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Ron Greenwood
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Ronald 'Ron' Greenwood CBE (11 November 1921 — 9 February 2006) was an English football player and manager, best known for being manager of the English national football team from 1977 until 1982. He had previously been a successful manager of West Ham United, and his role as England manager was his final role in football.
Greenwood was born in the village of Worsthorne, near Burnley, Lancashire, but moved to London as a child during the 1930s Depression.
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Encyclopedia
Ronald 'Ron' Greenwood CBE (11 November 1921 — 9 February 2006) was an English football player and manager, best known for being manager of the English national football team from 1977 until 1982. He had previously been a successful manager of West Ham United, and his role as England manager was his final role in football.
Playing career
Ron Greenwood was born in the village of Worsthorne, near Burnley, Lancashire, but moved to London as a child during the 1930s Depression. He was educated at Alperton School in Middlesex, leaving at the age of 14 to be an apprentice sign-writer. He played as a centre-half, joining Chelsea as an amateur whilst training as an apprentice signwriter. During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force in Northern Ireland and guested for Belfast Celtic. In 1945 he left Chelsea for Bradford Park Avenue, and made 59 appearances over the next four seasons.
In 1949 Greenwood moved to the club he supported as a boy, Brentford, where he made 142 league appearances and scored one goal. After three years at Brentford, he returned to Chelsea, where he played 65 times and won a First Division winners' medal in 1954-55 under Ted Drake. That summer, he moved on to Fulham, where he made another 42 league appearances before retiring at the end of the 1955-1956 season. He was never capped for his country, though he did make a single 'B' team appearance.
Coaching career
After retiring Greenwood moved into coaching. He coached Eastbourne United, Oxford University (where he came to the attention of Sir Harold Thompson, a future Chairman of the F.A.), the England Youth and Under-23 teams. He combined the England Under-23 post with being the assistant manager at Arsenal under George Swindin, having moved to Highbury in December 1957. He remained there until 1962, when he was appointed manager of West Ham United.
Greenwood's reign at West Ham brought them sizeable success. He oversaw the development of players such as the 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning trio of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, and under him the Hammers won the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965 - the first two major trophies of their history.
He moved upstairs in 1974, becoming the club's general manager for the next three years, with John Lyall being placed in charge of the first team. In the first season of this arrangement, West Ham won another FA Cup.
After England coach Don Revie's resignation in 1977, Greenwood was appointed full-time manager in the same year, ending his 15-year association with West Ham United. Under Greenwood, England qualified for the 1980 European Championship and then the 1982 World Cup, their first World Cup in 12 years. England came through the tournament unbeaten, but did not win enough games to progress beyond the second group stage. Greenwood resigned after the World Cup and retired from football, with the national coach's job going to Bobby Robson.
Life after football
After his career in football Greenwood was a regular analyst on BBC Radio. He died on 9 February 2006, aged 84, after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. When West Ham played Birmingham in a Premier League fixture on 13 February 2006, a one minute silence was held in Greenwood's memory. West Ham won the game 3-0.
The Town Council of Loughton, where Greenwood lived during his time as West Ham manager, erected a blue plaque to his memory on one of his former houses in the town, 22 Brooklyn Avenue: this was unveiled by Sir Trevor Brooking and the Town Mayor, Chris Pond on 28 October 2008. The Heritage Foundation charity erected a blue plaque in Greenwood's memory at West Ham's Upton Park, which was unveiled by Ron's family on 21 January 2007.
Greenwood was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2006, recognising his achievements as a manager in the English game. He was survived by his widow, Lucy.
Honours
As a player
Chelsea
As a manager
West Ham United
Managerial statistics
External links
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