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Cyrille Regis

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Cyrille Regis
Personal information
Date of birth (1958-02-09) 9 February 1958 (age 66)
Place of birth Maripasoula, French Guiana
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1975–1976 Molesey
1976–1977 Hayes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1977–1984 West Bromwich Albion 241 (81)
1984–1991 Coventry City 238 (47)
1991–1993 Aston Villa 52 (12)
1993–1994 Wolverhampton Wanderers 19 (2)
1994–1995 Wycombe Wanderers 35 (9)
1995–1996 Chester City 29 (7)
Total 614 (158)
International career
1978–1982 England U21 6 (3)
1978–1980 England B 3 (0)
1982–1987 England 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Cyrille Regis, MBE (born 9 February 1958) is a French Guianese-born English former footballer. His professional playing career spanned 19 years, where he made 614 league appearances and scored 158 league goals, most prolifically at West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City.

Early life

Regis was born in Maripasoula, French Guiana, to Robert and Mathilde Regis. His father moved to Britain in 1962, with the rest of the family, including Cyrille, following a year later. The family lived initially in the Portobello Road area of London, later moving to Stonebridge. Brought up as a Roman Catholic, Regis attended Kensal Rise Primary School and, later, Cardinal Hinsley RC Secondary School in Harlesden.

Regis participated in athletics, cricket and football at Cardinal Hinsley and he was called up to represent the Borough of Brent boys’ football team. He was also offered a trial by Chelsea, but was unable to take advantage due to a hamstring injury. Regis progressed to playing Sunday league football for Ryder Brent Valley. He then moved to Oxford & Kilburn Boys before re-joining Ryder Brent Valley.

After leaving school, Regis trained as an electrician, earning a City and Guilds diploma; he continued to practise the trade until his move into professional football.[1] He is the cousin of John Regis MBE, the former English athlete, who still holds the UK record for the 200 metres.

Club career

Non-league

The 1975–76 season saw Regis move to Athenian League club Molesey, for whom he scored around 25 goals during his one campaign for the club. He was then approached by Boreham Wood, but did not join them as he had been told by Molesey manager John Sullivan that he was under contract. Regis later discovered that he was too young to be under a professional contract and quit Molesey to join semi-professional Hayes of the Isthmian League, signing on 7 July 1976.[2]

Regis scored 24 goals for Hayes in the 1976–77 season and was then spotted by West Bromwich Albion's chief scout Ronnie Allen, who recommended that the First Division club should sign him. With the Albion directors unsure of paying a four-figure fee for such a young, unproven player, Allen offered to fund any initial payment from his own pocket, so sure was he that Regis would make it in the top tier of English football. The transfer took place in May 1977, for an up-front fee of £5,000, plus another £5,000 after 20 appearances.[3]

West Bromwich Albion

Shortly after bringing Regis to Albion, Allen took over as team manager, following the resignation of his predecessor Johnny Giles. Regis scored on his debut for West Bromwich Albion's reserve team in a Central League match against Sheffield Wednesday reserves. He made his first team debut in a League Cup match against Rotherham United on 31 August 1977, scoring twice in a 4–0 win.[4] Three days later Regis made his league debut in a 2–1 victory over Middlesbrough.[5] Again he found the net, taking the ball from the halfway line to the penalty area before scoring with a right-foot drive. Middlesbrough's David Mills, who later became a team-mate of Regis at Albion, described it as "a goal of sheer brilliance".[4]

Regis also scored in his first FA Cup match in January 1978, helping Albion to beat Blackpool 4–1.[4] A few days later, Albion appointed a new manager, Ron Atkinson. Ronnie Allen had departed in late-December to manage the Saudi Arabia national team and John Wile, the club's captain, had acted as caretaker manager in the interim.

Regis teamed up with two other black players, Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson. It was very unusual for an English club to field three black players simultaneously.[citation needed] Although not by any means the first black footballers to play professionally in England, the Three Degrees (a reference to The Three Degrees contemporary vocal trio of the same name) were an integral part of their acceptance in the English leagues. A strong and fast traditional centre-forward, Regis was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1978 and earned the Goal of the Season award in 1981–82, for his powerful long-range shot against Norwich City in the FA Cup.

Regis finished his stint at West Brom with 112 goals (League & Cup) in 301 total appearances, though he did not manage to win a major honour at the Hawthorns. West Brom were defeated by Ipswich Town in an FA Cup semi-final in 1978 and lost in another FA Cup semi-final four years later to QPR in 1982. West Brom also lost a two-legged League Cup semi-final to Tottenham Hotspur in 1982. West Brom finished third in the First Division in 1979 and fourth in 1981. Ron Atkinson regards the 5–3 away win at Old Trafford on 30 December 1978 as the quintessential W.B.A game from the period, with Regis hitting the final goal with typical gusto in the second half.

Coventry City

Regis enjoyed a lengthy spell at Highfield Road, spanning seven seasons at the club. He enjoyed popular partnerships with David Bennett, Terry Gibson, Keith Houchen, David Speedie and briefly Steve Livingstone. Purchased by Bobby Gould as a 26-year-old in 1984, Regis endured a couple of relegation battles in the mid 1980s, where his strike partner was Terry Gibson, playing a large part in a memorable 4–1 survival clincher against Everton in 1985. In 1986–87 the club emerged as top ten regulars under John Sillett and George Curtis. Regis enjoyed his best season since his West Brom heyday and the team tactically began to play to his strengths, often through Bennett, instead of the long ball game favoured by previous managers.[citation needed]

Regis was a key part of the FA Cup winning team in 1987, where he was partnered by Keith Houchen. He scored arguably one of his finest goals for the Sky Blues in the quarter final against Sheffield Wednesday; splitting the defence on the break with David Bennett before a rasping shot past keeper Martin Hodge. Coventry went on to win the game 3–1. Regis also scored in the third round tie at home to Bolton Wanderers and had a headed goal disallowed in the Wembley final. He was never a prolific striker as at West Brom, but he remained a popular figure with the Sky Blues faithful. His Coventry City career comprised 274 total appearances, producing 62 goals (league & Cup) and earned him an FA Cup winners medal, three top ten finishes, and a 1990 League Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

Regis earned a recall to the England team in October 1987, coming on as a sub against Turkey. Regis was also the first Coventry City player to score a winning goal at Anfield, in their first ever league win there (1–0) in November 1989. This came a season after he had also scored in City's first ever win over Aston Villa at Highfield Road (2–1).[6] Whilst his infrequent strike rate provoked criticism after 1987, goalscoring at City remained a collaborative effort between Regis and the other City strikers of the time (Speedie, Gynn, Gallacher, Bannister). Yet none of the others emerged to truly stamp their authority on the team, the only exception being David Speedie in 1988–89. Perhaps the most fitting summary of his time at Highfield Road should be a statistical one, in that only Dion Dublin has surpassed Regis's goalscoring record for the Sky Blues in the modern game. Following John Sillett's departure in November 1990, and the raft of changes made under new manager Terry Butcher in 1990–91, Regis was sold to Aston Villa at the age of 33.

Aston Villa and Wolves

After leaving Coventry in 1991, he was reunited with his former West Bromwich Albion manager, Ron Atkinson at Aston Villa and partnered Dalian Atkinson in the 1991–92 season. It appeared that he had rediscovered his goal-scoring touch, finishing the season on 11 goals (during only one season at Highfield Road did he better this), but in the 1992–93 season, his first team chances were limited following the arrival of Dean Saunders. Villa finished the first Premier League season in second place, beaten to the title by Ron Atkinson's former club Manchester United.

Regis was transferred to another West Midlands club, this time Wolverhampton Wanderers. Brought in by Graham Turner, Regis' first-team opportunities were restricted by the form of strikers Steve Bull and David Kelly, meaning Regis made only eight league starts. His stay lasted only one season, as former England manager Graham Taylor replaced Turner, and set about a clear out of the squad.

Later career

After just one season at Wolves, he signed for Wycombe Wanderers in Division Two. After one season with Wycombe, he was on the move again, this time to Chester City. After again striking up an excellent rapport with the fans of his latest club, Regis played his last game in February 1996 in a 2–1 win at Doncaster Rovers, aged 38. He announced his retirement from playing in October 1996, after failing to recover fully from an injury sustained in his final senior game for Chester.

Career statistics

[7]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
1977–78 West Bromwich Albion First Division 34 10
1978–79 39 13
1979–80 26 8
1980–81 38 14
1981–82 37 17
1982–83 26 9
1983–84 34 10
1984–85 7 0
1984–85 Coventry City First Division 31 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 32 5
1985–86 34 5 1 0 2 5 0 0 37 10
1986–87 40 12 6 2 5 2 0 0 51 16
1987–88 31 10 2 1 2 1 0 0 35 12
1988–89 34 7 1 0 3 0 0 0 38 7
1989–90 34 4 1 0 7 1 0 0 42 5
1990–91 34 4 4 0 5 3 0 0 43 7
1991–92 Aston Villa First Division 39 11 5 0 2 0 0 0 46 11
1992–93 Premier League 13 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 17 1
1993–94 Wolverhampton Wanderers First Division 19 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 23 2
1994–95 Wycombe Wanderers Second Division 35 9 1 0 2 1 0 0 38 10
1995–96 Chester City Third Division 29 7 0 0 3 0 0 0 32 7
Total England 614 158
Career total 614 158

International career

Regis' dual French and British nationality made him eligible to play for either the English or French national sides, but it was England that he chose to represent.[8] He made his England under-21 debut on 19 September 1978, in a 2–1 victory over the Denmark under-21s in Hvidovre.[9] His first England B game was a 1–0 win against Czechoslovakia B in Prague on 28 November 1978. He played in two further matches for the B team in 1980.[10] He scored his first goal for the England under-21s on 5 June 1979, in a 3–1 away win against Bulgaria. The result helped England reach the latter stages of the 1980 European Championship, although it was the only one out of six qualifying matches in which Regis participated. He played in the away legs of both the quarter-final and semi-final, where England lost to East Germany. In all he played six times for the under-21s, scoring three goals.[9]

Despite winning five caps for the full England side, Regis never played the full 90 minutes for his country at senior level; he played as a substitute three times and was himself substituted twice. He made his international debut on 23 February 1982 in a 4–0 win over Northern Ireland in the Home International Championship at Wembley. Regis came on as a substitute for Trevor Francis in the 65th minute.[11][12] His final international appearance for England was in 1987 against Turkey at Wembley, which ended in an 8–0 win for the home side, where he came on for the last 20 minutes.

He was the third black player to be capped by England at the highest level after Viv Anderson and Laurie Cunningham.[13]

Life off the pitch

His younger brother is former player Dave Regis.[14]

Regis became a Christian after a car crash claimed the life of his friend and former team mate Laurie Cunningham in 1989.[15] He and Cunningham had been involved in a similar crash two years earlier.[16] Since retiring from playing, Regis has worked in a variety of coaching roles before becoming an accredited football agent with the Stellar Group Ltd. Cyrille is the uncle of footballer Jason Roberts, for whom he has acted as an agent, and cousin of sprinter John Regis.

He was awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of Wolverhampton in 2001. In 2004 Regis was voted as West Bromwich Albion's all time Cult Hero in a BBC Sport poll, gaining 65% of the vote.[17] In the same year he was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.[18] Regis and his wife Julia visited water-related projects in Ethiopia in 2007, as part of their continued support for WaterAid.[19]

Cyrille Regis won the Coventry City London Supporters' Club Player of the Year in 1986/87 and regularly comes in high in any Sky Blue legend polls. In 2007/08 a Coventry City Hall of Fame picture gallery was erected at the Ricoh Arena, containing 30 all time Coventry greats since the war, among whom was Cyrille Regis.[20]

He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.[21][22]

Honours

References

  1. ^ Matthews (2002) pp. 13, 19
  2. ^ Matthews (2002) p15.
  3. ^ Matthews (2002) pp 17–21.
  4. ^ a b c Matthews (2002) p25.
  5. ^ Matthews (2007) p332.
  6. ^ Jim Brown (2000) Coventry City: An Illustrated History.
  7. ^ Regis.html Cyrille Regis at National-Football-Teams.com
  8. ^ Matthews (2002) p. 29
  9. ^ a b Courtney, Barrie (10 January 2004). "England – U-21 International Results 1976–1985 – Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  10. ^ Courtney, Barrie (21 March 2004). "England – International Results B-Team – Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  11. ^ "Cyrille Regis – England stats". englandstats.com. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  12. ^ "England 4 – Northern Ireland 0". englandstats.com. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  13. ^ http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamBlack/PlyrsBlackMtch1980-82.html
  14. ^ Paul Fletcher. "Football's last-chance saloon". BBC.
  15. ^ Shea, Julia (15 July 2009). "From Brisbane Road to the Bernabeu". BBC Sport Online. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  16. ^ Boyden, Malcolm (9 August 2003). "Death of a Real pioneer". London: TimesOnline. Retrieved 19 January 2008.
  17. ^ "West Brom's cult heroes". BBC Sport. 16 November 2004. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
  18. ^ "The wraps come off 125th anniversary mural". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 4 August 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
  19. ^ "Cyrille Regis Daily Diary". Kumani Homes. 3 October 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2008.
  20. ^ "Hall of Fame". Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  21. ^ "No. 58729". The London Gazette (invalid |supp= (help)). 14 June 2008.
  22. ^ "Nice one Cyrille, ex-Baggie Regis gets his big day at the palace". Birmingham Post. 14 June 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  23. ^ "Coventry City | Club | History | History | Hall of Fame". 22 July 2012. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

Bibliography

  • Matthews, Tony (2002). Smokin' Joe: Cyrille Regis – 25 Years in Football. Britespot. ISBN 1-904103-09-X.
  • Matthews, Tony (2007). West Bromwich Albion: The Complete Record. Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-565-4.
  • Bowler, D & Bains, J (2000) Samba in the Smethwick End: Regis, Cunningham, Batson and the Football Revolution ISBN 1-84018-188-5
  • Brown, Jim (2000) Coventry City: An Illustrated History ISBN 978-1-874287-36-0
  • Regis, Cyrille (2010) Cyrille Regis: My Story ISBN 978-0-233-00311-5
  • Paul Rees,(2014) "The Three Degrees The Men Who Changed British Football Forever" ISBN 978-1-4721-1926-1
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