Mike England
Encyclopedia
Harold Michael "Mike" England, MBE
(born 2 December 1941) was a popular Welsh
footballer and manager
.
, Wales
, Mike England was a tall commanding centre-half
, who could also play effectively as a centre-forward. He played for Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur, Cardiff, and for the Wales national team. At Spurs he won the inaugural 1972 UEFA Cup Final
and was runner up in the same competition 2 years later; his goal in the first leg of the 1974 final unable to win the cup a second time for Spurs. He retired as a player in 1979 after playing eleven games for the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League
.
He scored "weird" hat-trick: two own-goals and one goal to Burnley net. It was in 1974.
Mike England was recently overtaken as the youngest Wales permanent captain by Aaron Ramsey
.
.
. That year, Wales faced Scotland in a World Cup qualifier, which Wales had to win to qualify for the finals. A 1-1 draw was enough for Scotland, but their much loved manager Jock Stein
had a heart attack in the dugout next to Mike England, and died shortly after. This affected Mike very much, as he has admitted freely, and he quit football management shortly afterwards to manage a nursing home in North Wales. England was awarded MBE for services to Welsh football.
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 2 December 1941) was a popular Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
footballer 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:...
.
Playing career
Born HolywellHolywell
Holywell is the fifth largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying to the west of the estuary of the River Dee.-History:The market town of Holywell takes its name from the St Winefride's Well, a holy well surrounded by a chapel...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Mike England was a tall commanding centre-half
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
, who could also play effectively as a centre-forward. He played for Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur, Cardiff, and for the Wales national team. At Spurs he won the inaugural 1972 UEFA Cup Final
1972 UEFA Cup Final
The 1972 UEFA Cup Final was the final of the first ever UEFA Cup football tournament. It was a two-legged contest played on 3 May and 17 May 1972 between two English clubs, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur....
and was runner up in the same competition 2 years later; his goal in the first leg of the 1974 final unable to win the cup a second time for Spurs. He retired as a player in 1979 after playing eleven games for the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
.
He scored "weird" hat-trick: two own-goals and one goal to Burnley net. It was in 1974.
Mike England was recently overtaken as the youngest Wales permanent captain by Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron James Ramsey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for the premier league club Arsenal and is the captain of the Wales national football team...
.
.
Management career
He managed the Wales national team from 1979 to 1987. In his first match, Wales beat England 4-1 at Wrexham. Under his managership Wales came close to qualifying for several tournaments, most notably the 1986 World Cup1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
. That year, Wales faced Scotland in a World Cup qualifier, which Wales had to win to qualify for the finals. A 1-1 draw was enough for Scotland, but their much loved manager Jock Stein
Jock Stein
John 'Jock' Stein CBE was a Scottish association football player and manager. He became the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967...
had a heart attack in the dugout next to Mike England, and died shortly after. This affected Mike very much, as he has admitted freely, and he quit football management shortly afterwards to manage a nursing home in North Wales. England was awarded MBE for services to Welsh football.
- Wales national football teamWales national football teamThe 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...
(1979–1987)
- Wales Under 23- 11 appearances
Honours
Tottenham HotspurTottenham 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....
- F.A. Cup winner - 1967