Graham Roberts

Graham Roberts
Personal information
Full name Graham Paul Roberts
Date of birth 3 July 1959 (1959-07-03) (age 52)
Place of birth Southampton, England
Playing position Defender
Youth career
1973–1977 Southampton
1977–1978 Portsmouth
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1979 Dorchester Town 0 (0)
1979–1980 Weymouth 29 (6)
1980–1986 Tottenham Hotspur 209 (23)
1986–1988 Rangers 55 (3)
1988–1990 Chelsea 70 (18)
1990–1992 West Brom 39 (6)
1994–1995 Stevenage Borough 11 (1)
1995–1998 Yeovil Town 6 (1)
1998–1999 Slough Town 10 (0)
Total 429 (58)
National team
1984 England B 1 (0)
1983–1984 England 6 (0)
Teams managed
1995–1998 Yeovil Town
2005–2006 Clyde
2010–2011 Pakistan
2011– Nepal
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Graham Paul Roberts (born 3 July 1959 in Southampton) is a retired English footballer who played for numerous clubs, mainly in a defensive role. As a football manager he has managed clubs and national football teams and is currently the manager of the Nepalese national football team.

Contents

Playing career

Roberts joined his local club, Southampton F.C, as an associate schoolboy in October 1973, but failed to make the grade and was released, joining Portsmouth in March 1977.[1] He was sold to Dorchester Town where he impressed before joining local rivals Weymouth. From there he was sold to Tottenham Hotspur in May 1980 for £35,000 - a non-league record at the time.

Roberts was a member of the successful Tottenham Hotspur side of the early 1980s, winning two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup in 1984, scoring in the second leg of the final against Anderlecht, and then scoring his penalty as Spurs won the final on a shootout. He moved to Rangers in 1986 for £450,000 and won the Scottish Premier League in his first full season and the Scottish League Cup a year later. He joined Chelsea in August 1988 for £475,000 and helped the side emphatically win the Second Division championship in 1988–89. He later moved to West Bromwich Albion, where he played out the remainder of his professional career.

Roberts won six caps for England.[2]

Coaching career

In June 2005, Roberts was appointed manager of Clyde. He only had three players under contract, and held open trials in an attempt to get new players. Roberts gave the supporters their greatest day in years, when his Clyde side defeated Celtic in the Scottish Cup in January 2006.[3] Earlier in the season, Clyde took Rangers to extra time at Ibrox Stadium in the Scottish League Cup. Roberts was sacked by Clyde in August 2006 after allegations he made racist remarks.[3] An employment tribunal found that the allegations were "either highly exaggerated or possibly not true" and awarded Roberts £32,000 compensation for unfair dismissal.[3]

In September 2010, he was hired as consultant to the Pakistan national football team to assist the coaching staff.[4] Roberts was appointed as head coach in the following month.[5]

From January 2011 he is working as a coach of Nepal national football team.[6]

Honours

As a player

Tottenham Hotspur
Rangers
Chelsea

References

  1. ^ Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (2003). In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC. Hagiology. p. 614. ISBN 0-9534474-3-X. 
  2. ^ "Graham Roberts England career". englandstats. http://www.englandstats.com/playerreport.php?pid=810. Retrieved 26 August 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c "Ex-Clyde boss wins dismissal case". BBC News. 29 June 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6254866.stm. Retrieved 8 October 2010. 
  4. ^ Siddiqui, Abdul Hafeez (26 September 2010). "PFF to hire consultant and foreign coach". www.footballpakistan.com. http://www.footballpakistan.com/2010/09/pff-to-hire-consultant-and-foreign-coach/. Retrieved 7 October 2010. 
  5. ^ "Former Tottenham hardman Graham Roberts becomes boss of Pakistan's national side". Daily Mail. 7 October 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1318650/Former-Tottenham-hardman-Graham-Roberts-boss-Pakistans-national-side.html. Retrieved 8 October 2010. 
  6. ^ Timalasina, Prakash (28 January 2011). "Graham Roberts to coach Nepal". Republica Sports. http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=27635. Retrieved 28 January 2011.