Alvin Martin

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Alvin Edward Martin (born July 29, 1958 in Bootle) is a retired English footballer who spent most of his career with West Ham United.

Martin started out with Merseyside club Everton as a schoolboy, but left in 1973 after the Goodison Park club only offered him an apprenticeship on a part time basis, stating at the time that he "would never kick a ball for them again". An unsuccessful trial later that summer with Q.P.R was followed the very next day by one for West Ham United, where he was awarded a contract.

Martin went on to amass 586 first team appearances for the Hammers in a successful 19-year career at Upton Park, in which he became one of only two players (Billy Bonds is the other) to be awarded two testimonials.

It was alongside Bonds in the centre of defence that Martin - nicknamed ’Stretch’ - enjoyed his most rewarding years, winning the FA Cup and Second Division winners medals in successive seasons at the start of the 80s.

As a player Alvin was very comfortable in possession of the ball and deserved to win more than 17 England caps as one of the most accomplished defenders in the British game.

Martin was given his first England cap by Ron Greenwood, who brought him to West Ham as a 14-year-old, against Brazil at Wembley in May 1981. Injury ruled him out of the World Cup finals in Spain in 1982, but he was playing some of the finest football of his career when the next England manager, Bobby Robson, included Martin in his 1986 squad for the finals in Mexico.

He played in the victory over Paraguay but was surprisingly dropped for the next game, the quarter-final defeat by Argentina’s infamous ’Hand of God’.

After leaving West Ham, he had a brief spell with East London neighbours Leyton Orient, before managing Southend United for two years.

After retiring from football management Martin joined London based radio station talkSPORT and is also a regular pundit on Sky Sports TV football talk shows.

His son David is also a footballer, and currently third choice goalkeeper at Liverpool.

	England squad - 1986 FIFA World Cup Quarter-finalists
1 Shilton • 2 Gary Stevens • 3 Sansom • 4 Hoddle • 5 Martin • 6 Butcher • 7 Bryan Robson • 8 Wilkins • 9 Hateley • 10 Lineker • 11 Waddle • 12 Anderson • 13 Woods • 14 Fenwick • 15 Gary A. Stevens • 16 Reid • 17 Steven • 18 Hodge • 19 Barnes • 20 Beardsley • 21 Dixon • 22 Bailey • Coach: Bobby Robson

Categories: 1958 births | Living people | English footballers | West Ham United F.C. players | West Ham United F.C. captains | West Ham United F.C. defenders | Leyton Orient F.C. players | English football managers | Southend United F.C. managers | England international footballers | England B international footballers | Premier League players | People from Bootle | FIFA World Cup 1986 players

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Alvin Martin: Information from Answers.com

Alvin Martin Alvin Martin Personal information Full name Alvin Edward Martin Date of birth July ... Alvin Edward Martin (born July 29 1958 in Bootle ) is one of West Ham United's all-time greats, a ...

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