Martin Chivers

At 79 years old, Martin Chivers has this physical status:

Martin Harcourt Chivers (born 27 April 1945) is an English retired professional footballer from the 1960s and 1970s.

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Playing career

Chivers attended Taunton's Grammar School, Southampton, and wrote to his hometown club, Southampton, for a trial. He spent a brief period in the club's nursery, CPC Sports, before signing as a professional footballer in September 1962, making his debut against Charlton Athletic on September 8, 1962 (aged 17). In a 4–1 loss to Newcastle United on 6 April 1963 (in his third first-team appearance), he failed to score on his debut and his first goal came in a 4–1 loss.

He joined Southampton as the club's joint top goalcorer (with Terry Paine) with 21 goals in the 1963–64 season, finishing fifth in Division 2. As the Saints improved to fourth place in the following season, he was again a virtual ever-present, making 39 appearances with 17 goals.

He was instrumental in the club's ascension to the top flight in 1965-66, scoring 30 goals from 39 games, mainly from crosses provided by Terry Paine and John Sydenham. Both his goals were scored from his first 29 games, but he didn't manage to find the ball until the end of February.

In the following two seasons, he was in second fiddle to Welsh striker Ron Davies, scoring 14 and 13 goals respectively. He became dissatisfied at The Dell and was soon being chased by several of the top clubs. As he had a more than capable replacement coming up through the ranks in Mick Channon, Saints' boss Ted Bates was able to allow Chivers to leave.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Bill Nicholson was signed by Chivers in January 1968 for a team record fee of £125,000, making him the country's most expensive player at the time. Frank Saul, a 24-year-old man, was moved from White Hart Lane to The Dell as part of the agreement.

He had won 12 England Under-23 caps while at Southampton. In 190 appearances for The Saints, he scored 106 goals in total. His name is also listed in the books as the first substitute for The Saints in a 3–1 loss to Newcastle United on April 29, 1967.

On his Spurs debut against Sheffield on January 13, 1968, Chivers scored, but his White Hart Lane debut was uneventful, with Spurs legends Jimmy Greaves and Alan Gilzean still favoured as an attacking pair. Following Greaves' transfer to West Ham United in 1970, the Chivers remained a fixture of the England Under-23 squad and eventually became the country's most valuable goalscorer.

Chivers were often perceived as a lethargic and lazy player, but his stamina and natural ability made him 'Big Chiv' a favorite of Spurs and England in the early 1970s. Martin Chivers' golden years came at the 1970-71 season, for both club and country. He appeared in all 58 competitive games and scored 34 times, including both goals against Aston Villa and 21 goals in the First Division as Spurs finished the season in third place. In April 1971, Chivers scored his first senior goal for England, a 3–0 victory over Greece.

Chivers played their best form of his career in 1971-72, netting 44 times in 64 first team appearances. Spurs were able to progress to the semi-finals of the League Cup competition, where they eventually lost to London neighbours Chelsea. In eleven games, the resurgent striker displayed his best form for the UEFA Cup, scoring eight times, including a hat-trick in a 9–0 defeat of Icelandic side Keflavik F and a thrilling double against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He surpassed his previous campaign in the First Division by scoring 25 times in 39 appearances.

In 61 appearances, the Chivers maintained his prolific form in the 1972–73 season, netting the net 33 times. Tottenham Hotspur's acclaimed goalscoring skills helped the Tottenham Hotspur side win the League Cup for the second time in both quarter-finals against Liverpool and a vital goal at Molineux, where the Londoners won 2–2 to advance to the final. Spurs reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals before losing to Liverpool on the away goals rule, which was equally impressive, scoring eight goals in ten matches in ten games. Chivers earned his last of England caps against Poland in an infamous World Cup qualifier in October 1973. Despite scoring six international goals in the calendar year, Spurs striker Joe Mercer and future boss Don Revie were a casualty of his country's inability to qualify for the tournament and would later be ignored by caretaker manager Joe Mercer and future boss Don Revie.

Spurs reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 1974, with Chivers scoring six goals, including the opener in a 2–0 home win over East German side Lokomotive Leipzig. With Dutch giants Feyenoord winning 4–2 on aggregate as Spurs lost a major final for the first time, the two-legged final was to come to an end. Chivers was regarded as the senior forward at Tottenham Hotspur by the 1974-75 season, collaborating with Chris Jones, Chris McGrath, and Scot John Duncan. Middlesbrough defeated Spurs 4–0 in the 2nd round of the League Cup in early September, he played his last game for Bill Nicholson. Injuries limited Chivers to only 28 league appearances, with some important goals against West Ham United, Leeds United, and local rivals Arsenal.

In a relatively poor Spurs team, the 1975–76 season was Chivers' last at White Hart Lane, as he continued to find the net. He appeared in all competitions, scoring nine times before joining Swiss club Servette for a £80,000 fee. Chivers scored 174 goals in 367 first-team appearances and remained Europe's top goalscorer for 39 years until he was defeated by Jermain Defoe on Friday 7 November 2013. He was capped 24 times for England, scoring 13 goals.

The prolific striker made his move to Servette in Switzerland in July 1976, before returning to English league football (1978–79), Brighton (1979–80), where he ended his career.

In May 2008, Martin Chivers was appointed the FA's National Development Manager.

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