John Spencer (Scottish footballer)

For other people named John Spencer, see John Spencer (disambiguation).

John Spencer

Personal information
Full name	John Spencer
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Portland Timbers (head coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1988–1992	Rangers	13	(2)
1988–1989	→ Morton (loan)	4	(1)
1989–1990	→ Lai Sun (loan)	24	(20)
1992–1997	Chelsea	103	(36)
1996–1997	→ Queen's Park Rangers (loan)	25	(17)
1997–1998	Queen's Park Rangers	23	(5)
1998–1999	→ Everton (loan)	6	(0)
1998–1999	Everton	3	(0)
1998–1999	→ Motherwell (loan)	21	(7)
1999–2000	Motherwell	33	(11)
2001–2004	Colorado Rapids	88	(37)
International career
1994–1997	Scotland	14	(0)
Managerial career
2006–2010	Houston Dynamo (assistant)
2011–	Portland Timbers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Spencer (born 11 September 1970, Glasgow, Scotland) is a former professional football (soccer) player who last played in Major League Soccer for the Colorado Rapids. He is currently the head coach for Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer who begin play in 2011.

Club career

Rangers

Spencer started his career at Rangers, signing with the club in 1985. His signature, even as a school boy who had yet to play a competitive senior match, proved controversial; Spencer was Catholic and the club had a strong Protestant culture. Spencer made his debut for Rangers in 1987, appearing 13 times and scoring twice. Although an energetic and committed performer, Spencer struggled to make headway at Rangers at a time when the club was dominating Scottish football. In 1988, he was loaned by then manager Graeme Souness to Morton, where he made four appearances (scoring once) before returning to Ibrox. Spencer remained a fringe player at Ibrox and after a further loan spell with Lai Sun^[1] of Hong Kong was sold in 1992 to Chelsea for a fee of £450,000.

Chelsea

It was at Chelsea that Spencer enjoyed perhaps the most consistent period of success in an otherwise itinerant and injury-blighted career. Between 1992 and 1996, Spencer made 103 appearances and scored 36 goals. Spencer featured in the Chelsea team which lost 4-0 to Manchester United in the 1994 FA Cup Final.

Queens Park Rangers

In November 1996, recently appointed Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit sold Spencer for £2.5 million to Queens Park Rangers, then in the second tier of English football, the First Division. Spencer appeared 56 times and scored a respectable 25 goals, but QPR failed to gain promotion to the English Premier League after Spencer's initial season, and in his second flirted with relegation.

Everton

In 1998 he moved to Everton, initially on loan, but subsequently for a fee of £1.5 million. Re-united with Walter Smith, his former manager at Rangers, Spencer's career at Everton quickly stalled, as he struggled to make the grade as a Premiership player. After only eight months and nine games he was loaned to Motherwell.

Motherwell

In 1999, Spencer's move to Motherwell was made permanent, for a club-record fee of £500,000. Spencer's signing was seen as evidence of a raised level ambition at Fir Park. Scoring 21 times in 81 appearances spread over three seasons, Spencer's time at Motherwell was marked by initial optimism but eventual disappointment, as initial promise was tempered by a series of injuries. His final season, 2000–01, saw a return of only three goals. As Motherwell sought desperately to cut costs, Spencer was sold to Colorado Rapids on 21 February 2001.

Colorado Rapids

Spencer made an impressive MLS debut with the Rapids. In his first year, he started 22 games, and finished the year with 14 goals and seven assists, and was subsequently named to the MLS Best XI. Spencer's second year was less impressive and once more hampered by injuries, but he still finished with five goals and four assists in only 13 games. He returned to form in 2003, however, leading the team in scoring again with 14 goals and five assists, winning a place in the MLS Best XI, as well as ranking as a finalist for the MLS MVP Award.

Spencer began to show his age in 2004, however, as injuries kept him out of several games, and he was not particularly impressive in the games he was available; he finished the season with four goals and one assist in 19 starts. He retired after the season.

On August 30, 2009, Spencer was inducted into the Rapids Gallery of Honor at halftime of the Dynamo's 1-0 loss to the Rapids

International career

Spencer's prominence at Chelsea saw him gain the first of 14 caps for the Scottish national team, appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Russia at Hampden Park in Scotland's successful campaign to qualify for the 1996 European Championship.

Coaching career

Houston Dynamo

Spencer joined the MLS' Dynamo coaching staff in 2006 as an assistant under Dominic Kinnear. He also served as the Dynamo Reserve head coach and lead that squad to the 2008 MLS Reserve Division championship.

Portland Timbers

On August 10, 2010 Portland Timbers named Spencer as their first head coach in the club's history as an MLS franchise. He will lead the team into their inaugural season in 2011. In the infancy of his managerial career, Spencer has been described by players as a "goofball" and "funny guy." He also described himself as a "little, old, fat Scotsman," lending credence to his reputation as a jovial manager.

Personal

John Spencer is brother-in-law to Scottish football manager Billy Davies, who has managed Preston North End, Derby County and is currently manager of Nottingham Forest.

See also

• List of current MLS coaches

External links

• John Spencer's WTFC.net player profile