Charlie Roberts
{{Short description|English footballer (1883–1939)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Charlie Roberts
| image = Manchester United 1908-09 (Roberts).jpg
| caption =
| fullname = Charles Roberts{{Harvnb|Joyce|2012|page=246}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1883|4|6}}
| birth_place = Rise Carr, Darlington, England{{Harvnb|Joyce|2012|page=246}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1939|8|7|1883|4|6}}
| position = Centre-half
| youthyears1 = |youthclubs1 = Rise Carr Rangers
| years1 = |clubs1 = Darlington St Augustine's
| years2 = |clubs2 = Bishop Auckland
| years3 = 1903–1904 |clubs3 = Grimsby Town |caps3 = 31 |goals3 = 4
| years4 = 1904–1913 |clubs4 = Manchester United |caps4 = 271 |goals4 = 22
| years5 = 1913–1915 |clubs5 = Oldham Athletic |caps5 = 72 |goals5 = 2
| totalcaps = 374 |totalgoals = 28
| nationalyears1 = 1905 |nationalteam1 = England |nationalcaps1 = 3 |nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1905–1914 |nationalteam2 = Football League XI |nationalcaps2 = 9 |nationalgoals2 = ?
| manageryears1 = 1921–1922 |managerclubs1 = Oldham Athletic
}}
Charles Roberts (6 April 1883 – 7 August 1939) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre-half in the Football League for Grimsby Town, Manchester United and Oldham Athletic. He spent nine years at United, where he was captain, helping the club to two First Division titles and an FA Cup. He won three caps for England in 1905.
Playing career
Born in Darlington, Roberts started his football career with Bishop Auckland, but soon moved to Grimsby Town.
In 1904, he was transferred to Manchester United for £600.{{Harvnb|Tyrrell|Meek|1992|pp=99–101}} The United manager at the time was Ernest Mangnall who had embarked on a spending spree which would later see Manchester City players Billy Meredith and Sandy Turnbull arrive at Bank Street, United's ground at the time. Roberts arrival at United was extremely important to the development of the club; a strong, skilful, fast centre half and a rebel to boot. He flouted FA rules by wearing his shorts above the knee{{Harvnb|Tyrrell|Meek|1992|p=99}} and was politically minded in favour of the unionisation of professional footballers.
Playing as centre-half he helped Manchester United win the 1908 and 1911 league titles as well as the 1909 FA Cup. Not until 1983, when a United side captained by Bryan Robson lifted the FA Cup for the fifth time, did another Englishman captain the club to FA Cup glory, as United's captains of their second and third triumphs were both Irish and their fourth FA Cup winning side was captained by a Scotsman.Johnny Carey and Noel Cantwell captained the 1948 and 1963 teams and Martin Buchan captained the side in 1977
He left the club in August 1913 for a then record fee of £1,500 to Oldham Athletic, who he also went on to manage, after appearing in 299 matches and scoring 23 goals for United.
Roberts was capped three times for England in 1905, Manchester United's first England international.
Players' Union
On 2 December 1907, Roberts and Meredith were instrumental in setting up the Players' Union. The organisation was not recognised by the FA but it did attract considerable support from fellow League clubs. In August 1909, the FA threatened to suspend any player who admitted to being a member of the Union, following which Roberts and his Manchester United's teammates were summoned to a meeting with the club's management. The players refused to relinquish their Union membership, forcing the club to contact their first opponents of the new season, Bradford City to cancel the fixture, as it could not field a team.{{Harvnb|Tyrrell|Meek|1992|pp=107–108}} The FA's threat had seen the membership of the Union fall so that the only members were the Manchester United players, who called themselves "The Outcasts". It was only after Tim Coleman of Everton renewed his support by siding with The Outcasts that the FA relented and Roberts' Union was saved.
Coaching career
In 1928, together with former colleague Billy Meredith, he became a coach for the ambitious Manchester Central. Roberts' son, Charlie Jr., was a player for Central's first season.{{Harvnb|James|2008|pp=147–166}}
He died, aged 56, at Manchester Royal Infirmary in August 1939 following a cranial operation after suffering extended "dizzy spells".
Personal life
Roberts' cousin, Harry Hooper, played at full-back for Southampton, Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers.{{Harvnb|Holley|Chalk|1992|p=174}} His nephews, Danny, Bill, Mark and Carl Hooper, were all professional footballers, and his nieces, Sarah and Bessie Hooper, played for Darlington Quaker Ladies.{{Cite web |title=Echomemories - Women take on the men's role on and off the football pitch |first=Chris |last=Lloyd |work=The Northern Echo |date=28 February 2007 |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-29819692_ITM |via=AccessMyLibrary |archive-date=28 June 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628091257/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-29819692_ITM |url-status=dead |access-date=7 January 2019 }}{{Cite web |title=Fighting in the factory and on the football field |first=Chris |last=Lloyd |work=The Northern Echo |date=7 February 2015 |access-date=7 January 2019 |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/11778946.fighting-in-the-factory-and-on-the-football-field/ }} His great-great-granddaughter, Lucy Roberts, played for Manchester United W.F.C. in their inaugural season.{{Cite web|url=https://muwfcnews.co.uk/lucy-roberts/|title=Lucy Roberts|date=2018-08-23|website=muwfcnews|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-02-09}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Honours
Manchester United
Individual
References
Notes
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
- {{citation |title=The Alphabet of the Saints|last1=Holley |first1=Duncan |last2=Chalk |first2=Gary | publisher=ACL & Polar Publishing |year=1992 |isbn=0-9514862-3-3}}
- {{citation |last=James |first=Gary |title=Manchester – A Football History |publisher=James Ward |location=Halifax |year=2008}}
- {{citation |first=Michael |last=Joyce |title=Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 |year=2012 |orig-year=2002| publisher=SoccerData |location=Nottingham |isbn=978-1-905891-61-0}}
- {{citation |last1=Tyrrell |first1=Tom |last2=Meek |first2=David |title=Manchester United: The Official History |edition=2 |year=1992 |orig-year=1988 |publisher=Hamlyn |isbn=0-600-57692-2}}
{{refend}}
External links
- {{Englandstats}}
- [http://www.spartacus-educational.com/MANUrobertsC.htm Article on "Spartacus"]
{{English Football Hall of Fame}}
{{Oldham Athletic A.F.C. managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Charlie}}
Category:Footballers from Darlington
Category:English men's footballers
Category:England men's international footballers
Category:Men's association football central defenders
Category:Darlington St Augustine's F.C. players
Category:Bishop Auckland F.C. players
Category:Grimsby Town F.C. players
Category:Manchester United F.C. players
Category:Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players
Category:Oldham Athletic A.F.C. managers
Category:English Football League players
Category:English Football League representative players