Book Description
On a murky afternoon fifty years ago this November England's football team suffered their first ever defeat on home soil. But it was more than just defeat. England were humiliated 6-3 by the Hungarians (the Magic Magyars) who won with their sometimes strolling, sometimes devastatingly swift and always beautifully controlled football. Although the match is considered among the most significant in the history of the game, it is not widely known that, ironically, it was dedicated by the Hungarians to an English coach, Jimmy Hogan, who before the First World War had gone abroad after only a moderately successful playing career and became perhaps the most influential trainer/coach of all time. Born in Lancashire, he developed into a skilled inside forward for Burnley and Fulham. His ball control was so breathtaking that when he turned to coaching his demonstrations often left some of the greatest players of the time feeling inferior. In Austria he linked up with Hugo!
Meisl with whom he later worked to produce the famous 'Wunderteam' that came to Stamford Bridge in 1932 and astonishingly nearly beat England. He was stranded in Austria at the outbreak of the First World War and interned. Afterwards, he went to the FA to plead poverty and was offered only a pair of army socks. The clear message was…traitor. Moved to Hungary and successfully coached the MTK club that later produced several of the Magic Magyars. He preached skilful 'Total Football' before the phrase was invented and continually warned that English football would be overtaken by the Continentals. The clubs were sceptical. Managed Fulham in the thirties but the senior players rebelled against the need for coaching. Acted as chief coach in Germany but needed to get out quickly and over the French border. Had his life savings sewn in his Plus-Fours. Returned to manage Aston Villa. In his sixties he coached Celtic. Tommy Docherty said: "He was the greatest influence on my career." Told he was too secretive by Stanley Rous but continued to coach Aston Villa's youth players into his seventies (Peter McParland was another to say he was a huge influence). In spite of his age, after the 1953 match the Press campaigned to have him made England's manager. On his death in 1974 tributes poured in from some of the most famous names in international football but until now his life story has never been fully explored.
About the Author
Norman Fox is one of Britain's most experienced sports journalists. His career began in the late 1950s on local newspapers in Kent before spending several years with World Sports magazine. He joined The Times in 1966 and remained with the paper for twenty-three years, starting as a sub-editor and finishing as Deputy Managing Editor. At various times he was Football Correspondent (1976-1980, in succession to the master of football writers, Geoffrey Green), Athletics Correspondent and General Sports Correspondent (1980-82), Sports Editor (1982-86), and Deputy Managing Editor (1986-89). He was then invited to become the first Football Correspondent of the new Independent on Sunday for whom he continues to freelance. He has reported four Olympic Games, several football World Cup final competitions as well as all the major domestic and European finals, World and European athletics championships and a wide range of motor sports events. He is married with two daughters and recently moved back to Whitstable, where he was born, and where he began his journalistic career.
