Johnny Giles facts for kids
Giles pictured in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael John Giles | ||
| Date of birth | 6 November 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.66 m | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 1959–1979 | Republic of Ireland | 59 | (5) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 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 | ||
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John Giles (born Michael John Giles on 6 November 1940) is a famous Irish former football player and manager. He is best known for being a brilliant midfielder for Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s.
After he stopped managing football teams in 1985, Giles became a top football expert. He worked for RTÉ Sport from 1986 until 2016. In 2004, the FAI named him the greatest Irish player of the last 50 years. This was part of the UEFA Jubilee Awards.
Giles won an FA Cup with Manchester United in 1963. He then moved to Leeds United. There, he played in midfield with captain Billy Bremner. They became one of the best midfield pairs in English and European football. Together, they helped Leeds win many major trophies. This was the most successful time in Leeds' history.
Later in his career, Giles also became a manager. He was a player-manager for teams like West Bromwich Albion and the Republic of Ireland. He also managed Vancouver Whitecaps and Shamrock Rovers. Even though he knew a lot about the game, Giles didn't really enjoy being a manager. He felt frustrated by some parts of the job. He stopped managing for good in 1985 and said he had no regrets.
In 1986, his childhood friend Eamon Dunphy encouraged him to try football punditry. Giles became a well-known expert on RTÉ Sport. He also writes columns for the Irish Evening Herald newspaper. He shares his football thoughts on the radio station Newstalk 106.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Giles grew up in Ormond Square in Dublin. This is where he learned many of his football skills. His father, Christy Giles, also played football for Bohemians in the 1920s. He managed Drumcondra in the 1940s.
Starting Out at Manchester United
Giles was first noticed playing for Stella Maris in Dublin. He then started his English football career with Manchester United. He joined Matt Busby's team in 1956. He got to play in the first team early in 1959. This was after eight players died in the Munich air disaster in 1958.
By the age of 18, Giles was also chosen to play for the Republic of Ireland team. For the next four years, Giles was a regular player for Manchester United. He played alongside famous players like Bobby Charlton and Denis Law. Manchester United won the FA Cup in 1963. Giles made a great pass that led to the winning goal in that final.
Becoming a Leeds United Legend
After not playing as much, Giles asked to leave Manchester United. He joined Leeds United for £33,000. He 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.
Giles formed a very strong partnership with Billy Bremner at 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 jobs very well.
In the 1967–68 season, Leeds won both the League Cup and the Fairs Cup. Giles helped Leeds become league champions in the 1968–69 season. They set a record for points at the time. In 1970, Leeds chased three trophies but didn't win any of them.
Leeds won their first FA Cup in 1972, beating Arsenal 1–0. This was Giles' second FA Cup win. In 1973, Jack Charlton retired, making Giles the most experienced player in the squad. That same year, Giles also started playing for and managing the Irish national team.
In 1974, Leeds won their second league title. This was after a great 29-match unbeaten run. After manager Revie left, Giles was expected to take over. But the board chose Brian Clough instead. Clough and the players didn't get along, and he was fired after just 44 days. Giles still didn't get the job, which went to Jimmy Armfield. Giles focused on playing as Leeds reached their first European Cup final.
Giles played brilliantly in Leeds' European journey. In June 1975, he joined West Bromwich Albion as a player-manager. He continued to play for and manage the Irish team too.
His Reputation as a Player
John Giles is seen as one of the best footballers to come from the Republic of Ireland. Famous managers like Alf Ramsey and Matt Busby praised him highly. Leeds United fans even named him in their greatest team of all time. In 1998, the Football League listed Giles as one of its 100 League legends.
Early in his career, Giles faced some tough tackles. He had a serious ankle injury and knee damage. Because he was a creative but smaller player, Giles realized he needed to become tougher. He felt he had to be "a lion rather than a lamb" on the pitch. This helped him reach his full potential and avoid being targeted by opponents.
Player-Manager Role
Giles showed great promise as a player-manager for the Republic of Ireland. He also managed West Bromwich Albion. After a slow start, he gained the support of most fans there. Under his leadership, West Brom was promoted from the Second Division in 1976. They finished 7th in the First Division in 1976–77. Giles said his time at West Brom was one of the happiest parts of his career.
However, he often disagreed with the club's board about money matters. He felt they kept him out of important financial decisions. He even resigned once, but was convinced to stay. He finally resigned as player-manager at West Brom in April 1977. He then moved back to Ireland to manage Shamrock Rovers until 1983.
He returned to West Brom for a second time as manager from 1984 to 1985. The team started well but finished 12th. Giles made some unpopular decisions, like selling popular players. He resigned in October 1985 after a tough losing streak.
Managing the Republic of Ireland
As player-manager of the Republic of Ireland from 1973 to 1980, Giles helped the national team improve a lot. They had struggled for the previous ten years. In the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the team almost made it to the World Cup. They even beat France at home during that time.
Managing Shamrock Rovers
During his five and a half years at Glenmalure Park, Shamrock Rovers won the FAI Cup in 1978. Giles played his last game on 14 December 1980, when he was 40 years old.
He left Shamrock Rovers in February 1983. He then went to North America to coach in the North American Soccer League. In 1981, he coached the Vancouver Whitecaps. He was named the 1982 North American Soccer League Coach of the Year.
Life in Media
After his coaching career, Giles returned to Ireland. He became a respected journalist and football expert for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) in November 1986. He appeared on Premier Soccer Saturday and other football shows. He was especially known for his comments on games involving the Republic of Ireland national football team. Giles correctly predicted that Spain would win the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He is also a top football expert on Newstalk radio.
Giles often talks about modern coaching methods. He believes that some younger managers focus too much on tactics. He thinks they should focus more on basic skills like passing the ball well.
Giles left RTÉ Sport after UEFA Euro 2016. His last appearance was on the night of the Euro 2016 final, after 30 years with the broadcaster.
Retirement Life
John Giles lives in Harborne, a part of Birmingham, England. He has played golf for many years. He used to have a very good handicap of five. Now that he is older, his handicap is 12.
To celebrate his 70th birthday, Giles wrote his first autobiography. It was called A Football Man and came out in November 2010. It became the best-selling book in the Republic of Ireland that year. In the book, he also mentions that he enjoys cricket.
Film and Legal Action
John 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, that the film was based on.
Giles said the book was "outrageous." He felt it showed him in a bad light and included conversations that never happened. He explained that he took legal action because he was the only living person who could challenge the untrue parts. The publisher had to remove the damaging parts from future editions of the book.
Family Life
In 1966, Giles married Anne, who is the sister of Irish Olympic runner Paul Dolan. They have four sons and two daughters. Two of his sons, Michael and Chris, played for Shamrock Rovers.
His father, Christy Giles, played for Bohemians in the 1920s. His uncle Chris Giles (Irish footballer) also played for Ireland. John Giles is also the brother-in-law of Nobby Stiles, who was his teammate at Manchester United. His uncle Matt managed Transport to win the FAI Cup in 1950.
John Giles Foundation
In 2008, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) started a special charity. It was created to help local football clubs and youth football. Giles allowed the FAI to use his name for this charity, which became the John Giles Foundation.
The foundation organized "Walk of Dreams" events. Half the money raised by clubs would go to them, and the other half would help other clubs chosen by the foundation. The first event in 2011 had some problems, like not enough toilets and expensive food.
The John Giles Foundation raised about €700,000 over its lifetime. However, in 2019, it was revealed that the FAI had paid a large sum of money to someone else for the idea of the foundation. 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. They made a final donation to the FAI's Football For All schools program.
Honours and Awards
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
- 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
