why was nat lofthouse called the lion of vienna

They overcame Southport (Lofthouse got a hat-trick), Accrington Stanley (where he scored twice), Blackpool (where he hit five over the two legs), Newcastle (three more for Lofthouse) and Wolves, where he shockingly failed to score, before beating Manchester United 3-2 on aggregate in the final. However, partially due to this, Nat Lofthouse did not always experience the utter adoration of the fans. That's the two words that go together and the thing about Nat was, as well, that you don't need to put his surname there, do you? Merrick plucked a corner cross from the air, who threw a long, swerving ball down the middle of the field. All the while, he kept scoring for his country as well as for his club, finishing on an incredible 30 goals in 33 caps and taking the record as the national teams all-time top goalscorer jointly with Finney. Discover Nat Lofthouse's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. The third? 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. 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. 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. 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. [3] There was a national wave of sympathy for United, who three months earlier had suffered grievously in the Munich air disaster. He netted in every round of the FA Cup in 1953, including the final, only to be thwarted by the wizardry of Stanley Matthews and a hat-trick from Stan Mortensen in one of the most famous finals of all time. In 2003, Nat Lofthouse retired from Bolton Wanderers for a second time. 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.". An England international, Nat Lofthouse played his entire club career for his hometown club, Bolton Wanderers, scoring 255 goals in 452 league appearances. Quite possibly the best football magazine in the World, 2023 All Rights Reserved - Read The League Built by B[]X, RIDE TO HELL. 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. In the first match of that campaign they travelled to London to play Chelsea matching him up against hero Tommy Lawton. Known as the Lion of Vienna, he scored 255 goals for . He was born on March 24, 1919, in Blyth, Northumberland, England. By Henry Winter 16 January 2011 8:10pm This was the first time the team played behind the Iron Curtain, and it was also the first peacetime match in Continental Europe with a significant away following.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofsoccer_info-box-4','ezslot_8',183,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-box-4-0'); As many as 1,400 tickets were assigned to British troops, although many more were obtained through the black market. The plan was for the statue to be funded by public donations, with help from the club. Alchetron He signed as a 14-year-old for the club in September 1939, making wartime appearances before becoming an established league star in peacetime. The ball came in and fell to Tom Finney, Lofthouses long-time England cohort and close personal friend, who expertly set his centre-forward away. Around 200 fans stormed the pitch after the final whistle sounded, creating a fantastic scene. Despite the double strike many, including leading football writer John Thompson remained unconvinced. 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 dark arts on more than one occasion. Speaking as a Bolton Wanderers player, I must say we get the best of everything. 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. After retiring from playing football, Lofthouse became the assistant trainer at Burnden Park on 10 July 1961 and was then appointed chief coach at the club in 1967. During the game, Nat was told to play in net, and being the kind of child that relished the opportunity to get on the field, didn't complain. 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.". 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. If anything, this inspired a more violent second half, with both sides desperate for a meaningful win. Our vision is to provide everyone in the world with a free and open-access education about the history of soccer with our online content compilation. 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. Even his nickname, the Lion of Vienna, is something you wouldn't dream of bestowing upon the modern player. NAT LOFTHOUSE is a name that rings through the annals of English football history like few others. His most memorable performance, which won him the nickname the "Lion of Vienna", was for England against Austria in May 1952. A single man did not give up. After that, Musil crashed into me, and we both fell to the ground. 32 goals in 36 games for his club and four in five international matches seemed to cement his place as the countrys leading marksman. On the morning of Saturday 6 December 1947 he married Alma Foster and in the afternoon scored twice as Wanderers beat Wolves 3-2. Dienst was tripped by Froggatt on the edge of the penalty area, and Huber equalized from the penalty spot. In April 1998, train operator Virgin CrossCountry named locomotive 47807 Lion of Vienna in Lofthouse's honour at Bolton station. Upon coming home, he was the recipient of a stern scolding from his mother for ruining his brand new shoes. He was famous for entertaining the clientele with some of the many stories about his time as a professional footballer. The Bolton Wanderers reached the final again five years later. In his 14 years at Bolton between . Too young for military service, Nat was determined to work hard on and off the field. His father was a coal-bagger for the community's co-operative before becoming the head horse keeper for Bolton Corporation. Once Lofthouse arrived Hunt moved to right-half and was later transferred to Sheffield Wednesday. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Several players in the match played below their level, with Nat Lofthouse one of those.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofsoccer_info-banner-1','ezslot_10',184,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-banner-1-0'); In the Daily Telegraph, Frank Coles wrote, One of the question marks is against Lofthouse. Bolton born and bred, Lofthouse was signed by Bolton Wanderers as a 14 year old apprentice in 1939. 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 previous week, Nat Lofthouse was heavily criticized, but now hes the great hero, according to the headlines. "'He was everything a centre forward should be and was a great one-club man.". Lofthouse saw his chance and took it, barging both Gregg and the ball into the back of the net. Lofthouse earned full international recognition when he was called up to play for his country against Yugoslavia at Highbury in November 1950. 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. On Jan. 15, 2011, Nat Lofthouse passed away quietly in his sleep in a Bolton nursing home at the age of 85. After that 1958 final, Bolton had started slipping and were ultimately relegated to the old Second Division in 1964. Stanley Mathewshad his last chance to earn a winners medal. ". Bolton won the game 20 with Lofthouse scoring both goals, the second of which was highly controversial and remains a talking point to this day. A) 20 B) 30 C) 40 In September 1952, Nat Lofthouse scored six goals in an interleague game against the Irish League. There Lofthouse got the only goal of the first match. 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. We were introduced and I stood there tongue-tied, Nat would later recall. That didn't last long though, as soon as Lofthouse was placed up front and the goals flowed. He holds this record to this day. 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. For Nat, the expectations were even greater. Wanderers gave the then 15-year-old his debut on 14 March 1941 in a wartime match with Bury again providing the opposition. 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. Nat Lofthouse began playing football as a very young boy. Manchester The military nature of this event was further underscored by the presence of so many British soldiers in uniform. 1968 rolled around and Nat Lofthouse was appointed caretaker manager of the club. Josef Musil, Rudolf, Rockl, Ernst Happel, Walter Schleger, Ernst Ocwirk, Theodor Brinek, Ernst Melchior, Gerhard Hanappi, Robert Dienst, Adolf Huber, Walter Haummer. 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. On 24 August 2013, a statue was dedicated. On foreign soil, the English brave and plucky had triumphed over technologically superior opponents against all odds. The only thing worse was when I said yes.' 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. After a brief stint as the caretaker, Nat Lofthouse was named the full-time manager of Bolton Wanderers and stayed in the post until 1970. My body became firmer and harder. Harry says to Nat: "that's very nice of you." [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. Thread starter leefer; Start date 16 January 2011; leefer Loyal Member. 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. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. As a result, Nat Lofthouse was nicknamed the Lion of Vienna. Read |Dixie Dean: footballs first great number nine. Even when things were not in his favor, Lofthouse was not one to complain or pity himself. Herbert Chapman: Arsenal FC And Huddersfield Town Manager, Miguel Muoz: First To Win European Cup As Player And Manager, Sir Bobby Robson: More Than A Football Manager In Tyneside. Richard Lofthouse brought up his family on a weekly wage of just 2 10s. . In the second half, the Wanderers looked the better team, as the thrown-together nature of Manchester United began to show. 16 January 2011 #1. It happened a lot in our day as it were, of course. They could not receive service medals and were not guaranteed a return to their old jobs, unlike those serving in the armed forces. Of all those conscripted into service between the ages of 18 and 25, around 10% went to work in the mines. 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. 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. Lofthouse stands eighth in the list of English football's top division all time goalscorers.[4]. 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. Lofthouses early life was typical of many of those who played in the final era before wages exploded, when the sport was still very much a working mans game.

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