Bill Ridding
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Ridding | ||
| Date of birth | 4 April 1911 | ||
| Place of birth | Heswall, Wirral, Cheshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 1981 (aged 69–70) | ||
| Playing position | Centre forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Heswall PSA | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1928–1930 | Tranmere Rovers | 17 | (13) |
| 1930–1931 | Manchester City | 9 | (4) |
| 1931–1934 | Manchester United | 42 | (14) |
| 1934 | Northampton Town | 0 | (0) |
| 1935 | Tranmere Rovers | 1 | (0) |
| 1935–1936 | Oldham Athletic | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1942–1946 | Tranmere Rovers | ||
| 1950–1968 | Bolton Wanderers | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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William "Bill" Ridding (4 April 1911 – 1981), also known as Nibbler Ridding, was an English football player and manager, most notably in a 17-year period managing Bolton Wanderers between 1951 and 1968, during which time the club won the 1958 FA Cup.
Ridding started his playing career at Tranmere Rovers in 1928, where he had his most successful run, scoring 12 goals in 13 games, before being transferred to Manchester City in early 1930, for £3,500. He only made a handful of appearances for City before, in 1931, he was transferred to cross-town rivals Manchester United, then playing in the Second Division.
In the 1932–33 season he was United's top scorer with eleven goals. He would go on to score league 14 goals for United in 42 matches before retiring due to injury in 1934 (aged 23), although he subsequently had brief spells at Northampton Town in 1934, Tranmere Rovers and Oldham Athletic in 1935.
In 1942, Ridding was appointed manager of Tranmere Rovers. However, due to the Second World War he only took charge of twenty matches in his four-year spell as manager.
Ridding replaced Walter Rowley, who resigned due to ill health, in October 1950 as manager of Bolton Wanderers. The 1950–51 season saw a significant improvement in Bolton's league performance, finishing eighth, six places higher than the previous season. The following season 1951–52 they finished three places higher in fifth. An FA Cup Final appearance followed a year later; however they lost a thrilling encounter against a Stanley Matthews inspired Blackpool team 4–3. Another fifth-place finish came in the 1953–54 league season as well as a run to the quarter finals of the cup. The 1954–55 season saw Bolton struggle for form in the league, narrowly escaping relegation, finishing the season in eighteenth place. Bill Ridding's men bounced back the following season to finish in a respectful eighth position, following that up with a ninth place in 1956–57.
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