Regular passengers on the London Underground are hard to shock, but Ron Greenwood turned heads in May 1964 when he took the FA Cup home on the Tube.
The West Ham United team had been to a cinema to watch highlights of their victory over Preston North End and took public transport back to Upton Park. Legend has it that Greenwood wrapped the trophy in a cloth to avoid attracting too much attention. Asked by a fellow passenger what he was hiding, the West Ham manager had the perfect answer. “Sweet FA,” he said.
PAST PLAUDITS
How The Times reported the highs and lows of Ron Greenwood’s career
May 19, 1965
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“It will be a test of (his) ideas. (He) is one of a small band in these islands who not only sees football as an exercise in intellect rather than brute force but has been allowed to test and prove his views by his club.”
On the day he was appointed England manager, August 17, 1977
“He is technically among the most respected teachers of football and helped to produce Peters, Hurst and Moore, around whom the 1966 World Cup-winning team was built. West Ham have become known more for the quality of their football than their regular success.”
England v Spain, World Cup finals, July 6, 1982
“England have never reached the last four on foreign soil and (he) knew how close he had come before retiring. He must be consoled with the vivid memory of the best run of any England manager. Starting with the triumph over Hungary last October, his side won nine successive games.”
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HOW HE COMPARES
Sir Walter Winterbottom (1946-62)
P139 W78 D33 L28
Sir Alf Ramsey (1963-1974)
P113 W69 D27 L17
Don Revie (1974-77)
P29 W14 D8 L7
Ron Greenwood (1977-82)
P55 W33 D12 L10
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Sir Bobby Robson (1982-90)
P95 W47 D30 L18
Graham Taylor (1990-93)
P38 W18 D13 L7
Terry Venables (1994-96)
P23 W11 D11 L1
Glenn Hoddle (1996-99)
P28 W17 D6 L5
Kevin Keegan (1999-2000)
P18 W7 D7 L4
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Sven-Göran Eriksson (2001-present)
P56 W31 D15 L10