Lee Chapman

Lee Roy Chapman (born 5 December 1959) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker from 1978 until 1996, in which he scored over 200 first team goals.

He is best known for spells with Stoke City, Arsenal, Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United. He also played for Plymouth Argyle, Sunderland, Portsmouth, Southend United, Ipswich Town and Swansea City. As well as this he played in both France and Norway for Chamois Niortais and Strømsgodset IF, and was capped by both the England U21 and England B teams. He also won the Football League Cup with Nottingham Forest and the league title with Leeds United. He scored a total of more than 250 goals in all competitions during a club career which lasted for nearly 20 years.

Club career Chapman was born in Lincoln and began his career at Stoke City. Chapman was an integral part of the Forest team that won the League Cup and Full Members Cup in 1989, scoring two goals in the latter's final. Chapman played in the rescheduled game at Old Trafford, which Liverpool won 3–1. In January 1990, Howard Wilkinson paid Nottingham Forest £400,000 to recruit Chapman to Leeds United. Chapman was part of the Leeds team that won the Second Division title and promotion to the First Division in 1990. Leeds finished 4th in 1991, and 21-goal Chapman was one of the highest scorers in the league. He scored a hat-trick in a remarkable league match at Elland Road against Liverpool on 13 April 1991, though Leeds lost the game 5–4. This was the first time in a decade that a Leeds player had scored a top flight hat-trick (Leeds had been out of the First Division from 1982 until 1990).

In the 1991–92 season, Chapman scored 16 goals as Leeds won the last league title before the creation of the FA Premier League. His 16 goals in the club's title winning season included two league hat-tricks; the first in a 6–1 away win against his old club Sheffield Wednesday on 12 January 1992, the second on 14 March 1992 in a 5–1 home win over Wimbledon. Despite being the top scorer for Leeds in the 1992–93 season with 14 goals, Chapman was allowed to move to Portsmouth at the age of 33 for £250,000 on 11 August 1993.

Later career Chapman made a Premier League comeback just four months after moving to Portsmouth when West Ham United signed him for £250,000 in September 1993. Making his West Ham debut along with other new signings Mike Marsh and David Burrows, Chapman scored in a 2–0 away win against Blackburn Rovers on 18 September 1993. He played 51 games in all competitions scoring 11 goals. He played one game on loan for Southend United in January 1995, scoring the consolation goal in the Shrimpers' 4–1 defeat at Grimsby Town.

During early 1996 he was loaned back to Leeds United where he played only two games. In his first, against one of his former sides, West Ham United, he was sent-off for elbowing defender Marc Rieper. He finished his UK career with Swansea. During the summer of 1996 he had a brief spell in Norway with Strømsgodset scoring one goal.

International career Chapman was capped by both the England U21 and England B teams.

Personal life He is the son of former Lincoln City, Port Vale and Chester striker Roy Chapman. Chapman is married to the actress Leslie Ash, with whom he owns two restaurants: So:uk in London and Teatro Leeds (in which one of his former clubs, Leeds United, is a shareholder). He previously owned another Teatro restaurant in London's Soho.

News of the World legal action

In 2011 Chapman and his wife, Leslie Ash, indicated that they were preparing to sue the News of the World for breach of privacy over suspicions that their voicemails, and those of their children, were illegally accessed by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire. After writing to the police over their suspicions, the police informed them that there were four pieces of paper referring to Ash in Mulcaire's notebooks, and five items relating to Chapman. There were further items relating to their children.

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals

1978–79 Second Division

1979–80 First Division

1980–81 First Division

1981–82 First Division

99!!34!!3!!1!!5!!3!!0!!0!!107!!38 Plymouth Argyle (loan) 1978–79 Third Division

1982–83 First Division

1983–84 First Division

23!!4!!1!!0!!2!!0!!2!!2!!28!!6 Sunderland 1983–84 First Division

1984–85 First Division

1985–86 First Division

1986–87 First Division

1987–88 First Division

149!!63!!18!!10!!17!!6!!2!!0!!186!!79 Chamois Niortais 1988–89 French Division 2

1988–89 First Division

1989–90 First Division

48!!15!!5!!3!!12!!6!!6!!3!!71!!27

1989–90 Second Division

1990–91 First Division

1991–92 First Division

1992–93 Premier League

137!!62!!11!!4!!14!!10!!10!!4!!172!!80 Portsmouth 1993–94 First Division

1993–94 Premier League

1994–95 Premier League

40!!7!!6!!2!!5!!2!!0!!0!!51!!11 Southend United (loan) 1994–95 First Division

1994–95 Premier League

1995–96 First Division

22!!1!!0!!0!!1!!0!!2!!0!!25!!1 Leeds United (loan) 1995–96 Premier League

Swansea City 1995–96 Second Division

Strømsgodset 1996 Tippeligaen

567!!200!!46!!21!!56!!27!!23!!8!!692!!256

A. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Anglo-Italian Cup, FA Community Shield, Football League Trophy, Full Members Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Champions League.

Honours Nottingham Forest Football League Cup: 1988-89, Full Members Cup: 1988-89

Leeds United First Division: 1991–92 FA Charity Shield: 1992