why was nat lofthouse called the lion of vienna

He signed as a 14-year-old for the club in September 1939, making wartime appearances before becoming an established league star in peacetime. Bolton as a team were struggling to reassert themselves with their pre-war team dismantled and Foweraker retiring, and that process was made considerably more difficult by the shadow both psychological and financial cast by the Burnden Disaster, a crush that killed 33, in 1946. He really was the complete centre-forward. Sir Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse together at the National Football Museum Hall Of Fame awards in 2002. His father, Robert, was a coal bagger and head horse keeper for the Bolton Corporation but once his footballing skills come to the fore it was quickly apparent that there was no way Nat would be following in Dads footsteps full time. We will not pass your details on to any third parties. The only thing worse was when I said yes.' Lofthouse found the step up in quality in First Division defences hard to cope with, and he briefly considered leaving the game, as well as entertaining an offer from Tottenham, then of the Second Division. The goal he scored when coming on as substitute for the injured Tommy Taylor against Finland in Helsinki was the 29th for his country taking him past Steve Bloomer as Englands all-time leading scorer. Pic courtesy of Mirrorpix. When he came to, he was the Lion of Vienna, an epithet that stuck for the rest of his life. The match in question was a 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Nat scored 2 of Bolton's goals. A runner-up medal and the Footballer of the Year award came to him in 1953, and a winners medal and the FA Cup in 1958. The Austrians went on the offensive to boot every English player on the pitch. The Bevin Boy program came to an end in 1948. [13] He had suffered with dementia. There were a number of football legends and people that the Bolton Wanderers faithful hold dear on hand to pay their respects to the legendary Nat Lofthouse. Nat's time in that role also didn't go to plan and the legend was relieved of his duties in 1972. In July 1961, Lofthouse accepted a boot cleaner and assistant trainer position at Burnden Park. Next in line was a trial for Lancashire schools. "The banks had called time on us. He won 33 caps for England between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals, with one of the highest goals-per-game ratios of any England player. [12], Lofthouse died on 15 January 2011, aged 85, in a nursing home in Bolton. Harry Gregg, a survivor of the crash who would go on to be one of United's best goalkeepers ever, could only manage to deflect the shot. Pushing the tubs made me fitter than I had ever been before. Over the next few years, Lofthouse set about exhausting the superlatives available with his goalscoring. They overcame Southport (Lofthouse got a hat-trick), Accrington Stanley (where he scored twice), Blackpool (where he hit five over the two legs), Newcastle (three more for Lofthouse) and Wolves, where he shockingly failed to score, before beating Manchester United 3-2 on aggregate in the final. Quick off the mark, an ability to shoot with either foot, with strength and agility in the air an innate ability to be in the right place at the right time. That changed in the 1952-53 season. Bolton Wanderers and England legend Nat Lofthouse ( 'The Lion of Vienna' ) dies aged 85Nat Lofthouse epitomised the kind of English centre forward that has . Nat Lofthouse obituary | Soccer | The Guardian Compared to the broadsheets, tabloid match reports treat the occasion as a related event to the war. A one-club man, he played over 400 games for Bolton Wanderers and earned 33 caps for England (as well as his famous nickname). Lofthouse had thunderous, crashing shots, coupled with a burning desire to get in the right place to unleash them. Prior to Lofthouses arrival on the scene Wanderers had relied on former Spurs star George Hunt for the majority of their goals. Having served his apprenticeship in wartime football, Lofthouse went on to become a star of peacetime football. In the 1930s, Austria had been among the great Central European football nations. During the Second World War, both countries were major allies of Nazi Germany. According to Bolton Wanderers, the statue proposal has received a phenomenal reception and is well on target for the scheduled due date. Nat was always a big boy and because of that, often found himself in goal, acting as the last line of defense for whatever ragtag side he found himself playing on. There is no doubt he gave everything to his club, and to the game. In the 16 international matches played since November 1949, 10 have been won, and only two have been lost.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-4','ezslot_5',182,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-4-0'); From Englands perspective, it was necessary to note that Austria had defeated Scotland twice during this run and achieved a 2-2 draw at Wembley. Seven minutes before the end, the climax occurred. ALTHOUGH he earned a great deal of his reputation, and indeed his nickname, for one performance, Nat Lofthouse, 'The Lion of Vienna' was a tremendous servant for his country for eight years, bagging 30 goals in just 33 games, and for his club for over 30 years. Too young for military service, Nat was determined to work hard on and off the field. Lofthouse mourned by Bolton and England | Inside UEFA The Mayor of Bolton, Alderman Entwhistle who was also a director of the club approached the youngster and asked him to sign and, along with the manager they managed to stop the local lad from leaving town although as he had already been a regular spectator at Burnden Park. He was probably the last of the old fashioned centre forwards, leading the line with toughness, taking plenty of knocks and giving them out too. [18], list of English football's top division all time goalscorers, "Nathaniel Lofthouse - Goals in International Matches", "Bolton Wanderers and England legend Nat Lofthouse dies aged 85", "This is Your Life (1969 - 1993) @ EOFFTV", "11 football greats who have suffered with dementia", "Bolton Wanderers 0 Chelsea 4: match report", "Mourners hail Nat Lofthouse as 'credit to Bolton', "1953 - The Matthews. Lofthouse was witness to a Bolton Wanderers golden age of top flight success throughout the 1930s and although the Trotters won three FA Cups in Nat's life time, he was too young to witness the 1926 and 1929 wins over Manchester City and Portsmouth. It was there that the conversation that would change his life forever took place. His funeral service was attended by more than 500 invited guests and members of the public. It was a friendly against the old Yugoslavia, with Nat scoring both England goals in a 2-all draw. As far as the future was concerned, these results were not isolated, and these signs were already in evidence. There have been many claims that Lofthouse and Tommy Lawton went to the same school but in fact Lawton went to nearby Folds Road. For the recognition of club and country, a statue stands outside Bolton's stadium. Its difficult to discuss Nat Lofthouse without resorting to clichs. Lofthouse opened the scoring but Austria came back, and with the game deadlocked at 2-2, began to exert significant pressure. Football Legends Nat Lofthouse ( 'The Lion of Vienna' ) R-I-P Even earning the maximum wage, financial security for his family wasnt secured beyond his playing days, and he tried his hand at both working as a paint salesman and running a pub. It made me fitter than ever I had been before. He netted in every round of the FA Cup in 1953, including the final, only to be thwarted by the wizardry of Stanley Matthews and a hat-trick from Stan Mortensen in one of the most famous finals of all time. On 1 January 1994, he was appointed an OBE and on 18 January 1997, Bolton decided to name their East Stand at their new Reebok Stadium after him. It was much like the story told about the war that had now ended they were battered and bruised but had come out on top. If that wasnt pressure enough, thousands of Tommies stationed in Vienna had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of their heroes for months, with many staking weeks of wages on the dim chance of an England win. Phillips, a 78-year-old Minden resident, was Lofthouse's cousin (their mothers Lily and Jane were sisters) and said the man dubbed the "Lion of Vienna" would be shocked at all the fuss. Nat Lofthouse was born on 27 August, 1925 in Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK, is an Actor. The Bolton Wanderers reached the final again five years later. A forceful player, he combined physical strength with a powerful shot in either foot or a strong header. Bolton won the game 20 with Lofthouse scoring both goals, the second of which was highly controversial and remains a talking point to this day. Long after his star had ascended, he could still be found riding the bus from his nearby home to Burnden Park, delighting in surprising fans who were discussing his performances on the pitch unbeknownst of his presence. Lofthouse scored twice against Belgium in a match that ended 44. Ridding had been prominent in Nat Lofthouse's successful rise and had led the Trotters to the 1953 and 1958 FA Cup finals, famously winning the second one. Boltons top-flight status stabilised as Lofthouse began to find his feet, and in 1950/51 he enjoyed a true breakthrough season, netting 17 times and being granted his first opportunity to prove his mettle on the international stage. Known as the 'Lion of Vienna, Nat Lofthouse was the epitome of the down-to-earth football star of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1952-53, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year. In 1957, he assumed captaincy of the club. Lofthouse stood unmarked on the right side of the penalty area when Sewell crossed the ball. How many goals in total did Lofthouse score in the 33 matches he played for England? Disappointing loss aside, Lofthouse scored the first goal of the match just 75 seconds in, meaning he scored in every round of the competition that season. Bolton Wanderers Beat Manchester United at Wembley: Bolton players chair their Captain and hero Nat Lofthouse with the cup, at the end of the match. Once Lofthouse arrived Hunt moved to right-half and was later transferred to Sheffield Wednesday. Now they faced Austria, one of the worlds best teams, and one who had seriously threatened Englands precious unbeaten record at home to continental teams just one year before. Both men were among the inaugural inductees to the Hall Of Fame. Back in the England line up for the World Cup, he scored three times including one in the 4-2 quarter final defeat at the hands of Uruguay. Whilst there was no official league football in 1945-46 (Wanderers finished 3rd in the Football League North) the FA Cup was restarted. The 285 goals he scored between 1946 and 1961 still make him Boltons top goalscorer. He is still Bolton's top scorer of all time. His lifelong dedication to the club was not work, but a manifestation of who he was. The award was given in recognition of his great skill with the ball at a time when English football was not known for its aesthetic beauty. Writing in his 1954 autobiography Goals Galore, Lofthouse discussed his time in the mines: "The job proved to be the best I could possibly have had. His last appearance for Bolton came on Nov. 17, 1960, a draw against Birmingham, after missing all of the 1959-60 season due to an ankle injury sustained in a pre-season tour of South Africa. There may have been no better example of this than in 1954 when Serie A side Fiorentina put in a lucrative offer for Lofthouse (one that would have allowed him to live very comfortably after retirement) but the club turned it down. He was capped 33 times for the England national football team between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals and giving himself one of the greatest. Nat Lofthouse scored a brace in Boltons 2-0 win. In early 1947 he asked for a transfer with Tottenham Hotspur said to be seriously interested in his services but the Bolton board turned the request down and he quickly got back to business finishing the season as the clubs top scorer with 18 goals, a feat he repeated in the following campaign. Bolton were then beaten in the semi-final by Derby County. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Lofthouse was at his imperious best, plundering goals at a rate that even the sportswriters who had grown up watching the likes of, The England camp was tense as dawn broke in Vienna, Austria, on the morning of 25 May 1952. He was made the club's Vice President for life in 1969. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. By Paul Ride. It was no more than Nat Lofthouse deserved. But work down the mine toughened him physically and the caustic humour of his fellow miners made sure he never became arrogant about his success on the field.". Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. With him passed away a piece of Bolton Wanderers Football Club that will never return. [9], Already a Bolton Wanderers player having joined them in 1939 Lofthouse was conscripted in 1943 and worked in Mosley Common colliery as a Bevin Boy. [3], On 26 November 1958, Lofthouse made his final England appearance, against Wales, at the age of 33, and he officially retired from the game in January 1960 because of an ankle injury, although his final league game was not until 17 December of that year, when he suffered a knee injury against Birmingham City. After retiring from playing football, Lofthouse became the assistant trainer at Burnden Park on 10 July 1961 and was then appointed chief coach at the club in 1967. Herbert Chapman: Arsenal FC And Huddersfield Town Manager, Miguel Muoz: First To Win European Cup As Player And Manager, Sir Bobby Robson: More Than A Football Manager In Tyneside. [7] A campaign, backed by Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association and former Bolton player, was started, aiming to get Lofthouse knighted. May 1958. He wasn't part of an illustrious academy early on, like those you see in the modern game. The stands were filled with British troops, who had remained stationed throughout Austria in the aftermath of the war. George Hunt, who was a very fine centre forward himself, [He won 3 England caps scoring once and netted 169 times in 294 games in a war-interrupted playing career] and he possesses the rare ability to pass on to youngsters his own deep knowledge of the game. In April 1998, train operator Virgin CrossCountry named locomotive 47807 Lion of Vienna in Lofthouse's honour at Bolton station. Contents show The 1952 tour England toured Europe briefly in summer 1952 and played matches against politically sensitive opponents Italy and Austria. Named the Lion of Vienna after scoring three goals for England v Austria Nat was a Legend for Bolton Wanderers.and England. Dienst was tripped by Froggatt on the edge of the penalty area, and Huber equalized from the penalty spot. However, the lead was short-lived. Wanderers gave the then 15-year-old his debut on 14 March 1941 in a wartime match with Bury again providing the opposition. Injured for the next match, in the quarter final game against Uruguay he equalized in the 16th minute, after receiving the ball in the 18-yard box.[which? If anything, this inspired a more violent second half, with both sides desperate for a meaningful win. The players were taken off the pitch but, amazingly returned half an hour later to play out a goalless draw with bodies laid out along the touchline covered by coats. The Lion of Vienna's impact to Bolton Wanderers was just as important off the pitch as it was on. Lofthouse was at his imperious best, plundering goals at a rate that even the sportswriters who had grown up watching the likes of Dixie Dean and others agreed was exceptional. I wasn't cut out to be a manager.". As a result of the United States defeat in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, the national team lost its confidence when playing outside their comfort zone of the Home International Championships. The phrase Lion of Vienna will be forever associated with Lofthouse. The military nature of this event was further underscored by the presence of so many British soldiers in uniform. Before becoming Bolton's chief scout, he became an administrative manager at Burnden. Nat Lofthouse: Farewell to the Lion of Vienna | The Bolton News Needless to say, the whole country and a good portion of the 100,000 fans packed into Wembley that day were behind the battered and bruised Manchester side. Nathaniel Lofthouse OBE (27 August 1925 - 15 January 2011) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Bolton Wanderers for his entire career. Thousands more stood outside in the streets with speakers erected so that the public could hear the service. Nat Lefthouse Biography, Career Info, Records & Achievements - Sportskeeda 6) Centre forward Nat Lofthouse earned the title Lion of Vienna when he scored his second goal in England's 3-2 victory over Austria in 1952. As always, football matches were symbolic.. It was one of the first instances of a personal worrisome streak that was completely at odds with his public persona. His very style of football embodied Bolton, an appreciation for power alongside skill which is still part of the club today. For England he scored a phenomenal 30 goals in 33 games. He hung up his boots in 1961 having scored 285 goals for Wanderers. Lofthouse Lofthouse was dubbed the "Lion of Vienna" after scoring the second goal in England's 3-2 triumph over Austria on May 25, 1952. With the extensive scouting networks and multi-tiered academies of nowadays simply not existing in the 1930s, Lofthouse was staring into the footballing abyss as he left school at 14. As though fate declared it, Nat's debut for Bolton's first team also came against a Bury side, on March 22, 1941. Following his first go at managing the club, Lofthouse took an administrative manager role at Burnden Park before being appointed as the club's chief scout. The tour began with a 1-1 draw between England and Italy in Florence. Thread starter leefer; Start date 16 January 2011; leefer Loyal Member. My body became firmer and harder, I learned to take hard knocks without feeling them.

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