The poor performance of England against Italy almost certainly played a role in the games outcome against Austria. Lofthouse received a 10 signing-on fee and put pen to paper for Bolton on 4 September 1939 the day after Britain had declared war on Germany causing the abandonment of the Football League season. 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. Merrick plucked a corner cross from the air, who threw a long, swerving ball down the middle of the field. 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. Nat Lofthouse OBE, the Bolton Wanderers and England legend, has passed away aged 85, leaving countless memories. However, the lead was short-lived. A one-club man, he played over 400 games for Bolton Wanderers and earned 33 caps for England (as well as his famous nickname). My body became firmer and harder, I learned to take hard knocks without feeling them. 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. On the domestic front Lofthouse enjoyed an outstanding 1952-53 season. Inducted: 2002, National Football Museum The 285 goals he scored between 1946 and 1961 still make him Boltons top goalscorer. Following his first go at managing the club, Lofthouse took an administrative manager role at Burnden Park before being appointed as the club's chief scout. Musil had to commit fully before I struck the ball. Playing career [ edit] Even earning the maximum wage, financial security for his family wasnt secured beyond his playing days, and he tried his hand at both working as a paint salesman and running a pub. 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. Richard Lofthouse brought up his family on a weekly wage of just 2 10s. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Lion of Vienna Suite - Bolton Wanderers The next season, on Dec. 6, 1947 Nat Lofthouse married the love of his life, Alma Foster, to whom he would remain married until her death in 1986. His lifelong dedication to the club was not work, but a manifestation of who he was. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. In his 1999 book, Bolton Wanderers, Dean Hayes illustrated what a typical day looked like for Lofthouse: "Bevin Boy Lofthouse's Saturdays went like this: up at 3.30 a.m., catching the 4.30 tram to work; eight hours down the pit pushing tubs; collected by the team coach; playing for Bolton. Scot Foweraker, who started at the club as a gateman when the ground opened in 1895, had taken over as manager in 1919 and would go on to serve Wanderers for an outstanding 49 years, 25 as boss. In the following Sundays game with Austria, England was widely considered as an underdog. In 1957, he assumed captaincy of the club. In the following days Weekly Dispatch, John Robertson wrote; Lofthouses first goal left me open-mouthed. But the Wanderers policy was that if you played for them you couldnt run a pub. That statue is a fitting tribute to a man who gave his all, for both club and country throughout his life. According to Bolton Wanderers, the statue proposal has received a phenomenal reception and is well on target for the scheduled due date. The club remained close to him after that, and he served as its general manager, scout, and president as of October 1986. His career and life, like so many of the players he shared the pitch with, seems so improbable when compared to modern stars both in terms of achievements and circumstances that its hard to separate the man from the legend. In response to penalty appeals, the referee awarded a corner. He was a pivotal figure in one of the true golden ages of the beautiful game, ending his career as the leading goal scorer for both his club and his country, with a reputation as one of the game's true greats. His mother stayed at home and cared for the four boys. 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. Why was Nat Lofthouse called the Lion of Vienna? The project, funded by the people of Bolton and fans of the club, is due to be completed on August 27, 2013, or what would have been Lofthouse's 88th birthday. While it was perhaps not the greatest result, he clearly impressed, and after missing a few matches in between, Lofthouse played every game for England between October 1951 and November 1953, a total of 18 matches. He made his debut in wartime football and in 1943 he became a Bevin boy, one of 48,000 men who were sent to work in the coal mines rather than the armed services in World War II. 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. In 1968, he spent a brief time as caretaker manager of the club and took over the job full-time on 18 December. All Rights Reserved. In the spring, he was awarded the Football Writers Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year title, a clear indication that he had achieved the status of a model professional. Josef Musil, Rudolf, Rockl, Ernst Happel, Walter Schleger, Ernst Ocwirk, Theodor Brinek, Ernst Melchior, Gerhard Hanappi, Robert Dienst, Adolf Huber, Walter Haummer. Having seen off Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool and Middlesbrough, Bolton were drawn to play Stoke City Stanley Matthews and all in the two-legged quarter final. Nat responds: "That's alright, Harry. With essentially all of the first-teamers away at the war, it was comparatively easy for Nat to work his way into a regular starting spot, and by the time the regular league resumed in 1946, that spot was effectively sealed for the next 14 years. 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. They could not receive service medals and were not guaranteed a return to their old jobs, unlike those serving in the armed forces. Yet, Lofthouse loved being on the field and was going to take every opportunity he had. Once again, Nat Lofthouse made his intent known early on, scoring his first goal 3 minutes in, bounding onto the ball inside the 6-yard box and poking it in. NAT THE LION | Read The League Football hero: Nat Lofthouse - Manchester Evening News Nat Lofthouse, the battering ram with a shrewd brain and heart of lion In 1943, Nat Lofthouse was called upon to serve as a Bevin Boy at the Mosley Common coal mine. 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. The youngest of four sons, Nathaniel Lofthouse was born in Bolton on 27 August 1925. In the 1930s, Austria had been among the great Central European football nations. Elliotts pass to Baily was impressive. It was a close match, and neither side was shy about using force, a game far away from today's well-regulated affairs. During his playing career, Nat Lofthouse was deservedly celebrated for his numerous on-pitch achievements. On 2 December 1989, he was made a Freeman of Bolton. The key to his appeal, beyond his fantastic abilities on the pitch, was his humility. Celebs . He scored both goals in the 1958 FA Cup Final, the second seeing him charge both keeper and ball over the line. A runner-up medal and the Footballer of the Year award came to him in 1953, and a winners medal and the FA Cup in 1958. 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. Mr Davies recalled the significant efforts Nat had made during the early eighties to raise money to help Wanderers avoid bankruptcy. His strength and power were again prominent when he won the single honour of his career. Nat Lofthouse: The Lion Of Vienna - Boltom Wanderers Soccer Player if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'historyofsoccer_info-leader-2','ezslot_15',169,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-leader-2-0');In 452 Football League appearances for Bolton, he scored 255 goals. Shortlisted for the Telegraph Sports Book Awards Biography of the Year. Once Lofthouse arrived Hunt moved to right-half and was later transferred to Sheffield Wednesday. In the second half, the Wanderers looked the better team, as the thrown-together nature of Manchester United began to show. 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. The Lion Of Vienna. Despite the tense situation in Austria and Germany, British troops crossed into the Soviet sector for the match in May 1952, which took place in the Soviet sector of Vienna.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-3','ezslot_6',181,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-3','ezslot_7',181,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-3-0_1');.medrectangle-3-multi-181{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:15px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:15px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;min-width:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}, The historian Percy Young briefly described the situation regarding the two matches. His final match in an England shirt came just over a month later, a 2-all draw against Wales. Nat Lofthouse was everything you will not find in a footballer today. His efforts did see him awarded the title of FWA Footballer of the Year, an accolade that went nicely with the moniker, his most famous, that hed earned the year before. . Entwistle, like Lofthouse, was an avid Wanderers fan and was named to the club's board in 1937. It was an unexpected win against all odds. 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. 16 January 2011 #1. As it turned out, the England team ended up on the receiving end of a brutal match. Lofthouse was witness to a Bolton Wanderers golden age of top flight success throughout the 1930s and although the Trotters won three FA Cups in Nat's life time, he was too young to witness the 1926 and 1929 wins over Manchester City and Portsmouth. I wasn't cut out to be a manager.". Quick off the mark, an ability to shoot with either foot, with strength and agility in the air an innate ability to be in the right place at the right time. We may also very occasionally send you information about the museum via Facebook. 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. A forward for Bolton Wanderers for the entirety of his career, Nat Lofthouse was an English professional footballer. . Owning the public house was not the most rewarding career choice to the man who only wanted to see his boyhood club do well. Two goals in a 5-1 win gave a taste of what was the come. 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. Boltons all-time greatest player was a gentleman throughout the league. He said later; I never saw the ball enter the Austrian net for the best goal of my life. He was made the club's Vice President for life in 1969. And, by today's standards, Nat Lofthouse would make his modern day equivalents look like little kittens. Who was known as the Lion of Vienna? - idswater.com We will normally only contact you via e-newsletter. If anything, this inspired a more violent second half, with both sides desperate for a meaningful win. But after Taylors tragic death at Munich he was included in the 40-man squad for the 1958 World Cup but failed to make the final 22. Born and bred in Bolton, Lofthouse earned his. He won 33 caps for England between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals, with one of the highest goals-per-game ratios of any England player. From an early age, Nat was a Bolton Wanderers supporter. Billy Wright had defensive prowess; Tom Finney, pinpoint crossing accuracy; Stan Matthews, a mesmeric array of tricks. English lion Nat Lofthouse dies aged 85 | Reuters Nat Lofthouse: the Lion of Vienna and the gent of Bolton Upon coming home, he was the recipient of a stern scolding from his mother for ruining his brand new shoes. Lofty: Nat Lofthouse, England's Lion of Vienna - Google Books What made Lofthouses feats all the more remarkable was the manner in which he shrugged them off. There was nowhere left to. Nat Lefthouse Biography, Career Info, Records & Achievements - Sportskeeda Italy had already won the World Cup twice, and football had returned to its former glory following the war. Promised a new bike if he scored a hat-trick in the match he actually went four better, getting all the goals in a 7-1 win, establishing himself as one to watch. There were a number of football legends and people that the Bolton Wanderers faithful hold dear on hand to pay their respects to the legendary Nat Lofthouse. After gaining eight corners to Englands none, the Austrians dominated for most of the game. But you always associate Nat with Bolton. We were introduced and I stood there tongue-tied, Nat would later recall. Thousands of England fans attended it. In the Daily Herald, Clifford Webb wrote; Every man-jack did a heros job, but the player who provided the really tremendous thrill for the frantically cheering English colony was Nat Lofthouse. 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. To be awarded the label of Lion, once reserved for realm's greatest warriors, is to be christened with one of England's most enduring symbols. Not long after his retirement from football, Nat took control of the Castle Pub on Tonge Moor Road in Bolton. I learnt to take hard knocks without feeling them. The only thing worse was when I said yes.' 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. [3] Lofthouse went into a challenge with the United keeper Harry Gregg and barged him into the net to score. On 25 May 1952, Lofthouse earned the title 'Lion of Vienna' after scoring his second goal in England's 32 victory over Austria.