Terry Butcher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Terry Butcher

Butcher as Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Terry Ian Butcher
Date of birth	(1958-12-28) 28 December 1958 (age 66)
Place of birth	Singapore
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Centre back, sweeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1976–1986	Ipswich Town	271	(16)
1986–1990	Rangers	127	(8)
1990–1992	Coventry City	6	(0)
1992–1993	Sunderland	38	(0)
1994	Clydebank	3	(0)
Total		445	(24)
International career
1979–1980	England U21	7	(0)
1979	England B	1	(0)
1980–1990	England	77	(3)
Managerial career
1990–1992	Coventry City
1993	Sunderland
2002–2006	Motherwell
2006–2007	Sydney FC
2007	Partick Thistle (caretaker)
2007	Brentford
2009–2013	Inverness Caledonian Thistle
2013–2014	Hibernian
2015	Newport County
2018	Philippines
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Terry Ian Butcher (born 28 December 1958) is a famous English football manager and former player. He was known for being a strong defender.

During his time as a player, Terry Butcher was the captain of the England national team. He played in 77 international games over ten years, including three FIFA World Cups. He also had a very successful club career, especially with Ipswich Town and Rangers. After retiring as a player, he became a manager for clubs in England, Scotland, Australia, and Wales. He also briefly managed the Philippines national team.

Early Life and Football Start

Terry Butcher was born in Singapore. His father was in the Royal Navy. Terry spent most of his childhood in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. He went to Lowestoft Grammar School.

He was a big fan of Ipswich Town. He even turned down a chance to join the youth team of their rivals, Norwich City. In August 1976, after a three-week trial, he joined Ipswich Town.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting at Ipswich Town

Terry Butcher played his first game for Ipswich Town on April 15, 1978. This was against Everton in the First Division. For the next eight seasons, he became their top central defender. He was known for his leadership, great ability to head the ball, and bravery.

In 1981, Butcher was part of the Ipswich team that won the UEFA Cup. This was a big European trophy. They also almost won the League title that year but were just beaten by Aston Villa.

Terry was named Player of the Year in both 1985 and 1986. In 1986, Ipswich Town was moved down to the Second Division.

Moving to Rangers

In 1986, Terry Butcher left Ipswich and joined the Scottish club Rangers. He was one of the first English players to join Rangers after Graeme Souness became manager. Rangers paid £725,000 for him in July 1986.

As captain, he led Rangers to win three League titles in four seasons. They also won two Scottish League Cups. In November 1987, he broke his leg during a game against Aberdeen. This meant he couldn't play for the rest of that season.

In October 1988, Terry was fined by the SFA after an incident following a match. In July 1988, Manchester United offered £1 million for him, but Rangers said no.

His last game for Rangers was in September 1990. He then almost signed for Leeds United. However, he was offered a job as player-manager for Coventry City.

Player-Manager at Coventry City

On November 15, 1990, Terry Butcher joined Coventry City as their player-manager. He was bought for £400,000. One of his first games as manager was against Leeds, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Coventry had some good early results, including a thrilling 5-4 home win against Nottingham Forest in the Football League Cup. However, they were later knocked out of the League Cup and FA Cup.

Butcher played six league games for Coventry in the 1990–91 season before he stopped playing football. In the 1991–92 season, Coventry started well, even beating defending champions Arsenal. But their form dropped, and Terry Butcher was dismissed as manager on January 6, 1992.

Later Playing Years

In August 1992, Terry Butcher started playing again. He signed for Sunderland in the new Division One. He played 38 games for Sunderland in the 1992–93 season. He became player-manager there in January 1993 and helped them stay in Division One. He was sacked in November 1993 after a difficult start to the next season.

After Sunderland, Butcher played three games for Clydebank before finally retiring as a player.

International Career for England

Butcher (No. 6) is dejected as Diego Maradona celebrates his second goal (considered one of the best goals in World Cup history) during the 1986 World Cup

Terry Butcher's strong performances for Ipswich caught the eye of England manager Ron Greenwood. He made his debut for England on May 31, 1980, against Australia. He was 21 years old.

He was the youngest defender in England's team at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. He became a regular player for England and remained their main centre-back for the rest of the 1980s. He played in the 1986 World Cup. In that tournament, he played in the quarter-final against Argentina. In this game, Diego Maradona scored a famous goal, sometimes called the 'goal of the century'.

A broken leg meant Butcher missed the 1988 European Championship.

One of the most famous moments of his career happened on September 6, 1989. While playing for England in a World Cup qualifier against Sweden, he got a deep cut on his forehead early in the game. He had some quick stitches and continued playing. Because he kept heading the ball, the bandages came off, and the cut reopened. By the end of the game, his white England shirt was covered in blood. This image is very well-known in football history.

England reached the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup with Butcher leading the defense. He also became captain after Bryan Robson got injured. After the World Cup, Butcher retired from international football. He had played 77 games for England and scored three goals over 10 years.

Managerial Career

Coventry City Manager

Terry Butcher became player-manager of Coventry City on November 15, 1990. He was the youngest manager in the Football League at almost 32 years old. He helped Coventry finish 16th in the 1990–91 season, keeping them safe from relegation. However, he was sacked on January 6, 1992.

Sunderland Manager

In February 1993, Butcher became manager of Sunderland. He played a few games again for the club. He helped them avoid relegation at the end of the 1992–93 season. But he was sacked the following December.

Motherwell Manager

In October 2001, Butcher became an assistant coach at Motherwell in Scotland. A year later, he took over as manager. He was praised for his work during a difficult financial time for the club. Motherwell reached the 2005 Scottish League Cup Final in 2005, but lost to his old team, Rangers.

Managing in Australia and England

Terry Butcher became the head coach of Sydney FC in Australia on May 17, 2006. He was sacked in February 2007.

On March 30, 2007, he became assistant coach at Partick Thistle. Soon after, on April 24, 2007, he became the manager of Brentford. He left Brentford on December 11, 2007, after a difficult period.

Scotland National Team Assistant

In 2008, Butcher was named assistant to George Burley for the Scotland national team. He was still upset about Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal against England from 22 years earlier. Before a friendly game against Argentina, managed by Maradona, Butcher spoke about his feelings. Scotland lost the game 1-0. In November 2009, he left his role with the Scotland team.

Success at Inverness Caledonian Thistle

On January 27, 2009, Terry Butcher was appointed manager of Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He signed an 18-month contract. In May 2009, Inverness was moved down from the Scottish Premier League.

After a tough start to the 2009–10 season, Butcher helped turn things around for Inverness. They went from being far behind to leading the Scottish First Division. He won the "Irn Bru Phenomenal" manager of the month award for March. On April 21, Inverness won the First Division, meaning they returned to the Scottish Premier League. As of 2025, Butcher was the last manager to lead the team to promotion.

In April 2010, his contract was extended. In the 2010–11 season, the club finished seventh in the SPL. In November 2011, Butcher was added to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.

In the 2012–13 season, Butcher won a manager of the month award for November. This was after his team won three matches, including an away game against Celtic. He led the club to second place by the end of 2012.

In January 2013, Butcher turned down an offer to manage Barnsley. He said he believed Inverness could make history and he was happy to stay in Scotland. His work in guiding Inverness to a top-six finish earned him a nomination for PFA Scotland Manager of the Year.

Managing Hibernian

On November 11, 2013, Terry Butcher moved to Hibernian, another Scottish Premiership team. He signed a three-year contract.

On January 2, 2014, Butcher won his first Edinburgh derby as manager. However, as the months went on, Hibernian's results became difficult. The team dropped to the bottom half of the league, facing the risk of relegation.

On May 25, 2014, Hibernian was moved down to the Scottish Championship after losing a playoff. Butcher described this as his "darkest day in football." He was sacked by the club on June 10, 2014.

Newport County Manager

On April 30, 2015, Butcher was appointed manager of Welsh club Newport County in League Two. He signed a two-year contract. However, he was sacked on October 1, 2015, after the team had a difficult start to the season.

Philippines National Team Coach

On June 14, 2018, Terry Butcher was announced as the new head coach of the Philippines. He was expected to lead the team in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. But on August 2, 2018, he announced he would not take the role. He felt the system was not ready for him to be successful.

Coaching in China and Return to Ipswich

On July 26, 2019, Butcher joined the coaching staff of Chinese club Guangzhou R&F as a defensive coach.

In February 2020, it was announced that Butcher would take on a new role with Ipswich Town, working with the club's academy and first team. He left the club again in July 2021.

Media Work

Terry Butcher has worked as a football expert and commentator. He has appeared on BBC Radio Five Live and Five. He also worked for BBC Sport during the 2006 World Cup.

Butcher has also been an English co-commentator for the Pro Evolution Soccer and ISS Pro Evolution video games.

Personal Life

Terry Butcher got married in 1980 and lives in Bawdsey. His parents and his wife Rita's parents still live in Suffolk. He has three sons. One of his sons, Christopher, served in the Royal Artillery in Afghanistan and passed away in October 2017. Terry sometimes goes to Ipswich Cardinals American football games.

Butcher is a fan of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden and is friends with their bassist, Steve Harris.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

Managerial Record

Awards and Achievements

As a Player

Ipswich Town

• UEFA Cup: 1980–81 (Won a major European trophy)

Rangers

• Scottish Football League Premier Division: 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90 (Won the Scottish League three times)
• Scottish League Cup: 1986–87, 1988–89 (Won the Scottish League Cup twice)

Individual Awards

• Ipswich Town Player of the Year: 1984–85, 1985–86
• Rangers Hall of Fame: inducted 2000
• Ipswich Town Hall of Fame: Inducted 2010
• Scottish Football Hall of Fame: inducted 2011
• English Football Hall of Fame: Inducted 2021

As a Manager

Inverness Caledonian Thistle

• Scottish First Division (second tier): 2009–10 (Led the team to promotion)

Individual Manager Awards

• Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month: February 2004, September 2004, March 2006, October 2010, November 2012, August 2013

See also

In Spanish: Terry Butcher para niños

• List of England international footballers born outside England