why was nat lofthouse called the lion of vienna why was nat lofthouse called the lion of vienna

But the Wanderers policy was that if you played for them you couldnt run a pub. Nat Lofthouse - Bolton Wanderers After that 1958 final, Bolton had started slipping and were ultimately relegated to the old Second Division in 1964. Nat Lofthouse. Only two players from Manchester United's side that lost to Aston Villa in the previous year's final took the field on May 3, 1958, Bill Foulkes and Bobby Charlton, and a further two were survivors of the disaster. Thanks to his size, a healthy 12 stone (168 pounds) by age 15, he was played up front in a center forward position and it was there that Nat thrived. Despite the double strike many, including leading football writer John Thompson remained unconvinced. We don't charge goalkeepers around here.". It was important not to strike the ball too soon. Awarded an O.B.E in 1994, Lofthouse suffered from dementia in his later years and passed away at the age of 84 in 2011. With no club having shown an interest and his days of regular organised football coming to an end, it appeared that any chance he had of making it as a professional was over, before one of his final days at school where he was to be commended at the annual prize-giving ceremony. I wasn't cut out to be a manager.". Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour and National Service during World War II, lent his name to the conscripted miners. For a time it appeared that he might not re-sign with the club for the 1957-58 season but he eventually relented and stayed at Burnden Park. When they won a late corner, they flooded forward, leaving Lofthouse alone with a single marker on the halfway line. Lofthouse would later say; The miners of Britain are the finest fellows in the world. His most memorable performance, which won him the nickname the "Lion of Vienna", was for England against Austria in May 1952. We will not pass your details on to any third parties. [8] Nat Lofthouse was an Inaugural Inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. In spite of his prolific scoring, it took England selectors a few seasons to notice the boy from Bolton, Lofthouse's first England cap came in November of 1950 at the late age of 25. . He was capped 33 times for the England national football team between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals and giving himself one of the greatest. Nat Lofthouse scored a brace in Boltons 2-0 win. He won that. In the swing of things and in its heyday, the stadium could hold up to 70,000 people (albeit in close quarters) so one boy without a ticket would not be easily noticed. Please enter the following information to sign up. This evening, the Prater Stadium in the Soviet sector was crowded by cheering, khaki-clad British soldiers waving Union Jacks. Football was also a significant sport for the two nations. Having failed to find the net in his past two internationals, a run which had scuppered more than a few promising youngsters England careers, Boltons star was aware of a concerted campaign in the press to have him replaced by Newcastles brilliant Jackie Milburn. There was then a Cup Winners Cup played between the winners of the North and South tournaments. Lofthouse mourned by Bolton and England | Inside UEFA Capped 33 times by the Three Lions, Lofthouse picked up the nickname 'the Lion of Vienna' after his two goals against Austria and represented England in the 1954 World Cup. Lofthouse was consistently self-deprecating about his abilities his favourite maxim, borrowed from one of his coaches at Bolton, was that all he could do was run, shoot, and head but it slowly became apparent that by doing all three with a sort of relentless, irresistible energy, he needed little else. It was, perhaps, fitting that Finney played a key role in the famous goal. For England, the Austria game provided two firsts. He was born with Bolton in his blood, and he played his football, lived his life in a way that reflected that. Never again will you say that England has lost the will to fight. A vote of the Football Writers Association members, which functions like a jury, selected the professional player who best exemplified footballers precepts and examples as the player of the year. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Seven minutes before the end, the climax occurred. Additionally, the development of the Cold War affected the trip to Austria. My body became firmer and harder. Austria hit back to equalise, Sewell restored the advantage but the home team levelled for a second time. Sources: Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, The Times, Daily Mirror, The Guardian, Daily Herald; Nat Lofthouse, Goals Galore, Nat Lofthouse. Lofthouses story wasnt as black and white as many modern accounts would have readers believe. We may also very occasionally send you information about the museum via Facebook. His devotion to Alma was matched only by his love of Bolton, and true to form, that Saturday Nat got married in the morning then played football in the afternoon at Burnden Park. Now they faced Austria, one of the worlds best teams, and one who had seriously threatened Englands precious unbeaten record at home to continental teams just one year before. He was declared English Footballer of the Year, an accolade he was given on the eve of the famed Stanley Matthews Final in the FA Cup. Outside the church, it was former Bolton manager Jimmy Armfield (1971-1974) who perhaps summed it all up best: "It's the fact that he was a one-club man. Returning on the bus after the game he was shocked to find Tommy Lawton waiting for him. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. This was the first time the team played behind the Iron Curtain, and it was also the first peacetime match in Continental Europe with a significant away following.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofsoccer_info-box-4','ezslot_8',183,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-box-4-0'); As many as 1,400 tickets were assigned to British troops, although many more were obtained through the black market. There may have been no better example of this than in 1954 when Serie A side Fiorentina put in a lucrative offer for Lofthouse (one that would have allowed him to live very comfortably after retirement) but the club turned it down. Thousands of England fans attended it. Nat Lofthouse: The Lion Of Vienna - Boltom Wanderers Soccer Player This was touched on to Lofthouse on the halfway line by Finney. NAT LOFTHOUSE is a name that rings through the annals of English football history like few others. For the game with Saskatoon the local team only had nine players so Lofthouse and Tim Ward of Derby County switched sides but couldnt prevent their team losing 19-1. After that, Musil crashed into me, and we both fell to the ground. Nat was discovered by James Entwistle, the Mayor of Bolton at the time. (Subs) Franz Pelikan, Stotz, Koller, Dekkerif(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'historyofsoccer_info-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_11',185,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-large-leaderboard-2-0'); Gilbert Merrick, Alf Ramsey, William Eckersley, William Wright, Jack Froggatt, James Dickinson, Tom Finney, John Sewell, Nat Lofthouse, Edward Baily, William Elliott. Soon after Lofthouse's death a swell of support for a statue to be built in his memory started. However, the lead was short-lived. Boltons all-time greatest player was a gentleman throughout the league. As a result, Nat Lofthouse was nicknamed the Lion of Vienna. [5], On 7 April 1993, he appeared as a special guest on the TV guest show This Is Your Life, in which the on-screen guests included Tom Finney and Harry Gregg, while others including Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker and Ian Rush appeared on screen to pay tribute to Lofthouse as they were unable to appear alongside Lofthouse due to other commitments. Instead, Lofthouse honed his skills on the empty lots and wasteland that were more than common around the northwest during the day. On the morning of Saturday 6 December 1947 he married Alma Foster and in the afternoon scored twice as Wanderers beat Wolves 3-2. Born and bred in Bolton, Lofthouse earned his. In 195253, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year. The Lion Of Vienna | Family History UK Forum - Free UK Genealogy He scored 22 goals in 36 games for a Wanderers team that finished 14th. I learnt to take hard knocks without feeling them. Nat Lofthouse - Wikipedia A year to the day after his death, Bolton Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside announced plans for one to be built and for the statue to be situated outside the Reebok Stadium. That changed in the 1952-53 season. It happened a lot in our day as it were, of course. As far as Englands league goalscorers are concerned, Nat Lofthouse is 37th all-time. There were England Soccer players dotted among them, their red shirts feeling like poppies in a field of corn as they were carried high in triumph to their dressing-room on the shoulders of the Dorsets, the Warwicks, the Signalmen, and the Gunners. RIP Nat Lofthouse. As he regretted later, I never saw the ball enter the Austrian net for the goal of my life.. [12], Lofthouse died on 15 January 2011, aged 85, in a nursing home in Bolton. The Lion of Vienna sleeps. Speaking During his "Nat Lofthouse: This Is Your Life" show, Lofthouse had said of his time as manager: "I think the worst thing Bolton Wanderers' directors ever did was ask me to be manager. Sun 16 Jan 2011 13.15 EST The footballer Nat Lofthouse, who has died aged 85, won 33 England caps during a career spent entirely with one club, Bolton Wanderers. In 1943, Nat Lofthouse was called upon to serve as a Bevin Boy at the Mosley Common coal mine. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Although the England players have not yet abandoned hope, the home team was 2-1 favorites to win this match. In the 83rd minute, Tom Finney tapped the ball to Lofthouse on the halfway line. In the second half, the Wanderers looked the better team, as the thrown-together nature of Manchester United began to show. The title came from a prestigious match against Austria in 1952. He is still Bolton's top scorer of all time. An estimated crowd of 85,000 turned up at Burnden Park with fans climbing in after the gates had been shut. United played well in the first half, but their attacks were continually stopped by the Bolton defense "like waves breaking against a rock," as one commentator noted. To open the scoring, he swiveled on his right foot and hit a volley with his left foot. Why was Nat Lofthouse called Lion of Vienna? [9], Already a Bolton Wanderers player having joined them in 1939 Lofthouse was conscripted in 1943 and worked in Mosley Common colliery as a Bevin Boy. Nat Lofthouse captained Bolton against Manchester United in the 1958 FA Cup Final. The plaudits for the Lion of Vienna didn't stop after he hung up his boots though. But he came back before the final whistle as Nat's valiant display earned him the nickname, 'Lion of Vienna'. Disappointing loss aside, Lofthouse scored the first goal of the match just 75 seconds in, meaning he scored in every round of the competition that season. During his playing career, Nat Lofthouse was deservedly celebrated for his numerous on-pitch achievements. Writing in his 1954 autobiography Goals Galore, Lofthouse discussed his time in the mines: "The job proved to be the best I could possibly have had. [3] There was a national wave of sympathy for United, who three months earlier had suffered grievously in the Munich air disaster. It was something that Lofthouse would later describe as "the worst moment of his life." On 22 March 1941, he made his debut for Bolton, scoring two goals in a 5-1 victory over Bury. The Reds came close several times, including a shot that went off the post, but it was Bolton's day, and in the 50th minute Nat Lofthouse sealed that with his infamous second goal. Lofthouse once said of the Preston Plumber; He was that good he could cross the ball making sure the laces were facing away from my head.. In 1968, he spent a brief time as caretaker manager of the club and took over the job full-time on 18 December. Lofthouse was one of the inaugural inductees to the National Football Museum Hall Of Fame in 2002, attending the event to collect his award alongside other greats of the game, including his friend and former England team-mate Sir Tom Finney. Nat Lefthouse Biography, Career Info, Records & Achievements - Sportskeeda Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. One of those matches would turn out to be the definitive 90 minutes of his England career, at what was then called Praterstadion in Vienna on the 25th of May, 1952. Once Lofthouse arrived Hunt moved to right-half and was later transferred to Sheffield Wednesday. Lofthouse had thunderous, crashing shots, coupled with a burning desire to get in the right place to unleash them. His lifelong dedication to the club was not work, but a manifestation of who he was. From an early age, however, it was clear that as long as he or one of the neighbouring children had something approximating a ball, he felt natural and content. Elliotts pass to Baily was impressive. Josef Musil, Rudolf, Rockl, Ernst Happel, Walter Schleger, Ernst Ocwirk, Theodor Brinek, Ernst Melchior, Gerhard Hanappi, Robert Dienst, Adolf Huber, Walter Haummer. The Lion of Vienna's impact to Bolton Wanderers was just as important off the pitch as it was on. Bolton born and bred, Lofthouse was signed by Bolton Wanderers as a 14 year old apprentice in 1939. Phillips, a 78-year-old Minden resident, was Lofthouse's cousin (their mothers Lily and Jane were sisters) and said the man dubbed the "Lion of Vienna" would be shocked at all the fuss. As a result, Nat Lofthouse was nicknamed the Lion of Vienna. Eulogies were offered by Bolton chairman Phil Gartside and Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor, a boyhood Bolton fan and former Wanderers player. Retiring from playing in 1960, he was made a President of Bolton Wanderers in 1986, a post he held until his death in 2011. Foweraker was the club's most successful manager ever, bring the FA Cup trophy to Bolton on three occasions in a span of seven seasons (1923, 1926, and 1929). Lofthouse was at his imperious best, plundering goals at a rate that even the sportswriters who had grown up watching the likes of Dixie Dean and others agreed was exceptional. Nathaniel Lofthouse OBE (27 August 1925 - 15 January 2011) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Bolton Wanderers for his entire career. Former Bolton captain Kevin Davies and then manager Owen Coyle were among the pallbearers.[16]. His signing may well have been precipitated by Boltons stately long-time manager, Charles Foweraker, anticipating losing many of his players to the war effort. Ridding had been prominent in Nat Lofthouse's successful rise and had led the Trotters to the 1953 and 1958 FA Cup finals, famously winning the second one. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. On 25 May 1952, Lofthouse earned the title 'Lion of Vienna' after scoring his second goal in England's 3-2 victory over Austria. As it turned out, the England team ended up on the receiving end of a brutal match. Urbis Building Its capital cities, Berlin and Vienna, were also divided into four by the four Allied Powers (Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and France). Following his discovery, Nat Lofthouse was signed by then-Bolton manager Charles Foweraker, who had, at that point, been manager of the club for 25 years (and would manage for a further five years). Then, in the 83rd minute keeper Gil Merrick cleared the ball from a corner and Tom Finney flicked it on to the centre forward near the halfway line. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Lofthouse is rightly remembered as the archetypal one-club man, but to call him that is to do him a disservice. Read |Dixie Dean: footballs first great number nine. Entwistle, like Lofthouse, was an avid Wanderers fan and was named to the club's board in 1937. A typical Saturday for Lofthouse involved getting up at 3.30am, catching the 4.30am tram to work, and working down the pit for 8 hours before the team bus took him to the match. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. [3] Shoulder charging the goalkeeper was a legitimate tactic at the time, but Lofthouse later admitted that his challenge was a foul. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. In the 16 international matches played since November 1949, 10 have been won, and only two have been lost.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-4','ezslot_5',182,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-4-0'); From Englands perspective, it was necessary to note that Austria had defeated Scotland twice during this run and achieved a 2-2 draw at Wembley. Compared to the broadsheets, tabloid match reports treat the occasion as a related event to the war. Unfortunately, Bolton were not able to right their sinking ship under the Lion of Vienna and at the end of the 1970-71 season (after Lofthouse had left the post), Bolton were in 22nd place and relegated to the Third Division (an all-time low until the 1987-1988 season). Harry Gregg, a survivor of the crash who would go on to be one of United's best goalkeepers ever, could only manage to deflect the shot. As always, football matches were symbolic.. Having served his apprenticeship in wartime football, Lofthouse went on to become a star of peacetime football. Thread starter leefer; Start date 16 January 2011; leefer Loyal Member. Still, the Lion of Vienna's time with the Trotters was nowhere near done as just a few years later, he became the club's Executive Manager. The poor performance of England against Italy almost certainly played a role in the games outcome against Austria. People like Tom Finney and myself, people like that. Boltons top-flight status stabilised as Lofthouse began to find his feet, and in 1950/51 he enjoyed a true breakthrough season, netting 17 times and being granted his first opportunity to prove his mettle on the international stage. Nat Lofthouse Hall of Fame Profile - National Football Museum By Paul Ride. For as much as Bolton Wanderers shaped him, his career and his life, he too left an indelible mark on the club, defining the teams most iconic era and playing a pivotal role in saving the club during its most ignominious age. When he was in the team, we played to him. Nat Lofthouse began playing football as a very young boy. By 1942, all males in the United Kingdom aged 18-51 (with a few exceptions) were eligible to be conscripted by the government into wartime service. It was taken from 40 yards and swerved like a mad thing past the astonished Robertson in the Chelsea goal.. I could hear the hounds setting off after me but I knew it was basically down to me and [Austrian goalkeeper Josef] Musil. The sickening collision between striker and keeper left Lofthouse knocked out cold. Because the move came before the age of player power and agents controlling moves, Nat didn't have any say in the matter. Lofthouse was a constant at the head of the Wanderers goalscoring charts and his exploits, which included four goals in a win for an FA XI over the Army were finally rewarded by the international selectors in 1950 when, after scoring the only goal in the B teams win over the Netherlands at St James Park he went on the FA tour of Canada and North America. The paradigm that would come to define a golden era in the history of one of Englands oldest clubs was now set in stone. . Nat Lofthouse OBE, the Bolton Wanderers and England legend, has passed away aged 85, leaving countless memories.