Martin Chivers

Last updated

Martin Chivers
Martin Chivers.jpg
Chivers in 2011
Personal information
Full name Martin Harcourt Chivers
Date of birth (1945-04-27) 27 April 1945 (age 79)
Place of birth Southampton, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) [1]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1961–1962 CPC Sports
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1962–1968 Southampton [1] 175 (96)
1968–1976 Tottenham Hotspur 278 (118)
1976–1978 Servette 66 (33)
1978–1979 Norwich City 11 (4)
1979–1980 Brighton & Hove Albion 5 (1)
1980 Dorchester Town 5 (3)
1980 → Frankston City (loan) 2 (0)
1981–1982 Vard Haugesund 2 (0)
1982–1983 Barnet 10 (0)
Total546(255)
International career
1964–1968 England U23 17 (7)
1971–1973 England 24 (13)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Martin Harcourt Chivers (born 27 April 1945) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a forward. He began his career with his hometown club Southampton, before being sold to Tottenham Hotspur, but also had a prolific stint with Swiss club Servette. From 1971 to 1973, he played for the England national team, scoring thirteen goals in 24 appearances, but did not represent his country at a major tournament.

Contents

Playing career

Southampton

Chivers attended Taunton's Grammar School, Southampton, and wrote to his local club, Southampton for a trial. [2] He spent a brief period in the club's nursery side, CPC Sports, and signed as a professional footballer in September 1962, making his debut against Charlton Athletic on 8 September 1962 (aged 17). [1] He failed to score on his debut and his first goal came in a 4–1 defeat by Newcastle United on 6 April 1963 (in his third first-team appearance). [3] This goal meant that his name is also in the record books as the first substitute to score for the Saints. [4]

In the 1963–64 season, he became a regular starter and was the club's joint leading goalscorer (with Terry Paine) with 21 goals, as Southampton finished a disappointing fifth in the Second Division. [5] The following season, he was again a virtual ever-present, making 39 appearances with 17 goals as the Saints improved to fourth place. [6]

In the 1965–66 season, he played an integral role as the club finally gained promotion to the top flight (as runners-up), [7] scoring 30 goals from 39 games, generally from crosses provided by Terry Paine and John Sydenham. [8] All his goals were scored from the first 29 games, and he failed to find the net after the end of February. [9]

Once in the First Division, he played second fiddle to the Welsh striker, Ron Davies, scoring 14 and 13 goals respectively in the next two seasons. [10] [11] He became unsettled at The Dell and was soon being chased by many of the top clubs. Saints' manager Ted Bates was prepared to allow Chivers to leave, as he had a more than adequate replacement coming up through the ranks in Mick Channon. [1] He scored a total of 106 goals in 190 appearances for the Saints. [1]

Tottenham Hotspur

Chivers swapping shirts with Feyenoord's Rinus Israel after the second leg match of the 1974 UEFA Cup final Feyenoord tegen Tottenham Hotspur 2-0, finale UEFA Cup shirts ruilen na afloop, Bestanddeelnr 927-2229.jpg
Chivers swapping shirts with Feyenoord's Rinus Israël after the second leg match of the 1974 UEFA Cup final

In January 1968, Tottenham Hotspur manager Bill Nicholson signed Chivers for a club record fee of £125,000, which also made him the country's most expensive player at that time. [1] The deal involved 24-year-old Frank Saul moving from White Hart Lane to The Dell. Chivers scored on his Spurs debut against Sheffield Wednesday in January 1968, [12] but the initial stages of his White Hart Lane career were relatively unsuccessful, with Spurs legends Jimmy Greaves and Alan Gilzean still preferred as an attacking partnership. He eventually became the most important goalscorer at Tottenham, following the sale of Greaves to West Ham United in 1970.

Chivers was often seen as a lethargic and lazy player, [13] but his pace and natural strength established "Big Chiv" as a star of the Spurs side throughout the early 1970s. [14] The 1970–71 season was the beginning of Chivers' golden years. [15] He played in all 58 competitive games and scored 34 times, including both goals in the League Cup final against Aston Villa, and 21 goals in the First Division as Spurs finished the season in third place. [16] [17]

During the 1971–72 campaign, Chivers hit the best form of his career, netting 42 times in 62 first team appearances. [18] His seven goals in as many League Cup ties enabled Spurs to reach the semi-finals of the competition where they eventually lost to London neighbours Chelsea. The resurgent striker saved his most impressive form for the UEFA Cup, scoring eight times in 11 matches, including a hat-trick in a 9–0 demolition of Icelandic side Keflavik ÍF, [19] and a superb double against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a memorable final. [18] [20] In the First Division, he surpassed his tally of the previous campaign, scoring 25 times in 39 appearances.

Chivers continued his prolific form in the 1972–73 season, finding the net 33 times in 61 appearances. His acclaimed goalscoring ability again guided Tottenham to League Cup success with two quarter-final strikes against Liverpool, and a crucial goal at Molineux where the Londoners drew 2–2 to reach the final. [21] [22] His European form was equally impressive, producing eight goals in ten matches, as Spurs reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals before losing to Liverpool on the away goals rule. [23]

Spurs again reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 1974 with Chivers scoring six goals, including in a 2–0 home victory against East German side Lokomotive Leipzig. [24] The two-legged final was to end in disappointment with Dutch giants Feyenoord winning 4–2 on aggregate as Spurs lost a major final for the first time. [25] By the beginning of the 1974–75 season, Chivers was considered to be the senior forward at Tottenham, playing alongside Chris Jones, Chris McGrath and Scotsman John Duncan. In early September, he played his last game for the legendary Bill Nicholson, as Middlesbrough crushed Spurs 4–0 in the 2nd round of the League Cup. [26] Injuries restricted Chivers to just 28 league appearances in which he scored 10 goals, including important strikes against West Ham United, Leeds United and local rivals Arsenal. [27]

The 1975–76 season was Chivers' last at White Hart Lane as he struggled to find the net in a relatively poor Spurs team. He made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring nine times, before joining Swiss club Servette for an £80,000 fee. [28] [29] In his 8+1⁄2-year Spurs career, Chivers scored a total of 174 goals in 367 first-team appearances and remained the leading Tottenham goalscorer in European competition for 39 years until he was overtaken by Jermain Defoe on 7 November 2013. [30]

Later career

At the age of 31 in July 1976, the prolific striker moved to Servette in Switzerland, before returning to English league football with spells at Norwich City (1978–79) and Brighton (1979–80), where he finished his professional career. In the early 1980s, he continued his career in non-league football with Dorchester Town and Barnet, and played abroad for Australian club Frankston City and for Norwegian club Vard Haugesund. [31]

International career

On 8 April 1964, Chivers made his debut for the England under-23 team against France, coming on as a substitute and scoring a goal. He remained a fixture of the under-23 squad for the next four years and scored seven goals in 17 appearances. [32]

On 3 February 1971, Chivers made his debut for England against Malta. On 21 April, he scored his first goal in his second cap, in a 3–0 win over Greece. [33]

In October 1973, Chivers won the last of his full England caps against Poland in an infamous World Cup qualifier. [34] Despite scoring six international goals in the calendar year, the Spurs striker was a casualty of his country's failure to qualify for the tournament and would later be ignored by caretaker manager Joe Mercer and future boss Don Revie. He was capped 24 times for England, scoring 13 goals. [35]

After football

After retiring from professional football, he managed clubs in England and Norway and owned a hotel and restaurant in Hertfordshire. [29] Chivers has commentated for BBC Radio and remained a popular matchday host at White Hart Lane. [36] [37]

In April 2007, he was inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame. [38] In May 2008, he was appointed the National Development Manager to the Football Association. [37] Chivers' autobiography, Big Chiv - My Goals in Life, was released in October 2009. [39]

Career statistics

International

Source: [40]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
England
197187
197250
1973116
Total2413
Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Chivers goal. [41]
List of international goals scored by Martin Chivers
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
121 April 1971 Wembley Stadium, London, EnglandFlag of Greece.svg  Greece 1–03–0 UEFA Euro 1972 qualification
212 May 1971Wembley Stadium, London, EnglandFlag of Malta.svg  Malta 1–05–0UEFA Euro 1972 qualification
34–0
422 May 1971Wembley Stadium, London, EnglandFlag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 2–13–1 British Home Championship
53–1
613 October 1971 St. Jakob-Park, Basel, SwitzerlandFlag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 1–03–2UEFA Euro 1972 qualification
71 December 1971 Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, GreeceFlag of Greece.svg  Greece 2–02–0UEFA Euro 1972 qualification
814 February 1973 Hampden Park, Glasgow, ScotlandFlag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 4–05–0 British Home Championship
912 May 1973 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern IrelandUlster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 1–02–1British Home Championship
102–1
1115 May 1973Wembley Stadium, London, EnglandFlag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 1–03–0British Home Championship
1210 June 1973 Central Lenin Stadium, Moscow, RussiaFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 1–02–1 Friendly match
1326 September 1973Wembley Stadium, London, EnglandFlag of Austria.svg  Austria 5–07–0Friendly match

Honours

Southampton

Tottenham Hotspur

Servette

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Greaves</span> English footballer (1940–2021)

James Peter Greaves was an English professional footballer who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and one of England's best ever players, he is England's fifth-highest international goalscorer with 44 goals, which includes an English record of six hat-tricks, and is Tottenham Hotspur's second-highest all-time top goalscorer. Greaves is the highest goalscorer in the history of English top-flight football with 357 goals. He finished as the First Division's top scorer in six seasons, more times than any other player and came third in the 1963 Ballon d'Or rankings. He is also a member of the English Football Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ledley King</span> English footballer (born 1980)

Ledley Brenton King is an English former professional footballer. A one-club man, he spent his entire career with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and played 323 competitive matches for them from 1999 to 2012. He is currently a club ambassador for Tottenham Hotspur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Anderton</span> English footballer

Darren Robert Anderton is an English former professional footballer and pundit.

Steven Archibald is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager. He played prominently as a forward for Aberdeen, winning the Scottish league in 1980, Tottenham Hotspur, winning two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup, and Barcelona, winning the Spanish league in 1985. He also played for several other clubs in Scotland, England, Spain and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Gilzean</span> Scottish footballer (1938–2018)

Alan John Gilzean was a Scottish professional footballer, active from 1955 to 1975. A striker, Gilzean played most prominently for Dundee and Tottenham Hotspur, and also appeared in 22 international games for Scotland. He helped Dundee win the Scottish league championship in 1961–62 and Tottenham win the FA Cup in 1967, two League Cups and the 1971–72 UEFA Cup

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice Norman</span> English footballer (1934–2022)

Maurice Norman was an English footballer who played nearly 400 times in the Football League as a centre half for Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur. At international level, Norman won 23 caps for the England national team.

James Gillen Robertson is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a winger for Cowdenbeath, St Mirren, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Ipswich Town, Stoke City, Seattle Sounders, Walsall and Crewe Alexandra. He was capped once for Scotland.

Frank Raymond Osborne was a professional footballer who was one of the top forwards of the 1920s, playing for Tottenham Hotspur. Born in South Africa, he made four appearances for England. He subsequently went on to manage Fulham with whom he was associated for over 50 years.

George Clawley was an English professional goalkeeper who played for Stoke, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was the goalkeeper for the Spurs side that won the 1901 FA Cup final.

Albert John "Jack" Elkes was an English professional footballer who played as an inside left for various clubs between the two world wars.

Peter John Collins is a former professional footballer who played for Chelmsford City, and Tottenham Hotspur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Alderweireld</span> Belgian footballer (born 1989)

Tobias Albertine Maurits Alderweireld is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Belgian Pro League club Royal Antwerp.

The 1994–95 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 94th season of competitive football, their 25th in the top flight of English football, and their third in the FA Premier League. After two seasons finishing just two positions and one point above the relegation zone, Southampton's first and only full season with Alan Ball as manager saw them achieve 10th place in the league – their highest position since the 1989–90 season. The club also improved their form in both the FA Cup and the League Cup, reaching the fifth round in the former and the third round in the latter.

The 1900–01 season was the 16th since the foundation of Southampton F.C. and their seventh in league football, as members of the Southern League.

The 1901–02 season was the 17th since the foundation of Southampton F.C. and their eighth in league football, as members of the Southern League.

The 1929–30 season was the 35th season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's eighth in the Second Division of the Football League. After finishing fourth in the Second Division the previous season – their highest position in the league to date – Southampton continued their efforts towards achieving promotion to the First Division, but finished three places lower in seventh. The club struggled at the beginning of the league campaign, remaining in the bottom half of the table due to a run of poor results. A period of form including six wins in eight games followed between September and November, enabling the Saints to move up as high as third place. The team remained in the top half of the Second Division table for most of the rest of the season, finishing in seventh place with 17 wins, 11 draws and 14 losses.

The 1930–31 season was the 36th season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's ninth in the Second Division of the Football League. After securing their place as a top-half side in the Second Division over the past two seasons, the Saints began to lose their footing on the league and dropped to ninth in the division. The club failed to win any of their first four games of the campaign, briefly struggling to stay above the two relegation places, but had soon made their way to the top half of the division where they remained for the rest of the season. The Saints were unable to challenge for promotion to the First Division, however, briefly reaching the top five but remaining a long way off the top two sides. Southampton finished the season in ninth place in the table with 19 wins, six draws and 17 losses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Skipp</span> English footballer (born 2000)

Oliver William Skipp is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Leicester City.

The 1985–86 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 85th season of competitive football and their 16th in the First Division of the Football League. Following the departure of Lawrie McMenemy in the summer, 1985–86 was the first season to feature former player Chris Nicholl as manager. The Saints had a disappointing first campaign with Nicholl, finishing 14th in the First Division table – their joint lowest position since their 1979 promotion to the top flight. Outside the league, the club reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the second time in three seasons and the fourth round of the League Cup. The team were due to compete in the UEFA Cup, but English sides were banned following the Heysel Stadium disaster. In its place, Southampton played in the only incarnation of the Super Cup, but failed to make it out of the group stage.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 494–495.
  2. ↑ "martin chivers - fact file". archive.mehstg.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  3. ↑ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 72.
  4. ↑ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 91.
  5. ↑ Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 74–77.
  6. ↑ Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 78–81.
  7. 1 2 "Football Club History Database - Football League 1965-66". www.fchd.info. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "Martin Chivers | SaintsPlayers.co.uk" . Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  9. ↑ Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 82–87.
  10. ↑ Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 88–93.
  11. ↑ Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 94–97.
  12. ↑ Ley, John (7 February 2005). "Mido in seventh heaven after his debut double". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  13. ↑ Davies, Hunter (26 October 2022). "Strength, lovely lips and superhuman skill: why Erling Haaland can't be stopped". New Statesman. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  14. ↑ "Spurs Odyssey - Meet Spurs Legend Martin Chivers!". www.spursodyssey.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  15. ↑ "The Big Interview - Martin Chivers". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  16. ↑ "Martin Chivers Completed Matches 1970/1971". www.playmakerstats.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  17. ↑ "Down Wembley Way - A look back at our previous League Cup successes". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  18. 1 2 "Moment in time | Big Chiv strikes goal-d at Molineux, 1972". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  19. ↑ "Tottenham Hotspur - ÍB Keflavík 9:0 (Europa League 1971/1972, 1. Round)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  20. ↑ UEFA.com (21 October 2015). "Martin Chivers on Tottenham's 1972 UEFA Cup win". UEFA.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  21. ↑ "Spurs 3-1 Liverpool FC on 6 December 1972 - Overview". thfcdb.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  22. ↑ "Spurs 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers on 30 December 1972 - Overview". thfcdb.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  23. ↑ Duggan, Jim. "TOPSPURS - Fansite of TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR F.C." www.topspurs.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  24. ↑ UEFA.com. "History: Tottenham 2-0 Leipzig | UEFA Europa League 1973/74". UEFA.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  25. ↑ UEFA.com. "Feyenoord break English hold on UEFA Cup". UEFA.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  26. ↑ "Tottenham Hotspur v Middlesbrough, 11 September 1974". 11v11.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  27. ↑ Duggan, Jim. "TOPSPURS - Fansite of TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR F.C." www.topspurs.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  28. ↑ Duggan, Jim. "TOPSPURS - Fansite of TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR F.C." www.topspurs.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  29. 1 2 3 4 "Martin Chivers". Tottenham Hotspur. 27 July 2004. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  30. ↑ "Defoe breaks record as Spurs progress". BBC Sport. 7 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  31. ↑ "Hire Martin Chivers | Speaker Agent". The Motivational Speakers Agency. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  32. ↑ "Martin Chivers". England Football Online. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  33. ↑ "The England International Database". englandstats.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  34. ↑ "England v Poland 1973: When Clough's 'clown' stopped England". BBC Sport. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  35. ↑ "The England International Database". englandstats.com. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  36. ↑ "Martin Chivers | Champions Speakers". champions-speakers.co.uk. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  37. 1 2 "Martin Chivers". Spurs For Life. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  38. ↑ "HALL OF FAME: MARTIN CHIVERS". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  39. ↑ ""Big Chiv - My Goals in Life"". Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
  40. ↑ "Martin Chivers". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  41. ↑ "869 Martin Chivers (1971 – 1973)". englandstats.com. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  42. ↑ "Anglo-Italian League Cup". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  43. ↑ "Chivers honoured". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  44. ↑ "Switzerland - League Cup Finals". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  45. ↑ "COPPA DELLE ALPI: ALBO D'ORO". Maglia Rossonera (in Italian). Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  46. ↑ "1969-1970 British Team of the Season". BigSoccer. 31 July 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  47. ↑ "Switzerland - Footballer of the Year". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 8 January 2025.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.