To some, Andy Townsend will be better known for his work as a commentator and pundit than a footballer. That is the curse of someone who turned to the world of commentating after being a player and therefore was heard far more often than they were seen by those of a certain age. In the case of Townsend, though, there are supporters of clubs like Welling United, Southampton and Aston Villa who will remember him well. Perhaps none will have as clear a memory of him as some Chelsea fans, though. That is because Townsend played for the Blues from 1990 until 1993 and was the club captain, although he didn’t win any silverware whilst there.
Who is Andy Townsend?
Andrew David Townsend was born on the 23rd of July 1963 in the town of Maidstone in Kent. Despite that being his place of birth, he actually grew up in the area of Bexley in Greater London. It was whilst there that he attended Upton Primary School in Bexleyheath, then moving on to Bexleyheath School. He took on a job working as a computer operator for Greenwich Borough Council in the south-east of the city of London, during which time he also started playing football. His ability as a midfielder caught the eye of Welling United in the Athenian League, which home he began playing in 1980 at the same time as working in his computer operator role.
Having made 105 appearances for the club, Weymouth decided to spent £13,500 on him in the March of 1984. He impressed enough there to mean that Lawrie McMenemy signed him for Southampton in the January of 1985, spending £35,000 to win his signature and seeing Weymouth more than double their outlay on him. He made his professional debut for Saints in a game against Aston Villa, which was played on the 20th of April 1985. It saw Southampton qualify for European competition, only for that to later be rescinded when English clubs were banned from Europe following the Heysel Stadium Disaster.
Making a Name For Himself
Townsend proved to be a tidy midfielder for Southampton, scoring five goals across 83 league appearances. This was in spite of the fact that things started slowly for him, dropping in and out of the team before breaking his leg in a pre-season game against his former club Weymouth in the August of 1986. By the January of the following year, Townsend had fought his way back to fitness and managed to break into the side, to the extent that was virtually an ever-present member of the team alongside Jimmy Case and Glenn Cockerill. A hard-working and hard-tackling midfielder, he had an eye for goal that made him a fan favourite.
In fact, he was so beloved of the supporters that there was something of a shock when the manager, Chris Nicholl, made the decision to sell him to Norwich City in the August of 1988 for £300,000. Norwich were one of Southampton’s First Division Rivals, so many Saints fans were unimpressed when he began performing well for the club. His debut came against Middlesbrough as a substitute, then he started in a 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. By the end of the season he’d played 36 times in the league and scored five goals, also playing in the cups. He began to be considered an impressive player by many in English football.
Moving to Chelsea
In truth, Townsend’s performances for Norwich City, which included helping the team make it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup whilst also finishing fourth in the First Division, were so impressive that Chelsea set out to add him to their books. The Blues paid £1.2 million for his signature in the July of 1990, with many considering him to be the complete midfielder. Not only was he full of energy and hard-working in closing down the opposition when they had the ball, Townsend also had a sweet left foot with which he knew how to find the back of the net. He arrived at Chelsea having enjoyed a decent World Cup with the Republic of Ireland.
His debut for the Blues came against Derby County, with the team winning 2-1 as he gave an under-stated display. In the coming months he made himself an ever-present in the side, becoming the dominant force to such an extent that when Peter Nicholas was dropped, there was no other candidate worth considering to take over the Chelsea captaincy. His first league goal came in a 3-2 win over Manchester United in the November, then a month later he scored an excellent goal in a 2-1 win against Coventry City. By the January, Townsend had become the key player for Chelsea, helping the Blues to dominate Tottenham Hotspur at White Lane.
Waning Influence
The performance against Spurs came in the Rumbelows Cup, which was the sponsored name for the League Cup at the time. Chelsea won 3-0 in the quarter-final replay, with Townsend scoring one, creating another and managing to keep Paul Gascoigne quiet. The semi-final didn’t go Chelsea’s way and the Blues finished mid-table, but Townsend managed to take his excellent form in the start of the following season. That included another big win over the club’s London rivals, with White Hart Lane the scene of 3-1 win for Chelsea. Townsend had scored the third goal, having played with Vinnie Jones, Dennis Wise and Graeme Le Saux in the midfield. After going 2-0 down to Queens Park Rangers, Townsend scored a screamer to start a comeback.
During the autumn of 1991, Townsend had to undergo a hernia operation that ended up keeping him out of the side. When he returned, he struggled to exert the same influence over Chelsea as he had done previously, with the Blues finishing 14th in the First Division and being knocked out of the FA Cup in a quarter-final replay against Sunderland, with the Irishman being responsible for the Black Cats’ late winner. By the 1992-1993 campaign, Townsend’s influence on the team had all but evaporated. Although he did score some late goals, some supporters felt that he only really performed in the ‘big games’.
Life After Chelsea
Townsend managed to score an excellent goal against Crystal Palace in the quarter-final of the League Cup, going under the sponsored name of the Coca-Cola Cup at the time, but it was little more than a consolation goal as the Eagles ran out 3-1 winners. With Chelsea having missed out on a cup final for three successive seasons, Townsend decided that he would enjoy more success elsewhere and in the summer of 1993 Aston Villa paid £2.125 million for him. It proved to be a good decision on personal basis, with the Villains defeating Manchester United 3-1 in the League Cup final, as well as a 3-0 win over Leeds United in the same competition two years later.
Townsend had been the captain for the club in the second final, with the Irishman going on to play 134 league games for Aston Villa, scoring eight goals, before Middlesbrough paid £500,000 for him in the August of 1997. Two goals in 37 appearances helped the Boro to gain promotion in the Premier League, with Townsend creating a decent partnership with Paul Gascoigne as the club finished comfortably mid-table in their first season in the top-flight. After seeing his game time limited, he moved to West Bromwich Albion, but a recurring knee problem forced his retirement in the July of 2000, having help the Baggies avoid relegation.
Townsend the Pundit
There are a lot of people that won’t really know Townsend the player, but will know his voice because of his work as a pundit. Having won silverware with Aston Villa, captained both the Villains and Chelsea and reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup with the Republic of Ireland, he was seen as being well-placed to offer insight and opinions on how teams were doing. Initially, Townsend was hired to work with ITV on the broadcaster’s Champions League, FA Cup and England coverage, taking over from Ron Atkinson and forming a long-running partnership with the channel’s main commentator, Clive Tyldesley.
He worked with ITV until the end of his contract in the summer of 2015, taking up a role as co-commentator for BT Sport as they looked to cover the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League. As well as commentating, Townsend also enjoyed media work presenting with BBC Radio 5 Live, writing columns for the Daily Mail and co-hosting Talksport’s Weekend Sports Breakfast on Sundays with Mike Parry. To some, Townsend’s voice will be best-known from football games produced by EA Sports, including on FIFA 12 through to FIFA 17.