Ron Burgess (footballer)
Encyclopedia
William Arthur Ronald Burgess (born 9 April 1917 Cwm
, near Ebbw Vale
, Monmouthshire
– died 14 February 2005, Swansea
)
Burgess was a Wales international footballer, who played at wing-half. Burgess worked as a miner before joining Tottenham Hotspur
from his local team Cwm Villa. He went on to captain the League title winning Spurs team of the 1951 season, the year after he had helped them win the Division 2 crown.
Burgess captained the Wales national football team
and won 32 caps for his country as a left half. He also played for the Great Britain
team against the Rest of Europe in 1947.
Burgess joined Swansea Town
in 1954 as a player and played until 1956, taking over as manager of Swansea Town from 1955 to 1958. He was then manager of Watford
from 1959 to 1963, where he steered the club to its first-ever promotion in his first full season in charge, and nearly managed a second successive promotion the following year. However, Watford's league form and Burgess's popularity with the fans plummeted after he sold star player Cliff Holton
, and he was sacked when the club were nearly relegated in 1963.
Burgess also acted as caretaker manager of the Wales national team for one match in 1965 due to the unavailability of team manager Dave Bowen
.
Cwm
cwm may refer to* the geographical term for a rounded, glaciated valley also known as a corrie or cirque* the Welsh word for a valley, sometimes anglicized to Coombe* cwm , a general-purpose data processor for the semantic web...
, near Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
, Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
– died 14 February 2005, Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
)
Burgess was a Wales international footballer, who played at wing-half. Burgess worked as a miner before joining Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
from his local team Cwm Villa. He went on to captain the League title winning Spurs team of the 1951 season, the year after he had helped them win the Division 2 crown.
Burgess captained the Wales national football team
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
and won 32 caps for his country as a left half. He also played for the Great Britain
United Kingdom national football team
No United Kingdom national football team currently exists, as there are separate teams representing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in football. These national teams compete in the World Cup and European Championships and other internationals. A UK team has played in friendly...
team against the Rest of Europe in 1947.
Burgess joined Swansea Town
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
in 1954 as a player and played until 1956, taking over as manager of Swansea Town from 1955 to 1958. He was then manager of Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
from 1959 to 1963, where he steered the club to its first-ever promotion in his first full season in charge, and nearly managed a second successive promotion the following year. However, Watford's league form and Burgess's popularity with the fans plummeted after he sold star player Cliff Holton
Cliff Holton
Clifford Charles "Cliff" Holton was an English footballer.Born in Oxford, Holton played as a full back for non-league Oxford City as a youth, before joining Arsenal in October 1947 at the age of 18. He spent three seasons in the Gunners' reserve team, eventually converting to a centre forward...
, and he was sacked when the club were nearly relegated in 1963.
Burgess also acted as caretaker manager of the Wales national team for one match in 1965 due to the unavailability of team manager Dave Bowen
Dave Bowen
David Lloyd "Dave" Bowen was a Welsh football player and manager, who captained his country to their only ever World Cup finals, in 1958.-Playing career:...
.