Matt Gillies
Encyclopedia
Matthew "Matt" Muirhead Gillies (12 August 1921 – 24 December 1998) was a Scottish football
player and manager who played for, captained, coached and managed Leicester City
for a total of 15 years between 1952–1955 and 1956-1968. He is the club's longest serving manager, lasting a decade in the manager's seat between November 1958-November 1968. He took charge of Leicester for a club record 508 matches, as well as making 111 appearances for the club as a player.
He was manager of the legendary Leicester side The Ice Kings
, which chased the double in 1962-63
.
, and then joined Bolton Wanderers
after the war, going on to make almost 150 Football League First Division
appearances for them. In 1952 he moved to Second Division
Leicester City
and after seeing his leadership skills, was quickly made club captain by manager Norman Bullock
. He captained the side to the 1953-54 Second Division
title.
Known as being canny in the transfer market (perhaps most notably in signing then unknown, 22-year old goalkeeper Gordon Banks
from Chesterfield
for just £7,000 in 1959, but also in the signings of club stalwarts such as Dave Gibson, Mike Stringfellow
, Lenny Glover and Derek Dougan
) and a fine nurturer and scout of young talent (most notably Peter Shilton
, Frank McLintock
, Graham Cross
and David Nish
).
Gillies took over the Foxes on 8 November 1958 as they sat bottom of the First Division
and amidst fan unrest after his predecessor Norman Bullock
had recently sold star striker Arthur Rowley
to Shrewsbury Town
. He brought in Bert Johnson
as his assistant and head scout and the pair would embark in arguably the most successful period in the club's history.
Gillies managed to keep Leicester up in his opening season, but could only manage the signings of Albert Cheesebrough
and Gordon Banks
(originally signed as back-up) in the summer of 1959, as the majority of his transfer bids were rebuffed, while scouting missions to watch the young Huddersfield Town
striker Denis Law
saw him give an unimpressive performance on two separate occasions and Leicester again struggled at the beginning of the season. However, an injury to first choice goalkeeper Dave MacLaren in September, saw Gordon Banks
come on for his replacement and within a month he had established himself as the first choice goalkeeper. Gillies also promoted a young Frank McLintock
from the reserves around the same time and although both players made an instant impact and were being touted as stars of the future, it took until December until Leicester's season picked up, eventually finishing in a very respectable 12th position.
Leicester continued to improve under Gillies and the following season, they finished 6th in the league, the club's highest league finish since finishing league runners-up in 1928-29
. The club also reached the 1961 FA Cup Final in which they faced a Tottenham Hotspur
side chasing the double. Gillies made the sensational decision to drop striker Ken Leek
who had scored in every round of Leicester's cup run due to his drinking problems. In the final itself Len Chalmers received an injury early in the game and had to hobble for the remaining 70 minutes or so, meaning Leicester were effectively down to 10 men and Leicester went down 2-0 as Tottenham clinched the double. Though this did mean Leicester had qualified for Europe for the first time in their history. The club were knocked out in the first round of the European Cup Winners' Cup though 3-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Atlético Madrid after beating Glenavon
7-3 on aggregate in the Preliminary Round.
Two seasons later in 1962-63 season
in what is consider Gillies' and often the club's peak, Leicester remarkably chased the double themselves, not only did they reach the FA Cup Final
but they also sat top of the First Division with just 5 games to go. The worst winter for 2 decades led to a plethora of games being postponed. During these postponements Leicester quietly climbed the league in a then club record 18 match unbeaten run earning them the nickname in the national press of "the ice-kings". On Saturday 16 April 1963, 37,000 fans saw Leicester beat Manchester United
4-3 at Filbert Street
, with Denis Law
and Ken Keyworth
both netting hat-tricks (Law's hat-trick included an "outrageous bicycle kick" and Keyworth's was scored in just 6 minutes) to send Leicester top of the league. However, injuries, possibly feigned in precaution of the upcoming FA Cup final took their toll and Leicester's depleted squad gained just a single point from their remaining 5 games to slip down to 4th, then to add to the disappointment lost the FA Cup final 3-1 to the Manchester United
side they'd beaten just a month earlier.
However, there was some consolidation a season later to club's disappointment in missing out on the FA Cup and the league title, albeit in a less prestigious guise. The club won its first major trophy after beating Stoke City
in the 1964 Football League Cup Final
4-3 on aggregate. Though they tasted yet another cup final defeat a year later as they reached the League Cup Final
for the second season running, but lost 3-2 on aggregate to Chelsea
.
Contract disputes with several of the club's star players however marred the 1964-65 season
. Though most of the disputes were resolved, the loss of hugely influential Frank McLintock
to Arsenal
for a then club record incoming fee of £80,000 and the unrest over pay saw Leicester slump to 18th that season in the league.
The signing of Derek Dougan
for £21,000 from Peterborough United
and Jackie Sinclair
from Dunfermline for £25,000 the following summer though saw the club rejuvenated and again become a strong force in the First Division.
However, having just celebrated victory in the 1966 World Cup
and having cemented a reputation as being one of the world's foremost goalkeepers, Gordon Banks
was under pressure from upcoming youth star Peter Shilton
. Shilton wanted first team football and realised that with Banks in the side this was unlikely, so he requested a transfer. However, Gillies controversially decided to sell Banks to Stoke City
instead and promoted Shilton to first choice. Just a month earlier he had also accepted an offer from Wolverhampton Wanderers
for star striker Derek Dougan
.
The sales of Banks and Dougan saw the club decline and although the signings of Lenny Glover and Allan Clarke
(the latter for a British transfer record of £110,000) showed promise, a bout of tuberculosis and ill health saw Gillies forced to spend time away from the game and his assistant Bert Johnson took over team affairs briefly between January–March 1968. The illness took its toll on Gillies though and saw his managerial abilities wain and on 28 November 1968, with the club sitting 17th in the league the board sacked his assistant Bert Johnson and first team coach George Dewis
. Gillies resigned in protest. His resignation was officially announced at 4pm on 30 November 1968, exactly 10 years and 21 days after taking the job.
club until 1972. Though his spell at Forest was ultimately disappointing and ended in relegation in 1972, he did sign John Robertson, and Martin O'Neill
for the club, both of whom would star for Forest in their European triumphs under Brian Clough
.
He died in Nottingham on Christmas Eve 1998 at the age of 77. A minute's silence was held in his honour before Leicester's following home fixture with Blackburn Rovers
.
. Shankly, once saying of Gillies' side: "There's only one team to beware of and that's Leicester City." Shankly watched Gillies' Leicester side, while Liverpool
were still in the Second Division
and was greatly influenced by his tactics.
Gillies and Johnson were one of the first managerial teams in England to experiment with practicing set-pieces in training and his switching of Frank McLintock
at right-half and Graham Cross
at inside-right mid-game, proved revolutionary. Gillies saying it "confused opposition" as opposition players would often be asked to mark "our [Leicester's] number eight, so they thought Cross
was their man, when McLintock
had replaced him" as "players hadn't got beyond thinking about numbers then." Shankly later copied this trick as his Liverpool side were promoted to the First Division
and went on to win First Division titles.
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...
player and manager who played for, captained, coached and managed Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
for a total of 15 years between 1952–1955 and 1956-1968. He is the club's longest serving manager, lasting a decade in the manager's seat between November 1958-November 1968. He took charge of Leicester for a club record 508 matches, as well as making 111 appearances for the club as a player.
He was manager of the legendary Leicester side The Ice Kings
Ice Kings (football)
The Ice Kings is the name given to the Leicester City side of the 1962-63 season, due to their incredible run of form in both the First Division and the FA Cup on icy pitches during the brutal winter of 1962/63, the coldest winter of the 20th century in England and Wales.During the freezing winter,...
, which chased the double in 1962-63
1962-63 in English football
The 1962–63 season was the 83rd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*Everton won the League Championship, their first post-war title.*Manchester United won the FA Cup, their first major trophy since the Munich Air Disaster in 1958....
.
Playing career
Gillies played for MotherwellMotherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
, and then joined Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
after the war, going on to make almost 150 Football League 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....
appearances for them. In 1952 he moved to 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...
Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
and after seeing his leadership skills, was quickly made club captain by manager Norman Bullock
Norman Bullock
Norman Bullock was the manager of Leicester City from 1949 to 1955. He also managed Bury for two four-year spells.He was born in Monton, Eccles, Lancashire....
. He captained the side to the 1953-54 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...
title.
Leicester City
Gillies took a brief break from football after finishing his playing career at Leicester in the summer of 1955, but returned to the club less than a year later to become part of the club's coaching staff in April 1956, before being made the club's manager on 1 November 1958.Known as being canny in the transfer market (perhaps most notably in signing then unknown, 22-year old goalkeeper Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
from Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
for just £7,000 in 1959, but also in the signings of club stalwarts such as Dave Gibson, Mike Stringfellow
Mike Stringfellow
Michael David "Mike" Stringfellow is a retired English footballer who played 14 seasons as a winger for Leicester City in the 1960s and 1970s. He is the uncle of fellow footballer Ian Stringfellow....
, Lenny Glover and Derek Dougan
Derek Dougan
Alexander Derek Dougan was a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers....
) and a fine nurturer and scout of young talent (most notably Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps....
, Frank McLintock
Frank McLintock
Francis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:...
, Graham Cross
Graham Cross
Graham Frederick Cross is a former professional footballer and cricketer. He is the record appearance holder for Leicester City, making 599 appearances for the club in all competitions....
and David Nish
David Nish
David John Nish was an English former footballer who broke the then British transfer record in 1972 by paying £225,000 for his signature.-Club:...
).
Gillies took over the Foxes on 8 November 1958 as they sat bottom of 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....
and amidst fan unrest after his predecessor Norman Bullock
Norman Bullock
Norman Bullock was the manager of Leicester City from 1949 to 1955. He also managed Bury for two four-year spells.He was born in Monton, Eccles, Lancashire....
had recently sold star striker Arthur Rowley
Arthur Rowley
George Arthur Rowley, , nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his explosive left-foot shot, was an English football player and cricketer. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of English league football, scoring 434 from 619 league games. He was the younger brother of Manchester United...
to Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
. He brought in Bert Johnson
Bert Johnson (footballer)
William Albert "Bert" Johnson , is an English football player, manager and highly influential coach who played as a wing half in the Football League. He played in both the 1946 FA Cup Final for Charlton Athletic.However, he is perhaps most noted as an influential coach at Leicester City under Matt...
as his assistant and head scout and the pair would embark in arguably the most successful period in the club's history.
Gillies managed to keep Leicester up in his opening season, but could only manage the signings of Albert Cheesebrough
Albert Cheesebrough
Albert Cheesebrough is an English former footballer who scored 88 goals in 345 games in the Football League over a sixteen year professional career....
and Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
(originally signed as back-up) in the summer of 1959, as the majority of his transfer bids were rebuffed, while scouting missions to watch the young Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
striker Denis Law
Denis Law
Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
saw him give an unimpressive performance on two separate occasions and Leicester again struggled at the beginning of the season. However, an injury to first choice goalkeeper Dave MacLaren in September, saw Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
come on for his replacement and within a month he had established himself as the first choice goalkeeper. Gillies also promoted a young Frank McLintock
Frank McLintock
Francis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:...
from the reserves around the same time and although both players made an instant impact and were being touted as stars of the future, it took until December until Leicester's season picked up, eventually finishing in a very respectable 12th position.
Leicester continued to improve under Gillies and the following season, they finished 6th in the league, the club's highest league finish since finishing league runners-up in 1928-29
1928-29 in English football
The 1928–29 season was the 54th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
. The club also reached the 1961 FA Cup Final in which they faced a 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....
side chasing the double. Gillies made the sensational decision to drop striker Ken Leek
Ken Leek
Kenneth 'Ken' Leek was a Welsh footballer, who played as a centre forward or inside forward for several different clubs and for the Wales national side in a professional career which spanned from 1952 until 1968. He scored 145 goals in the Football League from 396 appearances with five clubs...
who had scored in every round of Leicester's cup run due to his drinking problems. In the final itself Len Chalmers received an injury early in the game and had to hobble for the remaining 70 minutes or so, meaning Leicester were effectively down to 10 men and Leicester went down 2-0 as Tottenham clinched the double. Though this did mean Leicester had qualified for Europe for the first time in their history. The club were knocked out in the first round of the European Cup Winners' Cup though 3-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Atlético Madrid after beating Glenavon
Glenavon F.C.
Glenavon F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1889, hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park...
7-3 on aggregate in the Preliminary Round.
Two seasons later in 1962-63 season
1962-63 in English football
The 1962–63 season was the 83rd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*Everton won the League Championship, their first post-war title.*Manchester United won the FA Cup, their first major trophy since the Munich Air Disaster in 1958....
in what is consider Gillies' and often the club's peak, Leicester remarkably chased the double themselves, not only did they reach the FA Cup Final
1963 FA Cup Final
The 1963 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1962–63 FA Cup, the 82nd season of England's premier club football competition. The match was played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1963 and contested by Manchester United and Leicester City. United won 3–1, with a goal from Denis Law and two from...
but they also sat top of the First Division with just 5 games to go. The worst winter for 2 decades led to a plethora of games being postponed. During these postponements Leicester quietly climbed the league in a then club record 18 match unbeaten run earning them the nickname in the national press of "the ice-kings". On Saturday 16 April 1963, 37,000 fans saw Leicester beat 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...
4-3 at Filbert Street
Filbert Street
Filbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...
, with Denis Law
Denis Law
Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
and Ken Keyworth
Ken Keyworth
Ken Keyworth was a professional footballer in the 1950s and 1960s who played for Rotherham United, Coventry City and Swindon Town and most notably Leicester City....
both netting hat-tricks (Law's hat-trick included an "outrageous bicycle kick" and Keyworth's was scored in just 6 minutes) to send Leicester top of the league. However, injuries, possibly feigned in precaution of the upcoming FA Cup final took their toll and Leicester's depleted squad gained just a single point from their remaining 5 games to slip down to 4th, then to add to the disappointment lost the FA Cup final 3-1 to the 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...
side they'd beaten just a month earlier.
However, there was some consolidation a season later to club's disappointment in missing out on the FA Cup and the league title, albeit in a less prestigious guise. The club won its first major trophy after beating Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
in the 1964 Football League Cup Final
1964 Football League Cup Final
The 1964 Football League Cup Final, the fourth to be staged since the competition's inception, was contested between Stoke City and Leicester City, both of the First Division, over two legs...
4-3 on aggregate. Though they tasted yet another cup final defeat a year later as they reached the League Cup Final
1965 Football League Cup Final
The 1965 Football League Cup Final, the fifth to be staged since the competition's inception, was contested between Leicester City and Chelsea over two legs. Leicester, the holders, were aiming to become the first side to retain the trophy while Chelsea were seeking to become the first London side...
for the second season running, but lost 3-2 on aggregate to Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
.
Contract disputes with several of the club's star players however marred the 1964-65 season
1964-65 in English football
The 1964–65 season was the 85th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* After a three-way tussle for the League title between Manchester United, Leeds United and Chelsea, Manchester United came out on top and were crowned champions....
. Though most of the disputes were resolved, the loss of hugely influential Frank McLintock
Frank McLintock
Francis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:...
to 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 a then club record incoming fee of £80,000 and the unrest over pay saw Leicester slump to 18th that season in the league.
The signing of Derek Dougan
Derek Dougan
Alexander Derek Dougan was a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers....
for £21,000 from Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
and Jackie Sinclair
Jackie Sinclair
Jackie Sinclair was a Scottish footballer who played as a winger for six different clubs in the English and Scottish leagues.-Family:...
from Dunfermline for £25,000 the following summer though saw the club rejuvenated and again become a strong force in the First Division.
However, having just celebrated victory in the 1966 World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth football World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 98,000. England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet...
and having cemented a reputation as being one of the world's foremost goalkeepers, Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
was under pressure from upcoming youth star Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps....
. Shilton wanted first team football and realised that with Banks in the side this was unlikely, so he requested a transfer. However, Gillies controversially decided to sell Banks to Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
instead and promoted Shilton to first choice. Just a month earlier he had also accepted an offer from Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
for star striker Derek Dougan
Derek Dougan
Alexander Derek Dougan was a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers....
.
The sales of Banks and Dougan saw the club decline and although the signings of Lenny Glover and Allan Clarke
Allan Clarke
Alan, Allan, or Allen Clark, may refer to:*Alan Charles Clark , Bishop of East Anglia*Alan Clark , British politician*Alan Clark , British keyboardist with Dire Straits*Alan M...
(the latter for a British transfer record of £110,000) showed promise, a bout of tuberculosis and ill health saw Gillies forced to spend time away from the game and his assistant Bert Johnson took over team affairs briefly between January–March 1968. The illness took its toll on Gillies though and saw his managerial abilities wain and on 28 November 1968, with the club sitting 17th in the league the board sacked his assistant Bert Johnson and first team coach George Dewis
George Dewis
George Renger Dewis was an English-born footballer who played as a centre forward in the Football League between the 1930s and 1950s....
. Gillies resigned in protest. His resignation was officially announced at 4pm on 30 November 1968, exactly 10 years and 21 days after taking the job.
Nottingham Forest and death
In 1969 he became manager of Nottingham Forest and remained in charge of the NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
club until 1972. Though his spell at Forest was ultimately disappointing and ended in relegation in 1972, he did sign John Robertson, and Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
for the club, both of whom would star for Forest in their European triumphs under Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
.
He died in Nottingham on Christmas Eve 1998 at the age of 77. A minute's silence was held in his honour before Leicester's following home fixture with Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
.
Influence
Despite his Leicester side often falling at the final hurdle and thus the relative lack of honours, Gillies was regarded as being ahead of his time in terms of his tactical ability, and was held in high regard by the likes of Sir Matt Busby and particularly Bill ShanklyBill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
. Shankly, once saying of Gillies' side: "There's only one team to beware of and that's Leicester City." Shankly watched Gillies' Leicester side, while Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
were still in 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...
and was greatly influenced by his tactics.
Gillies and Johnson were one of the first managerial teams in England to experiment with practicing set-pieces in training and his switching of Frank McLintock
Frank McLintock
Francis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:...
at right-half and Graham Cross
Graham Cross
Graham Frederick Cross is a former professional footballer and cricketer. He is the record appearance holder for Leicester City, making 599 appearances for the club in all competitions....
at inside-right mid-game, proved revolutionary. Gillies saying it "confused opposition" as opposition players would often be asked to mark "our [Leicester's] number eight, so they thought Cross
Graham Cross
Graham Frederick Cross is a former professional footballer and cricketer. He is the record appearance holder for Leicester City, making 599 appearances for the club in all competitions....
was their man, when McLintock
Frank McLintock
Francis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:...
had replaced him" as "players hadn't got beyond thinking about numbers then." Shankly later copied this trick as his Liverpool side were promoted to 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....
and went on to win First Division titles.
As a player
Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
- 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...
champions: 1953-541953-54 in English footballThe 1953–54 season was the 74th season of competitive football in England.-National team:The Marvellous Magyars shocked football by defeating England 6–3 at Wembley Stadium.-Honours:...
As a manager
Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
- 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...
runners-up: 1961, 19631963 FA Cup FinalThe 1963 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1962–63 FA Cup, the 82nd season of England's premier club football competition. The match was played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1963 and contested by Manchester United and Leicester City. United won 3–1, with a goal from Denis Law and two from... - League CupFootball League CupThe 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...
winners: 19641964 Football League Cup FinalThe 1964 Football League Cup Final, the fourth to be staged since the competition's inception, was contested between Stoke City and Leicester City, both of the First Division, over two legs...
, runners-up: 19651965 Football League Cup FinalThe 1965 Football League Cup Final, the fifth to be staged since the competition's inception, was contested between Leicester City and Chelsea over two legs. Leicester, the holders, were aiming to become the first side to retain the trophy while Chelsea were seeking to become the first London side...