Classic Arsenal Players - Part 21 - David Seaman
SAFE HANDS
THERE ARE JUST four minutes remaining in the 2003 FA Cup semi final at Old Trafford. Underdogs Sheffield United appear to have got the equaliser their pressure has deserved as Paul Peschisolido sends a header towards an open goal from just two yards out and is turning away to celebrate.
But the Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman, then aged 39 and playing the 1,000th senior match of his career, somehow manages to scoop the ball away from behind him with his outstretched right hand to produce one of the greatest saves ever seen.
If ever a moment perfectly captured the career of one of England's finest ever goalkeepers then this was it. Safe hands indeed.
David Andrew Seaman MBE was born on 19 September 1963 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
He attended Kimberworth Comprehensive School and joined his boyhood club Leeds United as an apprentice in 1981.
At the time Seaman, a tall, brave and agile goalkeeper, was understudy to John Lukic, the start of a professional relationship between the two that would last over 20 years.
However Seaman was left distraught when the then Leeds manager Eddie Gray, who had been his favourite player growing up, decided he no longer wanted the teenage goalkeeper at Elland Road.
So Seaman instead joined Peterborough United for £4,000 in August 1982 having failed to make a single appearance for Leeds.
At Peterborough, Seaman began to make a name for himself and in two years at the Fourth Division club he made just over 100 appearances.
That prompted Second Division Birmingham City to pay £100,000 for his services in October 1984.
Seaman was a regular in the side that won promotion to Division One in 1985 but when they was relegated again at the end of the 1985/86 season, Seaman moved on to Queens Park Rangers for £225,000 in August 1986. He had played 84 times for the Blues.
It was while at Loftus Road that Seaman began to establish himself as one of the best young goalkeepers in the country.
During his time at QPR, Seaman was coached by former Arsenal double winning goalkeeper, Bob Wilson, who would later recommend him to manager George Graham.
Seaman's great form at Rangers saw him recognised at international level and he called up for his full England debut by Bobby Robson in a 1-1 draw in Saudi Arabia in November 1988.
Although a regular in the England squad for the next 15 years, Seaman missed out on the 1990 World Cup in Italy due to injury and was not selected by Graham Taylor for the European Championships in Sweden in 1992.
In fact it was not until Terry Venables became England coach in 1995 that Seaman would become the country's undisputed number one. He played in the European Championships in England in 1996 and the 2000 tournament in Holland and Belgium, as well as in the World Cups in France 1998 and Japan and South Korea in 2002.
In the end Seaman played 75 times for England over 15 consecutive years from 1988 to 2002.
After four impressive seasons with Queens Park Rangers, Seaman joined Arsenal in the summer of 1990 when Graham paid a then record fee for a goalkeeper of £1.3 million.
Initially the Arsenal fans were upset that he was replacing the popular Lukic but Graham said that although he thought Lukic was one of the best goalkeepers in the country, he believed Seaman was the best.
That showed in what was an outstanding debut season in 1990/91 where Seaman was ever-present, keeping 24 clean sheets and conceding just 18 goals as Arsenal won the league title losing just one match.
In fact Seaman hardly missed a game in his first four seasons at Highbury, helping the club win a first domestic cup double in 1992/93 and the European Cup Winners in 1993/94, keeping a further 61 clean sheets along the way.
The highlight of the 1992/93 League Cup run was a penalty shoot out success at Millwall in the second round where Seaman saved kicks from Malcolm Allen, Jon Goodman and Colin Cooper to send Arsenal through.
The European campaign in the following 1993/94 season saw Seaman concede just three goals in nine appearances in the Cup Winners Cup as Arsenal went on to beat Parma 1-0 in the final in Copenhagen.
The following season would be a traumatic one for the club as Graham was sacked in February 1995 but they again reached the final of the European Cup Winners Cup.
After a 5-5 aggregate draw with Sampdoria in the semi final, Seaman again proved to be the penalty hero as in the shoot-out he saved from Sinisa Mihajlovic, Vladimir Jugovic and Attilio Lombardo to seal a 3-2 success.
However against Real Zaragoza in the final in Paris, Seaman was beaten by a last minute lob from 40 yards by ex Tottenham Hotspur player Nayim as Arsenal lost 2-1.
Seaman was ever-present again in the 1995/96 season under new manager Bruce Rioch, keeping 21 clean sheets, and that summer he enjoyed a fabulous Euro 96 for England where he was voted player of the tournament by sponsors, Philips.
This included more penalty heroics, saving from Gary McAllister in the 2-0 group stage win over Scotland and then from Miguel Angel Nadal in the quarter final shoot-out win over Spain.
When Seaman returned to Arsenal for the start of the 1996/97 season, Rioch was gone. His eventual replacement, Arsene Wenger, did not arrive until September but Seaman was injured in a match at Old Trafford in November and was out for two months.
In an ironic turn of events his replacement in the team was the returning Lukic.
Seaman missed two months of the following 1997/98 season as Arsenal won the double, although he was back for the glorious conclusion, keeping eight clean sheets in the last 11 matches and playing in the FA Cup final victory over Newcastle United, keeping another clean sheet in a 2-0 win.
The following 1998/99 season saw Arsenal conceded a record low of just 17 league goals, Seaman with another 22 clean sheets, but they were pipped to the title by treble-winning Manchester United.
It appeared as though Seaman, now almost 36, was reaching the end of his glorious Arsenal career as he shared goalkeeping responsibilities with Alex Manninger in the 1999/00 season.
However he did play in his third European final, even if on this occasion his shoot-out heroics could not prevent Arsenal losing on penalties to Galatasary in the UEFA Cup in Copenhagen.
Injuries were now impacting on Seaman's career and he missed several matches in both the 2000/01 and 2001/02 seasons.
However Seaman was fit to play in the 2001 FA Cup final, a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in Cardiff where he was beaten by two late goals from England teammate Michael Owen.
Seaman returned to Cardiff the following year in the FA Cup final as Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-0, and he was in the side that clinched the league title Old Trafford four days later, winning his second double with the club.
Although Seaman's England career was now over following defeat to Brazil in the 2002 World Cup quarter final, where he was again lobbed from long range, this time by Ronaldinho, Seaman would enjoy one final glorious season at Arsenal.
On the way to another FA Cup final appearance, his fifth for the club, Seaman made one of the best saves ever seen in the semi final victory over Sheffield United at Old Trafford on what what was the 1,000th senior appearance of his career.
In the final Seaman kept another clean sheet against Southampton in a 1-0 Arsenal victory, and as captain for the day he went up to collect the trophy, the perfect way to end his 13 year stay at Highbury.
In the end Seaman had made a 564 appearances for the club, a record for a goalkeeper, keeping 238 clean sheets and conceding 469 goals.
In the summer of 2003 Seaman left to join Manchester City on a free transfer, but after just 26 appearances a recurring shoulder injury forced into retirement in January 2004.
After initially wanting to qualify for his UEFA badges to become a goalkeeping coach, Seaman decided against the idea when he realised he would have to learn about out-field coaching as well in which he had no interest.
Instead, with his likable personality he was able to carve out a career in television, often appearing on chat shows and as a guest presenter on programmes like They Think It's All Over.
In December 2004 he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing. Despite being a late replacement for Paul Gascoigne and only having a couple of weeks to prepare, Seaman won the show in partnership with professional dancer Zoia Birmingham.
Seaman later appeared on Dancing on Ice, finishing fourth in 2005 with partner Frankie Poultney, and he also appeared on All Star Family Fortunes.
Seaman now hosts the 'Safe Hands' annual charity golf day and has played in all six Soccer Aid matches.
Seaman can currently be seen in series two of ITV's Harry Heroes.
Away from football Seaman is currently married to his third wife, Frankie, who he met on Dancing on Ice in 2005, and he has four children.
What more can I say about big Dave Seaman? The guy is quite simply a legend.
One of the rare Arsenal players to become an England regular he remains to this day probably the most popular ever of all our former players.
I have so many great memories of him, from the great saves, the penalty shoot-outs, to his big beaming smile and THAT ponytail. But my favourite memory does not actually involve Dave himself.
It was late in the 1998/99 season and we are playing away at Leeds. If we win the game we would only need to beat Aston Villa at home in the last match to win back-to-back titles. I did not initially realise it but sitting directly in front of me in the away end that night was Dave Seaman's mum, Pam!
It was only after he had started getting a little stick from the crowd, for what reason I am not sure, that it become clear exactly who she was. I reassured her that most Arsenal loved her son and I spent the rest of the evening telling her how great I thought he was.
Then just before half time Leeds was awarded a penalty. Of course Pam couldn't watch so she turned her back on the pitch to face me with her hands together in a praying motion. She grabs hold of me for reassurance. Of course I'm praying along with her that he saves it.
In the end the penalty from Ian Harte crashed against the crossbar and when Dave saved the rebound it led to a surreal celebration with his mum, who could not stop jumping up and down and hugging me, screaming in my ear, 'He did it, he did it.' Indeed he did.
We may have lost that game in the end but it is certainly a night I'll never forget.
I feel privileged that one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time played for my club for so long. He became a national treasure for his performances in Euro 96 and he won nine major trophies at Highbury, a total beaten only by Tony Adams.
Goalkeepers rarely get the same adulation as goalscorers but I think Dave broke the mound. In all honesty I don't think England or Arsenal have ever managed to adequately replace him and 16 years after his retirement, that tells you all you need to know.
Coming up next time will be something a little different. I will compare the managerial careers of the two men who shaped our successes of the 1980s, 1990s and beyond: George Graham and Arsene Wenger. Now that will be one not to be missed.
THERE ARE JUST four minutes remaining in the 2003 FA Cup semi final at Old Trafford. Underdogs Sheffield United appear to have got the equaliser their pressure has deserved as Paul Peschisolido sends a header towards an open goal from just two yards out and is turning away to celebrate.
But the Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman, then aged 39 and playing the 1,000th senior match of his career, somehow manages to scoop the ball away from behind him with his outstretched right hand to produce one of the greatest saves ever seen.
If ever a moment perfectly captured the career of one of England's finest ever goalkeepers then this was it. Safe hands indeed.
He attended Kimberworth Comprehensive School and joined his boyhood club Leeds United as an apprentice in 1981.
At the time Seaman, a tall, brave and agile goalkeeper, was understudy to John Lukic, the start of a professional relationship between the two that would last over 20 years.
However Seaman was left distraught when the then Leeds manager Eddie Gray, who had been his favourite player growing up, decided he no longer wanted the teenage goalkeeper at Elland Road.
At Peterborough, Seaman began to make a name for himself and in two years at the Fourth Division club he made just over 100 appearances.
That prompted Second Division Birmingham City to pay £100,000 for his services in October 1984.
Seaman was a regular in the side that won promotion to Division One in 1985 but when they was relegated again at the end of the 1985/86 season, Seaman moved on to Queens Park Rangers for £225,000 in August 1986. He had played 84 times for the Blues.
It was while at Loftus Road that Seaman began to establish himself as one of the best young goalkeepers in the country.
During his time at QPR, Seaman was coached by former Arsenal double winning goalkeeper, Bob Wilson, who would later recommend him to manager George Graham.
Seaman's great form at Rangers saw him recognised at international level and he called up for his full England debut by Bobby Robson in a 1-1 draw in Saudi Arabia in November 1988.
Although a regular in the England squad for the next 15 years, Seaman missed out on the 1990 World Cup in Italy due to injury and was not selected by Graham Taylor for the European Championships in Sweden in 1992.
In fact it was not until Terry Venables became England coach in 1995 that Seaman would become the country's undisputed number one. He played in the European Championships in England in 1996 and the 2000 tournament in Holland and Belgium, as well as in the World Cups in France 1998 and Japan and South Korea in 2002.
In the end Seaman played 75 times for England over 15 consecutive years from 1988 to 2002.
Initially the Arsenal fans were upset that he was replacing the popular Lukic but Graham said that although he thought Lukic was one of the best goalkeepers in the country, he believed Seaman was the best.
That showed in what was an outstanding debut season in 1990/91 where Seaman was ever-present, keeping 24 clean sheets and conceding just 18 goals as Arsenal won the league title losing just one match.
In fact Seaman hardly missed a game in his first four seasons at Highbury, helping the club win a first domestic cup double in 1992/93 and the European Cup Winners in 1993/94, keeping a further 61 clean sheets along the way.
The highlight of the 1992/93 League Cup run was a penalty shoot out success at Millwall in the second round where Seaman saved kicks from Malcolm Allen, Jon Goodman and Colin Cooper to send Arsenal through.
The European campaign in the following 1993/94 season saw Seaman concede just three goals in nine appearances in the Cup Winners Cup as Arsenal went on to beat Parma 1-0 in the final in Copenhagen.
The following season would be a traumatic one for the club as Graham was sacked in February 1995 but they again reached the final of the European Cup Winners Cup.
After a 5-5 aggregate draw with Sampdoria in the semi final, Seaman again proved to be the penalty hero as in the shoot-out he saved from Sinisa Mihajlovic, Vladimir Jugovic and Attilio Lombardo to seal a 3-2 success.
Seaman was ever-present again in the 1995/96 season under new manager Bruce Rioch, keeping 21 clean sheets, and that summer he enjoyed a fabulous Euro 96 for England where he was voted player of the tournament by sponsors, Philips.
This included more penalty heroics, saving from Gary McAllister in the 2-0 group stage win over Scotland and then from Miguel Angel Nadal in the quarter final shoot-out win over Spain.
When Seaman returned to Arsenal for the start of the 1996/97 season, Rioch was gone. His eventual replacement, Arsene Wenger, did not arrive until September but Seaman was injured in a match at Old Trafford in November and was out for two months.
In an ironic turn of events his replacement in the team was the returning Lukic.
Seaman missed two months of the following 1997/98 season as Arsenal won the double, although he was back for the glorious conclusion, keeping eight clean sheets in the last 11 matches and playing in the FA Cup final victory over Newcastle United, keeping another clean sheet in a 2-0 win.
The following 1998/99 season saw Arsenal conceded a record low of just 17 league goals, Seaman with another 22 clean sheets, but they were pipped to the title by treble-winning Manchester United.
However he did play in his third European final, even if on this occasion his shoot-out heroics could not prevent Arsenal losing on penalties to Galatasary in the UEFA Cup in Copenhagen.
Injuries were now impacting on Seaman's career and he missed several matches in both the 2000/01 and 2001/02 seasons.
However Seaman was fit to play in the 2001 FA Cup final, a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in Cardiff where he was beaten by two late goals from England teammate Michael Owen.
Seaman returned to Cardiff the following year in the FA Cup final as Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-0, and he was in the side that clinched the league title Old Trafford four days later, winning his second double with the club.
Although Seaman's England career was now over following defeat to Brazil in the 2002 World Cup quarter final, where he was again lobbed from long range, this time by Ronaldinho, Seaman would enjoy one final glorious season at Arsenal.
On the way to another FA Cup final appearance, his fifth for the club, Seaman made one of the best saves ever seen in the semi final victory over Sheffield United at Old Trafford on what what was the 1,000th senior appearance of his career.
In the final Seaman kept another clean sheet against Southampton in a 1-0 Arsenal victory, and as captain for the day he went up to collect the trophy, the perfect way to end his 13 year stay at Highbury.
In the summer of 2003 Seaman left to join Manchester City on a free transfer, but after just 26 appearances a recurring shoulder injury forced into retirement in January 2004.
After initially wanting to qualify for his UEFA badges to become a goalkeeping coach, Seaman decided against the idea when he realised he would have to learn about out-field coaching as well in which he had no interest.
Instead, with his likable personality he was able to carve out a career in television, often appearing on chat shows and as a guest presenter on programmes like They Think It's All Over.
In December 2004 he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing. Despite being a late replacement for Paul Gascoigne and only having a couple of weeks to prepare, Seaman won the show in partnership with professional dancer Zoia Birmingham.
Seaman later appeared on Dancing on Ice, finishing fourth in 2005 with partner Frankie Poultney, and he also appeared on All Star Family Fortunes.
Seaman can currently be seen in series two of ITV's Harry Heroes.
Away from football Seaman is currently married to his third wife, Frankie, who he met on Dancing on Ice in 2005, and he has four children.
What more can I say about big Dave Seaman? The guy is quite simply a legend.
One of the rare Arsenal players to become an England regular he remains to this day probably the most popular ever of all our former players.
I have so many great memories of him, from the great saves, the penalty shoot-outs, to his big beaming smile and THAT ponytail. But my favourite memory does not actually involve Dave himself.
It was late in the 1998/99 season and we are playing away at Leeds. If we win the game we would only need to beat Aston Villa at home in the last match to win back-to-back titles. I did not initially realise it but sitting directly in front of me in the away end that night was Dave Seaman's mum, Pam!
It was only after he had started getting a little stick from the crowd, for what reason I am not sure, that it become clear exactly who she was. I reassured her that most Arsenal loved her son and I spent the rest of the evening telling her how great I thought he was.
Then just before half time Leeds was awarded a penalty. Of course Pam couldn't watch so she turned her back on the pitch to face me with her hands together in a praying motion. She grabs hold of me for reassurance. Of course I'm praying along with her that he saves it.
In the end the penalty from Ian Harte crashed against the crossbar and when Dave saved the rebound it led to a surreal celebration with his mum, who could not stop jumping up and down and hugging me, screaming in my ear, 'He did it, he did it.' Indeed he did.
We may have lost that game in the end but it is certainly a night I'll never forget.
I feel privileged that one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time played for my club for so long. He became a national treasure for his performances in Euro 96 and he won nine major trophies at Highbury, a total beaten only by Tony Adams.
Goalkeepers rarely get the same adulation as goalscorers but I think Dave broke the mound. In all honesty I don't think England or Arsenal have ever managed to adequately replace him and 16 years after his retirement, that tells you all you need to know.
Coming up next time will be something a little different. I will compare the managerial careers of the two men who shaped our successes of the 1980s, 1990s and beyond: George Graham and Arsene Wenger. Now that will be one not to be missed.
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