John Spencer (footballer)

Infobox Football biography
playername = John Spencer


fullname = John Spencer
height = height|ft=5|in=6
dateofbirth = birth date and age|df=y|1970|9|11
cityofbirth = Glasgow
countryofbirth = Scotland
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1988–1992
1988–1989
1989–1990
1992–1997
1996–1997
1997–1998
1998–1999
1998–1999
1998–1999
1999–2000
2001–2004
clubs = Rangers
→ Morton (loan)
→ Lai Sun (loan)
Chelsea
→Queen's Park Rangers (loan)
Queen's Park Rangers
→Everton (loan)
Everton
→Motherwell (loan)
Motherwell
Colorado Rapids
caps(goals) = 013 0(2)
04 0(1)
00? 0(?)
103 (36)
025 (17)
023 0(5)
006 0(0)
003 0(0)
021 0(7)
033 (11)
088 (37)
nationalyears = 1994–1997
nationalteam = Scotland
nationalcaps(goals) = 014 0(0)
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

John Spencer (born 11 September 1970, Glasgow, Scotland) is a former professional football (soccer) who last played in Major League Soccer for the Colorado Rapids. He is currently an assistant coach for the Houston Dynamo.

Spencer started his career at Rangers, signing with the club in 1985. His signature, even as a school boy who had yet to play a competitive senior match, proved controversial. Spencer made his debut for Rangers in 1987, appearing 13 times and scoring twice. Although an energetic and committed performer, Spencer struggled to make headway at Rangers at a time when the club was dominating Scottish football. In 1988, he was loaned by manager Graeme Souness to Morton, where he made four appearances (scoring once) before returning to Ibrox. Spencer remained a fringe player at Ibrox and after a further loan spell with Lai Sun ^{[http://www.chelseafc.com/page/NewsHomePage/0,,10268~1018936,00.html]} of Hong Kong was sold in 1992 to Chelsea for a fee of £450,000.

It was at Chelsea that Spencer enjoyed perhaps the most consistent period of success in an otherwise itinerant and injury-blighted career. Between 1992 and 1996, Spencer made 103 appearances and scored 36 goals. Spencer featured in the Chelsea team which lost 4-0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup final of 1994. Spencer's prominence at Chelsea saw him gain the first of 14 caps for the Scottish national team, appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Russia at Hampden Park in Scotland's successful campaign to qualify for the 1996 European Championships.

In November 1996, recently appointed Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit sold Spencer for £2.5 million to Queens Park Rangers, then in the second tier of English football, the First Division. Spencer appeared 56 times and scored a respectable 25 goals, but QPR failed to gain promotion to the English Premier League after Spender's initial season, and in his second flirted with relegation. In 1998, as his star at QPR waned, he moved to Everton, initially on loan, but subsequently for a fee of £1.5 million. Re-united with Walter Smith, his former manager at Rangers, Spencer's career at Everton quickly stalled, as his new club struggled to avoid relegation from the Premiership. 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. Scoring 21 times in 81 appearances spread over three seasons, Spencer's time at Motherwell was marked by initial optimism but eventual disappointment, as initial promise was tempered by a series of injuries. His final season, 2000–01, saw a return of only three goals. As Motherwell sought desperately to cut costs, Spencer was sold to Colorado Rapids on 21 February 2001.

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. Spencer's second year was less impressive and once more hampered by injuries, but he still finished with five goals and four assists in only 13 games. He returned to form in 2003, however, 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.

Spencer began to show his age in 2004, however, as injuries kept him out of several games, and he was not particularly impressive in the games he was available; he finished the season with four goals and one assist in 19 starts. He retired after the season.

John Spencer was one of the two front-runners for the available managers job at Chicago Fire, but eventually turned down the position.

External links

* [http://www.welltrustfc.net/players/player.php?id=136 John Spencer's WTFC.net player profile]