George Raynor

2nd January 1956 – 26th June 1956

Former City manager George Raynor is a legend in Sweden as the man who coached their national side to the Football gold medal at the 1948 Olympics, the 1950 World Cup semi finals and to the final of the 1958 World Cup where they lost 2-5 to a Pele inspired Brazil.  In between those major achievements he firstly coached in Italy with Roma and Lazio before joining City with Jesse Carver in 1955.  He brought his continental ideas with him but sadly they didn’t suit the hurly burly of Division Three South.  Carver returned to Italy after six months leaving George in sole command.  When Harry Warren was appointed manager in June 1956 Raynor was demoted to coach and he left to rejoin the Swedish FA a few months later.

George Raynor was a victim of circumstances. In 1955 Jesse Carver brought the quiet Yorkshireman who had steered Sweden to the Olympic Gold medal in 1948 to Coventry as his assistant. When Carver left half way through the season, lured back to Italy by Lazio and their lire, Raynor stepped into the breach. The side were on the fringe of the promotion race but under Raynor they stuttered and failed to go up. He left soon after the arrival of new manager Harry Warren in 1956 and returned to Sweden and coached them to the final of the 1958 World Cup.

He also brought from Italy former Swedish national coach George Raynor as his number two, another man with an outstanding reputation on the continent.

Over 24,000 fans were at the opening day win over Bournemouth and the football was slick and exciting. At home Carver’s team were unbeatable but away from home they struggled for results and promotion hopes looked slim. Throughout the autumn rumours persisted of a move back to Italy but these were quashed by chairman Erle Shanks. 

By now it had become apparent that Carver and Raynor’s continental style was not quite enough to win promotion amidst the hurly-burly of the Third Division and Carver re-shaped his approach. In December he bought Ken McPherson from Middlesbrough, a big bustling centre-forward and the team won five games on the trot culminating in a 5-1 thrashing of Millwall in front of a crowd of 30,000.

But there was another major story brewing. Behind the scenes Carver had made it clear to Shanks – he wanted to leave. The Midlands didn’t suit his wife’s health and he made an urgent request to be released from his three-year contract. The board reluctantly agreed and Carver left the club on New Years Eve. He denied that there were any other offers for his services but within hours of him returning to Italy on 3^rd January Lazio announced he would be their new manager. 

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Notes from Soccer Nemesis by Brian Glanville

A tiny, brisk, enthusiastic Yorkshireman played football for Sheffield United, Mansfield, Rotherham, Bury, Aldershot as an outside right. Joined Army in the war & was sent to instruct at the Officer’s Training College in Baghdad, in charge of tough tactics. Asked to form an Iraqi football team to tour neighbouring Arab states. Won two and drew one game out of five on the tour and when the team returned to Iraq there were boy scouts lined up to cheer at every village. He wrote to Stanley Rous at the FA with a report and was told it would not be forgotten. In 1946, despite preferring a job in England he was invited to be Sweden’s national coach.

He was not rated in Sweden but proved his detractors wrong in his first game a 6-0 win over Switzerland – suddenly he was a king. In addition to being in charge of the national team he organised coaching programmes all over the country and visited every club in Sweden in turn. Training instructors and giving lectures to young footballers. Then he became coach to AIK Stockholm. 

He coached Sweden to the gold medal at the 1948 Olympics and in 1949 they beat England in Stockholm. In 1950 despite the loss of a host of international players who by joining foreign clubs were banned from playing for their country eg Gren, Nordahl, he lead Sweden to third place in the World Cup. 1952 Olympics – third again. In 1953, weeks before Hungary beat England 6-3 at Wembley, his team held Hungary to a 2-2 draw in Budapest by virtue of superb tactics and the marking of danger man Hidegkuti. 1954 joined Lazio as coach. 

From: 2nd January 1956
First game: 7th January 1956 v Ipswich Town A, Division Three South, lost 0-1

Until: 26th June 1956
Last game: 28th April 1956 v Reading H, Division Three South, drew 0-0

19 games as manager

	Lge	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Win %	Pos
1955-56	Div 3 S	19	6	5	8	26	27	17	31.5	8th
Totals		19	6	5	8	26	27	17	31.5