Steve Perryman
Mr Tottenham played for the club in three decades
| Full name: | Stephen John Perryman |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | December 21, 1951 |
| Clubs played for: | Tottenham, Oxford, Brentford |
| Clubs managed: | Brentford (player-manager), Watford, K Start, Shimizu S-Pulse, Kashiwa Reysol |
Club Career
Nobody has played for Tottenham more often than Steve Perryman, who racked up 854 first-team appearances in 19 years at the Lane, becoming as synonymous with Spurs as the cockerel.
He joined the club as a schoolboy in 1967, striking up a useful partnership with a teenager called Graeme Souness as they won the FA Youth Cup. He soon broke into the first team, helping them win two League Cups and the UEFA Cup.
Perryman became club captain at the age of just 20, and stayed loyal to the club even after relegation in 1977. He was a key member of the great Spurs team of the early 1980s, lifting the FA Cup twice.
He was an incredibly versatile footballer, starting out as an influential midfielder, steeped in the Tottenham creed of passing football, before moving to full-back when Graham Roberts arrived. He was named Footballer of the Year in 1982, but just missed out on the England squad for the World Cup finals in Spain.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–86 | Tottenham | 655 | 31 |
| 1986–87 | Oxford | 17 | 0 |
| 1987–90 | Brentford | 53 | 0 |
International Career
Perryman played for England just once, as a substitute against Iceland in a low-key friendly in June 1982.
International Career Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | England | 1 | 0 |
Managerial Career
Perryman started out as a player-manager at Brentford, before joining Watford in 1990. In 1993, he returned to White Hart Lane as assistant to Ossie Ardiles and had a brief spell as caretaker-boss after the Argentine was sacked. He then spent seven years as a globetrotting coach before returning home, and is now director of football at Exeter.
Key Games
Spurs 2-1 AC Milan (UEFA Cup semi-final 1st leg, April 5, 1972)
On a remarkable night at White Hart Lane, Perryman rescued Tottenham's UEFA Cup challenge after Romeo Benetti had given Milan the lead. The hard-tackling Italians barely gave Spurs an inch, but Perryman pulled a goal back with an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box. And he repeated the feat in the second half, unleashing a right-footed volley past Milan's keeper Fabio Cudicini, father of Tottenham keeper Carlo Cudicini, to give the Londoners a slim advantage.
Tottenham 2-0 Arsenal 0 (First Division, October 19, 1974)
For several days after this full-blooded North London derby, Perryman had to wear an eyepatch to hide the damage to his left eye, having attempted a header at the same time that Liam Brady tried to kick the ball. He ended up with a swollen eye and double vision, but at least he had the satisfaction of scoring the first goal in a precious victory. Perryman wasn't the only Spurs player among the walking wounded on a hard-fought afternoon, as Martin Peters injured his knee, John Pratt damaged his shoulder and Martin Chivers cut his lip.
Tottenham 1-0 QPR (FA Cup final replay, May 27, 1982)
Perryman became just the third man to lift the FA Cup two seasons running after Tottenham beat QPR in a replay, following a 1-1 draw in the first game. Glenn Hoddle scored the only goal from the penalty spot after just six minutes, following a trip on Graham Roberts by Tony Currie.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Tottenham | League Cup | 1971, 1973 |
| UEFA Cup | 1972, 1984 | |
| FA Cup | 1981, 1982 |
Did You Know...?
Perryman supported QPR as a boy but was persuaded to join Tottenham when the club offered him free tickets to the 1967 FA Cup final.
He opened a chain of sports shops called Steve Perryman Sport in West London, with a branch in Bergen in Norway which still bears his name.
During his time in Norway, Perryman spotted a young Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and recommended him to Spurs, but their offer was turned down and he joined Manchester United instead.
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