| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William James Glazier[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1943-08-02)2 August 1943 (age 81) | ||
| Place of birth | Nottingham, England | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1961 | Crystal Palace | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1961–1964 | Crystal Palace | 106 | (0) |
| 1964–1975 | Coventry City | 346 | (0) |
| 1975 | Brentford | 9 | (0) |
| 1977 | St. Louis Stars | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 461 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1964–1965 | England U23 | 3 | (0) |
| 1970 | Football League XI | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William James Glazier (born 2 August 1943) is an English retired professionalfootballer who played as agoalkeeper. He is best remembered for his time inthe Football League withCoventry City, for whom he made over 390 appearances and is a member of the club's Hall of Fame. He was capped by England atU23 level and represented theFootball League XI.
Glazier's involvement in football began with a spell as a member of theground staff atThird Division clubTorquay United, before he was released due to lack of funds.[2]
In October 1961, Glazier joined Third Division clubCrystal Palace on trial, which was arranged by virtue of his family's bread delivery man being a personal friend of PalacecaptainJohnny McNichol.[2] Glazier was signed on the strength of his performance for the Palace 'A' team in a match versusDover.[2] He quickly displacedVic Rouse as first-choice goalkeeper and was an ever-present during the1963–64 season, in which the club secured promotion to theSecond Division with a runners-up finish.[3][4] Glazier departedSelhurst Park in October 1964, after making 113 appearances for Palace.[5]
In October 1964, the manager of Second Division clubCoventry City,Jimmy Hill, signed Glazier for a then world-record fee for agoalkeeper of £35,000.[3] Glazier suffered a broken leg in a match versusManchester City in April 1965, which kept him out of the game for a year.[2] He returned to play in the Coventry team which won the Second Division title in the1966–67 season.[3] Now playing in theFirst Division, Glazier continued as the club's first-choice goalkeeper until August 1975.[6] He was awarded atestimonial in November 1974 versus anEngland 1966 World Cup XI, with Glazier scoring twice in a 6–6 draw.[2] Glazier made 392 appearances in 11 years atHighfield Road.[6] He twice won the Coventry City Player of the Year award (1968–69 and1973–74) and was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame.[7][8]
Glazier dropped down to theFourth Division to sign forBrentford for a £12,500 fee in August 1975.[1] The move was helped along by Jimmy Hill (by now working as abroadcaster), who put Glazier in touch with Brentford managerJohn Docherty, who had been looking for a goalkeeper afterloaneeSteve Sherwood returned toChelsea.[2] Business interests and problems commuting from hisBrighton home meant that Glazier couldn't give his full commitment to the Bees and he left the club after making just 12 appearances.[1]
Glazier ended his career with a spell atNorth American Soccer League clubSt. Louis Stars in1977.[9]
Glazier won three caps for theEngland U23 team and kept aclean sheet in each match.[10] One of Glazier's caps came againstRomania at Highfield Road (home of his then-club side Coventry City) drew a crowd of 27,476, one of the highest attendances for an U23 match in England.[2] A broken leg suffered with Coventry City in 1965 cut short Glazier's international career, as he was over the age-limit after returning to fitness.[2] In March 1970, Glazer played for theFootball League in a 3–2 win over itsScottish counterparts.[11]
Early in his career, Glazier lived in Brighton, where his parents ran aguesthouse.[2] After retiring from football, Glazier ran a hotel in Brighton before moving to Spain for 12 years,[2] where he worked in swimming pool maintenance.[12] He returned to the UK in 1998 and settled inLincolnshire, where he began a catering business with his wife.[2]
Crystal Palace
Coventry City
Individual
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Coventry City | 1964–65[6] | Second Division | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | |
| 1965–66[6] | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| 1966–67[6] | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 1967–68[6] | First Division | 40 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 43 | 0 | ||
| 1968–69[6] | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 49 | 0 | |||
| 1969–70[6] | 40 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 43 | 0 | |||
| 1970–71[6] | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 49 | 0 | ||
| 1971–72[6] | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 40 | 0 | |||
| 1972–73[6] | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| 1973–74[6] | 40 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 52 | 0 | |||
| 1974–75[6] | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Total | 346 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 392 | 0 | ||
| Brentford | 1975–76[13] | Fourth Division | 9 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 355 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 404 | 0 | ||