Arthur Fraser Mann (23 January 1948 – 4 February 1999) was a Scottish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

, who played as a defender. He later moved into management and coaching.

Biography

Mann was born in

Burntisland Burntisland ( , sco, also Bruntisland) is a former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland, on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 6,269. It was previously known as Wester Kingho ...

, Scotland and began his playing career at Heart of Midlothian. He played for Hearts in the 1968 Scottish Cup Final, although he ended up on the losing side as

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

won 3–1. He then moved to England, where he represented

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

. He was signed by Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison for a then club record of £65,000. In common with Dennis Bergkamp, he had a fear of flying and so was unable to take part in City's European escapades. He failed to break into the Cup winning side and moved on after a season to

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

. He then moved to

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...

Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...

(whom he also managed),

Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...

and Telford United. He was

Alan Buckley Alan Peter Buckley (born 20 April 1951) is an English former professional footballer and football manager who now works as a sports co-commentator for BBC Humberside. As a player, he was a forward from 1967 to 1987 for Nottingham Forest, Wa ...

's assistant manager at

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...

and

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

, and had a spell as caretaker-manager at Albion early in 1997 following Buckley's dismissal. He is the father of former Hull City stalwart Neil Mann. Mann died on 4 February 1999 in an industrial accident at a

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

factory.

References

;Sources
Arthur Mann
* 1948 births 1999 deaths Footballers from Falkirk Scottish men's footballers Scottish football managers Men's association football fullbacks Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Boston United F.C. players Boston United F.C. managers Kettering Town F.C. players Telford United F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. managers Industrial accident deaths Accidental deaths in England Grimsby Town F.C. non-playing staff {{Scotland-footy-defender-1940s-stub