The Guinness Book of Records called him the most successful football coach in history, but English-born George Raynor is the great unknown of British football. His remarkable successes (coaching 'amateur' Sweden to an Olympic Gold medal and a World Cup final) were contrasted bizarrely by how he was and has been treated in England since those heady years. Months after becoming the first Englishman to take a side to the World Cup Final, where he pit his skills against the Brazilians of Pele and Garrincha, Raynor was scratching a living coaching Skegness Town in the Midland League. His death went unrecorded by the local and national press and even today references to him in football books give no insight into this remarkable character: 'a little known clogger' according to one, and in a history of football tactics reference to Raynor is not only fleeting but even his name is misspelt. Yet Raynor unquestionably holds a revered position, internationally, as a leading light of coaching whose impact is still relevant today.
The Guinness Book of Records called him the most successful football coach in history, but English-born George Raynor is the great unknown of British football. His remarkable successes (coaching ‘amateur’ Sweden to an Olympic Gold medal and a World Cup final) were contrasted bizarrely by how he was and has been treated in England since those heady years.Months after becoming the first Englishman to take a side to the World Cup Final, where he pit his skills against the Brazilians of Pele and Garrincha, Raynor was scratching a living coaching Skegness Town in the Midland League.His death went unrecorded by the local and national press and even today references to him in football books give no insight into this remarkable character: ‘a little known clogger’ according to one, and in a history of football tactics reference to Raynor is not only fleeting but even his name is misspelt.Yet Raynor unquestionably holds a revered position, internationally, as a leading light of coaching whose impact is still relevant today.
Eighteen classic sea-faring tales by the best-loved writers of the genre, including Patrick O'Brian, C. S. Forester, Richard Woodman, Herman Melville and Frederick Marryat. Featuring favourite heroes such as Captain Jack Aubrey, Adam Hardy, Horatio Hornblower and Nathaniel Drinkwater. These tales vividly re-create the age of the glory days of sail, aboard the great ships that sailed for trade, discovery or warfare. They include storms and shipwrecks, the great sea battles of the Napoleonic era and the sheer, dangerous excitement of life before the mast.
Despite being considered the greatest coach in the history of the game, Jimmy Hogan is also the great mystery man of British football. His significance has so far been misunderstood by historians and his influence misapplied. A previous attempt at writing his life story was so poorly conceived that it wrongly stated his date of birth and held that he was utterly integral in the 6-3 defeat of England by Hungary in 1953. Others have argued that he was solely responsible for the development of 'Total Football' and should be considered 'the father of Brazilian football'. Hogan's renown is undoubtedly merited but his achievements are now for the first time presented in their proper context. This new biography looks at the impact of his leaving the priesthood as the key turning point in his life and examines his incredible mastery of the media of his time - the key reason why Hogan became so famous. It examines the strange relationship he had with a number of administrators and British club sides and the concerns and issues professional players had with him and his work. This biography challenges the understanding of what we know of Hogan and examines him afresh. It seeks to present Hogan not from the prism of positive bias but to objectively assess his faults, failures and successes and leaves open the question as to whether Jimmy Hogan really was the Greatest Coach Ever?
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