The plan was for the statue to be funded by public donations, with help from the club. It was a typical Bolton team, and they won in a typical Bolton fashion: the measured combination of a bit of skill with a healthy helping of muscle. Both men were among the inaugural inductees to the Hall Of Fame. 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. Indeed, he did little to dissuade attention from Spurs early on in his career, and readily admitted that had Fiorentina made good on their interest in the early 1950s, the money they were offering would have been too good to turn down. [8] Nat Lofthouse was an Inaugural Inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. The United lost emotion on the whole game at the end. He featured in the 1954 World Cup side. After failing to score in the win over Scotland at Hampden the centre forward went on Englands 1952 summer tour. After retiring from playing football, Lofthouse became the assistant trainer at Burnden Park on 10 July 1961 and was then appointed chief coach at the club in 1967. Discover Nat Lofthouse's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. 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. At the age of 11 in 1936, Lofthouse tagged along with one of his brothers to watch his older sibling play for the school that they both attended, Castle Hill. This was touched on to Lofthouse on the halfway line by Finney. In fact, there's a very funny joke from Lofthouse's time behind the bar: Harry Gregg (the Manchester United goalkeeper that Nat famously clattered over the goal line for Bolton's second goal in the 1958 FA Cup final) was driving through Bolton and decided to stop at the Castle Pub for a drink. On 2 December 1989, he was made a Freeman of Bolton. As though fate declared it, Nat's debut for Bolton's first team also came against a Bury side, on March 22, 1941. On 24 August 2013, a statue was dedicated. . In 1952-53, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year. HE was nicknamed the Lion of Vienna. In 1968, he spent a brief time as caretaker manager of the club and took over the job full-time on 18 December. (Subs) Ronnie Allen, Ivor Broadis, Bill Nicholson, Stan Pearson, Bert Williams. During Lofthouses career, Vienna played a crucial role. The OBE was awarded to him in 1994. The Bolton Wanderers reached the final again five years later. In the next two seasons he continued scoring regularly with the 1955-56 campaign particularly notable. He was famous for entertaining the clientele with some of the many stories about his time as a professional footballer. It was important not to strike the ball too soon. All in all, he tallied up 255 goals in 452 league games, and 30 goals in 51 cup matches. Three months earlier, United had been involved in the Munich air disaster. Dienst was tripped by Froggatt on the edge of the penalty area, and Huber equalized from the penalty spot. Prisoner Of A Dubious Peace. He scored both goals in the 1958 FA Cup Final, the second seeing him charge both keeper and ball over the line. On 1 January 1994, he was appointed an OBE and on 18 January 1997, Bolton decided to name their East Stand at their new Reebok Stadium after him. On the pitch his place in the national side was gone, replaced as spearhead by Manchester Uniteds Taylor. The crowd in the stands cheered Lofthouse on.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofsoccer_info-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_14',187,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); As Lofthouse recalls, I heard the hounds running after me. Musil began running but stopped before he reached me. Nostalgia Quiz: The Lion of Vienna and the rest of the Bolton Wanderers He hit the ground before the ball went over the line, knocked out cold for one of the most famous goals of his career. Thread starter leefer; Start date 16 January 2011; leefer Loyal Member. Henry Winter: Nat Lofthouse was a leader, a lion and a legend Friendly internationals then held an importance that has now all but vanished, and Lofthouse's winning goal, in a 3-2 victory against a powerful team, was lauded to the . In 1958, he achieved his crowning glory, scoring twice including a controversial bundled second which sent the ball and goalkeeper Harry Gregg into the net as Bolton overcame a Manchester United side ravaged by the Munich Air Disaster to win the FA Cup. Although he failed to score in the Cup Winners Cup match there is no doubt that, with 13 goals, he was the star of the show. Having played his first organised game as an emergency goalkeeper for his older brothers school team, conceding seven times and upsetting his Mum by playing in a new pair of shoes (he would later redeem himself by cleaning them as good as new), he quickly moved into attack his more natural position, due to his size, and established himself as the star centre forward for Castle Hill school. In the following Sundays game with Austria, England was widely considered as an underdog. In the second half, the Wanderers looked the better team, as the thrown-together nature of Manchester United began to show. . There was a tense atmosphere in both countries in 1952 when memories of recent misfortunes were mixed with a present sense of injustice and a zeal for spiritual and national renewal. From an early age, Nat was a Bolton Wanderers supporter. Speaking as a Bolton Wanderers player, I must say we get the best of everything. Nat was discovered by James Entwistle, the Mayor of Bolton at the time. NAT LOFTHOUSE is a name that rings through the annals of English football history like few others. 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. And that, basically, was all I wanted to do. Nat Lofthouse obituary | Soccer | The Guardian The great Nat Lofthouse was born to humble beginnings on the 27th of August, 1925 to Richard and Sarah Lofthouse. Never again will you say that England has lost the will to fight. In a rare show of off-field bullishness, Lofthouse later remembered that he made it his sole purpose to make one particular writer eat his words even if he choked. Matilda is a Texan in Paris and Mark is a Georgian (the country) in New York. The tour began with a 1-1 draw between England and Italy in Florence. 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. In front of 65,500 fans at the Prater Stadium, including hordes of British soldiers, Lofthouse gave England the lead when he smacked home a half-volley from 12 yards after being set up by Jackie Sewell. Lofthouse was at his imperious best, plundering goals at a rate that even the sportswriters who had grown up watching the likes of, The England camp was tense as dawn broke in Vienna, Austria, on the morning of 25 May 1952. The new forward scored twice but Lawton matched his feat and Chelsea scraped to a 4-3 win. He holds this record to this day. An estimated crowd of 85,000 turned up at Burnden Park with fans climbing in after the gates had been shut. Lofthouse mourned by Bolton and England | Inside UEFA And so, Lofthouse had achieved his boyhood dream, to be a Bolton Wanderers player, at age 14. He hung up his boots in 1961 having scored 285 goals for Wanderers. He was probably the last of the old fashioned centre forwards, leading the line with toughness, taking plenty of knocks and giving them out too. On foreign soil, the English brave and plucky had triumphed over technologically superior opponents against all odds. 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. As he regretted later, I never saw the ball enter the Austrian net for the goal of my life.. The phrase Lion of Vienna will be forever associated with Lofthouse. Lofthouse played his last match against Birmingham City in December 1960 due to an ankle injury. There have been many claims that Lofthouse and Tommy Lawton went to the same school but in fact Lawton went to nearby Folds Road. Lofthouse opened the scoring but Austria came back, and with the game deadlocked at 2-2, began to exert significant pressure. NAT THE LION | Read The League 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. by ReadTheLeague | May 24, 2021 | The Big Feature. Over his international career, launched at such a late age, he scored 30 goals in 33 games, a scoring ratio that is unmatched by any England player with more than 5 appearances to this day. He signed as a 14-year-old for the club in September 1939, making wartime appearances before becoming an established league star in peacetime. Lofthouse would later say; The miners of Britain are the finest fellows in the world. M4 3BG, 2023 National Football Museum. . They overcame Southport (Lofthouse got a hat-trick), Accrington Stanley (where he scored twice), Blackpool (where he hit five over the two legs), Newcastle (three more for Lofthouse) and Wolves, where he shockingly failed to score, before beating Manchester United 3-2 on aggregate in the final. Nat Lofthouse began playing football as a very young boy. For Nat, the expectations were even greater. Nat Lofthouse began playing football as a very young boy. Cousin mourns UK football's 'Lion of Vienna' - NZ Herald In 1953, it all came together. After a brief stint as the caretaker, Nat Lofthouse was named the full-time manager of Bolton Wanderers and stayed in the post until 1970. Retiring from playing in 1960, he was made a President of Bolton Wanderers in 1986, a post he held until his death in 2011. He had been clattered by a defender as he shot and was carried from the field. Celebs . Mr Lofthouse, known as the Lion of Vienna, died on 15 January aged 85. Additionally, he and Tom Finney had the England scoring record together until Jimmy Greaves came along. [6], Tributes were paid to Lofthouse as he celebrated his 80th birthday, including a party at the Reebok. The funeral was held 11 days later with 500 invited guests and members of the public inside Bolton Parish Church. Harry Johnston (1951) and Syd Owen (1959), among others and more apparent candidates, Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney, won this award for their model-professional status, loyalty to club and country, and scrupulously fair approach to the game. In 195253, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year. In April 1998, train operator Virgin CrossCountry named locomotive 47807 Lion of Vienna in Lofthouse's honour at Bolton station. It would have certainly resulted in a straight red card by today's standards, but was adjudged to be fair at the time. Nat Lofthouse Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family Nat Lofthouse was a 'Bevin Boy', one of thousands of young men conscripted to work in Britain's mines by Ernest Bevin, the coalition government's Minister of Labour and National Service during. With the extensive scouting networks and multi-tiered academies of nowadays simply not existing in the 1930s, Lofthouse was staring into the footballing abyss as he left school at 14. Still more fans entered and the crush resulted in the death of 33 people. Two goals in a 5-1 win gave a taste of what was the come. Football's Pioneers: Nat Lofthouse - Leicester City F.C. When remembering the menial jobs he was tasked with as youth team coach following his retirement, he reflected that they meant I could stay with Bolton Wanderers. Nat's time in that role also didn't go to plan and the legend was relieved of his duties in 1972. [11] They had two children, a son, Jeff, and a daughter, Vivien. It was no more than Nat Lofthouse deserved. Thousands more stood outside in the streets with speakers erected so that the public could hear the service. If he fails again to accept changes from the clean breakaways against Italy, England will be doomed. Lofthouse was well aware of his uncertain status, saying later, I knew I played poorly in Florence [but] I wasnt prepared for the reception I received in the press.. Accepting his award from a local councilman, he was unaware that the man in front of him sat on the board of Bolton Wanderers, until he asked if Lofthouse would like to play for them. Even after he was conscripted to work in the nightmarish Lancashire coal pits as part of the war effort (many miners volunteered for the Armed Forces in large part to escape the agonising, doom-laden drudgery of their vocation), he could still consistently put opposition defences to the sword with a combination of rugged, raw power, superb aerial ability and a remarkable fearlessness. Lofthouse wasn't very good in goal though, conceding seven goals in his first outing. On 25 May 1952, Lofthouse earned the title 'Lion of Vienna' after scoring his second goal in England's 3-2 victory over Austria. [7] A campaign, backed by Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association and former Bolton player, was started, aiming to get Lofthouse knighted. When he wasnt on form, neither was the team. Thankfully for Bolton, the games in which Lofthouse wasnt on song were becoming fewer and fewer. In 1957, he assumed captaincy of the club. 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.
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