Dennis Rofe

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Dennis Rofe

| image =

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1950|6|1}}

| birth_place = Epping, England

| height =

| position = Full-back

| youthyears1 = 1964–1968

| youthclubs1 = Leyton Orient

| years1 = 1968–1972

| years2 = 1972–1980

| years3 = 1980–1982

| years4 = 1982–1984

| clubs1 = Leyton Orient

| clubs2 = Leicester City

| clubs3 = Chelsea

| clubs4 = Southampton

| caps1 = 172

| caps2 = 290

| caps3 = 59

| caps4 = 20

| goals1 = 6

| goals2 = 5

| goals3 = 0

| goals4 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1991–1992

| managerclubs1 = Bristol Rovers

| manageryears2 = 2012

| managerclubs2 = AFC Bournemouth (caretaker)

| nationalyears1 = 1973

| nationalteam1 = England U23

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Dennis Rofe (born 1 June 1950) is an English former professional footballer and coach who played as a full-back.

He began his playing career at Leyton Orient before moving to Leicester City in 1972 where he would spend the majority of career. In 1982, Rofe joined Chelsea. After two years at the club, he moved to Southampton where he retired.

Rofe has had several coaching spells at Southampton. He was also a coach at Bristol Rovers where he would later become manager. Rofe has also had coaching spells at Stoke City, Fulham, Kingstonian and Bournemouth.

Club career

=Leyton Orient=

He started his career at Leyton Orient after being spotted whilst playing for East London Boys U13's – originally joining Orient as an associate schoolboy in March 1964 before turning professional when he was 18 years-old.

He was a fast, tough-tackling left-back who starred in Orient's 1969–70 Third Division title triumph, missing only one game.{{Cite web |last=Fissler |first=Neil |date=3 May 2017 |title=Where Are They Now? Orient's 1969-70 Division Three champions |url=https://www.theleaguepaper.com/features/featured/8057/where-are-they-now-orients-1969-70-division-three-champions/ |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=The Football League Paper}} He was ever-present in 1970–71.{{Cite web |title=Orient v Luton Town |url=https://www.hattersheritage.co.uk/sites/default/files/Programme_1594.pdf |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=www.hattersheritage.co.uk}} He netted six goals in 172 League appearances for Orient before following Jimmy Bloomfield to Leicester City for £112,000 in August 1972, which made him the most expensive full-back in British football at that time.{{Cite web |last=Hutchison |first=John |date=26 November 2021 |title=Former Player Remembers: Dennis Rofe |url=https://www.lcfc.com/news/2366673/former-player-remembers-dennis-rofe/featured?lang=en |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=Leicester City FC}}

=Leicester City=

Rofe was signed by Bloomfield to fill the left back position after David Nish had been sold to Derby County for £250,000, which was a new record fee for a full-back that had been set by Rofe only 24 hours earlier. He made his England U23 debut whilst a Leicester player in 1973. Jock Wallace, who joined the club in June 1978, gave Rofe the captaincy following relegation to the Second Division.{{Cite web |date=23 May 2022 |title=Leicester City In 100 Players: Dennis Rofe |url=https://www.lcfc.com/news/2626434/leicester-city-in-100-players-dennis-rofe?lang=en |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=Leicester City FC}} In his eight seasons at Leicester he played 290 league games for the club and scored six goals.

=Chelsea and Southampton=

He was sold to Second Division Chelsea, in February 1980, shortly before Leicester won promotion back to the First Division whilst Chelsea lost out on promotion on goal difference. Rofe then spent three seasons at Chelsea as they drifted in Division 2, including a period as team captain.

In July 1982, Lawrie McMenemy signed him on a free transfer for First Division Southampton, where he played out the last two years of his playing career.{{Cite book |last=Chalk |first=Gary |title=A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC |last2=Holley |first2=Duncan |last3=Bull |first3=David |publisher=Hagiology Publishing |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-9926864-0-6 |pages=450–451 |language=en}}

Coaching and management career

=Southampton=

In 1984, he joined Southampton's coaching staff under the manager Chris Nicholl, initially as the reserve team coach, moving up to first team coach in 1987 before departing the club in 1991.

=Bristol Rovers=

He joined Bristol Rovers as a coach in July 1991. Shortly after joining Rovers, he replaced Martin Dobson, firstly as caretaker manager, taking the position permanently in October 1991.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Rovers finished the 1991–92 season in 13th position in Division 2. In November 1992, Rofe resigned.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

=Return to Southampton=

He then moved briefly to Stoke City as the reserve team manager before returning to Southampton as the youth team coach. This position lasted until July 1997 when he moved on to Fulham as a coach, before a brief spell coaching for Kingstonian.

In April 1998, he returned to Southampton as coach of their academy, but soon moved up to reserve team coach and later to first team coach under Stuart Gray.{{Cite web |date=30 March 2001 |title=Gray confirmed as Saints caretaker manager |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2001/mar/30/newsstory.sport4 |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=The Guardian}} He served as first team coach and assistant manager as Southampton had a rapid turnover of managers. His greatest moment as a Southampton coach was when Southampton reached the 2003 FA Cup final under Gordon Strachan, losing 1–0 to Arsenal.{{Cite web |date=17 May 2003 |title=Arsenal retain FA Cup |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/3025589.stm |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=BBC Sport}}

As assistant manager at Southampton, he had a fiery reputation. On 10 January 2002, he had to be separated from the acting Liverpool manager Phil Thompson by the fourth official in a touchline argument over a bad tackle on Brett Ormerod.{{cite web | title=Saints pile on agony for Reds | work=irishexaminer | url=http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2002/01/10/story20885.asp | accessdate=25 November 2006 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111538/http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2002/01/10/story20885.asp | archivedate=29 September 2007 | df=dmy-all }} On 8 May 2004, Rofe was ordered from the technical area after protesting about the award of a penalty to Aston Villa.{{cite web | title=Sturrock and O'Leary perplexed by ref | work=soccernet| url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=109765&cc=5739| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040603030557/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=109765&cc=5739| url-status=dead| archive-date=3 June 2004| accessdate=25 November 2006}} Following a brawl in which Andy Cole was given a red card on 25 October 2003, Blackburn Rovers manager Graeme Souness accused Rofe of trying to influence the officials, although he later had to accept that the sending off was justified.{{cite web| title=Souness sees red over Rofe antics| work=4thegame.com| url=http://www.4thegame.com/wanadoo/news/story/139332/SOUNESS+SEES+RED+OVER+ROFE+ANTICS.html| accessdate=25 November 2006| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014172841/http://www.4thegame.com/wanadoo/news/story/139332/SOUNESS+SEES+RED+OVER+ROFE+ANTICS.html| archive-date=14 October 2007| url-status=dead}}

In December 2005, following the appointment of George Burley as manager, Rofe was dismissed along with most of the coaching staff at the club.{{cite news | title=Burley and Woodward begin Southampton clear-out | work=football.guardian| url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,5362810-103,00.html| accessdate=25 November 2006 | location=London | first=Jeremy | last=Wilson | date=24 December 2005}}{{cite web | title=Dennis Rofe loses Southampton job | work=saintsfc.co.uk| url=http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/?page_id=6049| accessdate=26 November 2006}}

= AFC Bournemouth =

He was working as the Football League's regional youth development officer until June 2012 before joining League One side AFC Bournemouth in 2012 as first-team coach working under management team Paul Groves and Shaun Brooks. On 3 October 2012, Groves was sacked as manager of the club, and Rofe took over as caretaker.{{Cite news |title=Bournemouth part with boss Groves |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19816075 |work=BBC Sport}} He was sacked on 15 October, whilst Groves and Brooks were allowed to return to their former jobs with the youth team at Bournemouth.{{Cite web |last=Meldrum |first=Neil |date=16 October 2012 |title=Cherries: We're stronger than ever says Tindall |url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/9986304.cherries-were-stronger-than-ever-says-tindall/ |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=Bournemouth Echo}}

Personal life

Rofe has been engaged as a match summariser on BBC Radio 5, and spent the summer of 2006 working in the Bahamas with Luther Blissett at the annual Premier League Soccer Camp.{{cite web | title=Another soccer legend to assist coaching | work=nassauguardian.net | url=http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/sports/286451674088162.php | accessdate=25 November 2006 | url-status=usurped | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927020529/http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/sports/286451674088162.php | archivedate=27 September 2007 | df=dmy-all }}