John Spencer (born 11 September 1970) is a Scottish 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 ...

and coach. As a player, he was a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

from 1988 until 2004, notably in the English

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

for

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

and Everton and the

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...

for

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

. He also played in his native country for Rangers and

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton H ...

, in Hong Kong for

Lai Sun Lai Sun Group () is a Hong Kong conglomerate. It was founded by garment billionaire and entrepreneur, Lim Por-yen. Its businesses include property development, real estate investment, hotel, telecom, mass media and entertainment. Lai Sun is wor ...

and in the

English 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 Engl ...

with

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

. He finished his career in the United States with a three-year spell with the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

. He also earned 14 caps for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Since retiring from playing in 2004, Spencer has remained in America, and was assistant coach of

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

before becoming head coach of the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

in 2011 until being relieved of his coaching position on 9 July 2012. He returned to the Colorado Rapids as an assistant coach in 2016, before joining the San Jose Earthquakes in a similar role for the 2017 season, until both he and head coach

Dominic Kinnear Dominic Kinnear (born July 26, 1967) is an American soccer coach and former player. On January 18, 2022, he was named an assistant coach by FC Cincinnati, his first coaching role since serving as the interim head coach of the LA Galaxy. As a ...

were let go on 25 June 2017.

Early life

Spencer was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and raised in the city's

Gorbals The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportun ...

district. He initially attended

John Bosco Secondary School John Bosco Secondary School was a Catholic Secondary School in the Oatlands area of Glasgow in Scotland. Named in honour of John Bosco, it was located at Wolseley Street, close to Richmond Park. The campus was designed by architect John Morton ...

locally, and was in the same school year as fellow professional footballer

Paddy Connolly Patrick Connolly (born 25 June 1970 in Glasgow) is a Scottish football player and coach. In a twenty-year playing career, he made over 100 appearances for both Dundee United and St Johnstone; he also played for Airdrieonians, Greenock Morton, ...

. He then changed to St Ninian's High School in

Giffnock Giffnock (; sco, Giffnock; gd, Giofnag, ) is a town and the administrative centre of East Renfrewshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies east of Barrhead, east-southeast of Paisley and northwest of East Kilbride, at the south ...

Club career

Rangers

Spencer started his career at Rangers, signing with the club as a schoolboy in 1982 and as a professional in 1985. Future Scotland colleague

Eoin Jess Eoin Jess (born 13 December 1970) is a Scottish football coach and former player. As a player he was an attacking midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Coventry City and Bradford City, and in the Scottish Premier League for A ...

was a teammate at youth level. His signing, even as a 12-year-old schoolboy who had yet to play a competitive senior match proved problematic; Spencer was

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and the club had a strong

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

culture. His decision to sign for Rangers meant that he was regularly threatened and challenged to fights at the Catholic school he attended, while Celtic-supporting members of his family would walk by him in the street, and have never spoken to him since. Spencer made his debut for Rangers in 1987, winning the minor

Glasgow Cup The Glasgow Cup is a football tournament open to teams from Glasgow, Scotland. Operated by the Glasgow Football Association, it was competed for annually by senior Glasgow clubs from 1887 until 1989. It is now (since the 2019–20 amended rules ...

in his first season. In 1988, he was loaned by then manager

Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, and current TV pundit. A midfielder, Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s, player-manager of Ranger ...

, where he made four league appearances (scoring once) before returning to Ibrox. Spencer remained a fringe player at Rangers and after a further loan spell with

of Hong Kong was sold in 1992 to

for a fee of £450,000, having made 20 appearances in all competitions over five years.

Chelsea

At Chelsea, Spencer enjoyed a consistent period of playing in his career. Between August 1992 and October 1996 he made 137 appearances and scored 43 goals in all competitions. He featured in the teams which lost 4–0 to

Manchester United 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 City of Salford, Salford to ...

in the 1994 FA Cup Final and reached the semi-finals of the 1994–95 European Cup Winners' Cup and the

1995–96 FA Cup The 1995–96 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods for sponsorship reasons) was the 115th staging of the FA Cup. The competition was won outright by Manchester United, who won the final through a goal from Eric Cantona five minut ...

Queens Park Rangers

In November 1996, recently appointed Chelsea manager

Ruud Gullit Ruud Gullit (; born Rudi Dil; 1 September 1962) is a Dutch footballer and subsequent manager who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s as a defender, midfielder or forward. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all t ...

sold Spencer for £2.5 million to

, then in the second tier of English football, the First Division. Spencer appeared 56 times and scored 25 goals, but QPR failed to gain promotion to the

after Spencer's initial season, and in his second flirted with relegation.

Everton

In 1998, he moved to Everton, initially on loan, but subsequently for a fee of £1.5 million. Reunited with

Walter Smith Walter Ferguson Smith (24 February 1948 – 26 October 2021) was a Scottish association football player, manager and director, primarily associated with his two spells as manager of Glasgow club Rangers. A defender, Smith's playing car ...

, his former manager at Rangers, Spencer's career at Everton quickly stalled, as he struggled to regain the performance levels required as a Premiership player. After only eight months and nine games he was loaned to

Motherwell

In 1999, Spencer's move to Motherwell was made permanent, for a club-record fee of £500,000. Spencer's signing was seen as evidence of a raised level ambition at

Fir Park Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premiership club Motherwell and was the temporary home of Gretna for the 2007–08 SPL season. Mo ...

. Scoring 21 times in 81 appearances spread over three seasons, Spencer's time at Motherwell was tempered by a series of injuries. His final season, 2000–01, saw three goals. As Motherwell sought to cut costs, Spencer was sold to Colorado Rapids on 21 February 2001.

Colorado Rapids

Spencer made an impressive MLS debut with the Rapids. In his first year, he started 22 games, and finished the year with 14 goals and seven assists, and was subsequently named to the

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. Winners *Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season. Most appearances by a player The following players have appeared ...

. Spencer's second year was once more hampered by injuries, but he still finished with five goals and four assists in 13 games. He returned to form in 2003, leading the team in scoring again with 14 goals and five assists, winning a place in the MLS Best XI, as well as ranking as a finalist for the

MLS MVP Award The Landon Donovan MVP Award is an annual award for MLS players. It is voted on by media, MLS players, and club management and is given to the player deemed the most valuable player in the league each season. From 1996 to 2007, the award was kno ...

. In 2004, as injuries kept him out of several games, he finished the season with four goals and one assist in 19 starts. He retired after the season. On 30 August 2009, Spencer was inducted into the Rapids Gallery of Honor at halftime of the Dynamo's 1–0 loss to the Rapids

International career

Having played three matches for the under-21s while at Rangers, Spencer's prominence at Chelsea saw him gain the first of 14

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

for the Scotland national team in November 1994, appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Hampden Park Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...

in Scotland's successful campaign to qualify for the 1996 European Championship. He played in all three matches at the finals, starting in the defeat to

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 ...

and coming off the bench in the draw against the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and the win over

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. As his club career fluctuated he also featured less on the international scene, making one appearance at the outset of the

1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

campaign, and claiming his last cap in a friendly against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in May 1997.

Coaching career

Houston Dynamo

Upon retiring from his playing career, Spencer joined

as an assistant coach on

's staff. With Spencer on staff, the Dynamo won back-to-back MLS Cup championships in 2006 and 2007. Spencer also served as the head coach for the Dynamo Reserves and led that squad to the 2008

MLS Reserve Division The MLS Reserve League was a soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer with teams in both the United States and Canada. It was inaugurated on April 9, 2005, with the first official reserve game being a 2–0 victory by Chivas ...

Championship.

Portland Timbers

Appointed the first head coach in the Timbers' MLS history on 10 Aug. 2010, Spencer led the Timbers to a successful season in 2011, finishing on the brink of a coveted MLS Cup playoff berth in what was his first season as a head coach and the club's inaugural MLS season. Under Spencer's guidance in 2011, the Timbers opened their MLS era with a historic start, winning their first five MLS matches on their home field at

Jeld-Wen Field Providence Park (formerly Jeld-Wen Field; PGE Park; Civic Stadium; originally Multnomah Stadium; and from 1893 until the stadium was built, Multnomah Field) is an outdoor soccer venue located in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland, Oregon ...

. Portland became the first MLS expansion side to win the first five home matches of its inaugural season. The Timbers' momentum at home continued throughout the season as the club finished among MLS leaders in goals scored at home (30) and home wins (9). The Timbers' success at home combined with energy of their passionate supporters group, the

Timbers Army The Timbers Army is an independent supporters group of Portland Timbers, a soccer club in Major League Soccer—the top tier of the United States soccer pyramid. Its members are known for their loud, enthusiastic support and the raucous atmosp ...

, gave Jeld-Wen Field the reputation of being one of the most intimidating venues for visiting teams in MLS. The club's 11 wins in 2011 ranks tied for fourth with the 2006 Houston Dynamo among wins for MLS "expansion" franchises (that Houston franchise being a relocated San Jose Earthquakes franchise). Known as a "players coach", Spencer installed an attacking style of play and a blue-collar, hard-working mentality to the Timbers in his first season at the helm. Following a slow start for the Timbers in their second season, Spencer was relieved of his coaching duties for the Portland Timbers in July 2012.

Personal life

Spencer is brother-in-law to football manager Billy Davies, who also played for Rangers and Motherwell and managed

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. His other brother-in-law John Davies was also a footballer, with Billy Davies signing both Johns to play under him during his time as Motherwell boss. His son, Brad Spencer, is a footballer who plays for

Raith Rovers Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leag ...

Managerial record

*1.Includes league, playoffs, cup and CONCACAF Champions League. *2.Spencer was hired as the first coach of the Major League Soccer franchise; not as the

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

USSF Division 2 Professional League The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding Un ...

coach.

References

External links

John Spencer's WTFC.net player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, John 1970 births Living people American soccer coaches Portland Timbers (MLS) coaches Chelsea F.C. players Colorado Rapids players Major League Soccer players Everton F.C. players Premier League players Motherwell F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Rangers F.C. players Scottish footballers Footballers from Glasgow People from Gorbals People educated at St Ninian's High School, Giffnock Scotland international footballers Scottish Roman Catholics UEFA Euro 1996 players Scottish Premier League players Scottish expatriate footballers Scottish expatriate football managers Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Hong Kong Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Hong Kong First Division League players Expatriate footballers in Hong Kong Major League Soccer All-Stars Scotland under-21 international footballers Houston Dynamo FC non-playing staff Greenock Morton F.C. players Scottish Football League players Colorado Rapids non-playing staff Association football forwards FA Cup Final players