Steve Williams (footballer, born 1958) explained

Steve Williams
Fullname:Steven Charles Williams
Birth Date:12 July 1958
Birth Place:Romford, England
Height:[1]
Position:Midfielder
Youthyears1:1974–1976
Youthclubs1:Southampton
Years1:1976–1984
Clubs1:Southampton
Caps1:279
Goals1:18
Years2:1984–1988
Clubs2:Arsenal
Caps2:95
Goals2:4
Years3:1988–1991
Clubs3:Luton Town
Caps3:40
Goals3:1
Years4:1991–1993
Clubs4:Exeter City
Caps4:48
Goals4:0
Years5:1993
Clubs5:Derry City
Caps5:2
Goals5:0
Totalcaps:464
Totalgoals:23
Nationalyears1:1977–1980
Nationalteam1:England U21
Nationalcaps1:14
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:1983–1984
Nationalteam2:England
Nationalcaps2:6
Nationalgoals2:0

Steven Charles Williams (born 12 July 1958) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

He began his playing career with Southampton in 1976. Williams joined Arsenal in 1984 and spent four years with the club. In 1988, he signed for Luton Town. He also had a spell with Exeter City before he ended his career at Derry City.

During his international career, he won six caps for the England national team.

Early life

Williams was born in 1958 in Romford, Essex. His parents ran a grocery shop. Williams excelled in sport at a young age, but he admitted opportunities were limited as his parents were too busy.

Club career

Southampton

He started out as an apprentice with Southampton, having been a product of the Saints' London Selection Centre and joining the club straight from school.

He turned professional in 1975 and made his debut aged 17 on 6 April 1976, in a 1–0 victory away to local rivals, Portsmouth in a game where Peter Osgood was dropped for disciplinary reasons.[2] [3]

He went on to establish a partnership with Alan Ball, with Ball's short passing game being complemented by Williams' deep surges into the opposition half. After his first full season at Southampton in 1976–77, he was awarded the club's Player of the Season Award and earned recognition for England at under-21 level.[4]

In the 1978–79 season, he was an ever-present in Saints' run to the 1979 League Cup final which they lost 3–2 to Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest.[5] [6] He succeeded Alan Ball as team captain and led The Saints to an FA Cup semi-final and to runners-up position in the 1983–84 First Division.[7]

The following season, manager Lawrie McMenemy was becoming disillusioned with Southampton, feeling that he had taken the club as far as he could and this disillusionment spread to several senior players including Williams, leading to a transfer request.[8] In all, he played 349 times for Southampton, scoring 27 goals.[9]

Arsenal

In December 1984 Williams moved to his boyhood club Arsenal for £550,000.[10] [11] After making his debut in a North London derby match against Tottenham Hotspur on 1 January 1985, Williams was a regular for the remainder of the season. However, his next season, 1985–86, he suffered toe and hamstring injuries which limited his appearances in the side.[12]

By the time he had recovered, George Graham had taken over as Arsenal manager, and initially Williams thrived, playing on the right hand side of midfield, alongside a young David Rocastle. In Graham's first season, Arsenal reached the League Cup final, where they beat Liverpool, with Williams collecting his first piece of silverware.[13] Williams continued to play throughout the next season, but after Arsenal lost to Manchester United in January 1988, Williams was dropped to allow Michael Thomas to push forward into midfield.[14] [15] Unable to reclaim his place in the side, Williams fell out with Graham. In all he played 121 games for Arsenal, scoring five goals.[16] [17]

Later career

In July 1988, Williams moved to Luton Town, where he spent three seasons at Luton, before finishing his career at Exeter City, where he was also assistant manager to his former Southampton colleague, Alan Ball.[18] His eventually retired in 1993, after a brief playing spell at Derry City where he made his League of Ireland debut against Shamrock Rovers in October 1993.

International career

Williams played fourteen times for England's under-21s.[19] He also won six caps for England, his debut coming against Australia on 12 June 1983.[20]

After football

After retiring from football, he went into the magazine publishing business in Exeter. He has since gone into property development.

Honours

Southampton

Arsenal

1986–87

Individual

1977[21]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88 . Peter . Dunk . Queen Anne Press . London . 1987 . 46 . 978-0-356-14354-5 .
  2. Web site: Portsmouth v Southampton, 06 April 1976 . 22 November 2023 . 11v11.com.
  3. Web site: Murray . Scott . 16 December 2011 . The Joy of Six: Portsmouth v Southampton derbies . 22 November 2023 . The Guardian.
  4. Web site: Falkens funderingar 14 September 2012: Om Steve Williams . 22 November 2023 . Svenska Fans.com . sv.
  5. Web site: 11 January 2017 . PHOTOS: Remember the first time Saints reached a league cup semi final? . 22 November 2023 . Southern Daily Echo.
  6. Web site: Southampton's 1979 League Cup run. Sky Sports. MSN.com.
  7. Web site: Struthers . Greg . 19 February 2006 . Caught in Time: Southampton finish runners up in the First Division, 1984 . subscription . 22 November 2023 . The Times . London.
  8. Web site: 12 February 2018 . The Saint: The Steve Williams interview . 22 November 2023 . Sidmouth Herald.
  9. Book: Chalk, Gary . All the Saints: A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC . Holley . Duncan . Bull . David . Hagiology Publishing . 2013 . 978-0-9926864-0-6 . 505 . en.
  10. Web site: Steve Williams: Profile . 22 November 2023 . Arsenal FC.
  11. Web site: Williams, Steve . 22 November 2023 . The Grecian Archive.
  12. Web site: 15 March 2016 . Steve Williams: Defining Moments . 22 November 2023 . Arsenal FC.
  13. Web site: Leach . Conrad . 5 April 2020 . On This Day: Arsenal's trophy drought ended with League Cup win over Liverpool . 22 November 2023 . inews.
  14. Web site: Arsenal v Manchester United . 22 November 2023 . www.11v11.com.
  15. Web site: Lawrence . Gary . 13 March 2017 . 30 Years On this Midfield Hardman and Playmaker would walk into Arsenal's Midfield . 22 November 2023 . gunnerstown.com.
  16. Web site: Melman . Charlie . 22 September 2014 . Arsenal vs. Southampton: Ranking the Best 5 Players to Swap Saints for Gunners . 22 November 2023 . Bleacher Report.
  17. Web site: Henderson . Charlie . 31 January 2007 . Were you there? . 22 November 2023 . BBC News.
  18. Web site: Simmonds . Mike . 29 September 2023 . Line-Up: The last Luton Town to beat Everton at Goodison Park in 1988 . 22 November 2023 . Luton Today.
  19. Web site: England – U-21 International Results 1976–1985 . 22 November 2023 . RSSF.org.
  20. Web site: Steven Williams Statistics . https://web.archive.org/web/20110606033713/http://www.thefa.com/England/All-Teams/Players?p=336754 . 6 June 2011 . The Football Association.
  21. Web site: Howard . Peter . 11 May 2018 . Previous winners of the Daily Echo Southampton FC Player of the Season Award . 22 November 2023 . Southern Daily Echo.