“First, he said that he must go and spend a penny. When he came back, he paced round the office and said”
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Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey was an English football player and manager. As a player, he represented the England national team and captained the side, but he is best known for his time as England manager from 1963 to 1974, which included guiding them to victory in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Knighted in 1967 in recognition of the World Cup win, Ramsey also managed his country to third place in the 1968 E…
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sports · English footballer (1920–1999) · association football player · association football coach · also Alf Ramsey, Alfred Ernest Ramsey, Sir Alf Ramsey, Ramsey
Born 22 January 1920 · Died 28 April 1999 · Q311029
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2026· 9 entries
“In fact, the first thing I had to do was to forget my set ideas on how football ought to be played. My experience had been in the First Division. I soon found that what I faced at Ipswich was very different.”
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“it would be impossible to play with the players I would be coaching.”
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The Guardian: Aston Villa sign Emily Ramsey as Bethany England joins Crystal Palace
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Public attention spiked: 4,241 Wikipedia readers in one day, 5.8× the usual 725, with 0 article edits. Coverage that week: “Aston Villa sign Emily Ramsey as Bethany England joins Crystal Palace” (The Guardian).
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Public attention spiked: 2,872 Wikipedia readers in one day, 4× the usual 725, with 0 article edits.
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The Guardian: England and Tuchel take leaf out of Ramsey’s book with crossing tactics
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Public attention spiked: 3,185 Wikipedia readers in one day, 4.4× the usual 725, with 0 article edits.
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Public attention spiked: 3,481 Wikipedia readers in one day, 4.8× the usual 725, with 0 article edits.
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2022· 1 entry
The Guardian: When Ipswich won the title as a newly promoted club under Alf Ramsey
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2018· 1 entry
The Guardian: Observer picture archive: Alf Ramsey, 28 October 1962
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2016· 1 entry
The Guardian: From Alf Ramsey to Roy Hodgson: how England’s managers fared on debut
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2012· 1 entry
“s Anonymous Hero. FIFA. Retrieved on 1 April 2012. You”
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2011· 1 entry
Won award: Ipswich Town Hall of Fame (2011).
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2010· 1 entry
Was included in the Hall of Fame as a player as well
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2009· 4 entries
The Guardian: Fabio Capello admits World Cup dreams at unveiling of Alf Ramsey bust
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The Guardian: Seven deadly sins of football: Hero cast aside - Sir Alf Ramsey, 1970s
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And various honours have been afforded to him in Ipswich
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Fabio Capello inaugurated a statue, sculpted by Philip Jackson, of Ramsey at Wembley
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2008· 1 entry
When writing for The Guardian, David Lacey likened Ramsey retroactively to Italian manager Fabio Capello for their shared belief in the importance of a solid defensive base, while also praising him for his ability to ide
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2005· 1 entry
The Guardian: Heroes and villains: Sir Alf Ramsey
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2002· 3 entries
Won award: English Football Hall of Fame Inductee (2002).
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In recognition of his achievements as a manager, and admitted again in 2010 for his achievements as a player
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In recognition of his impact on the English game as a manager
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2000· 1 entry
A statue of Ramsey was erected on the corner of the street named after him and Portman Road, at the North Stand/Cobbold Stand corner of the stadium
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1999· 2 entries
The Guardian: Sir Alf Ramsey
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Died 1999-04-28.
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1998· 1 entry
Won award: Mussabini Medal (1998).
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1991· 1 entry
Where he and some members of the World Cup-winning team were reunited prior to that season's FA Cup Final
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1973· 1 entry
Won: British Home Championship with England (1972–73).
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1972· 1 entry
Won: British Home Championship with England (1971–72).
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1971· 1 entry
Won: British Home Championship with England (1970–71).
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1970· 2 entries
Won: British Home Championship with England (1969–70).
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And 1972, had been followed by failing even to qualify for the 1974 World Cup
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1969· 1 entry
Won: British Home Championship with England (1968–69).
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1968· 2 entries
Third place: UEFA European Championship with England (1968).
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Won: British Home Championship with England (1967–68).
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1967· 4 entries
Only after his knighthood in 1967 did Ramsey reveal his true age, deciding that he could not lie to Debrett's, publisher of Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage.
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In recognition of the World Cup win, Ramsey also managed his country to third place in the 1968 European Championship and the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup and the 1972 European Championship
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A year after England won the World Cup under his management, Ramsey received a knighthood — the first given to a football manager
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Did Ramsey reveal his true age, deciding that he could not lie to Debrett's, publisher of Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage
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1966· 4 entries
Won: British Home Championship with England (1965–66).
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Won: FIFA World Cup with England (1966).
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Made Ramsey a national hero, though he had his critics, both at the time and since
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Were now perceived to have failed in three successive tournaments
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1965· 1 entry
Won: British Home Championship with England (1964–65).
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1964· 1 entry
Won: British Home Championship with England (1963–64).
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1962· 1 entry
Won: Football League First Division with Ipswich Town (1961–62).
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1961· 1 entry
Won: Football League Second Division with Ipswich Town (1960–61).
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1957· 1 entry
Won: Football League Third Division South with Ipswich Town (1956–57).
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1954· 1 entry
After Burgess left to join Swansea Town, he was appointed club captain
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1953· 1 entry
Won: British Home Championship with England (1952–53).
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1952· 3 entries
Won: British Home Championship with England (1951–52).
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“Shots which appeared certain to score missed by the width of a coat of paint. The American goalkeeper, much to his astonishment, found himself stopping the ball with his body, and on occasions his face, without really knowing what it was all about.”
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Ramsey would call joining the army "one of the greatest things which ever happened to me", adding "I learnt, in a few weeks, more about life in general than I had picked up in years at home
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1951· 1 entry
Won: Football League First Division with Tottenham Hotspur (1950–51).
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1950· 3 entries
Won: Football League Second Division with Tottenham Hotspur (1949–50).
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Won: British Home Championship with England (1949–50).
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“After all, I was a member of one of the finest club teams in years”
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1949· 1 entry
Played for Tottenham Hotspur F.C. (1949–1955) — 226 appearances, 24 goals.
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1948· 2 entries
Played for England national association football B team (1948–1948) — 1 appearances, 0 goals.
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Played for England men's national association football team (1948–1953) — 32 appearances, 3 goals.
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1947· 1 entry
And could not remarry for another year after that
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1946· 1 entry
After two decades' absence, therefore being excluded from the first three World Cup tournaments in the 1930s
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1943· 2 entries
Moved to Barton Stacey in Hampshire, where he came under the command of a Colonel Fletcher, himself an accomplished footballer
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Played for Southampton F.C. (1943–1949) — 90 appearances, 8 goals.
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1939· 1 entry
Ramsey was conscripted into the British Army on 24 June 1940
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1938· 1 entry
And its home ground at Portman Road was small and basic
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1934· 1 entry
The 14-year-old Ramsey tried to get a job at the Ford plant, then told his family he intended to become a greengrocer
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1922· 1 entry
Rather than 1920, reasoning that this might improve his career prospects and compensate for the years he had lost to the hostilities
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1920· 1 entry
Born 1920-01-22.
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