Joe Corrigan

Personalia: Born: 18/11 1948 Birthplace: Manchester Nationality: England (9/0) Height: 6`4" (193cm) Weight: 15st. 11lb (100kg) Position: Goalkeeper League Appearances:     League FAC LC Season: Club: App Gls App Gls App Gls 1967-1968 Manchester City 0 - 0 - 2 - 1968 Shrewsbury (loan) - - - - - - 1968-1969 Manchester City 4 - 0 - 0 - 1969-1970 Manchester City 34 - 1 - 7 - 1970-1971 Manchester City 33 - 3 - 1 - 1971-1972 Manchester City 35 - 2 - 2 - 1972-1973 Manchester City 30 - 5 - 1 - 1973-1974 Manchester City 15 - 1 - 0 - 1974-1975 Manchester City 15 - 1 - 0 - 1975-1976 Manchester City 41 - 2 - 9 - 1976-1977 Manchester City 42 - 4 - 1 - 1977-1978 Manchester City 42 - 2 - 7 - 1978-1979 Manchester City 42 - 2 - 5 - 1979-1980 Manchester City 42 - 1 - 4 - 1980-1981 Manchester City 37 - 8 - 6 - 1981-1982 Manchester City 39 - 2 - 4 - 1982-1983 Manchester City 25 - 3 - 3 - 1983 Seattle Sounders (US) 28 - - - - - 1983-1985 Brighton A&H Albion - - - - - - 1985 Norwich City (loan) - - - - - - 1985 Stoke City (loan) - - - - - - Total: 504 - 37 - 52 -

Joe Corrian was born in Manchester in 1948 and joined City as a junior in 1966. He made his debut against Blackpool in the League cup in October the following year as Harry Dowd was injured and Ken Mulhearn was cup-tied. He went on loan to Shrewsbury to gain experience from former United keeper Harry Gregg. The improvement was noticebel and Corrigan played 50 league and cup games during the 1969/70 season, winning the League Cup and the European Cup-Winners Cup in the process.

He could be inconsistent at times, and when Manager Ron Saunders brought in Keith MacRae for £100,000 in 1973 and placed the 25 year old Corrigan on the transfer list, it looked like his days at Maine Road were numbered. Many other players would have settled with that and stepped down one division, but Corrigan knuckled down, and by the end of the 1972/73 campaign it was Corrigan that was the number 1 choice. In 1976 he won his second League Cup winners medal and for the following four seasons he was an ever-present in the league.

During his days with City he won every trophy worth winning with the club, including the Cup-winners Cup in 1970, a League Championship, the FA Cup and the League Cup (twoce). He was the tallest man in the English 1st Division and would have won many more caps had it not been for the presence of Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence. His finest moment for England was during the game against Brazil at Wembley in April 1978. The game ended 1-1 with Joe pulling off some great saves.

In 1981 he put up another heroic display at Wembley in the 100th FA Cup final, and the following replay. Still a string of saves and "man of the match" honors to Corrigan did not result in City lifting the trophy that year. Two years leater as City were heading for relegation, Corrigan was transfered to Seattle Sounders in the NASL for £30,000. In the US he played 28 games during the summer 1983 before returning to England and Brighton A&H Albion and ending his playing career with loan moves to Norwich and Stoke City. In the US he linked up with former City players like Rodney Marsh, Kaz Deyna, Ron Futcher, Brian Kidd and David Cross.

Joe Corrigan is regarded as one of City's all time three greatest goalies together with Frank Swift and Bert Trautamnn. He made a total of 592 appearances for City, only second to Alan Oakes. He was voted player of the year three times during his 16 years with City, an achievement he shares with no other City-player. The Maine Road favourite was appointed goalkeeping coach at Liverpool FC in 1994, and also traveled through Canada and the US doing Goalkeeper camps.

27/11 2004: WBA Manager Bryan Robson has named former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Corrigan as one of his new coaches. The new Baggies boss has brought in the one time England international as goalkeeping coach as replacemnet for the now departed Fred Barber. "I feel it is important the club's goalkeeping coach travels with us on a matchday," said Robson. "That is something Fred could not do due to his commitments at Bolton, and that's why we've brought Joe in. "He has an excellent reputation within the game. You've got to be good at your job if you've been the Liverpool goalkeeping coach for as long as he was."

When i was a young lad living in Sale my Dad used to take me and my brother to Withington Park to try to teach us how to play Hurling (my dad is Irish and thought this would help with our later lives!), it was either 1977 or 1978 (i was 10 my brother about 8) and we were playing in the park on one Sunday morning, when Joe Corrigan walked past with his dog (as he did every Sunday) we just gawped at him as usual and tried not to make it too obvious that we recognised him and wanted his autograph... anyway one Sunday he´s walking by as usual and he stops to tell us that he´s never really seen hurling being played before and could he have a go.. we said yes and handed him a hurling stick, we played about for about five minutes or so when he decided we should try to put a few shots past him... he stood between the obligitory piles of coats and we took pot shots at him (he was goalkeeping ice hockey style) we were afraid to hit the ball too hard in case he got it in the face but he still let a few through. My brother and I will never forget that day we met Big Joe... only pity was we forgot to ask for his autograph after all that... the memory will stay with me forever though.

Provided by: Svenn A. Hanssen, svenn@hanssen.priv.no