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Alec Chamberlain

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Not to be confused with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Alec Chamberlain
Chamberlain as a goalkeeping coach for Watford
Personal information
Full name Alec Francis Roy Chamberlain[1]
Date of birth (1964-06-20) 20 June 1964 (age 60)[1]
Place of birth March, England[1]
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1980–1981 Ramsey Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1982 Ipswich Town 0 (0)
1982–1987 Colchester United 188 (0)
1987–1988 Everton 0 (0)
1987–1988 → Tranmere Rovers (loan) 15 (0)
1988–1993 Luton Town 138 (0)
1992 → Chelsea (loan) 0 (0)
1993–1996 Sunderland 90 (0)
1995 → Liverpool (loan) 0 (0)
1996–2007 Watford 247 (0)
Total 678 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alec Francis Roy Chamberlain (born 20 June 1964) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made 788 league appearances during his 25-year playing career, the final 11 years and 247 appearances of which were with Watford.

Career

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Chamberlain started his career at Ipswich as a trainee, but didn't make a single appearance for the club, moving to Colchester in 1982. He spent 5 years at Layer Road before joining Everton for £80,000. However, the then 23-year-old was unable to displace established Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall, and his only appearances in the 1987–88 season were during a loan spell at Tranmere.

Having failed to make a single first team appearance for Everton in a year there, Chamberlain signed for Luton Town in the summer of 1988 whilst living in Northampton, where he ousted Les Sealey after Sealey had a poor game in the League Cup final against Nottingham Forest. Chamberlain became first choice goalkeeper for the next four seasons. He did have a loan spell as understudy to Dave Beasant at Chelsea in the 1992–93, but didn't make any first team appearances.[2]

After signing for Sunderland in 1993, Chamberlain played regularly, making 90 league appearances over 3 years. He was part of the team that was promoted in 1995–96.[2] Towards the end of the 1994–95 season, he was loaned to Liverpool as understudy to David James after previous deputy Michael Stensgaard dislocated a shoulder in an ironing incident. Despite never playing a game for the Anfield side he collected a Football League Cup winner's medal as he was a non-playing substitute in the final.[3]

In the summer of 1996 he was allowed to join recently relegated Watford, who paid £40,000 for him.[2] He started off unable to get in the team, but finally played when first-choice goalkeeper and two-time Player of the Season Kevin Miller was sold to Crystal Palace in the 1997 close season. Now the first-choice goalkeeper, he was part of the Division Two Championship winning side in 1997–98, becoming Player of the Season in the process.[4] He continued to play an important role as Watford gained promotion to the Premier League in 1999. In the playoff semi-final second leg against Birmingham City, his save denied Birmingham a winning goal, and won the match for Watford with a penalty shootout save from Chris Holland in sudden-death.[5] He appeared at Wembley when Watford beat Bolton Wanderers 2–0 in the final.[6]

In Watford's Premiership campaign, Chamberlain started off with an injury, and had to wait six games before he could play again. Watford were relegated to Division One at the end of the season. The club signed Tottenham goalkeeper Espen Baardsen, and the two players competed for the starting position through the 2000–01 season. When Gianluca Vialli arrived as Watford manager at the end of the season, he selected Baardsen as his first choice, but Chamberlain returned to the side in October 2001 and kept his place, finishing as Player of the Season for the second time in five years.[4][7]

Under Ray Lewington, he was first-choice for the whole of the 2002–03 season. In 2003–04 he started as first-choice, but lost his place to Lenny Pidgeley for several months, before regaining his place towards the end of the campaign.[2] Chamberlain, now 40, took the job of goalkeeping coach in the autumn of 2004.

Chamberlain was given a testimonial by Watford. With Chamberlain in goal Watford lost to Premiership side Charlton Athletic 2–1. Various events were run throughout the season to celebrate Chamberlain's 10 years at the club.[8]

On 20 July 2006, after Watford's promotion to the Premier League via the Championship playoffs, he signed a new one-year contract keeping him as player at Vicarage Road until summer 2007 making him, at 42, the oldest Premier League player in 2006–07.[9] On 13 May 2007, Chamberlain came on as a substitute to become one of the oldest Premier League players ever. On 19 May 2007, it was announced that Chamberlain would be retiring from playing and would concentrate on his coaching role at the club.[10]

Honours

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Everton

Liverpool[12]

Sunderland[13]

Watford[14][15]

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 83. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
  2. ^ a b c d "Alec Chamberlain". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  3. ^ "Alec's Liverpool honour". BBC Three Counties. 10 January 2005. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Player of the Season". Watford Football Club. 16 October 2009. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  5. ^ "Hornets sting the Blues". BBC. 20 May 1999. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Watford back in the big time". BBC Sport. 31 May 1999. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  7. ^ Atkin, Ronald (16 December 2001). "Chamberlain keeps Vialli's house in winning order". The Independent. Retrieved 23 February 2011.[dead link‍]
  8. ^ "Watford Museum: Exhibitions about Watford Football Club". Watford Museum. Archived from the original on 1 November 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  9. ^ "Chamberlain extends Watford deal". BBC Sport. 20 July 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2006.
  10. ^ "New page for Chamberlain". Watford Football Club. 19 May 2007. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
  11. ^ "Blast From The Past: On This Day 1987 – City's Second Wembley Date Delivers Defeat In Charity Shield". ccfpa.co.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  12. ^ "League Cup Honours". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Tier Two (Championship) Honours". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  14. ^ "Division One (Championship) Play-Off Finalists". Coludaybyday.co.uk.
  15. ^ "Tier Three (League One) Honours". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Individual Awards". Coludaybyday.co.uk.
  17. ^ "Colchester United Player of the Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
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