Pat Nevin

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Patrick Kevin Francis Michael Nevin (born 6 September 1963 in Glasgow) is a Scottish former footballer. In a 20-year career he played for Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell as a winger.

[edit] Early career

Nevin grew up supporting Hibs. He scored 180 goals in a single season for Celtic's schoolboy side, but was ultimately rejected for being "too small" (he was only 5ft6 tall). He was signed by Clyde in 1981. In his first season, the club were promoted as Scottish Second Division champions; Nevin scored twelve goals and was voted young player of the year for the division. He travelled to Finland to play for the Scotland under-19 team at the European Youth Championships and was named player of the tournament after helping Scotland win it. Nevin joined Chelsea in the summer of 1983 for £95,000, joining fellow new recruits Kerry Dixon, Nigel Spackman, David Speedie and Eddie Niedzwiecki in manager John Neal's new-look Chelsea side. Nevin's skill and pace made him a pivotal player at Chelsea and a firm favourite with the fans.

In 1983-84, he scored 14 goals, created numerous others for the likes of Dixon and Speedie and put in some dazzling performances - during a 4-0 win over Newcastle United, he tormented the opposition defence, leaving five defenders trailing in his wake - as Chelsea won promotion as Second Division champions. In the same season he was voted Chelsea's player of the year. Chelsea finished a respectable 6th in the First Division the following year and reached the Milk Cup semi-finals, where Nevin was once again the star turn, setting up three goals in the quarter-final against Sheffield Wednesday as Chelsea came back from 3-0 down to draw 4-4; he also set up the winner for Speedie in the replay. The club were in the title race for much of the next season, with Nevin scoring a late equaliser against Liverpool at Anfield and a crucial header against West Ham United to seal a 2-1 win, though a late collapse saw Chelsea finish 6th. A year later, the club's performances dropped and they finished 14th, though Nevin was again voted Chelsea player of the year.

[edit] Everton and back to Scotland

Chelsea were relegated in 1988 and Nevin was sold to Everton for £925,000. He scored 20 goals in 138 appearances for the club, but struggled to re-capture his previous form with manager Colin Harvey adopting a far more rigid system. He helped the side reach the FA Cup final in 1989, scoring the winner against Norwich City in the semi-final, but they lost 3-2 in the final to arch-rivals Liverpool. Howard Kendall returned to the club as manager in 1990; he and Nevin openly disagreed with each other, which reduced Nevin's playing opportunities, as did the arrival of new wingers Robert Warzycha and Mark Ward. Nevin spent time on loan with fellow Merseysiders Tranmere Rovers, then in the second tier of English football, before signing permanently in 1992. The club competed in three end of season play-offs but were unable to gain promotion. In 1997, Nevin returned to Scotland and played for Kilmarnock and later Motherwell before retiring in 2000.

[edit] Retirement

Nevin won 28 caps for the Scottish national side, making his debut against Romania in 1986. He scored five goals in a ten-year international career and played at Euro 92, but was not selected in the final squads for the 1986 or 1990 World Cups. He made his final appearance for Scotland in 1996. He had a stint as chief executive of Motherwell but the club were hit hard by the collapse of the SPL's television deal and went into administration.

He now works as a television football analyst for BBC Scotland's Sportscene & Channel Five, a co-commentator for BBC Radio Five Live and as a newspaper columnist. His autobiographical book In Ma Head, Son was written with psychologist Dr George Sik. He has an arts degree from Glasgow Caledonian University. He was noted during his playing days for being somewhat different from the stereotypical footballer, especially through his interest in literature and the arts, and in his musical tastes, preferring The Fall and Joy Division to Phil Collins or Lionel Richie. As such, he was interviewed by the NME. This alternative image was the inspiration for the formation, with his permission, of the team Pat Nevin's Haircut which competed in the internal Edinburgh University leagues from 1987 to 1991. It won the 1988 The Guardian "Soccer Diary" award for the worst football shirt in the UK: pink, with small blue rectangular shapes. Nevin now lives in the Borders, with his wife and 2 children. He is constantly made fun of on Only an Excuse along with Stuart Cosgrove. He participated in the "Alan Doyle and Son" show at the Borders General Hospital Radio on February 7, 2008 alongside Zander Law and local singer songwriter Jesse Rae.

Pat mentioned on Five Live on 19 May 2008 that he has recently had his second hip re-surface operation at the age of 44!

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