Colin Pates

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Colin Pates
Personnel
Surname Colin George Pates
birthday August 10, 1961
place of birth Carshalton , London ,  England
size 183 cm
position Central defender
Juniors
Years station
1977-1979 Chelsea FC
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1979-1988 Chelsea FC 281 (10)
1988-1990 Charlton Athletic 38 0(0)
1990-1993 Arsenal FC 21 0(0)
1990-1991 →  Brighton & Hove Albion  (loan) 17 0(0)
1993-1995 Brighton & Hove Albion 50 0(0)
1995-1996 Crawley Town
1997 Romford FC
Stations as a trainer
Years station
1995-1996 Crawley Town
1998-1999 Wingate & Finchley
1 Only league games are given.

Colin George Pates (born August 10, 1961 in Carshalton , London ) is a former English football player . As a classic central defender , who, in addition to occasional excursions into midfield, could also be used in the left full-back position, he formed the defensive center with Joe McLaughlin at Chelsea for many years and was later active for London rivals Charlton Athletic and Arsenal . At the end of the 1990s he also gained experience as a coach at semi-professional clubs.

Athletic career

Chelsea FC (1979–1988)

After joining the youth department of Chelsea in August 1977 and signing the first professional contract in July 1979, Pates made his debut on November 10, 1979 in a second division match against FC Orient , which ended spectacularly with a 7-3 victory. He benefited from an injury with regular defender Micky Droy and after his first substitution he was used in 16 other championship matches in the 1979/80 season. Above all, his pronounced game intelligence at a young age was particularly positive, and his flexibility made him a popular "substitute player" with coach Geoff Hurst . In his 15 league appearances during the 1980/81 season, he was in all defensive positions in the back four before the new coach John Neal developed the idea of ​​a central defensive duo with Droy and Pates - while Pates stood out for tackling and header strength, Droy showed tech savvy. Pates played all 42 league games in the 1981/82 season, but his personal climax came in February 1982 with a 2-0 surprise win over Liverpool FC in the FA Cup , where he helped out very successfully in midfield.

In a difficult sporting season 1982/83 Pates changed steadily and as needed his position between defense and midfield after various weaknesses in the team brought the club almost relegation to the third division. With only two points difference, the relegation was accomplished and extensive squad restructuring were the result. An important decision in this regard was the commitment of the Scotsman Joe McLaughlin , with whom Pates now formed the central defense. The duo harmonized so well straight away that the days of Micky Droy - then acting captain and "legend" of Chelsea FC - were numbered. After Christmas 1982 Partes was team captain himself and in this role he led the team to the second division title and promotion to the first division . In his first season in the English top division, Chelsea finished in a surprisingly good sixth place and Pates' importance to the team was particularly evident during his brief absence and the losses he suffered against Coventry City and Ipswich Town . His first goal in the First Division came in a 4-3 win over eventual champions Everton .

The positive development continued in the 1985/86 season, when Chelsea FC was at times even among the larger number of title contenders and at the end won a not insignificant trophy with the Full Members Cup . Pates' consistently reliable performances even gave reason to hope that he could be called up to the English national team for the upcoming 1986 World Cup in Mexico , which ultimately did not come true. Coach John Hollins , who had been in charge of the club since 1985, finally signed a new central defender, Steve Wicks, and Pates surprisingly switched to the left-back position at the beginning of the 1986/87 season. When Wicks was injured, however, Pates initially returned to his traditional position, later helped out in midfield and prevented relegation from defensive position in the last few games of the disappointing season . The problems continued to increase when Pates initially lost the captain's armband and was canceled due to an operation until October. Chelsea FC maneuvered themselves into a downward spiral at the same time and when the season was entering the decisive phase, Pates reported injured again in March 1988. Finally, the season ended after a play-off defeat against Blackburn Rovers with the bitter relegation to the Second Division . There Pates moved back to midfield after the commitment of Graham Roberts before he moved to Charlton Athletic in late October 1988 and thus returned to the First Division.

Last career stations (1988–1995)

After a first season in 1988/89 for the "Addicks", which ended with relegation and 21 league appearances for Pates, the club signed Joe McLaughlin in the summer of 1989 and so the old center-back duo was reunited. However, this lasted only five months before Pates in January 1990 in the direction of Arsenal adopted - Charlton rose eventually knocked off the table next to last on.

With the "Gunners", Pates was primarily intended as additional protection for the regular players in the event of injury and so he only made three league appearances by the summer of 1993, including only one game in the championship season 1990/91 . Instead, he came on loan from second division Brighton & Hove Albion from February 1991 to 17 league appearances and after a short series at Arsenal FC between October and November 1991 and a total of seven league appearances in the 1992/93 season, he moved to Brighton on a permanent contract basis in late August 1993 .

In the case of the "Möwen", Pates acted as a central defender as well as on the left wing. In the 1994/95 season he had to end his active professional career involuntarily due to persistent knee problems. He then worked in the semi-professional area at Crawley Town and Romford FC , where he held the post of player-coach in Crawley. Between 1998 and 1999 he was a coach at Wingate & Finchley , after which he moved to Croydon in 2001 to the Whitgift School .

Title / Awards

literature

  • Hugman, Barry J .: Premier League: The Players - A Complete Guide to Every Player 1992-93 . Tony Williams Publishing, 1992, ISBN 1-869833-15-5 , pp. 267 f .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Colin Pates: Chelsea FC 1979–1988" (Sporting Heroes)
  2. ↑ "Colin Pates: Chelsea FC 1979–1988" (Sporting Heroes)
  3. ↑ "Colin Pates: Chelsea FC 1979–1988" (Sporting Heroes)
  4. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1995-96 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1995, ISBN 0-09-180854-5 , pp. 162 .
  5. ↑ "Where are they now?" (BBC Sport)
personal data
SURNAME Pates, Colin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pates, Colin George (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH August 10, 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH Carshalton , London , England