Terry Yorath
Encyclopedia
Terence Charles Yorath (born 27 March 1950 in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

) is a former footballer and has been a manager at both club and international level. He is also the father of television presenter Gabby Logan
Gabby Logan
Gabby Logan is a television presenter and radio presenter, as well as a former Wales international gymnast. She currently hosts programmes for BBC Sport, mainly focusing on football.- Early life :...

.

He represented Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

, Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...

, Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

, Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....

, Swansea City and the Welsh national team
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

. He later became a football manager for Bradford City, Swansea City, Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...

 and Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...

 as well as assistant at Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

, and also internationally managed Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

 and Lebanon
Lebanon national football team
The Lebanon national football team represents the Republic of Lebanon in international association football. Their official nickname is The Cedars...

.

Early career

Yorath was an apprentice at Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

 signing professional forms at the age of 17. Along with other Leeds midfield players of the time, such as Mick Bates and Terry Hibbitt
Terry Hibbitt
Terence Arthur "Terry" Hibbitt was an English football player, who was on the books at Leeds United, Newcastle United and Birmingham City during his career. His position was midfielder...

, he found it difficult to establish himself ahead of Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...

's preferred pairing of Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...

 and Johnny Giles
Johnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...

. Between 1967 and 1972 he made just 14 League appearances for Leeds.

Leeds career

In the 1972–73 season, injuries and suspensions allowed Yorath to establish himself as a first team regular. However, his first season ended with two cup final runners-up medals; he was a substitute in the 1973 FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final 1973
The 1973 FA Cup Final took place on 5 May 1973 at Wembley Stadium. It was the 92nd final and the 45th to be played at Wembley, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary year. The final was contested between the previous season's winners Leeds United, who were one of the dominant teams at the time,...

, which Leeds lost 1–0 to Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...

, and also appeared in the 1973 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1972-73
The season 1972-73 of the European Cup Winners' Cup football club tournament was won by AC Milan after a 1-0 victory against Leeds United at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki, in Greece.- First round :-First leg:-----Second leg:...

, which Leeds lost in controversial circumstances to AC Milan.

Yorath finally won some silverware the following 1973–74 season, where he was a key member of the Leeds championship winning side. The 1974–75 season saw Leeds reach the final of the UEFA European Cup, but again Yorath ended up with a runners up medal as Leeds lost 2–0 to Bayern Munich in controversial circumstances.

Yorath, a defensive hard-tackling midfielder had to suffer a lot of barracking from supporters who saw him as lacking the skills of his team-mates.

Don Revie had left Leeds to manage England, and his eventual replacement Jimmy Armfield
Jimmy Armfield
James Christopher "Jimmy" Armfield, CBE, DL is an English former professional football player and manager who currently works as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at Blackpool, usually at right back...

 decided to dispense with Yorath's services in 1976, selling him to Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...

 for £125,000. During his time with Leeds, Yorath made 120 appearances and scored ten goals.

Coventry City

Yorath would be captain to one of only a handful of top flight Coventry City sides that spent an entire season in the top ten. Spearheaded by the prolific strike partnership of Ian Wallace
Ian Wallace (footballer)
Ian Wallace, , was a professional Scottish footballer who had great success in the late-1970s and early-1980s when he played for top flight English clubs.-Club career:...

 and Mick Ferguson
Mick Ferguson
Michael John "Mick" Ferguson is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent the best years of his playing career at Coventry City...

, and ably abetted by the legendary winger Tommy Hutchison
Tommy Hutchison
Thomas "Tommy" Hutchison is a Scottish former footballer.-Club career:Beginning his professional career with Alloa Athletic in the Scottish Second Division, being spotted by Archie McPherson...

 and attacking full backs Graham Oakey
Graham Oakey
Graham Oakey is an English former football player. Oakey made 88 league appearances for Coventry City.Born in Droitwich, Worcestershire in 1954, Graham was a product of Coventry's youth development system. He made his league debut in a home 2-2 draw against Manchester City in September 1974...

 and Bobby MacDonald, the Sky Blues would enjoy a 7th place finish in the 1977/78 season, narrowly missing out on European football. Yorath's Coventry side containing such notables as Alan Green
Alan Green
Alan Green , has been a BBC Radio sports broadcaster/commentator since 1981 on Radio 2, Radio 5 and now Radio 5 Live. He commentates mainly on football, but also covers golf, rowing and the Olympic Games...

, McDonald and Mick Coop
Mick Coop
Mick Coop is a retired English professional football right back.Born in Grimsby, Lincolsnhire, Coop grew up in Leamington Spa where he was an excellent school boy cricketer and footballer. He joined Coventry City F.C. as an apprentice in 1962. In January 1966, he turned professional with...

 are still fondly remembered even today by the Sky Blue faithful. A remarkable 5–4 win over Norwich City at Highfield Road, Christmas 1977, replete with bicycle kick by Ian Wallace
Ian Wallace (footballer)
Ian Wallace, , was a professional Scottish footballer who had great success in the late-1970s and early-1980s when he played for top flight English clubs.-Club career:...

 and last gasp penalty save by Jim Blyth
Jim Blyth
For the player of the same name see Jim Blyth James Anton 'Jim' Blyth is a former Scottish football goalkeeper, and current goalkeeping coach at Middlesbrough....

, lives long in Coventry folklore.

Yorath remained at Coventry for three years, playing 99 games and scoring three goals and was captain for most of this period. He moved onto Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

 in 1979 for £300,000, and then briefly to Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)
The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League . The Whitecaps achieved success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home...

 in 1981, where he made 59 appearances, scoring four goals in his two seasons with the club.

International career

Yorath picked up the first of 59 Welsh
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...

 in 1970 against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

, and he maintained a regular presence in the international side until 1981. Yorath also captained his country on 42 occasions.

Management career

In 1982, Yorath joined Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....

 as player/assistant coach. He was injured during the Bradford City stadium fire disaster in 1985 when he was forced to jump out of a window after evacuating supporters from a bar. He subsequently took up the manager's position at Swansea City in 1986 (making a single and final league appearance), and led the club to promotion from the Division Four
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...

 to the Division Three
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...

 at the end of the 1987–88 season.

In 1989, he was appointed part-time manager of Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

, eventually taking up the post on a full-time basis whilst still managing Swansea. However, this caused conflict with the club, and Yorath left Swansea to manage Bradford. He was dismissed by Bradford after just one year in charge, and returned to manage Swansea again.

In 1991, after a run of nine consecutive defeats, he left Swansea for a second time to concentrate on managing Wales. Despite some splendid results, Yorath was unable to lead his country to the 1994 World Cup finals, and was dismissed by the Welsh FA.

Yorath joined Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...

 as General Manager in 1994, after speculation that he would become manager of Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

 in May that year,and assumed control of team affairs in November of that year when manager Eddie May
Eddie May
Edwin Charles May is an English former footballer and football manager.May was born in Epping.-Playing career:Eddie May joined Southend United from Dagenham in January 1965, making his league debut later that season. He went on to make 100 league appearances, scoring 3 times for the Shrimpers,...

 was sacked. However, his time in the hotseat with the Bluebirds was brief, and he was sacked in March 1995 with the club headed for relegation. He then took over as coach of the Lebanon national team, and helped them rise 60 places in the FIFA World Rankings before leaving in 1997.

Between 1997 and 2000 he worked as a coach at Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

 and Bradford City, before joining Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...

 as assistant to Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell
Paul Steven Jewell is a former English footballer who is currently the manager of Ipswich Town.His playing career started with Liverpool before moving to Wigan Athletic and then a ten-year spell with Bradford City...

. Yorath retained his position when Jewell was dismissed, and eventually became manager in 2001. However, he resigned in 2002 after a run of five defeats in six league matches saw Wednesday drop into the relegation zone.

In June 2008, Yorath returned to football when he was appointed the director of football at Isthmian League Premier Division side Margate
Margate F.C.
Margate Football Club is an English football team based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United....

, where his brother Dai and nephew Dean had both played. On 21 November 2008, he was appointed manager of the club after Barry Ashby
Barry Ashby
Barry John Ashby is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-half. He played for Watford, Brentford and Gillingham during a 17-year professional career....

 was sacked. However, Yorath resigned as Margate manager on 24 September 2009 following a run of disappointing results, leaving Neville Southall
Neville Southall
Neville Southall MBE is a former Wales international footballer, best known for his time with Everton. He has been described as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985...

 in temporary charge of the team.

Personal life

Terry is the father of four children, two girls Gabby
Gabby Logan
Gabby Logan is a television presenter and radio presenter, as well as a former Wales international gymnast. She currently hosts programmes for BBC Sport, mainly focusing on football.- Early life :...

, the television broadcaster, born 1973, and Louise, born 1974, and two boys Daniel born on 25 July 1976 and Jordan born 1986. He has two grandchildren born to Gabby, Lois and Reuben born 2005. Daniel collapsed and died on 25 May 1992 in his garden, at the age of 15, as a result of an undetected heart condition just before he was due to begin a footballing career with Leeds United.

In 2004, Yorath was arrested after a car accident and charged with drink driving. Yorath knocked down 27-year-old call centre worker Raziya Aslam breaking her pelvis. Yorath pleaded guilty to all charges and received a 30-month driving ban and 60 hours community service. The trial judge had been seriously considering a prison sentence for Yorath, but his defence advised that there was a risk that Yorath would commit suicide if sent to prison. Yorath maintains that he would not have taken his own life if he had been jailed.

External links

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