Thomas Kevin Beattie (18 December 1953 – 16 September 2018) was an English footballer. Born into poverty, he played at both professional and international levels, mostly as a centre-half. He spent the majority of his playing career at Ipswich Town, the club with which he won both the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup. He was also named the inaugural Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year at the end of the 1972–73 season, and featured in the film Escape to Victory alongside many of his Ipswich teammates.
Beattie's playing career took him from rags to riches, but according to The Daily Telegraph he was "cursed by being both injury and accident prone". His playing career included some controversy, notably when he went missing after being selected for England's under-23 team. After retiring from playing he descended into unemployment and alcohol abuse, and contemplated suicide, before finding purpose once more and a new career in later life, as a football commentator on television and radio.
Beattie has been called Ipswich Town's best ever player by many pundits and polls. Ipswich (and later England) manager Bobby Robson called him the best England player he had seen.
Early life
Thomas Kevin Beattie was born in Carlisle on 18 December 1953. He became known by his middle name, as his father was also named Thomas Beattie. Beattie's mother was a cleaner at a Lipton tea shop, whilst his father worked for the National Coal Board, delivering coal. leading to the young Beattie taking fruit and vegetables from local allotments. In later life, he recalled, "There was often only food on the table when Dad had backed a winning horse, or else won a game of darts, or dominoes down at his local pub."
Beattie supported his local football team, Carlisle United, and idolised players like Hughie McIlmoyle. He recalled being "devastated" when McIlmoyle was too busy to sign an autograph outside the club, resolving never to turn down such requests. Beattie attended St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic junior school, where he began playing football for the school team, initially as a goalkeeper. His family were unable to afford the football boots he needed, but a teacher named Mr Raffety bought a pair for him.
Although Beattie passed his eleven-plus exams, his family could not afford the grammar school uniform, so he moved to St Patrick's Roman Catholic senior school. He left school aged 14, and subsequently worked as a machine fitter and delivery boy in factories, a warehouse, a dry cleaner and then a furniture company.
Club career
Ipswich Town
Youth
At the age of 15, Beattie was playing for Blackfriars on Sunday and for a club called St Augustine on Saturdays, when he was spotted by a football scout and offered a trial with Liverpool. Shankly would later describe missing out on signing the youngster as one of his biggest mistakes. Robson told Gray, "If you miss him, you've lost your job". The poverty Beattie came from was evident when he arrived in Ipswich wearing his father's shoes, so when Ipswich signed him, the club immediately bought him some clothes. He also stepped in to prevent domestic violence between his parents: "I became extremely upset when I found out that Dad was spending the money that I had been sending home on drink and Mum was going without. Not only that but I also found out that his drinking had got worse and he had started knocking Mum around." Ipswich won the game 2–1, and afterwards he asked United's Bobby Charlton for his autograph; Charlton told Beattie that his play reminded him of Duncan Edwards and that, in years to come, he would be the one signing autographs. Ipswich ended in fourth place, their best finish since the Championship-winning 1961–62 season under Alf Ramsey.
The following season saw Beattie's first appearance in a European competition, with Ipswich having qualified for the UEFA Cup as a result of their fourth position in the league the previous season. He appeared in all 42 league games for Ipswich that season (along with Mick Mills), made 15 other appearances in cup competitions, and was presented with the inaugural Professional Footballers' Association's (PFA) Young Player of the Year award. He was also once again voted his club's Player of the Year. The crowd erupted in anger, directed at Beattie; Robson noted "There was a cauldron for 20 minutes. Kevin Beattie had to beat 28,000 people out there." Later that season, Beattie was awarded the captaincy for a game, against his home team Carlisle United. Having played 52 games and scored 6 goals during the season for Ipswich, He had helped his club reach the semi-final of the 1974–75 FA Cup and to finish the league season in third position.
Beattie made 36 appearances for Ipswich during the 1975–76 season, scoring 4 goals. Towards the end of the season, he began to suffer from severe back pain, something he blamed on an injury incurred as a child while helping his father carry sacks of coal. Despite the relative lack of success with his club, he was selected in the First Division Team of the Year for the second year in a row. The 1976–77 season started well for Ipswich with victories over Liverpool and Manchester United. Ipswich then achieved a club record-equalling 7–0 win over West Bromwich Albion: the Albion goalkeeper John Osborne said of Beattie's long-range goal that he regarded himself as fortunate he had not touched it as it would have knocked his hand off. Beattie's season was prematurely curtailed by a self-inflicted injury: stoking a bonfire at his home, he decided to add petrol; the ensuing flare-up gave him serious burns to his face and neck, leading to him missing six matches. but a knee injury sustained in a league match led to him withdrawing from the England squad to face Luxembourg. Further investigation revealed he had damaged cartilage in his knee, which required an operation. Having had three weeks' recuperation and a cortisone injection, he was restored to the Ipswich squad in time to play in the third round UEFA Cup home leg against FC Barcelona. Ipswich won the fixture 3–0, and even though he suffered a reaction in his knee, he insisted he was able to play in the away leg. Robson disagreed, and Beattie was left out of the side for the game; Ipswich were knocked out on penalties. Cortisone injections became commonplace for Beattie, who returned to the team in time for the FA Cup fourth-round victory against Hartlepool. Although Ipswich's form in the league was poor, they were safe from relegation by the time they faced West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup semi-final at Highbury, a game for which Beattie was given the all-clear. According to Beattie, "the boss secretly told me that if I felt fit enough to play then I was in". Robson did not announce the Cup final team until the last minute: it included a formation change to include five midfielders and Paul Mariner as a lone striker – and Beattie in defence. Roger Osborne's late goal for Ipswich was the only score of the game, and they won the trophy. Beattie had three cortisone injections to get through the final. Following the cup final success, he and teammates Robin Turner and David Geddis were awarded the freedom of Carlisle. Beattie had represented Ipswich 21 times during the course of the season, without scoring a goal. only, in his words, "wheeled out for the really big games". Overall, he made 26 appearances that season, scoring twice. He also played a "bit-part" in the 1980–81 season, usually as a striker instead of his usual position of centre-half. However, his defensive role in the two-leg victory over the Czechoslovak team Bohemians, in the second round of the 1980–81 UEFA Cup, for which he was awarded man of the match, proved vital to Ipswich's season. Although irregularly selected as a result of his injuries, Beattie played in the fourth round, first leg 4–1 away victory over AS Saint-Étienne, whose team included Michel Platini and Johnny Rep. Ipswich won the home leg 3–1 without Beattie. He played his last match for Ipswich in April 1981, in an FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester City in which he broke his arm. Beattie was finally awarded a medal by UEFA president Michel Platini at the 2008 UEFA Cup Final between Rangers and Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Beattie retired due to injury in December 1981, following five knee operations in four years.
Later career
In the off-season of 1982, Beattie began training with Norwich City under manager Ken Brown who offered him a short-term contract. The offer was soon withdrawn because Ipswich were reluctant to release Beattie to their local rivals. four of those in the league, but when teammate John Lyons committed suicide, Hunter resigned, and Beattie decided to move on. He signed for Middlesbrough, where he made five appearances during that season, scoring once, a penalty, in a 2–0 FA Cup victory over Notts County. His time at the club ended when he suffered a serious groin injury whilst playing against north-east rivals Newcastle United.
Dropping into non-League football, Beattie signed for Barry Fry's Barnet, joining another ex-England international, Steve Whitworth. Injury and, according to Beattie, "a combination of the drink and depression" curtailed his spell at the club. After failing to secure any coaching work, Beattie took up work as a labourer, and joined local team Harwich & Parkeston to supplement his income. Accepting an offer from Ipswich's former scout Ron Gray, Beattie joined Swedish second-tier side Sandvikens IF under manager and former Swedish international player, Thomas Nordahl. Soon afterward, Nordahl suddenly resigned and the club let Beattie go. He moved to Norway, signing for fourth division club Kongsberg IF, where he scored more than 60 goals in his first season. He signed for Norwegian second division club Nybergsund IL-Trysil in 1988, making five appearances for them before moving back to England. He also played for Clacton Town. He assisted Mike Walker and Duncan Forbes at Norwich City as a scout during Walker's time as manager and performed a similar role for Alan Ball Jr. at Portsmouth. Beattie's first foray into coaching was a part-time position at his hometown club Carlisle United under Roddy Collins in the 2002–03 season. Collins was sacked early in the 2003–04 season, and Beattie left the club, subsequently opting to coach school children in the United States. His last coaching position was a short spell with Barry Fry at Peterborough United. He made his debut in November 1972 against Wales under-23s at Vetch Field in Swansea, England winning 3–0. His final under-23 game also saw his only goal at that level, in a 2–0 victory, once again over Wales, this time at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. Beattie managed to put the ball in the net, but the goal was disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper; Perry Groves, who played alongside Beattie at Colchester United,
Style of play
thumb|upright|[[Perry Groves, who began his career playing alongside Beattie, included him in the book he wrote about his 20 "football heroes".]]
Beattie was renowned for his strength, the nickname "Beast" reflecting that, but also his quality on the ball (with the resultant other nickname of "Diamond"). Interviewed in 2018, Hunter talked about their partnership:
<blockquote>we just gelled and if I went and done things to attack the ball he was always behind me – and vice-versa. We didn't need to work at it because it was something that came naturally... We were just a good partnership... me and Beat would be sitting on the other side of a room from each other and we would know what the other was thinking because there were times I would, or he would, burst out laughing and the boys would say, what you bloody laughing at? And we would say "mind your own business"... It helped on the field because we didn't even have to talk because we knew each other's play. Called up to represent England at under-23 level against Scotland under-23s at Pittodrie, Beattie was "put on the right train by his manager Bobby Robson", yet failed to arrive in Manchester. He considered suicide, In later years, Beattie worked for broadcast media; In May 2012, Beattie was convicted of benefit fraud and given a 12-week curfew. He had failed to disclose his earnings from radio, for fear of losing Income Support.
Beattie met his future wife Margaret Boldy, known as Maggie, in the late 1960s or early 1970s in a youth club near to his apprentice accommodation, Beattie describing it as "love at first sight". They married in 1974, and soon afterward she appeared in Radio Times in a "Footballers' Wives" feature; at that point the couple were still living in a "modest" club-owned house. Maggie was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during the mid-1980s; she later used a wheelchair, with Beattie as her carer in their council-owned bungalow. He was survived by his wife and daughters. Former Ipswich and England player Terry Butcher paid tribute to Beattie, calling him "the complete footballer" and describing his left-footed shot as an "Exocet". was voted numerous times as Ipswich Town's "best ever player", Beattie featured in the 1981 film Escape to Victory. His skills were shown on the pitch as the body double for Michael Caine's prisoner-of-war character, and the two became friends. Beattie had a cooler relationship with Sylvester Stallone, who also starred in the film: "There weren't too many that got on that well with him and after I beat him in an arm wrestle – first my right arm and then my left – he didn't speak to me again". The design for the statue was revealed on 19 March 2019 by local sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn. It was confirmed in August 2019 that the funds required to build the statue had been raised. On 18 December 2021, on what would have been Beattie's 68th birthday, his statue was officially unveiled outside Portman Road.
Honours
Ipswich Town
- FA Cup: 1977–78
Individual
- PFA Young Player of the Year: 1972–73
- Ipswich Town Player of the Year: 1972–73, 1973–74
- Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year (3): 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77
- Ipswich Town Hall of Fame: Inducted 2008