1985-1991 and 1993-2002 Ivor Doble
Biographical Text
Ivor Doble served as Exeter City's chairman, either side of a two-year interruption, between 1985 and 2002. Although his time was not without controversy - or its ups and downs (including administration) - he was head of the club at the time of the Division Four championship win in 1990. A stand at St James' Park was later named in his honour.
Born in Exeter in 1925, he trained to become a watchmaker and jeweller at the end of the Second World War and opened his first shop in the city in 1950. With a business that later expanded to include shops in Brixham, Torquay and Totnes, he joined an expanding Exeter City board of directors in 1984.
Mr Doble became chairman in 1985 following in the footsteps of Clifford Hill (1982-85) and the interim appointment of Byron Snell. With City recently relegated from Division Three in 1984, the first three or four seasons under his guidance saw the Grecians finish in the lower half of the Division Four under the management of Colin Appleton and John Delve prior to the appointment of Terry Cooper in May 1988. Before long the club's fortunes had been revived on the pitch as City won Division Four in 1990 and embarked on a four-year run in Division Three.
Yet there were soon setbacks and a boardroom dispute resulted in a Football Association investigation into the club's affairs and the suspension of Mr Doble in March 1991. With widespread support from the club and its' followers, he was forced to step aside with former chair Gerald Vallance resuming his old position for the foreseeable future. In Ivor Doble's absence over the next two-and-a-half years, manager Mark Cooper left for Birmingham to be replaced by Alan Ball who had managed to retain the club's third-tier status pending Mr Doble's eventual return to the role of chairman in November 1993.
This followed in the wake of Freddie Starr, then a 'big name' comedian, attempting to buy the club during the autumn of 1993. But, although the general situation at the club appeared to settle, Ball soon left to join Southampton in January 1994 and - in spite of the immediate return of Terry Cooper - the club was relegated at the end of the 1993/94. Further problems subsequently arose with a temporary transfer ban, the sale of St James, Park to Beazer Homes, the club's debt breaking the £1 million mark and - to top it all - a period in administration.
Passing the manager's baton from Cooper to Peter Fox and Noel Blake, Ivor Doble drew praise from Fox for not accepting an offer for the club from a "Cardiff-based consortium". In many senses the ship was slowly steadied once again even though the club was only able to break into the top-half of the fourth tier on one occasion between 1994 and eventual relegation in 2003. Significantly, whilst John Cornforth took charge of the team in September 2001, two sides of the ground - a new main stand (later to be known as the Ivor Doble Stand) and a remodelled Big Bank - were rebuilt to transform half of St James' Park. Unfortunately, for all concerned, this caused further financial difficulties and the end of Ivor Doble's time in the chair. At the age of seventy-seven, and having most likely put more cash into the club then he ever intended, it would be hardly surprising that he was desperate for a workable offer for the club.
Unfortunately for all, when the sale of the club eventually materialised in 2002, ExeterCity fell into the far-from-safe hands of John Russell and Mike Lewis which resulted in both relegation and criminal behaviour.
Twenty years afterwards Albert Ivor Doble died in February 2022 aged ninety-six.
[As a footnote, a curiosity of the times was the similarity with what was happening down the road at Torquay United during the stewardship of Mike Bateson between 1990 and 2007. Both men were old-style local business people with sufficient wealth to ensure their club's survival but not move to a different level. Each saw their club win promotion but also experience tougher challenges at the foot of the Football League. They also both, in turn, stepped aside for periods before ultimately selling their respective clubs (although Bateson briefly returned) to unsatisfactory suitors resulting in the two clubs' relegation from the Football League four years apart.]
Born in Exeter in 1925, he trained to become a watchmaker and jeweller at the end of the Second World War and opened his first shop in the city in 1950. With a business that later expanded to include shops in Brixham, Torquay and Totnes, he joined an expanding Exeter City board of directors in 1984.
Mr Doble became chairman in 1985 following in the footsteps of Clifford Hill (1982-85) and the interim appointment of Byron Snell. With City recently relegated from Division Three in 1984, the first three or four seasons under his guidance saw the Grecians finish in the lower half of the Division Four under the management of Colin Appleton and John Delve prior to the appointment of Terry Cooper in May 1988. Before long the club's fortunes had been revived on the pitch as City won Division Four in 1990 and embarked on a four-year run in Division Three.
Yet there were soon setbacks and a boardroom dispute resulted in a Football Association investigation into the club's affairs and the suspension of Mr Doble in March 1991. With widespread support from the club and its' followers, he was forced to step aside with former chair Gerald Vallance resuming his old position for the foreseeable future. In Ivor Doble's absence over the next two-and-a-half years, manager Mark Cooper left for Birmingham to be replaced by Alan Ball who had managed to retain the club's third-tier status pending Mr Doble's eventual return to the role of chairman in November 1993.
This followed in the wake of Freddie Starr, then a 'big name' comedian, attempting to buy the club during the autumn of 1993. But, although the general situation at the club appeared to settle, Ball soon left to join Southampton in January 1994 and - in spite of the immediate return of Terry Cooper - the club was relegated at the end of the 1993/94. Further problems subsequently arose with a temporary transfer ban, the sale of St James, Park to Beazer Homes, the club's debt breaking the £1 million mark and - to top it all - a period in administration.
Passing the manager's baton from Cooper to Peter Fox and Noel Blake, Ivor Doble drew praise from Fox for not accepting an offer for the club from a "Cardiff-based consortium". In many senses the ship was slowly steadied once again even though the club was only able to break into the top-half of the fourth tier on one occasion between 1994 and eventual relegation in 2003. Significantly, whilst John Cornforth took charge of the team in September 2001, two sides of the ground - a new main stand (later to be known as the Ivor Doble Stand) and a remodelled Big Bank - were rebuilt to transform half of St James' Park. Unfortunately, for all concerned, this caused further financial difficulties and the end of Ivor Doble's time in the chair. At the age of seventy-seven, and having most likely put more cash into the club then he ever intended, it would be hardly surprising that he was desperate for a workable offer for the club.
Unfortunately for all, when the sale of the club eventually materialised in 2002, ExeterCity fell into the far-from-safe hands of John Russell and Mike Lewis which resulted in both relegation and criminal behaviour.
Twenty years afterwards Albert Ivor Doble died in February 2022 aged ninety-six.
[As a footnote, a curiosity of the times was the similarity with what was happening down the road at Torquay United during the stewardship of Mike Bateson between 1990 and 2007. Both men were old-style local business people with sufficient wealth to ensure their club's survival but not move to a different level. Each saw their club win promotion but also experience tougher challenges at the foot of the Football League. They also both, in turn, stepped aside for periods before ultimately selling their respective clubs (although Bateson briefly returned) to unsatisfactory suitors resulting in the two clubs' relegation from the Football League four years apart.]
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