Jordan: Joseph (Joe)

1970-1978 (Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Carluke, Lanarkshire: 15-12-1951

Debut: v Arsenal (a) (substitute): 11-09-1971

5’11 1/4” 11st 3lb (1973)

#36 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

Jordan worked in an Architect’s office and was rejected by West Bromwich Albion, after a trial. He played for junior side Blantyre Victoria before being picked up by Morton in October 1968. He played only a handful of games for the Greenock club before he was recommended to Leeds by old favourite, Bobby Collins, and United signed the eighteen year old for a bargain £15,000 in October 1970. Initially, there was little prospect of Jordan getting first team football, as the partnership of Allan Clarke and Mick Jones was a well established and successful duo. Jordan endured long spells as substitute but United transformed him into an unselfish inspirational leader. Joe “Jaws” Jordan’s toothless grin became a regular feature of the League circuit, usually after the muscular Scot had buried the ball in the back of the net. He proved an excellent successor to Mick Jones as focal point of the Leeds attack, where his aggression and energy made him a constant threat. In 1973, he appeared in the first team on a regular basis, managing sixteen League starts and scoring nine goals. However, he was left out of the team which contested the FA Cup final against Sunderland which Leeds lost 1–0. Days later, Don Revie selected him for the European Cup-Winners’ Cup Final on 16th May 1973 against AC Milan, which again ended in a 1–0 defeat. Jordan was a regular in the following season, as Leeds coasted to the League title. He scored seven goals in twenty-five League games and earned nine more Scotland caps by the end of the season, He had won his first Scotland cap, as a substitute against England in 1973 and the following year scored the goal which took Scotland to the 1974 World Cup Finals. At the World Cup, Jordan scored the second goal in a 2–0 win over Zaire in the first group game, and a last minute equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Yugoslavia. Scotland finished the group unbeaten, but went out of the competition at the group stage on goal difference. At Leeds, Mick Jones was fighting a losing battle with a knee injury, and in the 1974–75 season Jordan was finally able to establish himself as the club's main target man. He was in the Leeds team which contested the 1975European Cup, which Leeds lost 2–0 to Bayern Munich. The match signalled the end of Revie's side. The older players began to leave the club, and Jordan found himself at a club in slow decline. Jordan was still a regular for Scotland, and in 1977 he caused controversy during the decisive World Cup qualifying match between Scotland andWales. Late in the game, with the scores level, Scotland were attacking in the Wales penalty area when Jordan allegedly handled the ball. The referee, believing the ball to have been handled by a Welsh player, awarded a penalty, from which Scotland scored. The victory meant that Scotland qualified for the World Cup at Wales' expense. He was selected by Ally McLeod in the Scotland squad for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, scoring in the opening 3–1 defeat against Peru. Scotland again failed to qualify beyond the group stage. Jordan, who won fifty-two full caps for Scotland and one at Under-Twenty-three level, won a League Championship medal with Leeds before going to Manchester United for a then record fee of £350,000 in January 1978, where he scored thirty-nine goals in one hundred and nine games. Jordan helped Manchester United reach the FA Cup final in 1979, which they lost 3–2 to Arsenal. In July 1981 a £325,000 took him to AC Milan. In 1982, Jordan was again in the Scotland squad for the World Cup. Scotland once again fail to progress beyond the group stages; however, a personal milestone was achieved when he scored in the 2–2 draw against the USSR. Unfortunately he was injured in the same match, missed the rest of the tournament and never played for his country again. His international career ended with fifty-two appearances and eleven goals. As a player with more than fifty caps, he holds a permanent place in the Scotland Hall of Fame. Following a spell with Verona, he signed for Southampton for £150,000 in August 1984, where he scored twelve goals in forty-eight appearances. In the summer of 1986 he joined Bristol City and helped them to the 1987 Freight/Rover Trophy Final. As a player he made fifty-seven appearances and scored eight goals at Ashton Gate. He became Terry Cooper’s Assistant Manager at Bristol and was appointed caretaker Manager, when Cooper was dismissed in March 1988. He then took over on a permanent basis as Player-Manager, steering them to the 1988-89 Littlewoods Cup semi-final. The following season he led City to promotion from the Third Division with a side containing ex-Leeds players Ronnie Sinclair, Bob Taylor, David Rennie and Mark Gavin. He acted as Scotland’s public relations officer in the 1990 World Cup in Italy. In September 1990 he was appointed Manager of Hearts, who were runners-up to Rangers in 1991-92, but unable to capitalize on that platform, he had a spell as assistant manager at Celtic, in June 1993, before going to Stoke City as Manager in November 1993, but endured a torrid time there and twelve months later was named as Bristol City’s boss again, leaving in March 1997. He assisted Lou Macari in coaching activities at Huddersfield Town from December 2000 to May 2002. Jordan was part of Harry Redknapp's backroom team at Portsmouth and continued to coach the team under the management of Velimir Zajec and Alain Perrin. He took over as caretaker manager for two games in November 2005 after Perrin's departure, before Harry Redknapp returned. Jordan left Portsmouth on 7th November 2008, when Harry Redknapp left to become Manager of Tottenham Hotspur. On 8th November 2008, Jordan joined Redknapp as first team coach at White Hart Lane. His two sons, Andrew and Thomas, both became professional footballers.