1968 rolled around and Nat Lofthouse was appointed caretaker manager of the club. Between 1950 and 1958, he played 33 times for the England national football team. The Bolton boys launched another attack, ending with a Ray Parry shot on goal. In 2003, Nat Lofthouse retired from Bolton Wanderers for a second time. Who was known as the Lion of Vienna? - idswater.com Nat's time in that role also didn't go to plan and the legend was relieved of his duties in 1972. Matilda is a Texan in Paris and Mark is a Georgian (the country) in New York. Sir Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse together at the National Football Museum Hall Of Fame awards in 2002. He scored both goals in the 1958 FA Cup Final, the second seeing him charge both keeper and ball over the line. Half a century after Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), they were finally recognized as contributors to the war effort by Queen Elizabeth II. Harry Gregg, a survivor of the crash who would go on to be one of United's best goalkeepers ever, could only manage to deflect the shot. It was then more than five years until he made his league debut for the club, but he eventually played against Chelsea on 31 August 1946, when he scored twice in a 43 defeat. Despite Ocwirks efforts, Lofthouse was able to slip past him. Nat Lofthouses statue now stands proudly outside the University of Bolton Stadium. When they won a late corner, they flooded forward, leaving Lofthouse alone with a single marker on the halfway line. He was declared English Footballer of the Year, an accolade he was given on the eve of the famed Stanley Matthews Final in the FA Cup. It was a friendly against the old Yugoslavia, with Nat scoring both England goals in a 2-all draw. One of those matches would turn out to be the definitive 90 minutes of his England career, at what was then called Praterstadion in Vienna on the 25th of May, 1952. As a result of the United States defeat in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, the national team lost its confidence when playing outside their comfort zone of the Home International Championships. And so with that barge, Lofthouse won Bolton's fourth, and final to date, FA Cup, famously proud of his "110 team" that cost no more than each player's signing-on fee. Boltons all-time greatest player was a gentleman throughout the league. He wasn't part of an illustrious academy early on, like those you see in the modern game. Nat Lofthouse OBE, the Bolton Wanderers and England legend, has passed away aged 85, leaving countless memories. Lofthouse was buried on 26 January 2011 as thousands turned out to say goodbye at Bolton Parish Church. I learnt to take hard knocks without feeling them. A year to the day after his death, Bolton Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside announced plans for one to be built and for the statue to be situated outside the Reebok Stadium. If anything, this inspired a more violent second half, with both sides desperate for a meaningful win. In 1953, it all came together. It was impossible for Bolton fans to feel this way for long however, he was the club's top scorer that first season after the war, with 21 goals in all competitions. Following his discovery, Nat Lofthouse was signed by then-Bolton manager Charles Foweraker, who had, at that point, been manager of the club for 25 years (and would manage for a further five years). Harry sees Nat manning the bar and the two talk for a while with Gregg finally ordering a pint. If he fails again to accept changes from the clean breakaways against Italy, England will be doomed. Lofthouse was well aware of his uncertain status, saying later, I knew I played poorly in Florence [but] I wasnt prepared for the reception I received in the press.. Viennas Soviet Zone is home to the Praterstadion, where the match was played. Bolton Wanderers and England legend Nat Lofthouse ( 'The Lion of Vienna' ) dies aged 85Nat Lofthouse epitomised the kind of English centre forward that has . On 22 March 1941, he made his debut for Bolton, scoring two goals in a 5-1 victory over Bury. Nat Lofthouse, the battering ram with a shrewd brain and heart of lion A one-club man, he played over 400 games for Bolton Wanderers and earned 33 caps for England (as well as his famous nickname). During his playing career, Nat Lofthouse was deservedly celebrated for his numerous on-pitch achievements. My body became firmer and harder. 16 January 2011 #1. [3] In doing so he was elbowed in the face, tackled from behind, and finally brought down by the goalkeeper. On 1 January 1994, he was appointed an OBE and on 18 January 1997, Bolton decided to name their East Stand at their new Reebok Stadium after him. Two players were so injured they were never able to take to the football pitch again, and the final player, goalkeeper Ray Wood, was still recovering from injuries sustained. The Mayor of Bolton, Alderman Entwhistle who was also a director of the club approached the youngster and asked him to sign and, along with the manager they managed to stop the local lad from leaving town although as he had already been a regular spectator at Burnden Park. He is still Bolton's top scorer of all time. This was a one-off and Bolton came from behind to get the better of Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge with goals from Hunt and Lol Hamlett. My legs became stronger and when I played football I felt I was shooting with greater power.". Inducted: 2002, National Football Museum Even his nickname, the Lion of Vienna, is something you wouldn't dream of bestowing upon the modern player. Everyone left with a scar or bruise.. Lofthouse is rightly remembered as the archetypal one-club man, but to call him that is to do him a disservice. It was taken from 40 yards and swerved like a mad thing past the astonished Robertson in the Chelsea goal.. A forward for Bolton Wanderers for the entirety of his career, Nat Lofthouse was an English professional footballer. The previous week, Nat Lofthouse was heavily criticized, but now hes the great hero, according to the headlines. Scot Foweraker, who started at the club as a gateman when the ground opened in 1895, had taken over as manager in 1919 and would go on to serve Wanderers for an outstanding 49 years, 25 as boss. Celebs . There was a light breeze and intermittent rain during the game. This win made for up defeat in the 1953 FA Cup Final, the same year he was selected as the Footballer of the Year by the FWA. 102 Years of Burnden Park: Part Two - Lion Of Vienna Suite Sculptor Sean Hedges Quinn will depict the captain leading his team onto the pitch and will be emblazoned with Nat's final words: "I've got the ball now, it's a bit worn, but I've got it.". On the domestic front Lofthouse enjoyed an outstanding 1952-53 season. Josef Musil, Rudolf, Rockl, Ernst Happel, Walter Schleger, Ernst Ocwirk, Theodor Brinek, Ernst Melchior, Gerhard Hanappi, Robert Dienst, Adolf Huber, Walter Haummer. That didn't last long though, as soon as Lofthouse was placed up front and the goals flowed. Despite this, England won the game in a hostile country despite suffering physical battering. The Lion of Vienna With the war over, the legendary Nat Lofthouse was finally able to start his career officially. . Entwistle, like Lofthouse, was an avid Wanderers fan and was named to the club's board in 1937. final", "England List of FA Charity/Community Shield Matches", 'The Cup Comes Home' - 1958 newsreel of Nat Lofthouse in Bolton, Lancashire, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nat_Lofthouse&oldid=1150190569, *Club domestic league appearances and goals, This page was last edited on 16 April 2023, at 20:03. 32 goals in 36 games for his club and four in five international matches seemed to cement his place as the countrys leading marksman. Even earning the maximum wage, financial security for his family wasnt secured beyond his playing days, and he tried his hand at both working as a paint salesman and running a pub. Outside the church, it was former Bolton manager Jimmy Armfield (1971-1974) who perhaps summed it all up best: "It's the fact that he was a one-club man. Upon coming home, he was the recipient of a stern scolding from his mother for ruining his brand new shoes. He wasn't part of an illustrious academy early on, like those you see in the modern game. After a 2-0 away win at the Victoria Ground where Ray Westwood bagged both goals the second leg was played seven days later and tragedy struck. Over the next few years, Lofthouse set about exhausting the superlatives available with his goalscoring. That is, a sane person that wasn't scared of facing the Lion of Vienna on the pitch. The Bevin Boy program came to an end in 1948. Lofthouse would later say; The miners of Britain are the finest fellows in the world. In the spring, he was awarded the Football Writers Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year title, a clear indication that he had achieved the status of a model professional. Six of their colleagues had died in the crash, including United's only goal scorer from that final, Tommy Taylor. Sources: Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, The Times, Daily Mirror, The Guardian, Daily Herald; Nat Lofthouse, Goals Galore, Nat Lofthouse. Lofthouse was in. A typical Saturday for Lofthouse involved getting up at 3.30am, catching the 4.30am tram to work, and working down the pit for 8 hours before the team bus took him to the match. After Jackie Sewell restored the lead, Nat Lofthouse headed against the crossbar. He really was the complete centre-forward. Musil had to commit fully before I struck the ball. It happened a lot in our day as it were, of course. Over his international career, launched at such a late age, he scored 30 goals in 33 games, a scoring ratio that is unmatched by any England player with more than 5 appearances to this day. Because the move came before the age of player power and agents controlling moves, Nat didn't have any say in the matter. Lofthouse scored all seven goals for Bolton. He earned the nickname by leading England to victory over Austria in Vienna on 25 May 1952. Thread starter leefer; Start date 16 January 2011; leefer Loyal Member. Returning on the bus after the game he was shocked to find Tommy Lawton waiting for him. NAT Lofthouse, one of the most famous of all Boltonians and the town's best-loved sporting son, has died at the age of 85. In 1958, he achieved his crowning glory, scoring twice including a controversial bundled second which sent the ball and goalkeeper Harry Gregg into the net as Bolton overcame a Manchester United side ravaged by the Munich Air Disaster to win the FA Cup. Known as the 'Lion of Vienna,' Nat Lofthouse was the epitome of the down-to-earth football star of the 1940s and 1950s. Alchetron Known as the 'Lion of Vienna, Nat Lofthouse was the epitome of the down-to-earth football star of the 1940s and 1950s. He said: I would have an hour or two off to receive coaching from George and firmly believe that these private coaching sessions played a big part in my advancement. Overcrowding resulted in spectators spilling over onto the touchline. His father was a coal-bagger for the community's co-operative before becoming the head horse keeper for Bolton Corporation. In 1957, he assumed captaincy of the club. Doug Holden, another star of the legendary 1950s edition of Bolton, provided a succinct summation of Lofthouses influence on the team. He grew up without much in the way of material comforts; his first sight of Bolton Wanderers came after shinning up a drain pipe at the clubs Burnden Park home rather than paying the threepence for schoolboy admission. He was a pivotal figure in one of the true golden ages of the beautiful game, ending his career as the leading goal scorer for both his club and his country, with a reputation as one of the game's true greats. In his 14 years at Bolton between . Too young for military service, Nat was determined to work hard on and off the field. It was there that the conversation that would change his life forever took place. His signing may well have been precipitated by Boltons stately long-time manager, Charles Foweraker, anticipating losing many of his players to the war effort. In 4th position is Ian Rush on 233 goals, then David Herd on 223 goals. The plan was for the statue to be funded by public donations, with help from the club. Still more fans entered and the crush resulted in the death of 33 people. When he wasnt on form, neither was the team. Thankfully for Bolton, the games in which Lofthouse wasnt on song were becoming fewer and fewer. It was no more than Nat Lofthouse deserved. For a time it appeared that he might not re-sign with the club for the 1957-58 season but he eventually relented and stayed at Burnden Park. He then played in the 2-2 draw with Wales in November 1958 but, at 33 years old, and even though he had scored 29 times in 37 games for his club that proved to be his final cap and he ended his international career with an outstanding record of 30 goals in 33 starts. In his 1999 book, Bolton Wanderers, Dean Hayes illustrated what a typical day looked like for Lofthouse: "Bevin Boy Lofthouse's Saturdays went like this: up at 3.30 a.m., catching the 4.30 tram to work; eight hours down the pit pushing tubs; collected by the team coach; playing for Bolton. It was, perhaps, fitting that Finney played a key role in the famous goal. [15] Even after he was conscripted to work in the nightmarish Lancashire coal pits as part of the war effort (many miners volunteered for the Armed Forces in large part to escape the agonising, doom-laden drudgery of their vocation), he could still consistently put opposition defences to the sword with a combination of rugged, raw power, superb aerial ability and a remarkable fearlessness. I wasn't cut out to be a manager.". As far as Englands league goalscorers are concerned, Nat Lofthouse is 37th all-time. He was probably the last of the old fashioned centre forwards, leading the line with toughness, taking plenty of knocks and giving them out too. A year ago today, Bolton Wanderers announced plans to immortalize the Lion of Vienna with a statue in front of the Reebok Stadium. Lofthouse played his last match against Birmingham City in December 1960 due to an ankle injury. Lofthouse would go on to play 33 games for England, but his debut on 22 November 1950 made him 25 when he finally broke into the team. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. When Lofthouse was given another shot at the FA Cup, he didn't let it slip away. On 25 May 1952, Lofthouse earned the title 'Lion of Vienna' after scoring his second goal in England's 3-2 victory over Austria. (Subs) Ronnie Allen, Ivor Broadis, Bill Nicholson, Stan Pearson, Bert Williams. Lofthouse returned to Burnden Park full-time in 1968 spending a mostly nondescript three-year spell as manager. With him passed away a piece of Bolton Wanderers Football Club that will never return. The 285 goals he scored between 1946 and 1961 still make him Boltons top goalscorer. The funeral was held 11 days later with 500 invited guests and members of the public inside Bolton Parish Church. Lofthouse was a constant at the head of the Wanderers goalscoring charts and his exploits, which included four goals in a win for an FA XI over the Army were finally rewarded by the international selectors in 1950 when, after scoring the only goal in the B teams win over the Netherlands at St James Park he went on the FA tour of Canada and North America. He signed as a 14-year-old for the club in September 1939, making wartime appearances before becoming an established league star in peacetime. Lofthouse, battered and semi-conscious, was taken from the field but returned as a passenger minutes later, still proving fit enough to shoot an effort 30 yards into the goal. Quick off the mark, an ability to shoot with either foot, with strength and agility in the air an innate ability to be in the right place at the right time. Harry says to Nat: "that's very nice of you." The first game finished 1-1 in Italy where Ivor Broadis got Englands goal and then came the match which earned that Lion of Vienna nickname. Tensions between the two countries were still high politically, and this showed in the stands and on the pitch. But work down the mine toughened him physically and the caustic humour of his fellow miners made sure he never became arrogant about his success on the field.". The climax of the match led Peskett to show his joy: This was more than any other British triumph to have befallen a side abroad this was an ending to a schoolboys story., The Daily Express Desmond Hackett writes, For Austria, it was the win they never saw coming.. The number 9 shirt is traditionally for the club's top goal scorer, a shirt that has been cursed at Bolton for years. Lofthouse stood unmarked on the right side of the penalty area when Sewell crossed the ball. Writing in his 1954 autobiography Goals Galore, Lofthouse discussed his time in the mines: "The job proved to be the best I could possibly have had. That was the last moment of real glory for Lofthouse's playing career, and for Bolton as well. In what was only his seventh cap, he was already well accustomed to the no-holds-barred criticism that came with being Englands centre forward. In spite of his prolific scoring, it took England selectors a few seasons to notice the boy from Bolton, Lofthouse's first England cap came in November of 1950 at the late age of 25. Lofthouse wasn't very good in goal though, conceding seven goals in his first outing. Playing at number 9 for Castle Hill, a position once occupied by Tommy Lawton at that point an England star young Nat firmly establishing himself as a school hero and, unbeknownst to him, earned a reputation among local scouts as the boy with such incredible heading ability that it was like he could kick with his head. The poor performance of England against Italy almost certainly played a role in the games outcome against Austria. To prove it, they battered England with arms, legs and heads. Ultimately, the Hungarians cruelly exposed Englands insecurities in May 1954 and November 1953 against Continental opposition. Please tick if you would like to receive information in this way. For England he scored a phenomenal 30 goals in 33 games. In his autobiography Goals Galore Lofthouse was fulsome in his praise of Hunt, whose nickname was The Chesterfield Tough. But after Taylors tragic death at Munich he was included in the 40-man squad for the 1958 World Cup but failed to make the final 22. In that game, Blackpool came back from 3-1 down to win 4-3, largely thanks to the heroics of Matthews, although he was no doubt helped by the fact that the Wanderers were effectively down to 10 men throughout much of the second half as Eric Bell was playing through a torn hamstring. The team nearly went back up at the first time of asking but a third-place position would not be enough for them. He did win the medal. Lofthouse wasn't just a career Bolton man, he was a lifetime Bolton man. The Lion of Vienna's impact to Bolton Wanderers was just as important off the pitch as it was on. His lifelong dedication to the club was not work, but a manifestation of who he was. Bolton as a team were struggling to reassert themselves with their pre-war team dismantled and Foweraker retiring, and that process was made considerably more difficult by the shadow both psychological and financial cast by the Burnden Disaster, a crush that killed 33, in 1946. Many would travel more than a mile down into the earth for around eight hours per day of very hard, physical work.