Arthur Cox

Who is Arthur Cox?

Arthur Cox is a former English football manager.

He was unable to become a professional football player as he broke his leg playing in a reserve game for Coventry City. He spent time coaching at Sunderland and in Turkey, before he was given his first management position.

Cox has managed a number of clubs including Chesterfield, Newcastle United, where he won promotion to the First Division and introduced future international players such as Peter Beardsley and Chris Waddle. He also gave Newcastle a cult hero in Kevin Keegan, the former England striker, who joined the club in 1982 and was instrumental in their promotion two years later before retiring.

Cox left Newcastle just after their promotion in 1984 and took over at Derby County, who had just been relegated to the Third Division. He took them to promotion two years later and the following year, 1987, they won the Second Division title to end a seven-year exile from the First Division. In October 1988, he paid a club record £1million for striker Dean Saunders who quickly established himself as one of the best strikers in the English league and along with the likes of defender Mark Wright saw the Rams emerge as surprise title contenders in the 1988–89 season, though in the end they finished fifth. His other notable acquisitions included goalkeeper Peter Shilton, midfielder Trevor Hebberd and winger Ted McMinn.