Alvin Martin

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Alvin Martin
Personal information
Full name	Alvin Edward Martin
Date of birth	July 29, 1958 (age 48)
Place of birth	Bootle, England
Nickname	Stretch
Playing position	Defender
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1977-97 1996-97	West Ham United Leyton Orient	469 (27) 017 0(0)
National team
1981-86	England	17 (0)
Teams managed
1997-99	Southend United
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Alvin Edward Martin (born July 29, 1958 in Bootle) is one of West Ham United's all-time greats, a true pro respected by fans and players alike. Martin was rejected by his local club Everton before joining West Ham United straight from school. He is a beloved West Ham fan, but has a soft spot for Liverpool.

He 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 Bonzo in the centre of defence that Alvin - 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.

Alvin 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 Alvin in his 1986 squad for the finals in Mexico.

He played admirably 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 the Hammers, Alvin had a brief spell with East London neighbours Leyton Orient, before managing Southend United for two years.

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

Alvin's son David (born in January 1986) is currently third choice 'keeper at Liverpool FC behind Pepe Reina and Jerzy Dudek. He has 1 England under-20 cap.

	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