George Graham facts for kids
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Graham in 1970
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Graham | ||
| Date of birth | 30 November 1944 | ||
| Place of birth | Bargeddie, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1959–1961 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1961–1964 | Aston Villa | 8 | (2) |
| 1964–1966 | Chelsea | 72 | (35) |
| 1966–1972 | Arsenal | 227 | (60) |
| 1972–1974 | Manchester United | 43 | (2) |
| 1974–1976 | Portsmouth | 61 | (5) |
| 1976–1977 | Crystal Palace | 44 | (2) |
| 1978 | California Surf | 17 | (0) |
| Total | 472 | (106) | |
| International career | |||
| 1964–1965 | Scotland U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 1971–1973 | Scotland | 12 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1982–1986 | Millwall | ||
| 1986–1995 | Arsenal | ||
| 1996–1998 | Leeds United | ||
| 1998–2001 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
George Graham (born 30 November 1944) is a Scottish former football player and manager. He was nicknamed "Stroller" during his career.
He played in 455 games in England's Football League. He was a midfielder or forward for teams like Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Arsenal. About half of his games were for Arsenal. He was part of the team that won the Football League Championship and FA Cup in 1971. This is known as winning the "Double". Graham also played for California Surf in the NASL in 1978.
After playing, he became a coach. As a manager, he won many awards with Arsenal between 1987 and 1995. These included two league titles (in 1989 and 1991), the 1993 FA Cup, and two Football League Cups. He also won the 1994 European Cup Winners' Cup. He also managed Millwall, Leeds United, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Graham was one of Arsenal's most successful managers. He was in charge for almost ten years. He left the club after issues arose regarding money from player transfers, which led to a ban from football.
Contents
Early Life and Football Dreams
George Graham was born on November 30, 1944, in Bargeddie, Scotland. He was the youngest of seven children. His father passed away when George was very young.
Growing up, George was a very promising footballer. Big clubs like Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Aston Villa were interested in signing him.
Playing Career Highlights
Aston Villa Years
In 1959, at age 15, Graham received offers from three major clubs. He chose Aston Villa because he liked their manager, Joe Mercer. He started in their youth team.
He became a professional player in 1961, on his 17th birthday. He played five seasons for Aston Villa. One of his ten games was the 1963 League Cup final. Aston Villa lost that game to Birmingham City.
Time at Chelsea
Chelsea signed Graham in July 1964 for £5,000. He scored 35 goals in 72 league games for the club. He won a League Cup medal in 1965.
However, he and some other Chelsea players had disagreements with their manager. This led to Graham and seven others being sent home. They were disciplined for breaking a team rule before a game in 1965.
Arsenal Success
Arsenal bought Graham in 1966 for £50,000. He made his first appearance on October 1, 1966. He quickly became a regular player for Arsenal.
He was Arsenal's top scorer in both the 1966–67 and 1967–68 seasons. He started as a centre forward but later moved to midfield.
With Arsenal, Graham was a runner-up in the League Cup finals in 1968 and 1969. He finally won a medal with the 1969–70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. He was also a key part of Arsenal's team that won the "Double" in 1970–71. This meant winning both the League title and the FA Cup in the same season.
Winning the Double brought him to the attention of the Scotland national team. He played for Scotland for the first time on October 13, 1971. He played twelve games for Scotland and scored three goals. His last game for Scotland was against Brazil in 1973.
By then, Graham's place at Arsenal was less certain. He played 308 matches for Arsenal, scoring 77 goals. His last game for the club was in November 1972.
Later Playing Career
Graham moved to Manchester United in December 1972. He played two years there. The team was relegated to Division Two in 1974.
He finished his playing career in England at Portsmouth and Crystal Palace. In the summer of 1978, he played in America for the California Surf.
Managerial Career
Millwall's Turnaround
After retiring as a player in 1978, Graham became a youth team coach. On December 6, 1982, he became manager of Millwall. The team was at the bottom of the old Third Division.
Graham quickly improved the team. They avoided being relegated that season. The next season, they finished 9th. In 1984–85, they were promoted to the old Second Division.
Arsenal's Golden Era
Graham's success at Millwall caught the eye of top clubs. On May 14, 1986, he was appointed manager of Arsenal. Arsenal had not won a major trophy since 1979.
Graham made big changes to the team. He brought in new players and promoted young talent. He also made the team much more disciplined. Arsenal's performance quickly improved. They won the 1987 League Cup, beating Liverpool 2–1. Key players included young defender Tony Adams and winger Martin Hayes.
In 1988, Arsenal lost the League Cup final. But they continued to play well in the league. Graham's team had a strong defense. This defense included Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, Steve Bould, and Nigel Winterburn. They would be the core of Arsenal's defense for over ten years.
Arsenal also had a strong midfield with players like David Rocastle, Paul Davis, Michael Thomas, and Paul Merson. Striker Alan Smith scored many goals.
At the end of the 1988–89 season, Arsenal won their first League title since 1971. This happened in a very exciting final game against Liverpool. Arsenal needed to win by two goals. With seconds left, Michael Thomas scored the winning goal, making Arsenal League Champions.
After finishing fourth in 1989–90, Graham signed goalkeeper David Seaman and winger Anders Limpar. These players were important as Arsenal won a second title in 1990–91. They lost only one league game that season.
In 1991, Graham signed Ian Wright, who became Arsenal's all-time top scorer. Arsenal entered the European Cup for the first time in twenty years. However, they were knocked out early. The 1991–92 season also saw Arsenal lose to a lower-league team in the FA Cup.
After this, Graham changed his team's style. They became more defensive. They relied mainly on goals from Ian Wright. In 1992–93, Arsenal finished 10th in the first season of the FA Premier League.
However, Graham's Arsenal became experts at winning cups. In 1992–93, they became the first team to win both the FA Cup and League Cup in the same season. They beat Sheffield Wednesday in both finals. The next season, they won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In the final, Arsenal beat Parma 1–0 with a strong defensive performance.
The 1994 Cup Winners' Cup was Graham's last trophy with Arsenal. He left the club in February 1995. This was after an investigation found he had received money related to player transfers. He was later banned from football for a year.
Leeds United Challenge
After his ban, Graham returned to football management with Leeds United in September 1996. He took over after the fifth game of the season.
Graham's start was tough, with many losses. But soon, his methods began to work. Leeds became a very strong defensive team. They ended the season with 20 clean sheets, a club record. They scored only 28 goals but finished 11th in the league.
In the 1997–98 season, Leeds scored more goals, 57. They signed Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who scored 16 Premier League goals. Leeds finished 5th that season. Graham left Leeds in October 1998 to return to London.
Tottenham Hotspur Spell
Graham took over Tottenham Hotspur on October 1, 1998. Five months later, he led the club to victory in the 1999 League Cup Final. They beat Leicester City. This win earned them a spot in the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup.
Despite winning a trophy, Tottenham did not finish higher than tenth in the Premier League under Graham. He was sacked on March 16, 2001. The club stated he had shared private information and expressed disappointment with his budget.
Life After Management
After leaving Tottenham, George Graham did not return to managing a team. He worked as a football expert and commentator for Sky TV for several years.
He was considered for other managing jobs, but none worked out. These included roles at Leicester City, West Ham United, and Aston Villa.
Personal Life
George Graham married Marie Zia in 1967. They had two children. His close friend Terry Venables was his best man. The marriage ended in 1988.
In 1998, Graham married Susan Schmidt. They live in Hampstead, London.
In 2009, Graham shared that he has arthritis. He enjoys golf but has not played much due to his condition. He also started playing tennis.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 1961–62 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 1962–63 | First Division | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | ||
| 1963–64 | First Division | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| Total | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | ||
| Chelsea | 1964–65 | First Division | 30 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 4 | — | 42 | 21 | |
| 1965–66 | First Division | 33 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 50 | 23 | |
| 1966–67 | First Division | 9 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 10 | 2 | |||
| Total | 72 | 35 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 102 | 46 | ||
| Arsenal | 1966–67 | First Division | 33 | 11 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 12 | ||
| 1967–68 | First Division | 38 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 5 | — | 51 | 21 | ||
| 1968–69 | First Division | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 32 | 4 | ||
| 1969–70 | First Division | 36 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 53 | 14 | |
| 1970–71 | First Division | 38 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 57 | 14 | |
| 1971–72 | First Division | 40 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 59 | 10 | |
| 1972–73 | First Division | 16 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 19 | 2 | |||
| Total | 227 | 59 | 27 | 2 | 29 | 9 | 25 | 7 | 308 | 79 | ||
| Manchester United | 1972–73 | First Division | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| 1973–74 | First Division | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | ||
| 1974–75 | Second Division | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 43 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 2 | ||
| Portsmouth | 1974–75 | Second Division | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 3 | |
| 1975–76 | Second Division | 39 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 47 | 3 | ||
| 1976–77 | Third Division | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 51 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 6 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 1976–77 | Third Division | 23 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 3 | ||
| 1977–78 | Second Division | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 25 | 1 | ||
| Total | 44 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 4 | ||
| California Surf | 1978 | NASL | 17 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 472 | 106 | 48 | 6 | 49 | 16 | 36 | 10 | 605 | 138 | ||
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Millwall | 6 December 1982 | 14 May 1986 | 201 | 91 | 51 | 59 | 45.3 |
| Arsenal | 14 May 1986 | 21 February 1995 | 460 | 225 | 133 | 102 | 48.9 |
| Leeds United | 10 September 1996 | 1 October 1998 | 95 | 37 | 27 | 31 | 38.9 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1 October 1998 | 16 March 2001 | 108 | 40 | 30 | 38 | 37.0 |
| Total | 844 | 373 | 241 | 230 | 44.2 | ||
Honours and Awards
As a Player
Chelsea
- Football League Cup: 1964–65
Arsenal
- Football League First Division: 1970–71
- FA Cup: 1970–71
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 1969–70
As a Manager
Millwall
- Football League Third Division promotion: 1984–85
Arsenal
- Football League First Division: 1988–89, 1990–91
- FA Cup: 1992–93
- Football League Cup: 1986–87, 1992–93
- FA Charity Shield: 1991 (shared)
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1993–94
Tottenham Hotspur
- Football League Cup: 1998–99
Individual Awards
- Premier League Manager of the Month: November 1997
Hall of Fame
- Scottish Football Hall of Fame: 2015
See also
- List of English football championship winning managers
