why was nat lofthouse called the lion of vienna

Bolton Wanderers and England legend Nat Lofthouse ( 'The Lion of Vienna' ) dies aged 85Nat Lofthouse epitomised the kind of English centre forward that has . Awarded an O.B.E in 1994, Lofthouse suffered from dementia in his later years and passed away at the age of 84 in 2011. The paradigm that would come to define a golden era in the history of one of Englands oldest clubs was now set in stone. It was a close match, and neither side was shy about using force, a game far away from today's well-regulated affairs. One false start for his school team aside he was drafted in as a last-minute replacement in goal and conceded seven he began exhibiting a prodigious knack for goalscoring early on. Lofthouse once said of the Preston Plumber; He was that good he could cross the ball making sure the laces were facing away from my head.. And, by today's standards, Nat Lofthouse would make his modern day equivalents look like little kittens. Before becoming Bolton's chief scout, he became an administrative manager at Burnden. During the war, he was one of 48,000 men who were sent to work in the coal mines rather than the armed services with a . Lofthouse saw his chance and took it, barging both Gregg and the ball into the back of the net. Nathaniel Nat Lofthouse, OBE (27 August 1925 15 January 2011) was an English professional footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers for his whole career. He was the club's top scorer in 11 out of the 13 seasons between 1946-47 and 1958-59, with his highest tally in a season resting at 35 goals, attained in that final season of 1958-59. 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. That was the last moment of real glory for Lofthouse's playing career, and for Bolton as well. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Read |Sir Stanley Matthews and the story of Englands humble wizard. . This time he only managed to score a brace, the fourth and fifth goals in a 5-1 victory at Burnden Park. A one-club man, he played over 400 games for Bolton Wanderers and earned 33 caps for England (as well as his famous nickname). Lofthouse, chased by the Austrian defence, carried the ball into the area and placed it past goalie Musil for the winner. After receiving a congratulatory telegram from hero Lawton he had a debut to remember grabbing both goals in a 2-2 draw, beating former ballet dancer Vladimir Beara with a close-range shot from a cross from Les Medley and Johnny Hancocks then provided a pinpoint centre which Nat converted with a diving header. He was made the club's Vice President for life in 1969. Lofthouse is rightly remembered as the archetypal one-club man, but to call him that is to do him a disservice. Its difficult to discuss Nat Lofthouse without resorting to clichs. [18], list of English football's top division all time goalscorers, "Nathaniel Lofthouse - Goals in International Matches", "Bolton Wanderers and England legend Nat Lofthouse dies aged 85", "This is Your Life (1969 - 1993) @ EOFFTV", "11 football greats who have suffered with dementia", "Bolton Wanderers 0 Chelsea 4: match report", "Mourners hail Nat Lofthouse as 'credit to Bolton', "1953 - The Matthews. Its capital cities, Berlin and Vienna, were also divided into four by the four Allied Powers (Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and France). He hesitated before he emerged at my side. When the goalkeeper tried to give Lofthouse the money for his pint, Lofthouse refused. . Lofthouse scored twice against Belgium in a match that ended 44. He also led his side to the FA Cup final, giving them a 2nd minute lead against Blackpool to compete a record of scoring in every round. Austria hit back to equalise, Sewell restored the advantage but the home team levelled for a second time. In the 83rd minute, Tom Finney tapped the ball to Lofthouse on the halfway line. "'He was everything a centre forward should be and was a great one-club man.". He scored both goals in the 1958 FA Cup Final, the second seeing him charge both keeper and ball over the line. For Nat, the expectations were even greater. He said later; I never saw the ball enter the Austrian net for the best goal of my life. Stanley Mathewshad his last chance to earn a winners medal. Playing career [ edit] There is no doubt he gave everything to his club, and to the game. After gaining eight corners to Englands none, the Austrians dominated for most of the game. On the morning of Saturday 6 December 1947 he married Alma Foster and in the afternoon scored twice as Wanderers beat Wolves 3-2. The Bevin Boy program came to an end in 1948. In 1952-53, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year. Former Bolton captain Kevin Davies and then manager Owen Coyle were among the pallbearers.[16]. 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. For the game with Saskatoon the local team only had nine players so Lofthouse and Tim Ward of Derby County switched sides but couldnt prevent their team losing 19-1. We may also very occasionally send you information about the museum via Facebook. Former Bolton Wanderers and England striker Nat Lofthouse, one of the greats of a golden post-war generation, died in his sleep at the age of 85, the club announced on Sunday. With no club having shown an interest and his days of regular organised football coming to an end, it appeared that any chance he had of making it as a professional was over, before one of his final days at school where he was to be commended at the annual prize-giving ceremony. The 285 goals he scored between 1946 and 1961 still make him Boltons top goalscorer. 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. Charity No: 1050792, Open every day 10am 5pm (last admission 4pm), Email: info@nationalfootballmuseum.com The OBE was awarded to him in 1994. A one-club man, he played over 400 games for Bolton Wanderers and earned 33 caps for England (as well as his famous nickname). Tensions between the two countries were still high politically, and this showed in the stands and on the pitch. The wording of the epithet is indicative both of the era and the man himself. 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. The great Nat Lofthouse was born to humble beginnings on the 27th of August, 1925 to Richard and Sarah Lofthouse. Nat Lofthouse was Bolton in a way that the modern day equivalent of Kevin Davies, however loved by the fans, could never be. He made the best out of every situation and was often the first to say that he was happy to be earning a living by playing the game that he loved so much. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'historyofsoccer_info-leader-2','ezslot_15',169,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-leader-2-0');In 452 Football League appearances for Bolton, he scored 255 goals. He also topped the list of Division 1 scorers with an impressive tally of 30 goals. He signed as a 14-year-old for the club in September 1939, making wartime appearances before becoming an established league star in peacetime. Born in Bolton, Lancashire, in 1925, Lofthouse joined the town's main club on 4 September 1939 and made his debut in a wartime 51 win against Bury on 22 March 1941 when he scored two goals. Speaking at Nat's "This Is Your Life" show, Bolton Wanderers' commercial manager at the time, Alf Davies shared just how crucial Nat Lofthouse's presence at the club was: "In 1982, we hit on some hard times and in 1982, we had just six weeks to live before the bank called time on our activities. It was one of the first instances of a personal worrisome streak that was completely at odds with his public persona. Viennas Soviet Zone is home to the Praterstadion, where the match was played. I hit it when he was right on top of me. . [14] In the following days Weekly Dispatch, John Robertson wrote; Lofthouses first goal left me open-mouthed. Half a century after Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), they were finally recognized as contributors to the war effort by Queen Elizabeth II. As with the other definitive match of his career, the match was emotionally charged, this time due to the fact that the opponents, Manchester United, had been decimated only three months earlier in the tragic Munich Air Disaster. A runner-up medal and the Footballer of the Year award came to him in 1953, and a winners medal and the FA Cup in 1958. Bolton born and bred, Lofthouse was signed by Bolton Wanderers as a 14 year old apprentice in 1939. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. When remembering the menial jobs he was tasked with as youth team coach following his retirement, he reflected that they meant I could stay with Bolton Wanderers. M4 3BG, 2023 National Football Museum. In early 1947 he asked for a transfer with Tottenham Hotspur said to be seriously interested in his services but the Bolton board turned the request down and he quickly got back to business finishing the season as the clubs top scorer with 18 goals, a feat he repeated in the following campaign. 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. My body became firmer and harder, I learned to take hard knocks without feeling them. In 195253, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year. As always, football matches were symbolic.. Thanks to his size, a healthy 12 stone (168 pounds) by age 15, he was played up front in a center forward position and it was there that Nat thrived. They could not receive service medals and were not guaranteed a return to their old jobs, unlike those serving in the armed forces. The only identity was Nat Lofthouse. On the domestic front Lofthouse enjoyed an outstanding 1952-53 season. Musil had to commit fully before I struck the ball. In the Daily Herald, Clifford Webb wrote; Every man-jack did a heros job, but the player who provided the really tremendous thrill for the frantically cheering English colony was Nat Lofthouse. He holds this record to this day. Indeed, many of the stereotypes we now associate with players from the sepia-tinged era of the 1950s have their roots in Lofthouses own story. [6], Tributes were paid to Lofthouse as he celebrated his 80th birthday, including a party at the Reebok. Needless to say, the whole country and a good portion of the 100,000 fans packed into Wembley that day were behind the battered and bruised Manchester side. Nat was always a big boy and because of that, often found himself in goal, acting as the last line of defense for whatever ragtag side he found himself playing on. The England camp was tense as dawn broke in Vienna, Austria, on the morning of 25 May 1952. A few years later, on Sept. 4, 1939, the day after World War II broke out in Europe, as nearly all of the Bolton first team went off to war, Lofthouse went to Burnden Park, put pen to paper and signed for Bolton Wanderers as a youth player. We are a registered charity; He made his debut in wartime football and in 1943 he became a Bevin boy, one of 48,000 men who were sent to work in the coal mines rather than the armed services in World War II. They did not have a particularly tough path to Wembley facing mostly Division 2 and 3 sides, although they did knockout Division 1 champions of that season Wolverhampton in the quarter finals. please support us. (Subs) Ronnie Allen, Ivor Broadis, Bill Nicholson, Stan Pearson, Bert Williams. [11] They had two children, a son, Jeff, and a daughter, Vivien. 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. George Hunt, who was a very fine centre forward himself, [He won 3 England caps scoring once and netted 169 times in 294 games in a war-interrupted playing career] and he possesses the rare ability to pass on to youngsters his own deep knowledge of the game. Two goals in a 5-1 win gave a taste of what was the come. 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.. Having played his first organised game as an emergency goalkeeper for his older brothers school team, conceding seven times and upsetting his Mum by playing in a new pair of shoes (he would later redeem himself by cleaning them as good as new), he quickly moved into attack his more natural position, due to his size, and established himself as the star centre forward for Castle Hill school. Lofthouse had thunderous, crashing shots, coupled with a burning desire to get in the right place to unleash them. Lofthouse was at his imperious best, plundering goals at a rate that even the sportswriters who had grown up watching the likes of, The England camp was tense as dawn broke in Vienna, Austria, on the morning of 25 May 1952. Just about. The Lion Of Vienna. 16 January 2011 #1. [3] Lofthouse went into a challenge with the United keeper Harry Gregg and barged him into the net to score. Whilst there was no official league football in 1945-46 (Wanderers finished 3rd in the Football League North) the FA Cup was restarted. During World War II, nearly 48,000 men served in the coal mines, the majority of which were chosen at random during the conscription process, with that number including volunteers. Even when things were not in his favor, Lofthouse was not one to complain or pity himself. 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. Nat Lofthouse was a 'Bevin Boy', one of thousands of young men conscripted to work in Britain's mines by Ernest Bevin, the coalition government's Minister of Labour and National Service during. The United lost emotion on the whole game at the end. 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