Martin James Allen (born 14 August 1965) is an English
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
manager and former player. He played more than 100 games as a midfielder for both
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
and
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
before finishing his playing career with
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
and
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
. Five years later, he took his first job in management, at non-league
Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
. He has since managed
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
,
Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
,
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
,
Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league sy ...
and
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 ...
. He rejoined Barnet as manager on 16 April 2012 on a short-term, three-match contract succeeding
Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrence Philip Sanchez (born 22 October 1959) is a Northern Irish football manager and former international footballer.
The defining moment of his playing career came in the 1988 FA Cup Final, when he scored the winning goal for Wimbledon a ...
. In July 2012 he became manager of
Gillingham and in the
2012–13 season led the team to the
Football League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
title, earning Allen his first promotion as a manager and Gillingham's first divisional title in 49 years. He was sacked as Gillingham manager in October 2013. Allen rejoined Barnet for a fourth spell in 2014, leading the Bees back into
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
before dropping divisions to join
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.
The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...
in December 2016, a role he held only until the following February.
Playing career
Often referred to by his nickname of "Mad Dog", Allen began his career with
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
, signing professional in 1983 and spending six years at
Loftus Road
Loftus Road is a football stadium in White City, London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers.
In 1981, it became the first stadium in British professional football to have an artificial pitch of Omniturf installed. This remained in ...
playing in the
1986 League Cup Final defeat against
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
, before a £670,000 move to
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
. Signed by manager
Lou Macari
Luigi Macari (born 7 June 1949) is a Scottish former footballer and manager. He began his playing career at Celtic where he was one of the Quality Street Gang, the outstanding reserve team that emerged in the late 1960s that also included Ken ...
, Allen made his debut on 26 August 1989 in a 3–2 home win against
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
. He scored the second goal, the other West Ham goals coming from
David Kelly and
Kevin Keen
Kevin Ian Keen (born 25 February 1967) is an English football coach and former player. Keen is currently the coach of West Ham United under-18 team.
Keen began his career with Wycombe Wanderers before joining West Ham United in 1983. He spent ...
.
Under manager
Billy Bonds
William Arthur Bonds (born 17 September 1946) is a former professional footballer and manager, who is most often associated with West Ham United with whom he spent 27 years as player and manager. He played 799 first-team games for West Ham in a ...
Allen was part of the team which won promotion to the
First Division in 1991 and to the
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 Foo ...
in 1993.
Allen was frequently
booked during his West Ham career and had a reputation for poor discipline.
He was
sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
in a match on 17 January 1990 for a two-footed lunge on
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
's
Mark Patterson.
During a game on 30 November 1991 against
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 of ...
, managed by Allen's manager at Queens Park Rangers,
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis (born 19 April 1954) is an English former footballer who played as a forward for a number of clubs in England, the United States, Italy, Scotland and Australia. In 1979 he became Britain's first £1 million player foll ...
, Allen was booked after only 20 seconds of being on the pitch for a jump tackle on
Carlton Palmer
Carlton Lloyd Palmer (born 5 December 1965) is an English football manager, former footballer and football television pundit whose last management role was as manager of Grantham Town.
As a player, he was a midfielder from 1984 to 2005, play ...
which saw Palmer carried off with a suspected broken leg. Although not sent-off, West Ham manager Bonds fined Allen a week's wages.
During his time at Queens Park Rangers Allen had been refused permission, by manager Francis, to attend the birth of his first child as Allen would miss an important match. Allen attended the birth and was disciplined by the club.
Under Bonds and
Harry Redknapp
Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City. In his ...
Allen formed a successful partnership with
Peter Butler Peter or Pete Butler may refer to:
* Pete Butler (coach) (1909–1983), American football, basketball, and baseball coach and college athletics administrator
* Peter Butler (politician) (born 1951), Conservative Member of Parliament
* Peter Butler ...
with Allen contributing 34 goals from midfield in 234 appearances. However, by 1995 team discipline was poor at West Ham and with Allen playing alongside
Julian Dicks
Julian Andrew Dicks (born 8 August 1968) is an English football coach and former footballer who is assistant manager of EFL Championship side Watford.
Playing from 1985 until 2002, he was a defender, notably in the Premier League for West ...
,
John Moncur
John Frederick Moncur (born 22 September 1966) is an English football chairman and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a midfielder notably playing top flight football for Tottenham Hotspur, Swindon Town and West Ham United, with ...
and
Don Hutchison
Donald Hutchison (born 9 May 1971) is a former professional footballer. Hutchison is a football television pundit and commentator for Talksport and ESPN FC.
As a player, Hutchison was a midfielder, who played in the Premier League for Liverpoo ...
bookings were commonplace.
Allen was again dismissed in a match against Queens Park Rangers on 3 May 1995 after fouling
Rufus Brevett
Rufus Brevett (born 24 September 1969) is an English football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a defender who notably played in the Premier League for Queens Park Rangers, Fulham and West Ham United. He was par ...
.
He would play only five more games before being allowed to leave.
[
Allen stayed with the Hammers until September 1995 when he made a £500,000 switch to ]Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
after a successful loan spell at Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football ground in Portsmouth, England, which is the home of Portsmouth F.C. Fratton Park remains as the only home football ground in Portsmouth FC's entire history.
The early Fratton Park was designed by local architect A ...
. After three frustrating years with Pompey, which took in a brief loan stint at Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
, he retired and began a coaching career.
Management career
Reading
Allen began his management career as an assistant manager at hometown club Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
, where he joined Alan Pardew when the Royals were in the relegation zone. The team produced championship form in their closing 20 fixtures, winning 12 and drawing 4 to secure a top 10 finish. Two years later they won promotion to Division One.
Barnet
Allen's first full manager role was at Conference side Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
, from March 2003 to March 2004. He succeeded from Peter Shreeves
Peter Shreeves (born 30 November 1940) is a Welsh former football player, manager and coach.
Career
Shreeves was born in Neath in South Wales where his mother had been evacuated to during the early stages of World War II, but was brought up i ...
, to whom he was assistant manager from March 2002. Allen built a team from scratch in pre-season of the 2003–04 campaign. The team shot straight to the top end of the table, however Allen left for Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
with a few weeks of the season remaining in a move that disappointed many Barnet fans. Under the guidance of new manager Paul Fairclough
Paul Fairclough (born 31 January 1950) is an English football manager and former player who is the manager of the England C team.
As a player, he made five appearances for Cheshunt in the 1981–82 season.
Managerial career
Stevenage
In ...
, the Bees made the play-offs but were beaten in the semi-finals by 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 ...
.
Brentford
Allen took over from Wally Downes at Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
side Brentford in March 2004. He had a good run at the club, saving them from relegation to the Third Division in what remained of the 2003–04 season. In the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons he took Brentford to the play-offs with fourth and third-place finishes respectively, but they were eliminated by Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City respectively in the semi-finals on both occasions. Allen won press attention during the 2004–05 season for the success of his self-described "two bob team", which was composed of ageing pros (John Salako
John Akin Salako (born 11 February 1969) is an English football coach, former professional player, and sports television pundit.
Born in Nigeria, Salako played as a midfielder from 1986 until 2005. He played in the Premier League for Crystal Pal ...
, Andy Myers
Andrew John Myers (born 3 November 1973) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who is a loan player technical coach at Premier League club Chelsea.
As a player, he was a defender notably in the Premier League with ...
, Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
and Jamie Lawrence), free transfers (Deon Burton
Deon John Burton (born 25 October 1976) is a football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker and who is the current Under-23's Manager of EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion. His numerous clubs in English footba ...
, Chris Hargreaves, Stewart Talbot and Isaiah Rankin
Isaiah Marcus Rankin (born 22 May 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward from 1996 to 2014.
He started his professional career with Arsenal where he came through the club's youth setup. He appeared once for ...
) and young guns who would go on to play in the 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 Foo ...
( Jay Tabb, Stephen Hunt, Sam Sodje
Okeremute Samuel Sodje (born 25 May 1979) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre back.
Born in England to Nigerian parents, Sodje represented Nigeria at international level.
Club career Early years
Sodje was born in Greenwi ...
and Michael Turner). Allen took Brentford to the fifth round of the 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 ...
in two consecutive years, going out to Premier League sides Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in the 2004–05 season (losing 3–1 in a replay, after a 2–2 draw at St Mary's) and Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
3–1 in the 2005–06 season. He also was in charge of one of the major giant killings in the fourth round in the 2005–06 season, beating Premier League side Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
2–1.
At Brentford, he proved to be a very popular manager with the fans and an object of curiosity to opponents and media alike due to his unconventional managerial methods, which paid off due to the relative success Brentford had under him on a limited budget. He participated in a 25-mile sponsored bike ride in November 2005 to raise funds for Brentford. To inspire the team, Allen swam in the Tees before a 1–0 FA Cup fourth round replay victory over Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded i ...
in February 2005 and jumped naked into the Solent
The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay t ...
before Brentford's 2–2 draw at Southampton in the following round. In May 2006, Allen announced his resignation as manager of Brentford, citing lack of Board commitment to investing in the team to take it to the next level. In July 2006 he completed his UEFA Pro Licence
UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are iss ...
in coaching. With the club struggling in League One in late 2010, there was speculation that Allen would replace Andy Scott as manager, but the reports were quashed by Brentford chief executive Andrew Mills.
Milton Keynes Dons
Allen then dropped down a level to manage League Two team Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
for the 2006–07 season, a club with heavy financial backing and ambitions from owner Pete Winkelman
Peter John Winkelman is the current chairman of English association football club Milton Keynes Dons, as well as managing director of the property development consortium Inter MK Ltd that was responsible for developing the Denbigh North district ...
, albeit one that had been in severe decline for the past few years and had dropped from the Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
to League Two in three seasons. Allen managed to arrest the club's decline and took his team to the play-offs, but lost in the semi-finals to Shrewsbury Town.
Leicester City
In May 2007, Allen became the new manager at Championship side Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
, after Leicester and Milton Keynes Dons had negotiated a compensation package.
In August 2007, striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jerrel Floyd "Jimmy" Hasselbaink ( ; born 27 March 1972) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of League One club Burton Albion.
Born in Suriname, he and his family would later move to t ...
agreed contract terms with Leicester and chairman Milan Mandarić
Milan Mandarić ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Мандарић; born 5 September 1938) is a Serbian-American businessman who has owned a string of businesses and association football clubs, including Portsmouth, Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday. ...
invited him to undergo a medical at Leicester. But when Hasselbaink arrived in Leicester on 13 August, Allen told him that the medical was no longer going take place. Six days later, Mandarić confirmed an interest in striker Derek Riordan
Derek George Riordan (born 16 January 1983) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker. He has been capped three times by the Scotland national team.
Riordan started his career with Hibernian in 2001 and had a brief spell o ...
, who was lacking first team football at Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
. However, Allen refused to make an offer for Riordan, which further aggravated Mandarić. Relations with chairman Milan Mandarić quickly deteriorated and his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 29 August 2007 after just four games in charge.
After leaving Leicester, Allen declared his interest in managing Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
, which eventually went to Maurice Malpas
Maurice Daniel Robert Malpas (born 3 August 1962) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He signed for Dundee United in 1979 and spent his entire professional playing career with the club until his retirement in 2000. With him, United ...
.
Cheltenham Town
Allen was appointed as manager of Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league sy ...
on 15 September 2008, on a three-year contract. His father, Dennis
Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius.
The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...
, had been manager at Whaddon Road
Whaddon Road, known as the Completely-Suzuki Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Cheltenham, England. It is the home ground of Cheltenham Town F.C. It has a total capacity of 7,066, with a mixture of seating and terracing ...
between 1974 and 1979. With financial difficulties hitting the club and an increasingly troubled dressing room atmosphere, the entire Cheltenham squad were put up for sale. Allen allowed key players to leave mid-season either on loan or for reduced prices, contributing to a run of results which left Cheltenham near the foot of the League Two table. On 20 October 2009 and amidst poor results on the pitch, Allen was suspended by Cheltenham Town and placed on gardening leave
Garden leave (also known as gardening leave) is the practice whereby an employee leaving a job – having resigned or otherwise had their employment terminated – is instructed to stay away from work during the notice period, while still remainin ...
pending an internal investigation into allegations that he racially abused a nightclub bouncer
A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, or ...
. In November Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
police announced that no action would be taken against Allen concerning the alleged nightclub incident. He remained on leave whilst Cheltenham Town considered his future at the club. On 11 December it was announced he had left the club. In January 2010 he was appointed part-time scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
for Queens Park Rangers.
Return to Barnet
On 23 March 2011, Allen returned to his first managerial club, Barnet, until the end of the 2010–11 season. He was working on an eight-game contract but left after only three games, in which Barnet were unbeaten, to take charge of 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 ...
.
Notts County
Allen took charge of Notts County on 11 April 2011 signing a one-year rolling contract. Notts County won eight points out of the seven games Allen was in charge of at the end of the 2010–11 season, enough for them to avoid relegation. Allen was named League One Manager of the Month in September 2011 after leading the team to four wins and a draw in the league.
Allen was sacked by Notts County on 18 February 2012.
Third spell at Barnet
Allen was appointed caretaker manager of Barnet on 16 April 2012 for the last three games of the 2011–12 season, replacing Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrence Philip Sanchez (born 22 October 1959) is a Northern Irish football manager and former international footballer.
The defining moment of his playing career came in the 1988 FA Cup Final, when he scored the winning goal for Wimbledon a ...
. Barnet managed two wins under Allen's managership, finished 22nd and avoided relegation from League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
with a 2–1 win on 5 May 2012 on the last day of the season, against Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
. Following the end of the season, Allen's contract ended.
Gillingham
On 5 July 2012, Allen was appointed manager of Gillingham signing a two-year contract.
His first match as Gillingham manager came on 14 August 2012, a 2–1 away win against Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
in the League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
. While at Gillingham, Allen oversaw the Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
side's best ever start to a league season. He also broke the club record for most away wins in a football league season with a 1–0 win over Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
, the eleventh of the season on 23 February 2013. On 6 April 2013 Gillingham secured promotion to League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
, Allen's first ever promotion in his career as a manager. They secured the League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
title with a 2–2 draw against AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
at Priestfield on 20 April. On 20 May 2013, Allen was crowned League 2 Manager of the Year by the LMA for his achievements with the club. Allen was sacked by Gillingham in October 2013 after sixteen months in charge. Gillingham had won just two games from eleven played on their return to League One.
Fourth spell at Barnet
Allen was appointed head coach of Barnet on 19 March 2014 until the end of the 2014–15 season, marking his fourth spell at the club. He coached them to the 2014–15 Football Conference
The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...
championship on 25 April 2015 to secure promotion to League Two. Barnet comfortably avoided relegation in their first season back in League Two, finishing 15th. However, despite the Bees starting the 2016–17 season just outside the play-off zone in 8th place, Allen made an unexpected request to terminate his contract to join National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
side Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.
The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...
. The request was granted on 1 December 2016.
Eastleigh
On 1 December 2016, Eastleigh had confirmed that Allen had joined up with them taking the Manager's position previously help by Ronnie Moore
Ronald David Moore (born 29 January 1953) is an English football manager and former player. He has taken charge of several clubs including Rotherham United, Tranmere Rovers and Hartlepool United.
He played for many different clubs in a care ...
. His first game incharge was in the 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 ...
against Halifax Town
FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in and play at the Shay. They replaced Halifax Town A.F.C., which went into administration in the 2007–08 season. ...
which ended 3–3. This required a replay in which Eastleigh went away to Halifax and won 2–0. For the third round of the FA Cup Allen and Eastleigh were drawn an away match against Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
. BBCs ''Football Focus
''Football Focus'' is a BBC television magazine programme launched in 1974 covering football, normally broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday lunchtimes during the football season. From the 2009–10 season to the 2020–21 season Football Focus ...
'' interviewed Allen in the lead up to the game and he revealed he almost quit football due to health problems while suffering from stress at Barnet. Eastleigh lost their game against Brentford 5–1. Allen was fired by Eastleigh on 22 February 2017 after only winning two of his 14 games in charge.
Fifth spell at Barnet
On 19 March 2018, the departure of Graham Westley
Graham Neil Westley (born 4 March 1968) is an English former professional footballer and manager who was most recently manager of League Two club Stevenage.
Westley's playing career, spent mostly as a striker in non-League football, was curt ...
and the return of Allen as manager of Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
was announced. On 10 May 2018, it was announced that Allen had left the club, following relegation from the Football League.
Chesterfield
Less than a week after leaving Barnet, Allen was appointed manager of Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
, who themselves had seen relegation from the Football League at the end of the 2017–18 season. Allen was sacked on 27 December 2018, with the club sitting third bottom of the National League table.
Managerial statistics
Honours
As a player
Queens Park Rangers
* Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
runner-up: 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
West Ham United
* Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...
runner-up: 1990–91
As a manager
Brentford
* Supporters Direct Cup
Supporters Direct are an umbrella organisation set up originally by the British government (with cross-party support) to provide support and assistance for its member trusts to secure a greater level of accountability and deliver democratic rep ...
: 2004
Gillingham
* Football League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
: 2012–13
Barnet
*Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
: 2014–15
As an individual
* League One Manager of the Month (3): September 2004, February 2006, September 2011
* League Two Manager of the Month (2): August 2012, January 2013
* League Two Manager of the Season: 2012–13
*Match of the Day magazine League Two Manager of the Season: 2012–13
*BBC Radio London
BBC Radio London is the Local BBC Radio, BBC's local radio station serving Greater London and its surrounding areas. The station broadcasts across the area and beyond, on the 94.9 FM broadcasting, FM frequency, Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, ...
Sports Personality of the Year: 2005
Family
His cousins, Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American business magnate, computer programmer, researcher, investor, and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which h ...
, Bradley Allen
Bradley James Allen (born 13 September 1971) is an English football coach and former professional footballer, who is an academy coach at coach at Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
As a player, he was a forward who notably played in the ...
and Clive Allen
Clive Darren Allen (born 20 May 1961) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward for seven different London clubs. Allen was a prolific striker throughout his career ...
, were also footballers, as was his uncle Les Allen
Leslie William Allen (born 4 September 1937) is an English former football player and manager who played as a inside forward.
Playing career
Allen started his playing career at amateur club Briggs Sports where he helped them to reach the ...
. His father, Dennis
Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius.
The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...
, played for Reading, Charlton Athletic and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. His son Charlie Allen played under his management at several clubs and now plays for Farnborough. His nephew Harry Grant played professionally, and Harry's brother Freddie trained with Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
's youth team before being released by the club.
Business career
Having run his own soccer schools programme across 13 towns while still playing professionally. Allen, a UEFA Pro Licence holder and a graduate of the LMA's Certificate in Applied Management at Warwick University
, mottoeng = Mind moves matter
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £7.0 million (2021)
, budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...
, created the company Pro FC which finds young people with the potential to become footballers. He is also non-exec director of the football charity, Coaching for Hope.
Journalism
In December 2013 Allen began writing for the ''Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
''. His column, "Mad Dog on Monday", is published online via the Daily Mail's website, ''Mail Online
MailOnline (also known as ''dailymail.co.uk'') is the website of the ''Daily Mail'', a newspaper in the United Kingdom, and of its sister paper ''The Mail on Sunday''. MailOnline is a division of dmg media, which is owned by Daily Mail and Gene ...
'' Sport.''
References
External links
*
Martin Allen
at westhamstats.info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Martin
1965 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Reading, Berkshire
English footballers
England under-21 international footballers
Association football midfielders
Queens Park Rangers F.C. players
West Ham United F.C. players
Portsmouth F.C. players
Southend United F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
English football managers
Barnet F.C. managers
Brentford F.C. managers
Milton Keynes Dons F.C. managers
Leicester City F.C. managers
Cheltenham Town F.C. managers
Notts County F.C. managers
Gillingham F.C. managers
Eastleigh F.C. managers
Chesterfield F.C. managers
English Football League managers
National League (English football) managers
Daily Mail journalists
Alumni of the University of Warwick
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austr ...
Footballers from Berkshire