Fred Pentland from the cover of El Norte Deportivo, 1928
courtesy José Manuel Rodríguez Gómez
Pentland: The Bowler Hat That Sank England
From Bilbao to Madrid, Fred Pentland and his hat helped make Spanish football what it is today.
Born in the town of Wolverhampton, England, on the 5th May, 1883, Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland would go on to be a highly successful coach in pre-Civil War Spain, winning over both the hearts and minds of the Basque public.
Traitor Or Patriot: Jimmy Hogan
The man labelled traitor who inspired a “Wunderteam”, the “Magic Magyars” and the modern game.
Born October 16, 1882 in Nelson, Lancashire to Irish parents, Jimmy Hogan went on to become one of the most important and influential football coaches in Europe. As a skilled yet unrewarded inside forward, he played for Burnley, Bolton Wanderers, Rochdale, and Swindon Town, but it was at Fulham between 1905 and 1908 where the so-called ‘Scottish passing game’ - inspired by coach Jock Hamilton - became a big influence upon his football philosophy, and this was the type of football he taught once his playing days were over.
El Bombín News
Welcome to the second issue of El Bombín, a resource aiming to provide information about the unsung (at least in the UK) British coaches working outside Great Britain during the early days of football. For more information, please see the About Us page.
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Can You Help?
El Bombín is continually on the lookout for other British coaches as well as updates to current entries. If you’d like to submit an entry or update for inclusion, please see About Submissions section for more information.
El Bombín is Produced and Created by Stuart Homfray, 2005