| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Reginald Thomas[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1954-07-07)7 July 1954 (age 71)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Mochdre, Wales[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1972–1978 | Wrexham | 230 | (33) |
| 1978–1981 | Manchester United | 90 | (11) |
| 1981 | Everton | 10 | (0) |
| 1981–1982 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 20 | (0) |
| 1982–1984 | Stoke City | 57 | (14) |
| 1984–1985 | Chelsea | 44 | (9) |
| 1985–1986 | West Bromwich Albion | 20 | (0) |
| 1986 | →Derby County (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 1986–1988 | Wichita Wings | 76 | (28[2]) |
| 1988–1989 | Shrewsbury Town | 40 | (1) |
| 1989–1990 | Leeds United | 3 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Stoke City | 46 | (7) |
| 1991–1993 | Wrexham | 34 | (2) |
| 1994 | Porthmadog | ? | (?) |
| Total | 679 | (105) | |
| International career | |||
| 1976–1986 | Wales | 51 | (4) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1994 | Porthmadog | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Michael Reginald Thomas (born 7 July 1954) is a Welsh formerfootballer who played as awinger. At club level, he played forWrexham,Manchester United,Everton,Brighton & Hove Albion,Stoke City,Chelsea,West Bromwich Albion,Derby County,Shrewsbury Town andLeeds United. As aWelsh international, he made 51 appearances and scored four goals.[1]
Thomas began his career with local side Wrexham where he spent eight seasons and earned a move to Manchester United in 1978. After three seasons atOld Trafford, Thomas had short spells at Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion before joining Stoke City in August 1982. After one and a half seasons at theVictoria Ground, he moved on to Chelsea, with whom he helped gain promotion in1983–84. He then played for West Bromwich Albion and Derby County and also spent two years in the United States playing indoor football forWichita Wings. He moved back to England in 1988 to play for Shrewsbury Town and Leeds United before making returns to Stoke City and Wrexham.
Thomas was born inMochdre, Conwy, Wales, and was among a group of notable footballers to come out of North West Wales during the 1970s and 1980s. Local factory Quinton Hazell bought him a pair of boots when he was at school in the mid-1960s, and at the age of 13 Thomas was a success as left wing on the factory's Conwy League men's team. By 15, he and friendJoey Jones were taken on byWrexham. Though the first two years were spent cleaning boots, the changing rooms and the whole stadium, Thomas made his first-team debut in the1971–72 season, when still only 17. Under managerJohn Neal he helped Wrexham establish their giant-killing reputation by reaching the quarter finals of theFA Cup in 1974 and the quarter finals of the EuropeanCup Winners' Cup in 1976, when they lost to the eventual winners,Anderlecht of Belgium. After helping Wrexham storm to theThird Division title in1977–78, Thomas crossed the border to England and joinedManchester United. He played 110 games and scored 15 goals for the Red Devils, collecting anFA Cup runners-up medal in1979.
He then moved toEverton in August 1981 but lasted just three months at Everton, his contract terminated by managerHoward Kendall in the autumn of 1981 after he refused to play in the reserves.[1] He moved toBrighton & Hove Albion where he saw out the1981–82 season but his wife struggled to settle in Brighton and so he moved on again this time toStoke City for a fee of £200,000.[1] He instantly became a favourite at theVictoria Ground and top-scored in1982–83 with 12 goals coming from left wing and he won theplayer of the year award. In the summer of 1983 managerRichie Barker decided to alter his style of play to thelong ball game.[1] This decision did not go down well with the players and most of them signalled their intent to leave and Thomas left in January 1984, after scoring three goals in 21 matches in1983–84.[1]
He joined promotion-chasingChelsea in January 1984, signed by the manager who had given him his debut at Wrexham,John Neal. Thomas made an immediate impact, scoring twice on his debut and helping the club become Second Division champions in1983–84. He was sold toWest Bromwich Albion in 1985 for £100,000 where he played 28 times scoring once and also had a short loan spell atDerby County. In 1986 Thomas moved to the United States where he lent his skills to theWichita Wings in theMajor Indoor Soccer League. After two seasons in the United States he returned to England withShrewsbury Town andLeeds United before making a return to Stoke City in March 1990.[1] He could do little to preventAlan Ball's Stoke suffering relegation in1989–90 but at the age of 36 he played in 44 matches in1990–91 and won the player of the year award again as Stoke failed to mount a promotion challenge.[1] He was released at the end of the season byLou Macari and returned to Wrexham in 1991, where in the memorableFA Cup defeat ofArsenal in January 1992, 37-year-old Thomas scored the equalising goal from afree kick.[1]
He joined Welsh League sidePorthmadog in 1994 under the management of former Wales international teammateIan Edwards. When Edwards was sacked Thomas took over as a player-manager however in his three months in charge the side only picked up one point and Thomas decided to leave.[3]
Thomas gained 51 caps forWales, and counts scoring a goal for Wales in their win overEngland as one of the most memorable moments of his career.[4]
During his football career, Thomas became involved in acounterfeit currency scam, whereby helaundered the money through Wrexham's trainees.North Wales Police arrested him in 1993 and following a conviction he was sentenced to 18 months in jail.[5]
In August 1992, Thomas was attacked by two men in a country lane atDyserth,Clwyd. He was sitting in his Volkswagen with a 29-year-old woman, when his window was smashed and he was assaulted with a hammer and a screwdriver. Thomas was admitted to hospital with 15 stab wounds to his left buttock.[6]
In February 2019, Thomas made public that he hadstomach cancer.[7]
Thomas never played at senior level after his imprisonment, although he did continue playing for a while at non-league level withPorthmadog andAmlwch Town in Wales, until he finally retired from playing in 1995 at the age of 41. Thomas currently provides analysis on allManchester United matches on "Total Football" onKey 103 andPiccadilly Magic 1152. He also works as anafter-dinner speaker.[8]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other[A] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wrexham | 1971–72 | Third Division | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 |
| 1972–73 | Third Division | 26 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |
| 1973–74 | Third Division | 19 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 4 | |
| 1974–75 | Third Division | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 5 | |
| 1975–76 | Third Division | 30 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 2 | |
| 1976–77 | Third Division | 45 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 8 | |
| 1977–78 | Third Division | 43 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 8 | |
| 1978–79 | Second Division | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 6 | |
| Total | 230 | 33 | 22 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 283 | 37 | ||
| Manchester United | 1978–79 | First Division | 25 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 |
| 1979–80 | First Division | 35 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 10 | |
| 1980–81 | First Division | 30 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 3 | |
| Total | 90 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 110 | 15 | ||
| Everton | 1981–82 | First Division | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1981–82 | First Division | 20 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Stoke City | 1982–83 | First Division | 41 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 12 |
| 1983–84 | First Division | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | |
| Total | 57 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 15 | ||
| Chelsea | 1983–84 | Second Division | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 |
| 1984–85 | First Division | 27 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 7 | |
| Total | 44 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 11 | ||
| West Bromwich Albion | 1985–86 | First Division | 20 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| Derby County (loan) | 1985–86 | Third Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 1988–89 | Second Division | 40 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 |
| Leeds United | 1989–90 | Second Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Stoke City | 1989–90 | Second Division | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 1990–91 | Third Division | 38 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 7 | |
| Total | 46 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 7 | ||
| Wrexham | 1991–92 | Fourth Division | 26 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 3 |
| 1992–93 | Third Division | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 3 | ||
| Career Total | 603 | 77 | 56 | 8 | 53 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 728 | 92 | ||
Source:[10]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | 1976 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1978 | 5 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1980 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1981 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1982 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1983 | 8 | 1 | |
| 1984 | 5 | 1 | |
| 1985 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 51 | 4 | |
Wrexham
Manchester United
Chelsea
Individual
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
