Terry Butcher
Encyclopedia
Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English
football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender
with Ipswich Town
and Rangers
in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England
and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career. He has subsequently had a lengthy managerial and coaching career and is currently with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Premier League
.
, he spent his childhood in Lowestoft
, Suffolk
, where he attended Kirkley High School and met his future wife Rita. He famously turned down the chance to join Norwich City
youth team, as like his father he was a fan of Ipswich Town – Norwich's fiercest rivals.
in the First Division on 15 April 1978 and over the next eight seasons would establish himself as the club's top central defender, combining leadership with great aerial ability and amazing courage. This was soon noticed by England manager Ron Greenwood who gave him his debut in a friendly against Australia in 1980.
In 1981, Butcher was part of the Ipswich
side that won the UEFA Cup
under Bobby Robson
(later Sir) and came close to their first League title since 1962, though they were pipped at the post by Aston Villa
.
In 1986, Butcher left Ipswich when they were relegated, and became one of the first 'English invasion' players to join Scottish club Rangers
following the appointment of Graeme Souness
as manager. Souness, the former Liverpool player, paid Ipswich £725,000 for him in July 1986.
As captain, he led them to three League titles in four seasons, plus two Scottish League Cup
s.
In November 1987 he broke his leg during Scottish Premier Division fixture against Aberdeen
and ruled him out for the rest of the season. Before he was injured, Butcher was close to signing a £1million return to England
with Manchester United
, but his injury saw the transfer cancelled and United manager Alex Ferguson
signed Norwich City's
Steve Bruce
instead.
In April 1988 Butcher was convicted of disorderly conduct and breach of the peace due to his behaviour in an Old Firm
match in November 1987. He was fined £250. In October 1988 Butcher was the subject of a police investigation when he kicked the referee's room door off its hinges after a match at Pittodrie
. No criminal charges were brought, but the SFA
fined Butcher £1500.
His last Rangers game came in September 1990, in a 2–1 league defeat against Dundee United. His performance in that match was dismal and largely blamed on both of the opposition's goals, leading to him being dropped from the side. Leeds United manager Howard Wilkinson
was soon in talks with Graeme Souness about bringing Butcher back south of the border, but when Butcher did depart from Ibrox it was in a £400,000 deal to become player-manager of Coventry City
on 15 November 1990.Ironically one of his first games as Coventry manager was against the Leeds side he had come close to signing for, and held them to a 1-1 league draw at Highfield Road
on 24 November.Other promising early results included a thrilling 5-4 home win over cup holders Nottingham Forest
in the Football League Cup
fourth round on 28 November. However, their quest for the League Cup ended in the quarter-finals on 23 January 1991 when they were beaten 1-0 at home by eventual winners Sheffield Wednesday
. Six days later their FA Cup
was ended in a fourth round replay defeat by Southampton
Butcher made six league appearances for the Sky Blues as they finished 16th in the 1990–91
First Division and then retired as a player. The Blues made a decent start to the 1991-92 season
, crushing Luton Town
5-0 in their second league game and achieving a shock 2-1 away win over defending league champions Arsenal
, as well as a 1-0 home win over local rivals Aston Villa
-to occupy sixth place in the league by the end of September, putting them ahead of more fancied teams including Liverpool
and Everton
.However, their form over the next two months was less impressive, and by the end of November they had fallen to 13th place.A 2-1 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur
on New Year's Day 1992 saw them enter the new year in 15th place, six points clear of the relegation zone.
Perhaps surprisingly, he was dismissed on 6 January 1992 after just over a year as Coventry City manager, and he was replaced by his recently-appointed assistant Don Howe.
He re-registered himself as a player in August 1992, when he signed for Sunderland
– founder members of the new Division One, which was the second tier of English football following the creation of the new FA Premier League
. He played 38 times for the Wearside
club in 1992–93
, becoming player-manager following the dismissal of manager Malcolm Crosby
in January 1993 and securing their Division One survival by a single place. He never played again for the club and was sacked on 26 November 1993 after a disappointing start to the 1993–94 season
saw them battling against relegation once again – with the battle being won under Butcher's successor Mick Buxton
.
Butcher then played three games for Clydebank
before finally retiring as a player.
manager Ron Greenwood who gave him his debut in a friendly against Australia in 1980.
In 1982, Butcher was the youngest member of the back four which featured at the World Cup in Spain. He remained England's first choice centre back for the rest of the decade, playing in the 1986 World Cup.
A broken leg meant that Butcher was not in the England side which exited after the group games at the 1988 European Championship while manager Robson was forced to rely on an inexperienced defensive partnership of Tony Adams
and Mark Wright.
While playing for England in a vital World Cup qualifier in Sweden, Butcher suffered a deep cut to his forehead early in the game. Butcher had some impromptu stitches inserted by the physiotherapist and, swathed in bandage
s, continued playing. His constant heading of the ball – unavoidable when playing in the centre of defence – disintegrated the bandages and reopened the cut to the extent that his white England shirt was red with blood by the end of the game. This match is often used when referencing Butcher even today.
England made the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup with Butcher at the helm of a slightly more cautious back five (Butcher with Wright and Des Walker
in the centre, plus full backs Stuart Pearce
and – initially – Gary Stevens
, later Paul Parker); he also took over the captaincy after an injury ended Bryan Robson
's tournament prematurely.
After the World Cup, Butcher quit international football with 77 caps and three goals to his name.
), at one month short of 32 he was the youngest manager in the Football League on his appointment.
Under Sillett, Coventry had won the FA Cup
in 1987 and finished as high as seventh in the First Division in 1989, and a dismal start to the 1990–91 season
had seen Coventry fall back into the relegation battle that had been all too familiar occurrence at Highfield Road
since Coventry first reached the top flight in 1967. With Butcher's appointment as manager, Coventry were intent on returning to their winning ways.
The early signs were promising. Butcher steered Coventry to 16th place and safety in 1990–91, and they entered 1992 in a secure 13th place, so it was something of a surprise on 6 January 1992 when Butcher was sacked as manager.
Butcher had played six league games for Coventry in the 1990–91 season before announcing his retirement as a player.
, re-registering himself as a player, some two years after his last game. He achieved survival at the end of the 1992–93 season
, but was sacked the following December with Sunderland still struggling at the wrong end of Division One.
Surprisingly, Butcher agreed a short term contract at Clydebank
making his debut at East End Park against Dunfermline. Sadly, he was not match fit and looked totally out of place in the Bankies defence. The experiment was cut short after just three unsuccessful appearances.
in the Scottish Premier League
, taking over from Black a year later as the club was forced to deal with severe financial difficulties, which have since largely abated and Butcher has been praised by the club's supporters and media for his performance under those difficult circumstances. Motherwell reached the 2005 Scottish League Cup
final, where his old team Rangers
defeated them 5–1.
for several weeks, he was announced as their new head coach on 17 May 2006, signing a two-year contract. On 7 February 2007, Terry Butcher was sacked by Sydney FC
after being knocked out of the finals series with a 3–2 aggregate loss to the Newcastle Jets.
. However, this was to be a short lived appointment as he became the manager of Brentford
on 24 April 2007 (he officially took up the role on 7 May 2007).
After a poor run of results, including only 5 wins in 23 matches, and under increasing pressure from the fans who had been chanting the name of former boss Martin Allen, he left Brentford on 11 December 2007.
's assistant in 2008 during Scotland's forgettable World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign. Indeed, the most memorable period of this role came ahead of a friendly against Argentina, managed by Diego Maradona
. Butcher still harboured resentment for Maradona's Hand of God
goal against England 22 years earlier. In the days leading up to the game, Butcher's outspoken views of Maradona were the main talking points in the media, such as Butcher going up to Maradona and not shaking his hand as per the custom in international football between opposing management staff. Butcher took many interviews, dominating major TV stations and newspapers, with claims that Maradona was a cheat and a liar and how happy he would be to see Maradona lose. Scotland lost the game 1-0. When Maradona was asked about all the things Butcher had said about him, his response was, "Who is Butcher?"
, Butcher signed an 18-month contract. Butcher was joined in Inverness by Maurice Malpas
as his assistant manager. In May 2009, Inverness were relegated from the Scottish Premier League. In November 2009 George Burley was sacked as Scotland manager and at the same time Butcher left by mutual consent.
After a bad start to the 2009/10 First Division
league campaign, Butcher managed to turn things around for Inverness. The turning point many see as being the win against his former club, Motherwell, in the cup. By the end of March, Butcher had guided his club from 16 points behind league leaders Dundee, to 4 points ahead and top of the Scottish First Division. He was awarded the "Irn Bru Phenomenal" manager of the month award for March. Inverness won the Irn Bru First Division on 21 April after Dundee were beaten 1–0 by Raith Rovers clinching Inverness's return to the Scottish Premier League.
As part of the push for promotion in 2009/10, ICT went on an unbeaten away run in the league that continued through the entire 2010 calendar year, culminating in a 1-1 draw against Hearts at Tynecastle
on 18 December. In April 2010 his contract was extended to the end of the 2011/12 season. Terry Butcher has been a very influential figure at Inverness Caledonian Thistle since he arrived, noticeably in the SPL 2010–11 season where they finished 7th, narrowly missing out on a top 6 finish. Butcher was inducted to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame
in November 2011.
Butcher had a chain of insurance brokers which were later acquired by the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society
.
Butcher can be frequently heard as a summariser, usually at England matches, on BBC Radio Five Live
and occasional UEFA Cup
matches on Five. He often appeared as a pundit on Setanta Sports
' SPL
coverage. Butcher also worked for BBC Sport
during the 2006 World Cup
, after which he fully recommenced his work with Sydney FC
(i.e. from 10 July 2006). He was also used as an in game commentator in the first Pro Evolution Soccer
video game, and the Nintendo 64
game International Superstar Soccer 2000
, along with main commentator Chris James.
Butcher has consistently raised concerns over the sum impact of David Beckham
's performances for and involvement with the England national football team
, most notably during discussions concerning team and squad selection questions for the 2006 World Cup
and Euro 2008 qualification campaign.
Butcher is a big fan of the British Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden
and is a good friend of the bassist and founding member Steve Harris.
.
|1977–78||rowspan="9"|Ipswich Town
||rowspan="9"|First Division
||3||0||||||||||||||3||0
|-
|1978–79||21||2||1||0||2||0||||||24||2
|-
|1979–80||36||2||4||0||2||0||4||0||46||2
|-
|1980–81||40||4||7||0||5||0||12||2||64||6
|-
|1981–82||27||1||1||0||6||0||2||0||36||1
|-
|1982–83||42||0||3||0||2||0||2||1||49||1
|-
|1983–84||34||1||2||0||4||0||||||40||1
|-
|1984–85||42||2||5||0||9||0||||||56||2
|-
|1985–86||27||4||5||0||2||2||||||34||6
|-
|1986–87||rowspan="5"|Rangers
||rowspan="5"|Premier Division
||43||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987–88||11||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988–89||34||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1989–90||34||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990–91||5||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990–91||rowspan="2"|Coventry City
||rowspan="2"|First Division
||6||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991–92||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||Sunderland
||First Division
||38||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993–94||Clydebank
||First Division
||3||0||||||||||||||||
316||16||||||||||||||||
130||9||||||||||||||||
446||25||||||||||||||||
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
with Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
and Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career. He has subsequently had a lengthy managerial and coaching career and is currently with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
.
Early life
Although he was born in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, he spent his childhood in Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, where he attended Kirkley High School and met his future wife Rita. He famously turned down the chance to join Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
youth team, as like his father he was a fan of Ipswich Town – Norwich's fiercest rivals.
Club career
Butcher made his debut for Ipswich against EvertonEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in the First Division on 15 April 1978 and over the next eight seasons would establish himself as the club's top central defender, combining leadership with great aerial ability and amazing courage. This was soon noticed by England manager Ron Greenwood who gave him his debut in a friendly against Australia in 1980.
In 1981, Butcher was part of the Ipswich
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
side that won the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
under Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
(later Sir) and came close to their first League title since 1962, though they were pipped at the post by Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
.
In 1986, Butcher left Ipswich when they were relegated, and became one of the first 'English invasion' players to join Scottish club Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
following the appointment of Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
as manager. Souness, the former Liverpool player, paid Ipswich £725,000 for him in July 1986.
As captain, he led them to three League titles in four seasons, plus two Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
s.
In November 1987 he broke his leg during Scottish Premier Division fixture against Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
and ruled him out for the rest of the season. Before he was injured, Butcher was close to signing a £1million return to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, but his injury saw the transfer cancelled and United manager Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
signed Norwich City's
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
instead.
In April 1988 Butcher was convicted of disorderly conduct and breach of the peace due to his behaviour in an Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
match in November 1987. He was fined £250. In October 1988 Butcher was the subject of a police investigation when he kicked the referee's room door off its hinges after a match at Pittodrie
Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium is an all-seated football stadium situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It was first used in 1899 and from 1903 has been the home of Aberdeen Football Club...
. No criminal charges were brought, but the SFA
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
fined Butcher £1500.
His last Rangers game came in September 1990, in a 2–1 league defeat against Dundee United. His performance in that match was dismal and largely blamed on both of the opposition's goals, leading to him being dropped from the side. Leeds United manager Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson is a former English football player and manager, and has recently stepped down as a Non-Executive Director at Sheffield Wednesday after formerly relinquishing the chairman role to Milan Mandaric...
was soon in talks with Graeme Souness about bringing Butcher back south of the border, but when Butcher did depart from Ibrox it was in a £400,000 deal to become player-manager of Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
on 15 November 1990.Ironically one of his first games as Coventry manager was against the Leeds side he had come close to signing for, and held them to a 1-1 league draw at Highfield Road
Highfield Road
The Highfield Road Stadium was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City F.C. until the club moved to the new Ricoh Arena after the 2005-06 season...
on 24 November.Other promising early results included a thrilling 5-4 home win over cup holders Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
in the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
fourth round on 28 November. However, their quest for the League Cup ended in the quarter-finals on 23 January 1991 when they were beaten 1-0 at home by eventual winners Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
. Six days later their FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
was ended in a fourth round replay defeat by Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
Butcher made six league appearances for the Sky Blues as they finished 16th in the 1990–91
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
First Division and then retired as a player. The Blues made a decent start to the 1991-92 season
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
, crushing Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
5-0 in their second league game and achieving a shock 2-1 away win over defending league champions Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, as well as a 1-0 home win over local rivals Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
-to occupy sixth place in the league by the end of September, putting them ahead of more fancied teams including Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
.However, their form over the next two months was less impressive, and by the end of November they had fallen to 13th place.A 2-1 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
on New Year's Day 1992 saw them enter the new year in 15th place, six points clear of the relegation zone.
Perhaps surprisingly, he was dismissed on 6 January 1992 after just over a year as Coventry City manager, and he was replaced by his recently-appointed assistant Don Howe.
He re-registered himself as a player in August 1992, when he signed for Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
– founder members of the new Division One, which was the second tier of English football following the creation of the new FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
. He played 38 times for the Wearside
Wearside
Wearside is an area of north east England, centred on the continuous urban area formed by Sunderland, Seaham and other settlements by the River Wear. Mackems is a nickname used for the people of Wearside....
club in 1992–93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
, becoming player-manager following the dismissal of manager Malcolm Crosby
Malcolm Crosby
Malcolm Crosby is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, Crosby played his football for Aldershot, making 258 appearances between 1971 and 1980 and netting 21 goals. In an exchange deal involving Ian MacDonald he moved to York City and was a...
in January 1993 and securing their Division One survival by a single place. He never played again for the club and was sacked on 26 November 1993 after a disappointing start to the 1993–94 season
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
saw them battling against relegation once again – with the battle being won under Butcher's successor Mick Buxton
Mick Buxton
Michael James "Mick" Buxton is a former footballer and football manager in England. He has managed Huddersfield Town, Scunthorpe United and Sunderland.-Playing career:...
.
Butcher then played three games for Clydebank
Clydebank F.C.
Clydebank Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, near Yoker. The present club, formed in 2003, is a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and currently plays in West Super League Premier Division...
before finally retiring as a player.
International career
Butcher's impressive performances for Ipswich were noticed by EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
manager Ron Greenwood who gave him his debut in a friendly against Australia in 1980.
In 1982, Butcher was the youngest member of the back four which featured at the World Cup in Spain. He remained England's first choice centre back for the rest of the decade, playing in the 1986 World Cup.
A broken leg meant that Butcher was not in the England side which exited after the group games at the 1988 European Championship while manager Robson was forced to rely on an inexperienced defensive partnership of Tony Adams
Tony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
and Mark Wright.
While playing for England in a vital World Cup qualifier in Sweden, Butcher suffered a deep cut to his forehead early in the game. Butcher had some impromptu stitches inserted by the physiotherapist and, swathed in bandage
Bandage
A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support to the body; they can also be used to restrict a part of the body. During heavy bleeding or following a poisonous bite it is important to slow the flow of blood,...
s, continued playing. His constant heading of the ball – unavoidable when playing in the centre of defence – disintegrated the bandages and reopened the cut to the extent that his white England shirt was red with blood by the end of the game. This match is often used when referencing Butcher even today.
England made the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup with Butcher at the helm of a slightly more cautious back five (Butcher with Wright and Des Walker
Des Walker
Desmond Sinclair "Des" Walker is a former England international footballer who is best remembered for his spells with Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday...
in the centre, plus full backs Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
and – initially – Gary Stevens
Gary Stevens
Gary Michael Stevens is a retired English footballer who is best remembered playing in defence for a successful Everton side of the 1980s, as well as for the England national football team....
, later Paul Parker); he also took over the captaincy after an injury ended Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
's tournament prematurely.
After the World Cup, Butcher quit international football with 77 caps and three goals to his name.
Coventry City
He left Rangers on 15 November 1990 to become player-manager of Coventry City (as successor to John SillettJohn Sillett
John Charles Sillett is a former football player and manager.His father Charlie Sillett was a footballer with Southampton between 1931 and 1938. He is the younger brother of Peter Sillett, also a footballer.Sillett played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle...
), at one month short of 32 he was the youngest manager in the Football League on his appointment.
Under Sillett, Coventry had won the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in 1987 and finished as high as seventh in the First Division in 1989, and a dismal start to the 1990–91 season
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
had seen Coventry fall back into the relegation battle that had been all too familiar occurrence at Highfield Road
Highfield Road
The Highfield Road Stadium was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City F.C. until the club moved to the new Ricoh Arena after the 2005-06 season...
since Coventry first reached the top flight in 1967. With Butcher's appointment as manager, Coventry were intent on returning to their winning ways.
The early signs were promising. Butcher steered Coventry to 16th place and safety in 1990–91, and they entered 1992 in a secure 13th place, so it was something of a surprise on 6 January 1992 when Butcher was sacked as manager.
Butcher had played six league games for Coventry in the 1990–91 season before announcing his retirement as a player.
Sunderland
It was to be 13 months before Butcher returned to football, when in February 1993 he was named manager of SunderlandSunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, re-registering himself as a player, some two years after his last game. He achieved survival at the end of the 1992–93 season
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
, but was sacked the following December with Sunderland still struggling at the wrong end of Division One.
Surprisingly, Butcher agreed a short term contract at Clydebank
Clydebank F.C.
Clydebank Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, near Yoker. The present club, formed in 2003, is a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and currently plays in West Super League Premier Division...
making his debut at East End Park against Dunfermline. Sadly, he was not match fit and looked totally out of place in the Bankies defence. The experiment was cut short after just three unsuccessful appearances.
Motherwell
In October 2001, he became assistant to Eric Black at MotherwellMotherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
in the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
, taking over from Black a year later as the club was forced to deal with severe financial difficulties, which have since largely abated and Butcher has been praised by the club's supporters and media for his performance under those difficult circumstances. Motherwell reached the 2005 Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
final, where his old team Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
defeated them 5–1.
Sydney FC
After being linked with a possible move to Sydney FCSydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
for several weeks, he was announced as their new head coach on 17 May 2006, signing a two-year contract. On 7 February 2007, Terry Butcher was sacked by Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
after being knocked out of the finals series with a 3–2 aggregate loss to the Newcastle Jets.
Brentford
On 30 March 2007, he was appointed as assistant coach at Partick ThistlePartick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
. However, this was to be a short lived appointment as he became the manager of Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
on 24 April 2007 (he officially took up the role on 7 May 2007).
After a poor run of results, including only 5 wins in 23 matches, and under increasing pressure from the fans who had been chanting the name of former boss Martin Allen, he left Brentford on 11 December 2007.
Scotland
Butcher was named as George BurleyGeorge Burley
George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...
's assistant in 2008 during Scotland's forgettable World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign. Indeed, the most memorable period of this role came ahead of a friendly against Argentina, managed by Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
. Butcher still harboured resentment for Maradona's Hand of God
Hand of God
Hand of God may refer to:* Act of God, in religious or legal contexts* Hand of God , a motif in Jewish and Christian art* Hamsa or Khamsa, a hand-shaped protective amulet in Islamic and Jewish folklore also known as " helping hand"...
goal against England 22 years earlier. In the days leading up to the game, Butcher's outspoken views of Maradona were the main talking points in the media, such as Butcher going up to Maradona and not shaking his hand as per the custom in international football between opposing management staff. Butcher took many interviews, dominating major TV stations and newspapers, with claims that Maradona was a cheat and a liar and how happy he would be to see Maradona lose. Scotland lost the game 1-0. When Maradona was asked about all the things Butcher had said about him, his response was, "Who is Butcher?"
Inverness CT
On 27 January 2009, Butcher was announced as the new manager of Inverness Caledonian ThistleInverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
, Butcher signed an 18-month contract. Butcher was joined in Inverness by Maurice Malpas
Maurice Malpas
Maurice Daniel Robert Malpas is an ex-footballer and the assistant manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle having joined the club on 27 January 2009 along with their new manager Terry Butcher...
as his assistant manager. In May 2009, Inverness were relegated from the Scottish Premier League. In November 2009 George Burley was sacked as Scotland manager and at the same time Butcher left by mutual consent.
After a bad start to the 2009/10 First Division
Scottish Football League First Division
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
league campaign, Butcher managed to turn things around for Inverness. The turning point many see as being the win against his former club, Motherwell, in the cup. By the end of March, Butcher had guided his club from 16 points behind league leaders Dundee, to 4 points ahead and top of the Scottish First Division. He was awarded the "Irn Bru Phenomenal" manager of the month award for March. Inverness won the Irn Bru First Division on 21 April after Dundee were beaten 1–0 by Raith Rovers clinching Inverness's return to the Scottish Premier League.
As part of the push for promotion in 2009/10, ICT went on an unbeaten away run in the league that continued through the entire 2010 calendar year, culminating in a 1-1 draw against Hearts at Tynecastle
Tynecastle Stadium
Tynecastle Stadium is a football stadium situated in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hearts. Tynecastle has a seating capacity of 17,420, which makes it the seventh largest football stadium in Scotland...
on 18 December. In April 2010 his contract was extended to the end of the 2011/12 season. Terry Butcher has been a very influential figure at Inverness Caledonian Thistle since he arrived, noticeably in the SPL 2010–11 season where they finished 7th, narrowly missing out on a top 6 finish. Butcher was inducted to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame
Scottish Football Hall of Fame
The Scottish Football Hall of Fame is located at the Scottish Football Museum. Inductees are picked each year by fans and a committee selects the eight finalists who are inducted at an annual dinner....
in November 2011.
Other activities
While living in SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
Butcher had a chain of insurance brokers which were later acquired by the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society
Norwich and Peterborough Building Society
Norwich and Peterborough Building Society is a trading name of Yorkshire Building Society based in Bradford, West Yorkshire. At the time of merger, it was the ninth largest building society in the United Kingdom, with assets in excess of £4.9 billion...
.
Butcher can be frequently heard as a summariser, usually at England matches, on BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
and occasional UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
matches on Five. He often appeared as a pundit on Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
' SPL
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
coverage. Butcher also worked for BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
during the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, after which he fully recommenced his work with Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
(i.e. from 10 July 2006). He was also used as an in game commentator in the first Pro Evolution Soccer
Pro Evolution Soccer
Pro Evolution Soccer is a series of football video game developed and published by Konami...
video game, and the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
game International Superstar Soccer 2000
International Superstar Soccer
International Superstar Soccer is the name of a series of football video games developed by Japanese company Konami, mostly by their Osaka branch, Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka . It should not be confused with Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo's Pro Evolution Soccer series , which was...
, along with main commentator Chris James.
Butcher has consistently raised concerns over the sum impact of David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
's performances for and involvement with the England national football team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, most notably during discussions concerning team and squad selection questions for the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
and Euro 2008 qualification campaign.
Butcher is a big fan of the British Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
and is a good friend of the bassist and founding member Steve Harris.
Steve Harris (musician)
Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975...
.
Career statistics
|-|1977–78||rowspan="9"|Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
||rowspan="9"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||3||0||||||||||||||3||0
|-
|1978–79||21||2||1||0||2||0||||||24||2
|-
|1979–80||36||2||4||0||2||0||4||0||46||2
|-
|1980–81||40||4||7||0||5||0||12||2||64||6
|-
|1981–82||27||1||1||0||6||0||2||0||36||1
|-
|1982–83||42||0||3||0||2||0||2||1||49||1
|-
|1983–84||34||1||2||0||4||0||||||40||1
|-
|1984–85||42||2||5||0||9||0||||||56||2
|-
|1985–86||27||4||5||0||2||2||||||34||6
|-
|1986–87||rowspan="5"|Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
||rowspan="5"|Premier Division
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||43||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987–88||11||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988–89||34||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1989–90||34||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990–91||5||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990–91||rowspan="2"|Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||6||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991–92||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||38||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993–94||Clydebank
Clydebank F.C.
Clydebank Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, near Yoker. The present club, formed in 2003, is a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and currently plays in West Super League Premier Division...
||First Division
Scottish Football League First Division
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
||3||0||||||||||||||||
316||16||||||||||||||||
130||9||||||||||||||||
446||25||||||||||||||||
Personal awards and achievements
- Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
Manager of the Month: February 2004 - Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
Manager of the Month: March 2006 - Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
Manager of the Month: October 2010