Introduction
Stephen John "Steve" Perryman MBE (born 21 December 1951 in Ealing, Middlesex) is a former English international football player who is best remembered for his successes with Tottenham Hotspur during the 1970s and early 1980s. Perryman was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1982 and made a club record 854 first team appearances for Tottenham. He is now the director of football at Exeter City.
Playing career
A midfielder and later defender, Perryman played in a club record 866 first team appearances, in all competitions for Tottenham Hotspur between 1969 and 1986 and was their longest serving player. During his seventeen-year career with the north London club, Perryman collected many medals, winning the UEFA Cup in 1972 and 1984 (playing in both legs of the 1972 final and just the first leg of the 1984 final), the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982 and the League Cup in 1971 and 1973.
After leaving White Hart Lane Perryman moved to Oxford United in 1986, then Brentford as player-manager in the same year, before retiring in 1990.
Coaching career
Perryman became manager of Watford from 1990–93 saving them from relegation in the early years, before managing Start in Norway (1995), Shimizu S-Pulse, (1999–2000) and Kashiwa Reysol in Japan (2001–2002). He also served as caretaker manager for Spurs in November 1994. As a coach, he has won the J.League stage championship (1999 2nd Stage) and the Asian Cup Winners Cup (2000), both with Shimizu S-Pulse. He then worked at Exeter City with no official title to help them stay in the then football Division 3. After this he returned to Japan to manage J.League side Kashiwa Reysol.
Perryman lent his name to a brand of Sports stores in the 1980s which were concentrated in the West London area and sported the Tottenham Hotspur cockerel. There were stores in Ruislip, Greenford and Hayes (Middlesex). A store in Bergen, Norway, also opened in the early 1980s, and that is still running.
Perryman now works as the director of football for Exeter City. On 5 May 2012, while watching Exeter's final game of the 2011-12 season against Sheffield United at St James Park he became unwell and was taken to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth where he underwent successful heart surgery. A month later he revealed that he might have died if it had not been for the instant medical support available at the ground, and he spent three weeks in a coma on life support. He said he wanted to resume his job with Exeter City as soon as he was fit enough.
International career
After 17 matches for England U21, Perryman made a solitary appearance for England, appearing as a 70th-minute substitute against Iceland on 2 June 1982.
Career statistics
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||||
| 1969–70 | Tottenham Hotspur | First Division | 23 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 1 | ||
| 1970–71 | 42 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | – | 3 | 0 | 56 | 4 | |||
| 1971–72 | 39 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 64 | 4 | ||
| 1972–73 | 41 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 0 | – | 64 | 3 | |||
| 1973–74 | 39 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | – | 53 | 1 | |||
| 1974–75 | 42 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 45 | 6 | ||||
| 1975–76 | 40 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 48 | 7 | ||||
| 1976–77 | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 45 | 1 | ||||
| 1977–78 | Second Division | 42 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 46 | 1 | |||
| 1978–79 | First Division | 42 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 51 | 2 | |||
| 1979–80 | 40 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 48 | 1 | ||||
| 1980–81 | 42 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 57 | 2 | ||||
| 1981–82 | 42 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 66 | 1 | ||
| 1982–83 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 1 | ||
| 1983–84 | 41 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | – | 59 | 1 | |||
| 1984–85 | 42 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 58 | 1 | |||
| 1985–86 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | 37 | 2 | |||
| 1985–86 | Oxford United | First Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1986–87 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 1986–87 | Brentford | Third Division | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 1987–88 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |||
| 1988–89 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |||
| 1989–90 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | Tottenham Hotspur | 655 | 31 | 69 | 2 | 66 | 3 | 64 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 866 | 39 | |
| Oxford United | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |||
| Brentford | 53 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 67 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 725 | 31 | 75 | 2 | 69 | 3 | 64 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 950 | 39 | ||
Managerial statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 1999 | 2000 | 7001600000000000000♠60 | 7001370000000000000♠37 | 7000300000000000000♠3 | 7001200000000000000♠20 | 7001616700000000000♠61.67 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 2001 | 2002 | 7001280000000000000♠28 | 7001100000000000000♠10 | 7000300000000000000♠3 | 7001150000000000000♠15 | 7001357100000000000♠35.71 |
| Total | 7001880000000000000♠88 | 7001470000000000000♠47 | 7000600000000000000♠6 | 7001350000000000000♠35 | 7001534100000099999♠53.41 | ||
Honours
Player
- FA Cup (2): 1980-81, 1981-82
- Football League Cup (2): 1970-71, 1972-73
- UEFA Cup (2): 1971-72, 1983-84
Manager
- J1 League: 1999 Second stage champions, runner-up Suntory Championship
- Asian Cup Winners' Cup: 1999–2000
Individual
- Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year: 1982
- J. League Manager of the Year: 1999