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Bill Nicholson - Football's Perfectionist by Brian Scovell

Bill Nicholson – Football’s Perfectionist by Brian Scovell

Bill Nicholson was, and remains, one of the true (and few) great football managers yet is possibly the most unsung of their number, considering how the names Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankley, Brian Clough and Jock Stein still frequently appear in the media.

A Yorkshireman who, it would appear, outwardly conformed to the dour stereotype. He embraced many virtues of his time being punctual, loyal, principled, dignified, immaculately dressed and hard-working; who set the highest standards and expected the same from his players. He was hard, he had to be, spotting before anyone else that star players were on the wane and replacing them without sentiment. He was tight with the club’s money, although only ever earned peanuts himself.

Yet, almost paradoxically, what emerges is a portrait of a lovely, warm-hearted man. He was a winner, but despite a league championship, three FA Cups, the first Double of the 20th century, two League Cups, a European Cup Winners Cup and a UEFA Cup, was only ever satisfied by winning the right way – by playing entertaining, quick-passing, free-flowing, attacking football. He invariably reminded his charges that it was their responsibility to entertain as that is what the fans desire and it is they who have paid their wages. Oh, for his ilk now.

Brian Scovell is of a similar opinion and whilst it is one I absolutely agree with, his nagging digs at the modern game and its soulless, if not corrupt, personnel is one of the book’s faults. Once his position was stated there was no need for regular comparisons between Nic’s era and the modern day. The narrative speaks for itself and the reader can draw their own conclusions.

Lack of an index or a career stats appendix are other faults, but, unfortunately, this otherwise very enjoyable and overly-researched book is horribly let down by a great number of minor, and a few embarrassingly major, factual errors.

This is not the place to list them all, but Derby County have never won the European Cup; Charlie Nicholas could not have been considered a possible purchase from Arsenal, being that he was age 12, and nine years from being a Gunner, when Bill Nicholson resigned; Argentinian captain Rattin did not see a red card in the 1966 World Cup, nor was Dave Mackay threatened with one in 1967, as they were not introduced until the 1970 World Cup and not seen in English league games until the early 1980s; A picture caption is wrongly dated and there are typos and errors of grammar that should be picked up at the proof reading stage.

There’s more…

Margaret Thatcher did not become prime minister in the year that Bill left Spurs – Five years out. News of Neil Armstrong landing on the Moon did not interrupt Grandstand on the morning of the 1961 Cup Final – eight years out. And the US Civil War song, The Battle Hymn of the Republic (“Glory Glory Hallelujah”), adopted by the White Hart Lane faithful, was not written in 1965 – awry by a century.

We all make mistakes, but there are too many, and Brian Scovell should not necessarily shoulder all of the blame – Does the publisher not have editors and proof readers to check facts that any bright schoolchild would know? (I’m talking of the historical landmarks here, not the history of Derby County FC or the introduction of red cards – I spotted those because my head is full of near-useless football trivia!) They almost spoil what is still a good read of a decent gent.

Recommended, but football’s perfectionist deserves better attention to detail.

Bill Nicholson – Football’s Perfectionist by Brian Scovell is published by John Blake.