Denis Smith remembers his York City glory days

DENIS Smith is currently promoting his autobiography on a whistle-stop tour of his former clubs but the one-time record-breaking York City boss is hoping the book has not yet closed on his 26-year managerial career.

A quarter of a century on from helping the Minstermen become English football’s first club to amass more than 100 points in a season on their way to the old Fourth Division title, Smith is not yet ready for retirement.

Since parting company with Wrexham last year, the ex-Stoke City defender – one of an elite band of managers who have taken charge of more than a 1,000 fixtures – has been working as a radio summariser and a Premier League delegate mediating between managers and referees.

But, as he prepares to turn 61 next week, Smith is still hoping there will be time to add new chapters to Just One of Seven.

He said: “My wife Kate doesn’t want me to go back into management because she feels 26 years of travelling around the country is enough. We’ve had 13 houses and I’ve got one son in York and one in Oxford as a result.

“We’re back in Stoke where my brothers and sisters live but, if the right offer came along, I’d take it. I actually think it’s been lovely living all around the country.

“I would never have gone to Wrexham if I hadn’t got the job there but it’s a beautiful part of the world. We’ve also lived in places like Durham and Bristol, as well as York and Oxford.

“I will go wherever I can to get the right job because I love my football. I’ve had a couple of offers that weren’t right, including a phone call from a chief executive last week, but I’ve had a reputation of going into places that are a mess and sorting them out and would love the opportunity to go into a club in good condition.”

When Smith was handed the managerial reins at Bootham Crescent in 1982, the Minstermen’s state of health was far from stable.

Ninety-eight goals had been shipped during the previous season and, just 12 months earlier, the club had finished bottom of the Football League.

Even at the tender age of 34, however, Smith recognised instantly that he had some talented, if slightly misunderstood, players at his disposal.

He said: “When I went to York, they were trying to get rid of John Byrne because they thought he was allergic to grass. It turned out to be a spot of asthma and he was the most talented player I worked with at York. I signed him for three of my clubs.

“Brian Pollard and Gary Ford also had super ability and all those lads were already there when I arrived, as was big Keith (Walwyn) who was a one-off – a handful for anybody, even Liverpool.”

If Smith inherited several unpolished diamonds, he also illustrated his transfer market acumen early in his City reign.

Of his many Bootham Crescent signings one, however, stands out as the best.

“We brought in John MacPhail from Sheffield United and he did so well for me I took him to Sunderland,” he recalled. “When we brought him in, he had everything you needed in a defender but didn’t know that or how to use it.

“He had great feet and pace and was good in the air and could tackle. He also had a super lad alongside him in Ricky Sbragia, who knew the game inside out.”

Such was the quality of Smith’s side that he remains convinced the team would be capable of competing at Championship level in the modern era, saying: “We were the first team to reach 100 points in a season and nobody can take that away from us. It’s football and sporting history.

“Only a handful have done it since (Reading 05/6, Plymouth 01/2, Sunderland 98/9, Fulham 98/9 and Swindon 85/6), which shows you how difficult it is, although it became easy for us because the lads just went out expecting to win and, if you look at the squad now, it would be able to play in the Championship. I can name the team that won the league off the top of my head and I wouldn’t be able to do that with any of my other sides.”

Two names, however, were always the first on Smith’s 1984/5 teamsheets – the late, great Walwyn and inspirational goalkeeper Roger Jones, the team’s skipper.

“You always wanted Big Keith on the pitch but Roger was also a major part of what we achieved,” Smith said. “He was very quiet off the field but a great leader on it – a good talker and organiser. Those two were a big part of our backbone.”

Smith is also quick to acknowledge his early success in management evolved from a fine partnership with assistant Viv Busby.

The pair reconciled their differences in recent years following an acrimonious split two decades ago at Sunderland and Smith admitted: “Viv was very important for me.

“I had to play for the first year at York because we had let in almost 100 goals the season before. I said one of us will have to stay on the sidelines and we need a defender more than a striker.

“I also knew Viv would be big enough to substitute me or make changes if necessary and we went on to work for ten years together.”

Busby, of course, made a surprise return to the Minstermen four years ago first as a coach and then as a reluctant manager following Chris Brass’ sacking.

He only lasted three months in the role and Smith has a theory why, saying: “I spoke to Viv when he went back to York and he’s not a manager.

“People think managing and coaching are the same thing but they’re not. He was a far better coach than I was and I was a better manager.

“As a coach, you can get closer to the players but you can be colder as a manager. You have to be very good at making decisions, including some that might be unpopular.

“The manager should take care of the technical stuff but you need somebody to lighten matters. Viv was funnier than me because I’ve had a sense of humour bypass, especially if I feel uptight.”

Smith also gains satisfaction from the fact that several members of the 1983/4 championship-winning side have gone on to land top coaching roles.

Sbragia, Malcolm Crosby and Chris Evans are all Premier League assistant managers at Manchester United, Middlesbrough and Bolton, respectively while Jones (Swindon) and Byrne (Brighton) are still involved in the game.

He said: “For all those people to come from a little club like York gives me great pride. It makes you feel like you instilled something in them.

“We were always talking about the importance of coaching and how things should be done. It’s good to see they took it in.”

With his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren still living in York and attending occasional games, Smith keeps in close touch with the club’s fortunes.

When asked whether he would consider a return to the club where he cut his managerial teeth, he does not rule out the possibility, but added: “I want the people who are the managers at all of my former clubs now to do well.

“I have strong feelings for York City. You put a lot of your life into all your old clubs but I’m totally behind all the managers that are in charge of them.”