David Speedie

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Personal information
David Speedie
Full name	David Robert Speedie
Date of birth	February 20, 1960 (age 47)
Place of birth	Glenrothes, Scotland
Nickname	Speedo
Playing position	Striker
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1978-80 1980-82 1982-87 1987-91 1991 1991-92 1992-93 1992 1992 1993 1993-94	Barnsley Darlington Chelsea Coventry City Liverpool Blackburn Rovers Southampton Birmingham City (loan) W.B.A. (loan) West Ham Utd (loan) Leicester City	23 (0) 88 (21) 162 (47) 122 (31) 12 (6) 36 (23) 7 (2) 11 (0) 10 (2) 11 (4) 37 (12)
National team
1985-89	Scotland	10 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

David Robert Speedie (born 20 February 1960 in Glenrothes, Scotland) is a former Scottish footballer who played for numerous clubs during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea and Coventry City. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year professional career. Speedie also gained 10 caps for the Scottish international team.

Born in Scotland but raised in Yorkshire, Speedie worked as a coalminer before signing professional terms with Barnsley in 1978. Without having scored a goal for Barnsley in 21 appearances, he moved to Darlington in 1980, where his talent first became apparent. Just two years later, he was spotted by then-Chelsea manager John Neal, who signed him for £80,000 in May 1982.

Speedie is arguably most notable for his five-year stint at Chelsea where he formed a prolific strike partnership with Kerry Dixon. Speedie's strength, scoring prowess, work-rate and unlikely heading ability (he was only 5ft7in tall) perfectly complemented both Dixon and winger Pat Nevin as the trio notched up almost 200 goals between them in three years. Before the arrival of Nevin and Dixon, however, Speedie had played an important part in Chelsea's survival in the Second Division a year earlier, with his seven goals (including two on his debut against Oldham Athletic) that season proving crucial. In 1986, he became the first player since Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick at Wembley, as Chelsea defeated Manchester City 5-4 in the Full Members Cup final.

Having scored 64 goals in 205 appearances for the West London side, Speedie joined Coventry City for £750,000 in July 1987 following a disagreement with manager John Hollins. He enjoyed four years at Coventry and remained a high-profile top flight player, equalling his Chelsea strike rate during this period. He scored a number of memorable goals whilst maintaining his Scottish international place. After 1991, Speedie joined a succession of clubs, including Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, West Ham United, Southampton and finally Leicester City, where his short temper and poor disciplinary record often ensured a quick departure. He later played for a number of non-league clubs including Stamford AFC and Harrow Borough before retiring having scored 150 career goals.

Speedie is not related to David Speedie from Wattle Glen, Australia, despite sharing the same name as the leg-spin bowler from Victoria.