Stephen George Bull, MBE, (born 28 March 1965 in Tipton) is an English former footballer who is best remembered for his 13-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He played there from 1986 until his retirement from playing in 1999, and holds the club's goalscoring record with more than 300 goals in all competitions. MBE can stand for: Member of the Order of the British Empire Mail Boxes Etc. ... is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... The Tipton is also the name of a fictional hotel on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and a term to describe low-grade sportscards. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Soccer redirects here. ... Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club are an English professional football club based in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ...

Bull is currently manager of Stafford Rangers in the Blue Square Premier Division (highest level of non-league football), having being appointed on 21 February 2008. Stafford Rangers Football Club are a semi-professional English football team from Stafford who play in the Conference National. ... Conference National (currently billed as the Blue Square Premier for sponsorship reasons) [1] is the top division of the Football Conference. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ...

He was capped 13 times for the England team between 1989 and 1991, scoring four goals. 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... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ...

Playing career

Early years

Bull was born on Tipton's Moat Farm estate (known locally as the "The Lost City") and started school in September 1969 at Wednesbury Oak Primary School and moved up to Willingsworth High School in September 1976, by which time he was excelling in school football teams. The junior teams he played for included Ocker Hill infants, Red Lion and Newey Goodman. He left school in 1981 to join non-league Tipton Town. During this time he also held down a succession of factory jobs in addition to playing local league games. The Tipton is also the name of a fictional hotel on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and a term to describe low-grade sportscards. ... Willingsworth High School is a secondary school in the town of Tipton, in Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England. ... Tipton Town Football Club is a football club based in Tipton, West Midlands, England. ...

He began his professional career, aged 19, after being recommended to West Bromwich Albion in 1984 by his Tipton Town manager Sid Day, who also worked as a scout for the Baggies. After initially having to train with the club's youth ranks, he was quickly offered a pro contract and moved into first team contention. He made his senior debut on 23 October 1985, replacing Garth Crooks in a 2–1 Full Members Cup win against Crystal Palace.^[1][2] He played four First Division games for Albion, scoring twice, during Albion's relegation season of 1985–86. In November 1986, he was sold to local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, along with Andy Thompson, for £65,000 where he remained until the end of his professional career in 1999. West Bromwich Albion Football Club (also known as West Brom, The Baggies, Albion, The Albion, The Throstles or W.B.A.) are an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands. ... Tipton Town Football Club is a football club based in Tipton, West Midlands, England. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Full Members Cup was an English football cup competition held from 1985 to 1992. ... Crystal Palace Football Club is an English professional football team based in the London Borough of Croydon. ... From 1889 until 1992, this was the highest division overall of organized football in England. ... The 1985-86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England. ... Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club are an English professional football club based in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. ... Andy Thompson (born 9 November 1967) is an English footballer who began his career with West Bromwich Albion, before moving to rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers with Steve Bull in 1986 for a combined fee of £65,000. ...

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Over 13 years at Wolves, Bull broke no less than four of the club's goalscoring records. He became their all-time leading goalscorer with 306 goals in competitive games (250 of them in the Football League, also a club record) and became their highest goalscorer in a single season when he scored 52 goals in competitive games during the 1987–88 season. He also scored a club record of 18 hat-tricks. His debut for Wolves, then languishing in the (old) Division Four, was against Wrexham on November 22, 1986. He went on to make 464 league appearances for the club, 561 appearances in total. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club are an English professional football club based in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. ... The Football League is an organisation representing 72 professional football clubs in England and Wales, and runs the oldest professional football league competition in the world. ... // First Division Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season. ... Wrexham Football Club (Welsh: , nicknamed The Red Dragons, or more traditionally, The Robins) are a football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

He is regarded as such a legend at the club that one of the main stands at their home ground, Molineux, is named after him. This commemoration was made in June 2003, with the stand having previously being known as the John Ireland Stand. Molineux Stadium is the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., who are currently members of the Football League Championship. ... For other uses, see June (disambiguation). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bull scored 52 goals in all competitions during the 1987-88 season as Wolves won the Fourth Division championship and became the first of only three teams (later matched by Burnley and Preston North End) to have been champions of all four divisions in the English league. The following season he inspired Wolves to a second successive promotion, this time as Third Division champions, with 53 goals - marking a tally of 105 goals in two seasons. While still playing in the Third Division, he was selected for the England team and scored on his debut against Scotland at Hampden Park. Burnley Football Club, nicknamed The Clarets, is a professional football club based in Burnley, in east Lancashire, England. ... Preston North End Football Club are an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the second tier of English league football, The Championship. ... 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... 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... For other uses, see Hampden Park (disambiguation). ...

Bull continued to perform well in the second tier of the English league, and stayed loyal to his Midlands roots despite interest from the likes of Aston Villa, Coventry City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Ajax, Manchester United, Liverpool, Rangers, Lazio, Boca Juniors, Newcastle United and even Italian giants Juventus and Genoa, who reportedly had a £3.5m bid turned down prior to the 1990 World Cup. Aston Villa redirects here. ... Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, is an English football club based in Coventry, England. ... Real Madrid redirects here. ... Fútbol Club Barcelona, known familiarly as Barça (pronounced ), is a Spanish sports club based in Barcelona. ... Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (Euronext: AJAX), also referred to as AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax, is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands. ... Manchester United Football Club are a world-famous English football club, based at the Old Trafford stadium in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and are one of the most popular sports clubs in the world, with over 50 million supporters worldwide. ... Liverpool Football Club are an English professional football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside, who play in the Premier League; they are historically the most successful club in the history of English football, having won more trophies than any other English club. ... For other uses, see Rangers F.C. (disambiguation). ... Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to SS Lazio or simply Lazio, is an Italian professional sports club most noted for its football section, founded in 1900 and based in Rome. ... Boca Juniors redirects here. ... For the Australian club, see Newcastle United Jets. ... Juventus redirects here. ... Genoa Cricket and Football Club (IPA: , pronounced JEH-noa) is a professional football club based in the city of Genoa in Italy. ... The 1990 FIFA World Cup, the 14th staging of the World Cup, was held in Italy from June 8 to July 8. ...

Although he played a handful of First Division games for West Bromwich Albion in the mid 1980s, the rest of his career was spent outside the top division. He came close to achieving his ambition of reaching the top flight in 1995 and 1997, but Wolves lost in the play-offs both times. West Bromwich Albion Football Club (also known as West Brom, The Baggies, Albion, The Albion, The Throstles or W.B.A.) are an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands. ...

During his final two seasons at Molineux, his chances of first-team football were reduced by a series of knee injuries. In July 1999, the 34-year-old Bull finally gave in and announced his retirement. However, he soon returned to playing as player-coach of Hereford United for a season in the Conference, working with Graham Turner, the manager who had signed him for Wolves. Hereford United Football Club is a football club based in Hereford, England. ... Conference National (currently billed as the Blue Square Premier for sponsorship reasons) [1] is the top division of the Football Conference. ... Graham Turner (born 1947) is an former English footballer, who made over 600 Football League appearances and is a current football manager. ...

Known by his adoring fans as 'Bully' for his club loyalty, rapport with supporters and passion for the game he received an MBE for services to Association Football in December 1999, shortly after retiring as a first class player. 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, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... “Soccer” redirects here. ...

In May 2003, Bull appeared in a testimonial game for West Brom's Bob Taylor at The Hawthorns. He amused many of the Albion fans in attendance by dramatically falling to the ground when the chant went up, "Stand up if you hate the Wolves". For other uses, see May (disambiguation). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bob Taylor (born Feb 3, 1967 in Easington, County Durham) is an English footballer, who currently plays for Tamworth in the Nationwide Conference. ... The Hawthorns is the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. ...

On 29 July 2006, Bull made one final appearance for Wolves in his 20th anniversary testimonial game against Aston Villa at Molineux, playing the first seven minutes of the match. is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aston Villa redirects here. ... Molineux Stadium is the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., who are currently members of the Football League Championship. ...

International career

Bull was capped 13 times by England, and scored 4 goals in the build up to Italia 90, including on his full debut against Scotland on May 27, 1989. He went on to score two more goals in a friendly against Czechoslovakia in 1989–90, one of which was voted in as number 37 of England's 50 Greatest Goals. His final England goal came against Tunisia, which earned him a place in Bobby Robson's World Cup squad. 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... The 1990 Football World Cup was held in Italy. ... 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... Sir Robert William Robson CBE (born February 18, 1933, in Sacriston, County Durham, England), commonly known as Bobby Robson (IPA: ), is an English football manager and former international football player. ...

Despite starting his international career well, he did not score another goal for England after this. He played four times during Italia 90 - three times as a substitute against Republic of Ireland, Holland and Belgium and once as a starter against Egypt. His final match for England was on October 17, 1990, against Poland, but was not picked again by his future Wolves manager, Graham Taylor. First international Belgium 1 - 4 Netherlands (Antwerp, Belgium; 30 April 1905) Biggest win Netherlands 9 - 0 Finland (Solna, Sweden; 4 July 1912) Netherlands 9 - 0 Norway (Rotterdam, Netherlands; 1 November 1972) Biggest defeat England Amateur 12 - 2 Netherlands (Darlington, England; 21 December 1907) World Cup Appearances 8 (First in 1934... Graham Taylor OBE (born September 15, 1944, Worksop, Nottinghamshire) is a football manager and a former player. ...

In total he scored nine goals in 23 appearances for his country at full, U-21 and "B" team levels.

Management career

On February 21, 2008, Bull entered management with Conference National side Stafford Rangers. He had previously worked as a coach at this level with Hereford United in the 2000–01 season and had completed his UEFA Pro B coaching license in the years in between. is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... Conference National (currently billed as the Blue Square Premier for sponsorship reasons) [1] is the top division of the Football Conference. ... Stafford Rangers Football Club are a semi-professional English football team from Stafford who play in the Conference National. ... Hereford United Football Club is a football club based in Hereford, England. ... The Union Européenne de Football Association or Union of European Football Associations in English, almost always referred to by the acronym UEFA (pronounced (you-AY-fuh) or (oo-Ay-fuh) or ), is the administrative and controlling body for European football. ...

References

External links

• Official Site
• Official Wolves site profile
• The Unofficial Steve Bull Home Page
• A tribute to Steve Bull
• Steve Bull career stats at Soccerbase