Martin Stanford Peters MBE, (born November 8, 1943 in Plaistow, London) was a football player and hero of the victorious England team which won the 1966 World Cup. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire (Military division) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Plaistow is a place in the London Borough of Newham in East London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Biggest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Biggest defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First in... 1966 was a year of triumph for the host nation, England, which won in a controversial final beating West Germany 4-2. ...

From the West Ham academy

Peters was a luxurious yet industrious midfield player who came through the productive ranks at West Ham United after signing as an apprentice in 1959. He made his debut in 1962 against Cardiff City. West Ham United F.C. are an English football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London and play their home matches at The Boleyn Ground. ... If youre looking for the TV show, see The Apprentice. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... Cardiff City Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) are a football Team based in Cardiff, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ...

Peters flitted in and out of a strong West Ham side over the next few years, and was consequently not selected for the FA Cup final of 1964 at Wembley, in which West Ham beat Preston North End 3-2. The following year, however, he established himself as a first team regular and was victorious at Wembley when West Ham won the European Cup Winners Cup with victory over 1860 Munich. He was usually partnered in midfield by Eddie Bovington and Ronnie Boyce. Note: for the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Wembley Stadium is a football stadium under construction in Wembley, London. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Cup Winners Cup was a football club competition between the winners of the European domestic cup competitions. ... TSV 1860 München, also known as Löwen (The Lions), is a German sports club in Munich with over 23,000 members, first created July 15, 1848. ... Eddie Bovington (born April 23, 1941 in Edmonton, London) is an English former footballer who played for West Ham United as a wing-half. ... Ronnie Boyce (born January 6, 1943 East London) was a football player. ...

With pace, creativity and exquisite timing on the run, Peters was memorably described by West Ham manager Ron Greenwood as being "ten years ahead of his time". It was a moniker which stuck and had a substantial ring of truth to it. Never before had English football produced a player with the all round mental and physical faculties to dominate a midfield. As such, Peters was seen as a key player in football's leap into a new, modern era. Ron Greenwood CBE (November 11, 1921 — February 8, 2006) was an English football player and manager, best known for being manager of the English national football team from 1977 until 1982. ...

Peters began to impose himself on West Ham's game, and another chance for silverware came in 1966 when West Ham reached the League Cup final. The occasion was still a two-legged affair with each of the finallists hosting a leg (though this changed to a one-off final at Wembley a year later), and Peters played in both matches. He scored in the second game but opponents West Bromwich Albion emerged as comfortable 5-3 winners on aggregate. There would be considerable consolation ahead for Peters in 1966 - and League Cup success would also come his way later in his career. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition. ... West Bromwich Albion Football Club is an English football club that plays in the Football League Championship. ... Look up Aggregate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

England calls

Alf Ramsey had seen Peters' potential quickly, and in May 1966 he gave the young midfielder his debut for England against Yugoslavia at Wembley. England won 2-0 and Peters was impressive with his industry and exuberance around the park. This was the final preparation period for Ramsey prior to naming his squad for the World Cup, which England was hosting, and suddenly there was a new, young star to consider for the cut. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... First international Czechoslovakia 7 - 0 Yugoslavia (Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920) Last International Netherlands 2 - 0 Yugoslavia (Amsterdam, Netherlands; 25 March 1992) Largest win Yugoslavia 10 - 1 India (Helsinki, Finland; 15 July 1952) Yugoslavia 9 - 0 Zaire (Gelsenkirchen, Germany; 18 June 1974) Worst defeat Czechoslovakia 7 - 0 Yugoslavia (Antwerp, Belgium...

Peters played in two more of the scheduled warm-up games. In one, against Finland, he scored his first international goal in what was only his second appearance, and subsequently he made the final 22 for the competition, as did his West Ham team-mates Bobby Moore (the England captain) and Geoff Hurst. Robert Frederick Chelsea Bobby Moore, OBE (born Barking, England, April 12, 1941 - died London, February 24, 1993) was an English footballer. ... Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst, MBE (born December 8, 1941 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire) is a footballer enshrined in the games history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. ...

Though Peters did not play in the opening group game against Uruguay, the drab 0-0 draw prompted Ramsey into changes. The England coach had been toying with using a system which allowed narrow play through the centre, not operating with conventional wingers but instead with fitter, centralised players who could show willing in defence as well as spread the ball and their runs in attack. Natural wingers were not known for their defensive qualities and Ramsey was always a coach to err on the side of caution. Peters therefore had become an ideal player for this 4-3-3 system, elegant in his distribution and strong in his forward running, yet showing the stamina, discipline and pace to get back and help the defence when required. This system was coined as "the wingless wonders".

Ramsey put Peters in the team for the second group game against Mexico, which England won 2-0. He kept his place as England got through their group, scraped past a violent Argentina side in the quarter finals (Peters' late cross set up Hurst's header for the only goal) and out-thought the enigmatic Portuguese in the last four. The West Germans awaited in the final. First international Switzerland 5 - 3 Germany (Basel, Switzerland; 5 April 1908) Largest win Germany 16 - 0 Russia (Stockholm, Sweden; 1 July 1912) Worst defeat England 9 - 0 Germany (Oxford, England; 16 March 1909) World Cup Appearances 16 (First in 1934) Best result Winners, 1954, 1974, 1990 European Championship Appearances 9...

A world champion

A tense but open game at Wembley saw the score at 1-1 in the final quarter of an hour when England won a corner. Alan Ball delivered it to the edge of the area to Hurst, who tried a shot on the turn. The ball deflected high into the air and bounced down into the penalty area where Peters rifled home a confident half-volley. He was set to become England's biggest footballing hero of all time at that point, with little more than ten minutes left to hang on and win the game's greatest prize. But the Germans scuppered the personal glory for Peters by equalising in the final seconds, though glory would still come the team's way with the 4-2 win in extra time, and Hurst - like Peters, winning only his eighth cap - completing an historic hat-trick. Alan James Ball, MBE (born May 12th 1945 in Farnworth, Lancashire) is an English former professional footballer and football club manager. ... In sports, a hat-trick (more often rendered in North America as hat trick, without the hyphen) is associated with achieving something in a group of three. ...

A record breaker

Peters was now one of the first names on Ramsey's England teamsheet, despite an indifferent spell for West Ham as a club and team. He was also a pleasingly frequent scorer from midfield.

In March 1970, West Ham received a record-breaking £200,000 for Peters from Tottenham Hotspur and Peters duly went to White Hart Lane, with Spurs and England striker Jimmy Greaves going the other way. Peters scored on his Spurs debut against Coventry City. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Tottenham Hotspur Football Club are an English football club, which play in the FA Premier League. ... James Peter Jimmy Greaves (born 20 February 1940) is an English former football player, and more recently a television pundit. ... Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, is a football club based in Coventry, England. ...

Mexican disappointment

That summer, Peters was a shoo-in for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, for which England had qualified automatically as holders of the competition. By now Peters was an established international with 38 caps. The 1970 Football World Cup was held in Mexico, from May 31 to June 21. ...

Peters played in England's three group games from which they comfortably qualified again, and the Germans were once more waiting, this time in the last eight. Peters scored against the Germans again early in the second half - a superb and typical "ghosting" goal, to wit, a run and finish from behind a defender which no German player had spotted - to establish a commanding 2-0 lead, but later Ramsey committed the tactical faux-pas of substituting Peters and Bobby Charlton, and the Germans took heart by winning 3-2 in extra-time. A substitute is a player in football who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. ... Sir Robert Bobby Charlton, CBE (born 11 October 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland) is a former English professional football player who won the World Cup and was named the European Footballer of the Year in 1966. ...

Domestic and European success

Still Peters remained an England regular while also picking up his first domestic winners' medal in 1971 when Spurs beat Aston Villa 2-0 in the League Cup final. Later the same year, Peters won his 50th England cap in a qualifier for the 1972 European Championships, beating Switzerland 3-2. England failed to progress thanks largely to another defeat against West Germany, who went on to win the tournament. International disappointment for Peters was tempered mildly by more club success when Spurs beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 on aggregate to win the 1972 UEFA Cup in what remains to date the only all-English European final. 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Aston Villa Football Club is an English football (soccer) club. ... The 1972 European Football Championship (Euro 72) final tournament was held in Belgium. ... Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. is an English football club playing at Molineux. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams, organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). ...

In 1973, Peters won the League Cup again with Spurs and scored the only goal as England beat Scotland at Wembley. It was his 20th goal for his country and would prove to be his last. England had been stuttering in their qualifying campaign for the 1974 World Cup, dropping points in a drawn game against Wales and then succumbing horrifically to a 2-0 defeat against Poland in Warsaw. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Biggest win Scotland 11 - 0 Ireland (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 February 1901) Biggest defeat Uruguay 7 - 0 Scotland (Basel, Switzerland; 19 June 1954) World Cup Appearances 8 (First in 1954) Best result Round 1, all European Championship Appearances 2 (First... The 1974 Football World Cup was held in West Germany. ... First international Scotland 4 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 26 March 1876) Largest win Wales 11 - 0 Ireland (Wrexham, Wales; 3 March 1888) Worst defeat Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) World Cup Appearances 1 (First in 1958) Best result Quarter-finals, 1958 European Championship Appearances none (First... Warsaw (Polish: , , in full The Capital City of Warsaw, Polish: Miasto Stołeczne Warszawa) is the capital of Poland, its largest city, and a gamma world city. ...

Captain of his country

It meant that England needed to defeat Poland at Wembley to qualify for the finals in West Germany and, with an out-of-form Moore dropped from the side (he'd only play once more subsequently for his country) Peters captained the side for the crucial game.

The match has become part of England folklore, as Polish goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski contrived to keep out every single shot and header targeted by a relentless, dominant England. A defensive error allowed Poland to score and only the award of a penalty allowed England to level up quickly. Allan Clarke scored from it, but England could not get the crucial winning goal no matter how they tried. Poland went through after the match finished 1-1 (and proved it was no fluke by reaching the semi-finals in Germany) but Peters had been robbed of the chance of a third successive World Cup competition. Jan Tomaszewski (born January 9, 1948) is a retired Polish footballer, who was nicknamed Tomek. A goalkeeper, Tomaszewski is best remembered by some for his performance for Poland against England, in a qualifier for the 1974 World Cup, which England needed to win. ... There have been several well-known people called Allan Clarke, including: Allan Clarke, English football player Allan Clarke, singer See also: Alan Clark, British politician Alan Clarke, British film director This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Twilight years

At the age of 30, Peters' career at the highest level began to slip away. He played three more games for England, reaching a total of 67 caps, though his illustrious career with his country ended in ignominy as England crashed to a 2-0 defeat against a gleeful Scotland side at Hampden Park. Peters duly managed one more season with Spurs - losing the 1974 UEFA Cup final to Feyenoord on aggregate - before moving to Norwich City - managed by his former West Ham team-mate John Bond - in March 1975 for £50,000. For other uses, see Hampden Park (disambiguation). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Feyenoord team practice session in 2002. ... Look up Aggregate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Norwich City Football Club are a football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England, founded in 1902. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Peters helped newly-promoted Norwich establish themselves in the First Division, making more than 200 appearances, and earning a testimonial against an all-star team which included most of the 1966 World Cup winning England XI. He was voted Norwich City player of the year two years running, in 1976 and 1977. Finally he joined Sheffield United on July 31, 1980 as player-coach with the intention to replace Harry Haslam as manager. His first appearance came in a 2-1 victory against Hull City on August 2, 1980 in the Anglo-Scottish Cup and his League debut came in the opening match of the season in a Division Three fixture against Carlisle United. He scored once in a 3-0 victory. The Norwich City football club player of the year award is voted for by the clubs supporters. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Sheffield United Football Club are a professional English football club based in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Harry Haslam was an English footballer and manager. ... Hull City Association Football Club are an English football team based at the Kingston Communications Stadium in Hull. ... The Anglo-Scottish Cup was a tournament arranged for eight of the best teams in English and Scottish football leagues during the summer for several years during the 1970s. ... Carlisle United F.C. are an English football team currently playing in Conference National. ...

His wait to become manager was not long, his final game coming against Gillingham on January 17, 1981 which Haslam was too ill to attend. Peters retired to take up the manager's job the following day with United twelfth in the table with sixteen games to play. Winning just three of the remaining games, United were relegated to the Fourth Division and Peters resigned. For the team based in Dorset, see Gillingham Town F.C. Gillingham Football Club is a football team based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. ...

Insurance and retirement

On his retirement in January 1981, after a distinguished and remarkably injury-free career, he had racked up 882 appearances in total, scoring a superb 220 goals. After Peters quit Sheffield United he moved into the insurance business until reaching retirement age. Though always an unassuming, inward character, Peters is constantly in demand for anecdotes about life as a World Cup winner as England continue to try to emulate - unsuccessfully thus far - the 1966 squad. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An anecdote is a short tale narrating an interesting or amusing biographical incident. ...

In 1998 Peters joined the director's board at Spurs, and although he stepped down from the board later, he remains one of the welcomers in the hospitality suites at White Hart Lane. 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

In 2006, Peters published his autobiography, The Ghost of 66, to critical acclaim. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Cover of An autobiography, from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write, is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ...

Peters was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2006 in recognition for his achievements as a player. The Hall of Fame is housed at The National Football Museum in Preston, England. ...

He married Kathy in 1964 and has a daughter Lee Ann (born 1965) and a son Grant (born 1969), and two grandchildren.