience like?
“It was fantastic. Beating Stoke City in the semi-final with a golden goal was sweet, especially since we had to play at their stadium due to our pitch being unplayable. Winning the final against Brentford at the Millennium Stadium was an incredible moment.
“It was my only cup final win, as I never made it to Wembley as a player. The team was on such a roll after that, winning three games in a week despite a hectic schedule. It’s a memory I’ll always cherish.”
Finally, Brian, you worked as an assistant at Hull during their promotion to the Premier League under Phil Brown. What was it like working with Phil at Hull City in the Championship and then in the Premier League?
“We had some really good, strong senior pros at the club at that time who really helped the club along. Well, when I went with Phil, I knew Phil as a football person but not as a pal. I’d seen him at games, spoken to him at games, and stuff like that. He rang me and said, ‘Have you ever thought about being a number two? If I keep them up, I’m going to get the job at Hull City. I’ve heard a lot about you because of your Hull connections.’
“I said, ‘Well, I’ve never been a number two, so I don’t know.’
“I told him, ‘If that happens, give me a ring and we’ll have a chat about it.’ So, that’s what he did. He kept them up and rang me.
“He said, ‘Would you come for an interview? I’m going to interview three or four people, same age, same sort of level as you. Would you come and speak to me?’
“I said, ‘Yeah, of course I will.’
“So, I went to him, and he offered me the job. Obviously, there were lots of connections and good history from my time at Hull City. They had the new stadium, which was fantastic. So, off I went. Basically, he said to me, ‘Look, you’re not a number two. I want to learn from you. You can say what you want to me because I’ll take it in. If I use it, great.’
“Not only was it me—Steve Parkin was also there, and he had good experience. It was Phil, me, him, the backroom staff and the physiotherapy team.
“We just had a great team, which you need to have. That’s something I always got around me as a manager—a good team.
“It starts, obviously, with the players, and we had some good ones. Boaz Myhill in goal. Andy Dawson, and Sam Ricketts. We brought in other players: Ian Ashbee, the captain—top drawer—Dean Windass. Nicky Barmby was there. Then we brought in Richard Garcia, Wayne Brown from Colchester, Brian Hughes and Fraizer Campbell.
“I’d seen Frazier play. When I was at that time, I was watching Man United’s reserves playing at Hyde. I sat with Sir Alex Ferguson that night. He played on the right wing. I asked Sir Alex about him, and he said, ‘That’s Fraizer Campbell—he’s going to be a good player. Great pace.’
“I put it in the memory bank. When I joined Hull, I mentioned Fraizer to Bob Shaw, the chief scout, and he said, ‘Brian, he’s on my list.’ We didn’t get him straight away because we were giving other players a chance. Later, I rang Sir Alex. Phil asked me to do it since I knew Alex better than he did. Alex initially said no because he was part of their team for some competitions.
“But then they got knocked out of one of the competitions. I rang Alex again, and he said, ‘You can have him now.’ We actually met him at Aintree with Paul Duffen, our chairman, and Phil. Fraser came in, and he made the goal for Dean Windass at Wembley.
“Getting promoted in the first year was great for me—another promotion to add to my career.
“Then we saw that Giovanni was available on a free transfer from Man City. I mentioned it to Phil and Bob Shaw. Bob had seen him, as everyone had because Giovanni was such a quality player. Everyone was amazed he was getting a free transfer.
“I rang Les Chapman, Man City’s kit man. Les had been one of my coaches at City and Huddersfield, so I knew him well. He told me, “Giovanni is absolutely top. Great player, great attitude, doesn’t drink, brilliant professional.” So, Paul Duffen, our chairman, did the deal.
“Giovanni came in and scored wonder goals—against Arsenal, Tottenham—and we won our first three Premier League games. We were top of the league at one point. It was unbelievable.
“Phil was great to work with. He listened to people but made his own decisions, which is the way it should be. Our coaching team—Phil, Steve Parkin, and me—worked well together. Phil always said, ‘Throw your ideas in before the event, not after.’
“We had some brilliant times. Phil was a great manager and coach. He cared for the players and created a good atmosphere.”