John Richards (soccer player)
| John Richards | ||
| Personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| Surname | John Peter Richards | |
| birthday | November 9, 1950 | |
| place of birth | Warrington , England | |
| position | striker | |
| Men's | ||
| Years | station | Games (goals) 1 |
| 1968-1983 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 385 (144) |
| 1982-1983 | → Derby County (loan) | 10 (2) |
| 1983-1985 | Marítimo Funchal | |
| National team | ||
| Years | selection | Games (goals) |
| 1972-1974 | England U-23 | 6 (1) |
| 1973 | England | 1 (0) |
| 1977 | England U-21 | 2 (0) |
| 1978 | England B | 3 (0) |
| 1 Only league games are given. | ||
John Peter Richards (born November 9, 1950 in Warrington ) is a retired English football player . The striker was from 1969 to 1983 at the Wolverhampton Wanderers at the same time top scorer, role model and crowd favorite. With 194 goals, he is the player with the second most competitive goals in the history of the "Wolves", behind Steve Bull .
Athletic career
Although "JR" was born in the middle of the rugby stronghold of Warrington and also pursued the sport at school, it was football to which he owed his first successes. Just as he scored six goals in a student selection game, Tony Penman noticed, who had mingled with the crowd as a scout for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Penman immediately reported to Joe Gardiner , who in turn organized the club's talent spotting. Richards was invited to an audition that he completed for the Wolves reserve team. Although he missed the 4-0 win against the second representation of Derby County , he had convinced those responsible and so joined the youth department of the club under youth coach Barry Powell in June 1966.
For the first time in the professional team he came on February 28, 1970 against West Bromwich Albion used, which ended with a 3-3 draw. He remained in his first four league appearances in the end of the 1969/70 season without a goal, but scored in the so-called " Anglo-Italian Cup " against Fiorentina . In the following year he did not get beyond the status of a supplementary player. In 14 league appearances, he was only in four games in the starting lineup, where he met on September 19, 1970 against Huddersfield Town (3-1) for the first time. He was allowed to show his skills more often in the so-called Texaco Cup ; he even won this competition with his team. The 1971/72 season finally brought Richards his sporting breakthrough. He became a regular in Wolverhampton and scored 13 league goals. The club's “new number 9” also became known beyond national borders through its performance in the UEFA Cup , for example when he scored the only goal in the 1-0 win at GDR club FC Carl Zeiss Jena and later the first goal in the semi-final first leg shot at Ferencváros Budapest (2: 2) - ultimately Richards and his team lost the all-English final against Tottenham Hotspur .
The fast-paced technician catapulted himself up into the national elite of English football with his performances in the 1972/73 season. In addition to 27 league goals, he scored nine goals in various cup games (three each in the FA Cup , League Cup and Texaco Cup). This earned the club a fifth place in the championship; the domestic “Cup” competitions each ended in the semifinals. On May 12, 1973 he completed his first - and only - A international match for England (2-1) against Northern Ireland under Alf Ramsey on the left wing position at Goodison Park . The first "big title" won Richards a year later when he won the League Cup final against Manchester City on March 2, 1974 at Wembley Stadium . Richards, whose use had long been questionable due to persistent pelvic problems, contributed the decisive goal in the 85th minute to make it 2-1.
In the remaining 1970s, the striker was with the exception of the 1976/77 season always the top scorer of his team, but the Wolves fell into the lower half of the table. In 1976, Richards even had to go to the second division , which was "repaired" again after winning the second division championship in the following season. The rare successes continued in the cup competitions and in 1980 the league cup final against Nottingham Forest - the reigning European championship winner - was a 1-0 surprise win. It was the final highlight of Richard's career with the Wolverhampton Wanderers. This was followed two years later the inglorious relegation from the First Division . In his senior year, the Wolves loaned him to Derby County for two months before Richards said goodbye with four final league games. With a goalless draw against Bolton Wanderers , “King John's” career ended at his long-time club. His 194 competitive goals at that time meant a record for the Wolves, which was only improved by Steve Bull nine years later.
Richards let his active career with the Portuguese second division team Marítimo Funchal end until 1985, then returned to the Wolves in 1994 after the death of Billy Wright . He held a director post there until his retirement in the summer of 2000.
successes
- English league cup winner : 1974, 1980
- Texaco Cup winner : 1971
literature
- Matthews, Tony: Wolverhampton Wanderers - The Complete Record . Breedon Books, 2008, ISBN 978-1-85983-632-3 , pp. 150 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ "England - U-21 International Results 1976-1985 - Details" (RSSSF)
- ^ "England Players - John Richards" (englandfootballonline.com)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Richards, John |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Richards, John Peter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English soccer player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 9, 1950 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Warrington |