.jpg) Peters in 1970 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Martin Stanford Peters | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1943-11-08)8 November 1943 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Plaistow,Essex, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 21 December 2019(2019-12-21) (aged 76) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Brentwood, England[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1970 | West Ham United | 302 | (81) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970–1975 | Tottenham Hotspur | 189 | (46) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975–1980 | Norwich City | 207 | (44) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979 | Frankston City (guest) | 5 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1981 | Sheffield United | 24 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1983 | Gorleston | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 727 | (178) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1960–1962 | England Youth[3] | 12 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1962–1966 | England U23[4] | 5 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966–1974 | England | 67 | (20) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981 | Sheffield United | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Martin Stanford PetersMBE (8 November 1943 – 21 December 2019) was an Englishfootballer and manager. As a member of theEngland team which won the1966 FIFA World Cup, he scored the second of England's four goals in the final againstWest Germany. He also played in the1970 FIFA World Cup.[5] Born inPlaistow,Essex, he played club football forWest Ham United,Tottenham Hotspur,Norwich City andSheffield United. He briefly managed Sheffield United before retiring from professional football in 1981.
Peters was known as "the completemidfielder" as he could pass the ball well with either foot, was good in the air and difficult to mark because of his movement.[6] Afree kick specialist, he was described by England manager SirAlf Ramsey, after a game againstScotland in 1968, as being "ten years ahead of his time".[7] His versatility was such that while he was at West Ham he played in every position in the team, including goalkeeper in his third game, replacing an injuredBrian Rhodes.[6] With his transfer from West Ham United to Tottenham Hotspur in 1970, he became Britain's first £200,000 footballer.[8]
Peters was born in Egham Road, off Beckton Road inPlaistow, Essex, on Monday 8 November 1943 during theSecond World War. His father, William Peters, was aThamesLighterman. Shortly after Peters' birth, he wasevacuated with his mother toShropshire to avoid the bombing of London by theLuftwaffe.[9] When he was seven his family moved toDagenham, where he attended the local Fanshawe School.[10] In schoolboy football, he played mostly as acentre-half but often as afull-back.[11] He came to the attention ofFulham,Arsenal,Tottenham Hotspur andChelsea. Peters did not support any club as a schoolboy and favoured joining Chelsea as his friendTerry Venables, whom he had met playing for Dagenham Schoolboys, had signed for Chelsea.[12] After playing forEngland schoolboys he wasscouted byWally St Pier forWest Ham United.[12] In the summer of 1959 he was signed as a 15-year-old apprentice by West Ham.[13]
Peters signed his first professional contract in November 1960.[14] His first managerTed Fenton left the club in 1961, to be replaced byRon Greenwood. He was a major influence on Peters and his progress as a young footballer.[15] In his first years with West Ham, Peters had played in both defensive and midfield positions before Fenton had encouraged him to play as aright-half.[14][16][17] He made his debut onGood Friday 1962 in a 4–1 home win againstCardiff City. He scored his first goal for West Ham in a 6–1 win atManchester City on 8 September 1962.[18] Also in 1962, Peters played in goal for West Ham in a game against Cardiff after regular goalkeeper,Brian Rhodes had been injured.[19]
Peters played only five games in his first season with West Ham. Although he played 32 league games in the 1963–64 season, he played no part in theirFA Cup run and was not selected for theFA Cupfinal of 1964 atWembley, in which they beatPreston North End 3–2.[20] The following year, however, he established himself as a first team regular and was victorious at Wembley when West Ham won theEuropean Cup Winners Cup with victory over1860 Munich.[21] He was usually partnered in midfield byEddie Bovington andRonnie Boyce.[18]
Peters began to impose himself on West Ham's game, and another chance for silverware came in 1966 when West Ham reached theLeague Cup final. The occasion was still over two-legs with each of the finalists hosting a leg (though this changed to a one-off final at Wembley a year later), and Peters played in both matches. He scored in the second game but opponentsWest Bromwich Albion emerged as 5–3 winners onaggregate.[22][23][24] The 1968–69 season saw Peters' onlyhat-trick for West Ham, in a 4–0 home defeat of West Bromwich Albion.[25] That was also his most prolific season: 24 goals came for him from 48 games.[18]
Feeling he was in the shadows ofBobby Moore andGeoff Hurst, Peters sought a new challenge. In March 1970, West Ham received a record-breaking £200,000 (£150,000 cash) for Peters fromTottenham Hotspur and he moved to White Hart Lane, with Spurs and England strikerJimmy Greaves (valued at £50,000) going the other way.[26][8] On 21 March 1970, Peters scored on his Spurs debut againstCoventry City.[8] He won his first domestic winners' medal in 1971 when Spurs beatAston Villa 2–0 in theLeague Cup final,[8] and his second European triumph when Spurs beatWolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 on aggregate to win the1972 UEFA Cup final. At the time, this was the only all-English European final untilManchester United beat Chelsea in the2008 UEFA Champions League final.[8] WhenAlan Mullery left forFulham in 1972,Bill Nicholson made Martin club captain. In the1973 Football League Cup final, Peters was the winning skipper as they defeatedNorwich City 1–0. He completed one more full season with Spurs, who lost the1974 UEFA Cup final toFeyenoord onaggregate.[27] He then moved in March 1975 to Norwich City – managed by his former West Ham teammateJohn Bond – for a fee of £40,000.[26][28] In total Peters played 260 times in all competitions, scoring 76 goals.[29]
Peters, then aged 31, made his debut appearance for Norwich on 15 March 1975 in a 1–1 away draw with Manchester United.[28] He helped newly promoted Norwich establish themselves in the First Division, making more than 200 appearances, and earning a testimonial against an all-star team which included most of the 1966 World Cup-winning England XI.[30] He was votedNorwich City F.C. Player of the Season two years running, in 1976 and 1977, and in 2002 was made an inaugural member of theNorwich City F.C. Hall of Fame.[31] In 1978, whilst still a Norwich City player, Peters was awarded anMBE for services toassociation football.[32] Peters also travelled to Australia and played as a guest player for Victorian State League sideFrankston City. For them he played five games, scoring three goals; the team won four and drew one of the matches in which he competed.[33][34]
He joinedSheffield United on 31 July 1980 as player-coach, eventually replacingHarry Haslam as manager.[35]
Alf Ramsey had seen Peters' potential quickly, and in May 1966 he gave the young midfielder his debut forEngland national team againstYugoslavia at Wembley.[36] England won 2–0 and Peters had an outstanding debut. Nearly scoring twice he set up chances forJimmy Greaves and for others.[37] In the final preparation period for Ramsey prior to naming his squad for the1966 FIFA World Cup, Peters played in two more of the scheduled warm-up games. AgainstFinland, he scored his first international goal in what was only his second appearance,[38] and subsequently he made Ramsey's squad for the competition, as did his West Ham teammatesBobby Moore (the England captain) andGeoff Hurst.[39]
Though Peters did not play in the opening group game againstUruguay, the drab 0–0 draw prompted Ramsey into changes.[36] The England coach had been toying with using a system which allowed narrow play through the centre, not operating with conventional wingers but instead with fitter, centralised players who could show willing in defence as well as spread the ball and their runs in attack. Peters therefore had become an ideal player for this 4-1-3-2 system, elegant in his distribution and strong in his forward running, yet showing the stamina, discipline and pace to get back and help the defence when required. This system was dubbed "the wingless wonders".[40][41]
Ramsey put Peters in the team for his fourth cap, for the second group game againstMexico, which England won 2–0.[42] He kept his place as England got through their group, scraped past a violentArgentina side in the quarter finals (Peters' late cross set up Hurst's header for the only goal)[43] and beatPortugal in the last four.[44] TheWest Germany awaited in the final.
A tense but open game at Wembley saw the score at 1–1 in the final quarter of an hour when England won a corner.Alan Ball delivered it to the edge of the area to Hurst, who tried a shot on the turn. The ball deflected high into the air and bounced down into the penalty area where Peters rifled home ahalf-volley. West Germany equalised in the final seconds, though glory would still come the team's way with the 4–2 win in extra time, and Hurst – like Peters, winning only his eighth cap – completing a historic hat-trick.[45]
Peters played in England's three group games in the1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, from which they qualified, again with West Germany waiting in the last eight. Peters scored against Germany again early in the second half – a run and finish from behind a defender which no West German player had spotted – to establish a 2–0 lead, but later Ramsey committed a tactical error bysubstituting Peters andBobby Charlton withColin Bell andNorman Hunter, and West Germany won 3–2 in extra-time.[46][47]
In 1972, Peters won his 50th England cap in a qualifier forUEFA Euro 1972, beatingSwitzerland 3–2.[47] England failed to progress due to another defeat against West Germany, who went on to win the tournament.[48] International disappointment for Peters was tempered mildly by more club success, and he scored the only goal as England beatScotland at Wembley on 19 May 1973.[47] It was his 20th goal for his country and would prove to be his last. England had been stuttering in their qualifying campaign for the1974 FIFA World Cup, dropping points in a drawn game againstWales and then a 2–0 defeat againstPoland inChorzów on 6 June 1973.[47] England needed to defeat Poland at Wembley on 17 October 1973 to qualify for the finals in Germany, and with an out-of-form Moore dropped from the side – he would subsequently play only once more for his country – Peters captained the side for the crucial game. A defensive error allowed Poland to score, and only a penalty allowed England to level up quickly.Allan Clarke scored from it, but England could not get the crucial winning goal. Poland went through after the match finished 1–1, meaning Peters would not play in a third successive World Cup competition.
At the age of 30, Peters' career at the highest level began to slip away. He played three more games for England, reaching a total of 67 caps, though his career with his country ended on 18 May 1974, as England lost 2–0 against Scotland atHampden Park.[36][47]
His wait to become manager was not long, his final game coming againstGillingham on 17 January 1981 which Haslam was too ill to attend, and at which there were demonstrations from the Sheffield United fans. Peters retired to take up the manager's job the following day with United 12th in the table with 16 games to play, but was unable to halt the decline already in place, winning just three of the remaining games. For the first and only time in their history Sheffield United were relegated to theFourth Division,[49] and Peters resigned.[50] On his retirement from professional football in January 1981, after a distinguished and injury-free career, he had made 882 appearances in total, scoring 220 goals. After he quit Sheffield United, Peters spent the 1982–83 season playing in defence forGorleston[51] in theEastern Counties League.
In 1984, he moved into the insurance business where he stayed until he was made redundant in July 2001.[52]
Peters joined the board of directors at Spurs in a non-executive capacity in 1998, taking on a supporter-liaison role.[29] He remained in that post for four years before stepping down, but remained one of the match-day welcomers in the hospitality suites at the club'sWhite Hart Lane ground. He also worked in the hospitality suites atUpton Park for West Ham home matches.[53]
In 2006, Peters published hisautobiography,The Ghost of '66.[54] That same year he was inducted, with former managerRon Greenwood, into theEnglish Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his achievements as a player.[55]
In 1964, Peters married Kathleen Ward, with whom he had two children. They remained married until his death in 2019.[56][57] Peters identified as aConservative Party supporter when asked about his politics in 1972.[58]
In 2016, it was announced that Peters hadAlzheimer's disease.[59][60] Peters died on 21 December 2019, aged 76. Tributes were paid to him from football clubs he played for, including West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City and many others.[61][29][62] In September 2021, Peters' ashes wereinterred in afoundation stone at West Ham's ground, theLondon Stadium.[63]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| West Ham United | 1961–62 | First Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |
| 1962–63 | First Division | 36 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 39 | 9 | ||
| 1963–64 | First Division | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 36 | 3 | ||
| 1964–65 | First Division | 35 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9[a] | 1 | 47 | 6 | |
| 1965–66 | First Division | 40 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 6[a] | 3 | 60 | 17 | |
| 1966–67 | First Division | 41 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | — | 49 | 16 | ||
| 1967–68 | First Division | 40 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | 46 | 18 | ||
| 1968–69 | First Division | 42 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 48 | 24 | ||
| 1969–70 | First Division | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 34 | 7 | ||
| Total | 302 | 81 | 16 | 5 | 31 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 364 | 100 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1969–70 | First Division | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | |||
| 1970–71 | First Division | 42 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 4[b] | 4 | 58 | 19 | |
| 1971–72 | First Division | 35 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 14[c] | 2 | 61 | 17 | |
| 1972–73 | First Division | 41 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 8[d] | 3 | 60 | 24 | |
| 1973–74 | First Division | 35 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12[d] | 8 | 49 | 14 | |
| 1974–75 | First Division | 29 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 4 | ||
| Total | 189 | 46 | 16 | 5 | 23 | 12 | 38 | 17 | 266 | 80 | ||
| Norwich City | 1974–75 | Second Division | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | |||
| 1975–76 | First Division | 42 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3[e] | 1 | 53 | 14 | |
| 1976–77 | First Division | 42 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 48 | 8 | |
| 1977–78 | First Division | 34 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 7 | |
| 1978–79 | First Division | 39 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3[e] | 0 | 46 | 12 | |
| 1979–80 | First Division | 40 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 48 | 8 | ||
| Total | 207 | 44 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 241 | 51 | ||
| Frankston City (guest) | 1979[33] | Victorian State League | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | |||
| Sheffield United | 1980–81 | Third Division | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 28 | 4 |
| Career total | 727 | 178 | 44 | 13 | 69 | 25 | 64 | 22 | 904 | 238 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | |||
| 1966 | 11 | 3 | |
| 1967 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1968 | 8 | 3 | |
| 1969 | 8 | 3 | |
| 1970 | 12 | 5 | |
| 1971 | 8 | 2 | |
| 1972 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1973 | 11 | 2 | |
| 1974 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 64 | 20 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 June 1966 | Olympic Stadium,Helsinki, Finland |  Finland | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 30 July 1966 | Wembley Stadium,London, England |  West Germany | 2–1 | 4–2 (a.e.t.) | 1966 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | 22 October 1966 | Windsor Park,Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland | 2–0 | 2–0 | British Home Championship/UEFA Euro 1968 qualification |
| 4 | 21 October 1967 | Ninian Park,Cardiff, Wales |  Wales | 1–0 | 3–0 | |
| 5 | 6 December 1967 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  Soviet Union | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 6 | 24 February 1968 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, Scotland |  Scotland | 1–0 | 1–1 | British Home Championship/UEFA Euro 1968 qualification |
| 7 | 8 May 1968 | Santiago Bernabéu Stadium,Madrid, Spain |  Spain | 1–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 1968 qualification |
| 8 | 22 May 1968 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  Sweden | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 9 | 3 May 1969 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 3–1 | British Home Championship |
| 10 | 10 May 1969 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | Scotland | 1–0 | 4–1 | |
| 11 | 4–0 | |||||
| 12 | 21 April 1970 | Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 3–1 | British Home Championship | |
| 13 | 20 May 1970 | Estadio El Campín,Bogotá, Colombia |  Colombia | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 2–0 | |||||
| 15 | 14 June 1970 | Estadio León,León, Mexico | West Germany | 2–0 | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | 1970 FIFA World Cup |
| 16 | 25 November 1970 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  East Germany | 2–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 17 | 3 February 1971 | Empire Stadium,Gżira, Malta |  Malta | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 1972 qualification |
| 18 | 22 May 1971 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | Scotland | 2–0 | 4–1 | |
| 19 | 15 May 1973 | Wales | 3–0 | 3–0 | British Home Championship | |
| 20 | 19 May 1973 | Scotland | 1–0 | 1–0 |
West Ham United[64]
Tottenham Hotspur[64]
International[64]
Individual
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link]Martin Peters at Englandstats.com
England squads | |||||||||||||
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| Artists | |
