Hoddle, Glenn (1957– )

English football player and coach who was manager of the England team 1996–9. An elegant midfield player with brilliant passing skills, he played 484 games for Tottenham Hotspur 1975–87, scoring 106 goals.

Career highlights

International appearances (1979–88) 53 (8 goals)

English FA Cup 1981, 1982

French League Championship 1988

Awards

Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year 1980

In 1979 he won the first of 53 full England caps, but despite his abundant talent was never guaranteed a regular place in the side. He enjoyed a season with Monaco in the French League 1987–88. In 1991, after recovering from a knee injury, he became player-manager of Swindon Town, moving to Chelsea in 1993. In 1996, just one year after retiring as a player, he was appointed England manager in succession to Terry Venables. He was removed from the post in February 1999, after comments he allegedly made about disabled people in a newspaper interview provoked a public outcry. He was appointed manager of Southampton in January 2000, but succeeded George Graham at Tottenham Hotspur just 15 months later and remained there until September 2003. He then managed Wolverhampton Wanderers from December 2004 to July 2006.