Alex Forbes facts for kids

Alexander Rooney Forbes (born January 21, 1925 – died July 28, 2014) was a talented Scottish football player. He also worked as a manager for different teams.

Playing Career Highlights

Alex Forbes was born in Dundee, Scotland. As a teenager, he worked at the dockyards. He also played junior football for Dundee North End.

Joining Sheffield United

In 1944, Alex signed with the English professional club Sheffield United. He became a regular player after World War II ended. During the 1947–48 season, Alex got injured. This made him lose his spot on the team. He then asked to be transferred to another club.

Success at Arsenal

Arsenal signed Alex Forbes in March 1948. They paid £15,000 for him. His Scotland teammate, Archie Macaulay, encouraged the move. Alex then took Archie's place in the Arsenal team.

Arsenal won the English league championship in 1947–48. They also won the FA Cup in 1950. Alex played a big part in their FA Cup win. Arsenal beat Liverpool 2–0 in the final match.

Arsenal reached another FA Cup final in 1952. However, they lost 1–0 to Newcastle. The club then won another league championship in 1952–53. They finished just ahead of Preston.

Later Clubs and Retirement

Alex had ongoing knee injuries during the 1955–56 season. Arsenal signed Dave Bowen to replace him. Alex then left Arsenal at the end of the season. He played for Leyton Orient and Fulham. He also played for a non-league club called Gravesend and Northfleet. After that, he stopped playing football professionally.

Playing for Scotland

Alex played 14 times for the Scottish national team. This was between 1947 and 1952. He also played ice hockey for Scotland!

Coaching and Management

After retiring as a player, Alex returned to Arsenal. He worked there as a youth team coach.

Move to South Africa

In 1964, Alex took an Arsenal team on a tour of South Africa. While there, he was offered a coaching job. He decided to coach the Wanderers team. Alex moved to South Africa soon after.

Wanderers was an all-white club at the time. But Alex also coached black players. He worked with teams in townships and gold mines. In 1975, he became the manager of Orlando Pirates.

Later Coaching Roles

Alex's life in South Africa was very active. He coached several more teams after Pirates. These included Rangers, Highlands Park, Western Tigers, and Swaraj. He also coached football at Yeshiva College for many years.

He briefly coached the Israeli club Maccabi Haifa. He also worked in Kuwait. Alex fully retired from football when he was 83 years old. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer by then.

Personal Life

Alex loved playing snooker. He joined the Wanderers Club in 1964. He won more trophies in snooker tournaments than in his football career! This showed his strong desire to win.

He also enjoyed greyhound racing. He owned a champion greyhound named Rose of Meath. She won the McAlinden Cup in 1953.

Alex was a teacher at Yeshiva College for 35 years. He shared his knowledge of football and life skills. Many children learned from him. After he passed away, 4,000 former students posted messages. They shared their memories on a Facebook page for him.

He passed away peacefully on July 28, 2014. He was survived by his wife, Peggy. He met her at a dog track. He also had two children, Bobby and Jan. He had three grandchildren: Jason, Andrew, and Alex.

Alex Forbes was the last player alive from the 1950 FA Cup Final. He played for Arsenal in that match.

Honours

Player

Sheffield United

• Football League North: 1945–46

Arsenal

• First Division: 1947–48, 1952–53
• FA Cup: 1950
• FA Charity Shield: 1953

Manager

Swaraj United

• Soccer Federation Cup: 1977

Rangers Johannesburg

• NSL First Division: 1986