George Ramsay
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Burrell Ramsay | ||
| Date of birth | March 1, 1855 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | October 7, 1935 (aged 80) | ||
| Place of death | Llandrindod Wells, Wales | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1874–1882 | Aston Villa | ? | (?) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1884–1926 | Aston Villa | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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George Burrell Ramsay (1 March 1855 in Glasgow, Scotland – 7 October 1935 in Llandrindod Wells) was secretary and manager of Aston Villa Football Club in the most successful period of their history. His record of six League Championships is second only to Sir Alex Ferguson, and his record of six FA Cup victories stood for 95 years before being equalled by Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger in 2015 with a win over Aston Villa.
Ramsay came to join Aston Villa almost by accident. Walking past a Villa players' practice match in Aston Park in 1876, he was asked to make up the numbers. Impressed by his skills, the Villa players invited to join the club, and he soon became captain. Ramsay later described the newly formed club's approach to the game as 'a dash at the man and a big kick at the ball'. He also took charge of training which saw dramatic improvement that showed in the results, introducing what was known as the "passing game". This had become the main style of play in Scotland whereas in England most teams relied on what was known as the "dribbling game".
In addition to the introduction of a radical change in playing style, Ramsay, along with John Linsay discovered the Wellington Road ground at Perry Barr in 1876, which meant the club was able to charge admission for the first time. He was also responsible for the recruitment of Villa legend Archie Hunter. Hunter later recounted the story in his 1890 memoir Triumphs of the Football Field.
Villa played at Perry Barr until 1897 when the club moved to the Aston Lower Grounds, next to Aston Hall, which later became known as Villa Park. Club folklore has it that Ramsay was the first man to kick a ball at Villa Park.
Villa gradually improved under his guidance which culminated in Villa winning their first trophy, The Birmingham Senior Cup, in 1880, with Ramsay as captain.
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