Johnny Giles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
John Giles

Giles pictured in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Michael John Giles
Date of birth	(1940-11-06) 6 November 1940 (age 84)
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1954–1956	Stella Maris
1956–1957	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1957–1963	Manchester United	99	(10)
1963–1975	Leeds United	383	(88)
1975–1977	West Bromwich Albion	75	(3)
1978	Philadelphia Fury	21	(0)
1977–1983	Shamrock Rovers	42	(11)
Total		620	(112)
International career
1959–1979	Republic of Ireland	59	(5)
Managerial career
1973–1980	Republic of Ireland (player-manager)
1975–1977	West Bromwich Albion (player-manager)
1977–1983	Shamrock Rovers (player-manager)
1981–1983	Vancouver Whitecaps
1984–1985	West Bromwich Albion
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Michael John Giles (born 6 November 1940) is a famous Irish former football player and manager. He is best known for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s. After he stopped managing in 1985, Giles became a senior analyst for RTÉ Sport's football coverage from 1986 until 2016. He was nominated for the 1972 Ballon d'Or award. In 2004, the FAI named Giles the greatest Irish player of the last 50 years at the UEFA Jubilee Awards.

Giles won an FA Cup with Manchester United under manager Matt Busby. He then moved to Leeds in 1963. There, he played in midfield with captain Billy Bremner. They formed one of the best midfield partnerships in English and European football. Their teamwork helped Leeds win many major trophies during the club's most successful period. Both Giles and Bremner scored 115 goals for Leeds.

Later in his career, Giles became a manager. He was a player-manager and manager for teams like West Bromwich Albion, the Republic of Ireland, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Shamrock Rovers. Even though he knew a lot about football, Giles did not enjoy being a manager. He became frustrated with problems like club boards not being committed. He left management for good in 1985 and later said he had no regrets about quitting.

In 1986, his childhood friend Eamon Dunphy encouraged him to try football punditry. Giles became a senior analyst for RTÉ Sport until 2016. In December 2019, he started working as an analyst for Premier Sports, covering English Premier League matches. He also writes two columns each week for the Irish Evening Herald newspaper. He shares his football opinions on the radio station Newstalk 106.

Playing for Clubs

Giles grew up in Ormond Square, a working-class area in Dublin. There, he developed many skills that helped him become a professional footballer. His father, Christy Giles, encouraged him to play. Christy played for Bohemians in the 1920s and managed Drumcondra in the 1940s.

Giles was discovered playing for Stella Maris in Dublin. He then started his English career with Manchester United. He joined Matt Busby's team in 1956 for a £10 signing fee. He made his first-team debut early in 1959. This happened after eight team members died in the Munich air disaster in February 1958. One of the players who died was Billy Whelan, who was also from Dublin.

By the age of 18, Giles was also chosen to play for the Republic of Ireland team.

Time at Manchester United

Giles was a regular player for Manchester United for the next four years. He played alongside famous players like Bobby Charlton and Denis Law. Manchester United won the FA Cup in 1963. In that final, Giles made a key pass that led to David Herd's winning goal.

After falling out of favor with the manager, Giles asked to be transferred. He joined Leeds United for £33,000. Giles told his wife Anne that he would "haunt" Busby for making him leave.

Success with Leeds United

Giles quickly became one of the best central midfielders in England. Leeds won the Second Division title in his first season. In 1965, Leeds almost won both the League championship and the FA Cup. However, they lost both to Manchester United and Liverpool.

Giles formed a strong partnership with Billy Bremner. Leeds manager Don Revie built a new team around them. Giles was known for his creativity, and Bremner for winning the ball. But both players could do each other's main job.

In the 1967–68 season, Leeds won both the League Cup and the Fairs Cup. Giles had an injury that season and missed the second leg of the Fairs Cup final. In the 1968–69 season, Giles helped Leeds become league champions. They set a record with 67 points from 42 matches.

In 1970, Giles had another great season. Leeds chased three trophies but lost all of them. They lost the League to Everton, the FA Cup to Chelsea after a replay, and the European Cup semi-final to Celtic.

In the 1971 FA Cup, Leeds unexpectedly lost 3–2 to Colchester United. Giles scored Leeds' second goal as they tried to come back from 3–0 down. Leeds won the Fairs Cup again but lost the League title on the last day to Arsenal.

Leeds won their first FA Cup in 1972, beating Arsenal 1–0 at Wembley. This was Giles' second FA Cup win. However, they missed out on the League title again on the final day after losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers. In 1973, Sunderland and A.C. Milan beat Leeds in the finals of the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup, leaving Leeds without trophies. When Jack Charlton retired in 1973, Giles became the most experienced player in the squad. In the same year, he started playing for and managing the Irish team at the same time.

In 1974, Leeds won their second league title. They had a 29-match unbeaten run at the start of the season. Then, manager Revie left to manage the England team. Revie suggested Giles, who was almost 34, should take over. However, the Leeds board chose Brian Clough instead. Clough was a great manager but had criticized Leeds in the past. Clough and the players did not get along, as the players also wanted Giles. The board fired Clough after just 44 days. Giles still did not get the job; Jimmy Armfield was appointed. Giles focused on playing as Leeds aimed for their first European Cup final. Giles never applied for the Leeds manager job himself; others put his name forward. Also in 1974, Bill Nicholson suggested Giles as his replacement at Tottenham Hotspur. But Spurs chose Terry Neill instead.

Giles played very well in Leeds' European campaign. However, he was no longer a guaranteed starter. After playing in the 1975 final, which Leeds lost 2–0 to Bayern Munich, Giles accepted an offer. In June 1975, he joined West Bromwich Albion as their player-manager. He continued to play for and manage the Irish team too.

Giles's Status in Football

Many people consider Giles one of the greatest footballers from the Republic of Ireland. Famous managers like Alf Ramsey, Matt Busby, and Brian Clough have praised him highly. Leeds United supporters voted him into their greatest Leeds team of all time. In 1998, the Football League included Giles in its list of 100 League legends to celebrate its 100th birthday. When asked to compare himself to another great Irish player, Roy Keane, Giles said: "If forced to compare us, I'd say I was slightly more creative than him and he [Keane] was a better ball-winner."

Becoming a Tougher Player

Early in his career, Giles faced some rough play. He suffered a serious ankle injury from Birmingham City's Johnny Watts. He also had knee ligament damage from a tackle by Eddie McCreadie. Giles was a creative and smaller player. After these injuries, he realized he needed to become tougher to avoid being targeted by opponents. He later wrote about how he felt he had to become "a lion rather than a lamb" on the pitch. This was to help him reach his full potential. He also wanted to avoid being a hypocrite when judging tough tackles by other players.

Player-Manager Career

Giles showed great promise as a young player-manager for the Republic of Ireland. He also managed West Brom. After a slow start, he won over most of the West Brom supporters. Under his leadership, they were promoted from the Second Division in April 1976. They finished 7th in the First Division in 1976–77. He recently said his time at West Brom was among the happiest of his career, even though he did not win trophies there.

However, he often argued with the club's board about money matters. Giles felt the board kept him out of these decisions too much. He even resigned on the day they secured promotion, but he was convinced to stay. He resigned as player-manager at West Brom on 21 April 1977. On the same day, his former teammate Jack Charlton also resigned from his managerial job. Giles moved back to Ireland to manage Shamrock Rovers until 1983.

He returned to the Hawthorns for a second time as West Brom manager from 1983 to 1985. He helped the team avoid relegation. The next season, Albion started well but finished 12th. Giles sold popular players Cyrille Regis and Garry Thompson. This made supporters unhappy, as their replacements were not successful. He resigned in October 1985 after a record ninth straight defeat for Albion.

Managing the Republic of Ireland

As player-manager of the Republic of Ireland from October 1973 to March 1980, Giles helped the national team improve. They had struggled for the previous ten years. In the 1976 European Championship qualifiers, Liam Brady made his international debut, and the team performed better. In the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the team almost qualified. They defeated France at home during that campaign.

Managing Shamrock Rovers

During his five and a half years at Glenmalure Park, Rovers won the FAI Cup in 1978. Giles scored 2 goals in 4 appearances in the European Cup Winners Cup. He also captained Ireland nine times, scoring once. Giles played his last game on 14 December 1980 at Milltown, when he was 40 years old.

He resigned from Milltown on 3 February 1983, after leaving his Ireland job in March 1980. He then went to North America to manage clubs in the North American Soccer League. In 1981, he was hired to coach the Vancouver Whitecaps. He held that job for three seasons and was named the 1982 North American Soccer League Coach of the Year.

Media Career

Johnny Giles (second seat from the right) with the RTÉ soccer panel at Croke Park during a 2010 FIFA World Cup play-off

Giles later returned to Ireland and started a respected career in journalism. He became a pundit for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) in November 1986. He appeared on Premier Soccer Saturday and their international and European football coverage. This included games involving the Republic of Ireland national football team. Giles contributed to RTÉ Sport's coverage of the 2010 World Cup. Before it started, he correctly predicted that Spain would win the tournament. He is also a leading football analyst on Newstalk.

Giles often criticizes modern coaching methods, especially those of younger managers. In 2016, he said: "When you hear the younger managers talking, it's all about tactics now. If their players are not playing well, they change the formation. There's nothing about not passing the ball to each other or misplacing passes. It's all about, well the tactics were wrong. I've seen it so often, you hear it on the television as well. Their team is playing very poorly, they're 2–0 down at half-time, they're giving the ball away, kicking it out of play. Well what do you have to do, and they start talking about changing the formation. No matter what formation you play you have to pass the ball to each other."

He was also part of RTÉ Sport's studio coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Giles left RTÉ Sport after UEFA Euro 2016, having worked with the broadcaster for 30 years. His last appearance was on the night of the Euro 2016 final.

Retirement Life

Giles lives in the Harborne area of Birmingham, England. He has played golf for many years. At one time, he had a handicap of five, but as he got older, it rose to 12. He joked that it was "a bad 12." To celebrate his 70th birthday, Giles wrote his first autobiography. It was called A Football Man and was released in November 2010. In 2010, his book became the best-selling book in the Republic of Ireland. In it, he says he admires cricket and sometimes watched games in his free time as a footballer.

Portrayals in Media and Legal Action

Giles was played by actor Peter McDonald in the 2009 film The Damned United. This movie was about Brian Clough's short time as Leeds United manager in 1974. Giles successfully sued the author of the book, David Peace, which the film was based on. The book was printed in 2006. Giles said of Peace: "His book was outrageous. I'm portrayed as the scheming leprechaun. He [Peace] had me in conversations with Clough that never happened. It made Clough out to be a wild man whereas he wasn't drinking then. I didn't get on with him but I found him highly intelligent. Peace said the novel was fiction based on fact, trouble is, people assume it's the official version. The movie was a misinterpretation of the misinterpretation that was the book!"

Giles also explained why he took legal action: "I took my stand because I was the only one alive who could do anything about it. The Clough family had no comeback. They couldn't do anything as Brian was dead, that was a huge influence (on taking the legal action)."

As part of the agreement in the 2008 High Court dispute, the publisher, Faber and Faber, had to remove parts from future editions of the book that Giles found harmful and untrue.

Family Life

In 1966, Giles married Anne, who is the sister of Irish Olympic sprinter Paul Dolan. They have four sons and two daughters. Two of his sons, Michael and Chris, played for Shamrock Rovers. Michael played from 1981 to 1983, and Chris from 1993 to 1995. Giles' father, Christy Giles, played for Bohemians in the 1920s and won a league title. His uncle Chris Giles also played for Ireland. Giles is the brother-in-law of Nobby Stiles, his former Manchester United teammate. His uncle Matt managed Transport to win the FAI Cup in 1950.

John Giles Foundation

In 2008, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) created a non-profit group. It was set up to help fund local football clubs and youth football. Giles had previously hosted charity golf events to raise money. He allowed the FAI to use his name for this new charity, which became the John Giles Foundation. This foundation organized "Walk of Dreams" events. Clubs would do sponsored walks, and half the money they raised would go to their own club. The other half would go to clubs chosen by the foundation.

The first event in 2011 received negative feedback. The main walk ended at the Aviva Stadium, but there were not enough toilets. The food was also very expensive, and there was no bottled water. Also, senior Republic of Ireland footballers, who were promised to attend, did not show up. These issues were discussed on RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline program.

The John Giles Foundation raised about €700,000 during its time. However, in 2019, it was revealed that the FAI, under John Delaney, had paid over €500,000 to former footballer Con Martin jnr. These payments were for the idea of the foundation, the fundraising walks, and a kit-buying idea. Giles did not know about these payments at the time.

In September 2022, the FAI announced that the John Giles Foundation would be closing down. A final donation of €55,000 was made to the FAI's Football For All schools program.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Managerial Record

Awards and Honours

Manchester United

• FA Cup: 1962–63

Leeds United

• Football League First Division: 1968–69, 1973–74
• Football League Second Division: 1963–64
• FA Cup: 1971–72; runner-up: 1964–65, 1969–70 1972–73
• Football League Cup: 1967–68
• FA Charity Shield: 1969
• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 1967–68, 1970–71
• European Cup runner-up: 1974–75

Shamrock Rovers

• FAI Cup: 1978
• Tyler Cup: 1978–79

Individual Awards

• Rothmans Golden Boots Awards: 1972, 1973
• Ballon d'Or nominee: 1972
• PFA Team of the Year: 1973-1974
• 100 League Legends: 1998
• UEFA Jubilee Award – Republic of Ireland's Golden Player: 2004
• English Football Hall of Fame: 2010 Inductee
• Trinity College Dublin honorary doctorate: 2013
• FAI Hall of Fame: Inducted 2020