Johnny Giles was out of favour with Matt Busby at Manchester United but was enticed to the second division by Don Revie and Bobby Collins. Later, alongside Billy Bremner, he was the epicentre of the glory years. "The football we played from 1969 to 1974 was unbelievable," Giles said. "Some of the matches we played, particularly at Leeds - well, I've never seen better football before or since. People don't mention that."
The legacy might have been different, too, had the board accepted Revie's recommendation to appoint Giles as his successor. Instead, they chose voluble Leeds-hater Brian Clough. The sure sign that Giles was a legend, who could easily have topped this list, was being immortalised in song by Ronnie Hilton.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael John Giles | ||
| Date of birth | 6 November 1940 (1940-11-06) | ||
| Place of birth | Cabra, Dublin, Republic of Ireland | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ?-? | Stella Maris | ||
| ?-1956 | Home Farm | ||
| 1956-1957 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1957-1963 | Manchester United | 93 | (10) |
| 1963-1975 | Leeds United | 383 | (87) |
| 1975-1977 | West Bromwich Albion | 75 | (3) |
| 1978 | Philadelphia Fury | 21 | (0) |
| 1977-1983 | Shamrock Rovers | ? | (?) |
| National team | |||
| 1959-1979 | Republic of Ireland | 59 | (5) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1973-1980 | Republic of Ireland | ||
| 1975-1977 | West Bromwich Albion (player-manager) | ||
| 1977-1983 | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 1981-1983 | Vancouver Whitecaps | ||
| 1984-1985 | West Bromwich Albion | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||