Ron Greenwood, a West Ham legend died today. He was manager of the Club during the glory years in the 1960s and then stepped down in 1974 and was made General Manager when John Lyall took over. He then took over as England manager when Don Revie left. He was one of the few people in football that everyone both liked and respected. Let's hope the club pay a proper tribute to him.
4 comments:
I don't want to show disrespect to Ron Greenwood who was a good man and who put together an attractive, if not wildly successful team at West Ham. But there are many, many people up in my neck of the woods (Derby/Nottingham) who will never understand why he got the England job ahead of Cloughie.
Paul, I cannot begin to explain why everyone else but you knows the answer to that question. Cloughie wasn't 'a gentleman of the game', he wasn't 'liked and respected by everyone in the game' ... he was just the bloody best, that's all! The suits who run the FA are the same sort of people Iain resents from the Carlton (Monday) Club. Cloughie was self opinionated, they are just self-important, and no-ones going to prick their bubble. It's also why we will be landed with Curbs, rather than Cloughie's Forest protege, Martin O'Neil.
Iain and I are from very different political traditions but we have one area of common ground in that we are both Hammers. Ron was one of the West Ham legends and not many managers can lay claim to landing domestic and European silverware whilst simultaneously making a major contribution to England World Cup victory. Curbs would not be my first choice for England manager but if he does get the nod, he does at least have respectable claret and blue credentials.
Apparently the only England manager to take a team to the World Cup, not lose a match and yet still not win the trophy itself. That 1982 system really was a very odd one, although the potential teams we could have faced had we gone further looked a little more intimidating than in tournaments since...
RIP Ron, always seemed a very decent and questing fella. And after his famous West Ham and England years, seemed to keep his hand in at the likes of Brighton, as a director, and, er, Eastbourne United manager.
A true football man indeed.
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