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George Graham (born November 30, 1944) Scottish football player and manager.
Background
Born in Bargeddie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Player career
George Graham played for Aston Villa F.C., Chelsea F.C., Arsenal F.C., Manchester United F.C, Portsmouth F.C. and Crystal Palace F.C.. He also won twelve Scottish caps.
Honours as player
With Arsenal:
- League Cup runners up 1968
- League Cup runners up 1969
- Fairs Cup winners 1970 (UEFA Cup)
- League Championship 1971
- FA Cup Winners 1971
- FA Cup runners 1972
With Other Clubs:
Managerial career
He was appointed coach at Crystal Palace F.C. and Queens Park Rangers F.C.. Appointed manager to Millwall F.C. in 1983 and Arsenal F.C. in 1986. Also managed Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Honours as manager
With Arsenal F.C.:
- Littlewoods (League) Cup winners 1987
- Littlewoods (League) Cup runners up 1988
- League Championship 1989
- League Championship 1991
- FA Cup winners 1993
- Coca-Cola (League) Cup winners 1993
- European Cup-Winners Cup winners 1994
With Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
- Worthington (League) Cup Winners 1999
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. 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 Television.
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.
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