Stephen Frank Arnold (born 5 January 1951) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...

and

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

Life and career

Arnold was born in

Willesden Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He began his football career as an apprentice at

, turning professional in January 1969 and making his league debut the same season. His talent was soon spotted by bigger teams and in September 1970, after only 15 league appearances, he became a forerunner to the many players to leave Crewe for the top flight when he joined

for a fee of £12,000. He failed to establish himself at

Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...

, making only two league appearances. His only start was in the penultimate league match of the season, away to

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

, when

Bill Shankly William Shankly (2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a Scottish association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager who is best known for his time as manager of Liverpool F.C., Liverpool. Shankly brought su ...

made ten changes to protect his first-choice players before the Fairs Cup semi-final against

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

just two days later, incurring a heavy fine from

. In January 1972 he was sent on loan to

, scoring 3 times in 16 league appearances, and in September of the following season he was loaned to

, making his debut in the goalless draw away to Bury on 2 September. He played twice more for the Gulls, scoring in his final appearance, a 2–1 defeat away to league newcomers Hereford United on 30 September. In June 1973, he left Anfield, moving to

where he was to end his league career after only one season of regular first-team football, making 40 league appearances and scoring once. He went on to play

non-league football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

for Weymouth, scoring 14 goals from 57 appearances, and on loan to Dorchester Town (13 appearances), before injury forced his retirement. He came out of retirement to play for Connah's Quay Nomads and West Kirby.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, Steve 1951 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Brent People from Willesden English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Liverpool F.C. players Southport F.C. players Torquay United F.C. players Rochdale A.F.C. players Weymouth F.C. players Dorchester Town F.C. players Connah's Quay Nomads F.C. players English Football League players