Mick McGIVEN

Mick McGiven is pictured above playing for West Ham during the 2-0 defeat against

Coventry on 14/2/1976.

after an initial loan spell. The twenty two year-old centre back made his Hammers debut in

a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in December 1973 and made a total of twenty-three

appearances in his first season at Upton Park. McGiven became Bobby Moore’s replacement

in the West Ham team, following his departure from Upton Park to Fulham in March 1974,

inheriting his iconic number six shirt for the remainder of the season. However, McGiven’s career

was fraught with injuries and a serious cartilage problem kept him out for the whole of the

1974/75 season, in which West Ham won the FA Cup.

He made only a handful of first team appearances during the next three seasons, his opportunities

limited as Tommy Taylor and Kevin Lock had established themselves as the first-choice central

defensive pairing. McGiven did however play in both legs of the Hammers European Cup Winners

Cup quarter final tie against Dutch side Den Haag in March 1976. In total McGiven made fifty-five

first team appearances for West Ham, but injury eventually curtailed his career in October 1977

and he then joined John Lyall’s coaching staff at the club, initially as player coach for the reserves

and progressing to first team coach.\

After West Ham’s relegation to the Second Division in May 1989 and Lyall’s subsequent sacking,

McGiven left Upton Park to join Chelsea as youth team coach. He then again reunited with Lyall

when he became Ipswich Town manager in 1990, eventually becoming the first team coach

at Portman Road.  (Mark Matthews)