by ROBERT SIDAWAY

THE SWEAT MERCHANTS (II)

ALF RAMSEY

Sir Alf Ramsey, or Alf as he was known during most of his reign, guided little Ipswich Town to Second Division and First Division titles in the early 1960s. He succeeded Walter Winterbottom as England manager, and on 27 February 1963 he sent England out for their first game under his rule. His reign ended in March 1974 when the FA wielded the axe over their world-famous knight. In eleven years, Ramsey led England through 113 games of which only 17 were lost – a truly remarkable record. The Ramsey era had a great effect on English football. He altered the balance of power within the FA and had a lot to do with the end of amateurism. Ramsey gave the England manager’s job a new image and earned the respect of players and administrators alike. Unfortunately, he had little time for the outside world, least of all the media, and therefore had to suffer the abuse which resulted from their frustration at failing to break through the Ramsey barrier of communication.

His thoroughness of preparation and his considerable tactical knowledge also gave the England team a new look. Ramsey did have the distinct advantage of taking control at a time when a new group of world-class players were emerging from domestic football. Around men such as Bobby Moore, Gordon Banks, George Cohen, Bobby Charlton and Alan Ball, Ramsey built his team; a team which would go on to win the 1966 World Cup. The wingless style of play he adopted as the blueprint for success had many critics, even when the title was won. But Ramsey was astute enough to make the best of his players’ strengths, and it paid off. Ramsey's greatest asset was the loyalty of his players. The reason for this was his loyalty to them. He refused to criticise his players in public, left them to enjoy the fruits of success and emerged only to accept the burden of defeat on his own shoulders.

Perhaps his major error was an excess of loyalty. For too long, he attempted to keep together those who had served him best, and the England team grew old together. They came within an inch of reaching the World Cup semi-finals four years later in Leon, Mexico, but this time West Germany extracted revenge for the 1966 defeat by winning 3-2. England’s failure in Mexico marked the beginning of the end of Ramsey’s era. When West Germany again spiked his guns in the 1972 European Championship, the press began howling for blood – Ramsey’s blood. Though his last two years as England manager were by no means unsuccessful in terms of results, they were conducted in the face of an increasing barrage of press criticism.

A remarkable man, he was born in the working class suburbs of Dagenham, East London, yet his clipped speech reminded one of a former public school boy – but then dignity was always high on Ramsey’s list of priorities. He went to the trouble of taking elocution lessons and quickly put his new clipped verse to the test by getting rid of the long-standing selection committee which had dogged Walter Winterbottom during his spell as manager. When Ramsey finally stepped out of the England manager’s job, he did so with the style and dignity which had marked his long and historic reign. Not for him was there any backbiting, story-telling or bitter attacks on his ‘enemies’. He simply thanked his players for their loyalty one by one and turned his back on an England team which was never as successful before he took over and has never since touched his level of success since.

Meanwhile, England’s 3-2 defeat by West Germany back in 1970 had paved the way for Brazil to enter a new era, under a new manager who guided them to a crushing victory over the ultra-defensive Italians in a remarkable final. Mario Lobo Zagalo, former Brazilian World Cup winger, succeeded Joao Saldanha who had been sacked shortly before the 1970 finals because he contemplated dropping Pele! Zagalo used Pele, a brilliant young left-winger called Roberto Rivelino, Tostao, Gerson, Carlos Alberto and Jairzinhio, who scored in every round of the competition including the final. Brazil’s football was a feast of attacking thrills, and for Zagalo victory brought an incredible World Cup ‘treble’. He had played himself in the 1958 and 1962 winning teams and had gone on to lead his country to victory after being in charge only for a matter of weeks.

Nevertheless, a brief glance back through the history of Brazilian managers will reveal that, for every triumphant manager behind a World Cup-winning team, there was a sacked manager who came within months of fulfilling his work before being axed. Oswaldo Brando must hold an all-time world record for having the best managerial record prior to being sacked. In the second half of his 22-game reign, Brazil recorded 12 wins and a 0-0 draw. It was the draw – against lowly Colombia – that sent the press for his throat, branding the result ‘a major disaster’. Brando simply did not know how to handle the political games of Brazilian football. For example, he announced that Francisco Marinho – ‘I consider him too undisciplined for football’, he said – would never play for Brazil again and made this statement two days before the ill-fated Colombia match. The public reaction was one of rampant fury, because the young defender had been one of the few Brazilian footballers admired in every one of the fiercely partisan states.

HELMUT SCHÖN

While Ramsey and Zagalo were establishing their reputations, a former bank clerk and industrial foreign correspondent was quietly building an international managerial career which few will better. Helmut Schön did more for German football than any man, either before or after the Second World War. His country is eternally in Schön’s debt, and a detailed breakdown of his life and career proves that point beyond doubt. Born on 15 September, 1915, Schön was brought up in a middle-class background. His father was an art dealer and Helmut proved to be an intelligent child with a sharp mind and a talent for playing football. Eventually he joined Dresdner SC, with whom he won two League Championship medals and two Cup winners medals. A fact not generally known is that Schön won 16 international caps for Germany between 1937 and 1941, scoring 17 goals from inside-forward.

Professional football had not then reached Germany, however, and therefore Schön was able to put both of his considerable talents to use. He studied banking for a number of years before becoming a foreign correspondent. During his travels, he picked up a conversational knowledge of English and French, great assets to him in later years when he became manager of West Germany. When his playing career ended, he became coach to SV Wiesbaden before moving on to become assistant to the national team manager – the great Sepp Herberger – in 1956. One can only speculate as to how much Herberger influenced the young Schön. But one thing is certain: the pupil emulated the master exactly 20 years after the latter’s greatest triumph. Herberger guided West Germany to World Cup success in 1954 and Schön, after leading his nation to the runners-up spot in 1966 and third place in 1970, won the World Cup, in West Germany, in 1974. In between, he won the European Championship in 1972 when West Germany crushed Russia 3-0 in the final. Some say the shadow of the legendary Herberger is that cast by Schön in the sundown hours. He had already announced his retirement before the 1978 Argentina World Cup saw his team knocked out by Austria, but his career was already assured to be celebrated, a national hero, if not a football institution.

The legend tells little of the man or his character. Herberger retired after 28 years as manager, and there was no question as to the name of his successor. Eight years after taking the job of assistant national coach, Helmut Schön became manager of his country. An era had begun that would stretch beyond the limits of all expectations. He knew the players, but he did not deliberately set out to emulate his predecessor. ‘Copies are never as good as the original product’, said Schön, a statement which instantly reminds one of his father’s art dealings. From the beginning, Schön made his own job easy. He made sure he had a press officer available to handle the media. Hating loaded questions, he was hyper-sensitive when tackled with something he considered to be loaded. But unlike the blunt Ramsey, Schön took steps to protect himself from creating what could become a damaging image. So the press officer kept the media happy while Schön got on with his job. Even when he went to Mexico in 1970, a special press officer was appointed. Thus, the Germans became popular for their apparent openness while Ramsey’s England took unmerciful criticism because of their manager’s off-hand manner and cold exterior.

Schön’s football philosophy was based on a central European school of football, which placed ball control and artistry above speed and physical prowess. As we have established, Schön was a player of considerable skill and cunning; without doubt this explains why he preferred players endowed with talent rather than willing workhorses. During his reign, Schön capped players such as Seeler, Beckenbauer, Muller, Overath, Breitner, Hoeness, Netzer, Haller, Heynckes, Bonhof and Holzenbein – all players of individual skill. Ironically, despite his love for skill and flair, Schön was initially a cautious manager with a reputation for careful preparation which allowed few risks. Over the years, and mellowed by the glow of success, Schön relaxed this tight approach, though in his book Always on the Ball he does state:

‘One must prepare scrupulously and convince the players that the correct selection has been made. The candidates for the team should also be quite willing to accept their duties inwardly. I believe that herein lies one of the principal responsibilities of a manager. The team must be convinced that the boss is correct to such an extent that each player should feel that he would have made the same plans and decisions if he were manager… playing systems are only useful if they fit the players available and if they can be turned into practice on the field of play. It is pointless indulging in special plans or methods, no matter how clever or cunning, if the players are not at one’s disposal.’

Schön had a good way with players. His philosophy concerning young players would serve many other managers, sometimes panic-prone and impatient, very well:

‘A young player must be carefully nursed and allowed one, two or even three poor games. It does not matter as long as one is convinced of the young player’s talent.’

To be fair to other managers, however, Schön also had the kind of help Ramsey experienced in that his reign coincided with a period when West German domestic football produced some world-class players. Schön also had a top-class club side to draw on in Bayern Munich, whose key players – Muller, Beckenbauer, Schwarzenbeck and Maier – provided the backbone of the national team.

Helmut Schön was undoubtedly one of the true sweat merchants. Discreet, astute and experienced enough to keep deep emotions to himself – exactly how much he suffered after the 1966 and 1970 disappointments will never be known and what mental agonies he endured during the 1974 series on his own soil before the ultimate relief of success can only be imagined.