Chris Whyte
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Anderson Whyte | ||
| Date of birth | 2 September 1961 | ||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1978–1986 | Arsenal | 90 | (8) |
| 1984–1985 | → Crystal Palace (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 1986–1987 | New York Express (indoor) | 26 | (11) |
| 1987–1988 | Los Angeles Lazers (indoor) | 77 | (27) |
| 1988–1990 | West Bromwich Albion | 84 | (7) |
| 1990–1993 | Leeds United | 113 | (5) |
| 1993–1996 | Birmingham City | 68 | (1) |
| 1995 | → Coventry City (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1996 | Charlton Athletic | 11 | (1) |
| 1996 | Detroit Neon (indoor) | 4 | (0) |
| 1997 | Detroit Safari (indoor) | 12 | (1) |
| 1997 | Leyton Orient | 1 | (0) |
| 1997 | Oxford United | 10 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Rushden & Diamonds | 53 | (1) |
| 1999 | Raleigh Express | 7 | (0) |
| 1999–???? | Harlow Town | ||
| 2000 | HyPS | 10 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1982 | England U-21 | 4 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Christopher Anderson "Chris" Whyte (born 2 September 1961) is an English former footballer. He made nearly 400 appearances in the Football League and Premier League for a variety of clubs, and was capped by England at under-21 level.
He was a pivotal part of the league title-winning Leeds United team of 1992.
Playing career
Whyte was born in Islington, London, and started his career as a youth player at Arsenal, turning professional in September 1978. A defender who played at centre half (but also less often at full back), he made his Arsenal first-team debut against Manchester City on 17 October 1981. He went on to start all but one of Arsenal's league matches that season, forming a strong central defensive partnership with David O'Leary. Whyte stood out with his coolness and confidence, as well as his timing and good judgement of the game. Whyte continued to play the following season, and won four caps for the England under-21 side.
However, after Arsenal's shock League Cup loss to Walsall in November 1983 and the subsequent dismissal of Terry Neill, Whyte was dropped from the side in favour of new signing Tommy Caton. The emergence of Tony Adams forced Whyte further down the pecking order at Highbury. He didn't play a single game during 1984–85, instead being loaned out to Crystal Palace, and although he had a brief run as an emergency striker in 1985–86, he was given a free transfer at the end of that season. In all he played 113 matches for Arsenal, scoring eight goals.
No domestic club offered Whyte a contract, and disenchanted, he left for the United States and played for two years in the Major Indoor Soccer League for New York Express and Los Angeles Lazers. In the summer of 1988, Whyte was offered a return to England by Second Division West Bromwich Albion. Whyte made his Albion debut in a League Cup tie against Peterborough United in September 1988, and ended the 1988–89 season as the club's Player of the Year.[1]
Whyte returned to the top flight in 1990, when he was signed for £400,000 by Howard Wilkinson's Leeds United. He was a near-ever present for the next three seasons, putting in 146 appearances as Leeds won the 1991–92 First Division title. In 1993 he moved to Birmingham City, winning the 1994–95 Second Division title with the Blues. After a brief spell at Coventry City on loan, Whyte left Birmingham in 1996, and subsequently played for Charlton Athletic, Leyton Orient, Oxford United and Rushden & Diamonds.
He then returned to the United States for a spell with the Raleigh Express in the A-League before returning to England to play under former Arsenal teammate Ian Allinson, manager of Harlow Town of Rymans League Division One.[2] In 2000 he played for Finnish third-tier club HyPS.
References
- Infobox statistics
- English Football League clubs: "Chris Whyte". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- New York Express, Los Angeles Lazers: "Major Indoor Soccer League Players: Chris Whyte". NASL Jerseys. Dave Morrison. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- Detroit Neon/Safari: "Chris Whyte". Detroit Safari. Archived from the original on 14 February 1998.
- Rushden & Diamonds: "Chris Whyte". Rushden & Diamonds F.C. 24 April 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- General
- ↑ Matthews, Tony (2005). The Who's Who of West Bromwich Albion. Breedon Books. p. 244. ISBN 1-85983-474-4.
- ↑ Tufft, Richard. "Arsenal old boys, 1986/87 – present". ArseWeb. Rupert Ward. Retrieved 10 January 2012.