Official Statistics of Alan Hinton

As a Player:

                             Games       Goals
1961-63 Wolverhampton          75          29
1963-67 Nottingham Forest     112          24
1967-75 Derby County          253          63
1977    Dallas Tornado         24           4 + 11 assists
1978    Vancouver Whitecaps    29           1 + 30 assists

As a Coach:

1979    Tulsa Roughnecks (NASL)         14-16
1980-82 Seattle Sounders (NASL)         66-45
1984    Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)      17-16
1985-90 Tacoma Stars (MISL)             87-69
1994    Seattle Sounders (APSL)         15-7

Coach of the Year, NASL (1980), APSL (1994)
Best won-lost record in NASL history, 25-7 (1980)
Trans-Atlantic Cup Champions, 1981
Runner-up, Soccer Bowl, 1982
Never missed the playoffs as coach

A rec.sport.soccer history of Alan Hinton

The thread was started by a post from demo180@rs6a.wln.com who wrote:

$$Subject: Alan Hinton
$$Date: Mon Nov 28 1994
$$
$$Anyone out there from the UK ever heard of Alan Hinton?  
$$Just curious, he's my youth coach and was wondering just 
$$how famous he was.

archer@hsi.com (Garry Archer) lays down the facts:

 Now there's a name, Alan "Gladys" Hinton.

 Alan Hinton was one of my idols during his playing days at Derby County during the Brian Clough era. He was a great left winger with a cannon for a shot, and was said to be able to "land his crosses on a sixpence".

 I have nothing but sheer admiration for all he has done in football. His and other Derby County players' involvement with Northwest teams (Seattle, Vancouver) back in the NASL days was enough to make me a fan of those teams too.

 I can't remember the complete trace of Alan Hinton, but it goes something like this:

    Player - Wolverhampton Wanderers (1960s)
    Player - Nottingham Forest and England (1960s)
    Player - Derby County (late 60s, early 70s)
    Player/Manager - Northwich Victoria (mid 70s)
    Moved to USA in mid-70s as the NASL expanded
    Player/Coach - Tulsa Roughnecks (mid 70s)
    Player/Coach - Vancouver Whitecaps  ??? (late 70s)
    Player/Coach - Seattle Sounders (late 70s, early 80s)
    Owns rights to Seattle Sounders name
    As the NASL folded he moved on to indoor teams in the MISL/MSL
    Coach - Seattle Storm (1980s)
    Coach - Tacoma Stars (1980s)
    Involved in efforts to bring World Cup 1994 to Seattle (1990s)
    Restoring Seattle Sounders to playing status (current)

Alan Hinton played for England twice in his Nottingham Forest days. In the 1964-65 season, he played in the 2-2 draw with Belgium and a 2-1 win over Wales on 21st October 1964 and 18th November 1964, consecutively. Both at Wembley.

 Looking down the list, one may wonder why Hinton has spent so much time in the United States. He suffered a few personal tragedies in England in the 1970s, the death of his son being on of them. I suppose he felt he needed a clean break, a fresh new beginning.

 So, "demo180", you have a great man as a coach. Tell him hello from a Derby County fan of his on the Internet!

 PS: To Russ Campbell and Eric Arendts. Thanks for Hinton's telephone number. I _never_ did phone him. I was too chicken!!! One of these days...

 "Demo180", you don't know how lucky you are! What is the age group of your team?

 Cheers!

-- 

Garry Archer Esq
Wallingford, Connecticut, U.S.A.

"An Englishman never enjoys himself, except for a noble purpose." - A.P.Herbert

srlnser@lhn.gns.cri.nz (Geoff Bethell) contributes:

Alan made his name for wolves where he followed immediately in the tradition of the "fast raiding wingers." He was very much a Hancocks, Mullen, Deeley. Started (I think) in 1961. He would only have been about 17 then. He had a "mate" by the name of Alan Wharton who played on the right (hinton was a no.11).

Had his last years with Derby. He was one of the Cloughie originals at that club, and would (I think) have been in their promotion team. Improved his all-round game no end at Forest where he was one of their best players. They would have been his second club.

 All-in-all one of the most respected wingers of his day in england. You can take it he was a "household" name.

Geoff Bethell

"Psychology is, at best, a fluid collection of speculations that allow one to argue with equal plausibility any way one likes."

I remember Alan Hinton - in the Derby side which (I think) won the Second Division then the First in successive years (about 1971?). (Cloughie did something similar with Forest a few years later).

Hinton was the winger in the championship side - good winger, very good with free kicks and corners. Fair hair.

istcrg@inet.uni-c.dk (Richard Graham) adds:

Demo180 - you've received all the stats, so you know how good Alan Hinton was. A mainstay of the great Derby team of the early 70s - wore white boots for a while (regretably, I had a pair too).

I was (am) a Leeds fan and our lot had some great games v Derby. Hinton & Hector were always key danger men.

Not quite a legend - but damn close.

Richard