Jackie Gibbons

Albert Henry Gibbons (10 April 1914 – 4 July 1984) was an English professional footballer and manager who played in the Football League for Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford and Bradford Park Avenue. After his retirement as a player, he managed in England, Israel, South Africa and at international level.

Jackie Gibbons
Personal information
Full name Albert Henry Gibbons[1]
Date of birth (1914-04-10)10 April 1914
Place of birth Fulham, England
Date of death 4 July 1984(1984-07-04) (aged 70)[2]
Place of death Johannesburg, South Africa
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3]
Position(s) Centre forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Kingstonian
Uxbridge
1937 Hayes 3 (0)
1937–1938 Tottenham Hotspur 27 (13)
1938–1939 Brentford 11 (1)
1939 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0)
1945–1947 Bradford Park Avenue 42 (21)
1947–1949 Brentford 56 (16)
Total 139 (62)
International career
1938–1939 England Amateurs 6 (6)
1939 FA XI
1942 England (wartime) 1 (0)
Managerial career
1949–1952 Brentford
1953–1956 Daring Club Bruxelles
1956 Israel
1956–1957 Hapoel Petah Tikva
1961–1963 Hapoel Jerusalem
1963–1965 Rangers
Transvaal
1966–1967 Kenya
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Amateur years (1937–1945)

A centre forward who remained an amateur for the first part of his career, Gibbons played for non-League clubs Uxbridge, Hayes and Kingstonian.[4] Had it not been for family influence,[4] he may have turned professional with Fulham in late 1934.[5] Gibbons joined Football League Second Division club Tottenham Hotspur in July 1937 and scored on his debut,[6] in a 3–0 victory at Sheffield Wednesday on 16 September 1937.[7] Owing to his RAF service, he obtained the nickname "Wings" amongst the Spurs support and made 36 appearances and scored 18 goals during the 1937–38 season,[5][8] with 12 of his strikes coming in the form of hat-tricks in four consecutive games mid-season.[9][10] He joined First Division club Brentford in August 1938 and made 11 appearances and scored one goal during a poor 1938–39 season for the Bees.[2][11] Gibbons re-joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1939, but failed to make an appearance in his second spell with the White Hart Lane club.[4]

Professional years (1945–1949)

The Second World War halted Gibbons' career between 1939 and 1945 and during the war, he guested for Bradford Park Avenue, Brentford, Chelsea, Fulham and Reading.[3] In 1945, Gibbons turned professional and signed with Bradford Park Avenue to play the 1945–46 season in the wartime league and an expanded FA Cup.[3] The Avenue advanced to the sixth round, with Gibbons scoring four goals in an 8–2 fourth round second leg win over Manchester City on 30 January 1946.[12] Avenue were admitted to the Second Division for the 1946–47 season and he made 42 league appearances and scored 21 goals.[2] In August 1947, Gibbons returned to Brentford, newly relegated to the Second Division, for a club record £8,000 fee.[13] He was the club's top scorer during the 1947–48 season, scoring 13 times.[4] Across his two spells with Brentford, Gibbons made a total of 71 appearances and scored 19 goals before retiring in February 1949.[4]

Managerial career

Brentford

Gibbons became manager of Second Division club Brentford in February 1949, taking over from Harry Curtis, the most successful manager in the club's history.[4] Gibbons had been groomed to succeed Curtis at the helm.[4] In March 1949, Gibbons brought former Bradford Park Avenue teammate and future England manager Ron Greenwood to the club he supported as a boy and later named him captain.[14][15] In February 1951, Gibbons brought football analyst Charles Reep to Griffin Park on a part-time basis until the end of the 1950–51 season.[16] Reep helped improve the team's goals-to-games ratio, which saved them from relegation.[16]

Gibbons managed Brentford until the end of the 1951–52 season, making three consecutive top 10 finishes in the Second Division, but he found himself at odds with the club's board during a difficult time financially for the Bees.[17] A falling out with star wing halves Jimmy Hill and Ron Greenwood towards the end of 1951 saw the Bees' form tail off,[18] with the club finishing the 1951–52 season in 10th place, after challenging for promotion in mid-season.[19] Gibbons resigned in August 1952 and was replaced by his assistant, Jimmy Bain.[20]

Daring Club Bruxelles

Gibbons took over as manager of Belgian club Daring Club Bruxelles in 1953 and won the 1954–55 Second Division championship with the club.[3][21]

Israel

Gibbons took charge of the Israel national football team in 1956.[22] His tenure began with a 7–1 aggregate defeat over two legs to the Soviet Union in qualifying for the 1956 Summer Olympics. In September 1956, Gibbons presided over Israel's campaign in the inaugural AFC Asian Cup, defeating Hong Kong and South Vietnam on the way to finishing as runners-up to South Korea.[22] After leaving the job, Gibbons stayed on in Israel to manage Liga Leumit club Hapoel Petah Tikva and guided the club to a runners-up finish in the 1956–57 season.[23] After a spell coaching in Australia, he returned to Israel to manage Hapoel Jerusalem between 1961 and 1963.[3]

Africa

Gibbons moved to South Africa to manage clubs Rangers and Transvaal.[3] He accepted his final managerial position in 1966, when he was named as manager of Kenya.[24] He stayed in the job until October 1967, when he was replaced by his assistant, Elijah Lidonde.[24]

International career

Gibbons was called up to the Football Association representative team for a tour of South Africa in 1939.[25] He scored six goals in six caps for England Amateurs in 1938 and 1939 and won one cap for the full England team during the Second World War.[26][27][28]

Personal life

Gibbons attended West Kensington Central School.[5] During the 1930s and through the Second World War, he served in the Royal Air Force and was demobbed in 1946.[18] During the 1960s, Gibbons worked in Kenya for Coca-Cola.[17]

Career statistics

Player
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tottenham Hotspur 1937–38[6] Second Division 27 13 6 5 33 18
Brentford 1938–39[11] First Division 11 1 0 0 11 1
Brentford 1947–48[11] Second Division 41 13 2 1 43 14
1948–49[11] Second Division 15 3 2 1 17 4
Total 67 17 4 2 71 19
Career total 94 30 10 7 104 37

Manager
Team From To Record Ref
GWDLWin %
Brentford February 1949 August 1952 148 52 40 56 035.14 [29]
Israel 1956 1956 5 2 0 3 040.00 [22]
Total 153 54 40 59 035.29 —

Honours

As a player

Kingstonian

As a manager

Daring Club Bruxelles

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 109. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  2. "Jackie Gibbons". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  3. Goodwin, Bob (16 August 2017). The Spurs Alphabet. Lulu.com. pp. 170–171. ISBN 978-0-9540434-2-1.
  4. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 64. ISBN 0955294916.
  5. ""Bees'" Capture. A. H. Gibbons Signed On Amateur Forms. Playing To-Morrow. When He Nearly Turned Professional". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 19 August 1938.
  6. "Jack Gibbons". 11v11.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  7. "Sheffield Wednesday v Tottenham Hotspur, 16 September 1937 – 11v11 match report". 11v11.com. 16 September 1937. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  8. "A to Z Of Players – History". Tottenhamhotspur.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  9. Rippon, Anton (2007). Gas Masks for Goal Posts: Football in Britain During the Second World War. The History Press. ISBN 9780750940313.
  10. "On this day – special 1 January 2004 – News". tottenhamhotspur.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  11. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 375–380. ISBN 0951526200.
  12. Brian Glanville (4 February 2000). "Bert Sproston | Football". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  13. Brentford Football Club Official Matchday Magazine versus Hull City. 7 May 2005. p. 46.
  14. "Ron Greenwood". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  15. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 70.
  16. "Goal Scoring in Association Football: Charles Reep". Keithlyons.me. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  17. "Gibbins – Gillis". Hayes & Yeading United FC: The Official Website. 27 October 2004. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  18. TW8: Brentford Official Matchday Programme versus Notts County. Charlton, London. 24 February 2001. p. 15.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  19. "Brentford Home Page for the 1951–1952 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  20. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 15.
  21. "Belgium – Final Tables 1895–2008". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  22. "Jackie Gibbons – national football team manager". Eu-football.info. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  23. "עונת 1958/1959". Hpt.co.il. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  24. 16 Mar – 14:33. "News: Volunteer quits". FoStats. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  25. "British Fa Xi Tours". RSSSF. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  26. "England Matches – The Amateurs 1906–1939". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  27. "England's amateurs". Sportstaronnet.com. 13 October 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  28. "England – War-Time/Victory Internationals – Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  29. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 177.
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