Alec Stock
Encyclopedia
Alec William Alfred Stock (30 March 1917 - 16 April 2001) was an English
footballer and manager
.
and played as an inside-forward for Tottenham Hotspur
, Charlton Athletic
and QPR
before the Second World War and guested for several other clubs during the hostilities. He joined Yeovil Town in 1946.
He came to prominence as the player/manager of Yeovil Town
during a historic F.A.Cup run in 1949. They had thrilling victories over Bury
and Sunderland
one of the greatest ever FA Cup upsets
, before losing to Manchester United
in the fifth round. He later managed Leyton Orient
(1949–1959), AS Roma, QPR
(1959–1965) (general manager 1965-1968), Luton Town
(1968–1972), Fulham
(1972–1976) and AFC Bournemouth (1979–1980). He was also the assistant manager of Arsenal
for 53 days during the 1955/1956 season and was a director of QPR
(1977–1979). He was asked to manage the Third Division South team
against the North in 1955/56.
It was perhaps Alec's time as manager of Queens Park Rangers where he is most fondly remembered. It was during his spell in the 1960s that coincided with the development of the club with chairman Jim Gregory. The team enjoyed unprecedented success in 1967 and 1968 winning consecutive promotions with the club reaching the First Division
for the first time and becoming the first Third Division
team to win the Football League Cup
in 1967
beating then First Division
West Bromwich Albion
3-2 in a come from behind win. Stock had a focus on youth bringing many of the team through the clubs youth system (including Frank Sibley
, Tony Hazell
, Roger Morgan
, Ian Morgan
and Mick Leach
) as well as blending characters such as Rodney Marsh
and Mark Lazarus
into the set up.
With internal pressures mounting in the club following the 1967/68 season however, Stock was absent for 3 months, suffering from asthma. In his book 'A Little Thing Called Pride' Stock tells how Jim Gregory sacked him in 1968 for being ill, just as he thought he was about to return to the helm and save Rangers from relegation. He later had success with Luton Town
who he helped to promotion from the Third Division and also with Fulham
when he led them to the 1975 FA Cup Final
.
Ron Manager,a character in BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show is based on Alec Stock, told by George Best in his autobiography.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer and manager
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
.
Career
Alec Stock was born in Peasedown St JohnPeasedown St John
Peasedown St John is one of the largest villages in Somerset, England. Located on a hilltop roughly south-southwest of the city of Bath, Peasedown used to be a coal mining village. When the last of the mines was shut in the 1950s it became a dormitory village for both Bath and, to a lesser...
and played as an inside-forward for Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
and QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
before the Second World War and guested for several other clubs during the hostilities. He joined Yeovil Town in 1946.
He came to prominence as the player/manager of Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
during a historic F.A.Cup run in 1949. They had thrilling victories over Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
and Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
one of the greatest ever FA Cup upsets
Yeovil Town v Sunderland (1949)
Yeovil Town v Sunderland was a football match played on 29 January 1949 at The Huish, Yeovil. The match was a tie in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. Yeovil Town won the match 2–1, with Alec Stock and Eric Bryant scoring the goals for the winning side...
, before losing to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in the fifth round. He later managed Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
(1949–1959), AS Roma, QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
(1959–1965) (general manager 1965-1968), Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
(1968–1972), Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
(1972–1976) and AFC Bournemouth (1979–1980). He was also the assistant manager of Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
for 53 days during the 1955/1956 season and was a director of QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
(1977–1979). He was asked to manage the Third Division South team
Football League Third Division North vs. South Representative Games
The Third Division North and Third Division South of The Football League was a level in English association football, which ran from 1921 to 1958.From 1954–55 season until 1957–58 season, there was a series of games between teams representing the Third Division North and the Third Division South.-...
against the North in 1955/56.
It was perhaps Alec's time as manager of Queens Park Rangers where he is most fondly remembered. It was during his spell in the 1960s that coincided with the development of the club with chairman Jim Gregory. The team enjoyed unprecedented success in 1967 and 1968 winning consecutive promotions with the club reaching the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
for the first time and becoming the first Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
team to win the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in 1967
1967 Football League Cup Final
The 1967 Football League Cup Final took place on 4 March 1967 at Wembley Stadium. It was the seventh final and the first to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Queens Park Rangers of the Third Division and West Bromwich Albion of the First Division...
beating then First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
3-2 in a come from behind win. Stock had a focus on youth bringing many of the team through the clubs youth system (including Frank Sibley
Frank Sibley
Frank Phillip Sibley is an English former footballer and a member of the QPR double winning side that captured both the Third Division Championship in 1966–67 and the League Cup on 4 March 1967....
, Tony Hazell
Tony Hazell
Tony Hazell is an English former footballer who made 564 appearances in the Football League playing as a defender for Queens Park Rangers, Millwall, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic....
, Roger Morgan
Roger Morgan
Roger Ernest Morgan is an English former footballer, born in Walthamstow, London, who played as a winger in the Football League for Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur....
, Ian Morgan
Ian Morgan
Ian Arthur Morgan is an English former footballer, born in Walthamstow, London, who played as a winger in the Football League for Queens Park Rangers and Watford in the 1960s and 1970s....
and Mick Leach
Mick Leach
Michael 'Mick' Leach was a footballer with Queens Park Rangers in the 1960s and 1970s.Leach signed professional forms in 1964 and made his debut in 1965 in a 5-0 win against Colchester United...
) as well as blending characters such as Rodney Marsh
Rodney Marsh (footballer)
Rodney William Marsh is an English retired footballer. He was named after HMS Rodney by his father, who served on the battleship. He played for Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Manchester City, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the England national team. Lately, he has been a pundit and a commentator on the...
and Mark Lazarus
Mark Lazarus
Mark Lazarus is a retired English professional footballer. He played as a right winger and made over 400 league appearances, scoring over 100 goals.-Biography:Lazarus was born on 5 December 1938 in Stepney, London, into a Jewish family...
into the set up.
With internal pressures mounting in the club following the 1967/68 season however, Stock was absent for 3 months, suffering from asthma. In his book 'A Little Thing Called Pride' Stock tells how Jim Gregory sacked him in 1968 for being ill, just as he thought he was about to return to the helm and save Rangers from relegation. He later had success with Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
who he helped to promotion from the Third Division and also with Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
when he led them to the 1975 FA Cup Final
1975 FA Cup Final
The 1975 FA Cup Final was contested by West Ham United and Fulham at Wembley. The Fulham team contained two former England captains in former West Ham captain Bobby Moore, making his last appearance at Wembley, and Alan Mullery. West Ham won 2–0, with the two goals scored by Alan Taylor...
.
Ron Manager,a character in BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show is based on Alec Stock, told by George Best in his autobiography.