Danny Blanchflower
.jpg)
Blanchflower (left) with George Best in 1976
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Dennis Blanchflower | ||
| Date of birth | 10 February 1926 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 9 December 1993 (aged 67) | ||
| Place of death | London, England | ||
| Playing position | Right-half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1946–1949 | Glentoran | ? | |
| 1949–1951 | Barnsley | 68 | (2) |
| 1951–1954 | Aston Villa | 148 | (10) |
| 1954–1964 | Tottenham Hotspur | 337 | (15) |
| 1961 | → Toronto City (loan) | ? | |
| National team | |||
| 1949–1963 | Northern Ireland | 56 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1976–1979 | Northern Ireland | ||
| 1978–1979 | Chelsea | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
Robert Dennis "Danny" Blanchflower (10 February 1926 – 9 December 1993) was a former Northern Ireland international footballer and football manager, and journalist who captained Tottenham Hotspur during its double-winning season of 1961. He was ranked as the greatest player in Spurs history by The Times in 2009. He is perhaps best known for his quote: "The game is about glory. It's about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom."
He played as a right half and was known for his accurate passing and ability to dictate the tempo of the game.
Blanchflower was born on 10 February 1926 in the Bloomfield district of Belfast, the first of five children born to John and Selina Blanchflower. His mother had played as a centre-forward on a women's football team. He was educated at Ravenscroft public elementary school and was awarded a scholarship to Belfast College of Technology.
He left early to become an apprentice electrician at Gallaher's cigarette factory in Belfast. He also joined the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) and in 1943 lied about his age to join the RAF. As a trainee navigator he was sent on a course to St Andrews University (where he acquired a lifelong love of golf) and in the spring of 1945 was posted to Canada for further training. By 1946, aged 20, he was back in Belfast, back at Gallaher's, and building a reputation as an outstanding footballer. While at St Andrews Blanchflower played for the University College Dundee football team which was coached by former Celtic, Dundee United and Scotland trainer Jack Qusklay.
...
Wikipedia