Martin Buchan

Martin Buchan

Personal information
Full name	Martin McLean Buchan
Date of birth	(1949-03-06) 6 March 1949
Place of birth	Aberdeen, Scotland
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Banks O' Dee
1965–1972	Aberdeen	133	(9)
1967	→ Washington Whips (guest)	8	(1)
1972–1983	Manchester United	376	(4)
1983–1985	Oldham Athletic	28	(0)
Total		545	(14)
International career
1971–1978	Scotland	34	(0)
Managerial career
1985	Burnley
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Martin McLean Buchan (born 6 March 1949) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a centre back. Born in Aberdeen, he played for Aberdeen, Manchester United and Oldham Athletic. He also played in 34 international matches for Scotland between 1971 and 1978 including at two World Cups. Buchan later managed Burnley.

Playing career

Aberdeen

Buchan started his professional career with his hometown club Aberdeen. He captained the team when they won the 1970 Scottish Cup Final 3–1 against Jock Stein's Celtic.

Manchester United

Buchan was signed by Manchester United manager Frank O'Farrell on 29 February 1972 for £120,000, and at the time was the club's record signing. His first game for United came on 4 March 1972 against Tottenham in the First Division. He was unable to prevent United from suffering relegation to the Second Division in 1973–74. However, United bounced back at the first attempt as Second Division champions. Buchan became club captain in 1975 following the departure of Willie Morgan.

Buchan helped United win the 1977 FA Cup Final against Liverpool, which they won 2–1. This meant that Buchan became the only player to captain both Scottish and English FA Cup-winning sides. He also helped United reach another FA Cup final in 1979, where they lost 3–2 to Arsenal. He was still with United when they beat Brighton 4–0 in the replayed 1983 FA Cup Final, but he did not make the team for the final. Buchan left the club in August 1983 after injuries caught up with him, signing for Oldham Athletic on a free transfer. He had played in 456 games, scoring 4 goals, one of which was a superb, yet somewhat uncharacteristic, long-range drive against Everton.

International

Buchan won 34 caps for Scotland, making his international debut in 1971 against Portugal and his last appearance in 1978 against the same country. He played in the 1974 and 1978 World Cup finals and captained Scotland twice: in 1975 against Romania and in 1977 against Argentina.

After playing

On 22 June 1985, Buchan was appointed manager of Burnley, who had just been relegated to the Fourth Division for the first time in their history – 25 years after being league champions. Buchan lasted less than four months at Turf Moor, resigning on 10 October 1985.

Buchan worked for the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) in Manchester for 17 years before retiring in 2017.

Personal life

Buchan's brother George and father Martin senior both played for Aberdeen, the latter only in unofficial competitions during World War II. His son Jamie played with Aberdeen, Dundee United and Partick Thistle.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Aberdeen	1966–67	Scottish Division One	4	0	0	0	0	0	–		–		4	0
	1967–68	Scottish Division One	24	2	3	0	5	0	2	1	–		34	3
	1968–69	Scottish Division One	27	2	6	0	6	1	4	0	–		43	3
	1969–70	Scottish Division One	19	2	5	0	0	0	–		–		24	2
	1970–71	Scottish Division One	34	2	4	0	6	0	2	0	–		46	2
	1971–72	Scottish Division One	25	1	2	0	6	0	4	0	–		37	1
	Total		133	9	20	0	23	1	12	1	–		188	11
Washington Whips (loan)	1967	United Soccer Association	8	1	–		–		–		–		8	1
Manchester United	1971–72	First Division	13	1	2	0	0	0	–		–		15	1
	1972–73	First Division	42	0	1	0	4	0	0	0	–		47	0
	1973–74	First Division	42	0	2	0	1	0	–		–		45	0
	1974–75	Second Division	41	0	2	0	7	0	–		–		50	0
	1975–76	First Division	42	0	7	0	3	0	–		–		52	0
	1976–77	First Division	33	0	7	0	4	0	2	0	–		46	0
	1977–78	First Division	28	1	4	0	1	0	4	0	1	0	38	1
	1978–79	First Division	37	2	9	0	2	0	–		–		48	2
	1979–80	First Division	42	0	2	0	3	0	–		–		47	0
	1980–81	First Division	26	0	2	0	2	0	2	0	–		32	0
	1981–82	First Division	27	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	–		30	0
	1982–83	First Division	3	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	–		6	0
	Total		376	4	39	0	30	0	10	0	1	0	456	4
Oldham Athletic	1983–84	Second Division	28	0		0		0	–		–		30	0
Career total			545	14	59	0	53	1	22	1	1	0	682	16

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Scotland	1971	2	0
	1972	6	0
	1973	1	0
	1974	7	0
	1975	4	0
	1976	2	0
	1977	5	0
	1978	7	0
Total		34	0

Managerial record

Team	From	To	Record
			P	W	L	D	Win %
Burnley	June 1985	October 1985	13	5	2	6	38.46%

Honours

As a player

Aberdeen

• Scottish Cup: 1969–70

Manchester United

• FA Cup: 1976–77; runner-up: 1975–76
• FA Charity Shield: 1977

See also

• List of Scotland national football team captains
• List of Scottish football families