Graeme Sharp
Encyclopedia
Graeme Marshall Sharp is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
on 16 October 1960) is a former footballer. He started his playing career at Dumbarton
Dumbarton F.C.
Dumbarton Football Club is Scotland's 4th oldest football club – founded in 1872, just after Queen's Park , Kilmarnock and Stranraer...
before signing for 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...
for £120,000 in 1980.
Sharp was regarded as good in the air and able to hold the ball well and distribute it to provide more scoring opportunities for others than for himself. He formed successful scoring partnerships with Andy Gray, Adrian Heath
Adrian Heath
Adrian Paul Heath is an English football manager and former player. He manages American USL Pro Orlando franchise. As a player he is remembered as part of the Everton side of the 1980s, where he won several trophies...
and Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
. In the 1984–85 season Sharp scored 30 goals in 54 matches.
In 426 appearances for Everton (21 as substitute), Sharp scored 159 goals to set a post war goalscoring for Everton which has yet to be matched. Only Dixie Dean
Dixie Dean
William Ralph Dean , better known as Dixie Dean, was an English football player. Dean originally started his career with Birkenhead based Tranmere Rovers before moving on to Everton, the club he had supported as a child, where he became one of the most prolific goal-scorers in English football...
(pre Second World War) has ever scored more goals for the club than Sharp did. http://www.evertonfc.com/stats
He did not walk into the first team at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, and by the end of the 1980–81 season
1980-81 in English football
The 1980–81 season was the 101st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League introduced a three points for a win system in place of the two points for a win system which had operated since the league's formation in 1889...
had still made just six league appearances for the club. But then came new manager Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall is an English football manager and former player. He is most famous for his connection to Everton, a club that he both played for and managed. His uncle Harry Taylor played for Newcastle United and Fulham in the 1950s....
, who soon selected Sharp as a regular striker and was rewarded handsomely as Sharp netted 15 goals in 29 league games. The goals continued to flow over the next nine seasons.
Sharp's greatest achievements were as part of the Everton team which in 1984 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...
(he scored the first goal in the final), in 1985 and 1987 won the Football 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....
and also in 1985 the European Cup Winners' Cup. In October 1984, he scored the lone goal in Everton's first win at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
since 1970. He was on the losing side in 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...
finals of 1986 and 1989, with both of these finals being won by Everton's local rivals 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...
. His key role in this golden era led to his inclusion in Everton's "Greatest Ever Team", following a poll in the club's 125th anniversary.
After Gary Lineker's departure to FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in the 1986 close season, Sharp had a succession of strike partners. First he played alongside Paul Wilkinson
Paul Wilkinson
Paul Wilkinson CBE was Emeritus Professor of International Relations and former Director of the University of St Andrews Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence...
, Adrian Heath
Adrian Heath
Adrian Paul Heath is an English football manager and former player. He manages American USL Pro Orlando franchise. As a player he is remembered as part of the Everton side of the 1980s, where he won several trophies...
(also a midfielder) and then Wayne Clarke
Wayne Clarke
Wayne Clarke is a former professional football player from England. During his career he made nearly 450 appearances in the Football League, playing as a striker for several different clubs including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Everton and Manchester City. He scored nearly 150 goals...
before the arrival of £2million Tony Cottee
Tony Cottee
Anthony Richard "Tony" Cottee is a former football player who now works as a television football commentator...
for the start of the 1988–89 season
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
. The was the season where Everton were on the losing side in two Wembley finals – first they lost 4–3 to 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 Full Members Cup
Full Members Cup
The Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
final (in which Sharp scored a goal) and then they were beaten 3–2 by 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...
in the second all Merseyside FA Cup final
1989 FA Cup Final
The 1989 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1988–89 FA Cup, the top football knockout competition in England. The match was a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 20 May 1989. Liverpool won 3–2 after extra time, with goals from John Aldridge and two...
in four seasons.
Despite the arrival of another striker – Mike Newell
Mike Newell (footballer)
Michael Colin "Mike" Newell is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player he notably was a member of the Blackburn Rovers team which won the Premier League in 1995, as well also playing for Crewe Alexandra, Wigan Athletic, Luton Town, Leicester City, Everton,...
– a year later, Sharp remained a regular player with 33 games and six goals in the 1989–90 season
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
in a three-man attack. For a while it looked as though Sharp could be on the verge of another title triumph with Everton as they went top of the league in late autumn 1989, but they failed to sustain their title challenge and finished sixth as 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...
sealed their 18th (and to date most recent) league title. He remained a regular player in 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...
, though his 27 league appearances delivered just three goals. With speculation that manager Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall is an English football manager and former player. He is most famous for his connection to Everton, a club that he both played for and managed. His uncle Harry Taylor played for Newcastle United and Fulham in the 1950s....
(who had returned in November 1990 more than three years after leaving Everton) was about to sign Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
, it appeared the Sharp's days at Goodison Park were numbered. Kendall didn't actually sign a new striker for Everton until November 1991, but Sharp knew that he wasn't going to be part of Kendall's future plans and he departed to Oldham Athletic (managed by former Everton player Joe Royle
Joe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
) in July 1991, allowing Tony Cottee and Mike Newell to start 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...
as Everton's strikeforce.
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
paid £500,000 for Sharp just after their promotion to the 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....
after a 68-year exile. He helped them finish 17th in 1991–92
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...
, ensuring that they would be members of the new Premier League. He helped them avoid relegation on goal difference 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....
, and reach 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...
semi-final a year later, although they were finally relegated to the new Division One at the end of 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...
.
When Joe Royle
Joe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
quit as Oldham manager to take over at Everton in November 1994, Sharp took over as player-manager at Boundary Park
Boundary Park
Boundary Park is the main sports stadium of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with the towns of Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively, giving rise to the name Boundary Park....
and they finished in midtable in 1994–95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
– a disappointing showing for a side who had retained all but one of their key players (Mike Milligan
Mike Milligan (footballer)
Michael Milligan is a former English footballer of Irish descent.He left school in 1983 and signed for Oldham Athletic, establishing himself as a regular midfielder in the later part of the 1980s and helping them reach the FA Cup semi-final and Football League Cup final in the 1989-90...
) from the side that had been relegated from the Premier League and reached an FA Cup semi-final. Further disappointment came in 1995–96
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
when Oldham finished 18th, and Sharp finally walked in March of 1996–97
1996-97 in English football
The 1996–1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.Arrival into the league and exit out of the league returns in the fourth tier for the first time after its 3 season absence with only 1 relegation spot.- Premier League :...
with Oldham on the verge of their imminent relegation to Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
.
He then spent a season as manager of Bangor City
Bangor City F.C.
Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992....
in the League of Wales
League of Wales
The Welsh Premier League is the national football league for Wales. It has both Professional and Semi-Professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 2002, the league was known as the League of Wales, but changed its name as part of a sponsorship deal...
and led the club to a Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
victory in May 1998.
Sharp now works for the local press in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and radio for 96.7 Radio City in the north-west of England and is currently the Everton's fans' liaison officer.
Sharp played 12 times for Scotland, between 1985 and 1988 including one match in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, scoring just one international goal.
Honours
- European Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
- Winner: 1985
- First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe 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....
- Champions: 1984–85, 1986–87
- Runners-up: 1985–86
- FA CupFA CupThe 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...
- Winners: 19841984 FA Cup FinalThe 1984 FA Cup Final was contested by Everton and Watford at Wembley. Everton won 2–0, with one goal by Graeme Sharp and a particularly memorable goal from Andy Gray. He was adjudged by many to have fouled the Watford goalkeeper Steve Sherwood by heading the ball from Sherwood's hands....
- Runners-up: 19851985 FA Cup FinalThe 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....
, 19891989 FA Cup FinalThe 1989 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1988–89 FA Cup, the top football knockout competition in England. The match was a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 20 May 1989. Liverpool won 3–2 after extra time, with goals from John Aldridge and two...
- Winners: 1984
- Football League CupFootball League CupThe 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...
- Runners-up: 19841984 Football League Cup FinalThe 1984 Milk Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool and Everton. Liverpool were extremely fortunate to make it to the final of the competition after knocking out a Walsall side from the 4th Division who most neutrals and pundits would agree were the superior team at Anfield...
- Runners-up: 1984
- FA Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
- Winners: 1984, 19851985 FA Charity ShieldThe 1985 FA Charity Shield was the 63rd FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's First Division and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 10 August 1985 at Wembley Stadium and contested by Everton, who had won the 1984–85 First Division,...
, 19861986 FA Charity ShieldThe 1986 FA Charity Shield was a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton at Wembley. Liverpool achieved a Football League and FA Cup double in 1985–86 so their opponents in the Charity Shield match were Everton who finished as runners-up in both competitions...
, 19871987 FA Charity ShieldThe 1987 FA Charity Shield was a football match between Everton and Coventry City at Wembley on Saturday the 1 August 1987. Everton had won the 1986-87 Football League and Coventry had won the 1987 FA Cup Final to qualify for the season opener which was played two weeks before the new league season...
- Winners: 1984, 1985
Individual
- Everton Top Goal Scorer: 1981-82, 1982-83, 1984-85, 1987-88
- Goal of the SeasonGoal of the SeasonIn English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season...
: 1984-85 vs. LiverpoolLiverpool 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...
(Division One)