Dave Bassett
Encyclopedia
David Bassett also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player.
In his career he has managed Wimbledon
, Watford
, Sheffield United
, Crystal Palace
, Nottingham Forest
, Barnsley
, Leicester City
and Southampton
.
where he made eleven appearances in the 1967/68 season, Harrow Borough, Hayes
, Wycombe Wanderers
, Walton & Hersham
, where he was part of the side that won the FA Amateur Cup
in 1973, and most notably at Wimbledon
. He was part of the Wimbledon team who, in the 1975 FA Cup, famously beat First Division Burnley
away in the 3rd round then forced a draw in the 4th round at reigning League Champions Leeds United
, before losing narrowly 1-0 (the goal being a wide shot that deflected in off Bassett's knee) in the replay.
He retired from playing, due to injury and business commitments, soon after Wimbledon won election to the Football League in 1977, having made just 35 Football League appearances. He was then appointed by the club as team coach, under the management of Dario Gradi
.
to Crystal Palace in January 1981, when Wimbledon were ninth in the Fourth Division. Wimbledon's form improved substantially following Bassett's appointment, and a 4–1 home win over Rochdale on 28 April 1981 (the penultimate game of the season) secured promotion to the Third Division.
Wimbledon initially struggled at the higher level during 1981–82, Bassett's first full season in charge, and they spent most of the season in a relegation battle. Despite winning four of their last five games of the season, they were still relegated back to the Fourth Division on goal difference, in 21st place.
There then followed five highly successful seasons, which transformed the club's fortunes more than anyone could have predicted.
An excellent campaign in 1982–83
saw Bassett guide Wimbledon to promotion as the Fourth Division championship title winners with 98 points – the highest in any Football League division that year.
Although Wimbledon lost their first two games back in the Third Division, they crushed Newport County
(who had narrowly missed out on promotion to the Second Division the previous season) 6–0 at home in the third game of the league campaign, and by Christmas they were genuine promotion contenders. Promotion was sealed on the final day of the season with a 2–0 away win over Burnley
which secured a second place finish.
In June 1984, Bassett accepted an offer to become manager of Second Division club Crystal Palace
, but remarkably changed his mind within 72 hours, refused to sign the contract at Selhurst Park
, and returned to Wimbledon, stating that "I gave it some serious thought, but in the end it just did not feel right. We have unfinished business, and I didn't really want to leave here."
Wimbledon's life as a Second Division club began with a notable 2–2 home draw with strong promotion favourites Manchester City
on the opening day of the 1984–85 season
. Few people would have been surprised if Bassett's men had struggled in their first season at this level, but they continued to perform efficiently if not spectacularly, and whilst never looking like contenders for a unique third successive promotion neither were they in any danger of relegation. They finally managed a secure 12th place finish – a remarkable feat made all the more impressive by the fact that Bassett guided his team to a higher finish than traditional big clubs including Sheffield United
, Middlesbrough
and relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers
. But this remarkable success story was still very much in its early stages.
The 1985–86
began with a bang at Plough Lane
as Bassett's Wimbledon crushed a financially troubled Middlesbrough
(who ended the season relegated) 3–0 at Plough Lane
. By the end of October 1985, Wimbledon were third in the league and were serious contenders for a third promotion in four seasons – a feat previously achieved only by Swansea City. On the final day of the season, a 1–1 draw at Bradford City saw Wimbledon seal the third and final promotion place to reach the First Division, only a mere nine years after joining the Football League.
Most observers tipped Wimbledon to go straight back down to the Second Division in 1986–87
, but the team got off to a dream start in the First Division and a 1–0 win at Charlton Athletic
on 2 September 1986 put them top of the league briefly. Wimbledon's form for the remainder of the autumn was less impressive, as they finished October in 14th place, but they steadily recovered as the season went on and achieved a highly impressive sixth place in the league with 66 points – ahead of traditional title favourites including Nottingham Forest
and Manchester United
. Bassett also guided his team to a shock 3–1 over eventual league champions Everton
in the FA Cup
fifth round, though their hopes of cup glory were put on hold for a year when they lost 2–0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur
in the quarter final.
The team's style of no-nonsense, direct "long ball" play, termed by Bassett as "route one football", wherein the ball was continually launched forward into the opposition penalty area for Wimbledon's muscular strikers, was widely disliked by the football media who considered it crude and unsophisticated, but other teams found it very difficult to play against and it proved most successful. Bassett was continually forced to defend his tactics against critics, arguing that he was merely playing to his own team's strengths and capabilities, and that, ultimately, it actually worked very well for them. Whilst it was not pretty, it was undeniably effective. The constant external criticism of his team helped to forge an indomitable team spirit amongst the players, which Bassett actively encouraged.
Whilst still hugely popular with both the club's fans and his own players, by the summer of 1987 Bassett felt that he had taken the club about as far as he could. He resigned as manager in June to take up an offer from Watford, handing over the reins to Bobby Gould
, who took them even further a year later by winning the FA Cup at the expense of league champions Liverpool
. Most of the cup winning team had been brought in by Bassett, and Gould was quick to acknowledge that fact.
Bassett developed the likes of Dave Beasant
, John Fashanu
, Vinnie Jones
, Lawrie Sanchez
and Dennis Wise
at the club. All of these players featured in the 1988 FA Cup winning team, and went on to win international honours, with Wise later collecting further major trophies when he was eventually sold to Chelsea
.
Some 20 years after leaving Wimbledon, Reynolds Gate housing development (on the site of Wimbledon's Plough Lane
stadium, which closed in 1991) included an apartment block - Bassett House - named in honour of Bassett.
manager was short-lived. The team had just finished ninth in 1986/87
under the management of Graham Taylor
, who had left to take charge of relegated Aston Villa
. Before Bassett's arrival, Watford also sold John Barnes
to Liverpool
but, instead of retaining the nucleus of the successful side of the mid-80s, he sold several other first-team regulars including Kevin Richardson
, David Bardsley
, Lee Sinnott
and Mike Woodward. Their replacements did not do as well, and when Watford started the 1987/88
season in poor form, the blame was placed squarely on Bassett who was sacked in January 1988 when relegation to the Second Division looked inevitable.
. Despite bringing many new players, he was unable to prevent a weak team from sliding into the Third Division
after losing the double-legged play-off with Bristol City
2–1.
However, with the Bassett bringing his own backroom staff during the close season and more new players brought in, he took them back up at the first attempt in 1988/89
. A second successive promotion following in 1989/90
, and First Division football returned to Bramall Lane
in the 1990/91
season for the first time since the 1970s. The most influential player in this team was striker Brian Deane
, who was capped three times by England
.
Sheffield United failed to win any of their first 16 league games in 1990–91, and went into the new year at the bottom of the First Division
. But a rousing resurgence in the second half of the season saw the Blades climb up to a secure 13th place in the final table. They did even better in 1991/92
, finishing ninth in the First Division and securing a place in the new Premier League.
Sheffield United's Premier League debut was reasonable. They finished 14th in the final table, reached the semi finals of the FA Cup
, and condemned Nottingham Forest
to relegation by winning the penultimate game of the season. However, when Brian Deane was sold to Leeds United
during the 1993 close season, without him the Blades struggled. Bassett's luck finally ran out on the last day of the 1993/94
season. Needing a single point to avoid relegation, they lost 3–2 at Chelsea
, having led 2–1 with 5 minutes remaining. An eighth place finish in the 1994/95
Division One
campaign was not enough for a play-off place, and Bassett resigned the following December with relegation looking more likely than promotion and protests against the board mounting.
in early February 1996, taking charge of a club which was standing in 16th place in Division One and had lost most of its players the previous summer. Dave Bassett set about rejuvenating the side, and a storming run meant that automatic promotion was still a possibility until the penultimate game of the season. In the end, they finished third in the table and reached the playoff final where they lost 2–1 in extra time to Leicester City
.
with former Forest and England player Stuart Pearce. He was unable to prevent them from being relegated, but they were promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt under his sole charge after winning the 1997/98
Division One championship with some ease. But Forest had a terrible start to the 1998/99
Premier League, and Bassett was sacked in January 1999. Forest were unable to avoid the drop under Bassett's successor Ron Atkinson
.
as Barnsley
manager in May 1999. In his first season at the helm Barnsley reached the Division One
play-off final but missed out of promotion to the Premier League after losing to Ipswich Town
. Bassett left in December 2000 after failing to mount another promotion challenge. He was almost immediately linked with a move to succeed Colin Lee
at fellow Division One club Wolverhampton Wanderers
, but when Lee's successor was announced in the new year it was Dave Jones, formerly of Southampton
, and not Bassett, who took the role.
manager in October 2001. For a while it looked as though Bassett could save Leicester's Premier League status, but a four-month winless run from December condemned the team to relegation from the Premier League after a six-year tenancy. After a 1–0 defeat to Manchester United
which confirmed Leicester's relegation, Bassett became Director of Football
, handing over his managerial duties to assistant Micky Adams
. He took over as manager again on 11 October 2004 after Adams' resignation, but left his Director of Football role after Craig Levein
was appointed as Adams' replacement.
at Southampton
in the summer of 2005, after the departure of Jim Smith
. When Redknapp left in December 2005, Bassett became the caretaker manager, in a shared role with Dennis Wise
. He left the club with some acrimony after George Burley
was eventually appointed full-time manager of the Saints. Bassett stated that he had been led to believe by the chairman that he was the players' choice as next manager. During his brief sojourn in charge at St Mary's
, Saints played three matches, with one victory, one draw and one defeat.
at Leeds United
for the remainder of the 2007/08
season. On 29 January 2008, it was reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post that Bassett had left the club, following Dennis Wise's resignation as manager.
In his career he has managed Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
, Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
, Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
, Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
and Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
.
Playing career
As a player Bassett was a defensive midfielder at semi-professional level, playing for St Albans CitySt Albans City F.C.
St Albans City Football Club is a football club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in 1908 and plays its home matches at Clarence Park, about 800 yards from the city centre. The club is in the Premier Division of the Southern League...
where he made eleven appearances in the 1967/68 season, Harrow Borough, Hayes
Hayes F.C.
Hayes F.C. was an English football club based in Hayes, in Greater London. The club started out as Botwell Mission in 1909 taking its present name in 1929. The team nickname, The Missioners was a salute to the history of the team. The club played in the Conference South for their last few seasons...
, Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
, Walton & Hersham
Walton & Hersham F.C.
Walton & Hersham F.C. is an English football club located in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, currently playing in the Isthmian League Division One South. They play in a red and white home kit at Stompond Lane....
, where he was part of the side that won the FA Amateur Cup
FA Amateur Cup
The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when The Football Association abolished official amateur status.-History:...
in 1973, and most notably at Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
. He was part of the Wimbledon team who, in the 1975 FA Cup, famously beat First Division Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
away in the 3rd round then forced a draw in the 4th round at reigning League Champions Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, before losing narrowly 1-0 (the goal being a wide shot that deflected in off Bassett's knee) in the replay.
He retired from playing, due to injury and business commitments, soon after Wimbledon won election to the Football League in 1977, having made just 35 Football League appearances. He was then appointed by the club as team coach, under the management of Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi MBE is an Italian-born English football manager and former player, who was serving as manager of the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. He is a former manager of Crewe Alexandra, with whom he has been associated for almost thirty years.Gradi is notable for his 24-year first spell as manager...
.
Wimbledon
Bassett was promoted to first team manager following the departure of Dario GradiDario Gradi
Dario Gradi MBE is an Italian-born English football manager and former player, who was serving as manager of the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. He is a former manager of Crewe Alexandra, with whom he has been associated for almost thirty years.Gradi is notable for his 24-year first spell as manager...
to Crystal Palace in January 1981, when Wimbledon were ninth in the Fourth Division. Wimbledon's form improved substantially following Bassett's appointment, and a 4–1 home win over Rochdale on 28 April 1981 (the penultimate game of the season) secured promotion to the Third Division.
Wimbledon initially struggled at the higher level during 1981–82, Bassett's first full season in charge, and they spent most of the season in a relegation battle. Despite winning four of their last five games of the season, they were still relegated back to the Fourth Division on goal difference, in 21st place.
There then followed five highly successful seasons, which transformed the club's fortunes more than anyone could have predicted.
An excellent campaign in 1982–83
1982-83 in English football
The 1982–83 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Bob Paisley's last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine years. His...
saw Bassett guide Wimbledon to promotion as the Fourth Division championship title winners with 98 points – the highest in any Football League division that year.
Although Wimbledon lost their first two games back in the Third Division, they crushed Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
(who had narrowly missed out on promotion to the Second Division the previous season) 6–0 at home in the third game of the league campaign, and by Christmas they were genuine promotion contenders. Promotion was sealed on the final day of the season with a 2–0 away win over Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
which secured a second place finish.
In June 1984, Bassett accepted an offer to become manager of Second Division club Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, but remarkably changed his mind within 72 hours, refused to sign the contract at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
, and returned to Wimbledon, stating that "I gave it some serious thought, but in the end it just did not feel right. We have unfinished business, and I didn't really want to leave here."
Wimbledon's life as a Second Division club began with a notable 2–2 home draw with strong promotion favourites Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
on the opening day of the 1984–85 season
1984-85 in English football
The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...
. Few people would have been surprised if Bassett's men had struggled in their first season at this level, but they continued to perform efficiently if not spectacularly, and whilst never looking like contenders for a unique third successive promotion neither were they in any danger of relegation. They finally managed a secure 12th place finish – a remarkable feat made all the more impressive by the fact that Bassett guided his team to a higher finish than traditional big clubs including Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
and relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. But this remarkable success story was still very much in its early stages.
The 1985–86
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...
began with a bang at Plough Lane
Plough Lane
Plough Lane was a football stadium in Wimbledon, south west London. It was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club from September 1912 to May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park as part of a groundshare agreement with Crystal Palace. Both clubs' reserve teams...
as Bassett's Wimbledon crushed a financially troubled Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
(who ended the season relegated) 3–0 at Plough Lane
Plough Lane
Plough Lane was a football stadium in Wimbledon, south west London. It was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club from September 1912 to May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park as part of a groundshare agreement with Crystal Palace. Both clubs' reserve teams...
. By the end of October 1985, Wimbledon were third in the league and were serious contenders for a third promotion in four seasons – a feat previously achieved only by Swansea City. On the final day of the season, a 1–1 draw at Bradford City saw Wimbledon seal the third and final promotion place to reach the First Division, only a mere nine years after joining the Football League.
Most observers tipped Wimbledon to go straight back down to the Second Division in 1986–87
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
, but the team got off to a dream start in the First Division and a 1–0 win at Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
on 2 September 1986 put them top of the league briefly. Wimbledon's form for the remainder of the autumn was less impressive, as they finished October in 14th place, but they steadily recovered as the season went on and achieved a highly impressive sixth place in the league with 66 points – ahead of traditional title favourites including Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. Bassett also guided his team to a shock 3–1 over eventual league champions Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
fifth round, though their hopes of cup glory were put on hold for a year when they lost 2–0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in the quarter final.
The team's style of no-nonsense, direct "long ball" play, termed by Bassett as "route one football", wherein the ball was continually launched forward into the opposition penalty area for Wimbledon's muscular strikers, was widely disliked by the football media who considered it crude and unsophisticated, but other teams found it very difficult to play against and it proved most successful. Bassett was continually forced to defend his tactics against critics, arguing that he was merely playing to his own team's strengths and capabilities, and that, ultimately, it actually worked very well for them. Whilst it was not pretty, it was undeniably effective. The constant external criticism of his team helped to forge an indomitable team spirit amongst the players, which Bassett actively encouraged.
Whilst still hugely popular with both the club's fans and his own players, by the summer of 1987 Bassett felt that he had taken the club about as far as he could. He resigned as manager in June to take up an offer from Watford, handing over the reins to Bobby Gould
Bobby Gould
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964...
, who took them even further a year later by winning the FA Cup at the expense of league champions Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. Most of the cup winning team had been brought in by Bassett, and Gould was quick to acknowledge that fact.
Bassett developed the likes of Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant
David John "Dave" Beasant, is a retired English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan...
, John Fashanu
John Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
, Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
, Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrence Philip "Lawrie" Sanchez is a former Northern Irish football manager, and a former player. He is currently the manager of League Two side Barnet...
and Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
at the club. All of these players featured in the 1988 FA Cup winning team, and went on to win international honours, with Wise later collecting further major trophies when he was eventually sold to Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
.
Some 20 years after leaving Wimbledon, Reynolds Gate housing development (on the site of Wimbledon's Plough Lane
Plough Lane
Plough Lane was a football stadium in Wimbledon, south west London. It was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club from September 1912 to May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park as part of a groundshare agreement with Crystal Palace. Both clubs' reserve teams...
stadium, which closed in 1991) included an apartment block - Bassett House - named in honour of Bassett.
Watford
Bassett's reign as WatfordWatford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
manager was short-lived. The team had just finished ninth in 1986/87
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
under the management of Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (football manager)
Graham Taylor OBE is a football pundit, ex-football manager, and a former player. He is best known as the manager of the England national football team, as well as being manager of Watford, a club he took from the Fourth Division to the First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the...
, who had left to take charge of relegated Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. Before Bassett's arrival, Watford also sold John Barnes
John Barnes (footballer)
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE is an English football manager and former player.During his playing career, Barnes had successful periods at Watford and Liverpool in the 1980s and 1990s, winning the First Division twice, the FA Cup twice, and playing for England 79 times...
to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
but, instead of retaining the nucleus of the successful side of the mid-80s, he sold several other first-team regulars including Kevin Richardson
Kevin Richardson (footballer)
Kevin Richardson is an English former footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League, playing for Everton, Watford, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Coventry City, Southampton, Barnsley and Blackpool, and also spent a season in La Liga with Real Sociedad. He was...
, David Bardsley
David Bardsley
David John Bardsley is an English former professional footballer.-Club career:Bardsley started with Blackpool in 1982 and subsequently moved to Watford in 1983 for £150,000 where he was noted for his pace, and played every game in Watford's run to the 1984 FA Cup Final, where they eventually lost...
, Lee Sinnott
Lee Sinnott
Lee Sinnott is an English former professional footballer turned football manager, who is in charge at Conference North side Altrincham....
and Mike Woodward. Their replacements did not do as well, and when Watford started the 1987/88
1987-88 in English football
The 1987–88 season was the 120th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season....
season in poor form, the blame was placed squarely on Bassett who was sacked in January 1988 when relegation to the Second Division looked inevitable.
Sheffield United
In 1987/88, Bassett became one of the few managers to have the dubious honour of being involved with two relegated clubs in the same season. On 21 January 1988, just days after leaving Watford, he took over at Sheffield UnitedSheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
. Despite bringing many new players, he was unable to prevent a weak team from sliding into the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
after losing the double-legged play-off with Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
2–1.
However, with the Bassett bringing his own backroom staff during the close season and more new players brought in, he took them back up at the first attempt in 1988/89
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
. A second successive promotion following in 1989/90
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
, and First Division football returned to Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
in the 1990/91
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
season for the first time since the 1970s. The most influential player in this team was striker Brian Deane
Brian Deane
Brian Christopher Deane is an English former footballer.Signed for £40,000 from Doncaster Rovers in the close season of 1988, Deane first played and scored for Sheffield United in an 8–1 victory against Skegness Town...
, who was capped three times by England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
Sheffield United failed to win any of their first 16 league games in 1990–91, and went into the new year at the bottom of the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. But a rousing resurgence in the second half of the season saw the Blades climb up to a secure 13th place in the final table. They did even better in 1991/92
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
, finishing ninth in the First Division and securing a place in the new Premier League.
Sheffield United's Premier League debut was reasonable. They finished 14th in the final table, reached the semi finals of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, and condemned Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
to relegation by winning the penultimate game of the season. However, when Brian Deane was sold to Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
during the 1993 close season, without him the Blades struggled. Bassett's luck finally ran out on the last day of the 1993/94
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
season. Needing a single point to avoid relegation, they lost 3–2 at Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, having led 2–1 with 5 minutes remaining. An eighth place finish in the 1994/95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
campaign was not enough for a play-off place, and Bassett resigned the following December with relegation looking more likely than promotion and protests against the board mounting.
Crystal Palace
Bassett took over at Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in early February 1996, taking charge of a club which was standing in 16th place in Division One and had lost most of its players the previous summer. Dave Bassett set about rejuvenating the side, and a storming run meant that automatic promotion was still a possibility until the penultimate game of the season. In the end, they finished third in the table and reached the playoff final where they lost 2–1 in extra time to Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
.
Nottingham Forest
In March 1997, Bassett left Crystal Palace to take joint charge of Premier League strugglers Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
with former Forest and England player Stuart Pearce. He was unable to prevent them from being relegated, but they were promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt under his sole charge after winning the 1997/98
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
Division One championship with some ease. But Forest had a terrible start to the 1998/99
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
Premier League, and Bassett was sacked in January 1999. Forest were unable to avoid the drop under Bassett's successor Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
.
Barnsley
Bassett succeeded John HendrieJohn Hendrie
John Grattan Hendrie is a Scottish former professional association footballer who played on the right wing or in attack....
as Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
manager in May 1999. In his first season at the helm Barnsley reached the Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
play-off final but missed out of promotion to the Premier League after losing to Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
. Bassett left in December 2000 after failing to mount another promotion challenge. He was almost immediately linked with a move to succeed Colin Lee
Colin Lee
Colin Lee is an English football manager and former footballer. He is currently Chief Executive of League Two side Torquay United and President of Buckfastleigh Rangers Football & Social Club.-Playing career:...
at fellow Division One club Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, but when Lee's successor was announced in the new year it was Dave Jones, formerly of Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, and not Bassett, who took the role.
Leicester City
Bassett became Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
manager in October 2001. For a while it looked as though Bassett could save Leicester's Premier League status, but a four-month winless run from December condemned the team to relegation from the Premier League after a six-year tenancy. After a 1–0 defeat to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
which confirmed Leicester's relegation, Bassett became Director of Football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
, handing over his managerial duties to assistant Micky Adams
Micky Adams
Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
. He took over as manager again on 11 October 2004 after Adams' resignation, but left his Director of Football role after Craig Levein
Craig Levein
Craig William Levein is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager of the Scotland national team. During his playing career he played for Cowdenbeath and Heart of Midlothian...
was appointed as Adams' replacement.
Southampton
Bassett was appointed as assistant manager to Harry RedknappHarry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
at Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in the summer of 2005, after the departure of Jim Smith
Jim Smith (footballer)
James Michael "Jim" Smith is a retired English footballer and manager. As a player, he made 249 appearances in the Fourth Division of The Football League, representing Aldershot, Halifax Town, Lincoln City and Colchester United, and played for three-and-a-half years for Boston United of the...
. When Redknapp left in December 2005, Bassett became the caretaker manager, in a shared role with Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
. He left the club with some acrimony after George Burley
George Burley
George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...
was eventually appointed full-time manager of the Saints. Bassett stated that he had been led to believe by the chairman that he was the players' choice as next manager. During his brief sojourn in charge at St Mary's
St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium is the home of Southampton F.C., in the city of Southampton. It is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium and with a capacity of 32,689 is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London.-History:...
, Saints played three matches, with one victory, one draw and one defeat.
Leeds United
On 31 October 2007 Bassett was appointed as assistant manager to Dennis WiseDennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
at Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
for the remainder of the 2007/08
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
season. On 29 January 2008, it was reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post that Bassett had left the club, following Dennis Wise's resignation as manager.
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Wimbledon Wimbledon F.C. Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football... |
 Kingdom of England |
1 January 1981 | 17 June 1987 | 303 | 144 | 85 | 74 | |
| Watford Watford F.C. Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade... |
Kingdom of England |
18 June 1987 | 11 January 1988 | 28 | 7 | 13 | 8 | |
| Sheffield United Sheffield United F.C. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production... |
Kingdom of England |
21 January 1988 | 12 December 1995 | 393 | 150 | 142 | 101 | |
| Crystal Palace Crystal Palace F.C. Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in... |
Kingdom of England |
8 February 1996 | 27 February 1997 | 60 | 29 | 16 | 15 | |
| Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
Kingdom of England |
8 May 1997 | 5 January 1999 | 77 | 33 | 24 | 20 | |
| Barnsley Barnsley F.C. Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's... |
Kingdom of England |
27 May 1999 | 19 December 2000 | 84 | 38 | 28 | 18 | |
| Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
Kingdom of England |
10 October 2001 | 6 April 2002 | 27 | 4 | 15 | 8 | |
| Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... (caretaker) |
Kingdom of England |
11 October 2004 | 31 October 2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club... (caretaker) |
Kingdom of England |
2 December 2005 | 23 December 2005 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |