| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bernard Joseph Slaven[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1960-11-13)13 November 1960 (age 65) | ||
| Place of birth | Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1975–197? | Partick Thistle Amateurs | ||
| 197?–1979 | Eastercraigs | ||
| 1979–1980 | Johnstone Burgh | ||
| 1980–1981 | Rutherglen Glencairn | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1983 | Greenock Morton | 21 | (1) |
| 1983 | Airdrieonians | 2 | (0) |
| 1983 | Queen of the South | 2 | (0) |
| 1983–1985 | Albion Rovers | 42 | (27) |
| 1985–1993 | Middlesbrough | 307 | (118) |
| 1993–1994 | Port Vale | 33 | (9) |
| 1994–1995 | Darlington | 37 | (7) |
| 1997–1999 | Billingham Synthonia | 21 | (22) |
| Total | 465 | (184) | |
| International career | |||
| 1990–1993 | Republic of Ireland | 7 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bernard Joseph Slaven (born 13 November 1960) is a former professionalfootballstriker. He scored 223 goals in 567 league and cup appearances throughout an 18-year career and also earned sevencaps for theRepublic of Ireland.
He started his career in his native Scotland withGreenock Morton in 1980 before moving on toAirdrieonians,Queen of the South, and thenAlbion Rovers in 1983. He scored 31 goals in 43 appearances to become the highest scorer in theScottish Football League in the 1984–85 campaign before he was sold on toMiddlesbrough for a fee of £25,000 early in the following season. He waspromoted three times with the club: out of theThird Division in 1986–87, out of theSecond Division via theplay-offs in1988, and again out of the Second Division in 1991–92. He also played for Middlesbrough in the1990 final of theFull Members Cup and became the first Irish player to score a goal in thePremier League in the inaugural 1992–93 season. He was twice named the club's Player of the Year and scored 146 goals in 381 appearances during his eight years atAyresome Park.
He took afree transfer toPort Vale in March 1993 and helped the club to lift theFootball League Trophytwo months later. He returned to the North-East in February 1994 after joiningDarlington on a free transfer. He helped the club to avoid finishing bottom of theEnglish Football League at the end of the season before he announced his retirement in May 1995. He later playednon-League football forBillingham Synthonia. He went into radio after retiring as a player, presenting shows and providing commentary on Middlesbrough matches withAli Brownlee forCentury Network andReal Radio. He also presented television programmes on Boro TV and published two autobiographies.
Despite being born in Scotland, his Irish grandfather enabled him to win seven caps for theRepublic of Ireland, which he did between 1990 and 1993. This short international career resulted in the honour of being named in Ireland's1990 FIFA World Cup squad – though he did not feature in the tournament.
Bernie Slaven was born on 13 November 1960; he was born inPaisley, Renfrewshire but grew up in theCastlemilk area ofGlasgow.[3] An only child, his father, Hugh, was a delivery driver for theCo-op and his mother, Alice, was a tailor.[3] He joined Partick Thistle Amateurs at 14 and played at left-half.[4] He went on to play for Eastercraigs and again played left-half as their centre-forward was futureEverton playerGraeme Sharp.[4] At the age of 18, Slaven rejected an approach fromScottish Second Division clubEast Stirlingshire and instead joinedjunior league sideJohnstone Burgh. However, he soon became disillusioned with the long train journeys toJohnstone and stopped attending the club.[5] After hiscontract with Johnstone Burgh ended he joined local clubRutherglen Glencairn.[5] During his time as an amateur footballer he worked for the Co-op, before spending some time unemployed.[5]
He wastransferred toGreenock Morton in December 1980 for a fee of £750 but remained with Rutherglen Glencairn for the rest of the season.[5] He made his debut for Morton as a second-halfsubstitute in a 3–0 win overAirdrieonians in October 1981.[6] He made his first start againstCeltic atCappielow and had a goal disallowed during the game, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[6] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with Airdrieonians, which was the only goal of his 13Scottish Premier Division appearances in the1981–82 season.[6] He soon fell out withmanagerBenny Rooney after demanding more game time.[7] Slaven made nine non-scoring appearances during the1982–83 campaign, and was released in the summer.[8]
Slaven joinedScottish First Division club Airdrieonians on a one-month contract after managerBill Munro needed short-term replacements during an injury crisis.[8] He then spent three months without a club before signing withDumfries sideQueen of the South. He played two Second Division matches for the club before again becoming afree agent.[9] He made little impression atPalmerston Park, and in a later interview teammateGeorge Cloy said of Slaven, "He was just a man who liked playing football. He was a nice enough guy but he wasn't one of the more rowdy ones."[10]
Slaven joinedAlbion Rovers in April 1983 after being signed by Benny Rooney – his former manager at Morton; however, it would be Rooney's successor,Andy Ritchie, who converted Slaven from a left-half into a centre-forward.[11] In this new position he scored 31 goals in the1984–85 season with many set up byVic Kasule. Slaven won the 1984–85Daily Record Golden Shot award in the process.[12] Ritchie would not enjoy the benefits of his decision though, as he was replaced byJoe Baker early in the season. Baker went to also appoint Slaven as clubcaptain.[13] Slaven went on to be named as both the club's and the division's Player of the Year.[12] During this time as a semi-professional, he was working as agardener. Still, Rovers chairman Tom Fagan demanded £40,000 to sell Slaven, a high price for a non-professional third-tier player.[14] Slaven refused to play for Rovers, and was subsequently contacted by a reporter fromThe Sunday Post, who wrote to 54 English and Scottish clubs on his behalf.[15]Middlesbrough responded to the letter with the offer of a two-week trial.[16]
"Dear Sir,
Last season I was top-scorer in Scottish senior football with 31 goals for Albion Rovers in the Second Division. At present, I am on 'Freedom of contract'. I have no intention of returning to Rovers. I am keen to sample full-time football at the highest level, and wonder if you might consider signing me. I would be willing to come to your club on a trial basis, as I am desperate to get back into the game. I honestly feel I have the ability to play for your club. Although I have not played since I took up 'Freedom of contract' at the end of last season, I have kept fit during the summer training on my own every day. I am 24 years old, and hope that you will at least think over this approach.
Yours sincerely,
BERNIE SLAVEN
— The letter Slaven posted to 54 different clubs on 21 September 1985.[15]
In a trial game againstBradford City, Slaven scored and impressed enough to win a move to the club, who secured his services after paying Albion Rovers a £25,000 fee. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat toLeeds United atElland Road on 12 October, and seven days later scored on his competitive home debut for the club to secure a 1–1 draw with Bradford City.[17] Middlesbrough went on a run of five wins in eight games during November and December, but managerWillie Maddren was sacked after picking up just one point in January.[18] Slaven scored twoheaded goals to secure a 3–1 victory overGrimsby Town on 4 March in new managerBruce Rioch's first match in charge.[19] However, the final game of the1985–86 season againstShrewsbury Town guaranteed safety for the winners andrelegation for the losers, and a 2–1 defeat for "Boro" saw the club relegated out of theSecond Division.[20]
Middlesbroughentered liquidation during the1986–87 season, and theOfficial receiver sacked Rioch and his staff and banned the club fromAyresome Park.[21] After a new consortium rescued the club Rioch was reinstated as manager, and though he used the opportunity to overhaul the club's playing staff, Rioch made Slaven a key part of his new squad.[22] Despite this, Rioch was not afraid to publicly criticise Slaven, and following the club's first defeat of the season byBlackpool on 11 October stated that "...he's overdue a good performance, I wasn't pleased with his form and it's time to show us what he gets paid for".[23] He responded well to the criticism, and scored all three goals when Blackpool returned to Ayresome Park in theFA Cup the following month.[23] He played in all the club's 58 league and cup games that season, scoring 22 goals, to help Middlesbrough to securepromotion as runners-up toAFC Bournemouth.
He helped secure a second-successive promotion in1987–88, which saw Middlesbrough rise from theThird Division to theFirst Division within two years of avoiding liquidation.[24] He scored 24 goals in 58 appearances, includinghat-tricks in a 4–1 win atHuddersfield Town and a 4–0 home win over Shrewsbury Town.[25] However, Middlesbrough lost toLeicester City on the last day of the season and so finished third behindAston Villa on goals scored, and needed to secure promotion through theplay-offs.[26] He scored against Bradford City in the play-off semi-final to help secure a 3–2aggregate victory and a place againstChelsea in theplay-off final.[27] He provided anassist forTrevor Senior in the first leg at Ayresome Park and then scored Boro's second goal to secure a 2–0 win; Chelsea won the return fixture 1–0 atStamford Bridge, but Middlesbrough won 2–1 on aggregate to replace Chelsea in the top-flight.[27]
Slaven scored a first-half hat-trick in a 4–3 win overCoventry City on 1 October, shortly after he and several teammates agreed new four-year contracts with Middlesbrough.[28] At the end of the month he was moved to the left-wing to accommodate newclub record signingPeter Davenport. Still, he soon was returned to centre-forward after Davenport struggled to score the goals to justify his £700,000 transfer fee.[29] In November, Slaven was dropped from the starting eleven for the trip to faceNottingham Forest, which brought to an end his run of 136 consecutive league appearances.[30] The team struggled in the second half of the1988–89 season, and when Slaven scored both goals in a 2–1 win overWest Ham United atUpton Park on 11 April he ended the club's run of 11 league games without a victory.[31] Middlesbrough dropped into the relegation zone for the first time on the last day of the season; their 1–0 defeat atSheffield Wednesday confirmed Middlesbrough's relegation alongside West Ham United andNewcastle United.[31] Having scored 15 league goals despite playing many games on the left-wing of a relegated team, Slaven was named as the North-East Player of the Year by local journalists.[32]
Middlesbrough struggled with injuries throughout the1989–90 campaign and ended up finishing just one place above the relegation zone, leading to Rioch's dismissal.[33] They did however, manage to beatPort Vale, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United, andAston Villa to reachWembley to face Chelsea in the1990 Full Members Cup final; this wasthe club's first appearance at Wembley.[34] The final itself was to be a disappointment however, with a free kick from Chelsea'sTony Dorigo proving to be the only goal of the afternoon.[33] Despite Middlesbrough finishing in 21st-place, Slaven scored 32 goals in all competitions, which led to speculation of a move away from Ayresome Park.[35] He handed in a written transfer request, which was turned down by managerColin Todd, and Slaven agreed to a new contract and withdrew his transfer request.[36]
He went six games without a goal early in the1990–91 season but broke this run with a hat-trick in a 4–2 win overBrighton & Hove Albion at theGoldstone Ground on 27 October.[37] However, he was substituted athalf-time during a home defeat toCharlton Athletic on 10 November, and reacted badly, leaving the ground and not witnessing the second half.[38] He returned to the starting eleven the following week and went on to claim a goal in his next five appearances.[39] However, he again fell out with Todd after being played at left-wing in January. He was dropped from the first team altogether after telling the media that "if the manager is not going to play me in the middle, then he should drop me".[40] He returned to the centre-forward role and claimed two goals in a 3–0 home win overrivals Newcastle United on 12 March, though went on to finish the season on a run of 15 games without a goal.[41] Middlesbrough finished in the play-off places but lost out toNotts County in the semi-finals.[41] Todd intended an overhaul of the playing squad and placed Slaven on the transfer list along with ten of his teammates.[41]
Todd was sacked in June 1991, and his successorLennie Lawrence decided to keep Slaven and to play him in a partnership with new signingPaul Wilkinson.[42] However, Slaven picked up acalfstrain in pre-season and lost his first-team place toStuart Ripley.[43] He regained his first-team place early in September after scoring three goals as a substitute againstPortsmouth andOxford United.[44] On 28 September, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 victory overrivalsSunderland.[45] However, Lawrence felt that Slaven was too individualistic, and in November he spent £700,000 onHull City strikerAndy Payton, who he hoped would prove to be an effective striker partner for Paul Wilkinson.[46] Payton scored on his debut againstBristol City on 23 November, but Slaven claimed the other two goals in a 3–1 victory, and Payton left the field on a stretcher after picking up an injury.[46] Slaven injured his knee in January. After undergoing surgery, he was ruled out of action for five weeks.[47] He scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Brighton on 21 March but fell out with Lawrence and was dropped for the end of season promotion run-in.[48] He returned for the crucial final game of the season againstWolverhampton Wanderers however, and set up a lateJon Gittensequaliser before a late winner from Wilkinson secured a 2–1 victory and the second automatic promotion place for Middlesbrough.[49] That season Middlesbrough had also reached the semi-final of theLeague Cup; in the second leg againstManchester United atOld Trafford Slaven equalised to send the game toextra time, beforeRyan Giggs scored the winning goal.[50]
On 19 August 1992, he became Ireland's first goalscorer in the Premier League when he scored both Middlesbrough goals in a 2–0 win overManchester City.[51] With Payton and Ripley both moved on, Slaven started seven of the club's first tenPremier League games of the1992–93 season, and scored in consecutive games against Aston Villa and Manchester United.[52] His goal against Manchester United on 3 October proved to be his last for Middlesbrough as Lawrence began playing Wilkinson on his own up front from October, leaving Slaven on the bench for most of the rest of the campaign.[52] Slaven again requested a transfer, and Lawrence said he would listen to any offers the club received.[52] Lawrence sent Slaven to train with theyouth team after the pair fell out during atraining ground session, and Slaven was made available on afree transfer after he told the press how strained the pair's relationship had become.[53]
In March 1993, Slaven signed forJohn Rudge's Second Division Port Vale on a free transfer.[54][55] He wassent off on his debut in a 1–0 win overLeyton Orient atBrisbane Road on 20 March – the firstred card of his career – after kickingAdrian Whitbread in retaliation for a bad challenge.[56] He scored his first goal for the "Valiants" with a 25 yards (23 m)volley in a 4–0 win overWigan Athletic atSpringfield Park on 17 April.[57] Four days later he scored the only goal of the game in theFootball League Trophy southern area final second leg match withExeter City atSt James Park to secure Vale a place inthe final.[58] He also scored on the final day of the season to help turn round a half-time 2–1 deficit toBlackpool atBloomfield Road into a 4–2 win; however, they ended the season in third-place, one point behind promotedBolton Wanderers, and so entered the play-offs.[58] He went on to provide thecross forMartin Foyle to score the winning goal pastStockport County in the play-off semi-finals.[58] Stockport County were also Vale's opponents in the Football League Trophy final atWembley on 22 May, and Slaven managed to set upPaul Kerr for Vale's first goal before scoring the second decisive goal of a 2–1 victory.[59] Ironically it wasSky TV's match summariser, Lennie Lawrence, who was tasked with naming Slaven as theman of the match just two months after letting him go on a free transfer.[60] Eight days later he featured again at Wembley in theplay-off final, which ended in a 3–0 defeat toWest Bromwich Albion.[60]
He started the1993–94 season with a hat-trick in a 6–0 win overBarnet in the first home game of the campaign on 21 August.[61] However, he picked up a calf strain and lost his first-team place toNicky Cross, who performed well in Slaven's absence.[62] He was also punched in the face byPeter Swan in a training ground incident, though the pair would eventually make up and become friends.[62] Slaven wanted to return to the North-East to be with his wife Karen and new-born son Dominic; however, managerJohn Rudge was reluctant to lose Slaven despite being unable to promise him a contract for the following season.[63] He scored his last goal for the club in a 1–0 win over Premier LeagueSouthampton in anFA Cup third roundreplay atVale Park on 18 January.[64]
Slaven joinedDarlington in February 1994, who were struggling at the bottom of theThird Division.[65] He made the move to be closer to his young family.[66] Despite playing at a lower standard, he foundshooting chances hard to come by, and ended the1994–95 campaign with two goals in 11 appearances.[65] Darlington avoided dropping into non-League after Slaven scored the winning goal againstChesterfield that moved Darlington aboveNorthampton Town and off the bottom of the table.[67] The "Quakers" again fared poorly in1994–95 underAlan Murray. Though Slaven managed to hit seven goals in 31 games he was given a free transfer in May 1995.[68] He decided to retire from professional football after a consultant advised him that a troubling back injury would only get worse with further stress.[69] He played forNorthern League sideBillingham Synthonia during the1997–98 and1998–99 seasons, scoring 22 goals in 21 appearances.[70]
Slaven qualified forRepublic of Ireland through his Irish grandfather.[71] He took the decision to represent Ireland after being consistently overlooked for theScotland team by managerAndy Roxburgh, and stated that: "if I'd been scoring for Celtic orRangers I'd have walked into the side, there are people getting in the team that can hardly play the game".[72] After calling Slaven up in 1990, Ireland managerJack Charlton said that "Bernie is the type of player who could benefit fromCascarino's knock downs... we have been looking for a player like Bernie for quite a while now".[73] He made his international debut in afriendly on 28 March 1990, and scored the only goal of the game againstWales from arebound afterKevin Sheedy had apenalty saved byNeville Southall.[74] He won a secondcap as a substitute againstFinland on 16 May, before he was named in the Ireland squad for the1990 FIFA World Cup.[75] Slaven did not feature in the tournament however, and suffered from homesickness. Tony Cascarino claimed in his autobiography that Slaven would telephone his dog every night when away from home with the squad: "... Bernie would be howling likeLassie into the phone 'Woof, woof, aru, aru, woof!' He'd be kissing the receiver and lavishing affection – 'Hello, lovey dovey' – on a dog!"[76] A church-goingCatholic, Slaven stated that the highlight of the tournament was the day when the squad metPope John Paul II at theVatican.[77] He won the last of his seven caps on 17 February 1993, in a 2–1 win over Wales in a friendly atTolka Park.[78]
Slaven was aforward who scored many goals due to his excellent first touch, anticipation and finishing skills.[79] He was criticised for his defending andheading skills, as well as his habit of frequently standing in anoffside position.[80] His customarygoal celebration was to jump up on the fence at the Holgate End at Boro's old ground,Ayresome Park. When the ground was knocked down in 1996, Slaven acquired a section of the fence from the Holgate End and displayed it in his back garden for some years.[81]
Slaven was granted atestimonial match by Middlesbrough againstHereford United at theRiverside Stadium in 1996, but was embarrassed by a low turnout of 3,537.[82] He went into radio after retiring as a player, and co-hostedCentury FM's coverage of Middlesbrough matches withAli Brownlee from 1996 to 2007.[83] Brownlee tended to be positive and optimistic about Middlesbrough, whereas Slaven would be more critical and realistic.[84] The pair also presented shows forNTL's "Boro TV" channel from 1997 until Slaven was sacked in December 2002 after he missed a filming session in protest at the company's habit of failing to pay wages on time.[85] In 1999, Slaven bared hisbuttocks inBinns department store window inMiddlesbrough after telling Brownlee on Century FM that if Middlesbrough beatManchester United atOld Trafford, he would perform the dare.[86] Middlesbrough ran out 3–2 winners, so Slaven had to go ahead with the dare, with the score painted on his cheeks.[86] He went on to recreate the moment on television forThey Think It's All Over's "Feel The Sportsman" round.[87] He announced his intention to stand for the newly created post of Mayor of Middlesbrough in October 2002, but withdrew from the race before the election as his candidacy was a publicity stunt for Century FM rather than a serious attempt to enter politics.[83] He went on to present Legends Football Phone-In forReal Radio North East and later Koast Radio from 200 to 2014, alongside him wereMalcolm Macdonald andEric Gates who was replaced later byMicky Horswill.[88][89] He released two autobiographies:Strikingly Different in 1996, andLegend? in 2007.[90]
In 2015, Slaven became a Patron ofSporting Memories, a charity that supports former players and older fans living with dementia, depression or loneliness.[91]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other[a] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Greenock Morton | 1981–82 | Scottish Premier Division | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| 1982–83 | Scottish Premier Division | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 1 | ||
| Airdrieonians | 1983–84 | Scottish First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Queen of the South | 1983–84 | Scottish Second Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Albion Rovers | 1983–84 | Scottish Second Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1984–85 | Scottish Second Division | 39 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 43 | 31 | |
| Total | 42 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 46 | 31 | ||
| Middlesbrough | 1985–86 | Second Division | 32 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 9 |
| 1986–87 | Third Division | 46 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 58 | 22 | |
| 1987–88 | Second Division | 44 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 58 | 24 | |
| 1988–89 | First Division | 37 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 44 | 18 | |
| 1989–90 | Second Division | 46 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 59 | 32 | |
| 1990–91 | Second Division | 46 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 58 | 20 | |
| 1991–92 | Second Division | 38 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 49 | 18 | |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 4 | |
| Total | 307 | 118 | 19 | 3 | 55 | 25 | 381 | 146 | ||
| Port Vale | 1992–93 | Second Division | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 4 |
| 1993–94 | Second Division | 23 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 9 | |
| Total | 33 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 46 | 13 | ||
| Darlington | 1993–94 | Third Division | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| 1994–95 | Third Division | 26 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 7 | |
| Total | 37 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 9 | ||
| Billingham Synthonia total[70] | 21 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 22 | ||
| Career total[94] | 465 | 184 | 25 | 6 | 77 | 33 | 567 | 223 | ||
| Republic of Ireland national team[93] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1990 | 4 | 1 |
| 1991 | 2 | 0 |
| 1993 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 1 |
Middlesbrough
Port Vale
Individual
General
Specific
