Bobby Campbell (English footballer) facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 April 1937 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Date of death | 6 November 2015 (aged 78) | ||
| Playing position | Wing half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1958–1961 | Liverpool | 24 | (2) |
| 1961 | Wigan | ||
| 1961–1966 | Portsmouth | 64 | (2) |
| 1966–1967 | Aldershot | 5 | (0) |
| Total | 93 | (4) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1976–1980 | Fulham | ||
| 1982–1984 | Portsmouth | ||
| 1985–1986 | Al Qadsia Kuwait | ||
| 1988–1991 | Chelsea | ||
| 1993–1994 | Al-Arabi Kuwait | ||
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Robert George Campbell (born April 23, 1937 – died November 6, 2015) was an English professional football player and later a manager. He played for teams like Liverpool and Portsmouth. After his playing career, he became a well-known manager for clubs such as Fulham, Portsmouth, and Chelsea.
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Bobby Campbell's Playing Days
Bobby Campbell started his football journey with Liverpool in 1958. At that time, Liverpool was in the Second Division, which is like the second-highest league in English football. He played his first game for them on September 15. During his three years at Liverpool, he also played for the England Youth international team.
In 1961, Bobby left Liverpool. He briefly joined a non-league team called Wigan. Later that year, he returned to professional football, joining Portsmouth. Portsmouth was in the Third Division, one level below the Second Division. That season, Portsmouth actually won the league!
For his first two seasons at Portsmouth, Bobby didn't play much because of injuries. He mostly played for the reserve team. But in his third season, he became a regular player, appearing in 30 games and scoring two goals.
In 1966, Bobby moved to Aldershot, a team in the Fourth Division. This was the lowest professional league at the time. Sadly, he had to retire from playing football soon after due to more injuries.
Bobby Campbell as a Coach and Manager
After his playing career ended in 1966, Bobby Campbell decided to become a coach. He went back to Portsmouth in 1967 as an assistant coach.
In 1971, he joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR) as an assistant to manager Gordon Jago. He helped QPR get promoted from the Second Division in the 1972–73 season. They finished second in the league, which meant they moved up to the top division.
After QPR, Bobby worked as a first-team coach for Arsenal in 1973.
Managing Fulham
In 1976, Bobby joined Alec Stock's coaching team at Fulham. When Stock was no longer manager in December, Bobby Campbell took over as the club's manager. After a few years where the team didn't perform as well as hoped, and they were moved down to the Third Division in 1979–80, Bobby was replaced as manager in October 1980.
Managing Portsmouth Again
Bobby returned to Portsmouth as manager in March 1982. He led them to win the Third Division title in the 1982–83 season. He brought in some good players like Alan Biley and Neil Webb to help the team. However, he was replaced in May 1984 after Portsmouth barely avoided being moved back down to the Third Division.
After Portsmouth, Bobby went back to Arsenal as an assistant manager. Then he had a short time as the reserve team manager at Queens Park Rangers. He also worked with a team in Kuwait called Qadsia SC. In 1987, he became the reserve team manager at Chelsea.
Managing Chelsea
Towards the end of the 1987–88 season, Bobby Campbell became assistant to Chelsea's manager, John Hollins. The team was struggling and might have been moved down a league. A month later, Hollins was replaced, and Bobby Campbell became the temporary manager until the end of the season. Even though he tried his best, Chelsea was moved down to a lower league that season.
But Bobby made things right the next season! His team played incredibly well and won the Second Division championship with a huge 99 points. A year later, he led Chelsea to finish 5th in the First Division, which was their best league position since 1970. In 1991, he stopped being the manager and became a personal assistant to Chelsea's chairman, Ken Bates.
After his time at Chelsea, Bobby went back to coach in Kuwait. He managed two of the biggest clubs there: Al-Arabi SC and Qadsia SC.
Retirement Years
After his coaching work in Kuwait, Bobby Campbell retired and moved to Florida. Later, he moved closer to Chelsea's football ground. He was known to be part of Roman Abramovich's close group of advisors, helping him with football matters. Bobby often sat next to Abramovich during games and would watch young players at the club's academy to spot new talent.
His Passing
Bobby Campbell passed away on November 6, 2015. He was survived by his wife, Sue, their daughter, and three sons.
