Classic Arsenal Player Profile - Part 6 - Charlie Nicholas
BONNY PRINCE CHARLIE
THE WORD ENIGMA was invented for players like Charlie Nicholas. Supremely talented and a scorer of great goals, he was often misunderstood by coaches, the media, and fans alike.
Nicholas arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 1983 to a big fanfare and for a big transfer fee but only fleetingly showed the ability that had made him such hot property.
His four and a half years in London saw only glimpses of his undoubted talent, although he wrote himself into the Highbury history books with both goals in the 1987 Littlewoods Cup final win over Liverpool at Wembley.
Charles Nicholas was born on 30 December 1961 in Cowcaddens, Glasgow, and played for Celtic Boys Club as a youth before signing for Celtic in 1979.
Nicholas made his debut in August of that year in a Glasgow Cup tie against Queens Park, scoring in a 3-1 victory, but his only other appearance in the first team in the 1979/80 season came in the next round of the same competition, a 3-0 success against Clyde in which he scored again.
After spending the rest of that season in the reserves, Nicholas made his league debut for Celtic in August 1980 against Kilmarnock. Later that month he scored twice in a League Cup win over Sterling Albion.
That was the start of a superb debut season for the 19 year old Nicholas. He finished as top scorer with 28 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions as he won his first league title medal.
The following 1981/82 season was a difficult one for Nicholas. He lost his place in the side to George McCluskey and then in January 1982 he suffered a broken leg in a friendly against Morton which ended his season, although he had made sufficient appearances to gain another league title winners medal.
Nicholas returned at the start of the 1982/83 season and after enjoying a great early run, scoring seven times in the first seven matches, he kept his place in the side. By December 1982 he was the leading scorer in British football and there was speculation linking him with a move to England.
Nicholas' goal-scoring exploits saw him capped by Scotland for the first time in March 1983, scoring in a 2-2 draw against Switzerland. But despite this great start his international career never really took off and, although he played at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Nicholas won just 20 caps, scoring only 5 goals.
He finished the 1982/83 season with 48 goals in all competitions, scoring twice in the final game of the season as Celtic came back from 2-0 down to beat Rangers 4-2. However it was not enough to overturn Dundee United, who surprisingly lifted the title.
The summer of 1983 saw a scramble in England for the 21 year old's signature. Champions Liverpool appeared favourites, especially as Scotland teammates Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish had both made strenuous efforts to persuade him to come to Anfield.
Nicholas' preferred choice was initially Manchester United, while Tottenham Hotspur and even Inter Milan were also in the running.
It was therefore somewhat of a shock when Terry Neill unveiled Nicholas as Arsenal's record signing on 22 June 1983 for a fee of £750,000. The media assumed it was the bright lights of London that attracted Nicholas to Arsenal but he later admitted that he was sold by the long term vision of the club.
Nicholas was unveiled to an American Football style welcome at the first game of the season against Luton Town, a 2-1 win, and he scored both goals in the midweek 2-1 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
But after such great start things soon went downhill. The team was very inconsistent and Nicholas' form suffered. After that brace at Wolves, Nicholas did not score again until November, a 2-1 League Cup win at rivals Tottenham, and by December Neill had been sacked with Arsenal in the bottom half of the table and Nicholas yet to score at Highbury.
Despite his poor form, however, Nicholas became an instant favourite of the fans. His rock star good looks, trendy haircut, and pictures of him in London nightspots with numerous Page 3 models made him big box office, and Arsenal's crowds were up by over 4,000 per game.
Don Howe had replaced Neill as manager and after the signing of Paul Mariner from Ipswich Town in February 1984, a change in formation brought the best out of Nicholas. Arsenal went on a thrilling end of season run, winning 8 of their final 15 league matches to finish 6th, with Nicholas, playing in the hole behind the strikers, ending the season with 13 goals.
It finished on a slightly unsavory note though with a sending off against Leicester City in April, following an altercation with Steve Peake, which meant he would miss the opening two games of the following campaign.
Nicholas' inconsistency was matched by that of the team. After a bright start to the 1984/85 season, with Nicholas in great form and Arsenal four points at the clear at the top in October, they slumped to finish 7th with Nicholas scoring just 12 times.
Although the Scot would finish as top scorer in the 1985/86 season with 18 goals, including his only hat-trick for the club away at Grimsby Town in the FA Cup, the team flattered to deceive, finishing 7th again.
But Howe had resigned in March 1986 and his replacement, George Graham, was never going to warm to a maverick character like Nicholas. He wanted workers in his team. An injury early in the 1986/87 season, during which time Arsenal embarked on a 22 match unbeaten run without Nicholas in the side, appeared to spell the end for the Scot.
However Nicholas did enjoy one last glorious day in an Arsenal shirt, scoring both goals as the Gunners came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 in the 1987 Littlewoods Cup final at Wembley, Arsenal's first trophy for eight years.
Having already got rid of superstars like Tony Woodcock, Mariner and Graham Rix, replacing them with young, hungry, home grown players, it was clear Nicholas was not a part of Graham's long term plans.
When he then bought striker Alan Smith from Leicester City in the 1987 close season the writing was on the wall, and after just three goalless games at the start of the 1987/88 season, Nicholas was banished to the reserves. Graham finally sold him to Aberdeen in January 1988 for a cut price fee of just £400,000.
In total Nicholas had made 184 appearances for Arsenal scoring 54 goals but he never really lived up to the hype surrounding his arrival four and half years earlier, apart from that one glorious day at Wembley.
Back in the slower pace of Scottish football, Nicholas rediscovered his goalscoring form at Pittordrie, finishing as joint top scorer in the league in the 1988/89 season with 16 goals, and winning both the League Cup and Scottish Cup in 1990.
Nicholas rejoined Celtic in the summer of that year after scoring 36 times in 104 appearances for the Dons, but he played only 14 times in his first season back at Parkhead, scoring just three goals.
But with the arrival of former Arsenal player, Liam Brady, as manager in the summer of 1991, Nicholas enjoyed something of a renaissance, scoring 25 goals in the 1991/92 season, although it was not enough to help Celtic win any silverware.
Nicholas was in and out of the side over the following two seasons before leaving Celtic for a second time in the summer of 1994. In his second spell Nicholas made a further 137 appearances, scoring 43 goals.
Nicholas ended his playing career in 1995 after one season at Clyde where he had scored five times in 31 appearances.
Since retiring from playing, Nicholas has enjoyed a successful career on Sky Sports, regularly appearing alongside former Arsenal teammate Paul Merson on Soccer Saturday, as well as writing a newspaper column. He is also currently working on a new cleaner energy business.
My own personal memories of Nicholas are as of one of my favourite ever Arsenal players.
He may never have quite lived up to the hype of his transfer in 1983 but he was the coolest footballer on the planet at the time and as an impressionable 15 year old I idolised him.
I was one of the many Arsenal fans in 1984 who grew my hair like Charlie, short at sides, long perm at the back, in the days when I had hair to grow, and he certainly made Highbury a much more trendy place to be.
It was a shame he only rarely reached his potential on the pitch. He did produced some incredible moments but went missing far more regularly. However, his all round coolness and a liking for a goal against Spurs meant that he was forgiven for most things.
Plus of course the goals he scored to win the 1987 Littlewoods Cup final, the first trophy I had ever seen us win, which means he will always hold a very special place in my heart.
It is interesting now to think how the Arsenal fans of 2020 would have reacted to him. When you think of the stick a player like Mesut Ozil gets for apparently being lazy and disappearing in the big games, I wonder what the modern Arsenal fan would have made of Charlie.
I believe he played for us at the right time. We had been starved of a star player, a media star, and in the 1980s fans expectations were far lower. We were happy with the odd special goal, the odd clever flick here and there, even if it only happened very fleetingly. But George Graham demanded more and Nicholas' brief Arsenal career was over.
But thanks for the memories.
Coming up next time I look back at Charlie's greatest day, the 1987 Littlewoods Cup final against Liverpool. Be sure to look out for that one.
THE WORD ENIGMA was invented for players like Charlie Nicholas. Supremely talented and a scorer of great goals, he was often misunderstood by coaches, the media, and fans alike.
Nicholas arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 1983 to a big fanfare and for a big transfer fee but only fleetingly showed the ability that had made him such hot property.
His four and a half years in London saw only glimpses of his undoubted talent, although he wrote himself into the Highbury history books with both goals in the 1987 Littlewoods Cup final win over Liverpool at Wembley.
Nicholas made his debut in August of that year in a Glasgow Cup tie against Queens Park, scoring in a 3-1 victory, but his only other appearance in the first team in the 1979/80 season came in the next round of the same competition, a 3-0 success against Clyde in which he scored again.
After spending the rest of that season in the reserves, Nicholas made his league debut for Celtic in August 1980 against Kilmarnock. Later that month he scored twice in a League Cup win over Sterling Albion.
That was the start of a superb debut season for the 19 year old Nicholas. He finished as top scorer with 28 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions as he won his first league title medal.
The following 1981/82 season was a difficult one for Nicholas. He lost his place in the side to George McCluskey and then in January 1982 he suffered a broken leg in a friendly against Morton which ended his season, although he had made sufficient appearances to gain another league title winners medal.
Nicholas returned at the start of the 1982/83 season and after enjoying a great early run, scoring seven times in the first seven matches, he kept his place in the side. By December 1982 he was the leading scorer in British football and there was speculation linking him with a move to England.
He finished the 1982/83 season with 48 goals in all competitions, scoring twice in the final game of the season as Celtic came back from 2-0 down to beat Rangers 4-2. However it was not enough to overturn Dundee United, who surprisingly lifted the title.
The summer of 1983 saw a scramble in England for the 21 year old's signature. Champions Liverpool appeared favourites, especially as Scotland teammates Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish had both made strenuous efforts to persuade him to come to Anfield.
Nicholas' preferred choice was initially Manchester United, while Tottenham Hotspur and even Inter Milan were also in the running.
It was therefore somewhat of a shock when Terry Neill unveiled Nicholas as Arsenal's record signing on 22 June 1983 for a fee of £750,000. The media assumed it was the bright lights of London that attracted Nicholas to Arsenal but he later admitted that he was sold by the long term vision of the club.
Nicholas was unveiled to an American Football style welcome at the first game of the season against Luton Town, a 2-1 win, and he scored both goals in the midweek 2-1 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
But after such great start things soon went downhill. The team was very inconsistent and Nicholas' form suffered. After that brace at Wolves, Nicholas did not score again until November, a 2-1 League Cup win at rivals Tottenham, and by December Neill had been sacked with Arsenal in the bottom half of the table and Nicholas yet to score at Highbury.
Despite his poor form, however, Nicholas became an instant favourite of the fans. His rock star good looks, trendy haircut, and pictures of him in London nightspots with numerous Page 3 models made him big box office, and Arsenal's crowds were up by over 4,000 per game.
It finished on a slightly unsavory note though with a sending off against Leicester City in April, following an altercation with Steve Peake, which meant he would miss the opening two games of the following campaign.
Nicholas' inconsistency was matched by that of the team. After a bright start to the 1984/85 season, with Nicholas in great form and Arsenal four points at the clear at the top in October, they slumped to finish 7th with Nicholas scoring just 12 times.
Although the Scot would finish as top scorer in the 1985/86 season with 18 goals, including his only hat-trick for the club away at Grimsby Town in the FA Cup, the team flattered to deceive, finishing 7th again.
But Howe had resigned in March 1986 and his replacement, George Graham, was never going to warm to a maverick character like Nicholas. He wanted workers in his team. An injury early in the 1986/87 season, during which time Arsenal embarked on a 22 match unbeaten run without Nicholas in the side, appeared to spell the end for the Scot.
However Nicholas did enjoy one last glorious day in an Arsenal shirt, scoring both goals as the Gunners came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 in the 1987 Littlewoods Cup final at Wembley, Arsenal's first trophy for eight years.
Having already got rid of superstars like Tony Woodcock, Mariner and Graham Rix, replacing them with young, hungry, home grown players, it was clear Nicholas was not a part of Graham's long term plans.
When he then bought striker Alan Smith from Leicester City in the 1987 close season the writing was on the wall, and after just three goalless games at the start of the 1987/88 season, Nicholas was banished to the reserves. Graham finally sold him to Aberdeen in January 1988 for a cut price fee of just £400,000.
Back in the slower pace of Scottish football, Nicholas rediscovered his goalscoring form at Pittordrie, finishing as joint top scorer in the league in the 1988/89 season with 16 goals, and winning both the League Cup and Scottish Cup in 1990.
Nicholas rejoined Celtic in the summer of that year after scoring 36 times in 104 appearances for the Dons, but he played only 14 times in his first season back at Parkhead, scoring just three goals.
But with the arrival of former Arsenal player, Liam Brady, as manager in the summer of 1991, Nicholas enjoyed something of a renaissance, scoring 25 goals in the 1991/92 season, although it was not enough to help Celtic win any silverware.
Nicholas was in and out of the side over the following two seasons before leaving Celtic for a second time in the summer of 1994. In his second spell Nicholas made a further 137 appearances, scoring 43 goals.
Nicholas ended his playing career in 1995 after one season at Clyde where he had scored five times in 31 appearances.
Since retiring from playing, Nicholas has enjoyed a successful career on Sky Sports, regularly appearing alongside former Arsenal teammate Paul Merson on Soccer Saturday, as well as writing a newspaper column. He is also currently working on a new cleaner energy business.
He may never have quite lived up to the hype of his transfer in 1983 but he was the coolest footballer on the planet at the time and as an impressionable 15 year old I idolised him.
I was one of the many Arsenal fans in 1984 who grew my hair like Charlie, short at sides, long perm at the back, in the days when I had hair to grow, and he certainly made Highbury a much more trendy place to be.
It was a shame he only rarely reached his potential on the pitch. He did produced some incredible moments but went missing far more regularly. However, his all round coolness and a liking for a goal against Spurs meant that he was forgiven for most things.
Plus of course the goals he scored to win the 1987 Littlewoods Cup final, the first trophy I had ever seen us win, which means he will always hold a very special place in my heart.
It is interesting now to think how the Arsenal fans of 2020 would have reacted to him. When you think of the stick a player like Mesut Ozil gets for apparently being lazy and disappearing in the big games, I wonder what the modern Arsenal fan would have made of Charlie.
I believe he played for us at the right time. We had been starved of a star player, a media star, and in the 1980s fans expectations were far lower. We were happy with the odd special goal, the odd clever flick here and there, even if it only happened very fleetingly. But George Graham demanded more and Nicholas' brief Arsenal career was over.
But thanks for the memories.
Coming up next time I look back at Charlie's greatest day, the 1987 Littlewoods Cup final against Liverpool. Be sure to look out for that one.
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