John Trollope (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Norman John Trollope MBE
(born 14 June 1943) is a former footballer
, manager
and coach who served Swindon Town
for twenty years.
A Swindon Town legend, Trollope holds the record for the number of league
appearances made for one club - turning out for the Town in 770 games between 1960 and 1980, an achievement which saw him receive the MBE.
Trollope made his debut for the club on 20 August 1960 in a 1-1 draw with Halifax Town, when he was aged seventeen and missed two matches that season. Trollope was an ever-present in the side in the 1962-63 season - a trend which continued for seven seasons. A run of 368 consecutive matches was brought to an end in August 1968, when he sustained a broken arm in a match at Hartlepool United
. He didn't return to the team until January - by which time he had missed most of the Town's amazing League Cup run. He only appeared in the competition twice that season - in the first game against Torquay United
, and in the victorious final at Wembley
Trollope continued to be a regular member of the side right up until the 1978-79 season, when he made sixteen appearances. He announced his retirement at the end of the season, and moved into the club's backroom staff. However, after an appalling start to the 1980-81 season, Trollope was pushed back into action - a move which allowed him to break the appearance record - previously set at 764 appearances by Portsmouth
's Jimmy Dickinson
. He finally retired from the playing staff at the end of that season, and replaced Bobby Smith
as the club's manager early in the following season.
His time as manager was far from successful - working on a shoestring budget, he led Swindon to their first ever relegation to Division Four. He made way for Ken Beamish
near the end of the 1982-83 season.
Even this wasn't the end of Trollope's times at Swindon - he was appointed assistant manager to Lou Macari
during Easter 1985, and he took charge of the youth team under Ossie Ardiles
, Glenn Hoddle
, John Gorman
and Steve McMahon
.
His son Paul Trollope
became a Wales football international
and is currently part of the managerial set-up at Bristol Rovers
alongside Lennie Lawrence
.
On July 2, 2008 it was announced that Trollope would be returning to Swindon and take up the role of Under 15's coach in the Centre of Excellence. Previously he had been working for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 14 June 1943) is a former footballer
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...
, manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and coach who served Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
for twenty years.
A Swindon Town legend, Trollope holds the record for the number of league
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
appearances made for one club - turning out for the Town in 770 games between 1960 and 1980, an achievement which saw him receive the MBE.
Trollope made his debut for the club on 20 August 1960 in a 1-1 draw with Halifax Town, when he was aged seventeen and missed two matches that season. Trollope was an ever-present in the side in the 1962-63 season - a trend which continued for seven seasons. A run of 368 consecutive matches was brought to an end in August 1968, when he sustained a broken arm in a match at Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
. He didn't return to the team until January - by which time he had missed most of the Town's amazing League Cup run. He only appeared in the competition twice that season - in the first game against Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
, and in the victorious final at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
Trollope continued to be a regular member of the side right up until the 1978-79 season, when he made sixteen appearances. He announced his retirement at the end of the season, and moved into the club's backroom staff. However, after an appalling start to the 1980-81 season, Trollope was pushed back into action - a move which allowed him to break the appearance record - previously set at 764 appearances by Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
's Jimmy Dickinson
Jimmy Dickinson
James William 'Jimmy' Dickinson was an English football player.Dickinson holds the record for number of league appearances for Portsmouth...
. He finally retired from the playing staff at the end of that season, and replaced Bobby Smith
Bobby Smith (football manager)
Robert William "Bobby" Smith is an English former professional footballer and football manager. He was capped by England at Schools and Youth level...
as the club's manager early in the following season.
His time as manager was far from successful - working on a shoestring budget, he led Swindon to their first ever relegation to Division Four. He made way for Ken Beamish
Ken Beamish
Kenneth George "Ken" Beamish is an English former football player, coach and manager. In his playing days he was a forward, and he scored a total of 159 goals in 554 league games....
near the end of the 1982-83 season.
Even this wasn't the end of Trollope's times at Swindon - he was appointed assistant manager to Lou Macari
Lou Macari
Luigi "Lou" Macari is a Scottish former footballer and football manager of Italian descent.-Playing career:...
during Easter 1985, and he took charge of the youth team under Ossie Ardiles
Osvaldo Ardiles
Osvaldo César Ardiles , often referred to in Britain as Ossie Ardiles, is a football coach, pundit and former midfielder who won the 1978 World Cup as part of the Argentine national team...
, Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
, John Gorman
John Gorman (footballer)
John Gorman is a Scottish former football player and coach. He is currently Assistant Manager at MK Dons in the English League One....
and Steve McMahon
Steve McMahon
Stephen Joseph McMahon is an English former football midfielder who most notably played for Liverpool in the late 1980s...
.
His son Paul Trollope
Paul Trollope
Paul Jonathan Trollope is an English-born Welsh international football midfielder, now turned manager. He was manager of Bristol Rovers from 2005 to 2010. In July 2011, Paul was appointed first-team coach at Birmingham City....
became a Wales football international
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
and is currently part of the managerial set-up at Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
alongside Lennie Lawrence
Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years...
.
On July 2, 2008 it was announced that Trollope would be returning to Swindon and take up the role of Under 15's coach in the Centre of Excellence. Previously he had been working for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
All time playing career
| Season | Team | League Apps | League Goals | Cup Apps | Cup Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-81 | Swindon Town | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979-80 | Swindon Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-79 | Swindon Town | 16 (+2) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977-78 | Swindon Town | 40 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
| 1976-77 | Swindon Town | 35 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 1975-76 | Swindon Town | 46 | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| 1974-75 | Swindon Town | 46 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 1973-74 | Swindon Town | 36 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 1972-73 | Swindon Town | 34 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1971-72 | Swindon Town | 42 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1970-71 | Swindon Town | 39 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1969-70 | Swindon Town | 42 | 2 | 13 | 1 |
| 1968-69 | Swindon Town | 19 (+1) | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1967-68 | Swindon Town | 46 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 1966-67 | Swindon Town | 46 | 2 | 13 | 1 |
| 1965-66 | Swindon Town | 46 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1964-65 | Swindon Town | 42 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1963-64 | Swindon Town | 42 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 1962-63 | Swindon Town | 46 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 1961-62 | Swindon Town | 46 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 1960-61 | Swindon Town | 44 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 770 | 22 | 114 | 7 |
External links
- Profile at Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk