PERRYMAN, Stephen John M.B.E. (1969-90)
Position: Midfield or defender
Height: 5ft 8ins
Weight: 10st 10lbs
Born: Ealing, West London, 21 December, 1951
Signed from apprentice January 1969
Transferred to Oxford United March 1986, £50,000
Also played for: Oxford United, Brentford, England
Spurs Record:
Debut: 27 September, 1969 v Sunderland (FL) (h) lost 0-1
Appearances: League 653(2), FA Cup 69, League Cup 66, Europe 63(1)
Goals: League 31, FA Cup 2, League Cup 3, Europe 3
In our long and illustrious history, we have had some of the world’s most talented and exciting footballers, but never have we had a more loyal, reliable or self-sacrificing player than Steve Perryman.
In almost 17 seasons in the first team he missed no more than a handful of games, setting standards of consistency and a number of appearances that will almost certainly never be beaten.
Perryman joined Spurs straight from school in 1967 having been the club’s guest at that year’s FA Cup Final. Little more than two years later he was playing alongside many of the stars he had watched at Wembley and not looking out of place.
Perryman was originally called up in September, 1969 to add bite and aggression to a midfield that had the skills but needed someone to win the ball. Closing down opponents and snapping into tackles, he performed the job admirably, breaking up attacks before they threatened and laying the ball off simply and quickly to the likes of Alan Mullery and Martin Peters.
After 20 or so games, Perryman was rested but results took a turn for the worse and he was recalled, never to be left out again unless injured, as indispensable a player as it was possible to have.
Perryman won his first trophy as a member of the team that lifted the League Cup in 1971 and ceaseless hard work, willingness to give his all for the team and refusal to accept defeat were what caught the eye most but there was far more to his game. He was a gifted play-maker in his own right, with the vision to spot and play the killer pass at just the right moment. He was never a prolific scorer but did score twice to overcome AC Milan in the first leg of the 1972 UEFA Cup semi-final.
After the UEFA Cup success of 1972, we won the League Cup in 1973, but we were on a bit of a downward slope. With Perryman taking over the captaincy following Peters’ departure, he found himself holding together a team fighting relegation.
In a desperate attempt to avoid the drop, Keith Burkinshaw moved Perryman to the centre of defence. Operating alongside Keith Osgood, he brought an air of composure and assurance to the back line but it was not enough to keep us up. Few would have blamed Perryman had he decided to leave but he showed his loyalty and led us back to the First Division at the first attempt.
The emergence of Graham Roberts saw Perryman move to full-back for the most successful period of his career. Still sprightly, pushing forward at every opportunity and creating chances from out wide, he captained us to FA Cup success in 1981 and 1982 and the 1982 League Cup Final. He was also the Football Writers’ Association’s Player of the Year in 1982.
Perryman continued to give everything for the cause for another four years and collected a UEFA Cup winner’s medal in 1984. He only played in the first leg of the final as he was suspended for the second but such was the esteem in which he was held by team-mates that Ossie Ardiles insisted Perryman should have his medal.
A truly great professional, Perryman’s Spurs career came to an end in March, 1986. Over 40 years later, he continues to lead the appearance charts for us in the League (655), FA Cup (69) and League Cup (66).
He joined Oxford United, played there for two months and then managed Brentford and Watford before returning to White Hart Lane as assistant manager to Ardiles in July 1993, while he was our caretaker manager for one game in November 1994.
He also managed at Start (Norway) and in Japan with Shimizu S-Pulse and Kashiwa Reysol, winning the J League stage championship and the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup with the former. Between 2003-18, Perryman was Director of Football at Exeter City.