John Spencer

Rangers

Spencer started his career at Rangers, signing with the club as a schoolboy in 1982 and as a professional in 1985. Future Scotland colleague Eoin Jess was a teammate at youth level. His signing, even as a 12-year-old schoolboy who had yet to play a competitive senior match proved problematic; Spencer was Catholic and the club had a strong Protestant culture. His decision to sign for Rangers meant that he was regularly threatened and challenged to fights at the Catholic school he attended, while Celtic-supporting members of his family would walk by him in the street, and have never spoken to him since. Spencer made his debut for Rangers in 1987, winning the minor Glasgow Cup in his first season. In 1988, he was loaned by then manager Graeme Souness to Morton, where he made four league appearances (scoring once) before returning to Ibrox. Spencer remained a fringe player at Rangers and after a further loan spell with Lai Sun of Hong Kong was sold in 1992 to Chelsea for a fee of £450,000, having made 20 appearances in all competitions over five years.

Chelsea

At Chelsea, Spencer enjoyed a consistent period of playing in his career. Between August 1992 and October 1996 he made 137 appearances and scored 43 goals in all competitions. He featured in the teams which lost 4–0 to Manchester United in the 1994 FA Cup Final and reached the semi-finals of the 1994–95 European Cup Winners' Cup and the 1995–96 FA Cup.

Queens Park Rangers

In November…

Having played three matches for the under-21s while at Rangers, Spencer's prominence at Chelsea saw him gain the first of 14 caps for the Scotland national team in November 1994, appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Russia at Hampden Park in Scotland's successful campaign to qualify for the 1996 European Championship. He played in all three matches at the finals, starting in the defeat to England and coming off the bench in the draw against the Netherlands and the win over Switzerland. As his club career fluctuated he also featured less on the international scene, making one appearance at the outset of the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, and claiming his last cap in a friendly against Wales in May 1997.

Houston Dynamo

Upon retiring from his playing career, Spencer joined Houston Dynamo as an assistant coach on Dominic Kinnear's staff. With Spencer on staff, the Dynamo won back-to-back MLS Cup championships in 2006 and 2007. Spencer also served as the head coach for the Dynamo Reserves and led that squad to the 2008 MLS Reserve Division Championship.

Portland Timbers

Appointed the first head coach in the Timbers' MLS history on 10 August 2010, Spencer led the Timbers to a successful season in 2011, finishing on the brink of a coveted MLS Cup playoff berth in what was his first season as a head coach and the club's inaugural MLS season. Under Spencer's guidance in 2011, the Timbers opened their MLS era with a historic start, winning their first five MLS matches on their home field at Jeld-Wen Field. Portland became the first MLS expansion side to win the first five home matches of its inaugural season. The Timbers' momentum at home continued throughout the season as the club finished among MLS leaders in goals scored at home (30) and home wins (9). The Timbers' success at home combined with energy of their passionate supporters group, the Timbers Army, gave Jeld-Wen Field the reputation of being one of the most intimidating venues for visiting teams in MLS. The club's 11 wins in 2011 ranks tied for fourth with the 2006 Houston Dynamo among wins for MLS "expansion" franchises (that Houston franchise being a relocated San Jose Earthquakes franchise). Known as…

Spencer was born in Glasgow and raised in the city's Gorbals district. He initially attended John Bosco Secondary School locally, and was in the same school year as fellow professional footballer Paddy Connolly. He then changed to St Ninian's High School in Giffnock.