Wilf Mannion
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Wilfred ("Wilf") James Mannion (May 16, 1918 - April 14, 2000) was an English professional football player. Born in South Bank, a hardscrabble community within Middlesbrough proper, he played in local leagues before he signed professional forms for Middlesbrough F.C. on 17 September 1936 at the age of 18. He played for them until 1954, scoring 110 goals in 368 appearances. He also played for England 26 times, scoring a hat-trick on his debut on May 10, 1947.
Mannion played his final game for England on October 3, 1951 against France. He is regarded as one of Middlesbrough's greatest ever players, being commemorated by a statue outside Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough. For comparison, another local legend, Brian Clough, has no such statue. There were plans to erect one in Clough's old neighbourhood, but not outside the stadium. As of March 2007, Clough's statue will be in Albert Park, Middlesbrough.
Mannion had stunned Middlesbrough fans in 1947 when it seemed he was set to join lowly Oldham Athletic in the Football League Third Division, Middlesbrough then being in the prestigious First Division. The Lancashire club could not afford the prohibitive price tag Middlesbrough placed on him, and he was soon back at Ayresome Park. For Mannion this was a defeat, as he was attempting to sidestep the league's maximum wage of 10 pounds per week which was in force at the time[1]. His plan had been to play and run a business at the same time, an option not available at a top rank club.
After initially retiring as a player in 1954, Mannion joined Hull City on 24 December of that year and decided to play on for another season. However, in a series of articles for newspapers he made several highly contentious statements, including allegations of illegal payments. Challenged to back up these by the Football League, he was expelled and never played league football again[2]. He eventually retired in 1959, having played an extra four years of non-league football.
He had a joint testimonial match with George Hardwick on May 17, 1983. Hardwick is also commemorated by a statue, facing Mannion across a ceremonial brick walk behind the old iron gates from Ayresome Park, where both played.
On April 14, 2000, Wilf Mannion died in hospital, at the age of 81. Many Middlesbrough fans were greatly saddened at the passing of one of their heroes. He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2004 in recognition of his impact on the English league.
[edit] External links
- ^ English Hall of Fame Profile
- ^ Biography at Middlesbrough F.C. website.
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England squad - 1950 FIFA World Cup | |
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DF Aston | MF Baily | FW Bentley | MF Cockburn | MF Dickinson | GK Ditchburn | DF Eckersley | FW Finney | MF Hughes | FW Mannion | FW Matthews | FW Milburn | FW Mortensen | FW Mullen | MF Nicholson | DF Ramsey | DF Scott | DF Taylor | MF Watson | GK Williams | DF Wright | Coach: Winterbottom |
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