Eddie Gray (footballer born 1948)
Edwin " Eddie" Gray ( born January 17, 1948 in Glasgow ) is a former Scottish football player and coach. As tricky left winger, he was for many years part of the successful team of Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s. Later, the twelve times Scottish international joined the coach compartment and in the 1980s and after the turn of the millennium he was sporting mainly responsible for Leeds United.
Sports career
Playing career
Leeds United
Gray had already come in the Scottish students choosing to use before he signed his first professional contract with Leeds United in January 1965. He had in 1962 allegedly connected and Jack Charlton had given the decisive clue to the obligation, as he expressed his coach Don Revie against the desire to later do not show up twice against the agile winger the club. Shortly before his 18th birthday, debuted Gray then on New Year 1966 against Sheffield Wednesday and immediately he scored a goal in a 3-0 victory. In the following years he developed on the left side with speed and trickery in vidual with opposing wingbacks an important factor in a team of the 1960s blossomed in the second half to a top English club. Quickly the first title wins and a set for the " Double" in 1968 from the League Cup and Fairs Cup, he won the following year the English Championship. The following season, 1969/70 Gray played with Leeds long in the three competitions from English Championship, FA Cup and European Cup champions for the title with. Gray scored in a 2-0 win against Burnley on April 4, 1970 both goals and specifically the hit after a dribble to the final score is referred to by some supporters as the most beautiful gate of a Leeds player ever. A week later he was in the FA Cup final against Chelsea and his performances that his direct opponent David Webb prepared big problems especially to award the best player brought him ( "Man of the Match" ) a. The match at Wembley Stadium ended in a 2-2 draw. In the replay at Old Trafford to Gray constant attacks of Chelsea players was exposed and an early passage of Ron Harris against his knee caused by that he did not find the shape of the first game. In the end, Chelsea won 2-1 after extra time and the winning goal scored just David Webb. Since the English championship eventually went to Everton and the "whites " in the European national champion competition failed to Celtic in the semi finals, the season remained Titellos.
The Veletzungsprobleme started from the 1970/71 season, in which Gray missed more than half of duty games. However, his team again won the vice-championship. Also in the Fairs Cup, Gray was missing frequently, though shot in his five appearances three goals, but remained in the final two games against Juventus (2-2, 1-1, victory on the away goals rule ) is ignored. In the following two years he was in each case in the initial formation of the team that played two FA Cup Finals series against Arsenal (1-0 ) and the second division Sunderland (0-1). The eight league appearances in the first nine games of the championship season in 1973/74 were the only and were not sufficient for the official receipt of the same coin. After a one year break, he returned in January 1975 back to the now coached by Jimmy Armfield team and the final of the European Champion Clubs' Cup against FC Bayern Munich ( 0-2) it was a good ten minutes to play for Terry Yorath to a short-term use. He acted on his nearly seven years younger brother Frank, who had now won a regular place in the defense against Leeds United side. In the second half of the 1970s, Gray was later the only remaining player from the successful Revie era. He acted now somewhat withdrawn on the left -back position and his former team-mates Allan Clarke ended the slow sporty ride with relegation in 1982.
Scottish national
The frequent injury problems were largely responsible for that Gray came to Scotland in his career on relatively few 12 A- internationals. After two appearances for the U -23 he had on May 10, 1969 debuting at the 1:4 defeat against arch-rivals England at Wembley and a week later, the 8-0 thrashing of Cyprus the first hit. After defeats in the autumn of 1969 in the World Cup qualifiers against Germany ( 2:3 in Hamburg) and Austria ( 0-2 in Vienna), he acted only from May to December 1971 again in a few internationals, before he paused for a long time. In this phase, the participation of Scotland at the 1974 World Cup in Germany, the missed Gray because of his injuries fell. On May 6, 1976, he celebrated in a 3-1 home win against Wales a comeback, but on 17 November 1976, at the same facility Wales also Grays last opponent in his twelfth international match.
Coaching career
During his playing career took Gray in the summer of 1982 the coach of Leeds United. After his last own appearance on 12 May 1984 against Charlton Athletic (1-0 ), he led the team then exclusively as head coach. In more than three years, however, the resurgence of destination could not be reached and in October 1985 ended his more than two decades of ongoing commitment to Leeds United, as from nine encounters another former player from the Revie - time heir him with Billy Bremner after only two wins. The dismissal decision was controversial due Grays great popularity and adjacent to protests from supporters reacted parts of the team with publicly voiced criticism.
For short periods of time, he worked in the second half of the 1980s for Whitby Town, AFC Rochdale and Hull City. In the summer of 1995, Gray returned to Leeds United now again first class and the coaching staff of Howard Wilkinson he took care of the development in the youth teams. Under Grays Director of the club won the 1996 FA Youth Cup and the following year he took over the care of the reserve team. Among the players who crowded at this time in professional football, Harry Kewell, Ian Harte, Alan Smith and Jonathan Woodgate were. When in October 1998 the new head coach David O'Leary was in Leeds, Gray lost its status as the unofficial " number 2" because O'Leary later confided more on Brian Kidd. However, he remained the club continued to receive and accompanied the dramatic crash of the clubs from the Champions League participation for relegation in 2004. Doing so, he had in the relegation season 2003/ 04 after the dismissal of Peter Reid, the " Whites " serves as interim head coach. After the transition to the second division Gray left the club for a second time. Later he worked for BBC Radio as part of the reporting of games involving Leeds United.
Title / Awards
- Fairs Cup ( 1): 1968
- English Championship ( 1): 1969
- English Cup ( 1): 1972
- English League Cup ( 1): 1968
- Charity Shield ( 1): 1969