Alec Chamberlain
Encyclopedia
Alec Francis Roy Chamberlain (born 20 June 1964) is a former English
goalkeeper currently employed by Watford
as the club's goalkeeping coach. He made 788 league appearances during his 25-year playing career, the final 11 years and 247 appearances of which were with Watford.
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 1991-92
, but didn't make any first team appearances.
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. Towards the end of the 1994–95 season, he was loaned to Liverpool
as understudy to David James
after previous deputy Michael Stensgaard
suffered an off-the-field injury. 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.
In the summer of 1996 he was allowed to join recently relegated
Watford
, who paid £40,000 for him. 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. 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 in sudden-death. He appeared at Wembley when Watford beat Bolton Wanderers
2–0 in the final
.
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.
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. 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.
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
. 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.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
goalkeeper currently employed by 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...
as the club's goalkeeping coach. He made 788 league appearances during his 25-year playing career, the final 11 years and 247 appearances of which were with Watford.
Career
Chamberlain started his career at IpswichIpswich 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....
as a trainee, but didn't make a single appearance for the club, moving to Colchester
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
in 1982. He spent 5 years at Layer Road before joining 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...
for £80,000. However, the then 23-year old was unable to displace established Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall
Neville Southall
Neville Southall MBE is a former Wales international footballer, best known for his time with Everton. He has been described as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985...
, and his only appearances in the 1987–88 season were during a loan spell at Tranmere
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
.
Having failed to make a single first team appearance for Everton in a year there, Chamberlain signed for Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
in the summer of 1988 whilst living in Northampton, where he ousted Les Sealey
Les Sealey
Leslie Jesse "Les" Sealey was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for, among others, Coventry City, Luton Town, Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Ham United...
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
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...
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...
in the 1991-92
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
, but didn't make any first team appearances.
After signing for Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
in 1993, Chamberlain played regularly, making 90 league appearances over 3 years. He was part of the team that was promoted in 1995–96. Towards the end of the 1994–95 season, he was loaned 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...
as understudy to David James
David James (footballer)
David Benjamin James is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bristol City.On 14 February 2009, he achieved the all-time Premier League appearance record with 536 appearances, overtaking Gary Speed. He held this record until being overtaken by Ryan Giggs on the 14th May 2011...
after previous deputy Michael Stensgaard
Michael Stensgaard
Michael Stensgaard is a Danish former footballer and business conflict mediator. Playing in the goalkeeper position, he represented Danish clubs Hvidovre IF and FC Copenhagen, as well as Liverpool FC and Southampton FC in England. He played eight games for the Denmark national under-21 football team...
suffered an off-the-field injury. Despite never playing a game for the Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
side he collected a Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
winner's medal as he was a non-playing substitute in the final.
In the summer of 1996 he was allowed to join recently relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
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...
, who paid £40,000 for him. 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
Kevin Miller (footballer)
Kevin Miller is an English football goalkeeper, currently playing for Bodmin Town FC in the South West Peninsula League....
was sold to 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...
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. 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
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, his save denied Birmingham a winning goal, and won the match for Watford with a penalty shootout save in sudden-death. He appeared at Wembley when Watford beat Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
2–0 in the final
1999 Football League First Division play-off Final
The 1999 Football League Championship play-off Final was contested between Bolton Wanderers and Watford, played at Wembley Stadium on 31 May 1999. The match was won by Watford through goals from Nick Wright and Allan Smart. As a result, Watford would play in the Premier League for the first time...
.
In Watford's Premiership campaign
1999–2000 Watford F.C. season
During the 1999–2000 English football season, Watford F.C. competed in the FA Premier League, after being promoted from the First Division last season.-Season summary:...
, 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
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....
goalkeeper Espen Baardsen
Espen Baardsen
Espen Baardsen is a former footballer. He played as a goalkeeper. Born in the United States to Norwegian parents, he was selected for the USA under-18 national team before switching his international eligibility to Norway because of his dual nationality.-Club career:In 1995 Baardsen was spotted by...
, and the two players competed for the starting position through the 2000–01 season. When Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia....
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.
Under Ray Lewington, he was first-choice for the whole of the 2002–03 season
2002–03 Watford F.C. season
The 2002–03 season marked Watford Football Club's third consecutive season in the Football League First Division, following relegation from the Premier League in the 1999–2000 season. The club was managed by its former reserve team manager Ray Lewington, following the dismissal of Gianluca Vialli...
. In 2003–04 he started as first-choice, but lost his place to Lenny Pidgeley
Lenny Pidgeley
Leonard James "Lenny" Pidgeley is an English footballer who plays for Exeter City as a goalkeeper.-Career:Born in Twickenham, London, initially signed up by Chelsea since the opening of the 2002–03 season, he was loaned out to Watford between September 2003 and May 2004, a deal initially intended...
for several months, before regaining his place towards the end of the campaign. 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
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,...
2–1. Various events were run throughout the season to celebrate Chamberlain's 10 years at the club.
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
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
until summer 2007 making him, at 42, the oldest Premier League player in 2006–07
2006–07 Watford F.C. season
During the 2006–07 English football season, Watford F.C. competed in the FA Premier League, after being promoted from the Football League Championship last season...
. 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.