Nigel Spackman
Encyclopedia
Nigel James Spackman is an English
football
manager and former player. He was formerly a midfield player who was an integral part of the much-admired Liverpool
team of 1988. He is currently coaching at the Glenn Hoddle Academy
in Spain.
and spent his first three years as a professional with Bournemouth
before joining Chelsea
for £35,000 in the summer of 1983. He signed for Chelsea as part of manager John Neal
's re-building of the side alongside the likes of Kerry Dixon
, Pat Nevin
and David Speedie
. Spackman scored on his debut for the club in a 5–0 opening day win over Derby County
, though he was not a regular goalscorer. Chelsea were promoted at the end of that season as Second Division
champions and finished 6th in the following two seasons back in the top tier, with Spackman a near ever-present. During the 1986–87
season, several key players, including Spackman, fell out with manager John Hollins
and he was sporadically left out of the starting line-up or played out of position. He was sold to Liverpool in 1987 for £400,000.
Initially he was a frequently used substitute at Liverpool, and he was in the team which lost the 1987 League Cup
final to Arsenal
before his big year arrived. This was the year when Liverpool played what observers now cliché as "total football
", earning praise from distinguished retired professionals like ex-France
skipper Michel Platini
and former England
winger Tom Finney
. Spackman only had a regular role in the Liverpool team during this season, but played an essential role.
When regular midfield general Ronnie Whelan
was injured early in the campaign, Spackman was handed his No.5 shirt and he never missed a game for the whole campaign, gaining respect and plaudits for his unselfish running and industry around the park. Not the most glamorous player in a team which featured the likes of John Barnes, Peter Beardsley
and John Aldridge
, Spackman was quickly identified as an unsung hero beyond the appreciation of the Liverpool supporters, who loved him.
Liverpool lost just twice in the league
all season, claiming the title with ease and Spackman was in the side which played what remains arguably Liverpool's finest club performance in English football when they beat Nottingham Forest
5–0
. Spackman's stamina and unselfishness set up the last goal for Aldridge. Whelan was fit again with a month of the season left, but wasn't selected. Spackman was selected for the rest of the campaign, including the FA Cup final
, which Liverpool surprisingly lost to Wimbledon
. Spackman and team-mate Gary Gillespie
both played that game with flamboyant bandage
s around their heads after the two had suffered cuts in a clash during a game against Derby County
the previous week.
He left Liverpool for Queens Park Rangers
in February 1989 but stayed there for less than a year, joining Scottish
side Rangers
in November 1989, winning honours there. He went back to Chelsea in 1992 before moving to Sheffield United
in 1996 as player-coach and assistant-manager to Howard Kendall
.
– 11 league goals – went to S.L. Benfica & Jan Åge Fjørtoft
– 9 league goals – to Barnsley
) on the same day. Even though leaving midseason, Deane would go on to become the team's top scorer that year, such was the lack of replacements. Spackman was unhappy over this and resigned in March 1998.
He later managed Barnsley between January and October 2001 but was sacked with the club near the bottom of the table. They were relegated at the end of that season. He re-entered management with in May 2006 but left only a few months later in September, with the club in the relegation zone of League One
. As of 2010, he has failed to manage any club for a full season.
before re-entering management with Millwall in 2006. Spackman currently appears as a regular pundit on Singapore
's Football Channel, alongside other former players such as John Burridge
and Rob Lee
. Spackman regularly appears on Sentana Sport Saturday afternoon as an expert pundit. It is rumored that he is off to the newly created Total Soccer Channel as head football pundit. However, this may be delayed due to current contractual obligations with former Sheffield United and Blackburn left back Alan Wright to be his replacement.
Despite playing the majority of his career with Chelsea FC and having a stadium entrance at Stamford Bridge named after him, Spackman commented before the Champion's League semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool (30 April 2008): "My loyalties have always been with Liverpool, though I don't give that away too easily," he revealed. "That is actually why I am not going to the game, because there is so much pressure. I just hope Liverpool will pull through and we play Man Utd in Moscow."
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
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
manager and former player. He was formerly a midfield player who was an integral part of the much-admired 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...
team of 1988. He is currently coaching at the Glenn Hoddle Academy
Glenn Hoddle Academy
The Glenn Hoddle Academy was established in 2008, by former England international footballer Glenn Hoddle. Hoddle set the academy up in the memory of his brother, Carl, a former Tottenham Hotspur player who died aged 40....
in Spain.
Playing career
Spackman started at AndoverAndover F.C.
Andover F.C. was a football club based in Andover, Hampshire, established in 1883. Since the 2007–08 season, Andover had been a member of the Southern League Division One South and West at Step 4 of the National League System...
and spent his first three years as a professional with Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
before joining Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
for £35,000 in the summer of 1983. He signed for Chelsea as part of manager John Neal
John Neal (footballer)
John Neal is a former English football player and manager.Neal was a full-back whose playing career included numerous clubs, including Hull City, Southend United and Swindon Town...
's re-building of the side alongside the likes of Kerry Dixon
Kerry Dixon
Kerry Michael Dixon is a retired English professional footballer who played most notably for Chelsea and England.-Early years:...
, Pat Nevin
Pat Nevin
Patrick Kevin Francis Michael "Pat" Nevin is a retired Scottish footballer. In a 20-year career, he played for Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell as a winger. Nevin was a fans' favourite at Chelsea during the 1980s...
and David Speedie
David Speedie
David Robert Speedie is a retired Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year...
. Spackman scored on his debut for the club in a 5–0 opening day win over Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, though he was not a regular goalscorer. Chelsea were promoted at the end of that season as Second Division
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...
champions and finished 6th in the following two seasons back in the top tier, with Spackman a near ever-present. During the 1986–87
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
season, several key players, including Spackman, fell out with manager John Hollins
John Hollins
John William Hollins MBE is a retired English footballer and manager. He was initially a midfielder who, later in his career, became an effective centre back.Hollins' son, Chris Hollins is the main sport presenter on BBC Breakfast....
and he was sporadically left out of the starting line-up or played out of position. He was sold to Liverpool in 1987 for £400,000.
Initially he was a frequently used substitute at Liverpool, and he was in the team which lost the 1987 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...
final to 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...
before his big year arrived. This was the year when Liverpool played what observers now cliché as "total football
Total Football
"Total Football" is the label given to an influential tactical theory of association football in which any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in a team. It was pioneered by Dutch football club Ajax from 1969 to 1973, and further used by the Netherlands National Football...
", earning praise from distinguished retired professionals like ex-France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
skipper Michel Platini
Michel Platini
Michel François Platini is a former French football player, manager and current president of UEFA. Platini was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He participated in the 1978, 1982...
and former 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...
winger Tom Finney
Tom Finney
Sir Thomas Finney, OBE is a former English footballer, famous for his loyalty to his league club, Preston North End, and for his performances in the English national side....
. Spackman only had a regular role in the Liverpool team during this season, but played an essential role.
When regular midfield general Ronnie Whelan
Ronnie Whelan
Ronald Andrew "Ronnie" Whelan is a former Irish football midfielder, and sometimes defender, who was an integral part of the dominant Liverpool side of the 1980s...
was injured early in the campaign, Spackman was handed his No.5 shirt and he never missed a game for the whole campaign, gaining respect and plaudits for his unselfish running and industry around the park. Not the most glamorous player in a team which featured the likes of John Barnes, Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
and John Aldridge
John Aldridge
John William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager...
, Spackman was quickly identified as an unsung hero beyond the appreciation of the Liverpool supporters, who loved him.
Liverpool lost just twice in the league
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....
all season, claiming the title with ease and Spackman was in the side which played what remains arguably Liverpool's finest club performance in English football when they beat 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...
5–0
Liverpool 5–0 Nottingham Forest (1988)
In April 1988, with the 1987–88 season drawing to an end, Liverpool played Nottingham Forest three times in the space of twelve days. The first game, on April 2, was a League game at Forest's City Ground, with the home team winning 2–1. A week later the two teams met at Hillsborough in an FA Cup...
. Spackman's stamina and unselfishness set up the last goal for Aldridge. Whelan was fit again with a month of the season left, but wasn't selected. Spackman was selected for the rest of the campaign, including the FA Cup final
FA Cup Final 1988
The 1988 FA Cup Final took place on 14 May 1988 at Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Wimbledon, unfashionable and unfancied, and Liverpool, one of the dominant teams of the 1980s and newly-crowned league champions....
, which Liverpool surprisingly lost to Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
. Spackman and team-mate Gary Gillespie
Gary Gillespie
Gary Thompson Gillespie was a defender who played football for Liverpool through much of their dominant period of the 1980s.-Early career:...
both played that game with flamboyant 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 around their heads after the two had suffered cuts in a clash during a game against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
the previous week.
He left Liverpool for Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
in February 1989 but stayed there for less than a year, joining Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
side 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 November 1989, winning honours there. He went back to Chelsea in 1992 before moving to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
in 1996 as player-coach and assistant-manager to 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....
.
Managerial career
When Kendall left the Blades in 1997 Spackman became caretaker manager before being appointed as manager on 5 August. United had a good start to the season but huge losses and high wages from the previous season's promotion failure led to enforced sales of key personnel. The final straw being the sale of both of the clubs top scoring strikers (Brian DeaneBrian Deane
Brian Christopher Deane is an English former footballer.Signed for £40,000 from Doncaster Rovers in the close season of 1988, Deane first played and scored for Sheffield United in an 8–1 victory against Skegness Town...
– 11 league goals – went to S.L. Benfica & Jan Åge Fjørtoft
Jan Åge Fjørtoft
Jan Aage Fjørtoft is a former Norwegian footballer. A powerful centre forward with netting ability , he played professionally in Norway, Austria, England and Germany...
– 9 league goals – to Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
) on the same day. Even though leaving midseason, Deane would go on to become the team's top scorer that year, such was the lack of replacements. Spackman was unhappy over this and resigned in March 1998.
He later managed Barnsley between January and October 2001 but was sacked with the club near the bottom of the table. They were relegated at the end of that season. He re-entered management with in May 2006 but left only a few months later in September, with the club in the relegation zone of League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. As of 2010, he has failed to manage any club for a full season.
Media career
After Spackman left Barnsley, he began a new career in the media, becoming a pundit with Sky SportsSky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
before re-entering management with Millwall in 2006. Spackman currently appears as a regular pundit on Singapore
Singapore
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...
's Football Channel, alongside other former players such as John Burridge
John Burridge
John Burridge is an English former football goalkeeper who played for 29 different clubs in a career that lasted nearly 30 years. Overall, Burridge played 771 league games in the English and Scottish leagues, and several more at non-league level...
and Rob Lee
Rob Lee
Robert Martin "Rob" Lee is a retired English footballer who played the majority of his career for Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United.-Charlton Athletic:...
. Spackman regularly appears on Sentana Sport Saturday afternoon as an expert pundit. It is rumored that he is off to the newly created Total Soccer Channel as head football pundit. However, this may be delayed due to current contractual obligations with former Sheffield United and Blackburn left back Alan Wright to be his replacement.
Despite playing the majority of his career with Chelsea FC and having a stadium entrance at Stamford Bridge named after him, Spackman commented before the Champion's League semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool (30 April 2008): "My loyalties have always been with Liverpool, though I don't give that away too easily," he revealed. "That is actually why I am not going to the game, because there is so much pressure. I just hope Liverpool will pull through and we play Man Utd in Moscow."