Les McDowall
Encyclopedia
Les McDowall was a Scottish
football player
and manager
. He managed Manchester City between 1950 and 1963, and then Oldham Athletic until 1965. McDowall was the longest serving manager in Manchester City's history, his tenure spanning 13 years.
Though born in India, McDowall was raised as a Scot. A wing half or centre half, he spent five years of his playing career at Sunderland F.C. mainly as a reserve to Alex Hastings. Manchester City F.C.
paid £7,000 for his services in 1937 and between then and 1948 he played 118 times for the team scoring 7 goals. He was also Captain of the time for a short while. He briefly moved to Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground
to take up the managerial post before being brought back to Maine Road
in 1950 and installed as manager.
The Club was languishing in the second tier of English football, McDowall set to work building a solid team and soon saw the fruits of his labour, with the Club returning to the first division the following season.
Solid if unspectacular progress was made in the early fifties, with some notable results along the way; the most significant being a handful of derby
victories against Manchester United. McDowall was an innovator, undoubtedly ahead of his time, inspired by the great Hungarian side of the era he pioneered the use of wing backs and the deployment of a forward playing between the strikers and midfield. These revolutionary
tactical systems, more commonly associated with the game as we know it today, were not an instant success however and City leaked more than five goals in a game on three occasions in the 1955–56 season.
Don Revie
was a key player in McDowall's team and it was with Revie that he masterminded the Revie Plan
, centered on the plan's namesake playing in a withdrawn striker's role. McDowall's tactical brainstorming and tinkering, which had generally been met with scorn and derision from the majority of fans at Maine Road, eventually bore fruit and the club was rewarded with consecutive appearances in the FA Cup
finals of 1955 and 1956, winning the latter against Birmingham City.
The mid fifties were the high points of McDowall's career as manager of Manchester City. An ageing team and limited resources saw the club begin to wane and fall towards the foot of the first division by the beginning of the sixties, culminating in relegation to the second division in the 1962–63 season. With relegation came the end of McDowall's tenure at Manchester City. He went onto manage Oldham Athletic from June 1963 to March 1965 before quitting management.
He died in August 1991 at the age of 78.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football player
Player (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
and 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:...
. He managed Manchester City between 1950 and 1963, and then Oldham Athletic until 1965. McDowall was the longest serving manager in Manchester City's history, his tenure spanning 13 years.
Though born in India, McDowall was raised as a Scot. A wing half or centre half, he spent five years of his playing career at Sunderland F.C. mainly as a reserve to Alex Hastings. Manchester City F.C.
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...
paid £7,000 for his services in 1937 and between then and 1948 he played 118 times for the team scoring 7 goals. He was also Captain of the time for a short while. He briefly moved to Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground
Racecourse Ground
The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League...
to take up the managerial post before being brought back to Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
in 1950 and installed as manager.
The Club was languishing in the second tier of English football, McDowall set to work building a solid team and soon saw the fruits of his labour, with the Club returning to the first division the following season.
Solid if unspectacular progress was made in the early fifties, with some notable results along the way; the most significant being a handful of derby
Manchester derby
The Manchester derby is the name given to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United. The local derby centres on the City of Manchester and Greater Manchester with approximately four miles separating the clubs with City based in east Manchester at the City of Manchester Stadium...
victories against Manchester United. McDowall was an innovator, undoubtedly ahead of his time, inspired by the great Hungarian side of the era he pioneered the use of wing backs and the deployment of a forward playing between the strikers and midfield. These revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
tactical systems, more commonly associated with the game as we know it today, were not an instant success however and City leaked more than five goals in a game on three occasions in the 1955–56 season.
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...
was a key player in McDowall's team and it was with Revie that he masterminded the Revie Plan
Revie Plan
The Revie Plan was a tactical system in association football used by Manchester City in the 1950s. The system was named after Manchester City player Don Revie, who had the most important role in it....
, centered on the plan's namesake playing in a withdrawn striker's role. McDowall's tactical brainstorming and tinkering, which had generally been met with scorn and derision from the majority of fans at Maine Road, eventually bore fruit and the club was rewarded with consecutive appearances in the FA Cup
FA 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...
finals of 1955 and 1956, winning the latter against Birmingham City.
The mid fifties were the high points of McDowall's career as manager of Manchester City. An ageing team and limited resources saw the club begin to wane and fall towards the foot of the first division by the beginning of the sixties, culminating in relegation to the second division in the 1962–63 season. With relegation came the end of McDowall's tenure at Manchester City. He went onto manage Oldham Athletic from June 1963 to March 1965 before quitting management.
He died in August 1991 at the age of 78.