Jeffrey George Chandler (born 19 June 1959) is a former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
, making over 300 appearances in the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
. Born in England, he won two caps for the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
.
He began his career as an apprentice with
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
and went on to break into the first-team before joining
First Division side
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
in 1979 for a fee of £100,000.
He spent two seasons with Leeds before moving to
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
in 1981. He later played for
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
,
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
and
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
before retiring due to a severe knee injury.
Club career
Blackpool
Born in
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
in London,
Chandler had represented the West London schoolboys team when he was spotted by Dave Johnston, son of former
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
international
Harry Johnston
Sir Henry Hamilton Johnston (12 June 1858 – 31 July 1927), known as Harry Johnston, was a British explorer, botanist, artist, colonial administrator, and linguist who travelled widely in Africa and spoke many African languages. He publishe ...
, who was working as a teacher at Chandler's school.
His teacher recommended him to
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
, who offered him a spot as an apprentice before eventually handing him his first professional contract in August 1976.
[ He made his professional debut in September 1977 in a match against ]Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
.[
His performances for the ''Tangerines'' saw him selected to represent the Republic of Ireland under-21 side during the 1979–80 season and his Blackpool manager ]Stan Ternent
Francis Stanley Ternent (born 16 June 1946) is an English former footballer and manager. He managed Blackpool, Hull City, Bury, Burnley, Gillingham and Huddersfield Town. He was a scout for Hull City until January 2017. As a manager, he won thre ...
informed Chandler that a number of clubs had traveled to watch him play in the match.[ Following the match, Chandler was approached by ]Dave Blakey
David Blakey (29 August 1929 – 4 April 2014) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. Blakey spent his entire senior career with Chesterfield. He is the club's record appearance holder, making 617 appearances in the ...
, who was working as a scout for Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
, and was told about the Yorkshire-based club's interest in signing him.[
]
Leeds United
He traveled to Leeds several days later, in September 1979, to sign for the club for a fee of £100,000.[ Chandler had originally been told by manager ]Jimmy Adamson
James Adamson (4 April 1929 – 8 November 2011) was an English professional footballer and football manager. He was born in Ashington, Northumberland. He made 486 appearances for Burnley ranking him sixth in their all-time appearance lis ...
that he was regarded as "one for the future" at the club, but just two weeks after signing for the ''Whites'', he was named in the matchday squad as a substitute in a match against Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
on 29 September 1979. During the match, Paul Madeley
Paul Edward Madeley (20 September 1944 – 23 July 2018) was an English footballer, who played for Leeds United and the England national team. During his career with Leeds, Madeley played in a variety of different playing positions which led to ...
suffered a concussion and was unable to continue. Chandler was introduced as a substitute, making his debut for the club during a 2–1 defeat.[ After a second appearance as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat to ]Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
, Chandler was handed his first start for the club in a 2–1 victory over Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. He made 17 appearances during his first season and scored twice, in matches against Tottenham Hostpur and West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
.[
The following season, Adamson was replaced as manager by Allan Clarke. Chandler had injured his ankle just prior to Clarke's arrival, which kept him out for six weeks after the new manager's installment. Upon his return, Chandler was put straight into the first-team due to an injury to ]Arthur Graham
Arthur Graham (born 26 October 1952) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a left winger for Aberdeen, Leeds United, Manchester United, Bradford City and the Scotland national team.
Club career
Graham was raised in the C ...
, playing in a 2–1 defeat to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
on 22 October 1980. His lack of playing time meant he was severely short of match fitness and he struggled to complete the 90 minutes. He was dropped from the squad by Clarke for the following game and went to discuss his situation at the club with him, but Clarke told him, "When you've done what I've done in the game come back and see me. Until then turn around and get out!".[
His relationship with Clarke quickly deteriorated and the pair rarely spoke. Out of contract at the end of the season, Chandler only appeared sporadically for the club for the remainder of the year. He was not offered a new deal at ]Elland Road
Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England.
The g ...
by Clarke, but remained with the club's reserve side at the start of the 1981–82 season.[
]
Later career
Chandler subsequently joined Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
in October 1981, becoming a first-team regular as the ''Trotters'' suffered relegation from the Second Division during his second season with the club.[ He thrived under manager John McGovern, who told Chandler that he was "the best player at the club".][ Between 1983 and 1985 Chandler scored 37 league goals, and finished as the club's second highest scorer in his final two seasons, behind ]Tony Caldwell
Anthony L. (Tony) Caldwell (born April 1, 1961) is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He attended the University of Washington. He would play linebacker with the Los Angeles Raiders from 198 ...
.[ His form led ]Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
to pay £38,000 to sign him in 1985 but, after two unsettled years at the Baseball Ground
The Baseball Ground (sometimes referred to as the BBG) was a stadium in Derby, England. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football as the home of Derby County from 1895 until 19 ...
and a brief loan spell with Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
, he was persuaded to return to Bolton by manager Phil Neal
Philip George Neal (born 20 February 1951) is an English retired footballer who played for Northampton Town, Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers as a full back. He is one of the most successful English players of all time, having won seven First D ...
for £20,000.
Bolton had been relegated to the Fourth Division
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
for the first time in their history but went on to win promotion at the first attempt after finishing third during the 1987–88 season. However, Chandler played little part in the success, having suffered a serious knee injury after falling awkwardly whilst jumping to head a ball in only his fourth game of the season, a League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
tie against Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
.[ Although he was expected to miss the remainder of the season, he did return to make one appearance as a substitute in a match against ]Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
at the end of the season.[
The following season, Chandler again suffered injury trouble and struggled to return to the same level he was playing at prior to his injury, later stating that he was "never the same player after that".][ He argued frequently with manager Neal which, along with his injuries, restricted his appearances; however, he did feature in the club's ]Associate Members Cup
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
success, scoring a goal in a 4–1 win over Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
in the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
.[
He joined ]Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
in November 1989 for a fee of £15,000 but, after appearing in just 28 games for ''the Bluebirds'', he was forced to retire due to a knee injury in December 1990.[
]
International career
Eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland via his parentage,[ Chandler won one cap for the under-21 side in 1979. He made his debut for the senior side on 29 September 1979 as a substitute before being handed his first start one month later on 29 October,][ playing the first half of a 3–2 defeat to the ]United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
before being replaced by Paddy Mulligan
Patrick Martin "Paddy" Mulligan (born 17 March 1945 in Dublin) is an Irish retired footballer who played mainly as a right-back.
Mulligan started his senior career playing for Bohemians in 1963. However, after only two games he signed for Shamro ...
.
Later life
Following his retirement from football, Chandler worked in a number of different professions including advertising and as a double glazing salesman. He later worked in a care home for five years and obtained a diploma in counselling in his spare time.[ After working alongside youth offenders in Preston, he became a pupil welfare officer in ]Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
.[
]
See also
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Jeff
1959 births
Living people
English men's footballers
English people of Irish descent
Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
Republic of Ireland men's international footballers
Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers
Blackpool F.C. players
Leeds United F.C. players
Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Mansfield Town F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
English Football League players
People educated at Phoenix High School, London
Footballers from Hammersmith
Men's association football midfielders