Martin Chivers
{{Short description|English footballer (born 1945)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Martin Chivers
| fullname = Martin Harcourt Chivers
| image = Martin Chivers.jpg
| caption = Chivers in 2011
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|04|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = Southampton, England
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=1}}{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=494–495}}
| position = Forward
| youthyears1 = 1961–1962
| youthclubs1 = CPC Sports
| years1 = 1962–1968
| clubs1 = Southampton{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=494–495}}
| caps1 = 175
| goals1 = 96
| years2 = 1968–1976
| clubs2 = Tottenham Hotspur
| caps2 = 278
| goals2 = 118
| years3 = 1976–1978
| clubs3 = Servette
| caps3 = 66
| goals3 = 33
| years4 = 1978–1979
| clubs4 = Norwich City
| caps4 = 11
| goals4 = 4
| years5 = 1979–1980
| clubs5 = Brighton & Hove Albion
| caps5 = 5
| goals5 = 1
| years6 = 1980
| clubs6 = Dorchester Town
| caps6 = 5
| goals6 = 3
| years7 = 1980
| clubs7 = → Frankston City (loan)
| caps7 = 2
| goals7 = 0
| years8 = 1981–1982
| clubs8 = Vard Haugesund
| caps8 = 2
| goals8 = 0
| years9 = 1982–1983
| clubs9 = Barnet
| caps9 = 10
| goals9 = 0
| totalcaps = 546
| totalgoals = 255
| nationalyears1 = 1964–1968
| nationalteam1 = England U23
| nationalcaps1 = 17
| nationalgoals1 = 7
| nationalyears2 = 1971–1973
| nationalteam2 = England
| nationalcaps2 = 24
| nationalgoals2 = 13
}}
Martin Harcourt Chivers (born 27 April 1945) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a forward. He began his career with his hometown club Southampton, before being sold to Tottenham Hotspur, but also had a prolific stint with Swiss club Servette. From 1971 to 1973, he played for the England national team, scoring thirteen goals in 24 appearances, but did not represent his country at a major tournament.
Playing career
=Southampton=
Chivers attended Taunton's Grammar School, Southampton, and wrote to his local club, Southampton for a trial.{{Cite web |title=martin chivers - fact file |url=https://archive.mehstg.com/fact_chivers.htm |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=archive.mehstg.com}} He spent a brief period in the club's nursery side, CPC Sports, and signed as a professional footballer in September 1962, making his debut against Charlton Athletic on 8 September 1962 (aged 17).{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=494–495}} He failed to score on his debut and his first goal came in a 4–1 defeat by Newcastle United on 6 April 1963 (in his third first-team appearance).{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|page=72}} This goal meant that his name is also in the record books as the first substitute to score for the Saints.{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|page=91}}
In the 1963–64 season, he became a regular starter and was the club's joint leading goalscorer (with Terry Paine) with 21 goals, as Southampton finished a disappointing fifth in the Second Division.{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=74–77}} The following season, he was again a virtual ever-present, making 39 appearances with 17 goals as the Saints improved to fourth place.{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=78–81}}
In the 1965–66 season, he played an integral role as the club finally gained promotion to the top flight (as runners-up),{{Cite web |title=Football Club History Database - Football League 1965-66 |url=https://www.fchd.info/lghist/fl1966.htm |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.fchd.info}} scoring 30 goals from 39 games, generally from crosses provided by Terry Paine and John Sydenham.{{Cite web |title=Martin Chivers {{!}} SaintsPlayers.co.uk |url=https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/martin-chivers/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |language=en-GB}} All his goals were scored from the first 29 games, and he failed to find the net after the end of February.{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=82–87}}
Once in the First Division, he played second fiddle to the Welsh striker, Ron Davies, scoring 14 and 13 goals respectively in the next two seasons.{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=88–93}}{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=94–97}} He became unsettled at The Dell and was soon being chased by many of the top clubs. Saints' manager Ted Bates was prepared to allow Chivers to leave, as he had a more than adequate replacement coming up through the ranks in Mick Channon.{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=494–495}} He scored a total of 106 goals in 190 appearances for the Saints.{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=494–495}}
=Tottenham Hotspur=
File:Feyenoord tegen Tottenham Hotspur 2-0, finale UEFA Cup shirts ruilen na afloop, Bestanddeelnr 927-2229.jpg's Rinus Israël after the second leg match of the 1974 UEFA Cup final]]
In January 1968, Tottenham Hotspur manager Bill Nicholson signed Chivers for a club record fee of £125,000, which also made him the country's most expensive player at that time.{{sfn|Holley|Chalk|2003|pages=494–495}} The deal involved 24-year-old Frank Saul moving from White Hart Lane to The Dell. Chivers scored on his Spurs debut against Sheffield Wednesday in January 1968,{{cite news |last1=Ley |first1=John |title=Mido in seventh heaven after his debut double |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2354965/Mido-in-seventh-heaven-after-his-debut-double.html |access-date=27 September 2020 |work=The Telegraph |date=7 February 2005}} but the initial stages of his White Hart Lane career were relatively unsuccessful, with Spurs legends Jimmy Greaves and Alan Gilzean still preferred as an attacking partnership. He eventually became the most important goalscorer at Tottenham, following the sale of Greaves to West Ham United in 1970.
Chivers was often seen as a lethargic and lazy player,{{Cite web |last=Davies |first=Hunter |date=2022-10-26 |title=Strength, lovely lips and superhuman skill: why Erling Haaland can't be stopped |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/sport/2022/10/strength-lovely-lips-and-superhuman-skill-why-erling-haaland-cant-be-stopped |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}} but his pace and natural strength established "Big Chiv" as a star of the Spurs side throughout the early 1970s.{{Cite web |title=Spurs Odyssey - Meet Spurs Legend Martin Chivers! |url=https://www.spursodyssey.com/0910/chivers.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.spursodyssey.com}} The 1970–71 season was the beginning of Chivers' golden years.{{Cite web |title=The Big Interview - Martin Chivers |url=https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news-archive-1/the-big-interview-martin-chivers/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Tottenham Hotspur |language=en}} He played in all 58 competitive games and scored 34 times, including both goals in the League Cup final against Aston Villa, and 21 goals in the First Division as Spurs finished the season in third place.{{Cite web |title=Martin Chivers Completed Matches 1970/1971 |url=https://www.playmakerstats.com/players?search_txt=martin+chivers |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.playmakerstats.com |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |title=Down Wembley Way - A look back at our previous League Cup successes |url=https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2021/april/down-wembley-way-a-look-back-at-our-previous-league-cup-successes/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Tottenham Hotspur |language=en}}
During the 1971–72 campaign, Chivers hit the best form of his career, netting 42 times in 62 first team appearances.{{Cite web |title=Moment in time {{!}} Big Chiv strikes goal-d at Molineux, 1972 |url=https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2023/november/moment-in-time-martin-chivers-strikes-goal-d-at-molineux-1972/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Tottenham Hotspur |language=en}} His seven goals in as many League Cup ties enabled Spurs to reach the semi-finals of the competition where they eventually lost to London neighbours Chelsea. The resurgent striker saved his most impressive form for the UEFA Cup, scoring eight times in 11 matches, including a hat-trick in a 9–0 demolition of Icelandic side Keflavik ÍF,{{Cite web |title=Tottenham Hotspur - ÍB Keflavík 9:0 (Europa League 1971/1972, 1. Round) |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/report/europa-league-1971-1972-1-runde-tottenham-hotspur-keflavik-if/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=worldfootball.net |language=en}} and a superb double against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a memorable final.{{Cite web |last=UEFA.com |date=21 October 2015 |title=Martin Chivers on Tottenham's 1972 UEFA Cup win |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0226-0e922bd0695b-1dc2dc37eb6e-1000--martin-chivers-on-tottenham-s-1972-uefa-cup-win/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=UEFA |language=en}} In the First Division, he surpassed his tally of the previous campaign, scoring 25 times in 39 appearances.
Chivers continued his prolific form in the 1972–73 season, finding the net 33 times in 61 appearances. His acclaimed goalscoring ability again guided Tottenham to League Cup success with two quarter-final strikes against Liverpool, and a crucial goal at Molineux where the Londoners drew 2–2 to reach the final.{{Cite web |title=Spurs 3-1 Liverpool FC on 6 December 1972 - Overview |url=https://thfcdb.com/matches/1972-73/liverpool-fc-06-dec-1972/overview |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=thfcdb.com |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |title=Spurs 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers on 30 December 1972 - Overview |url=https://thfcdb.com/matches/1972-73/wolverhampton-wanderers-30-dec-1972/overview |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=thfcdb.com |language=en-AU}} His European form was equally impressive, producing eight goals in ten matches, as Spurs reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals before losing to Liverpool on the away goals rule.{{Cite web |last=Duggan |first=Jim |title=TOPSPURS - Fansite of TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR F.C. |url=https://www.topspurs.com/7273.htm |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.topspurs.com}}
Spurs again reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 1974 with Chivers scoring six goals, including in a 2–0 home victory against East German side Lokomotive Leipzig.{{Cite web |last=UEFA.com |title=History: Tottenham 2-0 Leipzig {{!}} UEFA Europa League 1973/74 |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/match/64428--tottenham-vs-leipzig/events/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=UEFA |language=en}} The two-legged final was to end in disappointment with Dutch giants Feyenoord winning 4–2 on aggregate as Spurs lost a major final for the first time.{{Cite web |last=UEFA.com |title=Feyenoord break English hold on UEFA Cup |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1973/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=UEFA |language=en}} By the beginning of the 1974–75 season, Chivers was considered to be the senior forward at Tottenham, playing alongside Chris Jones, Chris McGrath and Scotsman John Duncan. In early September, he played his last game for the legendary Bill Nicholson, as Middlesbrough crushed Spurs 4–0 in the 2nd round of the League Cup.{{Cite web |title=Tottenham Hotspur v Middlesbrough, 11 September 1974 |url=https://www.11v11.com/matches/tottenham-hotspur-v-middlesbrough-11-september-1974-29682/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=11v11.com}} Injuries restricted Chivers to just 28 league appearances in which he scored 10 goals, including important strikes against West Ham United, Leeds United and local rivals Arsenal.{{Cite web |last=Duggan |first=Jim |title=TOPSPURS - Fansite of TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR F.C. |url=https://www.topspurs.com/7374.htm |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.topspurs.com}}
The 1975–76 season was Chivers' last at White Hart Lane as he struggled to find the net in a relatively poor Spurs team. He made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring nine times, before joining Swiss club Servette for an £80,000 fee.{{Cite web |last=Duggan |first=Jim |title=TOPSPURS - Fansite of TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR F.C. |url=https://www.topspurs.com/7576.htm |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.topspurs.com}}{{Cite web |date=27 July 2004 |title=Martin Chivers |url=https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news-archive-1/martin-chivers/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Tottenham Hotspur |language=en}} In his {{frac|8|1|2}}-year Spurs career, Chivers scored a total of 174 goals in 367 first-team appearances and remained the leading Tottenham goalscorer in European competition for 39 years until he was overtaken by Jermain Defoe on 7 November 2013.{{cite web|title=Defoe breaks record as Spurs progress|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24827146|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=7 November 2013|date=7 November 2013}}
=Later career=
At the age of 31 in July 1976, the prolific striker moved to Servette in Switzerland, before returning to English league football with spells at Norwich City (1978–79) and Brighton (1979–80), where he finished his professional career. In the early 1980s, he continued his career in non-league football with Dorchester Town and Barnet, and played abroad for Australian club Frankston City and for Norwegian club Vard Haugesund.{{Cite web |title=Hire Martin Chivers {{!}} Speaker Agent |url=https://motivationalspeakersagency.co.uk/sports/martin-chivers |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=The Motivational Speakers Agency |language=en}}
International career
On 8 April 1964, Chivers made his debut for the England under-23 team against France, coming on as a substitute and scoring a goal. He remained a fixture of the under-23 squad for the next four years and scored seven goals in 17 appearances.{{cite web|url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersC/BioChiversMH.html|title=Martin Chivers|publisher=England Football Online|access-date=9 March 2024}}
On 3 February 1971, Chivers made his debut for England against Malta. On 21 April, he scored his first goal in his second cap, in a 3–0 win over Greece.{{Cite web |title=The England International Database |url=https://www.englandstats.com/matches.php?mid=451 |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=englandstats.com |language=en-UK}}
In October 1973, Chivers won the last of his full England caps against Poland in an infamous World Cup qualifier.{{Cite news |date=2013-10-14 |title=England v Poland 1973: When Clough's 'clown' stopped England |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/24445822 |access-date=2025-01-08 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}} Despite scoring six international goals in the calendar year, the Spurs striker was a casualty of his country's failure to qualify for the tournament and would later be ignored by caretaker manager Joe Mercer and future boss Don Revie. He was capped 24 times for England, scoring 13 goals.{{Cite web |title=The England International Database |url=https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=869 |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=englandstats.com |language=en-UK}}
After football
After retiring from professional football, he managed clubs in England and Norway and owned a hotel and restaurant in Hertfordshire. Chivers has commentated for BBC Radio and remained a popular matchday host at White Hart Lane.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-19 |title=Martin Chivers {{!}} Champions Speakers |url=https://champions-speakers.co.uk/speaker-agent/martin-chivers |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=champions-speakers.co.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Martin Chivers |url=https://spursforlife.com/martin-chivers/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Spurs For Life |language=en-US}}
In April 2007, he was inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame.{{Cite web |title=HALL OF FAME: MARTIN CHIVERS |url=https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news-archive-1/hall-of-fame-martin-chivers/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Tottenham Hotspur |language=en}} In May 2008, he was appointed the National Development Manager to the Football Association. Chivers' autobiography, Big Chiv - My Goals in Life, was released in October 2009.{{Cite web |url=http://www.visionsp.co.uk/viewitem.aspx?id=136 |title="Big Chiv - My Goals in Life" |access-date=10 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226171737/http://www.visionsp.co.uk/viewitem.aspx?id=136 |archive-date=26 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}
Career statistics
=International=
:Source:{{NFT|19675|name=Martin Chivers|accessdate=11 March 2024}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan="4" |England | |||
| 1971 | 8 | 7 | |
| 1972 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1973 | 11 | 6 | |
| colspan="2"|Total||24||13 |
:Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Chivers goal.{{cite web|url=https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=869|title=869 Martin Chivers (1971 – 1973)|website=englandstats.com|access-date=11 March 2024}}''
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Martin Chivers | ||||||
| scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center"|1 | 21 April 1971 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | {{fb|GRE}} | align="center"|1–0 | align="center"|3–0 | UEFA Euro 1972 qualification |
| align="center"|2 | rowspan="2"| 12 May 1971 | rowspan="2"| Wembley Stadium, London, England | rowspan="2"| {{fb|MLT}} | align="center"|1–0 | rowspan="2" align="center"|5–0 | rowspan="2"|UEFA Euro 1972 qualification |
| align="center"|3 | align="center"|4–0 | |||||
| align="center"|4 | rowspan="2"| 22 May 1971 | rowspan="2"| Wembley Stadium, London, England | rowspan="2"| {{fb|SCO}} | align="center"|2–1 | rowspan="2" align="center"|3–1 | rowspan="2"| British Home Championship |
| align="center"|5 | align="center"|3–1 | |||||
| align="center"|6 | 13 October 1971 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland | {{fb|SUI}} | align="center"|1–0 | align="center"|3–2 | UEFA Euro 1972 qualification |
| align="center"|7 | 1 December 1971 | Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece | {{fb|GRE}} | align="center"|2–0 | align="center"|2–0 | UEFA Euro 1972 qualification |
| align="center"|8 | 14 February 1973 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | {{fb|SCO}} | align="center"|4–0 | align="center"|5–0 | British Home Championship |
| align="center"|9 | rowspan="2"| 12 May 1973 | rowspan="2" | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | rowspan="2"| {{fb|NIR}} | align="center"|1–0 | rowspan="2" align="center"|2–1 | rowspan="2"|British Home Championship |
| align="center"|10 | align="center"|2–1 | |||||
| align="center"|11 | 15 May 1973 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | {{fb|WAL}} | align="center"|1–0 | align="center"|3–0 | British Home Championship |
| align="center"|12 | 10 June 1973 | Central Lenin Stadium, Moscow, Russia | {{fb|URS}} | align="center"|1–0 | align="center"|2–1 | Friendly match |
| align="center"|13 | 26 September 1973 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | {{fb|AUT}} | align="center"|5–0 | align="center"|7–0 | Friendly match |
Honours
Southampton
- Football League Second Division: 1965–66; runner-up
Tottenham Hotspur
- League Cup: 1970–71, 1972–73
- UEFA Cup: 1971–72
- Anglo-Italian League Cup: 1971{{Cite web |title=Anglo-Italian League Cup |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/angloitleagcup.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.rsssf.org}}
Servette
- Swiss Cup: 1977–78{{Cite web |title=Chivers honoured |url=https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news-archive-1/chivers-honoured/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Tottenham Hotspur |language=en}}
- Swiss League Cup: 1976–77{{Cite web |title=Switzerland - League Cup Finals |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesz/zwitleagcuphist.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.rsssf.org}}
- Coppa delle Alpi: 1975–76{{Cite web |title=COPPA DELLE ALPI: ALBO D'ORO |url=https://www.magliarossonera.it/statistiche/competitions/competitionsAlpi.php |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Maglia Rossonera |language=it}}
Individual
- Rothmans Golden Boots Awards: 1971, 1972{{cite web|url=https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/1969-70-british-team-of-the-season.1794502/ |website=BigSoccer |date=31 July 2011 |title=1969-1970 British Team of the Season |access-date=17 April 2024 }}
- Swiss League Best Foreign Player: 1977–78{{Cite web |title=Switzerland - Footballer of the Year |url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/zwitpoy.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.rsssf.org}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book |last1= Holley |first1= Duncan |last2= Chalk|first2=Gary| title=In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC |publisher=Hagiology Publishing |year=2003| isbn=0-9534474-3-X}}
External links
- {{Englandstats}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Awards
|bg=gold
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{{English Second Division top scorers}}
{{Swiss Footballer of the Year}}
{{Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Hall of Fame}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chivers, Martin}}
Category:Footballers from Southampton
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:English men's footballers
Category:English expatriate men's footballers
Category:England men's international footballers
Category:England men's under-23 international footballers
Category:Southampton F.C. players
Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Category:Norwich City F.C. players
Category:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Category:SK Vard Haugesund players
Category:Frankston Pines SC players
Category:Dorchester Town F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:English Football League representative players
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Norway
Category:UEFA Europa League–winning players