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Pat Jennings
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2003 |
Profile by Robert Galvin, the author of Football's Greatest Heroes, the official book of the National Football Museum Hall of Fame:
Pat Jennings, the unflappable Irishman with the giant hands and trademark one-handed catch, played at the highest level for 23 years, changing the way goalkeepers went about their job along the way.
Jennings introduced a new style of shot-stopping, according to Bob Wilson, a predecessor in goal at Arsenal and a member of the Double-winning side of 1971.
‘Pat's style of goalkeeping was unique in the 1970s,' Wilson recalled. ‘No-one had used their feet in the natural way Pat had. These days, saving with the feet is commonplace, essential, and its origin lies with him.'
Jennings , the oldest British player to appear in a World Cup finals tournament, was voted Footballer of the Year in 1972-73 during an earlier spell with Tottenham Hotspur.
‘Pat was a brilliant shot-stopper, his positional sense was outstanding and he commanded his area,' Jimmy Greaves said. ‘Add to that his remarkable consistency and dependability. With him in goal, confidence spread through not just the defence but the entire team.'
Sir Alf Ramsey, the England manager, recognised Jennings by picking him in a British select XI in a match to celebrate entry into the Common Market in 1973. ‘I was thrilled to get the nod ahead of Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence, both of whom I rate as exceptional goalkeepers,' Jennings said.
Terry Neill, the Arsenal manager, described the fee of £40,000 he paid to bring Jennings, then aged 32, to Highbury in August 1977 as ‘one of the best transfer deals I made during my career as a manager'.
In contrast, Keith Burkinshaw, who held the same position at White Hart Lane , later admitted that it was the worst decision he ever made. Jennings went on to play more than 300 games for the Gunners.
The affable Jennings played for both clubs in north London without ever generating the animosity of either set of supporters. When he staged a testimonial in May 1985, Spurs accepted his invitation to be the opposition.
As a teenager growing up in Northern Ireland , he learned many of the skills he drew upon as goalkeeper, including his distinctive one-handed catch, by playing a completely different sport: Gaelic football, a game requiring physical strength, courage, good handling skills, and kicking – all vital attributes for a goalkeeper.
‘You have to withstand knocks, and all the time you are leaping to catch the ball against opponents who are also using their hands,' he said.
In 1963, Jennings represented Northern Ireland at an international youth tournament at Wembley, attracting the interest of Bill McGarry, the Watford manager. After one season at Vicarage Road , he joined Spurs for a fee of £27,500, a sizeable sum for a goalkeeper at the time. At the age of 19 he was thrown straight into the first team.
Jennings made his international debut as a teenager. Nineteen years later he finally achieved his ambition of playing in a World Cup when Northern Ireland qualified for the tournament in Spain in 1982.
Remarkably, and once again against the odds, Northern Ireland qualified again four years later. In his record 119th and final appearance for his country, Jennings made an emotional and sentimental farewell – against mighty Brazil in Mexico – on the day of his 41 st birthday.