Bob Stokoe
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Stokoe was an English
footballer and manager who was able, almost uniquely, to transcend the traditional north-east
rivalry between the region's footballing giants, Newcastle United
and Sunderland
.
, Northumberland
, the son of a miner, Stokoe began his footballing career at Newcastle United, signing for them in 1947 and playing the first of 287 games, usually as centre-half, on Christmas Day 1950 against Middlesbrough, a game in which he also scored. The highlight of his 10 years at Newcastle was the 3–1 1955 FA Cup Final
victory over Manchester City
. After leaving Newcastle in 1960, Stokoe spent a short time playing for Bury
before making the move into management with the same club.
in 1961, leading them to the semi-finals of the League Cup in 1962-63. He stopped playing in 1964, staying on as manager for another year after which he moved south to take charge at Charlton Athletic
from 1965–1967. He was manager of Rochdale
from 1967 to 1968, followed by three separate spells at Carlisle United
(1968–1970, 1980–1985 and 1985–1986).
from 1970–1972. He was initially approached by the club in the summer of 1969, after the departure of Stan Mortensen
. At the time, he declined, preferring to stay with Carlisle; just over eighteen months later, however, he became the ninth official manager in Blackpool's history.
With Blackpool relegated to the Second Division
before he could get his feet under his desk, Stokoe began to clear out the "deadwood" and rebuilt the side more to his liking. Stokoe agreed to sell Tony Green
to his old club, Newcastle, bringing striker Keith Dyson in the opposite direction.
Before the departure of Green, Blackpool enjoyed a successful venture into Europe, winning the Anglo-Italian Cup
in June 1971
. In the league, meanwhile, the Seasiders finished in sixth place. This still wasn't good enough for the fans, however, who became disenchanted with life outside the top flight again, and the club's style of play under Stokoe was not to their liking.
Another successful run in the Anglo-Italian Cup the following season (losing finalists to Roma) kept the critics at bay, but the feeling around Bloomfield Road
was that the 1972–73
campaign would be critical.
Stokoe's third season at Blackpool started well enough when, with the team reasonably placed for a promotion push and having stated that he intended to remain at the seaside for five years, he left the club. He had been lured back to his native north-east by Sunderland.
win since 1937, beating Manchester City and Arsenal on their way to the final. Stokoe took the Second Division club to Wembley and defeated the powerful Leeds United
, a team packed with international players (and incidentally managed by Don Revie
whom he had opposed when both played in the 1955 final between Newcastle United and Manchester City), 1-0. The victory was the first time a second division team had secured the Cup in 42 years. He is remembered for his jubilant run across the pitch, in his trademark trilby hat, at the end of the game to celebrate the victory with goalkeeper Jim Montgomery
who had made a match-saving double save in the second half of the game to maintain Sunderland's lead. A statue of Stokoe with arms aloft in celebratory mid-run now stands outside Sunderland's Stadium of Light
. None of the Sunderland players had been capped at the highest level when they lifted the cup, although some were capped later. The side finished 6th that season and narrowly missed promotion in the following two seasons.
In 1975–76
, he guided the club to the Second Division title. He resigned the following season after they struggled in the First Division with a start of nine straight games without a victory.
season.
There followed another spell with Rochdale (1979–1980) which ended with the club having to seek re-election to the league and spells with Carlisle United (1980–1985 and 1985–1986). He led Carlisle to promotion to the Second Division in 1982, and in the 1983-84 season they became promotion contenders before a poor run saw them finish 7th. He resigned in 1985, only to be reappointed and resign again seven months later.
Towards the end of the 1986–87
season, he was appointed caretaker-manager of Sunderland as they struggled in the Second Division. They narrowly lost on goal difference in the end-of-season relegation-promotion playoffs and were relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history. His contract was not renewed and he retired from football. During his whole career as a manager he was never sacked by any of his clubs.
After being unwell for some time, Stokoe was admitted to hospital in Hartlepool suffering from pneumonia and died on 1 February 2004 aged 73. The respect offered by both rival fan groups of Newcastle United and Sunderland was marked by their attendance at his funeral at Prudhoe
, Northumberland. The Reverend Neil Cockling, who conducted the service, told mourners: "He will be remembered by all as a real gentleman. Such was Bob's standing that we can see Sunderland and Newcastle here together today to celebrate his life."
Sunderland
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 who was able, almost uniquely, to transcend the traditional north-east
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
rivalry between the region's footballing giants, Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
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...
.
Playing career
Born in MickleyMickley
Mickley is a small hamlet near Prudhoe and Stocksfield in the English county of Northumberland. It lies south of the river Tyne and is accessible via the A695. The neighbouring villages of Mickley Square and High Mickley are usually included under the general name of Mickley. This village once...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, the son of a miner, Stokoe began his footballing career at Newcastle United, signing for them in 1947 and playing the first of 287 games, usually as centre-half, on Christmas Day 1950 against Middlesbrough, a game in which he also scored. The highlight of his 10 years at Newcastle was the 3–1 1955 FA Cup Final
1955 FA Cup Final
The 1955 FA Cup Final was contested by Newcastle United and Manchester City at Wembley. Newcastle won 3–1, with goals from Jackie Milburn in the first minute , Bobby Mitchell and George Hannah. Bobby Johnstone scored City's goal...
victory over Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
. After leaving Newcastle in 1960, Stokoe spent a short time playing for 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...
before making the move into management with the same club.
Management career
Stokoe took the post of player-manager at BuryBury 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...
in 1961, leading them to the semi-finals of the League Cup in 1962-63. He stopped playing in 1964, staying on as manager for another year after which he moved south to take charge at 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,...
from 1965–1967. He was manager of Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
from 1967 to 1968, followed by three separate spells at Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
(1968–1970, 1980–1985 and 1985–1986).
Blackpool
Between spells at Carlisle, Stokoe managed BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
from 1970–1972. He was initially approached by the club in the summer of 1969, after the departure of Stan Mortensen
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
. At the time, he declined, preferring to stay with Carlisle; just over eighteen months later, however, he became the ninth official manager in Blackpool's history.
With Blackpool relegated to the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
before he could get his feet under his desk, Stokoe began to clear out the "deadwood" and rebuilt the side more to his liking. Stokoe agreed to sell Tony Green
Tony Green (footballer)
Anthony "Tony" Green is a Scottish former professional footballer.-Club career:Glasgow-born Green began his career at Albion Rovers in his native Scotland.-Blackpool:...
to his old club, Newcastle, bringing striker Keith Dyson in the opposite direction.
Before the departure of Green, Blackpool enjoyed a successful venture into Europe, winning the Anglo-Italian Cup
Anglo-Italian Cup
The Anglo-Italian Cup is a defunct European football competition that was played intermittently between 1970 and 1996 between clubs from England and Italy. Founded by Gigi Peronace in 1970, following the success of the Anglo-Italian League Cup, it was played as a professional tournament until 1973...
in June 1971
1970-71 in English football
The 1970–71 season was the 91st season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Arsenal won the league championship at the end of a season which would soon be followed by their FA Cup final tie with Liverpool. Arsenal secured the league title at White Hart Lane, the home of bitter rivals...
. In the league, meanwhile, the Seasiders finished in sixth place. This still wasn't good enough for the fans, however, who became disenchanted with life outside the top flight again, and the club's style of play under Stokoe was not to their liking.
Another successful run in the Anglo-Italian Cup the following season (losing finalists to Roma) kept the critics at bay, but the feeling around Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
was that the 1972–73
1972-73 in English football
The 1972–73 season was the 93rd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League announced that a three-up, three-down system would operate between the top two divisions from the following season, rather than the traditional two-up, two-down system...
campaign would be critical.
Stokoe's third season at Blackpool started well enough when, with the team reasonably placed for a promotion push and having stated that he intended to remain at the seaside for five years, he left the club. He had been lured back to his native north-east by Sunderland.
Sunderland
Stokoe took over as manager of Sunderland on 29 November 1972 when they were fourth from bottom of the Second Division table. Although his first game in charge was lost 1-0 at home to Burnley, the following week seemingly liberated players won 3-2 away at Portsmouth. Six months later on 5 May 1973, he led them to their first FA CupFA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
win since 1937, beating Manchester City and Arsenal on their way to the final. Stokoe took the Second Division club to Wembley and defeated the powerful Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, a team packed with international players (and incidentally managed by Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
whom he had opposed when both played in the 1955 final between Newcastle United and Manchester City), 1-0. The victory was the first time a second division team had secured the Cup in 42 years. He is remembered for his jubilant run across the pitch, in his trademark trilby hat, at the end of the game to celebrate the victory with goalkeeper Jim Montgomery
Jimmy Montgomery
Jimmy Montgomery is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made a record 627 appearances for his hometown club Sunderland with 537 of these appearances being in the league, after joining the club as a youngster in 1960.-Football career:He made his debut aged only 18 against Walsall,...
who had made a match-saving double save in the second half of the game to maintain Sunderland's lead. A statue of Stokoe with arms aloft in celebratory mid-run now stands outside Sunderland's Stadium of Light
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches...
. None of the Sunderland players had been capped at the highest level when they lifted the cup, although some were capped later. The side finished 6th that season and narrowly missed promotion in the following two seasons.
In 1975–76
1975-76 in English football
The 1975–76 season was the 96th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won their first major trophy under Bob Paisley by narrowly winning the league title after heated competition from Queens Park Rangers. They also lifted the UEFA Cup for the second time in their...
, he guided the club to the Second Division title. He resigned the following season after they struggled in the First Division with a start of nine straight games without a victory.
Later years
In May 1978, Stokoe returned to Blackpool with the club in dire straits. Under the managership of Allan Brown they had been relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history and were looking for someone who could rebuild a once-proud playing tradition. He guided them to a mid-table finishing position, and then resigned again before the start of the 1979–801979-80 in English football
The 1979–80 season was the 100th season of competitive football in England.- FA Cup :Second Division West Ham United, managed by John Lyall, won the FA Cup, beating Arsenal 1–0 with a Trevor Brooking goal...
season.
There followed another spell with Rochdale (1979–1980) which ended with the club having to seek re-election to the league and spells with Carlisle United (1980–1985 and 1985–1986). He led Carlisle to promotion to the Second Division in 1982, and in the 1983-84 season they became promotion contenders before a poor run saw them finish 7th. He resigned in 1985, only to be reappointed and resign again seven months later.
Towards the end of the 1986–87
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
season, he was appointed caretaker-manager of Sunderland as they struggled in the Second Division. They narrowly lost on goal difference in the end-of-season relegation-promotion playoffs and were relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history. His contract was not renewed and he retired from football. During his whole career as a manager he was never sacked by any of his clubs.
Death
Prudhoe
Prudhoe is a medium sized town just south of the River Tyne, in the southern part of the county of Northumberland, England about west of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town is sited on a steep, north-facing hill in the Tyne valley and nearby settlements include Ovingham, Ovington, Wylam,...
, Northumberland. The Reverend Neil Cockling, who conducted the service, told mourners: "He will be remembered by all as a real gentleman. Such was Bob's standing that we can see Sunderland and Newcastle here together today to celebrate his life."
As a player
Newcastle United- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winner: 19551954-55 in English footballThe 1954–1955 season was the 75th season of competitive football in England, from August 1954 to May 1955:-Overview:* Chelsea win the League Championship for the first time.* Newcastle United win the FA Cup....
As manager
Blackpool- Anglo-Italian CupAnglo-Italian CupThe Anglo-Italian Cup is a defunct European football competition that was played intermittently between 1970 and 1996 between clubs from England and Italy. Founded by Gigi Peronace in 1970, following the success of the Anglo-Italian League Cup, it was played as a professional tournament until 1973...
winners: 19711970-71 in English footballThe 1970–71 season was the 91st season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Arsenal won the league championship at the end of a season which would soon be followed by their FA Cup final tie with Liverpool. Arsenal secured the league title at White Hart Lane, the home of bitter rivals...
Sunderland
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winners: 1973FA Cup Final 1973The 1973 FA Cup Final took place on 5 May 1973 at Wembley Stadium. It was the 92nd final and the 45th to be played at Wembley, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary year. The final was contested between the previous season's winners Leeds United, who were one of the dominant teams at the time,... - Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
championship: 1975–761975-76 in English footballThe 1975–76 season was the 96th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won their first major trophy under Bob Paisley by narrowly winning the league title after heated competition from Queens Park Rangers. They also lifted the UEFA Cup for the second time in their...