Dave Sexton took Manchester United to an FA Cup final and narrowly missed out on the First Division title during his time at Manchester United, but that still wasn’t enough to save his job as an air of negativity and frustration about the way his team played overshadowed anything they were able to achieve on the field.
Having saved United from relegation, taken them down to the Second Division, got them promoted once again, and then defeated Liverpool in the 1977 FA Cup final, the Tommy Docherty years were far from dull at Old Trafford due to his larger-than-life persona, combined with his cavalier style of play that utilised two flying wingers; despite it not being the most successful spell in the club’s history.
So when “The Doc,” was sacked that summer following an affair with the wife of the club’s physiotherapist and Dave Sexton arrived from Chelsea to replace him, complete with school master demeanour and stifled delivery, it was something of a shock to the system for everyone to say the least.
He was no natural in front of the camera and was noticeably anxious and awkward in public, preferring to spend time with his players rather than talking to journalists and if that wasn’t enough he’d also replaced a man that was renowned for his charisma and gung-ho attacking style of play.
Sexton had learned his trade the traditional way. He was thoughtful and cautious, wanting to win, but more afraid of getting beaten. He was part of the academy at West Ham that thought nothing of spending hours in the boot room discussing formations and tactics with their peers.
But he was always dogged by the perception that his sides were boring, something that was reinforced by some pretty impressive, yet un-exciting statistics during his time in the hot seat at Old Trafford. In his first season his United side scored 67 goals, the fifth-highest tally in the division, yet they conceded 63; only six teams let in more. The following season they scored 60 and let in 63.
Of course reaching the FA Cup final in 1979, which United would lose in thrilling fashion to Arsenal, had bought the softly spoken Londoner some time, but being hard to beat would only earn him so much kudos with fans that had become hungry for the style of football they had lapped up under Docherty.
Perhaps Sexton’s most memorable season was the 1979/80 campaign, which saw United going into their final game with Leeds level on points with Liverpool. Yet despite having only conceded 35 goals all season, they choked when it really mattered and were beaten by their Yorkshire rivals, handing the title to the Anfield club.
So by the time it came to his fourth term in charge, patience was beginning to run out. The consensus among fans and press alike was that United played boring football, ground out functional performances and basically did things the hard way – essentially Sexton didn’t play the ‘Manchester United way.‘
In the transfer market, Sexton tried to buy success rather than generate it himself, but the failure of million pound signing Gary Birtles to score in his first 25 games for United summed up the failings he suffered when it came to some pretty high-profile signings.
And although Sexton’s men would finish the 1980/81 season with seven straight wins, it wasn’t enough for the United board as the supporters’ frustration with a man who simply did not believe in getting the ball wide and scoring more goals than your opponents had become impossible to ignore.
The club eventually opted for the more flamboyant Ron Atkinson in an attempt to revive their fortunes, not to mention revive an attacking style demanded by so many at the club, and with relative success as “Big Ron” delivered two FA Cups while not finishing below fourth in the table during his five seasons at Old Trafford.
Of course there are very few similarities with United’s current incumbent and Dave Sexton, a man who never looked comfortable in the job and, in all honesty, probably belonged to a different era; but if nothing else, his fate shows that fans’ perception of failure alone can be enough to get a Manchester United manager sacked, despite the results they achieve.
