Background
Whyte was born in Islington, London, and started his career as a youth player at Arsenal, turning professional in September 1978.
Whyte was born in Islington, London, and started his career as a youth player at Arsenal, turning professional in September 1978.
He made nearly 400 appearances in the Football League and Premier League for a variety of clubs, and was capped by England at under-21 level He was a pivotal part of the league title-winning Leeds United team of 1992. A defender who played at centre half (but also less often at full back), he made his Arsenal first-team debut against Manchester City on 17 October 1981.
Whyte stood out with his coolness and confidence, as well as his timing and good judgement of the game.
However, after Arsenal"s shock League Cup loss to Walsall in November 1983 and the subsequent dismissal of Terry Neill, Whyte was dropped from the side in favour of new signing Tommy Caton. The emergence of Tony Adams forced Whyte further down the pecking order at Highbury.
He didn"t play a single game during 1984-1985, instead being loaned out to Crystal Palace, and although he had a brief run as an emergency striker in 1985-1986, he was given a free transfer at the end of that season. In all he played 113 matches for Arsenal, scoring eight goals.
Number domestic club offered Whyte a contract, and disenchanted, he left for the United States and played for two years in the Major Indoor Soccer League for New York Express and Los Angeles Lazers.
In the summer of 1988, Whyte was offered a return to England by Second Division West Bromwich Albion. Whyte returned to the top flight in 1990, when he was signed for £400,000 by Howard Wilkinson"s Leeds United. In 1993 he moved to Birmingham City, winning the 1994-1995 Second Division title with the Blues.
After a brief spell at Coventry City on loan, Whyte left Birmingham in 1996, and subsequently played for Charlton Athletic, Leyton Orient, Oxford United and Rushden & Diamonds.
He then returned to the United States for a spell with the Raleigh Express in the A-League before returning to England to play under former Arsenal teammate Ian Allinson, manager of Harlow Town of Rymans League Division One. In 2000 he played for Finnish third-tier club HyPS.