As always, football matches were symbolic.. The previous week, Nat Lofthouse was heavily criticized, but now hes the great hero, according to the headlines. 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. Telephone: 0161 605 8200. Be in no doubt, the greatest number 9 and Bolton's finest son is of course Sir Nat Lofthouse. 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. . People like Tom Finney and myself, people like that. 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). My legs became stronger and when I played football I felt I was shooting with greater power.". His mother stayed at home and cared for the four boys. Nat Lofthouse was one of the post-war giants of football who had a glittering career with Bolton Wanderers, his only club, and England. The day for Bevin Boys was a long and tough one. All in all, he tallied up 255 goals in 452 league games, and 30 goals in 51 cup matches. 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. Owning the public house was not the most rewarding career choice to the man who only wanted to see his boyhood club do well. Lofthouse was buried on 26 January 2011 as thousands turned out to say goodbye at Bolton Parish Church. His strength and power were again prominent when he won the single honour of his career. However, given his family's financial stance and the need to care for four boys, the young Lofthouse could not afford to pay for entry into Burnden Park to watch his beloved Whites. Alchetron Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour and National Service during World War II, lent his name to the conscripted miners. Lofthouse was witness to a Bolton Wanderers golden age of top flight success throughout the 1930s and although the Trotters won three FA Cups in Nat's life time, he was too young to witness the 1926 and 1929 wins over Manchester City and Portsmouth. . The goal he scored when coming on as substitute for the injured Tommy Taylor against Finland in Helsinki was the 29th for his country taking him past Steve Bloomer as Englands all-time leading scorer. . On this occasion, he relieved himself of day-to-day duties at the club but remained on board as an ambassador for the Trotters, attending matches and club events for years to come. The crowd in the stands cheered Lofthouse on.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofsoccer_info-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_14',187,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); As Lofthouse recalls, I heard the hounds running after me. Musil began running but stopped before he reached me. Lion of Vienna Suite Nat Lofthouse East Stand, sponsored by Eventura Providing a match day experience that is perfect for family, friends and fellow Bolton Wanderers fans, the Lion of Vienna Suite offers a relaxed atmosphere with its own pay bar and LED TV screens. On the pitch his place in the national side was gone, replaced as spearhead by Manchester Uniteds Taylor. Nat Lofthouse had endured well against a battering from the Italian defenders, despite these suggestions of poor performance. Half a century after Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), they were finally recognized as contributors to the war effort by Queen Elizabeth II. After failing to score in the win over Scotland at Hampden the centre forward went on Englands 1952 summer tour. 32 goals in 36 games for his club and four in five international matches seemed to cement his place as the countrys leading marksman. It would have certainly resulted in a straight red card by today's standards, but was adjudged to be fair at the time. Ultimately, the Hungarians cruelly exposed Englands insecurities in May 1954 and November 1953 against Continental opposition. A one-club man, he played over 400 games for Bolton Wanderers and earned 33 caps for England (as well as his famous nickname). For as much as Bolton Wanderers shaped him, his career and his life, he too left an indelible mark on the club, defining the team's most iconic era and playing a pivotal role in saving the club during its most ignominious age. [3] There was a national wave of sympathy for United, who three months earlier had suffered grievously in the Munich air disaster. When the goalkeeper tried to give Lofthouse the money for his pint, Lofthouse refused. 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. 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. 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. Mr Lofthouse, known as the Lion of Vienna, died on 15 January aged 85. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. He didnt need to be asked twice. Nat Lofthouse, the former England forward who spent his whole playing career with Bolton Wanderers FC and was nicknamed the Lion of Vienna, has died in his sleep at the age of 85. I could only nod like a dim-wit. His career and life, like so many of the players he shared the pitch with, seems so improbable when compared to modern stars both in terms of achievements and circumstances that its hard to separate the man from the legend. 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. In 1953, it all came together. Lofthouse would later say; The miners of Britain are the finest fellows in the world. To open the scoring, he swiveled on his right foot and hit a volley with his left foot. Inducted: 2002, National Football Museum Despite this, England won the game in a hostile country despite suffering physical battering. A one-club man with a passionate love for his hometown and his club, his decision to remain at Burnden Park for his entire career was never truly in his hands, with no freedom of contract meaning the club had absolute power over their player. He was capped 33 times for the England national football team between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals and giving himself one of the greatest. In 1978, he became the club's executive manager. [6], Tributes were paid to Lofthouse as he celebrated his 80th birthday, including a party at the Reebok. I wasn't cut out to be a manager.". Long after his star had ascended, he could still be found riding the bus from his nearby home to Burnden Park, delighting in surprising fans who were discussing his performances on the pitch unbeknownst of his presence. That was the last moment of real glory for Lofthouse's playing career, and for Bolton as well. Still, the Lion of Vienna's time with the Trotters was nowhere near done as just a few years later, he became the club's Executive Manager. He won that. But he came back before the final whistle as Nat's valiant display earned him the nickname, 'Lion of Vienna'. 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. It was a friendly against the old Yugoslavia, with Nat scoring both England goals in a 2-all draw. Contents show The 1952 tour England toured Europe briefly in summer 1952 and played matches against politically sensitive opponents Italy and Austria. Lofthouse wasn't just a career Bolton man, he was a lifetime Bolton man. As a result, Nat Lofthouse was nicknamed 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 . Unfortunately, Bolton were not able to right their sinking ship under the Lion of Vienna and at the end of the 1970-71 season (after Lofthouse had left the post), Bolton were in 22nd place and relegated to the Third Division (an all-time low until the 1987-1988 season). he said to me always try to bang in one or two and remember, its goals that count. Celebs . The Lion of Vienna sleeps. His efforts did see him awarded the title of FWA Footballer of the Year, an accolade that went nicely with the moniker, his most famous, that hed earned the year before. The performance certainly cemented Nats place as Englands number nine and six goals for the Football League against the Irish League further underlined it. Before becoming Bolton's chief scout, he became an administrative manager at Burnden. Lofthouse is rightly remembered as the archetypal one-club man, but to call him that is to do him a disservice. On top of running the Castle Pub after his retirement, Lofthouse maintained a number of different positions with Bolton Wanderers. And that, basically, was all I wanted to do. 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. We had to do something quickly and we had no identity at that time. 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. Recalled to the national team line-up for match with the USSR he provided the final goal in a 5-0 win. He hit the ground before the ball went over the line, knocked out cold for one of the most famous goals of his career. I learnt to take hard knocks without feeling them. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Any hopes of the Three Lions traditional end-of-season tour being a relatively sedate one had been dashed in their opening game, a frustrating 1-1 draw in Florence in which Englands Italian opponents had resorted to the, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Nat Lofthouse: the Lion of Vienna and the gent of Bolton, Remembering the disaster of 1991/92, Bayern Munichs worst season in modern history, Rio, 1989: Chilean skullduggery, hidden razor blades and Brazilian flares, Brighton and Crystal Palace: the rise of a rivalry separated by 39 miles, The madness of Liverpools first foray into European competition, The tale of Queens Park: the early innovators who became last of the amateurs, Bobby Robson, Ipswich Town and a brutal quest for the 1981 treble. As it transpired, Nats first day reporting to Burnden Park in 1939 was also Britains first full day at war with Germany. He ran a pub for a while, whilst still coaching at his one and only club but the lure of football proved too great. What made Lofthouses feats all the more remarkable was the manner in which he shrugged them off. From an early age, Nat was a Bolton Wanderers supporter. The youngest of four sons, Nathaniel Lofthouse was born in Bolton on 27 August 1925. In the following Sundays game with Austria, England was widely considered as an underdog. He earned the nickname by leading England to victory over Austria in Vienna on 25 May 1952. But you always associate Nat with Bolton. A) 20 B) 30 C) 40 Additionally, he and Tom Finney had the England scoring record together until Jimmy Greaves came along. For England, the Austria game provided two firsts. He later admitted that the experience in the mines helped his football career saying that his stint; helped toughen me both physically and mentally. Phillips, a 78-year-old Minden resident, was Lofthouse's cousin (their mothers Lily and Jane were sisters) and said the man dubbed the "Lion of Vienna" would be shocked at all the fuss. . Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. ALTHOUGH he earned a great deal of his reputation, and indeed his nickname, for one performance, Nat Lofthouse, 'The Lion of Vienna' was a tremendous servant for his country for eight years, bagging 30 goals in just 33 games, and for his club for over 30 years. On the domestic front Lofthouse enjoyed an outstanding 1952-53 season. A year ago today, Bolton Wanderers announced plans to immortalize the Lion of Vienna with a statue in front of the Reebok Stadium. His most memorable performance,. Having failed to find the net in his past two internationals, a run which had scuppered more than a few promising youngsters England careers, Boltons star was aware of a concerted campaign in the press to have him replaced by Newcastles brilliant Jackie Milburn. On 22 March 1941, he made his debut for Bolton, scoring two goals in a 5-1 victory over Bury. With essentially all of the first-teamers away at the war, it was comparatively easy for Nat to work his way into a regular starting spot, and by the time the regular league resumed in 1946, that spot was effectively sealed for the next 14 years. 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. Lion Of Vienna Suite, a Bolton Wanderers community. The FA XI were unbeaten in their 11 matches but Lofthouse still managed to finish on a losing side. Of all those conscripted into service between the ages of 18 and 25, around 10% went to work in the mines. Although he failed to score in the Cup Winners Cup match there is no doubt that, with 13 goals, he was the star of the show. Towards the end of the 1956-57 season there was some doubt over whether Lofthouse would remain at Bolton and it was all because of a pub. Club Chaplain Phil Mason added: "We are absolutely delighted with the work Sean has done; the image captures Nat perfectly - his strength both physical and mental and his great sense of purpose on and off the field. It didnt take long for Lofthouse to start getting attention from professional clubs and in 1939 at the age of just 14 he was persuaded by Bolton Wanderers manager Charles Foweraker to sign for his local club with a little help from another important man in the city. He had even handed a transfer request in several times, unsurprisingly rejected by the club in the days before there were agents to campaign on his behalf. Retiring from playing in 1960, he was made a President of Bolton Wanderers in 1986, a post he held until his death in 2011. A one-club man, he played over 400 games for Bolton Wanderers and earned 33 caps for England (as well as his famous nickname). It was one of the first instances of a personal worrisome streak that was completely at odds with his public persona. Although the England players have not yet abandoned hope, the home team was 2-1 favorites to win this match. As the decade wore on, the clouds began to disperse. 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. Bolton were then beaten in the semi-final by Derby County. 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. 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. Named the Lion of Vienna after scoring three goals for England v Austria Nat was a Legend for Bolton Wanderers.and England. He won 33 caps for England between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals, with one of the highest goals-per-game ratios of any England player. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Lofthouse saw his chance and took it, barging both Gregg and the ball into the back of the net. The Lion of Vienna With the war over, the legendary Nat Lofthouse was finally able to start his career officially. As far as the future was concerned, these results were not isolated, and these signs were already in evidence. 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. Why was Nat Lofthouse called Lion of Vienna? Musil had to commit fully before I struck the ball. The poor performance of England against Italy almost certainly played a role in the games outcome against Austria. We are a registered charity; Discover Nat Lofthouse's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. When Lofthouse was given another shot at the FA Cup, he didn't let it slip away. 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. 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. Having served his apprenticeship in wartime football, Lofthouse went on to become a star of peacetime football. Its difficult to discuss Nat Lofthouse without resorting to clichs. It was a typical Bolton team, and they won in a typical Bolton fashion: the measured combination of a bit of skill with a healthy helping of muscle. You would be very hard-pressed to find a sane person that had a negative thing to say about Nat Lofthouse. RIP Nat Lofthouse. This time he only managed to score a brace, the fourth and fifth goals in a 5-1 victory at Burnden Park. Nat Lofthouse, the battering ram with a shrewd brain and heart of lion A one-club man to his boots, the Bolton and England striker dubbed the Tank by the Austrians, was a giant of the game. The club remained close to him after that, and he served as its general manager, scout, and president as of October 1986. Between 1950 and 1958, he played 33 times for the England national football team. Nat was the youngest of four boys. Prisoner Of A Dubious Peace. In 1945 19-year-old Nat played a big part as Wanderers captured the War Cup (North). 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. Instead, Lofthouse honed his skills on the. Eulogies were offered by Bolton chairman Phil Gartside and Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor, a boyhood Bolton fan and former Wanderers player. please support us. It made me fitter than ever I had been before. A forceful player, he combined physical strength with a powerful shot in either foot or a strong header. There may have been no better example of this than in 1954 when Serie A side Fiorentina put in a lucrative offer for Lofthouse (one that would have allowed him to live very comfortably after retirement) but the club turned it down. 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. He also topped the list of Division 1 scorers with an impressive tally of 30 goals. Foweraker was the club's most successful manager ever, bring the FA Cup trophy to Bolton on three occasions in a span of seven seasons (1923, 1926, and 1929). During Lofthouses career, Vienna played a crucial role. Six of their colleagues had died in the crash, including United's only goal scorer from that final, Tommy Taylor. For Nat, the expectations were even greater. During the Second World War, both countries were major allies of Nazi Germany. by ReadTheLeague | May 24, 2021 | The Big Feature. [3], On 26 November 1958, Lofthouse made his final England appearance, against Wales, at the age of 33, and he officially retired from the game in January 1960 because of an ankle injury, although his final league game was not until 17 December of that year, when he suffered a knee injury against Birmingham City. 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. The number 9 shirt is traditionally for the club's top goal scorer, a shirt that has been cursed at Bolton for years. [8] Nat Lofthouse was an Inaugural Inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Instead, Lofthouse would famously climb the walls at Burnden Park in order to get into the ground for free. This match determined which of the two nations would call themselves Champions of Europe in many parts of Europe. Not long after his retirement from football, Nat took control of the Castle Pub on Tonge Moor Road in Bolton. Lofthouse was consistently self-deprecating about his abilities his favourite maxim, borrowed from one of his coaches at Bolton, was that all he could do was run, shoot, and head but it slowly became apparent that by doing all three with a sort of relentless, irresistible energy, he needed little else. He was made the club's Vice President for life in 1969. Lofthouse Lofthouse was dubbed the "Lion of Vienna" after scoring the second goal in England's 3-2 triumph over Austria on May 25, 1952. Instead, Lofthouse honed his skills on the empty lots and wasteland that were more than common around the northwest during the day. [3] Lofthouse went into a challenge with the United keeper Harry Gregg and barged him into the net to score. Promised a new bike if he scored a hat-trick in the match he actually went four better, getting all the goals in a 7-1 win, establishing himself as one to watch. Somehow, he managed to get the shot off before colliding with the Austrian keeper. It was something that Lofthouse would later describe as "the worst moment of his life." Harry says to Nat: "that's very nice of you." In fact, there's a very funny joke from Lofthouse's time behind the bar: Harry Gregg (the Manchester United goalkeeper that Nat famously clattered over the goal line for Bolton's second goal in the 1958 FA Cup final) was driving through Bolton and decided to stop at the Castle Pub for a drink. Pushing the tubs made me fitter than I had ever been before. He said of his career; For me Football is pleasure with pay. Once Lofthouse arrived Hunt moved to right-half and was later transferred to Sheffield Wednesday. Lofthouse was a one-club centre-forward who dedicated his life to Bolton Wanderers. The same was true of his debut, which arrived in 1940, aged just 15. 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. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofsoccer_info-leader-1','ezslot_12',186,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-leader-1-0');White shirts were worn by Austria and red by England. It was a close match, and neither side was shy about using force, a game far away from today's well-regulated affairs. Accepting his award from a local councilman, he was unaware that the man in front of him sat on the board of Bolton Wanderers, until he asked if Lofthouse would like to play for them. [7] A campaign, backed by Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association and former Bolton player, was started, aiming to get Lofthouse knighted. 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. 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. Manchester He started his countrys next 12 internationals scoring 13 times. 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. I hit it when he was right on top of me. 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. The team was struggling, the club was struggling. 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. Posts 7,107 Likes 2 Location swindon wilts. 16 January 2011 #1. 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. By 1942, all males in the United Kingdom aged 18-51 (with a few exceptions) were eligible to be conscripted by the government into wartime service. Andy is a UK-born, football fanatic who follows the trials and tribulations of Aston Villa and his local non-league side, Stafford Rangers. Football was also a significant sport for the two nations. Too young for military service, Nat was determined to work hard on and off the field. On the morning of Saturday 6 December 1947 he married Alma Foster and in the afternoon scored twice as Wanderers beat Wolves 3-2. He scored 22 goals in 36 games for a Wanderers team that finished 14th. By Paul Ride. At the age of 11 in 1936, Lofthouse tagged along with one of his brothers to watch his older sibling play for the school that they both attended, Castle Hill. 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. Nat Lofthouses statue now stands proudly outside the University of Bolton Stadium. Hurt scoring the winner against Ireland, Lofthouse missed the November 1953 match against Hungary at Wembley where the home team were hammered 6-3 and also suffered a wrist injury causing him to withdrew from the squad that went on a short tour in 1954 which included a 7-1 humbling at the hands of the same Hungarian team in Budapest. In a football match bearing the weight of sport, politics, and differing ideologies, Lofthouse approached the pitch as though it were a battlefield, sacrificing his body (and probably a few brain cells) to win an important, poignant, and unexpected, victory for England.

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