Varadi: Imre

1990-1993 (Player Details)

Forward

Born: Paddington, London: 08-07-1959

Debut: Hull City (h): 10-02-1990

5’8” 11st 11lb (1989)

Of Hungarian origin, but actually born in Paddington, Varadi started out in Non-League football with Letchworth Garden City and FC 75 Hitchin before Sheffield United signed him on professional terms shortly before his nineteenth birthday in April 1978. And so began a journey that would take in twelve clubs, almost five hundred games, and close to two hundred goals. He stayed at Bramall Lane for less than a year, scoring four goals in ten League games, four of which were off the bench, before Gordon Lee took him to Everton in March 1979 for £80,000. He scored six goals in twenty-two League starts and four substitute appearances at Goodison and after a short spell at Benfica new Toffee Manager Howard Kendall transferred him to Newcastle United in August 1981 for £125,000. At St James’ he was an almost ever-present and twice topped the Geordie’s scoring list, scored thirty-nine goals in eighty-one League games in two seasons. He formed good partnerships with Chris Waddle and Kevin Keegan. However, therein lay a problem. Whilst they made a perfect partnership on the pitch it was widely rumoured that off the pitch they did not get on at all. Many still believe this was the only reason Imre was sold and both before and after his move to Sheffield Wednesday, in August 1983 for £150,000, the St James's Park faithful railed bitterly against the decision. Varadi continued to score freely at Hillsborough, being a vital component needed to ensure their promotion to Division One in the 1983-84 season, and continued to impress whilst in the First Division. Once more he became the darling of the terraces and at this stage of his career was certainly one of the most dangerous forwards around. After two years at Hillsborough, in which he scored thirty-three goals in seventy-two League starts and another four from the bench, however, he moved again. This time he went to West Bromwich Albion in July 1985 for £285,000, and, while he managed a respectable nine goals for the Baggies in thirty-four League games, which included two as a substitute, in what was a poor side, he was unable to prevent them from sliding into the Second Division. Escaping from the Hawthorns for Manchester City in October 1986 for £50,000, the following season proved a case of deja vu for Varadi, he again scored nine goals and once again this was insufficient to keep City in the top flight. He remained with City in the Second Division, scoring seventeen goals the following season before moving back into the First Division to rejoin Sheffield Wednesday for £50,000 in September 1988, having scored twenty-six goals in sixty-fiveLeague games, including nine as a substitute, while at Maine Road. Aged almost thirty, his powers were waning, and the pace that had provided so much of his threat was beginnning to ebb. Unable to find the net regularly, he moved across Yorkshire to Leeds, having scored just three goals in twenty-two League games, including eight from the bench, in his second spell at Hillsborough. Injuries to Bobby Davison and Carl Shutt prompted Howard Wilkinson to dip into the transfer market to sign the experienced Varadi to help keep United’s championship bandwagon rolling. It was the third time that Varadi had been signed by Wilkinson and his £50,000 move from Sheffield Wednesday in February 1990 saw him link up with other ex-Owls in Lee Chapman, Mel Sterland, Carl Shutt, Glynn Snodin and John Pearson. Most of his time at Elland Road was spent in the Reserves and after loans to Luton Town in March 1992, where he scored once in five League starts and one game from the bench and Oxford United, where he failed to score from three League starts and two games as a substitute in January 1993, he joined Second Division Rotherham United on a free-transfer. Now in the third tier of English football, Varadi was once again a goalscoring threat and topped the scoring for the Millers in the following season. However, in the season after that, he was effectively replaced by Bobby Davison and he left Millmoor for Mansfield Town in August 1995 after scoring twenty-five goals from fifty-five starts and twelve games from the bench in League games. After playing just one League game for Mansfield Town at the start of 1995-96 season he was appointed player-coach by Mel Sterland at Boston United in September 1995. He lasted only a matter of weeks and he then re-entered League football with Scunthorpe United on 29th September 1995, but again only lasted two games with the Irons, his last as a player. He joined Matlock Town as Player-Manager in the Unibond League where he stayed for eighteen months before joining up again with Mel Sterland as his Assistant Manager at Stalybridge Celtic on a part-time basis. He started his own travelling junior soccer school and worked for Nike. In 2001 he became a licenced agent and looks after several players including Matthew Kilgallon and Simon Walton.