Notes
There is a persuasive theory
that the footballing visionary Ronnie Allen was born too soon to enjoy the full
fruits of his remarkable talent. The slim, nimble Midlander, who scored
freely for West Bromwich Albion throughout the 1950s but was selected for
England with mortifying infrequency, was a thoughtful centre-forward who dared
to be different in an era when any wearer of a No 9 shirt was expected to rely
rather more on sheer power than subtlety.
Allen, who was the only man to
score at Football League level in each of the 20 seasons which immediately
followed the Second World War, was a free spirit who roamed at will, dropping
deep to avoid his markers and confusing them by unpredictable absences from his
front-line beat.
He was blessed with a delicate
touch on the ball, was full of guile and possessed the speed to make the most of
his wonderful deftness. A few far-sighted souls trumpeted him as the complete
footballer, and surely he must have thrived in more enlightened times, but to
many of the closed minds who ruled his country's archaic selection committee in
the Allen heyday, he was a dangerous maverick and not to be trusted.
Accordingly, after playing his
fifth game for England in which he scored against the reigning world
champions, West Germany, at Wembley in December 1954 Allen was cast into the
international wilderness at the age of 25. It was hardly a coincidence that the
flamboyant Len Shackleton, an eccentric showman who disdained all attempts at
regimenting his extravagant gifts, should be discarded for good on the same sad
day.
As a schoolboy Allen, who did
not take up soccer until he was 13 and majored in rugby even after that, had
planned to be a chemist. But after his exceptional aptitude for the round-ball
game became apparent, he joined Port Vale of the Third Division South as an
amateur in 1944 and thereafter made rapid progress.
He made his début for the
Burslem club as an outside-left in 1944, lining up in a wartime competition
alongside the brilliant Irish inside-forward Peter Doherty, who was playing as a
guest. At that point Allen stood only 4ft 10in tall and weighed 7st 12lb, but as
he gained in stature so did his game mature, and he turned professional in 1946.
Always versatile, he served Vale in all forward positions except the central
one, in which he was destined to excel, as well as turning out in both wing-half
slots and at full-back.
Duly the young man's
exceptional prowess was noted by England's top clubs of the day and in March
1950 he signed for West Bromwich Albion in an £18,000 transaction which was
completed just ahead of the transfer deadline. The Baggies had not been back in
the top flight for long and when they experienced a goal drought early in
1951/52, their manager Jack Smith switched Allen from right wing to
centre-forward with fabulous results. That term the newly converted marksman
scored 35 goals in League and FA Cup and, at season's end, he was rewarded with
his first full cap.
Over subsequent campaigns Allen
was encouraged by Albion's imaginative new boss, Vic Buckingham, to use his
bountiful all-round ability to the full. Thus, instead of leading the front line
in conventional spearhead fashion, he roamed elusively, confusing opponents with
his pacy dribbling and cute distribution, and it is fair to say that he tasted
success as a deep-lying centre-forward even before that revolutionary role was
showcased so fabulously by the magnificent Hungarian Nandor Hidegkuti.
With Allen hugely prolific,
West Bromwich became one of the leading sides in the land, rivalling the likes
of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United in the chase for top honours.
Indeed, in 1953/54 they almost entered soccer folklore by becoming the first
team during the 20th century to lift the League and FA Cup double, eventually
finishing as title runners-up to Wolves but triumphing over Preston North End at
Wembley.
Fittingly, in view of his form
all season, Allen was Albion's brightest star on their big day, scoring twice in
their 3-2 victory and keeping a characteristically cool head at one moment of
high drama. With the Midlanders trailing 2-1, they were awarded a penalty and
their dapper No 9 strode up to take it. Twice a divot on the spot caused the
ball to roll away and twice, in the midst of unbearable tension, he replaced it.
Then he scuffed his shot and,
as he later recalled: "The ball seemed to take an hour to reach the net." It got
there, though, and Allen was the hero. However, even though he topped the First
Division goal chart in 1954/55, the England selectors remained unmoved. Allen
himself was philosophical, continuing to supply Albion with goals 231 of them
in 457 senior outings before joining Crystal Palace, aged 32, in May 1961.
Still he offered a potent
threat, employing his vast experience to telling effect and helping the Selhurst
Park club rise to Division Two in 1963/64. Allen retired from playing, as a
36-year-old, in 1965 and in the following January he entered management with
Wolverhampton Wanderers, then struggling in the Second Division.
The rookie boss proved an able
coach and an astute judge of players, buying the extrovert centre-forward Derek
Dougan and wing-half Mike Bailey in the course of leading his new charges to
promotion to the top flight in 1967. Life among the élite proved difficult,
though, and Allen was sacked in November 1968. Undeterred, he took his belief in
free-flowing, flexible football to Spain, learning the language and leading
Athletic Bilbao to glory in the Spanish Cup. After narrowly missing a League
title Bilbao were pipped by Atletico Madrid on goal average he guided the
fortunes of Sporting Lisbon, Walsall and, briefly, his beloved West Bromwich,
before accepting a lucrative assignment to run the Saudi Arabia national side.
Allen did well enough with the
Saudis, then sojourned briefly in Greece with Panathinaikos before returning to
the Hawthorns and leading the Baggies to the semi- finals of both major domestic
cups in 1981/82. There followed a stint as general manager and he remained a
part-time coach with the club until 1996, even playing in one final game a
testimonial at Cheltenham as a 66-year-old in 1995.
Allen, whose son Russell
started with Albion before serving Tranmere Rovers and Mansfield Town in the
1970s, was one of the most influential figures in Hawthorns history. What a
shame that he was offered so few opportunities to shine on a wider stage. -
The Independent Obituaries
England
Football Online
