Jobey George Image 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1923

Description

Heddon, Northumberland born wing half George Jobey joined Newcastle United in May 1906 from Morpeth, making his debut at Bolton Wanderers in April 1907. He never established himself as a first team regular at St James’ Park during his 7 seasons there but appeared in both the 1912 FA Cup Final and the replay when they eventually lost to Bradford City at Old Trafford. He also played 10 matches, just enough for a medal, as Newcastle won the League Championship in 1909, and by the time he joined Arsenal in May 1913 he had scored 2 goals in 53 appearances for The Magpies. He played against Leicester Fosse in Arsenal’s inaugural match at Highbury, and indeed became the first Arsenal player to score there just before half time, the first of 3 goals in 28 appearances for The Gunners that season before a move back north to Bradford Park Avenue in June 1914. He only spent a single season at Bradford scoring 3 goals in 15 appearances before World War I intervened and the Football League was suspended. He played for Scottish club Hamilton Academical during the conflict, before a brief spell at Hartlepools United after hostilities ended, after which he moved to Leicester Fosse in September 1919, making 34 appearances during the 1919-20 season. Jobey then became player-manager of Northampton Town in 1920, as the club became founder members of the Third Division. He achieved two mid table finished before quitting the game in April 1922 to become a hotelier having scored 4 goals in 83 games for The Cobblers. He was tempted back into the game five months later to become manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers. His first season at Molineux proved a struggle and the club slipped down to the Third Division for the first time in their history. The following season saw an immediate return though as they won the 1923–24 Third Division (North) title. However, he again dropped out of the game after this success, returning to running a hotel. In August 1925, he returned to football when he was appointed manager of Derby County. He was an immediate success, leading them to promotion in 1925–26 and twice securing runners-up place in the First Division, in 1929–30 and 1935–36 during a time when he assembled arguably the best set of players in the club’s history. In 1941 he was accused of making illegal payments to players, as an inducement for them to sign for Derby; a Football Association inquiry found him guilty and banned him from football for life. Jobey’s suspension was lifted in 1945, but apart from a year in charge of Mansfield Town between 1952 and 1953, he remained out of the game.