Willie Young (footballer, born 1951)

William David Young (born 25 November 1951) is a Scottish former footballer. Playing as a defender, he featured for Aberdeen, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Norwich City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Darlington throughout his career.[2]

Willie Young
Personal information
Full name William David Young
Date of birth (1951-11-25) 25 November 1951
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1]
Playing position(s) Central defender
Youth career
Seton Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1969–1975 Aberdeen 133 (10)
1975–1977 Tottenham Hotspur 54 (3)
1977–1981 Arsenal 170 (11)
1981–1983 Nottingham Forest 59 (5)
1983 Norwich City 6 (0)
1983–1984 Brighton & Hove Albion 4 (0)
1984 Darlington 4 (0)
Total 430 (29)
National team
1972–1975 Scotland U23 5 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

A large, physically intimidating centre back from Heriot near Edinburgh, Young attended Ross High School in Tranent. Nicknamed "Big Willie", he first played professionally for Aberdeen, all in all making 187 appearances for the Dons between 1970 and 1975.[3] He was signed by Tottenham Hotspur in September 1975, and while playing under Terry Neill made 64 appearances for Spurs in two seasons. In March 1977, Young once again signed for manager Neill so as to link up at Highbury with Spurs' arch-rivals Arsenal.[4][2][5]

Young immediately became a regular in the Arsenal first team, and played in all of the Gunners' trio of FA Cup finals;[3] after losing to Ipswich Town in 1978, Young was on the winning side the following year, with a 3–2 defeat of Manchester United. Young was a runner up in the 1980 European Cup Winners' Cup Final.[4][6]

Young continued to be Arsenal's first choice centre back until the 1981–82 season, when he lost his place to Chris Whyte. Having played 237 times and scoring 19 goals for Arsenal, the 30-year-old Young then joined Nottingham Forest in December 1981 for £50,000, and played 59 times over two seasons there.[4][7][5]

In 1983, he joined Norwich City, but with injuries dogging him, he failed to secure a regular place in the side.[8] He then had short spells at Brighton and Hove, followed by Darlington before his retirement from the game in November 1984.

International career

He was capped 5 times, scoring one goal for Scotland's U23s. Young never played a full international for Scotland having been banned for life after an incident in a Copenhagen nightclub in 1975.[3][9]

Personal life

As a player at Aberdeen, Young worked on oil rigs during the summer to top up his earnings. He is married to Lynda; they have three children. After retiring from football he spent 19 years running a pub called Bramcote Manor near Nottingham, and then bought kennels in Bottesford, Leicestershire.[9]

Honours
Arsenal[4][6]
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References
  1. Rollin, Jack, ed. (1980). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1980–81. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 50. ISBN 0362020175.
  2. "Willie Young". World Football.net.
  3. 1975 | All Change in Scottish Football, Aberdeen FC, 19 March 2020
  4. "Willie Young". Arsenal. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  5. "Crossing the divide: players who have represented Arsenal and Tottenham". Telegraph.co.uk.
  6. "Willie Young". 11 v 11.com.
  7. "Willie Young". Sporting Heroes.net.
  8. "Willie Young". Ex Canaries.co.uk.
  9. Smith, Aidan (28 March 2015). "'Big bad' Willie Young recalls Scotland life ban". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
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