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{{Short description|English footballer & manager}}
{{for|the American geologist|Brian K. Horton}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = Brian Horton
| image          =
| caption        =
| fullname       = Brian Horton<ref>{{Hugman|9400|access-date=9 March 2017}}</ref>
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1949|2|4|df=y}}<ref name=Moon>{{cite web|title=Brian Horton|url=http://www.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/History/Managers/Manager.aspx?id=27|work=bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk|access-date=15 November 2011}}</ref>
| birth_place    = [[Hednesford]], England<ref name=Moon/>
| height         = {{height|ft=5|in=10}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dunk |first1=Peter |title=Rothmans football yearbook 1987-88 |date=1987 |publisher=Queen Anne Press |location=London |isbn=978-0356143545 |page=[https://archive.org/details/rothmansfootball00lond/page/198 198] |url=https://archive.org/details/rothmansfootball00lond |url-access=registration |access-date=14 April 2020}}</ref>
| position       = [[Midfielder|Wing-half]]
| youthyears1    = 1964–1966| youthclubs1 = [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]]
| years1         = 1966–1970| clubs1 = [[Hednesford Town F.C.|Hednesford Town]]              | caps1 =    | goals1 =  
| years2         = 1970–1976| clubs2 = [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]                          | caps2 = 236| goals2 = 33
| years3         = 1976–1981| clubs3 = [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]]| caps3 = 218| goals3 = 33
| years4         = 1981–1984| clubs4 = [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]]                        | caps4 = 118| goals4 =  8
| years5         = 1984–1986| clubs5 = [[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]]                        | caps5 =  38| goals5 =  0
| totalcaps      = 610| totalgoals = 74
| manageryears1  = 1984–1988| managerclubs1 = [[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]]
| manageryears2  = 1988–1993| managerclubs2 = [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]]
| manageryears3  = 1993–1995| managerclubs3 = [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]
| manageryears4  = 1995–1997| managerclubs4 = [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]]
| manageryears5  = 1998–1999| managerclubs5 = [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]]
| manageryears6  = 1999–2004| managerclubs6 = [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]
| manageryears7  = 2004–2006| managerclubs7 = [[Macclesfield Town F.C.|Macclesfield Town]]
| manageryears8  = 2012     | managerclubs8 = [[Macclesfield Town F.C.|Macclesfield Town]]
}}

'''Brian''' '''"Nobby"''' '''Horton''' (born 4 February 1949) is an English former [[Association football|footballer]] and [[Manager (association football)|manager]]. He spent 16 years as a professional player and 22 years as a manager, making 689 appearances and managing 1,098 matches. In addition to this, he spent four years as a semi-professional player and around 11 years as a [[Coach (sport)|coach]] and assistant manager.

Horton played at [[Midfielder|wing-half]], though he was forced to find employment as a builder after being released from [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]]'s youth team in 1966. He joined [[Hednesford Town F.C.|Hednesford Town]] in the [[West Midlands (Regional) League]], winning the [[Staffordshire Senior Cup]] in his final appearance for the club in 1970. He turned professional by signing with [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] of the [[English Football League]] in July 1970. He established himself in the first team, making 258 appearances, before being sold on to [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]] for [[Pound sterling|£]]30,000 in March 1976. Installed as club [[Captain (association football)|captain]], he helped the club to win [[Promotion and relegation|promotions]] to the [[Football League First Division|First Division]] from the [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]] in 1976–77 and 1978–79, being named on the [[PFA Team of the Year]] on both occasions. He also won the club's Player of the Year in 1977. Having played 251 games for the club, he was [[Transfer (association football)|transfer]]red to [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]] in August 1981. He captained the team to the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] title in 1981–82 and helped the club to remain in the First Division, playing 132 games in league and cup competitions.

Horton was installed as [[Player-coach|player-manager]] at [[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]] in June 1984 and led the club to promotion out of the Third Division in 1984–85. He was sacked in April 1988 and was appointed as [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]]'s assistant manager the following month. He succeeded [[Mark Lawrenson]] as Oxford manager in October of that year. He managed to keep the club in the Second Division for five seasons despite a financial crisis caused by the death of owner [[Robert Maxwell]]. Horton was the surprise appointment as [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] manager in August 1993 and kept the club competitive in the Premier League before being dismissed by new club chairman [[Francis Lee (footballer)|Francis Lee]] in May 1995. He took charge at [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]] the following month but was sacked with the club bottom of the Second Division in October 1997. He returned to his former club Brighton & Hove Albion as manager in February 1998, who were struggling near the foot of the Third Division and forced to play home games at [[Priestfield Stadium]] in Gillingham. He moved to another former club, Port Vale, in January 1999. Vale were [[Promotion and relegation|relegated]] out of the First Division in 2000. However, Horton won his first trophy in management as they secured the [[EFL Trophy|Football League Trophy]] in [[2001 Football League Trophy final|2001]]. He resigned in February 2004 following a change in ownership.

He took charge at [[Macclesfield Town F.C.|Macclesfield Town]] in April 2004, steering the club away from the Third Division relegation zone. He spent two full seasons in charge before being sacked in October 2006. Having spent some time out of the game, he returned to Hull City as [[Phil Brown (footballer, born 1959)|Phil Brown]]'s assistant manager in May 2007. The club were promoted to the [[Premier League]], though the two were sacked in March 2010. He spent 2011 as Phil Brown's assistant at [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]] and then returned to management with Macclesfield Town in March 2012, though he was unable to prevent the club from being relegated from the Football League. He joined [[Doncaster Rovers F.C.|Doncaster Rovers]] as [[Paul Dickov]]'s assistant in June 2013, before he was appointed as football coordinator at [[Southend United F.C.|Southend United]] by Phil Brown in August 2015. He later assisted Phil Brown at [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]] for two months, leaving the club in May 2018. He has been married twice and has twins.

==Playing career==
===Hednesford Town===
Born in [[Hednesford]], Staffordshire, Horton's father, Richard, was a [[Coal mining|coal miner]] at the [[North Staffordshire Coalfield]] and his mother, Irene, worked as a cook at [[Cannock Chase High School|Cannock Grammar School]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=11}}</ref> He started his career as a member of [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]]'s [[youth system|youth team]] at the age of 15.<ref name="nobby">{{cite web|title=No.81 Brian 'Nobby' Horton|url=http://www.hednesfordtown.com/heroes/81%20Brian%20Horton.pdf|website=hednesfordtown.com|access-date=1 April 2016}}</ref> He played regularly in the [[West Midlands (Regional) League]], though was released after two years without having appeared for the first-team, and joined hometown club [[Hednesford Town F.C.|Hednesford Town]] in the West Midlands (Regional) League after being signed by [[Player-coach|player-manager]] [[Dick Neal Jr.|Dick Neal]].<ref name="nobby"/> During his time at the club he worked in the building trade in the Walsall area.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=16}}</ref> He became known as '''Nobby''' to fans, a nickname that stuck with him throughout his career, after a supporter stated that Horton played like [[Nobby Stiles]].<ref name="page 19">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=19}}</ref> He won the [[Staffordshire Senior Cup]] in his final appearance for the club, a victory over [[Kidderminster Harriers F.C.|Kidderminster Harriers]].<ref name="nobby"/>

===Port Vale===
Horton returned to the [[English Football League|Football League]] at the age of 21 when he signed for newly-[[Promotion and relegation|promoted]] [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]] club [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] in July 1970.<ref name="Kent">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=142|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}}</ref> It was reported that his [[Transfer (association football)|transfer]] fee was a pint of [[shandy]], as Vale were struggling financially and simply haggled with the Hednesford Town chairman by plying him with alcohol, therefore his transfer fee was 'a pint of shandy'.<ref name="Kent" /> Port Vale agreed to play a pre-season [[Exhibition game|friendly]] with Hednesford and allowed them to keep all the gate receipt money from the match.<ref name="page 19"/> Horton had been earning [[Pound sterling|£]]7-a-week at Hednesford, rising to £20 with win bonuses, supplemented by a £20-a-week income from building work, and so actually took a significant pay cut to turn professional at Port Vale on wages of £23-a-week.<ref name="page 20">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=20}}</ref>

A first-team regular from the start under manager [[Gordon Lee (footballer)|Gordon Lee]], Horton played 40 games in the [[1970–71 Port Vale F.C. season|1970–71]] season, and scored his first competitive goal in a 3–2 win against [[Bury F.C.|Bury]] at [[Gigg Lane]].<ref name="Kent" /> He then found his scoring form in the [[1971–72 Port Vale F.C. season|1971–72]] campaign, as he hit eight goals in 47 appearances; he also became the club's [[Penalty kick (association football)|penalty]] taker, with half of his goals coming from the spot.<ref name="Kent" /> He hit seven goals in 43 games in the [[1972–73 Port Vale F.C. season|1972–73]] season, four of his strikes coming from the penalty spot.<ref name="Kent" /> He missed a period around Christmas due to injury, and during this time his teammates struggled to find results; this ultimately cost the "Valiants", as they finished four points behind promoted [[Notts County F.C.|Notts County]].<ref name="Witan">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale|publisher=Witan Books|year=1990|pages=227–257|chapter=Surviving on a Shoestring (1969–1979)|isbn=0-9508981-4-7}}</ref> The injury had come in a 2–0 defeat at [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]], when a knee-high [[Tackle (football move)|tackle]] left him with a hairline [[Bone fracture|fracture]] of the leg, which also caused him to miss an [[FA Cup]] third round tie with [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=27}}</ref>

Lee changed the team's [[Formation (association football)|formation]] from 4–4–2 to 4–3–3 for the [[1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season|1973–74]] campaign, hoping that this would allow Horton more room in the centre of the field.<ref name="Witan"/> However, Vale's form suffered, and Lee was replaced as [[Manager (association football)|manager]] by [[Roy Sproson]] in January.<ref name="Kent" /> Vale finished the campaign one place above the [[Promotion and relegation|relegation]] zone, though were seven points clear of the relegation zone. Horton played 46 games, scoring four goals.<ref name="Kent" /> Vale missed out on promotion by just four points at the end of the [[1974–75 Port Vale F.C. season|1974–75]] season, as Horton hit 13 goals in 47 games, leaving him one goal behind top-scorers [[Ray Williams (footballer, born 1946)|Ray Williams]] and [[Terry Bailey]].<ref name="Kent" /> He hit four goals in 35 games in the [[1975–76 Port Vale F.C. season|1975–76]] season, including both of Vale's goals in a win over [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]] at [[Vale Park]].<ref name="Kent" /> Much to the disappointment of Vale supporters, he was sold to league rivals [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]] in March 1976 for a fee of £30,000.<ref name="Kent" /> Their offer trumped the £25,000. offered by both [[Hereford United F.C.|Hereford United]] and [[Plymouth Argyle F.C.|Plymouth Argyle]].<ref name="parallel">{{cite news |title=Nobby Horton has a place in the hearts of Brighton and Manchester City fans |url=https://inparallellines.wordpress.com/2019/04/04/nobby-horton-has-a-place-in-the-hearts-of-brighton-and-manchester-city-fans/ |access-date=31 January 2023 |work=In parallel lines |date=4 April 2019 |language=en}}</ref> In total he spent nearly six years with Port Vale, scoring a total of 37 goals in 258 games in league and cup competitions.<ref name="Kent" />

===Brighton & Hove Albion===
Manager [[Peter Taylor (footballer, born 1928)|Peter Taylor]] immediately installed Horton as club [[Captain (association football)|captain]], giving him a [[Association football contracts|contract]] worth £100-a-week.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=32}}</ref> Brighton finished fourth at the end of the [[1975–76 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1975–76]] season, three points shy of promotion, and Taylor quit the club.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=33}}</ref> Incoming manager [[Alan Mullery]] had planned to also play in midfield for the club but after witnessing Horton in his first training session he came to the conclusion that Horton would provide the necessary leadership and skill on the [[Football pitch|pitch]], so Mullery retired as a player to concentrate fully on management.<ref name="page 54">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=54}}</ref> For his performances at both Vale and Brighton, Horton was named on the [[PFA Team of the Year]], along with Brighton teammates [[Graham Cross]] and [[Peter Ward (footballer, born 1955)|Peter Ward]].<ref name=Lynch141>{{cite book |first=Tony |last=Lynch |title=The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes |year=1995 |publisher=Random House |location=London |isbn=978-0-09-179135-3 |page=141}}</ref> The "Seagulls" finished second in [[1976–77 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1976–77]] under Mullery's stewardship, and thus were promoted into the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]].<ref name="nobby"/> Mullery was However, disappointed in his players after they won only one of their final four games to miss out on the chance of winning the divisional title.<ref name="page 34"/> Horton was named as the club's Player of the Year, ahead of 36-goal record-breaking top-scorer Peter Ward.<ref name="page 34">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=34}}</ref>

Albion made a fourth-place finish to the [[1977–78 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1977–78]] season, missing out on promotion to the [[Football League First Division|First Division]] only because third-placed [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] had superior [[goal difference]].<ref name="page 34"/> Undeterred, Brighton won promotion as runners-up in [[1978–79 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1978–79]], one point behind champions [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] and one point ahead of fourth-place [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]].<ref name="nobby"/> Horton was named on the PFA Team of the Year for a second time, alongside teammate [[Mark Lawrenson]].<ref name=Lynch142>{{cite book |first=Tony |last=Lynch |title=The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes |year=1995 |publisher=Random House |location=London |isbn=978-0-09-179135-3 |page=142}}</ref> Brighton played top-flight football for the first time in [[History of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|their history]] in the [[1979–80 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1979–80]] season. The team got off to a poor start amidst discontent with the club's board over bonus pay, losing four of their opening five games and sinking to bottom of the league by November.<ref name="page 48">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=48}}</ref> However, they ended [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]'s 42-game unbeaten run. They would do the double over [[Brian Clough]]'s team that season.<ref name="page 48"/> They finished in 16th-place, some six points clear of the relegation zone. The [[1980–81 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1980–81]] season was a much narrower affair. Still, Brighton finished in 19th place, two points clear of relegated [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]], having won their final three games of the campaign.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=51}}</ref> Mullery left the club and was replaced by [[Mike Bailey (footballer)|Mike Bailey]], who wanted Horton out of the club.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=62}}</ref> He left the [[Goldstone Ground]] having scored 47 goals in 251 league and cup games.<ref name="nobby"/>

===Luton Town===
Horton transferred to [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]] in August 1981, as the club were competing in the Second Division under the stewardship of [[David Pleat]].<ref name="nobby"/> He was signed to replace [[Alan West (footballer)|Alan West]], who had been sold on to [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=64}}</ref> Horton was installed as captain and told to play a more attacking midfield role than he had previously been used to, playing in between a midfield three with [[Lil Fuccillo]] and [[Ricky Hill]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=65}}</ref> He was again promoted into the top-flight, as the "Hatters" topped the Second Division table in [[1981–82 Luton Town F.C. season|1981–82]] by an eight-point margin, some 18 points clear of fourth-place [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]].<ref name="nobby"/> He was named on the PFA Team of the Year for the third time in his career, alongside teammates [[Kirk Stephens]], Ricky Hill, and [[David Moss (footballer, born 1952)|David Moss]].<ref name=Lynch144>{{cite book |first=Tony |last=Lynch |title=The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes |year=1995 |publisher=Random House |location=London |isbn=978-0-09-179135-3 |page=144}}</ref>

Luton then went on to escape [[promotion and relegation|relegation]] on the final day of the [[1982–83 Luton Town F.C. season|1982–83]] season at [[Maine Road]], following a 1–0 over [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]], who took their place in the relegation zone. The match became famous for the images of David Pleat dancing across the pitch in jubilation.<ref name="nectar">{{cite web|url=http://www.ambernectar.org/blog/2007/06/hero-brian-horton/ |title=Brian Horton|last=Scott|first=Mike|work=Amber Nectar |publisher=Andy Dalton & Les Motherby |date=9 June 2007 |access-date=24 October 2010}}</ref> Pleat ran straight to Horton after finishing his dance and kissed his out-of-contract midfielder, telling him "you can go anywhere you want to".<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=75}}</ref> However, in the tunnel Horton was punched by [[Dennis Tueart]], starting a brawl amongst the players.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=76}}</ref> Horton was offered a contract by [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], but could not agree on terms with the chairman [[Ken Bates]], and instead signed a new two-year contract with Luton.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=77}}</ref> Horton left [[Kenilworth Road]] after the [[1983–84 Luton Town F.C. season|1983–84]] campaign, as the club secured their top-flight status with a 16-place finish. He had played 131 first-team games for the club, scoring 14 goals.<ref name="nobby"/> His next move was to [[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]], who appointed him their [[player-manager]], and with whom he ended his playing career in 1986 after making 46 competitive appearances.<ref name="nobby"/>

===Style of play===
Horton was a fiercely competitive [[Midfielder|wing-half]] who was skilled at [[Tackle (football move)|tackling]] and [[Passing (association football)|passing]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=9}}</ref>

==Managerial career==

===Hull City===
Horton became player-manager of Hull City in July 1984 and led his side to promotion to the Second Division at the end of the [[1984–85 Hull City A.F.C. season|1984–85]] season.<ref name="nobby"/> He quickly built up a reputation as a "strong-minded, tactically-aware [[Coach (sport)|coach]]."<ref name=ley>{{cite news|last=Ley|first=John|title=Strong man Brian Horton adds steel to Hull's style|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/hull-city/5012756/Strong-man-Brian-Horton-adds-steel-to-Hulls-style.html|access-date=15 November 2011|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=18 March 2009|location=London}}</ref> Due to the [[EFL Cup|League Cup]] draw, three of his first four games as manager were against [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]], and his very first game in charge was a 0–0 draw at [[Sincil Bank]].<ref name="page 86">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=86}}</ref> In November, his team came from 4–1 down to beat [[Leyton Orient F.C.|Leyton Orient]] 5–4 after he instructed assistant manager [[Chris Chilton]] to "get some verbals going" at [[half-time]].<ref name="page 86"/> He signed former Luton Town teammate [[Frankie Bunn]] as a replacement for top-scorer [[Billy Whitehurst]], who he sold to [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] for £232,000.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=88}}</ref> After promotion was secured, Horton was offered a place on the board of directors.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=90}}</ref>

The club had an excellent youth policy, which saw talent such as [[Andy Payton]] and [[Leigh Jenkinson]] develop, though [[Nick Barmby]] was such a prodigious talent that he was signed to Tottenham Hotspur at the age of 16.<ref name="page 92">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=92}}</ref> Horton also brought in defender [[Richard Jobson (footballer)|Richard Jobson]] from [[Watford F.C.|Watford]] for £40,000 and [[Garry Parker]] from former club Luton for £72,000.<ref name="page 92"/> He attempted to sign [[Mark Bright]] from [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] for £45,000, but the chairman could not agree terms with the player.<ref name="page 93">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=93}}</ref> The [[1985–86 Hull City A.F.C. season|1985–86]] season saw Hull come very close to earning promotion to the First Division, finishing in sixth-place, which was then the third-highest finish in the [[History of Hull City A.F.C.|club's history]].<ref name="page 93"/> At the end of the campaign Horton quit playing to concentrate on full-time management, having been [[Ejection (sports)|sent off]] against [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] in his final appearance.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=94}}</ref> Despite the introduction of the [[English Football League play-offs|play-off]] system in [[1986–87 Hull City A.F.C. season|1986–87]], the "Tigers" ended the campaign in 14th-place.

The [[1987–88 Hull City A.F.C. season|1987–88]] campaign began promisingly, and Hull was in the top six, chasing the automatic promotion places by the halfway stage. However, a dreadful run of results in which there was just one win in 17 games ended any hope of promotion. Their form was not helped by the sale of star play-maker Garry Parker to Nottingham Forest for a £270,000 fee, which Horton later admitted was a mistake.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=99}}</ref> After a 4–1 home defeat to [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]], chairman Don Robinson was furious and immediately fired Horton. The players took responsibility for the defeat and urged the chairman to reconsider. Robinson obliged, but Horton refused the offer of reinstatement.<ref name="nectar" /> During his reign he turned down the opportunity to sign apprentice [[Dean Windass]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Windass emotional about Wembley|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hull_city/7402557.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=15 May 2008}}</ref>

===Oxford United===
Horton's next move was to become assistant to former Brighton teammate Mark Lawrenson, now rookie manager at Second Division [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]] in May 1988.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=108}}</ref> Lawrenson left the [[Manor Ground (Oxford)|Manor Ground]] in October 1988 after star player [[Dean Saunders]] was sold to [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]] without his consent, and the board elected Horton as his replacement; at the time both Derby and Oxford were owned by members of [[Robert Maxwell]]'s family.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.banburycake.net/oxfordunited/clubhistory/brieflookback/| title=Last 20 Years |work=Banbury Cake| access-date=6 October 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite book  | last = Brodetsky   | first = Martin   | title = Oxford United: The Complete Record   | publisher = Breedon Books   | year = 2009   | page = 83  | isbn = 978-1-85983-715-3}}</ref> The million pound fee for Saunders allowed Horton to build a squad of his own: former Brighton teammate [[Steve Foster]] (Luton Town), [[Wales national football team|Wales]] international [[Andy Melville]] (£270,000 from [[Swansea City A.F.C.|Swansea City]]), [[New Zealand men's national football team|New Zealand]] international [[Ceri Evans]] ([[free agent]]), defensive midfielder [[Mickey Lewis]] (part-exchange to Derby for [[Trevor Hebberd]]), [[Jim Magilton]] (£100,000 from [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]), [[John Durnin]] (£250,000 from Liverpool), and [[England national under-21 football team|England under-21]] international winger [[Paul Simpson (footballer)|Paul Simpson]] (£200,000 from [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]).<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=113}}</ref> He also gave débuts to [[Joey Beauchamp]] and [[Paul Kee]]. Under his leadership, Oxford finished the [[1988–89 Oxford United F.C. season|1988–89]] Second Division campaign in 17th place. In preparation for the [[1989–90 Oxford United F.C. season|1989–90]] campaign, he exploited the relationship between Derby and Oxford to sign [[Dave Penney]] for £175,000. On the pitch, it was a case of deja vu, as Oxford finished the season in 17th place, again with 54 points. Hoping to build a promotion-winning squad for the [[1990–91 Oxford United F.C. season|1990–91]] campaign, he bought [[Doncaster Rovers F.C.|Doncaster Rovers]] defender [[Les Robinson (footballer)|Les Robinson]] for £150,000. The "Yellows" finished in tenth place, eight points off the play-off places.

The club faced a financial crisis following the mysterious death of Robert Maxwell, and over the summer, Horton was forced to sell striker [[Martin Foyle]] to Port Vale for £375,000. He made no major signings in Foyle's place and instead handed débuts to [[Paul Wanless]], [[Chris Allen (footballer, born 1972)|Chris Allen]], and [[Bobby Ford]]. He also sold Paul Simpson to Derby for £650,000 in February 1992.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=119}}</ref> The loss of close to £1 million of talent showed on the pitch, as Oxford ended the [[1991–92 Oxford United F.C. season|1991–92]] season one place and two points ahead of relegated [[Plymouth Argyle F.C.|Plymouth Argyle]]. They secured their safety with a final-day win over [[Tranmere Rovers F.C.|Tranmere Rovers]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=122}}</ref> At the end of the season, he gave [[Steve McClaren]] his first job in management, putting him in charge of Oxford's youth team.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=123}}</ref> There was less drama in [[1992–93 Oxford United F.C. season|1992–93]], as his side finished in 14th-place, seven points above the relegation zone.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=125}}</ref> Over the summer, he paid [[Corby Town F.C.|Corby Town]] £20,000 for striker [[Matt Murphy (English footballer)|Matt Murphy]], and sold Andy Melville on to [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] for £500,000.

===Manchester City===
In August 1993, four games after the start of the [[1993–94 Manchester City F.C. season|1993–94]] [[Premier League]] campaign, Horton resigned as Oxford manager to replace [[Peter Reid]] as manager of [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] – to the surprise of many [[Manchester City F.C. supporters|supporters]] and commentators, who were expecting the appointment of someone more high-profile.<ref name="axe">{{cite web|title=Brian Horton|url=http://happyaxeman.co.uk/mcfc/?page=5.4&Mid=27|publisher=happyaxeman.co.uk|access-date=16 November 2011}}</ref> Horton initially told chairman [[Peter Swales]] that "we have the makings, the backbone of a really good squad" and that he was satisfied in not making many additions if it meant keeping hold of the existing squad; he cancelled a pre-arranged sale of [[Steve Lomas]] to [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=138}}</ref> City's previous three seasons in the top-flight had yielded top-ten finishes, but Horton struggled with injuries – key striker [[Niall Quinn]] was missing through a [[cruciate ligament]] injury – and City were 20th and bottom in mid-February.<ref name="axe"/> He traded eight-year club veteran striker [[David White (English footballer)|David White]] to [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] in exchange for [[David Rocastle]];<ref name="axe"/> Rocastle failed to live up to expectations, and scored just two league goals. But then Horton transformed his attack by signing [[Uwe Rösler]] ([[1. FC Nürnberg|Nürnberg]]), [[Paul Walsh]] (£750,000 from [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]]) and [[Peter Beagrie]] (£1.1 million from [[Everton F.C.|Everton]]), and City escaped relegation after losing only two of their last 14 games of the season.<ref name="axe"/>

Horton played with two out-and-out wingers in [[1994–95 Manchester City F.C. season|1994–95]]: Peter Beagrie and £1.3million summer signing [[Nicky Summerbee]] ([[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]]).<ref name="axe"/> This led to Rösler, Walsh and Quinn scoring 47 goals between them, but also to some heavy defeats, such as the 5–0 loss to [[Manchester derby|rivals]] [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]].<ref name="axe"/> City were sixth on 3 December and there was talk of a much-awaited return to European football, as young talents such as [[Garry Flitcroft]], [[Richard Edghill]], and Steve Lomas came to the fore. However, they won only four of their remaining 25 league games, finishing just four points clear of relegation, and Horton was sacked.<ref name="axe"/> His sacking was predicted by many, as [[Francis Lee (footballer)|Francis Lee]] had taken over as chairman after Horton's appointment and wished to have his 'own man' in the dugout at [[Maine Road]].<ref name="axe"/> City went on to suffer relegation [[1995–96 Manchester City F.C. season|the following season]] under [[Alan Ball, Jr.|Alan Ball]] and Horton said that "once I had left, Francis made transfers which I could not fathom".<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=153}}</ref>

===Huddersfield Town===
Horton made a swift return to management with [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]], a club that had just won promotion to the First Division under [[Neil Warnock]], who announced his surprise resignation days after [[1995 Football League Second Division play-off final|the club's play-off success]]. Horton had been recommended to the club by [[Trevor Cherry]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=162}}</ref> The "Terriers" started the [[1995–96 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season|1995–96]] campaign positively and enjoyed a mid-season run of just two defeats in 19 games. They also reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, where they lost to Premier League [[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon]] in a [[Replay (sports)|replay]] at [[Plough Lane (1912–98)|Plough Lane]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=164}}</ref> The team were on course for a play-off place, but a run of just three wins in their final 13 games left them in eighth-place, eight points behind sixth-placed [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=166}}</ref>

Horton broke the [[List of Huddersfield Town A.F.C. records and statistics|club's transfer record]] when he splashed out £1.2 million on [[Bristol Rovers F.C.|Bristol Rovers]] striker [[Marcus Stewart]]. However, he also sold top-scorer [[Andy Booth]] to [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]] for £2.7 million.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=163}}</ref> Huddersfield finished the [[1996–97 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season|1996–97]] season just two places and eight points ahead of relegated [[Grimsby Town F.C.|Grimsby Town]]. Huddersfield had suffered injuries throughout the spine of the team as midfielder [[Lee Makel]], striker Marcus Stewart and defender [[Andy Morrison]] (£500,000 from [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]]) missed much of the campaign due to injury, though £325,000 summer signing Andy Payton proved to be a revelation, hitting 19 goals in all competitions.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=168}}</ref> Horton was sacked in October 1997 following a defeat to Nottingham Forest at the [[Kirklees Stadium]] that left Huddersfield bottom of the table.<ref name="Horton 2020 172">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=172}}</ref>

===Brighton & Hove Albion===
In February 1998, Horton returned to one of his old clubs when he became manager of Brighton & Hove Albion. The club were second-from-bottom in the [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]] and playing their home games {{convert|75|mi}} away at [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]]'s [[Priestfield Stadium]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=176}}</ref> He led the club to victory over [[Chester City F.C.|Chester City]], Brighton's first win in five months.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bright start for Horton|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Bright+start+for+Horton.-a060643666|access-date=15 November 2011|newspaper=The People|date=1 March 1998}}</ref> The "Seagulls" secured their Football League status in April after winning a point at league leaders [[Notts County F.C.|Notts County]]. They went on to finish the [[1997–98 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1997–98]] season second-from-bottom, 15 points clear of relegated [[Doncaster Rovers F.C.|Doncaster Rovers]].<ref name="page 180">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=180}}</ref>

Aiming for a complete overhaul of the playing squad and unimpressed by the [[reserve team|reserve]] and youth teams, Horton told chairman [[Dick Knight (businessman)|Dick Knight]] "I want 18 out and 18 in".<ref name="page 180"/> One of the new arrivals was [[Gary Hart (footballer)|Gary Hart]], signed from [[Stansted F.C.|Stansted]] of the [[Essex Senior Football League]] for £1,000 and a set of [[Kit (association football)|kit]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Gary Hart signs new deal with Brighton and Hove Albion|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/brighton/8859768.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=29 July 2010}}</ref> Other signings included [[Jamie Moralee]] ([[Crewe Alexandra F.C.|Crewe Alexandra]]) and [[Ian Culverhouse]] ([[Kingstonian F.C.|Kingstonian]]), whilst he brought [[Martin Hinshelwood]] and [[Dean Wilkins]] onto the backroom staff.<ref name="Page 182">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=182}}</ref> One unusual but effective piece of business was midfielder [[Paul Holsgrove]], who Horton signed on a [[Free transfer (association football)|free transfer]] from Stoke City and then sold on to [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]] for £113,000 in the same [[transfer window]].<ref name="Page 182"/> Brighton started the [[1998–99 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1998–99]] campaign well, though Horton left the club in January 1999 to take charge of another of his old clubs, Port Vale, after the sacking of long-serving manager [[John Rudge]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/1283204.stm|title=Profile on Brian Horton|date=18 April 2001|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref>

===Port Vale===
To help the Vale to avoid relegation at the end of the [[1998–99 Port Vale F.C. season|1998–99]] season, Horton brought in five players: [[Dave Brammer]] (Manchester City), [[Tony Butler (footballer)|Tony Butler]] (Blackpool), [[Carl Griffiths]] ([[Leyton Orient F.C.|Leyton Orient]]), [[Alex Smith (footballer, born 1976)|Alex Smith]] ([[Chester City F.C.|Chester City]]), and [[Chris Allen (footballer, born 1972)|Chris Allen]] (Nottingham Forest).<ref name="page 193">{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=193}}</ref> This spending spree set the club back £630,000, and so Horton first sold off [[Peter Beadle]] to Notts County for £250,000 to raise the cash needed for his new signings.<ref name="page 193"/> He won his first game in charge, a 2–0 win over Huddersfield Town, thanks to a brace from [[Martin Foyle]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=192}}</ref> A five-game unbeaten run in April allowed the Vale to finish above relegated [[Bury F.C.|Bury]] on goals scored.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=194}}</ref>

In a bid to survive another season in the First Division, Horton allowed ten players to leave [[Vale Park]]; the most significant departure was [[Neil Aspin]], as the 34-year-old dropped down two divisions as his career wound down. To replace these players, Horton signed three players on free transfers: [[Jeff Minton]] from former club Brighton, [[Tommy Widdrington]] from [[Grimsby Town F.C.|Grimsby Town]], and [[Steve Rimmer]] from Manchester City. As the season progressed, he released [[Marcus Bent]] and sold Carl Griffiths back to [[Leyton Orient F.C.|Leyton Orient]] for £100,000. He further sold highly rated young centre-back [[Anthony Gardner]] to Tottenham Hotspur for £1 million,<ref name="slide">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/801960.stm|title=Vale slide into Division Two|date=28 June 2000|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=18 January 2011}}</ref> and sold Tony Butler to [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] for £140,000. In their place he signed [[Micky Cummins]], [[Mark Goodlad]], [[Sagi Burton]], and [[Ville Viljanen]]; and also took [[Martin Bullock]], [[Gareth Taylor]], and [[David Healy (footballer)|David Healy]] in on [[Loan (sports)|loan]]. His side finished second-from-bottom and was relegated in [[1999–2000 Port Vale F.C. season|his first full season]] as manager.<ref name="slide"/> At the end of the campaign, Martin Foyle retired, whilst key players [[Paul Musselwhite]] and [[Ian Bogie]] also departed.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=195}}</ref>

In preparation for life in the Second Division, Horton signed [[Dean Delany]], [[Marc Bridge-Wilkinson]] and [[Michael Twiss]] on free transfers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/820952.stm|title=Trialist at Vale Park|date=5 July 2000|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=18 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/850898.stm|title=Vale sign Twiss from Man Utd|date=25 July 2000|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=18 January 2011}}</ref> Horton came under pressure from the board at the start of the [[2000–01 Port Vale F.C. season|2000–01]] campaign, as his team went 13 games without a win,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/1037045.stm|title=The strife of Brian|date=23 November 2000|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref> and were knocked out of the FA Cup by [[Non-League football|non-League]] [[Canvey Island F.C.|Canvey Island]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/1043656.stm|title=Port Vale 1-2 Canvey Island (aet)|date=28 November 2000|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=18 January 2011}}</ref> Horton described it as "the greatest embarrassment of my football career".<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=200}}</ref> He responded to this humiliation by placing five players on the transfer list.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/1054788.stm|title=Five up for sale at Vale|date=4 December 2000|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=18 January 2011}}</ref> He signed [[Steve Brooker]] for £15,000; brought in [[Onandi Lowe]] and [[Richard Burgess (footballer)|Richard Burgess]] on free transfer, whilst also offloading Jeff Minton to [[Rotherham United F.C.|Rotherham United]]. Vale's form improved, as they avoided defeat to Stoke City in both [[Potteries derby]] games. Horton was named [[Football League Second Division Manager of the Month|Manager of the Month]] in March, after a good run of results ended fears of a second successive relegation.<ref name="maot">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/1257722.stm|title=Horton named manager of month|date=3 April 2001|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref> He also won his first trophy as a manager as Vale lifted the [[EFL Trophy|Football League Trophy]], coming from behind [[2001 Football League Trophy final|to beat]] [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]] at the [[Millennium Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news| title =  Horton named manager of month| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/1257722.stm| publisher = BBC Sport| date = 3 April 2001| access-date =10 November 2007}}</ref> Vale upset supporters by selling Dave Brammer to Crewe Alexandra for £500,000.<ref>{{cite press release|url=//www.valiant2001.com/html/press/10082001.htm |title=Valiant 2001 critical of Brammer sale. |date=10 August 2001 |publisher=Valiant 2001 |access-date=6 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021012065737/http://www.valiant2001.com/html/press/10082001.htm |archive-date=12 October 2002 }}</ref>

The club entered a financial crisis following the collapse of [[ITV Digital]], which cost the club £400,000 in revenue.<ref name="digi">{{cite news|title=Clubs in Crisis|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/westmidlands/series1/football-finance.shtml|access-date=8 November 2011|newspaper=BBC Inside Out|date=21 October 2002}}</ref> This meant Horton had to build his squad for the [[2001–02 Port Vale F.C. season|2001–02]] season entirely on free transfers, the most influential proving to be former [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]] striker [[Stephen McPhee]]. Vale beat rivals Stoke City but ended the season in 14th place. Horton was named Manager of the Month after his team earned 13 points from a possible 18 in February.<ref name="febot">{{cite web|title=Horton Rewarded for Fab Feb |url=http://www.leaguemanagers.com/news/news-1860.html |publisher=LMA |access-date=12 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127062830/http://www.leaguemanagers.com/news/news-1860.html |archive-date=27 November 2013}}</ref> Horton signed [[Jon McCarthy]], [[Brett Angell]], [[Ian Brightwell]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/2165795.stm|title=Vale seal double deal|date=1 August 2002|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> [[Phil Charnock]], [[Sam Collins (English footballer)|Sam Collins]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/2067948.stm|title=Collins reunites with Horton|date=26 June 2002|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/2036987.stm|title=Horton moves for Collins|date=10 June 2002|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> and [[Mark Boyd (footballer)|Mark Boyd]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/2010850.stm|title=Boyd joins Vale|date=27 May 2002|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> for the [[2002–03 Port Vale F.C. season|2002–03]] campaign. Four straight defeats were followed by five consecutive victories, as he supplemented his squad with the additions of [[Lee Ashcroft (English footballer)|Lee Ashcroft]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/2313887.stm|title=Vale set for Ashcroft signing|date=9 October 2002|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> [[Peter Clarke (footballer)|Peter Clarke]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/2784067.stm|title=Vale take Clarke on loan|date=20 February 2003|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/2982881.stm|title=Clarke returns to Everton|date=29 April 2003|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> and [[Adrian Littlejohn]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/2884227.stm|title=Vale want pair for another month|date=25 March 2003|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> Though relegation was avoided, Horton still remained unpopular with some sections of the Vale's supporters.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/2944413.stm|title=Horton refuses to back down|date=13 April 2003|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> However, the season was dominated by off-the-field issues, as Vale entered [[Administration (British football)|administration]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/2581571.stm|title=Vale go into administration|date=16 December 2002|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> and were taken over by [[Bill Bratt]]'s fan-based consortium.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/2904331.stm|title=Vale fans to take control|date=7 April 2003|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref>

Building for the [[2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season|2003–04]] campaign, Horton had to find a replacement for departing defender [[Matt Carragher]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/3014351.stm|title=Carragher exits Vale|date=9 May 2003|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> He found his replacement in [[Everton F.C.|Everton]]'s reliable young [[George Pilkington]];<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/3016642.stm|title=Vale land Pilkington|date=24 June 2003|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> he also signed goalkeeper [[Jonny Brain]] and Austrian defender [[Andreas Lipa]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/3174421.stm|title=Vale sign young keeper|date=22 August 2003|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/2974890.stm|title=Vale net Lipa|date=9 June 2003|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> By the start of the campaign Horton had completed the rebuilding of his squad that was necessitated by the financial crisis and the ageing of the highly successful side of the mid-1990s.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/3126571.stm|title=Port Vale season preview|date=5 August 2003|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> A good start saw the club top of the table and Horton was named as Manager of the Month.<ref name="04t">{{cite web|title=Valiant Horton Picks Up Prize |url=http://www.leaguemanagers.com/news/news-3890.html |publisher=LMA |access-date=12 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127064555/http://www.leaguemanagers.com/news/news-3890.html |archive-date=27 November 2013}}</ref> The Vale were one point outside the play-offs by February, at which point Horton tendered his resignation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/3483155.stm|title=Horton leaves Port Vale|date=12 February 2004|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref>

===Macclesfield Town===
Linked with the management position at [[Swansea City A.F.C.|Swansea City]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Horton denies Swansea link|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/swansea_city/3589459.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=1 April 2004}}</ref> Horton was instead appointed as manager of struggling Third Division club [[Macclesfield Town F.C.|Macclesfield Town]] at the start of April 2004, replacing [[John Askey]], who stayed on as a coach. This was initially until the end of the season. Still, Horton was given the job permanently in May.<ref>{{cite news| title =  Silkmen appoint Horton| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/3678273.stm| publisher = BBC Sport| date =11 May 2004| access-date =10 November 2007}}</ref> He rejuvenated a demoralised side and kept them in the Football League, as they finished seven points clear of the relegation zone in [[2003–04 Macclesfield Town F.C. season|2003–04]]. Over the summer he signed [[Iraq national football team|Iraqi]] international [[Jassim Swadi]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Macclesfield sign Iraq star|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/3573860.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=31 August 2004}}</ref> experienced striker [[Mike Sheron]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Silkmen land Sheron|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/3539282.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=6 August 2004}}</ref> veteran defender [[Tony Barras]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Barras joins Macclesfield|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/3856647.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=1 July 2004}}</ref> left-back [[Mark Bailey (footballer)|Mark Bailey]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Bailey completes Macc move|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/3783229.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=7 June 2004}}</ref> and [[Tommy Rooney]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Macc sign Rooney cousin|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/3725677.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=18 May 2004}}</ref> He allowed [[Martin Carruthers]] to leave,<ref>{{cite news|title=Carruthers leaves Silkmen|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/3870151.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=20 July 2004}}</ref> though extended [[Tommy Widdrington]]'s contract,<ref>{{cite news|title=Widdrington extends stay|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/3826995.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=21 June 2004}}</ref> and offered fresh deals to six others.<ref>{{cite news|title=Silkmen retain seven|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/3710777.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=13 May 2004}}</ref> He later added to his squad by signing [[Mark Boyd (footballer)|Mark Boyd]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Boyd completes Silkmen loan move|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4226599.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=1 February 2005}}</ref> and [[Simon Weaver]];<ref>{{cite news|title=Weaver joins Macclesfield on loan|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/lincoln_city/3747006.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=15 October 2004}}</ref> whilst transfer listing Tommy Widdrington and [[Michael Welch (footballer)|Michael Welch]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Duo transfer-listed at Moss Rose|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/luton_town/4155593.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=7 January 2005}}</ref> Many pundits were tipping the "Silkmen" to slip out of the newly named [[EFL League Two|League Two]] at the end of the [[2004–05 Macclesfield Town F.C. season|2004–05]] season,<ref>{{cite news|title=League Two form guide|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/3897219.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=28 July 2004}}</ref> but Horton proved the observers wrong as his side were in the top-seven of the division virtually all season long.<ref>{{cite news|title=League Two review 2004/05|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/4509647.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|work=[[BBC Sport]]|date=10 May 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Fletcher|first=Paul|title=Horton relishing promotion race|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4254501.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|work=[[BBC Sport]]|date=10 February 2005}}</ref> Horton celebrated his 1000th game as a manager on 3 November 2004, as Macclesfield beat Mansfield 4–0 in the Football League Trophy.<ref>{{cite news| title = Horton celebrates milestone win| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/3979121.stm| publisher = BBC Sport| date = 3 November 2004| access-date =10 November 2007}}</ref> He also won the [[EFL League Two Manager of the Month|League Two Manager of the Month]] award for February.<ref name="lea4">{{cite news| title = Horton wins manager of the month| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/4315147.stm| publisher = BBC Sport| date = 3 March 2005| access-date =10 November 2007}}</ref> Macclesfield qualified for the play-offs in sixth place, but their promotion challenge was finally ended by [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]] in the semi-finals, following a 2–1 [[aggregate score|aggregate]] defeat.<ref>{{cite news|title=Macc'field 1-1 Lincoln (agg 1-2)|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/4537135.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=21 May 2005}}</ref> At the end of the season, Horton released nine players, including club captain [[Matthew Tipton]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Nine released by Macc boss Horton|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4584281.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=26 May 2005}}</ref> In the place of these nine players he signed [[Kevin Sandwith]], [[Kevin Townson]], [[Martin Bullock]], and [[David Beresford]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Silkmen bring in four new faces|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4622063.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=25 June 2005}}</ref>

Despite high expectations,<ref>{{cite news|title=League Two form guide|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/4671427.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=1 August 2005}}</ref> Horton's men were not to challenge for promotion in the [[2005–06 Macclesfield Town F.C. season|2005–06]] season. The club were hit by financial troubles after being told they had to pay fines totalling £250,000, and at one point were at risk of being wound up.<ref>{{cite news|last=Oliver|first=Pete|title=Silkmen will battle to save club|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4553842.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=22 December 2005}}</ref> As a result, Horton was forced to cope without assistant John Askey, after Askey was dismissed to cut costs.<ref>{{cite news|title=Askey to lose Macclesfield job|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4486164.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=30 November 2005}}</ref> The sale of top-scorer [[Jon Parkin]] also robbed Horton of his best player.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brian Horton Factfile|url=http://www.mtfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10393~508676,00.html|publisher=mtfc.co.uk|access-date=19 March 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321114959/http://www.mtfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10393~508676%2C00.html|archive-date=21 March 2012}}</ref> Following a poor start to the season he placed four players on the transfer list.<ref>{{cite news|title=Horton shows door to Silkmen four|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4350582.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=17 October 2005}}</ref> He also placed Kevin Townson on the transfer-list,<ref>{{cite news|title=Townson transfer-listed by Horton|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4418810.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=8 November 2005}}</ref> before sacking the striker after Townson displayed "serious misconduct".<ref>{{cite news|title=Macclesfield sack striker Townson|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4492842.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|date=2 December 2005|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> Throughout the campaign, Horton signed goalkeeper [[Tommy Lee (footballer)|Tommy Lee]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Macclesfield sign keeper on loan|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4632662.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=20 January 2006}}</ref> striker [[Clyde Wijnhard]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Macc sign Wijnhard in loan deal|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4334860.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=14 October 2005}}</ref> midfielder [[Alan Navarro]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Macclesfield boss signs Navarro|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4328288.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=11 October 2005}}</ref> forward [[Allan Russell]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Macclesfield seal Russell swoop|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4743539.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=3 August 2005}}</ref> and striker [[Matty McNeil]].<ref>{{cite news|title=McNeil seals Macclesfield loan|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4768234.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=2 March 2006}}</ref> The "Silkmen" finished in 17th-place, five points above the relegation zone.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=217}}</ref> Horton prepared for the [[2006–07 Macclesfield Town F.C. season|2006–07]] campaign by searching for a new midfield player,<ref>{{cite news|last=Fletcher|first=Paul|title=Horton looking for new midfielder|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/5220308.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=27 July 2006}}</ref> and found one in [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]]'s [[Jamie Tolley]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Silkmen seal move for Shrews star|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4780531.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=10 August 2006}}</ref> He also signed versatile attacker [[Colin Heath]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Silkmen sign Chesterfield forward|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/5125366.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=28 June 2006}}</ref> defender [[Carl Regan]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Macclesfield snare striker Regan|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/5103620.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=21 June 2006}}</ref> and former Port Vale goalkeeper [[Jonny Brain]];<ref>{{cite news|title=Horton secures capture of Brain|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/5079400.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=14 June 2006}}</ref> whilst releasing five players.<ref>{{cite news|title=Macclesfield release five players|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/4754029.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=9 May 2006}}</ref> Horton was sacked in October 2006, after his team failed to win any of their opening twelve league games, leaving them bottom of the Football League.<ref>{{cite news|title=Macclesfield sack manager Horton|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/macclesfield_town/5396360.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=1 October 2006}}</ref>

===Assistant to Phil Brown===
In May 2007, Horton returned to [[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]] as assistant manager to [[Phil Brown (footballer, born 1959)|Phil Brown]]; this appointment came 19 years after he resigned as Hull manager.<ref>{{cite news| title = Horton will assist Brown at Hull| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hull_city/6684483.stm| publisher = BBC Sport| date = 23 May 2007| access-date =23 May 2007}}</ref> His contacts were instrumental in bringing in [[Fraizer Campbell]] on loan from Manchester United, who would score 15 goals in 37 games for Hull.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=233}}</ref> He helped the club win promotion to the Premier League via the [[2008 Football League Championship play-off final|play-offs in May 2008]], the first time Hull City made it to the top-flight in their 104-year history.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=223}}</ref> In March 2009, Horton was featured heavily in the press after accusing [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] club captain [[Cesc Fàbregas]] of spitting following an encounter in the FA Cup.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hull accuse Fabregas of spitting|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7949649.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=17 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Tigers submit 'spitting' report|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hull_city/7972885.stm|access-date=15 November 2011|date=30 March 2009|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> Fàbregas was later cleared of any wrongdoing.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/fa_cup/8063160.stm|title=Fabregas in clear over 'spit' row |date=22 May 2009|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref> The "Tigers" struggled in the [[2009–10 Hull City A.F.C. season|2009–10]] season, and Phil Brown was put on gardening leave on 15 March, as Horton and [[Steve Parkin]] were appointed as the club's joint-caretaker managers.<ref>{{cite news | title =Hull City relieve manager Phil Brown of his duties  | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hull_city/8567985.stm |publisher =[[BBC Sport]] | date =15 March 2010 | access-date =15 March 2010}}</ref> Horton offered to stay on until the end of the campaign but Hull instead appointed [[Iain Dowie]], who could not keep the club from being relegated.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=247}}</ref>

In January 2011, Phil Brown was appointed manager of [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]], and Horton was appointed as his assistant.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=257}}</ref> Preston were relegated from the [[EFL Championship|Championship]] at the end of the [[2010–11 Preston North End F.C. season|2010–11]] campaign. Horton left Preston when Phil Brown was sacked on 14 December 2011.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16178900.stm | title=Manager Phil Brown leaves Preston North End | publisher=[[BBC Sport]] | date=14 December 2011 | access-date=14 December 2011}}</ref>

===Return to Macclesfield Town===
In March 2012, following the departure of [[Gary Simpson (footballer, born 1961)|Gary Simpson]], Horton returned to Macclesfield Town as manager for the rest of the [[2011–12 Macclesfield Town F.C. season|2011–12]] season.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17431067 | title=Brian Horton returns as Macclesfield Town manager | publisher=[[BBC Sport]] | date=19 March 2012 | access-date=19 March 2012}}</ref> Assisted by [[Glyn Chamberlain]], he had been tasked with steering the club clear of relegation from League Two, much the same task as he faced the first time he was appointed manager.<ref>{{cite news|title=Manager Announcement|url=http://www.mtfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10393~2665115,00.html|access-date=19 March 2012|newspaper=Macclesfield Town Official Club Website|date=19 March 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321114945/http://www.mtfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10393~2665115%2C00.html|archive-date=21 March 2012}}</ref> A 2–0 defeat to [[Burton Albion F.C.|Burton Albion]] at [[Moss Rose]] on 28 April sent the "Silkmen" into the Conference after 15 years in the Football League.<ref>{{cite news|title=Macclesfield Town's 15-year stay in the Football League came to an end as their relegation was confirmed by a home defeat to Burton Albion|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17796211|access-date=28 April 2012|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=28 April 2012}}</ref> He stepped down as manager on 30 April, having gained just two points from his eight games in charge.<ref>{{cite news|title=Macclesfield Town manager Brian Horton leaves Moss Rose|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/17868617|access-date=24 October 2016|publisher=BBC Sport|date=30 April 2012}}</ref>

===Later career===
Horton turned down the chance of joining Phil Brown for a third time, now at [[Southend United F.C.|Southend United]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=261}}</ref> In June 2013, he was appointed as assistant manager to [[Paul Dickov]] at Championship club [[Doncaster Rovers F.C.|Doncaster Rovers]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Doncaster sign ex-Real Madrid man|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23034478|access-date=24 June 2013|newspaper= BBC News|date=24 June 2013}}</ref> He left the role in July 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=Doncaster Rovers: Brian Horton leaves the club|url=http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/doncaster/doncaster-rovers-brian-horton-leaves-the-club-1-7337196|access-date=2 July 2015|work=The Star|date=1 July 2015}}</ref> He was appointed as football coordinator at Southend United by Phil Brown in August 2015.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Phillips|first1=Chris|title=Brian Horton confirmed as football coordinator at Southend United|url=http://www.echo-news.co.uk/sport/13524950.Brian_Horton_confirmed_as_football_coordinator_at_Southend_United/|access-date=11 October 2015|work=Southend Echo|date=2 August 2015}}</ref> He left [[Roots Hall]] on 17 January 2018 after Brown was placed on gardening leave.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Baggaley|first1=Michael|title=Former Port Vale boss Brian Horton loses job at Southend|url=http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/former-port-vale-boss-brian-1080356|access-date=18 January 2018|work=Stoke Sentinel|date=17 January 2018}}</ref> On 15 March 2018, Brown appointed Horton as his assistant at new club [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Swindon Town bring in defender Ryan McGivern and assistant boss Brian Horton|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43417267|access-date=15 March 2018|publisher=BBC Sport|date=15 March 2018}}</ref> However, Horton left the club just two months later, ending the pair's 11-year partnership in management.<ref>{{cite news |title=Horton will not stay as Brown's assistant at Town |url=https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/16240973.brian-horton-to-leave-his-role-as-phil-browns-assistant-manager-at-swindon-town/ |access-date=18 June 2020 |work=Swindon Advertiser |date=22 May 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life==
He married Denise, a computer programmer, in the 1970s.<ref name="page 20"/> They had twins: Matthew and Lucy.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=282}}</ref> He married his second wife, Val, in October 2002.<ref name="Horton 2020 172"/> Before meeting Val he had released her son, Simon McMain, from the Manchester City youth team.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|2020|p=196}}</ref> Horton was diagnosed with [[prostate cancer]] and went public with the news in October 2023 after being persuaded to do so by [[Mick Harford]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mureddu-Reid |first1=Hamish |last2=Cantor |first2=Johnny |title=Brian Horton: Former Brighton and Man City boss has prostate cancer |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-67170392 |access-date=21 October 2023 |work=BBC News |date=20 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Horton advises cancer check-ups after diagnosis |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67172162 |access-date=21 October 2023 |work=BBC Sport |date=20 October 2023}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===Playing statistics===
Source:<ref>{{ENFA}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|FA Cup
!colspan="2"|Other{{ref label|Other|A|}}
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="7"|[[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]
|[[1970–71 Port Vale F.C. season|1970–71]]
|[[Football League Third Division|Third Division]]
|39||1||1||0||0||0||40||1
|-
|[[1971–72 Port Vale F.C. season|1971–72]]
|Third Division
|42||5||4||3||1||0||47||8
|-
|[[1972–73 Port Vale F.C. season|1972–73]]
|Third Division
|39||6||4||2||2||0||45||8
|-
|[[1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season|1973–74]]
|Third Division
|41||4||4||0||1||0||46||4
|-
|[[1974–75 Port Vale F.C. season|1974–75]]
|Third Division
|44||13||2||0||1||0||47||13
|-
|[[1975–76 Port Vale F.C. season|1975–76]]
|Third Division
|31||4||3||0||1||0||35||4
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!236!!33!!16!!4!!6!!0!!262!!37
|-
|rowspan="7"|[[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]]
|[[1975–76 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1975–76]]
|Third Division
|11||0||0||0||0||0||11||0
|-
|[[1976–77 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1976–77]]
|Third Division
|45||9||3||0||6||3||54||12
|-
|[[1977–78 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1977–78]]
|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]
|42||8||2||1||6||1||50||10
|-
|[[1978–79 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1978–79]]
|Second Division
|40||11||1||0||4||0||45||11
|-
|[[1979–80 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1979–80]]
|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|42||4||1||2||5||1||48||7
|-
|[[1980–81 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|1980–81]]
|First Division
|38||1||2||1||3||0||43||2
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!218!!33!!10!!2!!24!!6!!252!!41
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]]
|[[1981–82 Luton Town F.C. season|1981–82]]
|Second Division
|41||1||2||1||2||0||45||2
|-
|[[1982–83 Luton Town F.C. season|1982–83]]
|First Division
|40||4||2||1||4||0||46||5
|-
|[[1983–84 Luton Town F.C. season|1983–84]]
|First Division
|37||3||2||0||2||0||41||3
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!118!!8!!6!!2!!8!!0!!132!!10
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]]
|[[1984–85 Hull City A.F.C. season|1984–85]]
|Third Division
|22||0||2||0||3||0||27||0
|-
|[[1985–86 Hull City A.F.C. season|1985–86]]
|Second Division
|10||0||2||0||1||0||13||0
|-
|[[1986–87 Hull City A.F.C. season|1986–87]]
|Second Division
|6||0||0||0||1||0||7||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!38!!0!!4!!0!!5!!0!!47!!0
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!610!!74!!36!!8!!43!!6!!689!!88
|}

{{refbegin}}
:A.&nbsp;{{note|Other}} The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the [[EFL Cup|League Cup]], [[EFL Trophy|Football League Trophy]], [[Football League play-offs]] and [[Full Members Cup]].
{{refend}}

===Managerial statistics===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center"
|+ Managerial record by team and tenure
|-
!rowspan=2|Team
!rowspan=2|From
!rowspan=2|To
!colspan=5|Record
|-
!{{abbr|P|Matches played}}!!{{abbr|W|Matches won}}!!{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}!!{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}!!{{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}}
|-
|align=left|[[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]]
|align=left|1 June 1984
|align=left|13 April 1988
{{WDL|195|77|58|60|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]]
|align=left|25 October 1988
|align=left|27 August 1993
{{WDL|243|77|65|101|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]
|align=left|28 August 1993
|align=left|16 May 1995
{{WDL|96|29|33|34|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]]
|align=left|21 June 1995
|align=left|6 October 1997
{{WDL|120|39|35|46|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]]
|align=left|26 February 1998
|align=left|22 January 1999
{{WDL|43|14|10|19|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]
|align=left|22 January 1999
|align=left|12 February 2004
{{WDL|262|84|67|111|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Macclesfield Town F.C.|Macclesfield Town]]
|align=left|1 April 2004
|align=left|1 October 2006
{{WDL|131|47|35|49|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|Macclesfield Town
|align=left|19 March 2012
|align=left|30 April 2012
{{WDL|8|0|2|6|decimals=1}}
|-
!colspan=3|Total<ref>{{soccerbase manager|248|Brian Horton}}</ref>
{{WDLtot|1098|367|305|426|decimals=1}}
|}

==Honours==

===As a player===
'''Hednesford Town'''
*[[Staffordshire Senior Cup]]: 1970<ref name="nobby"/>

'''Brighton & Hove Albion'''
*[[Football League Third Division]] second-place promotion: [[1976–77 Football League|1976–77]]<ref name="nobby"/>
*[[Football League Second Division]] second-place promotion: [[1978–79 Football League|1978–79]]<ref name="nobby"/>

'''Luton Town'''
*[[Football League Second Division]]: [[1981–82 Football League|1981–82]]<ref name="nobby"/>

'''Individual'''
*[[PFA Team of the Year]]: [[1976–77 Football League|1976–77 Third Division]],<ref name=Lynch141/> [[1978–79 Football League|1978–79 Second Division]],<ref name=Lynch142/> [[1981–82 Football League|1981–82 Second Division]]<ref name=Lynch144/>
*Brighton & Hove Albion Player of the Year: [[1976–77 Football League|1976–77]]<ref name="page 34"/>

===As a manager===
'''Hull City'''
*[[Football League Third Division]] third-place promotion: [[1984–85 Football League|1984–85]]<ref name="nobby"/>

'''Port Vale'''
*[[Football League Trophy]]: [[2000–01 Football League Trophy|2000–01]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Vale vault Brentford to lift Vans trophy|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/1289338.stm|access-date=19 January 2016|work=[[BBC Sport]]|date=22 April 2001}}</ref>

'''Individual'''
*[[Football League Second Division Manager of the Month]]: March 2001,<ref name="maot"/> February 2002,<ref name="febot"/> August 2003<ref name="04t"/>
*[[Football League Two Manager of the Month]]: February 2005<ref name="lea4"/>

==References==
'''Specific'''
{{Reflist}}

'''General'''
* {{Cite book | first1=Horton|last1=Brian| first2= Tim |last2=Rich| year=2020 | title=Two Thousand Games: A Life in Football | publisher=Pitch | location=Worthing | isbn= 978-1-78531-668-5|ref={{harvid|Horton|2020}}}}

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| list1 = 
{{1976–77 Football League Third Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{1978–79 Football League Second Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{1981–82 Football League Second Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Player of the Year}}
}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Managerial positions
|list1=
{{Hull City A.F.C. managers}}
{{Oxford United F.C. managers}}
{{Manchester City F.C. managers}}
{{Huddersfield Town F.C. managers}}
{{Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. managers}}
{{Port Vale F.C. managers}}
{{Macclesfield Town F.C. managers}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Brian}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Hednesford]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football wing halves]]
[[Category:Hednesford Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:Port Vale F.C. players]]
[[Category:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players]]
[[Category:Luton Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:Hull City A.F.C. players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:Men's association football player-managers]]
[[Category:English football managers]]
[[Category:Hull City A.F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Hull City A.F.C. directors and chairmen]]
[[Category:Oxford United F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Manchester City F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Huddersfield Town A.F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Port Vale F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Hull City A.F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Preston North End F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Macclesfield Town F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Premier League managers]]
[[Category:English Football League managers]]
[[Category:English football coaches]]
[[Category:Doncaster Rovers F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Southend United F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Swindon Town F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:English autobiographers]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century English sportsmen]]