Paul Madeley
Encyclopedia
Paul Madeley was a footballer during Leeds United
's glory era of the 1960s and 1970s and the last high-profile 'utility' player.
Madeley was a 'player without portfolio
' in that he didn't have a specialist position on the pitch – he had ten of them. In his long career with Leeds, which began with his debut in January 1964, he played in every position on the pitch except goalkeeper and wore every shirt from No.2 to No.11 (and occasionally No.12) as a result.
Nobody, including Madeley, could pin down what position he preferred – as the oft-heard footballing cliché
says: "I don't mind where I play as long as I'm on the pitch", although this is usually uttered by players being asked to play out of their natural position. Madeley was never asked to play out of position because every position was natural to him. It's not known whether Madeley ever used this answer in an interview
.
Madeley's natural ability to adapt to a different role on a frequent basis meant that he was often in the side chosen by manager Don Revie
at the expense of a 'specialist' in that position, though the majority of the time there was a player either injured or suspended whom Madeley would replace, mainly in defence although, having become a regular in the team from 1966, Madeley was in attacking positions when Leeds won their first major honours under Revie.
He became a regular in the team from 1966 onwards. In 1971 he scored the crucial away goal against Juventus which helped Leeds win the Fairs Cup
– in the two legs he wore the No.8 shirt (striker, in Leeds' shirt allocation system – ace goalscorer Allan Clarke
would later make it his own) and the No.10 shirt (attacking midfield player) respectively. Leeds won the League Cup
in the same year, and Madeley was the No.9 (a striker again) in the 1–0 win over Arsenal
at Wembley.
Madeley played 31 League matches in various positions in 1969 as Leeds won the League championship
and in 1970 flitted around the side again until Paul Reaney
broke his leg shortly before the season came to a finale, with Leeds seeking to win three trophies. Madeley duly played in Reaney's right back position and No.2 shirt as Leeds missed out on the League to Everton
, the European Cup
in the semi-finals to Celtic
and the FA Cup
in the final to Chelsea
, who won after a replay.
Having deputised so well for Reaney at club level, Madeley was asked by Alf Ramsey
to take Reaney's place in the England
squad for that summer's World Cup in Mexico
, but Madeley politely refused, saying he wanted to rest and, as a stand-in, was unlikely to kick a ball. At this stage he had not played for his country since winning youth level caps as a teenager.
In 1971, Madeley was in the side in one position for all bar one of Leeds' matches in the League, which Leeds again missed out on in the last game of the season. He played in the No.11 shirt (left winger) as Leeds took their second Fairs Cup
that summer, scoring a goal in the first leg of the final. He made his England debut the same year.
As the next season got underway, Madeley again found himself moving round the side as injuries and suspensions took hold on his team-mates and in the end he never missed a League match, though for a third year in a row Leeds failed to clinch the title on the last day. In April 1972, left back Terry Cooper suffered an horrific broken leg so Madeley was in the No.3 shirt for the season's end and the FA Cup final, which Leeds finally won with a 1–0 win over Arsenal, duplicating their League Cup success four seasons previously.
Revie sorted the left back issue by signing Trevor Cherry
in the summer of 1972 and Madeley moved across to the centre of defence for much of the next season as Jack Charlton
's distinguished career at Leeds wound down. He was in that No.5 shirt as Leeds surrendered the FA Cup to Sunderland
in the final; and then switched back to the left wing and the No.11 shirt for the European Cup Winners Cup final a few days later in Greece
, which Leeds lost to A.C. Milan
.
Leeds won the League in 1974 – Madeley missing just three matches – and even after Revie's departure that summer to take over the England job, got to their first and only European Cup final a year later, with Madeley in the No.5 shirt again. This was his last Cup final (and Leeds' last for 21 years) – in the eight finals (nine matches) he played in, he wore seven different shirts.
In these days of "player power"/agents/squabbling over image rights, etc., Jimmy Armfield in his autobiography "Right Back To The Beginning",relates a great story about Madeley negotiating a new contract – "He once actually signed a new contract on what was virtually a blank piece of paper. I called him in to discuss terms and opened discussions by saying, 'OK, Paul, we'll give you so much'. He replied that he had no intention of leaving Leeds so he might as well sign the contract and let me fill in the details. I said, 'What do you want, then, two years or three years?' He answered, 'Either way, I'll leave it to you. I just want to play for Leeds,' and that was that".
A decline in fortunes for Leeds followed, with the ageing side breaking up. Madeley stayed until 1980, when he retired. He enjoyed a testimonial season in 1977. After retiring with 711 appearances to his name, he set invested a shop in Leeds selling sports goods and worked for his family's home furnishings business. He and his brothers sold this business in 1987. No true 'utility' player has emerged in English football since; indeed, Madeley was arguably one of a kind for all footballing generations.
Madeley won 24 England caps in total between 1971 and 1977.
Madeley is married with two sons. He has experienced numerous health problems in the last few years. In 1992 had a benign
brain tumour removed. He had a heart attack
in 2002, had a hip replacement in late 2004 and suffers from Parkinson's disease
which he was diagnosed with in 2003.
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
's glory era of the 1960s and 1970s and the last high-profile 'utility' player.
Madeley was a 'player without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
' in that he didn't have a specialist position on the pitch – he had ten of them. In his long career with Leeds, which began with his debut in January 1964, he played in every position on the pitch except goalkeeper and wore every shirt from No.2 to No.11 (and occasionally No.12) as a result.
Nobody, including Madeley, could pin down what position he preferred – as the oft-heard footballing cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
says: "I don't mind where I play as long as I'm on the pitch", although this is usually uttered by players being asked to play out of their natural position. Madeley was never asked to play out of position because every position was natural to him. It's not known whether Madeley ever used this answer in an interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
.
Madeley's natural ability to adapt to a different role on a frequent basis meant that he was often in the side chosen by manager Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
at the expense of a 'specialist' in that position, though the majority of the time there was a player either injured or suspended whom Madeley would replace, mainly in defence although, having become a regular in the team from 1966, Madeley was in attacking positions when Leeds won their first major honours under Revie.
He became a regular in the team from 1966 onwards. In 1971 he scored the crucial away goal against Juventus which helped Leeds win the Fairs Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
– in the two legs he wore the No.8 shirt (striker, in Leeds' shirt allocation system – ace goalscorer Allan Clarke
Allan Clarke (footballer)
Allan John Clarke , nicknamed "Sniffer", is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England.-Early career:Clarke started his career at Walsall and made his debut aged 17, in 1963...
would later make it his own) and the No.10 shirt (attacking midfield player) respectively. Leeds won the 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...
in the same year, and Madeley was the No.9 (a striker again) in the 1–0 win over 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...
at Wembley.
Madeley played 31 League matches in various positions in 1969 as Leeds won the League championship
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 in 1970 flitted around the side again until Paul Reaney
Paul Reaney
Paul Reaney was a long-serving full back with the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s.Reaney wore the No.2 shirt for Leeds and in a team renowned for its hard approach to the game, he more than held his own....
broke his leg shortly before the season came to a finale, with Leeds seeking to win three trophies. Madeley duly played in Reaney's right back position and No.2 shirt as Leeds missed out on the League to 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...
, the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
in the semi-finals to Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and 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...
in the final to 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...
, who won after a replay.
Having deputised so well for Reaney at club level, Madeley was asked by Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
to take Reaney's place in the 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...
squad for that summer's 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...
, but Madeley politely refused, saying he wanted to rest and, as a stand-in, was unlikely to kick a ball. At this stage he had not played for his country since winning youth level caps as a teenager.
In 1971, Madeley was in the side in one position for all bar one of Leeds' matches in the League, which Leeds again missed out on in the last game of the season. He played in the No.11 shirt (left winger) as Leeds took their second Fairs Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
that summer, scoring a goal in the first leg of the final. He made his England debut the same year.
As the next season got underway, Madeley again found himself moving round the side as injuries and suspensions took hold on his team-mates and in the end he never missed a League match, though for a third year in a row Leeds failed to clinch the title on the last day. In April 1972, left back Terry Cooper suffered an horrific broken leg so Madeley was in the No.3 shirt for the season's end and the FA Cup final, which Leeds finally won with a 1–0 win over Arsenal, duplicating their League Cup success four seasons previously.
Revie sorted the left back issue by signing Trevor Cherry
Trevor Cherry
Trevor John Cherry is a former England and Leeds United footballer who also captained his country. He was a defender who also played for Huddersfield Town and Bradford City, and managed the latter club....
in the summer of 1972 and Madeley moved across to the centre of defence for much of the next season as Jack Charlton
Jack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
's distinguished career at Leeds wound down. He was in that No.5 shirt as Leeds surrendered the FA Cup to Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
in the final; and then switched back to the left wing and the No.11 shirt for the European Cup Winners Cup final a few days later in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, which Leeds lost to A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
.
Leeds won the League in 1974 – Madeley missing just three matches – and even after Revie's departure that summer to take over the England job, got to their first and only European Cup final a year later, with Madeley in the No.5 shirt again. This was his last Cup final (and Leeds' last for 21 years) – in the eight finals (nine matches) he played in, he wore seven different shirts.
In these days of "player power"/agents/squabbling over image rights, etc., Jimmy Armfield in his autobiography "Right Back To The Beginning",relates a great story about Madeley negotiating a new contract – "He once actually signed a new contract on what was virtually a blank piece of paper. I called him in to discuss terms and opened discussions by saying, 'OK, Paul, we'll give you so much'. He replied that he had no intention of leaving Leeds so he might as well sign the contract and let me fill in the details. I said, 'What do you want, then, two years or three years?' He answered, 'Either way, I'll leave it to you. I just want to play for Leeds,' and that was that".
A decline in fortunes for Leeds followed, with the ageing side breaking up. Madeley stayed until 1980, when he retired. He enjoyed a testimonial season in 1977. After retiring with 711 appearances to his name, he set invested a shop in Leeds selling sports goods and worked for his family's home furnishings business. He and his brothers sold this business in 1987. No true 'utility' player has emerged in English football since; indeed, Madeley was arguably one of a kind for all footballing generations.
Madeley won 24 England caps in total between 1971 and 1977.
Madeley is married with two sons. He has experienced numerous health problems in the last few years. In 1992 had a benign
Benign
A benign tumor is a tumor that lacks the ability to metastasize. Common examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.The term "benign" implies a mild and nonprogressive disease. Indeed, many kinds of benign tumors are harmless to human health...
brain tumour removed. He had a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 2002, had a hip replacement in late 2004 and suffers from Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
which he was diagnosed with in 2003.