| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eamonn John Bannon[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1958-04-18)18 April 1958 (age 67) | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1976–1979 | Heart of Midlothian | 71 | (19) |
| 1979 | Chelsea | 25 | (1) |
| 1979–1988 | Dundee United | 290 | (72) |
| 1988–1993 | Heart of Midlothian | 114 | (9) |
| 1993–1994 | Hibernian | 1 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | Stenhousemuir | 29 | (1) |
| 1997–1999 | Spartans | ||
| International career | |||
| 1978–1980 | Scotland U21[2] | 7 | (1) |
| 1978 | Scottish League XI[3] | 1 | (0) |
| 1979–1986 | Scotland | 11 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1996 | Falkirk[4] | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Eamonn John Bannon (born 18 April 1958) is a Scottish former internationalfootballer who played in midfield. His most successful seasons were withDundee United where he won two league cups and the 1983League Championship. Numerous runs with United in European football included playing in the1983–84 European Cup semi final and the1987 UEFA Cup Final.
He began his career atHearts in the mid-1970s before having a brief spell atChelsea. He rejoined Hearts in 1988, where he remained for a further five years. He also managedFalkirk for a few months in 1996.
Bannon gained 11Scotlandcaps and played at the1986 FIFA World Cup inMexico.
Bannon began his career withHearts, and made his début for the club againstAyr United during season 1976–77.[5] The young midfielder impressed with his skilful play but was unable to save Hearts from relegation.[5] Former Scotland managerWillie Ormond took over as manager the following season, and with little money available to rebuild the side he relied heavily on Bannon.[5] Bannon repaid Ormond's faith in him by scoring thirteen goals in theScottish First Division, including a hat-trick againstKilmarnock in December 1977.[5] Hearts duly secured promotion back to theScottish Premier Division at the end of the season.[5] In 1979 Hearts sold Bannon toChelsea for £220,000, with the transfer fee paying a £200,000 debt which their bank were threatening toforeclose on.[6] In this first spell at Hearts, he made a total of 71 league appearances and scored 19 goals.[7]
Chelsea bought Bannon in February 1979 to replace the departingRay Wilkins and he soon found himself a first team regular.[8] Bannon was seen as Chelsea's playmaker by managerDanny Blanchflower. He impressed with his clever play and passing ability, and became popular with the fans.[8] Bannon scored his first, and only, goal for Chelsea in his third game, a match away atBolton Wanderers.[8] Despite making a good impact, Bannon was unable to save Chelsea from relegation at the end of the season.[8] Chelsea made a strong start to the 1979–80 campaign, but two consecutive league defeats and an early exit in theLeague Cup saw manager Danny Blanchflower sacked and replaced byGeoff Hurst.[8] Although initially selected by Hurst, Bannon gradually slipped down the order at Chelsea and was sold in October 1979 toDundee United for £165,000.[8]
Bannon's £165,000 transfer to Dundee United in October 1979 was a Scottish transfer record at the time.[7] He made his début for United on 31 October 1979 in a 0–0 draw against Raith Rovers in theScottish League Cup.[7] He made his league debut three days later away atAberdeen and scored in a 3–0 win.[7][9] Bannon quickly established himself as a regular in the Dundee United team, and won his first winners medal in December 1979 when United defeated Aberdeen 3–0 in the League Cup final.[7] He went on to make a total of 31 appearances that season, scoring 4 goals.[9]
The following season saw Bannon miss only two of Dundee United's 36 league fixtures, with him scoring eight goals, including a double in a 4–1 win overRangers atIbrox.[7] Dundee United retained the Scottish League Cup, defeating local rivalsDundee by 3–0 in the final on 6 December 1980.[10] Bannon played in all eleven games in the League Cup, scoring four times en route to the final.[7] He also helped United reach the1981 Scottish Cup Final, again playing in every match and scoring againstCeltic in a 3–2 win in the semi-final.[7] United however were beaten 4–1 by Rangers in the final.[11]
Bannon helped United reach a third consecutiveScottish League Cup final in 1981–82, scoring a hat-trick away againstAyr United, but they lost narrowly to Rangers in the final.[7] Dundee United enjoyed their best season to date in Europe, reaching the quarter-finals of theUEFA Cup.[7] En route, Bannon scored two penalties in a 5–2 win away againstAS Monaco[7] and the fifth goal in Dundee United's 5–0 win at home againstBorussia Mönchengladbach, an outstanding solo goal where he ran from wide left on thehalf-way line towards goal, before cutting in to shoot past the Borussia goalkeeper.[7][12][13]
Season 1982–83 saw Dundee United involved in a tight contest with Celtic and Aberdeen for theScottish Premier Division title. Bannon proved to be an important player for United, scoring ten league goals.[7] As the season neared its end, Dundee United faced Celtic at Parkhead on 20 April 1983. United took the lead in the first half when Celtic defenderRoy Aitken mis-headered a Bannon corner, allowingPaul Hegarty to score. Celtic equalised before half-time but Bannon converted a penalty kick early in the second half to restore United's lead. Celtic again equalised, but on 84 minutes Bannon's cross from the right was volleyed in byRalph Milne to clinch a 3–2 win.[14][15] Dundee United went into their final league fixture of the season, against Dundee atDens Park, still needing a win to guarantee the title. Bannon had a penalty kick saved in the first half but scored from the rebound to put United 2–0 ahead, and despite Dundee pulling a goal back, United held on to win their first ever Scottish league title.[16]
Dundee United's league success saw them take part in theEuropean Cup in1983–84.[17] United reached the semi-finals, with Bannon scoring once againstĦamrun Spartans in one of the early rounds with a header.[18] United failed to reach the final, losing 3–2 on aggregate toRoma in an ill-tempered tie.[19][20] Dundee United also failed to retain their league title, finishing in third place and 10 points behind winners Aberdeen.[17]
Dundee United maintained a regular top five placing in succeeding seasons. Bannon remained a key figure in a United side that went on to reach the1987 UEFA Cup Final and theScottish Cup1985,1987 and1988. They lost in all of these finals, and theScottish Cup was the only domestic trophy Bannon failed to win in his career. The1988 Scottish Cup Final defeat to Celtic was Bannon's last match for Dundee United, as he then returned to Hearts.[17]
Bannon returned to Hearts in June 1988 who bought him for a transfer fee of £225,000,[1][21] and he spent the next five years there.[5] He didn't win any silverware, but played in the famous 1–0UEFA Cup win overBayern Munich at Tynecastle in February 1989 (although they lost the second leg 2–0 in Germany to go out on aggregate).[22] He was also credited with having a positive influence on the younger players breaking through at that time, such asAlan McLaren andScott Crabbe.[5]
At the end of his playing career he had a spell as player-coach withHibs during season 1993–94,[23] making one solitary appearance in the league in April 1994, playing in central defence.[24][25] Bannon returned to Hearts in the summer of 1994 for a season asassistant manager underTommy McLean,[23][26] before a final playing spell withStenhousemuir. Now playing as a defender, Bannon helped them win the1995 Scottish Challenge Cup Final atMcDiarmid Park, as they defeated his old club Dundee United on a penalty shootout.[5]
Bannon went on to manageFalkirk for a few months in 1996[27] before buying a guest house in Edinburgh, which he has run since 1997.[28] Bannon played forSpartans for a couple of years before retiring at the age of 40, although he continued to coach the side.[29] Bannon also does matchday work for thePress Association.[5]
In 2009, Bannon was inducted intoDundee United'sHall of Fame, alongside former teammates such asDavid Narey,Paul Hegarty andPaul Sturrock.[9]
Bannon began his international career in 1978, making his début for theScotland under-21 team on 17 September atPittodrie Stadium in a friendly against theUSA.[2][30] He went on to play a total of seven games at Under 21 level between 1978 and 1980,[2] scoring once in a European Championship tie away againstNorway in a 2–2 draw.[2][30]
Bannon made his full international début forScotland on 19 December 1979 in a European Championship qualifier againstBelgium atHampden Park. Bannon played in the first half, but was replaced at half-time byDavie Provan as Belgium eased to a comfortable 3–1 win.[31][32][33] He didn't feature again for Scotland until getting a recall for the1983 British Home Championship tie againstNorthern Ireland at Hampden on 24 May 1983.[31][34] Although the match finished 0–0, Bannon impressed with his pace and crossing of the ball, and was considered one of Scotland's best players on the night.[35] He kept his place in the side for the next British Championship match four days later in Cardiff againstWales, helping Scotland win 2–0.[31] Scotland travelled toWembley for the last tie againstEngland on 1 June. However, Scotland were outplayed and Bannon failed to match the form he had shown in the previous two games. England ran out comfortable 2–0 winners to clinch the British Championship title.[36] Bannon faded from the international scene after that, but scored what proved to be his only Scotland goal in November 1983 away againstEast Germany.[31]
In January 1986, with Scotland making preparations for theWorld Cup in Mexico, Bannon's form at club level saw him selected byAlex Ferguson for his 21-man squad travelling to playIsrael for a friendly inTel Aviv. Bannon was accompanied by four of hisDundee United teammates;Richard Gough,Maurice Malpas,David Narey andPaul Sturrock.[37]
Bannon played in the match for Scotland, his first cap in over two years, which Scotland won 1–0.[38] Back in the Scotland set-up, Bannon was part of the 22-man squad that travelled to Mexico for the World Cup. What transpired to be his final two games for Scotland came as a substitute in the defeat toDenmark and started the next match againstWest Germany.[31] It was in this game he had an outstanding shot from the edge of the box, forcing an excellent save by German goalkeeperHarald Schumacher.[39] Scotland went on to lose the match 2–1, and Bannon was not included in the squad for the final group match againstUruguay.[31]
His nephew,Paul Telfer, also played for Scotland.[40]
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Scotland | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1976–77 | Heart of Midlothian | Scottish Premier Division | 13 | 1 | 5 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 | |
| 1977–78 | Scottish First Division | 39 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 3 | - | 49 | 17 | ||
| 1978–79 | Scottish Premier Division | 19 | 5 | - | 2 | 1 | - | 21 | 6 | |||
| England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1978–79 | Chelsea | First Division | 19 | 1 | - | - | - | 19 | 1 | |||
| 1979–80 | Second Division | 6 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | - | 8 | 0 | |||
| Scotland | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1979–80 | Dundee United | Scottish Premier Division | 24 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | 31 | 4 | |
| 1980–81 | 34 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 55 | 13 | ||
| 1981–82 | 36 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 60 | 22 | ||
| 1982–83 | 32 | 10 | - | 5 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 13 | |||
| 1983–84 | 33 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 53 | 11 | ||
| 1984–85 | 35 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 53 | 16 | ||
| 1985–86 | 31 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 47 | 15 | ||
| 1986–87 | 39 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 58 | 9 | ||
| 1987–88 | 26 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 5 | ||
| 1988–89 | Heart of Midlothian | 30 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 45 | 2 | |
| 1989–90 | 33 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | - | 39 | 3 | |||
| 1990–91 | 19 | 2 | - | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 3 | |||
| 1991–92 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 0 | - | - | 18 | 2 | ||||
| 1992–93 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | 24 | 1 | |||
| 1993–94 | Hibernian | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 1995–96 | Stenhousemuir | Scottish Second Division | 29 | 1 | N/A | N/A | - | 29 | 1 | |||
| Total | Scotland | 500 | 103 | 62 | 13 | 77 | 24 | 64 | 10 | 703 | 150 | |
| Total | England | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 | |
| Career total | 525 | 104 | 62 | 13 | 79 | 24 | 64 | 10 | 730 | 151 | ||
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