Alan Ball RIP

Gah. Hummel, I meant. Humbrol might've made the paint he used.

He was about to move up to his close pal Mick Channon

It's all coming out now, innit?

He watched last night's Man Yoo game and was going to play golf today, bless the little fella.

Alan started life as a road sweeper and ended up as the best lead violinist Southampton ever had.

What kind of secret life did this man lead?

I remember him not sounding terribly healthy during the World Cup but that might have been how he always sounded, thinking back on it. RIP.

In May 2005, Ball put his World Cup winners' medal and commemorative tournament cap up for auction to raise money for his family. They were sold for £140,000.

People tend to grumble about the astronomical salaries footballers get paid nowadays but surely it must be an improvement on the alleged glory days when World Cup winners still got paid peanuts and unless they were good enough to get into coaching and management after their careers were over, they floundered.

Then again, he did go into management - seven clubs in 19 years, hmm - but still ended up having to flog the family silver.

And prior to that, Marcello, you had the maximum wage, yearly contracts and the retain-and-transfer system. Gary Imlach's book about his dad is very good on this period.

Alan started life as a road sweeper and ended up as the best lead violinist Southampton ever had.

Best typo ever? Or just Mr Macmen getting over-florid?

Also, yeah, but remove the top 10% of earners, it's the same ol'.

Youngest member of the '66 world cup squad.

I remember an amusing article just after the England v Jamaica game last summer, the warm-up for the World Cup. The England team bus arrived at Old Trafford and was virtually mobbed, ditto Gary Lineker's car as it arrived. About 10mins later, England World Cup winner Alan Ball walked through the crowd without anyone even noticing him.

I've just started reading the Imlach.

He was the manager at Southampton in 94-95, when I started following them. Got us to either 10th or 11th that season, I can't quite remember - all that mattered was we were ahead of Arsenal. Then Man City hired him at the end of the season, and his time there was rather less successful. Still, though, the feller was pretty much responsible for convincing me that Jim Magilton was a world-beater, and I'll always be grateful for that. RIP.

Then Man City hired him at the end of the season, and his time there was rather less successful.

Oh noes I just remembered that awful bastardisation of Wonderwall - "'Coz after all - You're my Alan Ball"

RIP. He always seemed like a nice guy who was passionate about the game.

Heaven needed a guy whose voice was audible only to dogs. RIP.

RIP

His autobiography is very funny. As was he. RIP

Anyone else think his son looks creepily like Geoff Hurst? Just sayin' and all...

The east coast North Americans are going to get to work in a minute and think that the American Beauty screenwriter is dead.

I don't think we're doing justice to Bally here. More quotes! That heart-rending bit on Match of the '90s where he described the confusion surrounding the last few minutes of Man City's match vs Liverpool in '96 where they needed to win to stay up. He then explains how he "hasn't been relegated all that many times" despite what people think.

The east coast North Americans are going to get to work in a minute and think that the American Beauty screenwriter is dead.

Yup. (And creator of Six Feet Under.)

"If my footballers were bricklayers the house they built would fall down."

The east coast North Americans are going to get to work in a minute and think that the American Beauty screenwriter is dead.

Yes, you teases. Now we have more crap TV/films to look forward to.

As a City fan, I remember some of the less positive areas of his CV, but I won't dwell on that now.

I actually liked the 'You're My Alan Ball' song at the time; as much as anything it just scanned so beautifully (which surely explains its longevity despite poor results). We adapted the middle-eight bit, too, of Wonderwall in hommage to Georgiou Kinkladze, and Maine Road would belt it out.

RIP

We adapted the middle-eight bit, too, of Wonderwall in hommage to Georgiou Kinkladze

"All the runs that Kinki makes are winding, and all the goals that Kinki scores are blinding". Fantastic. As was that "There's only one Georgie and he isn't best" graffiti near Maine Road.

Ah Kinkladze. The best player to wear City blue in my time.

Has anyone got the rollcall of Ball's managerial horror to hand?

Portsmouth

Ball resumed his managerial career in May 1984 with Portsmouth and was a huge success, after two seasons of finishing in 4th spot in Division Two, he guided them to the top flight in 1987. However, they were relegated after just one season back among the elite, and Ball was sacked in January 1989 with Pompey struggling in Division Two.

Colchester and Stoke City

The following month he joined Colchester United as assistant to Jock Wallace and in October 1989 took up a similar post under Mick Mills at Stoke City. However, Mills was sacked two weeks later and after a spell as caretaker Ball was given the managers' job. Despite spending a lot of money on new players, Stoke were relegated to Division Three at the end of the season. He was sacked in February 1991 with Stoke on their way to recording their lowest ever final league position.

Exeter City

In July 1991 he was appointed as manager of Third Division Exeter City. Although Exeter struggled, Ball managed to keep them in the Third Division. Between February and August 1992 he also worked as a coach of the England team under Graham Taylor.

Southampton

In January 1994, Ball left Exeter to take over the reins at Southampton replacing the unpopular Ian Branfoot.

At the time of his appointment, Southampton seemed doomed to relegation, having spent virtually the whole season to that point in the drop zone. Ball's first task as manager was to re-establish Matthew Le Tissier's role in the team and to ensure that the other players recognised that he was the Saints' greatest asset. Le Tissier responded by scoring 6 goals in Ball's first 4 games in charge, including a hat-trick on 14 February 1994 in a 4-2 victory over Liverpool. In the second half of the 1994-95 season, Le Tissier played 16 games under Ball's management scoring 15 times.

After 3 defeats at Easter time, Saints remained in the relegation zone. In the final 6 games Saints scored 15 goals (8 from Le Tissier) and garnered 10 points which were sufficient to enable Saints to avoid relegation by 1 point on the final day of the season.

At the start of the following season, 1994-95, Ball signed goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar and centre-back Kevin Moore, but more significantly signed Le Tissier on a new 3 year deal. Despite not winning any of their first 4 games (including a 5-1 defeat at Newcastle), Saints, assisted by 3 goals from loanee signing Ronnie Ekelund, then won 4 out of 5 games in September lifting them to 7th in the table. After this, Saints drifted away and only won 2 more games until mid-March, dropping into the relegation zone. On 22 March 1995, Saints were at home to Newcastle and were trailing 1-0 with 4 minutes left. Suddenly, Ball managed to inspire the team to score 3 goals, including 2 in injury time, to snatch an amazing and priceless victory.

This result inspired the Saints, who won 5 of their remaining 10 games, to finish the season on a high in 10th place.

Manchester City

Despite this success, Ball was tempted away in July 1995 later to become Manchester City's manager under the ownership of former England team-mate Francis Lee. His departure from The Dell was rather acrimonious and for some years afterwards, Ball's return visits to The Dell were greeted by abuse from large sections of the Saints' fans.

Ball's tenure at Maine Road was controversial, in that many observers and supporters felt he was appointed for his name and friendship with the chairman rather than for any credentials as a coach (and pointed out that previous manager Brian Horton, whom Lee had inherited from the previous regime, had done no wrong). City were relegated from the Premiership on the last day of Ball's first full campaign. He quit three games into the following season.

Back to Portsmouth

In February 1998 Ball returned to Portsmouth as manager but his contract was terminated on 9 December 1999 after the club endured a near-fatal financial crisis and came close to relegation from Division One. When he was appointed Pompey were several points adrift at the bottom of the table. In 1998 he masterminded a miraculous escape that saw two of his former sides (Stoke City and Manchester City) relegated after Pompey won 3-1 at Bradford City on the final day of the season. On his retirement, 54-year-old Ball was the last remaining England World Cup winner in management.

So only Southampton and Exeter *didn't* get relegated under Ball, despite their best efforts.

um, Jack Charlton? xpost

Stepped down as RoI manager in 1995.

Thanks, onimo. Maybe he wasn't relegated as many times as we thought, but it's not a glittering managerial career is it?

RIP. Even if he was one of those English players Scotland fans loved to sneer at.