Last week Moonbeam nominated me for the Ice Bucket Challenge, raising funds for Motor Neurone Disease, and it got me thinking. As far as I am aware, I don’t personally know anyone who has the condition, but I do know of a legendary former City player who did suffer with it. 1950s star Don Revie. So for today’s blog I’m going to summarise his career in the hope that it might help us remember his significance to the Blues and to football.
Sadly, many people will remember Revie more for his controversial resignation from the England manager’s job or for the portrayal of him in the fictional Damned United, rather than his near 20 year highly successful playing career. That is a shame.
Whatever is said about Revie the fact is that he was a skilful, excellent footballer who entertained while at City. He started his League career with Leicester and by 1949 he was viewed as a tremendous talent and understandably City, Arsenal and a whole host of other clubs tried to sign him.
The player even arrived in Manchester with his wife Elsie to look at a club house – possibly the one later occupied by groundsman Stan Gibson on Maine Road itself. They came on a particularly wet day and returned to Leicester believing that Manchester was a dull, gloomy, miserable place (as if!). Two years later (October 1951), after signing for Hull, he decided to give the Blues a chance.
Sadly, his first three seasons saw City struggle and, according to several friends, Revie felt he had made the wrong move. He decided the 1954-5 season was to be his make-or-break year, and what a year it was for him!
Manager Les McDowall had been working with the rest of his staff to perfect a new tactic of playing a deep-lying centre forward based on the Hungarian approach that had stunned football in 1954. The plan seemed to work in the reserves with Johnny Williamson as the key man, and so McDowall gave Revie the role in the first team. Despite a couple of early setbacks, it was a revelation and quickly became known as the Revie Plan, although Revie was the first to admit that it was a team effort with Ken Barnes a crucial element.
With the new tactic City reached Wembley and Revie became the first City player to win the Football Writers’ Player of the Year award. Revie had at long last achieved the kind of fame and glory he deserved. Twelve months later, Revie won the FA Cup with City, but disputes meant that the following November he moved to Sunderland and then in 1958 to Elland Road.
In 1961 he became player-manager of Leeds and put into practice many of the ideas he had developed during his playing career. As a player he had been appalled by the treatment he and others received and vowed to work closely with his team, making it his business to understand the personal circumstances of all his stars.
Strangely, considering his own playing style, as a manager he always seemed to adopt a more physical style of play. His side’s uncompromising approach proved highly effective however, and made Leeds one of the late Sixties/early Seventies most successful teams.
From 1974 to 1977 he managed England before leaving in controversial circumstances to coach in the United Arab Emirates. Some elements of the media made Revie public enemy number one, and he was probably the first England manager who really suffered at the hands of the British press. All Revie wanted was security for his family and, to be frank, no managerial role in England could guarantee that. Unlike his peers - Busby, Shankly, and Mercer - he was unable to enjoy a period of ‘elder statesmanship’.
Tragically, he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 1987, before passing away on 26 May 1989. He was only 61.
When considering Revie’s life, it’s worth remembering that his time at City was successful and that he was one of the key figures during the Blues mid-50s glory years. He was an extremely intelligent, skilful footballer who brought honour to the club. He was without doubt, one of City’s greatest players, scoring 41 goals in 178 appearances, and he was certainly Leeds’ most successful manager.
He deserves to be remembered for the joy he brought to thousands of Maine Road attendees.
Gary’s ice bucket challenge can be viewed here. Gary is a member of the Sports & Leisure History Group at MMU. He is a ‘must-follow’ for City fans: Twitter: @garyjameswriter and facebook.com/garyjames4
