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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1951-12-03)3 December 1951 (age 73) | ||
| Place of birth | Workington, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1969–1971 | Workington | 27 | (0) |
| 1971 | →Blackpool (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1971–1975 | Blackpool | 131 | (0) |
| 1975–1978 | Aston Villa | 65 | (0) |
| 1978 | →Southend United (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 1978–1980 | Crystal Palace | 88 | (0) |
| 1980–1982 | Queens Park Rangers | 39 | (0) |
| 1982–1984 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 74 | (0) |
| 1984 | →Derby County (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 1984–1987 | Sheffield United | 109 | (0) |
| 1987–1989 | Southampton | 62 | (0) |
| 1989–1991 | Newcastle United | 67 | (0) |
| 1991–1993 | Hibernian | 65 | (0) |
| 1993 | Newcastle United | 0 | (0) |
| 1993 | Scarborough | 3 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | Lincoln City | 4 | (0) |
| 1994 | Enfield | 0 | (0) |
| 1994 | Aberdeen | 3 | (0) |
| 1994 | Newcastle United | 0 | (0) |
| 1994 | Dunfermline Athletic | 0 | (0) |
| 1994 | Dumbarton | 3 | (0) |
| 1994 | Falkirk | 3 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Manchester City | 4 | (0) |
| 1995 | Notts County | 0 | (0) |
| 1995 | Witton Albion | 0 | (0) |
| 1995 | Darlington | 3 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | Grimsby Town | 0 | (0) |
| 1996 | Gateshead | 0 | (0) |
| 1996 | Northampton Town | 0 | (0) |
| 1996 | Queen of the South | 6 | (0) |
| 1996 | Purfleet | 0 | (0) |
| 1996 | Blyth Spartans | 0 | (0) |
| 1996 | Scarborough | 0 | (0) |
| 1997 | Blyth Spartans | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 768 | (0) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Blyth Spartans | ||
| 2016 | Global | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Burridge (born 3 December 1951),[1] nicknamedBudgie, is an English formergoalkeeper. In his senior career he played for 29 clubs, 18 of them in theFootball League, in a career that lasted nearly 30 years. Overall, Burridge played 768 league games in the English and Scottish leagues, and several more atnon-league level.
Born inWorkington, Burridge grew up in theCumbrian mining village ofGreat Clifton.[2] He began his professional career at his local club,Workington, signing-up at the age of 15.[2] He played his first league game in 1969.
In 1971, he was transferred toBlackpool, initially on loan at the end of the1970–71 season,[3] then permanently for the start of1971–72. It was withthe Seasiders that he won his first honour: theAnglo-Italian Cup. Blackpool beatBologna 2–1, after extra time, at the latter's Stadio Comunale on 12 June 1971. Burridge's performance earned him the praise of the normally highly-critical Italian fans.[4]
In 1975, Burridge joinedAston Villa for £75,000.[3] He was signed byRon Saunders and spent two seasons atVilla Park, winning theLeague Cup with them, but eventually lost his place toJimmy Rimmer. He had a short but successful loan spell atSouthend United before joiningCrystal Palace in 1978, signed byTerry Venables. In a 4–1 victory over Ipswich Town, after Palace went 4–0 up, Burridge, to entertain the fans, sat on the crossbar.[5] After two and a half seasons at Palace, he joinedLondon rivalsQueens Park Rangers, again signed by Venables. He was dropped in favour ofPeter Hucker for the1982 FA Cup Final.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 John Burridge back flip and circus warm up. |
In July 1982, Burridge joined his seventh club,Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the 1982–83 season in a game atMolineux, Wolves entertained Newcastle United. Prior to the game Burridge had made a bet with a stake of £100, withKevin Keegan that Burridge would play the game in a Superman outfit.[6] As a result of the bet, Wolves biggest crowd of the season, a crowd of 22500, witnessed Burridge playing the match in aSuperman outfit.[6] Burridge helped Wolves gain promotion to the top flight asrunners-up, only to be relegated the following season. He left Wolves in October 1984 to joinSheffield United, signed byIan Porterfield. He also had a loan spell atDerby County, signed byArthur Cox, shortly before joining the Blades.
Burridge spent three seasons atSheffield United before joiningSouthampton in 1987, signed byChris Nicholl. Two years later, he moved toNewcastle United. After two years at Newcastle United, he moved to Scotland to joinHibernian, where he won aScottish League Cup winners' medal.[7] After two years inEdinburgh, Burridge returned to Newcastle for a second spell at the club in 1993, signed byKevin Keegan.
Despite being past 40, Burridge refused to hang up his gloves, and continued moving across the country for short spells at any club that requested his services. Between 1993 and 1997, Burridge played for no fewer than fourteen clubs. They were, in chronological order:Scarborough,Lincoln,Aberdeen,Dumbarton,Falkirk,Manchester City, (where he became, at 43 years, four months and 26 days, the oldest player to appear in thePremier League[8])Notts County,Witton Albion,Darlington,Grimsby,Gateshead,Northampton Town,Queen of the South,Blyth Spartans, Scarborough once more. These spells usually lasted no more than one or two games as an emergency goalkeeper. He finished his playing career with a brief spell asplayer-manager at Blyth Spartans in 1997, following a similarly brief spell back at Newcastle United as goalkeeping coach.
Burridge was inducted into theHall of Fame at Bloomfield Road, when it was officially opened by former Blackpool playerJimmy Armfield in April 2006.[9] Organised by the Blackpool Supporters Association, Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade are inducted; Burridge is in the 1970s.[10]
In his second spell with Blyth Spartans, Burridge was the club's player-manager. On 15 November 1997, he took Spartans to his first club, Blackpool, in the first round of theFA Cup.[3] The hosts won 4–3.[3]
Burridge 'discovered'Oman international goalkeeperAli Al-Habsi aged 16 in his first spell on the coaching staff of theOman national football team and was instrumental in the player's transfer toBolton Wanderers in January 2006. He has also coached English national goalkeepersTim Flowers,Nigel Martyn andPaul Robinson.
Burridge worked as a goalkeeping coach forAl Ain Football Club in theUnited Arab Emirates. He was a regular guest for the launch of English Premier League show on the regional sports channel ART Prime Sports and a regular pundit on Starhub,Singapore's Football Channel. He is also a writer in the football column of Singapore newspaper,The New Paper. Burridge had a spell as a backup commentator along withRob Lee for Ten SportsUEFA Champions League fixtures and resident pundit onThe Football Channel in Singapore, before returning to work for the Oman national team as goalkeeper coach. He was dismissed by Oman in January 2011.[citation needed]
As of January 2012, Burridge is working as a television pundit for Ten Sports on their football show C2K onTEN Action along withJoe Morrison andCarlton Palmer.[2] Together they coverUEFA Champions League andUEFA Europa League football fromDubai.[2]
in September 2015, he was the goalkeeping coach for theLionsXII which plays in theMalaysian Super League.[11]
In August 2016, it was reported that he had joinedGlobal F.C. of theUnited Football League,[12] although the appointment was short-lived as Burridge did not have the necessary coaching badge.[13]
In July 2019, he was signed by theIndian Super League top division clubKerala Blasters as their goalkeeping consultant for goalkeeping academy.[14]
Unusually for a player in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Burridge was a teetotaller.[15] He also went against the grain with his diet.[15] In the 1970s Burridge noted players would eat steaks, or even fish and chips for prematch meals, whereas Burridge, studying sport science, and the diets of African tribesmen, sensing something was not right with the way footballers generally fuelled and refuelled, and finding fault with the timing of their fuelling, would carb up with quick meals like baby food, pasta and potatoes.[15] He would drink glasses of water instead of a cup of tea.[15] Perplexing the people of the time period, Burridge would also make fruit smoothies before many had considered the concept of blending fruits for nutrition.[15]
In the 1980s, on winning runs, warming up he would do somersaults to entertain the fans, which Burridge noted was frowned upon by the echelons in the game though Burridge did not care for their sentiments, or their belief as to what was the correct way to warm up.[15]
In the 1970s Burridge would also be among the first goalkeepers to useLatex gloves;[16] he would also introducePeter Shilton andPat Jennings to latex gloves.[16]
Burridge is married to Janet, whom he met while withBlackpool. His son, Tom, playedice hockey forBlackburn Hawks.[17] John Burridge's autobiography, entitled "Budgie" was released on 4 April 2011.[18]
Blackpool
Aston Villa
Crystal Palace
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Hibernian
Individual
