George Jobey

George Jobey (1886 – May 9 1962) was an English football player and manager.

Jobey was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and played football for local boys' clubs in Morpeth before joining Newcastle United in 1906. He spent seven seasons with the Magpies but only played 53 league matches, mostly playing at centre or right half; however, he played enough times to win a First Division winner's medal in 1908-09 and play in the 1910-11 FA Cup final; Newcastle lost 1-0 in a replay to Bradford City after drawing the first match 0-0.

Jobey was transferred to Woolwich Arsenal in May 1913, and made an immediate impact. On September 6 1913 Arsenal faced Leicester Fosse in their very first match at their new Arsenal Stadium in Highbury. After Leicester's Tommy Benfield had become the first player to score at the new stadium, Jobey joined him in the record books as the first Arsenal player to do so, heading home just before half-time. In the second half, Jobey was injured and promptly became the first player to be stretchered off at Highbury; according to club legend, so impoverished were the club's resources, he was taken away from the stadium for treatment on a milk cart.

Arsenal won that match 2-1, the winner being scored by Archie Devine; Jobey played 28 league matches that season and was transferred during the close season to Bradford Park Avenue. He only spent a single season at Bradford before World War I intervened; he played for Hamilton Academical during the conflict, before moving to Leicester City (as Fosse had been renamed) after hostilities ended. In 1920 he became player-manager of Northampton Town, who were that year Third Division founder members. Two years later, he moved on to become manager of Wolves, turning round the club's fortunes and leading them to the 1923-24 Third Division North title.

Jobey surprisingly quit football after winning the title; after a year running a hotel he became manager of Derby County. He was an immediate success, leading them to promotion in 1925-26 and twice securing runners-up place in the First Division, in 1929-30 and 1935-36. However in 1941, he was accused of making illegal payments to players, as an inducement for them to sign for Derby; a Football Association inquiry found him guilty and banned him from football for life.

Jobey's suspension was lifted in 1945, but apart from a year in charge of Mansfield Town between 1952 and 1953, he did not return to management. He died in 1962, aged 76.

Honours

Newcastle United
*Football League championship: 1908–09
*FA Cup finalist: 1911

References

* cite book
author=Soar, Phil & Tyler, Martin
title=The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal
publisher=Hamlyn
year=2005
id=ISBN 0-600-61344-5
* cite web
url=http://www.thewolvessite.co.uk/managers.htm
title=Wolves Managers From 1885 to Present Day
work=The Wolves Site
accessdate=July 24
accessyear=2006

External links

* [http://www.youandyesterday.co.uk/articles/Signings_were_key_to_successful_era Article on www.youandyesterday.co.uk]