Paul will be back at the Crown Oil Arena on Saturday 15th April to entertain diners enjoying the hospitality treatment prior to kick off with stories of his time playing for Dale plus what he’s doing these days.
DOB: 2nd November 1972
Dale debut: 8th September 1990 – Stockport County 1-0
Last game: 4th May 1996 – Hereford United 0-2
Also played for: Bury, Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United, MK Dons, Chester City
Time at Dale: Paul switched a traineeship from Bradford City to Rochdale when Terry Dolan became manager and was substitute for the first game of the 1990/1 season being carried off and giving away a penalty before touching the ball in his second match. He went on to establish himself making 158 appearances scoring 10 goals partnering Alan Reeves in the centre of the defence succeeding him as Player of the Year after Reeves transfer. Memories include FA Cup debut marking Billy Whitehurst and playing against Liverpool again in the FA Cup.
The Rochdale Division (Christopher Fitzgerald) quotes “Unfairly maligned for several seasons as being carried by Alan Reeves, Butler triumphantly proved his doubters wrong when his centre half partner left for the bright lights of London and the Premier League. Butler was the tough-tackling but pacey foil as the pair formed under manager Dave Sutton and then Mick Docherty, a partnership that helped Dale make repeated pushes for the Play Offs in the early 1990’s. Once Reeves left, Butler, far from being lost, stepped into the role of leading man with aplomb and his performances would eventually pave the way to him earning a big money move of his own. Physically imposing and possessing a face that said ‘don’t mess with me’ even when relaxed, Butler typified a fourth tier centre half. His fine form in a mostly poorly performing Rochdale side attracted interest and his expected departure came in the summer of 1996, a few miles down the road to arch rivals, Bury, the destination proving somewhat disappointing to supporters, even though the reported £100,000 fee paid by the Shakers was a welcome boost to the Club”
What are you doing since leaving Dale?: Paul played for Bury for a single season before moving to Sunderland for £1 million winning the First Division championship in his first season then featuring through a full season in the Premier League in 1999/2000. He joined Wolves in the First Division on loan in late 2000, a move made permanent for £1 million in January 2001 being made Club captain for the following season which saw the team mount an automatic promotion challenge, only to fall away in the final weeks. The next year saw him win a second promotion to the top flight though, as the Club won the Play Offs, beating Sheffield United 3–0 in the 2003 final. He remained with Wolves for their solitary season in the Premier League but could not agree terms of a new contract afterward and joined Leeds United in July 2004, where he was a first choice centre back and made captain shortly after signing. He duly moved on loan to Milton Keynes Dons in November 2006 signing a permanent contract with the Dons but failed to complete the season, leaving in March 2007 to join Chester City. There he quickly struck up a strong central defensive partnership with Paul Linwood and later combined playing duties with a role on the coaching staff. In a match against Rochdale, he scored an own goal that led to him offering the Dale faithful fans ‘a less than complimentary salute’
Paul made one appearance for the Republic of Ireland in a friendly against the Czech Republic on 23rd February 2000, where he was pitted against the big Czech striker Jan Koller in a 3-2 victory.
Since retiring from football, Paul has worked in recruitment at Oldham Athletic (1st team 2010-12) Sheffield Wednesday (1st team 2012-14) Manchester City (14-18’s 2014-18) Liverpool (14-21’s 2018-21) Salford City (Head of Academy 2021-on going) He also runs his own Football Academy, ages 16-18’s, linked to an USA Scholarship Programme
