George Raynor (1967-1968)

[One_Matty_Lucas]

Does anyone have any information on George Raynor, our manager between 1967/8.

He was a top manager for Sweden and my friends team Djugarden.

Wikipedia doesnt have much about the Rovers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Raynor

[Muttley]

There's a bit about him in Tony Bluff's book "Donny:The Complete History of Doncaster Rovers".

Appointed June 1967 aged 60, replacing player-manager Keith Kettleborough.

Raynor had previously managed Sweden to the World Cup final in 1958.

Rovers only got 3 points from first 5 games, so Raynor started to sign new players and sign replacements including Colin Clish and Chris Rabjohn from Rotherham.

The 67/68 season finished strongly with 5 wins in March and only 2 defeats to the end of the season, Rovers finishing in 10th place.

Rovers started 68/69 season well with 6 points from 5 games and then 5 straight wins putting them in 2nd place behind Darlington.

A run of "poor" results through to November (2 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw) led to Raynor being sacked and replaced by Lawrie McMenemy (despite Rovers still being in the top 5).

[The Red Baron]

I've got an article on his career with Rovers but I won't be able to post it here till tomorrow morning.

[The Red Baron]

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/george-raynor-yorkshire-s-forgotten-hero-who-took-on-the-world-with-unfancied-sweden-1-2577129

From the Yorkshire Post 2010.

http://www.worldsoccer.com/blogs/george-raynor-the-one-that-got-away-334543

[One_Matty_Lucas]

Fantastic, thanks Red Baron!

[BobG]

My old Dad always used to say that it was George Raynor's team that won promotion for Lawrie Mac. I think, thiough I don't know for sure, that George was stiffed by the irrepressible Hubert Bates. That man.... He cursed Rovers for 50 years and more.

BobG

[ch-ch rover]

George Raynor brought a Swedish youth team to England around 1973 when they came to Doncaster they played Tech A from the youth league i played in the Swedish team as their goalkeeper broke his arm in the previous game

[BobG]

There wasn't a lad called Kenny Jenkinson playing for Tech around that time was there ch-ch?

Cheers

BobG

[ch-ch rover]

Yes there was and his dad organised the team lived in Cantley

[BobG]

Well bugger me!

Haven't seen Ken for decades and decades. Last I heard he was teaching French and German in Cornwall somewhere. I thought he lived out at Barnby Dun - in fact I went to an awesomely exciting party there once - but maybe he moved at some point.

Ken was a good mate. We hitch hiked round northern France together when we were 17 - in fact that would have been that same year: 1973. We shared records, tried to sing John Lennon songs into a tape recorder and talked about how far we'd 'got' with various girls..... Lol. That reminds me. We stayed in a Youth Hostel somewhere in France and the local females were fascinated by this strange breed of lads from the other side of la Manche....

Don't suppose you ever here of him these days do you ch-ch?

Cheers

BobG

[ch-ch rover]

Ive not seen him since 1974

[Sammy Chung was King]

Does anyone have any information on George Raynor, our manager between 1967/8.

He was a top manager for Sweden and my friends team Djugarden.

Wikipedia doesnt have much about the Rovers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Raynor

There is a good book, called George Raynor, that is pretty cheap to buy. He was ahead of his time, in some ways, the tactics he used with the swedish national team, were copied over and over by other sides. The book tells of his managing unfashionable teams and country, a man who was never really given the chances his ability deserved.
Well worth a read

[The Red Baron]

GEORGE RAYNOR (1967-68).
 
One positive side effect of Keith Kettleborough’s short and disastrous reign as Rovers manager was the end of Hubert Bates’ tenure as Chairman. Bates made way for Frank Wilson, a local tyre wholesaler and a relative newcomer to the board. Bates had been behind a number of poor managerial appointments and in at least two cases (Doherty and Leivers) he had been suspected of undermining the manager’s authority. Unfortunately he remained as a director.

When choosing a successor to Kettleborough, Wilson’s board went for experience. In June 1967 they appointed 60 year old George Raynor. Born at Hoyland near Barnsley, Raynor had a modest playing career before World War Two with Sheffield United, Mansfield Town, Rotherham United, Bury and Aldershot. While serving in the war, he became involved in coaching and in 1946 he secured a job with the Swedish FA. Two years later, he coached the Swedish Olympic side to the gold medal at the London Olympics. In the mid-fifties he coached at Juventus and Lazio and had a spell in charge of Coventry City before being appointed coach of the Swedish national side. Sweden hosted the 1958 World Cup and Raynor’s team reached the final only to lose 5-2 to a brilliant Brazilian side. In 1960 Raynor came back to England to manage Midland League Skegness Town and there he helped Alick Jeffrey back to fitness prior to his return to Belle Vue. Bizarrely, Raynor was working as a storeman at Butlin’s in Skegness when he was offered the manager’s job with Rovers.

Raynor had many of the previous season’s squad at his disposal but results were initially poor, with only three points coming from the opening five games. Raynor decided to make changes and signed goalkeeper Gordon Morritt and Sheffield United’s former international defender Graham Shaw. Results began to improve, although Rovers never achieved the consistency needed to trouble the leaders in Division Four. The best run came in February and March 1968 when Rovers won seven games out of nine.

That run of form came just after the event for which Raynor’s reign is best remembered: the so called “Big Deal” which saw five players move in different directions. Promising youngsters Dennis Leigh and Graham Watson were transferred to Second Division strugglers Rotherham United in exchange for cash and three players. The three- full backs Harold Wilcockson and Colin Clish plus stylish midfielder Chris Rabjohn- were all experienced players who would feature in the 1968-69 championship team. Raynor had done some shrewd business and he did some more in the summer of 1968 when centre forward Alan Warboys joined Sheffield Wednesday but Rovers acquired England Under-23 international Brian Usher in return.

There was an air of optimism around Belle Vue when the 1968-69 season began and after ten games Rovers lay in second place on the back of five successive wins. A crowd of 22,268 turned up on a Friday evening to see Rovers lose 0-1 to the current leaders, Darlington. Sadly things went downhill from there. With Wilcockson injured, Rovers began to leak goals and in November 1968 with Rovers having picked up one point from four games, Raynor offered his resignation. It seemed all quite amicable, with Raynor offering to remain in post until a successor was found and then taking charge of the youth team. Unfortunately Raynor was taken ill and the faithful Jackie Bestall had to step in until the new appointment was made. George Raynor, the veteran coach, had done a good job of turning around a dispirited club and he had laid the foundations for future success. Now Rovers needed someone who could finish the task Raynor had begun.   


GEORGE RAYNOR’S RECORD.

First match: 19th August 1967 v Barnsley (away) lost 0-1.
Last match: 9th November 1968 v Southend United (away) lost 0-2. 

Football League Record.

Played 64, Won 27 Drew 18, Lost 19, Winning percentage: 42.2%.

[idler]

I was at both those games. My abiding memory of Southend is flat dark beer at half a crown a pint and then the bus setting off without two of us and turning round to come back for us.