George Smith (footballer born 1915)
Encyclopedia
George Caspar Smith was an English footballer who was born in Bromley-by-Bow
, East London on 23 April 1915 and played as a centre half. He died in 1983.
He appeared in one wartime international for England (against Wales in May 1945) for which caps
were not awarded although the England teams then were probably stronger than some pre-war sides. He also played in armed services representative sides which were Great Britain elevens in all but name. According to George Allison
, Arsenal's manager, wartime football was 'better in quality than pre-war League football'.
After retiring from playing, Smith had a successful career as both an F.A. coach and manager. His league win ratios at Crystal Palace
and Portsmouth FC were 43% and 36% respectively.
and Palestine
in the mid-nineteen thirties. On returning to England, he was bought out of the army by Jimmy Seed
and, in 1936-37, began to feature for Bexleyheath & Welling
in the Kent League. After promotion with Charlton from the third to the second division in 1935, Seed had arranged that Bexleyheath & Welling would become the nursery club of Charlton Athletic
and the amateur team was also referred to as 'Charlton A'.
by achieving successive promotions and becoming one of the strongest teams in the English 1st Division. They were runners-up in 1936-7 and then finished fourth and third respectively before the war caused league football to be abandoned for six years. Smith signed professional papers on 5 August 1938 with a salary of £5 per week and a £10 signing-on payment. His contract was renewed in 1939 at £6 per week until May 1940 with the provision of '£1 extra per week when playing in the first team'. He made the first XI at the end of the 1938-9 season when his form attracted considerable attention. This was the final game of that season at home on 6 May to Preston North End; a game which Charlton won 3-1. The outbreak of the war meant that he only made 1 full league appearance before regular football fixtures were halted.
as well as on troop ships. During this period, he continued to represent Charlton Athletic as well as being a wartime playing guest for Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea
among others.
On 15 April 1944, he played in Charlton’s 3-1 win against Chelsea
in the Football League South War Cup Final at Wembley. In that 1944 final, the players received National Savings Certificates instead of medals. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
was presented to the teams and afterwards was quoted as saying, “I started cheering for the Blues but after the Reds took the lead, well I had to cheer for them instead.”
He was discharged from Victoria Barracks
, Windsor, at the rank of sergeant major, with exemplary military conduct on 8 December 1945. His discharge papers read 'an excellent physical training instructor and an international footballer: an honest, sober and trustworthy man with a most cheerful disposition'.
and Matt Busby
, both of whom were friends from their days at Aldershot
Army camp.
'In March 1945, an FA XI played two games in Belgium, against the national side and against the Diables Rouge, the Belgian parachute brigade. The full party was: Bert Williams
(Walsall), Laurie Scott
(Arsenal), Bert Sproston
(Manchester City), George Hardwick
(Middlesbrough), Matt Busby
(Liverpool), George Smith and ‘Sailor’ Brown (Charlton Athletic), Stanley Matthews
and Neil Franklin
(Stoke City), Tommy Lawton
and Joe Mercer
(Everton), Stan Mortensen
(Blackpool), Leslie Smith (Brentford) and Maurice Edelston
(Reading). In Bruges
, the FA team received a rapturous welcome from thousands of British troops – some of whom had torn down a wooden fence to gain admission – and went on to win 8-1.'
, Cardiff on 5 May 1945. England won 3-2 with a hat-trick by Raich Carter
. He had also been reserve for England against Scotland at Hampden on 14 April after returning from the FA XI trip to Belgium.
for a £3,000 transfer fee. The reason was given as 'domestic' in some newspapers and as 'a disagreement on certain issues' by Jimmy Seed.
He made 41 league appearances for the Bees
before moving to Queens Park Rangers in May 1947. The move was precipitated by Brentford’s 'Put Football First' policy to ban any outside employment which cut across 9-12 morning training sessions. Brentford manager, Harry Curtis, stated that the 'usual team spirit was lacking' as players missed training and team talks. Smith worked as a physical education teacher at St. Joseph's College
, Beulah Hill and was unwilling to meet the club's requirements. He was joined in this decision by other players including Scotland right-half, Archie Macaulay
, and Len Townsend, the club’s centre-forward and leading scorer who also left.
In August 1949, prior to Smith’s departure from Loftus Road
, the QPR boss, David Mangnall
, wrote to Smith, 'you deserve most of the credit for our promotion, also for pulling us through last season, we noticed that you kept cool and calm about it all, and as a result our worry never entered the dressing room'.
in July 1951, and Eastbourne United from 1952-55. This was a successful period for the club as, under Smith's guidance, they were twice County League champions, and runners-up once between 1953 and 1956.
.
From September 1955 until February 1956 he was coach at Sheffield United.
. He was appointed after interview on 26 May 1956 to take up duties on 1 July and steered the club through one of its happiest periods. In his second season of 1957-58, the club won both the Athenian League
and the London Senior Cup
; the former for the final time in the club’s history and the latter for the first time.
Although committed to a 4-year contract, success brought an offer of professional management from Crystal Palace
and Sutton agreed to let Smith go, eventually replacing him with Malcolm Allison
. Andrew Letts wrote of George Smith in the Sutton United Football Club 1898-1973 - 75th Anniversary Souvenir Book:
‘We had two very happy years, under inspired leadership, and had been left with a great example. I understand how the players felt for he lifted me, just as he lifted the game and them, to a different level, and I, like them shall always be grateful to him.’
. When he took the Crystal Palace job he said he would resign if he did not achieve promotion within two years. He did not and subsequently kept his word; resigning in April 1960. However, he left a team good enough to win promotion for his successor.
George Smith returned to Sheffield United as coach from April 1960 until April 1961.
Field-Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
, was the honorary chairman of Portsmouth FC having begun to support them during World War II
due to the proximity of his headquarters. In private correspondence dated 25 April 1962, he wrote to Smith:
‘I congratulate you very much on getting Portsmouth out of the Third Division – which was completely a wrong place for a famous team. While the players all did their stuff, the major credit goes to you.’
Throughout the sixties, on a limited budget, he kept Portsmouth on a sound financial footing in the second division. In 1970, he became Portsmouth FC general manager until his retirement from football in 1973.
in Cornwall
for the last years of his life and died in 1983.
Bromley-by-Bow
Bromley-by-Bow, historically and officially Bromley, is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is an inner-city district situated east north-east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, East London on 23 April 1915 and played as a centre half. He died in 1983.
He appeared in one wartime international for England (against Wales in May 1945) for which caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
were not awarded although the England teams then were probably stronger than some pre-war sides. He also played in armed services representative sides which were Great Britain elevens in all but name. According to George Allison
George Allison
George Frederick Allison was an English football journalist, broadcaster and manager. He was the BBC's first sports commentator and Arsenal's second longest serving manager.-Journalism career:...
, Arsenal's manager, wartime football was 'better in quality than pre-war League football'.
After retiring from playing, Smith had a successful career as both an F.A. coach and manager. His league win ratios at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
and Portsmouth FC were 43% and 36% respectively.
Early playing career
Smith's career began at Hackney Schools in east London where he had grown up. He joined the army as a young man and was stationed in SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in the mid-nineteen thirties. On returning to England, he was bought out of the army by Jimmy Seed
Jimmy Seed
James Marshall "Jimmy" Seed was an English footballer and football manager.Despite being born in Blackhill, Seed was brought up in the village of Whitburn on the coast just to the north of Sunderland...
and, in 1936-37, began to feature for Bexleyheath & Welling
Bexley United F.C.
Bexley United Football Club were an English football club who played at Park View Road in Welling.There was a club of the same name which played in the Kent League before the war....
in the Kent League. After promotion with Charlton from the third to the second division in 1935, Seed had arranged that Bexleyheath & Welling would become the nursery club of Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
and the amateur team was also referred to as 'Charlton A'.
Charlton Athletic
Under Seed’s management, Charlton surprised the football world prior to World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by achieving successive promotions and becoming one of the strongest teams in the English 1st Division. They were runners-up in 1936-7 and then finished fourth and third respectively before the war caused league football to be abandoned for six years. Smith signed professional papers on 5 August 1938 with a salary of £5 per week and a £10 signing-on payment. His contract was renewed in 1939 at £6 per week until May 1940 with the provision of '£1 extra per week when playing in the first team'. He made the first XI at the end of the 1938-9 season when his form attracted considerable attention. This was the final game of that season at home on 6 May to Preston North End; a game which Charlton won 3-1. The outbreak of the war meant that he only made 1 full league appearance before regular football fixtures were halted.
War years
George Smith enlisted in the APTC on 3 November 1939; listing his professions as footballer and PT Instructor. He spent much of the early period of the Second World War as a PT instructor at AldershotAldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
as well as on troop ships. During this period, he continued to represent Charlton Athletic as well as being a wartime playing guest for Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
among others.
On 15 April 1944, he played in Charlton’s 3-1 win against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in the Football League South War Cup Final at Wembley. In that 1944 final, the players received National Savings Certificates instead of medals. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
was presented to the teams and afterwards was quoted as saying, “I started cheering for the Blues but after the Reds took the lead, well I had to cheer for them instead.”
He was discharged from Victoria Barracks
Victoria Barracks, Windsor Castle
The Foot Guards Battalion stationed at Windsor generally provide the Windsor Castle Guard. The Windsor battalion is at Victoria Barracks, a quarter of a mile south of the Castle. It is Victoria Barracks where troops set off from to change the guard at Windsor Castle. Victoria Barracks is currently...
, Windsor, at the rank of sergeant major, with exemplary military conduct on 8 December 1945. His discharge papers read 'an excellent physical training instructor and an international footballer: an honest, sober and trustworthy man with a most cheerful disposition'.
Army & FA representative XIs
During the last years of the war he also played in several strong Army and FA representative sides alongside players such as Frank SwiftFrank Swift
Frank Victor Swift was an English footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for Manchester City and England. After starting his career with local clubs near his home town of Blackpool, in 1932 he was signed by First Division Manchester City, with whom he played his entire professional career.Swift...
and Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
, both of whom were friends from their days at Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
Army camp.
'In March 1945, an FA XI played two games in Belgium, against the national side and against the Diables Rouge, the Belgian parachute brigade. The full party was: Bert Williams
Bert Williams (footballer)
Bert Frederick Williams MBE is a former English international football goalkeeper. Nicknamed The Cat, he spent the majority of his playing career at Wolverhampton Wanderers where he won the League Championship and FA Cup....
(Walsall), Laurie Scott
Laurie Scott (footballer)
Lawrence "Laurie" Scott was an English footballer.Born in Sheffield, Scott joined Bradford City as a youth player, and played 39 times for the Bantams, mostly as a winger. In February 1937 he was signed by Arsenal, though he only played as a reserve for the first two years at the club...
(Arsenal), Bert Sproston
Bert Sproston
Bert Sproston was an English football full back who is remembered for playing both at international level for the England national football team and at club level for , Manchester City F.C., Millwall F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.....
(Manchester City), George Hardwick
George Hardwick
George Hardwick was an English football player and coach. During his time as an active player, he played left defender for Middlesbrough...
(Middlesbrough), Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
(Liverpool), George Smith and ‘Sailor’ Brown (Charlton Athletic), Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
and Neil Franklin
Neil Franklin
Cornelius 'Neil' Franklin was an English footballer.-Early career:Franklin had made a impression at schoolboy level, playing at both inside and centre forward...
(Stoke City), Tommy Lawton
Tommy Lawton
Thomas "Tommy" Lawton was an English association footballer who rose to fame a short time before the outbreak of the Second World War and enjoyed a successful career which lasted until well into the 1950s....
and Joe Mercer
Joe Mercer
Joseph 'Joe' Mercer, OBE was an English football player and manager.-Playing career:Mercer was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the son of a former Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers footballer, also named Joe. Joe Mercer senior died, following health problems resulting from a gas attack...
(Everton), Stan Mortensen
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
(Blackpool), Leslie Smith (Brentford) and Maurice Edelston
Maurice Edelston
Maurice Edelston was a British footballer, who later became a sports commentator. Born in Hull, England, he was son of the Hull City footballer Joe Edelston, who was his manager at Reading for a while. At the age of 18, he played in the football tournament in the 1936 Berlin Olympics for Great...
(Reading). In Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, the FA team received a rapturous welcome from thousands of British troops – some of whom had torn down a wooden fence to gain admission – and went on to win 8-1.'
Wartime International
George Smith made his one wartime international appearance against Wales at Ninian ParkNinian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
, Cardiff on 5 May 1945. England won 3-2 with a hat-trick by Raich Carter
Raich Carter
Horatio Stratton "Raich" Carter was one of the greatest English footballers of the pre-war era...
. He had also been reserve for England against Scotland at Hampden on 14 April after returning from the FA XI trip to Belgium.
Brentford F.C.
After the war, in November 1945, he was placed on the Charlton transfer list, at his own request, and on 19th of that month, moved to BrentfordBrentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
for a £3,000 transfer fee. The reason was given as 'domestic' in some newspapers and as 'a disagreement on certain issues' by Jimmy Seed.
He made 41 league appearances for the Bees
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
before moving to Queens Park Rangers in May 1947. The move was precipitated by Brentford’s 'Put Football First' policy to ban any outside employment which cut across 9-12 morning training sessions. Brentford manager, Harry Curtis, stated that the 'usual team spirit was lacking' as players missed training and team talks. Smith worked as a physical education teacher at St. Joseph's College
St. Joseph's College, London
St Joseph's College is a Secondary School for Boys in Upper Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a Mathematics and Computing Specialist School and a Cisco Academy. It is a voluntary aided Roman Catholic comprehensive school for students aged 11 to 18 years...
, Beulah Hill and was unwilling to meet the club's requirements. He was joined in this decision by other players including Scotland right-half, Archie Macaulay
Archie Macaulay
Archibald Renwick "Archie" Macaulay was a Scottish football player and manager.-Playing career:Born in Falkirk, Macaulay started his playing career with Rangers, where he became a regular at the age of only 18. Playing as an inside right, he won a Scottish Cup medal in 1935-36 and a Scottish...
, and Len Townsend, the club’s centre-forward and leading scorer who also left.
Queens Park Rangers
Brentford transferred Smith to QPR for a fee reputed to be a record for a third division club which according to press reports of the time 'the Rangers do not regret spending one penny of'. Smith described it as a 'good change for me. Brentford was not a happy club'. He captained Queens Park Rangers to a Division III South Champions medal in May 1948. QPR also reached the 6th round of F.A. Cup in his 'happiest season in football, not only because it was so successful but because of great team spirit shown by all the players of the club'. In total, he played 75 league games for them.In August 1949, prior to Smith’s departure from Loftus Road
Loftus Road
Loftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
, the QPR boss, David Mangnall
Dave Mangnall
David "Dave" Mangnall was an English football player and manager. As a player, he scored 144 goals from 221 appearances in the Football League playing for Leeds United, Huddersfield Town, Birmingham, West Ham United, Millwall and Queens Park Rangers...
, wrote to Smith, 'you deserve most of the credit for our promotion, also for pulling us through last season, we noticed that you kept cool and calm about it all, and as a result our worry never entered the dressing room'.
End of playing career & early coaching
On 26 September 1949, he joined Ipswich Town where he made 8 league appearances and became the club’s assistant manager and coach until his resignation in January 1950. This signalled the start of his own managerial career. He moved to Chelmsford City in August 1950, then RedhillRedhill, Surrey
Redhill is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead, Surrey, England and is part of the London commuter belt. Redhill and the adjacent town of Reigate form a single urban area.-History:...
in July 1951, and Eastbourne United from 1952-55. This was a successful period for the club as, under Smith's guidance, they were twice County League champions, and runners-up once between 1953 and 1956.
F.A. Youth coach
During this period he became the first paid F.A. Youth Squad manager of the England national team attending and participating in coaching sessions at LilleshallLilleshall Hall
Lilleshall Hall is a large former country house and estate located near Lilleshall in Shropshire, England. It was founded as an Augustinian Abbey in the 12th century, with its estate running to some...
.
From September 1955 until February 1956 he was coach at Sheffield United.
Sutton United
In 1956, Sutton United were looking for a new manager and long-serving club president (at that time, chairman), Andrew Letts recalls that Smith was recommended to the club by Tottenham manager, Arthur RoweArthur Rowe
Arthur Sydney Rowe was the first manager to lead Tottenham Hotspur football club to the First Division Championship title in 1951...
. He was appointed after interview on 26 May 1956 to take up duties on 1 July and steered the club through one of its happiest periods. In his second season of 1957-58, the club won both the Athenian League
Athenian League
The Athenian League was an English amateur football league for clubs in and around London. The league was formed in 1912 with ten clubs, but had to close down in 1914 due to the onset of World War I. When it reformed in 1920, only three of the previous teams rejoined...
and the London Senior Cup
London Senior Cup
The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of Arsenal , Brentford, Wimbledon and...
; the former for the final time in the club’s history and the latter for the first time.
Although committed to a 4-year contract, success brought an offer of professional management from Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
and Sutton agreed to let Smith go, eventually replacing him with Malcolm Allison
Malcolm Allison
Malcolm Alexander Allison was an English football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Mal", he was one of English football's most flamboyant and intriguing characters because of his panache, fedora and cigar, controversies off the pitch and outspoken nature.Allison's managerial potential become...
. Andrew Letts wrote of George Smith in the Sutton United Football Club 1898-1973 - 75th Anniversary Souvenir Book:
‘We had two very happy years, under inspired leadership, and had been left with a great example. I understand how the players felt for he lifted me, just as he lifted the game and them, to a different level, and I, like them shall always be grateful to him.’
Crystal Palace
In July 1958, he took over as manager of, then second division, Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. When he took the Crystal Palace job he said he would resign if he did not achieve promotion within two years. He did not and subsequently kept his word; resigning in April 1960. However, he left a team good enough to win promotion for his successor.
George Smith returned to Sheffield United as coach from April 1960 until April 1961.
Portsmouth FC
He then began his decade as Portsmouth FC manager from April 1961 until April 1970. When he joined them, Portsmouth was in the third division but he won promotion to the Second Division by winning the Third Division Championship in 1962.Field-Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
, was the honorary chairman of Portsmouth FC having begun to support them during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
due to the proximity of his headquarters. In private correspondence dated 25 April 1962, he wrote to Smith:
‘I congratulate you very much on getting Portsmouth out of the Third Division – which was completely a wrong place for a famous team. While the players all did their stuff, the major credit goes to you.’
Throughout the sixties, on a limited budget, he kept Portsmouth on a sound financial footing in the second division. In 1970, he became Portsmouth FC general manager until his retirement from football in 1973.
Retirement
He moved to BodminBodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
for the last years of his life and died in 1983.