Footballer |
1926 - 1993
Gifted Irish footballer and journalist who captained Spurs
An
outstanding midfielder, renowned for both his time at Spurs and
captaincy of Northern Ireland, Danny Blanchflower died on 9 December,
1993. His celebrated captaincy at Spurs during his 10 years at
White Hart Lane and, in particular, his remarkable talent for passing
cemented his reputation as a true great in the footballing world. He
was awarded the title of English Footballer of the Year on two separate
occasions, a feat which only a handful of players ever accomplished. Besides
his career on the pitch, he was also an acclaimed journalist in later
life, working for the Sunday Express and also commentating in America. Robert
Dennis Blanchflower was born on 10 February, 1926, in Belfast, Northern
Ireland. The son of a footballer who had played as a centre-forward in
a women’s team, he was educated at Ravenscroft Public Elementary School
and later won a scholarship to attend the Belfast College of
Technology.
However, he dropped out to become
an apprentice electrician and, in 1943, lied about his age to join the
RAF. A trainee navigator, he was subsequently sent on a training course
at St Andrew's University and even posted to Canada, but, by 1946, was
back in Belfast where he began to develop his skills as a footballer.
His
professional career on the pitch began with Belfast side Glentoran
during the late 1940s, eventually signing for Barnsley in 1949 for a
fee of £6,000. He spent two years with the South Yorkshire club before
Aston Villa bought him for £15,000 in 1951. Altogether, he would play
155 times for Villa and captained the side on numerous occasions.
In
1954 Mr Blanchflower joined Tottenham Hotspur, undoubtably the
highlight of his illustrious career. Spurs were so impressed with his
ability that they paid the then enormous sum of £30,000 to secure him.
During his decade with the club, he made 337 league appearances.
1961
saw him lift the FA Cup as captain and lead Spurs to win the league,
making his team the first of the 20th century to win the double.
A
second FA Cup victory followed a year later, although narrowly missing
out on the double, and, in 1963, Mr Blanchflower captained his side to
take the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Meanwhile,
he earned an impressive 56 caps for Northern Ireland between 1949 and
1963, the first Irishman to ever achieve such a feat, and even led his
country to the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
He
retired as a player in the summer of 1964, going on to manage Northern
Ireland and, later, Chelsea for whom he won just five games out of 32.
The club subsequently plummeted down the league table and Mr
Blanchflower resigned less than a year after his appointment. He went
on to begin a career in journalism, gaining a reputation for his work
at the Sunday Express where he remained for 24 years.
In later life he developed Alzheimer ’s disease and died in a London nursing home on 9 December, 1993, at the age of 67.
Today
Mr Blanchflower is still remembered as one of the most talented players
to ever grace the pitch - an Irish legend who was made a member of the
English Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
He
became the first person to ever turn down television’s ‘This Is Your
Life’ by simply walking away from its host Eamonn Andrews live on air
and declaring, “Nobody is going to press gang me into anything.”
He
briefly commentated for US television network ‘CBS’ during the 1960s,
later recounting how his frankness about the National Professional
Soccer League teams distressed executives.
“The
game is about glory,” he once said. “It is about doing things in style
and with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not
waiting for them to die of boredom.”
I am now 61 but, however much longer I am spared to watch the Beautiful Game, I don't expect to see his like again.
Nick Adams —
02.01.2009
I have supported spurs since the mid fifties. Danny Blanchflower was a
rock. He always came across as a true gentleman, a real ambassador for
the game. His skill and accuracy on the pitch was second to none. I was
fortunate enough to watch the European cup winners cup final in
Rotterdam. The atmoshere there was something I have not experienced
before or since, truly wonderful. The only thing I can say is, it was a
sad day For Tottenham Hotspur and indeed for football when Danny passed
away.
Thanks for the memories Danny.
JohnM
John Mason —
03.01.2009
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