Gary Bailey
Encyclopedia
Gary Richard Bailey is a former footballer who made nearly 300 appearances in the Football League
playing as a goalkeeper for Manchester United
. He was capped
twice for England
.
He is the son of former Ipswich Town
goalkeeper Roy Bailey
.
.
He established himself as United goalkeeper in the late 1970s following the retirement of Alex Stepney
, but in one of his first crucial games he missed a cross in the 1979 FA Cup final
, allowing Alan Sunderland
to score the winning goal for Arsenal
with just seconds remaining. Despite this, he was considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in England in the early- to mid-1980s.
He represented the national team
twice at senior level, but was unable to establish himself in the first eleven due to the form of the more-experienced Peter Shilton
and Ray Clemence
. He was first capped against the Republic of Ireland
on 26 March 1985, with his other international appearance coming on 9 June that year against Mexico
.
United were one of the top sides in England while Bailey played for them, and won FA Cup
medals with them in 1983
and 1985
.
However, he developed a serious knee injury during training at the 1986 FIFA World Cup
and missed most of the 1986–87 season, after which he retired and returned to South Africa where he subsequently resumed his career with Kaizer Chiefs, before retiring in 1990. He was a well-known radio presenter on Talk Radio 702
. Gary is now a football presenter for Supersport Premier League coverage in South Africa. He was an ambassador in South Africa's successful bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup
and does motivational speaking centred around increasing the benefits of that event.
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
playing as a goalkeeper for 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...
. He was capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
twice for 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...
.
He is the son of former 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....
goalkeeper Roy Bailey
Roy Bailey (footballer)
Roy Bailey was an English-born professional footballer.Bailey was born in Epsom, Surrey, the fifth child in a family of thirteen. During World War II, he was evacuated to Somerset, and was educated in Weston-super-Mare, before returning to his native Surrey at the age of 15...
.
Career
He grew up in South Africa and started his career with Wits University in Johannesburg. In the late 1970s, Bailey paid his own fare to Manchester for a trial with Manchester UnitedManchester 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...
.
He established himself as United goalkeeper in the late 1970s following the retirement of Alex Stepney
Alex Stepney
Alexander Cyril "Alex" Stepney is a former English football player who was Manchester United's goalkeeper when they became the first English club to win the European Cup.-London beginnings:...
, but in one of his first crucial games he missed a cross in the 1979 FA Cup final
1979 FA Cup Final
The 1979 FA Cup Final was a football match played on 12 May 1979 at Wembley Stadium. The match was contested by Arsenal and Manchester United. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever finishes in an FA Cup final. For over 85 minutes the game had been unremarkable, with Arsenal taking...
, allowing Alan Sunderland
Alan Sunderland
Alan Sunderland is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arsenal and Ipswich Town. He was capped once for England.-Career:...
to score the winning goal for 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...
with just seconds remaining. Despite this, he was considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in England in the early- to mid-1980s.
He represented the national 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...
twice at senior level, but was unable to establish himself in the first eleven due to the form of the more-experienced Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps....
and Ray Clemence
Ray Clemence
Raymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE is one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Scunthorpe United:...
. He was first capped against the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
on 26 March 1985, with his other international appearance coming on 9 June that year against Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
.
United were one of the top sides in England while Bailey played for them, and won 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...
medals with them in 1983
1983 FA Cup Final
The 1983 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium.Manchester United were the favourites, as Brighton had been relegated from the First Division that season...
and 1985
1985 FA Cup Final
The 1985 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and holders Everton at Wembley Stadium. United won by a single goal, scored in extra time by Norman Whiteside....
.
However, he developed a serious knee injury during training at the 1986 FIFA World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
and missed most of the 1986–87 season, after which he retired and returned to South Africa where he subsequently resumed his career with Kaizer Chiefs, before retiring in 1990. He was a well-known radio presenter on Talk Radio 702
Radio 702
Radio 702, currently known as Talk Radio 702, is a commercial FM radio station based in Johannesburg, South Africa, broadcasting on FM 92.7 and FM 106 to the greater Gauteng province. The station is also webcast via its website. It claims to be Johannesburg's number one news and talk station,...
. Gary is now a football presenter for Supersport Premier League coverage in South Africa. He was an ambassador in South Africa's successful bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
and does motivational speaking centred around increasing the benefits of that event.