As a footballer Jack Charlton, whose death at the age of 85 was announced yesterday, was one of the trusty beams on which Leeds United and England built major triumphs – and later, in a varied career as a manager, would guide the Republic of Ireland to the finals of successive World Cups.
Renowned as a fiercely competitive and formidable central defender, in the course of a record-breaking 726 first team appearances spread between 1953 and 1973, Charlton won every domestic honour with Leeds – although the pinnacle of his playing career arrived on July 30 1966 when, alongside younger brother Bobby, he was a member of the England team who won the World Cup.
When his playing days were over Charlton had spells in club management with Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United before becoming manager of the Irish national team in 1986.
Guiding them to the finals of the 1988 European Championships he was feted in his adopted land when they recorded a 1-0 victory over England – but even greater tournament achievements lay ahead, Ireland advancing to the World Cup Finals of 1990 and 1994, acquitting themselves well on both occasions.
Born in the Northumberland coal mining village of Ashington on May 8 1935, Charlton was the eldest of four brothers whose extended footballing family included Newcastle United and England legend Jackie Milburn, a cousin of his mother.
Having initially turned down a trial with Leeds United at the age of 15, a year later Charlton accepted a second offer and as a seventeen year-old made his first team debut at the end of the 1952-53 season in a second division fixture against Doncaster Rovers. Due to then serving two years of National Service it was not until 1955-56 he became a first team regular, a season in which Leeds won promotion to Division One, where they remained until being relegated in 1960.
With Leeds languishing near the bottom of Division Two, Don Revie was appointed manager in March 1961 and with Charlton at its core began forging a team with homegrown players such as Billy Bremner, Norman Hunter, Paul Madeley, Paul Reaney, Peter Lorimer and goalkeeper Gary Sprake, to whom were added astute signings such as Irish midfielder Johnny Giles – all of whom would become synonymous with Leeds as they made swift and notable progress in the years that followed.
Promoted back to the top flight as Second Division Champions in 1964, on their return Leeds finished runners-up to Manchester United on goal average and lost 2-1 against Liverpool in the FA Cup Final, Charlton, now approaching 30 selected by England manager Alf Ramsey for a first international cap as the 1964-65 season drew to a close. During the next 12 months he became a fixture in an England team being molded in preparation for the 1966 World Cup, establishing a strong central defensive partnership with captain Bobby Moore.
Playing in all six matches as England advanced to become World Champions, Charlton and his ten team-mates secured their place in football immortality when the host nation defeated West Germany 4-2 after extra-time in the final, to stand atop of the football world.
Charlton would win his 35th and final England cap against Czechoslovakia in a group game at the 1970 Mexico World Cup, informing Ramsey on the flight back, after the holders had suffered a quarter-final exit at the hands of West Germany, he no longer wished to be considered for international selection.
Named ‘Football of the Year‘ in 1967 (succeeding brother Bobby of Manchester United who had been the 1966 recipient), Charlton tasted success at club level in 1968 as Leeds won the League and Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, a prelude to becoming League Champions the following year. Their style of play was a potent mix of brilliant and brutal that resulted in Leeds courting cups and criticism in equal measure.
As the 1969-70 season reached a climax a treble of League title, European and FA Cups looked entirely feasible, but an intense backlog of fixtures would leave them frustrated on each front – Leeds also finishing runners-up and missing out on top spot by a whisker in each of the next two seasons, although there was consolation in the form of winning the FA Cup in 1972.
In an FA Cup semi-final against Wolves the following year Charlton would play his last game, leaving the Maine Road pitch injured during a 1-0 victory, although Leeds would go to lose the final 1-0 to second division Sunderland.
With a strong personality and distinct thoughts on how the game should be played, Charlton left Elland Road in May 1973 to become manager of second division Middlesbrough (of the 1966 World Cup winning side who tried their hand at management he would be one of the few to truly succeed).
At Ayresome Park his methods quickly paid off as a powerful, well-drilled team raced to the second division title, Charlton becoming the first manager from outside the top flight to be named named ‘Manager of the Year‘. With Middlesbrough established as a solid Division One club Charlton resigned in April 1977, although was back in football later in the year on being named manager of Sheffield Wednesday.
Propping up Division Three when he arrived, Charlton steered Wednesday to safety, overseeing their promotion to Division Two in May 1980. After one near miss in being promoted to the first division he departed Hillsborough in May 1983, briefly serving Middlesbrough in a caretaker-manager capacity, before accepting an offer to manage Newcastle, the team he supported as a boy, in June 1984.
It was to prove the most short-lived of his permanent appointments, Charlton resigning on the eve of the 1985-86 season after keeping a young Magpies team, including future England internationals Peter Beardsley and Chris Waddle, away from first division relegation trouble during his one full term in charge – Charlton also handing a first team debut to 16 year-old Paul Gascoigne in April 1985.
In December 1985 he was approached by the Football Association of Ireland with regard to taking charge of the national team, who under Charlton made steady progress – culminating in qualification for the 1988 European Championships in West Germany.
In their opening game of the tournament Charlton masterminded a famous 1-0 victory over England and although Ireland were unable to advance from the group stage (group qualifiers Holland and Russia going on to contest the final), Charlton had not only galvanized the Irish team but also their supporters – his hero status in Ireland even bigger after the 1990 World Cup as Ireland progressed to the quarter-finals, going out after a close game with host nation Italy to whom they suffered a 1-0 defeat.
Ireland were among the finalists again four years later, their campaign at USA 94 beginning with a memorable 1-0 group win over eventual beaten finalists Italy, the Irish for their part reaching the last 16.
For his feats with the Irish team Charlton was made a Freeman of Dublin in 1994, his ten year reign as manager coming to an end the following year, ‘Big Jack‘ as he was now affectionately known, tendering his resignation on Ireland failing to qualify for Euro 96.
With retirement Charlton pursued his oft-stated hobbies of fishing and shooting, but all the time honours kept coming – ‘English Football Hall of Fame’ (2005), ‘Freeman of the City of Leeds’ (2019). As the years passed the aura surrounding those eleven players who gave English football its finest two hours grew ever more resonant, the scale of their achievement taking on greater significance each time another ‘Hero of 66‘ reached the end of their journey.
Throughout a long, seemingly happy life, Jack Charlton was present for many pivotal moments of domestic football during the second half of the 20th Century – his achievements as a player and manager perhaps the greatest story of all.
This article was first published on 12/7/2020.
NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller available as an Amazon Kindle book.
