Alvin Martin
Encyclopedia
Alvin Edward Martin is a retired English
footballer who played as a defender
.
Playing most of his footballing career for West Ham United
he appeared in 598 games for scoring 34 goals. Linked with the club for 24 years, and winning the 1980 FA Cup
Martin left West Ham in 1996 and played one season with Leyton Orient
before moving into football management with Southend United
. This lasted only two seasons before he statrted a career in the media on radio station talkSPORT
and also as a pundit on Sky Sports
TV football talk shows.
Playing 17 times for England
during the 1980s, Martin represented them at the 1986 World Cup
.
, Lancashire
, Martin started out with Merseyside
club Everton
as a schoolboy, but left in 1973 after the Goodison Park
club only offered him an apprenticeship on a part-time basis, stating at the time that he "would never kick a ball for them again". An unsuccessful trial later that summer with Queens Park Rangers
was followed the very next day by one for West Ham United
, where he was awarded a contract.
Martin went on to amass nearly 600 first-team appearances for the Hammers in a successful 19-year career at Upton Park
, in which he became one of only two players, along with Billy Bonds
, to be awarded two testimonials
; it was alongside Bonds in the centre of defence that Martin — nicknamed ’Stretch’ — enjoyed his most rewarding years, winning the FA Cup
and Second Division
winners medals in successive seasons, 1980 and 1981.
Martin was given his first England
cap
by Ron Greenwood, who brought him to West Ham as a 14-year-old, against Brazil
at Wembley in May 1981. Injury ruled him out of the 1982 FIFA World Cup
finals in Spain
, but he was playing some of the finest football of his career when the next manager, Bobby Robson
, included him in his squad for the 1986 edition in Mexico
: he played in the victory over Paraguay
, but was dropped for the next game, the quarter-final defeat by Argentina
's infamous ’Hand of God’; in total, he made 17 international appearances.
Martin also achieved the rare feat of scoring a hat-trick
against three different Newcastle United
goalkeepers — Martin Thomas
, who was then injured, and outfield players Chris Hedworth and Peter Beardsley
— in a Football League First Division
match in April 1986 which the Hammers won 8–1. This was among the most successful seasons the club ever saw, as it finished third in the top level, just four points behind champions Liverpool
, with the player contributing with 40 games and four goals.
Martin remained loyal to West Ham despite their relegation from the top flight in 1989, and helped them gain promotion two years later. The club lasted just one season before again dropping down a level, only to bounce back at the first attempt. Martin, for decades the club's longest serving player, spent three more years with the team in the Premier League before finally departing at the end of the 1995–96 season after nearly 20 years service, aged 38.
After leaving West Ham, Martin had a brief spell with East London
neighbours Leyton Orient
, before managing Southend United
for two years, during which the club was relegated to the League One
. After retiring from management, he joined national radio station talkSPORT
, while also being a regular pundit on Sky Sports
TV football talk shows.
and Joe
, are also footballers. The former is a goalkeeper, whilst the latter is a midfielder
.
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...
footballer who played as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
Playing most of his footballing career for West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
he appeared in 598 games for scoring 34 goals. Linked with the club for 24 years, and winning the 1980 FA Cup
1980 FA Cup Final
The 1980 FA Cup Final was contested by West Ham United and Arsenal at Wembley. West Ham won by a single goal, scored by Trevor Brooking.To date, it is the last time a team from outside the top flight has won the FA Cup...
Martin left West Ham in 1996 and played one season with Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
before moving into football management with Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
. This lasted only two seasons before he statrted a career in the media on radio station talkSPORT
TalkSPORT
Talksport , owned by UTV radio, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue Independent National Radio broadcasters, offering a sports and talk radio service broadcast from London to the United Kingdom....
and also as a pundit on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
TV football talk shows.
Playing 17 times for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
during the 1980s, Martin represented them at the 1986 World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
.
Football career
Born in BootleBootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Martin started out with Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
club 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...
as a schoolboy, but left in 1973 after the Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
club only offered him an apprenticeship on a part-time basis, stating at the time that he "would never kick a ball for them again". An unsuccessful trial later that summer with Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
was followed the very next day by one for West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, where he was awarded a contract.
Martin went on to amass nearly 600 first-team appearances for the Hammers in a successful 19-year career at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
, in which he became one of only two players, along with Billy Bonds
Billy Bonds
William Arthur "Billy" Bonds MBE is a former professional footballer and manager, who is most often associated with West Ham United with whom he spent 27 years as player and manager...
, to be awarded two testimonials
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
; it was alongside Bonds in the centre of defence that Martin — nicknamed ’Stretch’ — enjoyed his most rewarding years, winning the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
winners medals in successive seasons, 1980 and 1981.
Martin was given his first England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
by Ron Greenwood, who brought him to West Ham as a 14-year-old, against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
at Wembley in May 1981. Injury ruled him out of the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
finals in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, but he was playing some of the finest football of his career when the next manager, Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
, included him in his squad for the 1986 edition in Mexico
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
: he played in the victory over Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
, but was dropped for the next game, the quarter-final defeat by Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
's infamous ’Hand of God’; in total, he made 17 international appearances.
Martin also achieved the rare feat of scoring a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
against three different Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
goalkeepers — Martin Thomas
Martin Thomas (footballer)
Martin Richard Thomas is a Welsh former footballer, currently a goalkeeping coach within the Football Association. His official title is "Assistant National Goalkeeping Coach".-Playing career:...
, who was then injured, and outfield players Chris Hedworth and Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
— in a Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
match in April 1986 which the Hammers won 8–1. This was among the most successful seasons the club ever saw, as it finished third in the top level, just four points behind champions 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...
, with the player contributing with 40 games and four goals.
Martin remained loyal to West Ham despite their relegation from the top flight in 1989, and helped them gain promotion two years later. The club lasted just one season before again dropping down a level, only to bounce back at the first attempt. Martin, for decades the club's longest serving player, spent three more years with the team in the Premier League before finally departing at the end of the 1995–96 season after nearly 20 years service, aged 38.
After leaving West Ham, Martin had a brief spell with East London
East London
East London is a city on the southeast coast of South Africa, situated at 32.97°S and 27.87°E in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality of the Eastern Cape province. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo River and the Nahoon River, and is the country's only river...
neighbours Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
, before managing Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
for two years, during which the club was relegated to the League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. After retiring from management, he joined national radio station talkSPORT
TalkSPORT
Talksport , owned by UTV radio, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue Independent National Radio broadcasters, offering a sports and talk radio service broadcast from London to the United Kingdom....
, while also being a regular pundit on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
TV football talk shows.
Personal
Martin's sons, DavidDavid Martin (footballer)
David Edward Martin is an English footballer who plays for Milton Keynes Dons. He plays as a goalkeeper. He has played for the England under-17, England under-19 and England under-20 teams....
and Joe
Joe Martin (footballer)
Joseph "Joe" Martin is an English professional footballer for Gillingham. He is a left-sided midfielder and can also play at left-back...
, are also footballers. The former is a goalkeeper, whilst the latter is a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.