Gaffers by Trevor Keane

Author:Trevor Keane
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781856357418
Publisher: Mercier Press

EOIN HAND’S IRELAND RECORD:

Total number of games in charge: 40

Total number of wins: 11 (ratio 27.50%)

Total number of draws: 9 (ratio 22.50%)

Total number of losses: 20 (ratio 50.00%)

Biggest win: 8–0 v . Malta

Biggest defeat: 0–7 v . Brazil

Longest run without defeat: 5 games

10

JACK CHARLTON

Good things come in pairs. Just like Bonnie and Clyde, Lennon and McCartney, Barbie and Ken, and Batman and Robin, the pairing of Jack Charlton with the Ireland soccer team was a match made in heaven. After the lack of success under Eoin Hand, and because of the perceived lack of a big-name Irish manager to lead the national side, the FAI took an unprecedented risk when they decided to appoint a man from outside Ireland. Their decision to hire an Englishman as the next Ireland manager was probably one of the bravest moves they ever made, and they certainly reaped the rewards.

While it is fair to say that Jack Charlton might not have been the first choice of the fans, he did not have to wait long to change people’s minds, and he will forever be etched in Irish footballing folklore – and not too many Englishmen can claim that honour. The man transformed Irish football in the 1980s and secured Ireland’s status as one of the most feared teams in Europe, with his own unique brand of football, albeit one that was often criticised. However, few can doubt the success that was achieved, not to mention the heroes he helped create for young footballers around the country. His success contributed to the increased popularity of soccer in Ireland, really challenging the supremacy that the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) enjoyed at that time.

In an amazing six-year period from 1988 to 1994, Charlton guided Ireland to sixth place in the FIFA world rankings, the highest Ireland have ever reached in these rankings, not to mention two World Cups and one European Championship. In total Charlton reigned supreme for ninety-four matches. During that time a legend was born.

EARLY LIFE

The future Ireland manager was born John Charlton in Ashington, Northumberland, on 8 May 1935 into a family that had a strong tradition in the game. And it was not just any family, but probably one of the most famous in English footballing history. ‘You have to remember, football was part of me,’ Jack says. ‘I was brought up in a footballing family. My mother was a Milburn [ Jack’s cousin was Jackie Milburn, who played for Newcastle, while his uncles George and Jack both played for Leeds, as well as Bradford and Chesterfield respectively] and my brother Bob was a player [with Manchester United], so I was involved with football at a young age, and I understood it.’

It is hard to live in the shadow of any successful sibling, but when the sibling in question survives the Munich air disaster, becomes the top scorer for England and is a Manchester United legend you get an idea of how difficult it might have been for Jack Charlton to make a life as a footballer.

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