Danny Thomas (footballer, born 1961)
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{other people|Danny Thomas}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Daniel Thomas
| image = Johan Cruijff (l) in actie.jpg
| fullname = Daniel Joseph Thomas{{Hugman|access-date=14 April 2020}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|11|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Worksop, England
| years1 = 1979–1983
| clubs1 = Coventry City
| caps1 = 98
| goals1 = 4
| years2 = 1983–1988
| clubs2 = Tottenham Hotspur
| caps2 = 87
| goals2 = 1
| totalcaps = 185
| totalgoals = 5
| nationalyears1 = 1977 | nationalteam1 = England Schoolboys | nationalcaps1 = 9 | nationalgoals1 = 3
| nationalyears2 = 1981–1984
| nationalteam2 = England U21
| nationalcaps2 = 7
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 1983
| nationalteam3 = England
| nationalcaps3 = 2
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| caption = Thomas (right) and Johan Cruyff, Feyenoord vs Tottenham during the 1983–84 UEFA Cup competition
}}
Daniel Joseph Thomas (born 12 November 1961) is an English former professional footballer who played for Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur and for the England national team. He was a member of the Tottenham Hotspur team that won the 1983–84 UEFA Cup, despite missing his penalty in the shootout in the final against Anderlecht.
Club career
Thomas made his debut for Coventry City during the 1979–80 season, making 3 appearances during that season. Over the next three seasons he was a regular for the first team. In June 1983 he was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £250,000. He made his Tottenham league debut on 27 August 1983 in a 3–1 defeat at Ipswich Town. He collected a UEFA Cup winner's medal at the end of the 1983–84 season and made a total of 87 league appearances for the White Hart Lane club, scoring once, before suffering a knee injury in 1987 following a tackle by Gavin Maguire {{Cite web |date=1993-02-04 |title=Football: Durrant settles out of court |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-durrant-settles-out-of-court-1470817.html |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=The Independent |language=en}} He retired the following year, having failed to recover from the injury.
=Appearances=
Coventry City:
- 1979-1980 Played 3 Scored 0 goals (Division 1)
- 1980-1981 Played 25 Scored 1 goal (Division 1)
- 1981-1982 Played 39 Scored 1 goal (Division 1)
- 1982-1983 Played 41 Scored 3 goals (Division 1)
Tottenham:
- 1983-1984 Played 27 Scored 0 goals (Division 1)
- 1984-1985 Played 16 Scored 0 goals (Division 1)
- 1985-1986 Played 27 Scored 1 goal (Division 1)
- 1986-1987 Played 17 Scored 0 goals (Division 1)
- 1987-1988 Played 0 Scored 0 goals (Division 1)
International career
He was capped twice by England during the tour of Australia in June 1983, playing 137 minutes for the national side.
To date Thomas is the only English Player to win the UEFA Under-21 Championship twice.{{cite web|title=Under-21 Championship final statistics|url=https://www.uefa.com/under21/news/0257-0decc91b27cf-8e84abe4a44a-1000--under-21-championship-final-statistics/|publisher=UEFA|access-date=16 June 2013|date=16 June 2013}}
Career after football
He completed a degree in physiotherapy after his career came to an end at the age of 26 after a serious injury.{{cite web |url=http://soccerlens.com/professional-footballers-association/6096/ |title=Professional Footballers' Association - How The PFA Helps Players |work=SoccerLens |publisher=soccerlens.com |author=Hugo Steckelmacher |date=27 February 2008 |access-date=26 September 2009 }} With the assistance of the Professional Footballers' Association he completed a master's degree.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/our-debt-to-the-pfa-four-beneficiaries-of-the-unions-work-tell-their-story-752146.html |title=Our debt to the PFA: Four beneficiaries of the union's work tell their story |work=The Independent |publisher=independent.co.uk |author=Alex Hayes |date=30 September 2001 |access-date=26 September 2009}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
After a short period as physio with West Bromwich Albion he went on to run his own practice in Coventry before working in Florida.{{Cite web|url=http://www.return2fitness.co.uk/sports-injury-clinic/england/west-midlands/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907222718/http://www.return2fitness.co.uk/sports-injury-clinic/england/west-midlands/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 September 2012 |title=Sports Injury Clinic west midlands |work=Return 2 Fitness |publisher=return2fitness.co.uk |access-date=26 September 2009 }}
Honours
Tottenham Hotspur
.England Under 21
Uefa Under 21 European Championship.
1982,1984
Individual
- Coventry City Hall of Fame{{Cite web |title=Hall of Fame |url=http://www.ccfc.co.uk/page/History/0,,10269~1030484,00.html |date=5 May 2010 |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722023422/http://www.ccfc.co.uk/page/History/0%2C%2C10269~1030484%2C00.html |archive-date=22 July 2012}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Englandstats}}
{{1982–83 Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{Coventry City F.C. Player of the Year}}
{{Coventry City F.C. Hall of Fame}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Danny}}
Category:Footballers from Worksop
Category:English men's footballers
Category:England men's international footballers
Category:England men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Category:Coventry City F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:UEFA Europa League–winning players