John Ian Porterfield (11 February 1946 – 11 September 2007) 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 ...
, and an experienced football coach who worked at both club and international level for almost 30 years. At the time of his death, he was the coach of the
Armenia national football team
The Armenia national football team ( hy, Հայաստանի ֆուտբոլի ազգային հավաքական, ''Hayastani futboli azgayin havak'akan'') represents Armenia in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation o ...
.
As a player, Porterfield scored the only goal of the
1973 FA Cup Final
The 1973 FA Cup Final was the 92nd final of the FA Cup. It took place on 5 May 1973 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between Leeds United, the previous season's winners and one of the dominant teams in English football at the time, and Sund ...
as
Sunderland memorably overcame the odds to beat
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
. He was the first manager to be sacked in the
FA Premier League era, when he was fired by
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. He had earlier succeeded
Alex Ferguson as manager of
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
in 1986.
Playing career
![Bckup260815 011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Bckup260815_011.JPG)
At the age of 15, the
Dunfermline-born Porterfield had a trial for
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
but returned, homesick, to Scotland where he joined
Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leagu ...
. Moving south of the border in 1967 he signed for
Sunderland where he experienced his finest moment as a player when he scored the winner at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
in the 1973 FA Cup final, giving them a shock victory over Leeds United, who were among the finest club sides in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
at that time. He stayed at Sunderland for ten years, with a brief loan spell at
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
in 1976, before moving on to
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
in July 1977, first as a player and then as player-coach.
He was inducted in to the
Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leagu ...
Hall of Fame in 2018.
Coaching and management career
Upon retirement as a player he went on to manage
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
winning the
Third Division Championship before joining
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
on 6 June 1981. He was given the task of getting
the Blades, newly relegated to the
Fourth Division back into the
First Division in five seasons with a long-term contract exceeding that particular time-frame.
Given funds by new Chairman, Reg Brealey, Porterfield strengthened the team and achieved the first step of his mission at the first time of asking, winning the Fourth Division championship in his first season. Despite huge financial losses, Brearley continued to provide transfer funds for United's march toward the top division. However, United were never in the hunt for promotion, finishing 11th.
The following season, the playing staff was cut and promotion was achieved, but only due to
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
only beating
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
2–0. A third goal would have seen the
Humberside
Humberside () was a Non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, create ...
club promoted instead. However, ground improvement required by promotion to the Second Division meant there was no further funds for new players. Porterfield was unable to complete the final step into the First Division and finally paid the price being replaced by
Billy McEwan on 27 March 1986.
In November 1986, he was appointed as manager of
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
in the
Scottish Premier Division
The Scottish Football League Premier Division was, from 1975 until 1998, the top division of the Scottish Football League and the entire Scottish football league system. It lay above the Scottish Football League First, Second and (from 1994) ...
following the departure of
Alex Ferguson to
Manchester United. In his 2 years at
Pittodrie
Pittodrie Stadium, commonly referred to as Pittodrie, is an all-seater stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland. Used primarily for football, it has been the home ground of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) club Aberdeen F.C. since they wer ...
, Aberdeen reached the
Scottish League Cup Final, and qualified for Europe twice. After resigning in 1988, he made a quick comeback to football as assistant manager to
Bobby Campbell at
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and oversaw their promotion back to the First Division and Second Division champions in
1988–89.
In October 1989, Porterfield was named manager of Third Division side
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
but was sacked 18 months later, having failed to mount a promotion challenge.
Porterfield returned to Chelsea as manager for the
1991–92 season, following Bobby Campbell's decision to resign as manager and become personal assistant to owner
Ken Bates
Kenneth William Bates (born 4 December 1931) is a British businessman, football executive and hotelier. He was involved in the development of Wembley Stadium and is the former owner and chairman of football clubs Chelsea and Leeds United.
Bate ...
. 1991–92 was an uneventful season, but
1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
began with Chelsea looking like surprise contenders for the first
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
title. However, the good form had gone by
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
and Porterfield was dismissed on 15 February 1993 after 12 games without a win, gaining the distinction of being the first manager to be sacked by a Premier League club.
Porterfield was named manager of the
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
in the summer of 1993 and later managed
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
, all very much developing countries on the football map.
He was given the task of rebuilding the Zambian team following a tragic air crash in 1993 that claimed the lives of many of the nation's most gifted players. With the Zambia national team, he finished second at the 1994 African Nations Cup.
In January 1996, he returned to British football to become the assistant manager of struggling
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
team
Bolton Wanderers. The club had been rooted to the bottom of the table for the most part of the season and Bolton's new manager
Colin Todd
Colin Todd (born 12 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Esbjerg fB. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, ...
was looking to his former Sunderland teammate Porterfield to assist an unlikely escape from relegation, but survival was not achieved.
A
drink-driving
Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash.
In the United States, alcohol is invo ...
charge in May 1996 prompted his hasty resignation from Bolton and he returned abroad to manage both the
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
and
Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of Gr ...
national teams. He led the latter to the
Caribbean Cup
The Caribbean Cup was the championship tournament for national association football teams that are members of the Caribbean Football Union. The first competition, established by Shell and run by former England Cricket fast bowler Fred Rumsey, wa ...
in 2001 before leaving in June 2001.
In 2003, he was appointed as the manager of Korean club side
Busan I'Park
Busan IPark ( ko, 부산 아이파크) is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan that competes in K League 2, the second tier of the South Korean football pyramid. Its current home ground is Busan Gudeok Stadium.
The club was o ...
and he led them to a
Korean FA Cup
The Korean FA Cup is a national football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the FA Cup was established in 1996, two predecessor competitions named All Joseon Football Tournament ...
victory in 2004. The team went on to claim the
K-League
K League (Hangul: K리그) is South Korea's professional football league. It includes first division K League 1 and second division K League 2.
History
Until the 1970s, South Korean football operated two major football leagues, the National ...
first stage title, as it simultaneously continued its unbeaten run through the group stage of the
AFC Champions League.
Porterfield left
Busan I'Park
Busan IPark ( ko, 부산 아이파크) is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan that competes in K League 2, the second tier of the South Korean football pyramid. Its current home ground is Busan Gudeok Stadium.
The club was o ...
on 4 April 2006. He signed a contract to coach the
Armenia national football team
The Armenia national football team ( hy, Հայաստանի ֆուտբոլի ազգային հավաքական, ''Hayastani futboli azgayin havak'akan'') represents Armenia in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation o ...
in August 2006.
Death
He died, aged 61, on 11 September 2007,
as a result of
colon cancer, which had been diagnosed earlier that year. A minute's silence was held before Sunderland's next home game, by coincidence against another of his former clubs, Reading. A pub named The Porterfield is named in his honour in Sunderland.
Honours
As a player
Sunderland
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
:
1972–73
As a manager
Rotherham United
*
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following th ...
:
1980–81
Sheffield United
* Football League Third Division third-place promotion:
1983–84
*
Football League Fourth Division:
1981–82
Trinidad & Tobago
*
Caribbean Cup
The Caribbean Cup was the championship tournament for national association football teams that are members of the Caribbean Football Union. The first competition, established by Shell and run by former England Cricket fast bowler Fred Rumsey, wa ...
:
2001
Busan I'Park
*
Korean FA Cup
The Korean FA Cup is a national football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the FA Cup was established in 1996, two predecessor competitions named All Joseon Football Tournament ...
:
2004
As an individual
*
Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leagu ...
Hall of Fame
References
External links
*
*
Obituaryfrom ''The Times''
from ''The Daily Telegraph''
BBC Wear – Pictures: Ian Porterfield memorial at Sunderland Minster1973 Sunderland FA Cup hero: Tributes and on-line book of condolences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porterfield, Ian
1946 births
2007 deaths
Deaths from colorectal cancer
Footballers from Dunfermline
Scottish footballers
Association football forwards
Raith Rovers F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
Reading F.C. players
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Scottish Football League players
English Football League players
Scottish football managers
Rotherham United F.C. managers
Sheffield United F.C. managers
Aberdeen F.C. managers
Chelsea F.C. managers
Reading F.C. managers
Busan IPark managers
Bolton Wanderers F.C. non-playing staff
Premier League managers
Trinidad and Tobago national football team managers
Armenia national football team managers
Oman national football team managers
Deaths from cancer in England
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Ghana
Expatriate football managers in Ghana
Zambia national football team managers
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in South Korea
Expatriate football managers in South Korea
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Trinidad and Tobago
Expatriate football managers in Trinidad and Tobago
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Zambia
Expatriate football managers in Zambia
Scottish Football League managers
Scottish expatriate football managers
Zimbabwe national football team managers
Cowdenbeath F.C. players
Expatriate football managers in Armenia
1994 African Cup of Nations managers
FA Cup Final players
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Oman
Expatriate football managers in Oman
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Zimbabwe
Expatriate football managers in Zimbabwe
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Armenia