By Frank Mead, Editor
The latest instalment in the Heroes, Villains and Legends category focuses on Manchester United’s “Schmeichel of the 1980’s”, legendary goalkeeper Gary Bailley.
Despite not being the most successful decade in terms of trophies, the Manchester United teams of the 1980’s boasted several world class talents. Norman Whiteside, Mark Hughes, Bryan Robson and Paul McGrath are players who immediately spring to mind. They are players who almost every United fan has heard of, even the younger fans who are new to football. It’s probably fair to say, however, that many would struggle to name Manchester United’s goalkeeper during this era. That man, who won two F.A. Cups during his career with the Red Devils, was Gary Bailey.
Early Beginnings
Bailey was born in 1958, the son of legendary Ipswich Town goalkeeper Roy Bailey. When his father retired in 1965, the family relocated to South Africa and it was there that his son followed in his father’s footsteps.
He joined Cape Town City as a schoolboy, before moving to Wits University F.C. at the age of 18. In 1978 Bailey paid his own air fare to secure a trial at Old Trafford, which he subsequently passed. In the summer of that year, legendary goalkeeper Alex Stepney moved to the NASL to join Dallas Tornado. Bailey now faced a straight fight with back up goalkeeper Paddy Roche.
Gary Bailey made his Manchester United debut in November, ironically in a 2 – 0 home win against his father’s former club Ipswich Town. This was enough to convince manager Dave Sexton, who made him the number one goalkeeper from then on. Bailey would keep the jersey for the remainder of his career.
Number One
It soon became clear that United had unearthed a gem in Bailey, despite a disappointing 1978 – 79 league campaign. Their ninth placed finish was offset by the fact that United reached the F.A. Cup Final against Arsenal. A year earlier Bailey hadn’t even had a contract, and now at the age of 20 he was walking out at Wembley in front of 100,000 fans as the club’s first choice keeper.
It would be one of the most spectacular Finals in the competition’s entire history. Arsenal raced into a 2 – 0 half-time lead, which they held until the 86th minute. Gordon McQueen and then Sammy McIlroy scored in successive minutes to level the score. What happened next saw the young goalkeeper come in for a bit of criticism from fans. With United fans still celebrating, Arsenal broke forward with Liam Brady passing to Graham Rix. The winger sent over a cross which Bailey missed, allowing Alan Sunderland to tap into an empty net. Ecstasy for Arsenal’s fans, agony for United’s.
While Bailey will no doubt have been disappointed at the error, he certainly didn’t let it affect his confidence. The following season, United’s league form dramatically improved as they finished runners-up, just two points behind Liverpool. Gary Bailey started every match, conceding just eight goals at Old Trafford during the 1979 – 80 season.
It’s very rare that when your team concedes six goals in a match, the goalkeeper is your best player. This happened to United in March 1980, as they were thrashed 6 – 0 by Ipswich at Portman Road. Had it not been for Bailey, who couldn’t really be blamed for any of the goals, it would have been nine. The United goalkeeper saved three penalties that day. Suddenly, the mistake that had occurred in the cup final seemed irrelevant. United had a new undisputed number one.
The 1980’s
Ask anybody who ever played under the late Dave Sexton, and they will tell you what a great coach he was. Unfortunately, he never quite got the balance right at Old Trafford. After the exciting, thrill-a-minute football played under Sir Matt Busby and Tommy Docherty, his more conservative approach was not appreciated by the fans. Despite winning his last seven league games, an eight placed finish was enough to also convince the board that he was not the right manager. He was removed of his duties in April 1981, and replaced by Ron Atkinson.
There is always a period of uncertainty for any player when a new manager comes on board. Gary Bailey was one of the players Atkinson was unsure of before his appointment. The rumour was that he had Peter Shilton in mind for his goalkeeper. After seeing Bailey at close quarters, Big Ron realised that a new goalkeeper was not at all required. Now aged 23, he had added the maturity that comes with playing in big games to his range of skills. A superb shot stopper, he also had unquestionable bravery and you would always back him to win when coming for corners and crosses.
In 1981 – 82 United finished in third position, which guaranteed them UEFA Cup football. This seemed the perfect springboard to have a crack at winning the league title, which had eluded them for more than a decade. This didn’t happen, but the following season would provide plenty of excitement. Since making his debut less than four years earlier, Bailey had made nearly 200 appearances. He had missed just five games in that time.
Manchester United had never won the League Cup, or even got to the final before 1983. They found themselves up against their biggest rivals, Liverpool. Despite taking the lead through Norman Whiteside, their opponents battled back to win it in extra time, with two long range strikes securing them the trophy.
United got on with it and finished third in the league once again, but also reached the 1983 F.A. Cup Final. Their opponents were recently relegated Brighton & Hove Albion, and United were heavy favourites. They received a shock when Brighton took a first half lead, but Frank Stapleton levelled ten minutes into the second. Ray Wilkins scored a brilliant curling effort to give United the lead, and it seemed the Red Devils had done enough, only for Gary Stevens to equalise with three minutes remaining.
There was another heart-stopping moment for United fans, when Gordon Smith found himself in acres of space in the last minute. Gary Bailey pulled off a brilliant save to deny him, and Brighton, the trophy. United made sure that the replay was a formality, winning 4 – 0, and Bailey had won his first trophy.
He would win the F.A. Cup again two years later, when Norman Whiteside’s extra time curling shot defeated league champions Everton.
International Recognition and Retirement
The superb form of Gary Bailey had not gone unnoticed by England manager Bobby Robson. Having been a prominent member of the Under 21’s, he finally made his debut in 1985. It is unfortunate for the United goalkeeper that England were well stocked between the sticks, with both Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence ahead of him in the pecking order.
United came flying out of the traps in the 1985 – 86 season, winning their first ten games. It looked like Atkinson had finally gotten the formula correct, and that elusive league title would be coming home at last. It was to be a false dawn, and when Robson injured his hamstring the title challenge began to crumble. United finished fourth, and worse was to come for Bailey.
Having been only used sparingly by England, it is ironic that the injury that finished his career happened while training with the national team. In April 1986, Bailey was training with the squad he suffered a severe knee injury, and had to undergo surgery. The operation was successful, and he selected as part of the squad for the 1986 World Cup.
Although he was unused during the tournament, he needed further surgery upon his return. This would rule him out for the rest of the year, by which time Alex Ferguson had replaced Atkinson as manager following a poor start to the league campaign. It is quite ironic that Big Ron was unsure about Bailey before his appointment, only to see the goalkeeper outlast him at the club. Unfortunately, it would not be by many months.
He made five further league appearances for Manchester United, before he accepted that the injury was not going to heal sufficiently to take him back to his previous level. In April 1987 Gary Bailey announced his retirement from football at the age of 28.
After United
Following his departure from Old Trafford, Bailey returned to South Africa. After further surgery, which reportedly involved removing a razor-sharp piece of bone from his knee, he attempted to return to football. He joined South African side Kaizer Chiefs, away from the pressures and expectations of English football. He won several trophies with the Amakhosi, before his knee injury flared up once again. This time, his retirement was for good.
Since his retirement, Gary Bailey has become a well-respected pundit in South Africa, both on television and radio. He was also an ambassador for South Africa’s 2010 World Cup bid, which they duly won.
Final Thought
The fact that many fans may be unsure of exactly who Gary Bailey is probably because he only won two England caps. As previously mentioned in this article, the national side had a lot of strength in the goalkeeping department at the time. In those days, international football was the biggest exposure a player could get, because it alerted other countries to their presence. This is in stark contrast to today. The league positions Manchester United usually finished in during Bailey’s career would have guaranteed Champions League football had the format been the same as today.
Peter Schmeichel once stated that Bailey was his favourite all-time keeper, and one of his main inspirations growing up. In many ways, Gary Bailey was Manchester United’s “Schmeichel of the 1980’s”, an absolutely magnificent goalkeeper. He represented the club for almost nine years. The fact that they were not the most trophy laden times in Manchester United’s history should not detract from the fact that he is a club legend.
Had it not been for his late heroics in 1983, United’s trophy cabinet may have been one F.A. Cup lighter.
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