George Graham (born November 30, 1944) is a Scottish football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Background

George Graham was born in Bargeddie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Player career

George Graham played for Aston Villa, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Portsmouth and Crystal Palace. He also won twelve caps for Scotland.

Honours as player

Aston Villa

• League Cup runners-up 1963

Chelsea

• League Cup winners 1965
• FA Cup runners-up 1965

Arsenal

• League Cup runners-up 1968
• League Cup runners-up 1969
• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup winners 1970
• League Championship 1971
• FA Cup winners 1971
• FA Cup runners-up 1972

Managerial career

He was appointed coach at Crystal Palace and then QPR. In 1983 Graham was appointed manager of Millwall, and then his old club Arsenal in 1986. Arsenal hadn't won a trophy since 1979, but Graham turned the club around quickly, winning two League Championships, two League Cups, an FA Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup in eight years, making them one of the dominant teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

However, his tenure at Arsenal ended unhappily. Graham was sacked as manager of Arsenal on February 21 1995, after it was discovered he had taken £425,000 in illegal payments from Norwegian agent Rune Hauge in order to sign two of Hauge's clients: Pål Lydersen and John Jensen. He was then banned from football for a year as punishment from the Football Association.

George Graham's return to football management came with Leeds United in September 1996. Although Leeds scored fewer goals than any other Premiership club (28) they still finished in a secure 13th place. 1997-98 saw Leeds finish fifth in the Premiership and secure UEFA Cup qualification.

In October 1998 Graham's two-year spell as Leeds manager came to an end when he was appointed manager of Tottenham Hotspur. Just five months after taking charge he guided the club to victory over Leicester City in the League Cup final and with it a place in the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup. But the club's league form was never thrilling and Graham was sacked as Tottenham manager in March 2001 after falling out with the club's new owner Daniel Levy . He has been out of management ever since, concentrating on his career as a football pundit for Sky Sports.

Since leaving Tottenham, George Graham's name has been linked with managerial vacancies at Leicester, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Blackburn and Newcastle, but none of these rumours have come to anything. With George Graham now 60 years old, as time passes it seems less and less likely that he will return to management.

Honours as manager

Millwall

• Promotion from Division 3 1985

Arsenal

• League Cup winners 1987
• League Cup runners-up 1988
• League Championship 1989
• League Championship 1991
• FA Cup winners 1993
• League Cup winners 1993
• European Cup Winners Cup winners 1994

Tottenham Hotspur

• League Cup winners 1999