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Liam Brady

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Liam Brady
Brady in 2021
Personal information
Full name William Brady
Date of birth (1956-02-13)13 February 1956(age 68)
Place of birth Dublin,Ireland
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
St. Kevin's Boys
1971–1973 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1973–1980 Arsenal 235 (43)
1980–1982 Juventus 76 (15)
1982–1984 Sampdoria 57 (6)
1984–1986 Internazionale 58 (5)
1986–1987 Ascoli 17 (0)
1987–1990 West Ham United 89 (9)
Total 532 (78)
International career
1974–1990 Republic of Ireland 72 (9)
Managerial career
1991–1993 Celtic
1993–1995 Brighton & Hove Albion
2008–2010 Republic of Ireland(assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Brady(born 13 February 1956) is an Irish former footballer and pundit. He found success both in England withArsenal,where he won anFA Cupin 1979, and in Italy withJuventus,winning twoSerie Atitles. Brady was capped 72 times for theRepublic of Ireland national team.[2][3][4]

Brady was a talentedattacking midfielderrenowned for his left foot and elegant technical skills such as his high-quality passing, vision and close control, which made him an excellentplaymaker.

Brady went on to manageCelticandBrighton and Hove Albion.He was the assistant manager of theRepublic of Ireland national football teamfrom 2008 to 2010 and also held the post of Head of Youth Development at Arsenal from 1996 to 2013. He began his media career as a television pundit in 1990 with theBBC,before moving toRTÉ Sportin 1998. In June 2023, Brady announced that he would step down from his punditry duties with RTÉ after 25 years.

Early life and family[edit]

Brady was born and raised inDublinin a footballing family, with both his great uncleFrank Brady Sr.and older brotherRay Bradywinning senior international caps. Of his other brothers,Frankwon theFAI CupwithShamrock Roversin 1968 and made two appearances in theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup,whilePatplayed withMillwallandQueens Park Rangers.Liam attendedSt. Aidan's C.B.S.,leaving before hisIntermediate Certificate.He alleged at the time that he had been expelled for missing a schoolGaelic footballmatch to play a schoolboy soccer international; the school denied this.[5]

Club career[edit]

Brady started his career atArsenal,moving to London to join the side on schoolboy forms in 1971, at the age of 15. He turned professional on his 17th birthday in 1973, and made his debut on 6 October 1973 againstBirmingham Cityas a substitute forJeff Blockley,and put in an assured performance. However his next match, in aNorth London derbyagainstTottenham Hotspur,Brady had a poor match, and Arsenal managerBertie Meedecided from then on to use the young Irishman sparingly for the time being. Brady ended the1973–74season with 13 appearances (four of them as substitute) to his name.[2]While at Arsenal, and particularly early in his career, Brady was nicknamed "Chippy", not for his ability to chip the ball but for his fondness forfish and chips.[6]

In1974–75Brady was a first-team regular at Arsenal, and shone as a rare light in a side that hovered close to relegation for a couple of seasons in the mid-1970s. With the appointment ofTerry Neillas manager and the return ofDon Howeas coach, Brady found his best form. His passing provided the ammunition for Arsenal's front men such asMalcolm MacdonaldandFrank Stapleton,and Arsenal reached threeFA Cupfinals in a row between 1978 and 1980. Arsenal won only the middle of the three, againstManchester Unitedin the1979 final,with Brady starting the move that ended inAlan Sunderland's famous last-minute winner.[2]

Brady was at the peak of his Arsenal form by now, as shown by one of his best goals for Arsenal; having dispossessedPeter Taylorhe flighted a looped curled shot from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner, in a 5–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur on 23 December 1978. During this time he was voted the club's player of the year three times, and chosen as thePFA Players' Player of the Yearin 1979. Being from Ireland, he was the first foreign player to win the award.

He was the most talented player in what was then a promising young Arsenal side, which was looking to consistently challenge for honours such as theDivision Onetitle. Despite this, by the1979–80season rumour was rife that Brady would be leaving the club in search of a fresh challenge.[2]

That season, Arsenal reached theCup Winners' Cupfinal (losing toValenciaonpenalties), having beatenJuventus2–1 over two legs in the semi-finals. Brady's performance in the tie impressed the Italian giants and in the 1980 close season they signed him for just over £500,000, becoming the first foreign player to sign for the club since the Italian borders were re-opened for foreign transfers in 1980.[7]He is remembered as one of Arsenal's all-time greats, playing 307 matches for the Gunners, scoring 59 goals and setting up many more.

Brady spent two seasons with Juventus, wearing thenumber 10 shirt,[8]and picking up twoItalian Championshipmedals, in 1981 and 1982; Brady scored the only goal (apenalty) in the 1–0 win againstCatanzarothat won the 1982 title.[3]After the arrival ofMichel Platiniin summer 1982, Brady moved toSampdoria,allowing him to take the number 10 shirt and team up withTrevor Francis.Brady moved on after two years in which Sampdoria failed to finish higher than sixth place, and went on to play forInternazionale(1984–1986). At theSan Siro,Brady teamed up withKarl-Heinz Rummenigge,reaching aUEFA Cup semi-finaland a third place finish domestically, but failed to win any major honours. In 1986, Brady joinedAscoli,where his career in Italy reached a sour conclusion. A year spent arguing over failed payments of wages with club president Costantino Rozzi, marked the end of what was a much celebrated chapter of his career.[9]

Brady, at the age of 31, returned to London in March 1987, for a transfer fee of £100,000, to play forWest Ham United,where he scored 10 goals in 119 games in all competitions.[4]He was a member of the side relegated from the First Division in 1989 and played one season in the Second Division before finally retiring as a player in 1990.[4]His last game came on 5 May 1990, a 4–0 home win againstWolverhampton Wanderers,a game in which he scored.[10]

International career[edit]

Brady made his debut for Ireland on 30 October 1974, in a 3–0 win against theSoviet UnionatDalymount Parkin aEuropean Championshipqualifier.[11] Brady has claimed his favourite international goal was that against Brazil in 1987.

Due to a suspension accrued beforeEuro 88he was not eligible to play within the tournament.[12]During qualification forItalia 90Brady retired from the international game. As Ireland got to the World Cup for the first time ever he declared himself available to play once again. However,Jack Charltonwent on to declare that only those who played in the qualifiers would make the trip to Italy.[12]

He won 72 international caps for theRepublic of Irelandwith 70 within the starting line-up, scoring nine goals.[12]

Managerial career[edit]

After retiring from playing in 1990, he managedCelticbetween 1991 and 1993, and thenBrighton & Hove Albionbetween 1993 and 1995. Neither spell was particularly successful, and at both clubs Brady's tenure was overshadowed by the respective clubs' financial problems. At Celtic, Brady failed to win a single trophy in his two-year tenure, which included a 5–2 defeat on aggregate byNeuchâtel Xamaxin the 1991–92UEFA Cup.

Brady had no greater success with Brighton, departing following a disagreement over the way the club was being run.[13]He later led an unsuccessful bid by a consortium to buy the club.

He rejoined Arsenal in July 1996, as Head of Youth Development and Academy Director. Although he was linked to the manager's post after the departure ofBruce Rioch,Brady stated he was not interested in the role andAr sắc ne Wengereventually took up the post. Under Brady, Arsenal's youth sides won the 1998FA Premier Youth League,theFA Premier Academy LeagueU17 title in 2000 and the FA Premier Academy League U19 title in 2002. Under his watch they also lifted the 2009 and 2010 FA Premier Academy League U18 titles, together with theFA Youth Cupin2000,2001and2009.[14]

After the sacking ofSteve StauntonasRepublic of Irelandmanager in 2007, Brady became an assistant to new managerGiovanni Trapattonialongside former Juventus teammateMarco Tardelliin 2008,[15]while continuing to work as Director of the Arsenal Youth Academy. He stepped down from the Republic of Ireland post in April 2010 when his contract expired.[16]He stated he would have gladly stayed on with Ireland were it not for his Arsenal commitments.[17]

On 30 January 2013, Arsenal announced that Brady would leave his role as Director of the Arsenal Youth Academy in May 2014.[18]

Brady has served as an ambassador of The Arsenal Foundation since 2017.[19]

Media career[edit]

Brady with RTÉ Sport in 2020

Brady first worked as a pundit for the BBC at the1990and1994 World Cupsbefore moving for the 1998 tournament toRTÉ Sport.He joined what became a long-running studio team with fellow punditsJohnny GilesandEamon Dunphyand presenterBill O'Herlihy.[20]They were parodied by theAprès Matchsketches in which Brady was portrayed byBarry Murphy.[21]Brady remained an RTÉ television analyst, appearing on coverage of the2018 World Cup,UEFA Euro 2020and2022 World Cup.[22][23]

Brady was involved in an Irish anti-drugs campaign in the early 1990s, called "give drugs the boot", which encouraged young boys to play sport as a healthy pastime.

In February 2023, a documentary about his life calledLiam Brady: The Irishman Abroadaired onRTÉ One.[24]

On 19 June 2023, Brady announced that he would step down from his punditry duties with RTÉ Sport after 25 years. His final match as an analyst was the 3–0 win againstGibraltar.[25][26][27]

Playing statistics[edit]

International[edit]

Appearances and goals by national team and year[28]
National team Year Apps Goals
Republic of Ireland 1974 2 0
1975 5 0
1976 5 1
1977 4 1
1978 3 0
1979 5 0
1980 6 0
1981 3 0
1982 6 1
1983 4 3
1984 5 0
1985 8 1
1986 4 1
1987 7 1
1988 0 0
1989 4 0
1990 1 0
Total 72 9
Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Brady goal.[28]
List of international goals scored by Liam Brady
No. Cap Date Venue Opponent Result Competition
1 8 24 March 1976 Dalymount Park,Dublin, Republic of Ireland Norway 3–0 Friendly
2 14 30 March 1977 Lansdowne Road,Dublin, Republic of Ireland France 1–0 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 36 30 May 1982 Arima Municipal Stadium,Arima, Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago 1–2 Friendly
4 42 12 October 1983 Dalymount Park,Dublin, Republic of Ireland Netherlands 2–3 UEFA Euro 1984 qualification
5 43 16 November 1983 Dalymount Park,Dublin, Republic of Ireland Malta 8–0 UEFA Euro 1984 qualification
6
7 50 26 March 1985 Wembley Stadium,London, England England 2–1 Friendly
8 58 10 September 1986 Heysel Stadium,Brussels, Belgium Belgium 2–2 UEFA Euro 1984 qualification
9 64 23 May 1987 Lansdowne Road,Dublin, Republic of Ireland Brazil 1–0 Friendly

Managerial statistics[edit]

Managerial record by team and tenure[29]
Team From To Record
M W D L Win %
ScotlandCeltic 19 June 1991 7 October 1993 116 66 26 24 056.90
EnglandBrighton & Hove Albion 15 December 1993 20 November 1995 100 33 30 37 033.00
Total 216 99 56 61 045.83

Honours[edit]

Club[edit]

Arsenal[12]

Juventus[12]

International[edit]

Republic of Ireland

Individual[edit]

Managerial[edit]

  • Younger's Tartan Special Manager of the Month: August 1992[37]

References[edit]

  1. ^Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987).Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88.London: Queen Anne Press. p. 388.ISBN978-0-356-14354-5.
  2. ^abcd"Liam Brady: Profile".Arsenal.Archived fromthe originalon 22 August 2016.
  3. ^abStefano Bedeschi (13 February 2014)."Gli eroi in bianconero: Liam BRADY"(in Italian). Tutto Juve.Retrieved24 July2017.
  4. ^abcSalvatore Lo Presti."BRADY, William (Liam)"(in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (2002).Retrieved24 July2017.
  5. ^"Soccer C.B.S. boy explains".Irish Independent.29 April 1971.;cited inNeville, Conor (2 April 2015)."Liam Brady on Being Expelled From School For Choosing Soccer Over GAA".Balls.ie.Retrieved18 November2015.
  6. ^"Liam Brady or Chippy".World Easy.Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2005.
  7. ^"Da Platini a Del Piero, tutti i numeri 10 della Juventus aspettando Bernardeschi"(in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. 25 July 2017.Retrieved26 July2017.
  8. ^"Carlos Tevez 'proud' to wear Juventus No 10 jersey after completing move from Manchester City".The Telegraph.London. 27 June 2013.Retrieved24 July2017.
  9. ^"legend-of-calcio-liam-brady".6 May 2023.
  10. ^"Welcome to the Wonderful World of West Ham United: Statistics-Liam Brady".West Ham Stats.info.
  11. ^"Republic of Ireland 3 – 0 Soviet Union".Soccerscene.ie.30 October 1974.Retrieved25 August2010.
  12. ^abcdeStaunton, Peter (17 March 2012)."Ireland's greatest ever players: Liam Brady".goal.Archived fromthe originalon 9 September 2017.Retrieved30 November2023.
  13. ^.Build a Bonfire: How Football Fans United To Save Brighton & Hove Albion,pages 44–48
  14. ^"Arsenal Legends: Liam Brady, Forever Cannons and Shamrocks".Bleacher Report.
  15. ^"Brady agrees terms with FAI".FAI official website.7 March 2008.
  16. ^"Brady to step down".The Irish Times.13 February 2010.
  17. ^"Republic legend Liam Brady lauds Trapattoni triumph".BBC Sport.16 November 2011.
  18. ^"Liam Brady to leave Arsenal role in May 2014".RTÉ Sport.RTÉ. 30 January 2013.Retrieved30 January2013.
  19. ^"Foundation Ambassador – Liam Brady".Arsenal.17 December 2023.
  20. ^Black, Fergus (2 June 2010)."RTÉ hopes Ossie and squad will spur fans to back home team".Irish Independent.Retrieved2 June2010.;O'Malley, Carl (2 June 2010)."RTÉ roll out big guns for their 56 live games".The Irish Times.Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2012.Retrieved2 June2010.;"Move over Dunphy… RTÉ adds new faces to World Cup coverage".The Score.6 June 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 6 June 2014.Retrieved6 June2014.;"RTÉ Sport unveils Euro 2016 coverage".RTE Sport.2 June 2016.Retrieved31 May2016.
  21. ^"The lads from Après Match talk about their characters before hitting the road again".Irish Examiner.25 January 2016.Retrieved11 April2021.
  22. ^"Presspack: 2018 FIFA World Cup".RTÉ. 14 June 2018.Retrieved11 April2021.
  23. ^"RTÉ announces details of UEFA EURO 2020 coverage – live and exclusive".about.rte.ie.10 June 2021.Retrieved3 July2021.
  24. ^"TV Wrap: RTE's magical new documentary casts Liam Brady in a new light".The 42.12 February 2023.Retrieved22 February2023.
  25. ^"Liam Brady to bring curtain down on 25-year RTÉ career".RTÉ Sport.19 June 2023.Retrieved19 June2023.
  26. ^O'Connor, Seán (19 June 2023)."After 25 years with RTÉ, Liam Brady will step away from his punditry duties after tonight".Irish Independent.Retrieved19 June2023.
  27. ^"Liam Brady's final Ireland verdict on RTE as he details his plans for the future".Irish Mirror.19 June 2023.Retrieved20 June2023.
  28. ^ab"Liam Brady, international football player".eu-football.info.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2023.Retrieved17 June2023.
  29. ^"Liam Brady managerial statistics".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved18 November2023.
  30. ^"Liam Brady PFA Player of the Year – 1979 Awards Ceremony".Brand New Retro.ie.
  31. ^Lynch.The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes.p. 142.
  32. ^"Football Legends list in full".BBC Sport. 5 August 1998.Retrieved10 January2009.
  33. ^"Hall of Fame".FAI.ie.
  34. ^"Liam Brady".National Football Museum.
  35. ^Maidment, Jem (2006).The Official Arsenal Encyclopedia.London:Hamlyn.p. 148.ISBN9780600615491.
  36. ^"The Irish Post Award Winners".The Irish Post.Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2016.
  37. ^"Liam Brady Award".Alamy.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Liam_Brady&oldid=1220199753"