I look back at England National Team’s One-Cap Wonders in the
1990s.
England National
Team’s One-Cap Wonders in the 1990s.
In the decade of
1990s England were managed by Bobby Robson, Graham Taylor, Terry Venables,
Glenn Hoddle, Howard Wilkinson (interim) and Kevin Keegan. They each selected
many players with the National Team who had short careers. They were a selected
few within the decade that only managed a single appearance.
I look back at England National Team’s One-Cap Wonders in the
1990s.
The aim is to
look upon the reason, background, and circumstances why a certain player was
selected for a match but never again.
Mark
Walters, 1991:
Former Villa
player Mark Walters had just won a third successive League title with Rangers
Glasgow, when Graham Taylor selected him for an end of season Tour. He played
his only match in a friendly on June 3rd vs. New Zealand (1-0 win)
at Auckland. He was replaced by John Salako in the 70th minute.
27-year-old (one
day after his birthday) winger, Walters started out in the early 1980s with
Aston Villa.
Graeme Souness
signed him for Rangers Glasgow in 1987. He won League titles in 1989, 1990 and
1991.
In 1991, new
Liverpool Manager Graeme Souness signed him once more.
During his
Liverpool spell, he was loaned twice to Stoke City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In 1996, he left
Liverpool to join Southampton, but months later joined Swindon Town. He left
Swindon in 1999 to join Bristol Rovers before retiring in 2002.
He represented
England at U-21 level and earned one England B cap (1991).
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Photo From: Panini England 1988/89
|
(Mark Walters) |
Andrew
Arthur Gray, 1991:
The 27-year-old
midfielder Andy Gray was part of the Crystal Palace side that had finished
third in the 1990/91 season. He was surprisingly selected by Graham Taylor in
England’s final key European qualifier vs. Poland on November 13th,
1991, at Poznan (1-1 tie). He was replaced by Alan Smith for the second half
after England had fallen behind.
He started out in
the early 80s with Corinthian Casuals and Dulwich Hamlet before joining Crystal
Palace in 1984. He left Place in 1987 to join Aston Villa (now under Graham
Taylor).
He left Villa in
1989, for a short spell at Queens Park Rangers before rejoining Crystal Palace
in 1989. He reached the Final of the FA Cup in 1990 with the club.
He left palace in
1992 to join Tottenham Hotspur.
Dring his
Tottenham spell he was loaned to Swindon Town for a brief period in 1992.
He left Tottenham
in 1994 and saw out his career with spells at CA Marbella in Spain (1994/95),
Falkirk in Scotland (1995 through 1997), Bury (1997/98) and Millwall (1998).
He represented
England at U-21 level in 1988.
 |
Photo From: Panini England 1990/91
|
(Andy Gray) |
David White,
1992:
The 24-year-old
winger/striker David White was selected by Graham Taylor in England’s first
friendly post-1992 Euros vs. Spain at Santander vs. Spain (0-1 loss). He was
replaced by Paul Merson in the 79th minute.
He started out at
Manchester City in the mid-1980s. He left City in 1993 to join Leeds United.
He left Leeds in
1995 to join Sheffield United before retiring in 1998.
He represented
England at U-21 level and earned two England B caps (1991-92).
 |
Photo From: Panini England 1992/93
|
(David White) |
Kevin
Richardson, 1994:
The
31-year-old midfielder Kevin
Richardson, title winner with Everton and Arsenal, was in his thirties when new
England Manager Terry Venables surprisingly selected him for a friendly vs
Greece at Wembley on May 17th, 1994 (5-0 win). Surely, he could not
have been seen as a prospect for the future.
He
started out with Everton in 1980 and remained until 1986 (winning the League
title in 1985, FA Cup in 1984 and Cup Winners Cup).
He
left Everton in 1986 to join Watford for one season (1986/87).
In
1987, he joined Arsenal and won the League title with the side in 1989.
In
1990, he joined Spanish side Real Sociedad for one season (1990/91).
In
1991, he joined Aston Villa and remained with the club until 1995 before
joining Coventry City.
He
left Coventry in 1997 and saw out his career with spells at Southampton
(1997/98), Barnsley (1998 through 2000) and Blackpool (2000).
 |
Photo From: Merlin England 1993/94
|
(Kevin Richardson) |
Neil
Ruddock, 1994:
Another surprise
selection by Terry Venables was that of 26-year-old Liverpool central defender
Neil Ruddock. He was seen as a hard-man and hardly International material. He
was selected in a friendly vs. Nigeria at Wembley on November 16th,
1994 (1-0 win).
He started out at
Millwall in the early 80s, before joining Tottenham Hotspur (1986 through 1988).
He rejoined Millwall (1988-89) before joining Southampton (1989 through 1992).
He rejoined
Tottenham Hotspur (1992/93) but left following the dispute between Terry
Venables and Chairman Alan Sugar.
He joined
Liverpool in 1993 and remained with the club until 1998, including a loan spell
at Queens Park Rangers (1998).
The remainder of
his career included spells with West Ham United (1998 through 2000), Crystal
Palace (2000-01), Swindon Town (2001 through 2003) before retiring.
He represented
England at U-21 level and earned one England B cap (1994).
 |
Photo From: Merlin England 1994/95
|
(Neil Ruddock) |
David
Unsworth, 1995:
21-year-old
Everton defender David Unsworth was selected by Terry Venables for the end of
season Umbro Cup in 1995, just days after he had won the FA Cup with his club
vs. Manchester United. His lone appearance was on June 3rd, 1995, at
Wembley vs. Japan (2-1 win).
He started out
with Everton in 1992 and remained there until 1997. He joined West Ham United
(1997/98) before joining Aston Villa in 1998.
He quickly
rejoined his first side Everton shortly after signing with Villa and made no
appearances with Aston Villa.
He remained with
Everton until 2004.
The remainder of
his career included spells with Portsmouth (2004/05), Ipswich Town (2005 on
loan), Sheffield United (2005 through 2007), Wigan Athletic (2007), Burnley
(2007/08) and Huddersfield Town (2008/09) before retiring.
He represented
England at U-21 level.
 |
Photo From: Merlin England 1994/95
|
(David Unsworth) |
Chris
Sutton, 1998:
Perhaps the most
surprising one-cap wonder of the 1990s must be Chris Sutton. He was the record
signing in English Football in the summer of 1994 when signed by Kenny Dalglish
for Blackburn Rovers. He formed the SAS partnership with Alan Shearer as Blackburn
won the Premier League title in 1995. Terry Venables did not select him. His
successor Glenn Hoddle selected him for a friendly vs. Cameroon at Wembley on
November 15th, 1997 (2-0 win). He replaced Paul Scholes in the 79th
minute. He ended his own England career by refusing a B call-up by Hoddle in
early 1998.
The
25-year-old striker started out at Norwich City in 1991 and remained with the
club until his record transfer in 1994 to Blackburn Rovers.
He
was at Blackburn until 1999 and after relegation joined Chelsea.
After
an unhappy spell at London, in 2000, he joined Celtic Glasgow in the Scottish
league for a successful spell. He won league titles and was part of the side
that reached the 2003 UEFA Cup Final.
He
left Celtic in 2006 and saw out his career with spells at Birmingham City
(2006), Aston Villa (2006/07) before retiring.
He
did come out of retirement in 2012 for one match Wroxham.
He represented
England at U-21 level and earned two England B caps (1994).
 |
Photo From: Merlin England 1994/95
|
(Chris Sutton) |
Lee Hendrie,
1998:
In what would be
his last match in charge, Glenn Hoddle selected Aston Villa’s 21—year-old
midfielder Lee Hendrie in a friendly vs. Czech Republic at Wembley on November
18th, 1998 (2-0 win). At that point, Villa managed by John Gregory
were having a fine season.
The 27-year-old
midfielder started at Aston Villa in 1994 and remained with the club until 2007
(including a season loan at Stoke City (2006/07)).
After Villa, he
joined Sheffield United in 2007 and then Derby County in 2009. Both spells
included spells on loan at Leicester City and Blackpool (2008) and Brighton
(2010).
He saw out his
career with short spells at multitude of clubs in the lower Leagues.
He represented
England at U-21 level and earned one England B cap (1998).
 |
Photo From: Merlin England 1998/99
|
(Lee Hendrie) |
Steve Guppy,
1999:
The decade’s last
lone cap was Leicester City’s 30-year-old winger Steve Guppy. He was selected
by Kevin Keegan in a friendly at Sunderland vs. Belgium on October 10th, 1999
(2-1 win). He was one of key players in Martin O’Neill’s Leicester side.
He started at Wycombe
Wanderers in 1989 and remained with the club until 1994. He joined Kevin
Keegan’s Newcastle United in 1994 but joined Port Vale shortly thereafter
without making an appearance for the Magpies.
He left Port Vale
in 1997 to join Martin O’Neill’s Leicester City side for a successful spell
(1997 through 2001).
He rejoined
Martin O’Neill in 2001 by signing for Celtic Glasgow. He saw out his career
with spells back at Leicester City (2004), Leeds United (2004), Stoke City
(2004), Wycombe Wanderers (2004/05), DC United in the MLS (2005/06), Stevenage
Borough (2006/07) and Rochester Rhinos (2008).
He represented
England at U-21 level and earned one England B cap (1998).
 |
Photo From: Merlin England 1998/99
|
(Steve Guppy) |
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