Gordon Milne is the longest serving Coventry City manager since World War Two having been in charge from 1972 until 1981. During his first two seasons at Highfield Road his title was Team Manager and Joe Mercer was at his elbow as General Manager but there was never any doubt that Gordon was in charge of on-pitch matters. He has recently published his biography 'Shankly, my Dad and Me' and it is an excellent read.
Gordon's Dad was Jimmy Milne who played alongside a young Bill Shankly for Preston North End before the war and appeared together in the 1937 FA Cup final. After the war Jimmy became the trainer at Deepdale, Shankly saw his playing career out with Preston and was a neighbour of the Milnes. Gordon remembers as a child playing in the street with Shanks and after cutting his teeth as a young player with Preston it was no surprise that in 1960 Shankly, by this time managing Liverpool, made Gordon, a talented half-back, one of his first signings. The essence of the book is the influence that his father and Shankly had not only his football career but his life in general.
Gordon tells the story how Shankly transformed not just the team at Anfield but also the club. Unbelivably the Reds had been out of the First Division for eight years but signings such as Ian St John, Ron Yeats and Gordon got them promotion in 1962 and two years later they lifted the League Championship. Over seven seasons Gordon played almost 300 games for Liverpool, picking up two league winner's medals in a golden period for the club that saw European Cup semi finals and a Cup Winners Cup final. The club also lifted the FA Cup in 1965, beating Don Revie's Leeds United but Gordon had to sit it out with a knee injury. Gordon describes the scene at Anfield four days later when Shankly told him and Gerry Byrne (a casualty at Wembley) to parade the Cup around the pitch before the crucial European Cup semi final first leg against Inter Milan. For Gordon the ear-splitting reception they got from the Kop was his greatest memory of his time at Anfield.
In 1963 Alf Ramsey selected him for his first England cap against Brazil and he went on to win 14 caps in all. In 1966 he was in the initial World Cup squad of 28 players which was reduced to the final 22 just before the tournament. He left Liverpool for Blackpool in 1967 and after hanging his boots up he started his managerial career at non-league Wigan before coming to Coventry with Mercer in 1972. The M-men as they were christened by Coventry Telegraph's Derek Henderson excited the fans with a brand of attacking football and apart from the almost disastrous 1976-77 season relegation was rarely mentioned. At the same time he kept the finances on an even keel even if it meant selling some of the club's outstanding homegrown players. In the book Gordon deals with the infamous Bristol City game in 1977 and, contrary to the views of many in Sunderland, confirms that the decision to delay the kick-off was not made by Jimmy Hill or anyone associated with the club.
Gordon with Bristol City manager Alan Dicks celebrating the 2-2 draw in 1977
He reveals that during his 10 years at City he was interviewed for two big jobs – in 1974 Liverpool considered him as Shankley's replacement before opting for Bob Paisley and the same year he was shortlisted and interviewed for the England manager's job which ultimately went to Don Revie. The book also describes his time at Leicester City and fascinating times in Turkey with Besiktas and at Newcastle with Bobby Robson.
It's a great read with some wonderful stories from his 60 years in the game and will evoke many memories of the Sky Blues in the 1970s whilst reminding us how Bill Shankly turned Liverpool into a major force in European football. The book is published by Pitch Publishing and is co-written with Steve Younger.
2023 has been a great year to be a Coventry City fan. Mark Robins' team gave us an exciting run to the play-offs and the highest final position since we left the Premiership over 20 years ago. We've had another trip to Wembley where the difference between success and failure came down to a penalty shoot-out. This season we've seen the highest crowds at home games for 50 years creating an electric atmosphere and positive signs that the 'new' team are bedding in and becoming a strong Championship side.
Finally, a Merry Christmas to all my readers and the hope that you and yours, as well as our beloved Sky Blues have a healthy and prosperous 2024.
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