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Arthur Graham

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For other people named Arthur Graham, see Arthur Graham (disambiguation).

Arthur Graham
Graham in 1979
Personal information
Full name Arthur Graham[1]
Date of birth (1952-10-26) 26 October 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Position(s) Left winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1969–1970 Cambuslang Rangers
1970–1977 Aberdeen 220 (34)
1977–1983 Leeds United 223 (37)
1983–1985 Manchester United 37 (5)
1985–1987 Bradford City 31 (2)
Total 511 (78)
International career
1974–1975 Scotland U23 3 (0)
1978–1981 Scotland 11 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Arthur Graham (born 26 October 1952) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a left winger for Aberdeen, Leeds United, Manchester United, Bradford City and the Scotland national team.

Club career

Graham was raised in the Castlemilk district of Glasgow. One of 11 siblings, he attended St Margaret Mary's Secondary School and supported Celtic as a child.[3][4][5] Ray Houghton, who would also become an international footballer, was a downstairs neighbour in the same tenement block.[6]

After a short spell in the Junior grade with Cambuslang Rangers[7] (which had quickly escalated from a casual kickaround with workmates at the nearby steel works),[3][8] in early 1970 he was signed by Aberdeen whose scout Bobby Calder offered generous terms to persuade him to move north with Celtic also showing interest.[4] He played in five league matches during his first season with the club, and despite his inexperience, he was given a place in the starting line-up for the 1970 Scottish Cup Final by manager Eddie Turnbull. Aberdeen defeated Celtic 3–1 with 17-year-old Graham making two assists via left-wing crosses.[4] He remained at Aberdeen until July 1977, winning the Scottish League Cup in his final season (again beating Celtic in the final).[4][5] He played a total of 298 matches for The Dons, scoring 45 goals.[7]

He joined Leeds United for £125,000[7] at the start of the 1977–78 season. He scored a total of 47 goals in 260 appearances for Leeds over six seasons, including a hat-trick against Birmingham City on 14 January 1978 - the first hat-trick to be scored by a Leeds United player in any competition for nearly five years.[9]

However, Leeds were relegated to the Second Division in the 1981–82 season and failed to regain their status in the top flight in 1982–83. Graham was subsequently sold to Manchester United for £45,000 in August 1983.[8]

He remained at Old Trafford for two seasons, scoring seven goals in 52 appearances in all competitions,[2] before finishing his career at Bradford City where he remained until 1987.

International career

Having been capped at under-23 level at Aberdeen,[10] Graham's international career seemed to be over prematurely when he was one of a group of squad players (including Billy Bremner and Joe Harper) 'banned for life' after an incident in Copenhagen in 1975.[3][11] He was later reprieved, and won a total of 11 full international caps for Scotland while playing for Leeds, making his debut against East Germany in 1977. He scored twice at international level, against Argentina and Northern Ireland – both in 1979.

Post-playing activities

Graham has spent time coaching youngsters at the Leeds United Academy and at football schools in the Wetherby area where he settled[3] - often working with Jimmy Lumsden.[8]

His younger brothers Jimmy and Tommy were also footballers.[12]

Honours

Aberdeen

Manchester United

Graham is frequently mentioned in the letters page of the comic Viz. In every edition, there will be a recommendation from a 'reader' that Graham is the only man to be considered for a range of positions. Graham has been recommended for a host of unlikely positions, such as taking over from Jeremy Clarkson as host of Top Gear,[13] mediating peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine,[14] taking the editor's position at the London Evening Standard ahead of George Osborne,[15] and presenting The Great British Bake Off.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Arthur Graham". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Arthur Graham profile". MUFCinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d "Interview: Arthur Graham on going from poverty to Dons glory". The Scotsman. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d Celtic-mad Arthur Graham let head rule his heart when signing for Aberdeen, The National, 28 October 2018
  5. ^ a b Aberdeen hero recalls first and last Scottish Cup victory over Rangers at Ibrox, The Scotsman, 9 March 2019
  6. ^ "Scot who became an Irish World Cup hero – The Archive: Ray Houghton". The Herald. 5 June 2006. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "Arthur Graham profile". AFC Heritage Trust. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  8. ^ a b c "Football hero Arthur Graham - from steelworks to silverware". Daily Record. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Hat-Trick Heroes - Leeds United FC - LeedsUtdMAD". Leedsunited-mad.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Scotland U23 profile". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Scotland's hall of shame". BBC Sport. BBC. 1 April 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  12. ^ "Graham: Arthur". Leeds United F.C. History. Tony Hill. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  13. ^ "Viz Magazine, April 2015". pressreader.com. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  14. ^ "Viz Magazine April 2014". Viz Magazine. April 2014.
  15. ^ "Viz May 2017 preview (page 8)". Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  16. ^ "Viz Magazine November 2016". Viz Magazine. 260: 6–7. November 2016.
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