 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Ray[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1876-02-04)4 February 1876[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Newcastle-under-Lyme, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 28 December 1952(1952-12-28) (aged 76)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Leeds, England[1] | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1893–1894 | Macclesfield | 17 | (2) |
| 1894–1895 | Burslem Port Vale | 29 | (1) |
| 1895 | Crewe Alexandra | 0 | (0) |
| 1895–1896 | Macclesfield | 7 | (0) |
| 1896–1900 | Manchester City | 83 | (3) |
| 1900–1903 | Coventry City | ||
| 1903–1904 | Stockport County | 34 | (0) |
| 1904–1905 | Chesterfield | 31 | (0) |
| 1905–1908 | Leeds City | 38 | (0) |
| Total | 239 | (6) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1919–1920 | Leeds United | ||
| 1923–1927 | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| 1927–1935 | Leeds United | ||
| 1935–1937 | Bradford City | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Richard Ray (4 February 1876 – 28 December 1952) was an English professionalfootballer andmanager.
Aleft-back, he played forMacclesfield before starting his career in theFootball League withBurslem Port Vale in 1894. He switched toCrewe Alexandra a year later before joiningManchester City in 1896. He spent the next four years with City, helping the club to theSecond Division title in 1898–99. He spent time with Macclesfield andCoventry City before spending one season each withStockport County andChesterfield. He signed withLeeds City in July 1905, andcaptained the club before he left the club in March 1908.
In 1919, he becameLeeds United's first-ever manager before being demoted toArthur Fairclough's assistant the following year. He took charge atDoncaster Rovers in 1923 and spent four seasons in charge before returning to Leeds in 1927. He led the club topromotion out of the Second Division in 1927–28 and 1931–32, though he failed to turn Leeds into a stableFirst Division side. He took thereins atBradford City in 1935 but left his post in February 1937.
Ray was born inNewcastle-under-Lyme and began his footballing career with local club Audley before joiningMacclesfield in 1893, with whom he won theCheshire Senior Cup.[2] He joinedBurslem Port Vale in 1894.[1] He was a solid performer for the club, however, failed to turn up for one match after misreading a train timetable, and was fined fiveshillings for his trouble.[1] In total, he played 29 of the club's 30Second Division games in the1894–95 season, and scored his first goal in theFootball League on 2 February, in a 2–1 defeat toManchester City at theAthletic Ground.[1] He departed in the summer of 1895.[1] He spent the1895–96 season withCrewe Alexandra, but did not make a first-team appearance.[3] He instead returned to Macclesfield, picking up a second Cheshire Senior Cup winners medal.[2]
Ray went on to play 30 Second Division games for Manchester City in the1896–97 season and scored one goal in a 5–0 win atWalsall on 6 January. He made 22 appearances in the1897–98 campaign and scored a goal in a 1–1 draw withManchester derby rivalsNewton Heath atBank Street on 16 October. He played 26 matches in the1898–99 season and scored one goal in a 5–0 victory overLoughborough atHyde Road on 17 December, as City wonpromotion as champions of the Second Division. He played only nineFirst Division games in the1899–1900 season. He later played fornon-League clubs Macclesfield andCoventry City, before making 34 Second Division appearances forStockport County in the1903–04 season.[3] He leftEdgeley Park after Stockport failed re-election to the Football League. He spent the1904–05 campaign withChesterfield, playing 31 Second Division games.[3]
AfterGilbert Gillies, hismanager atSaltergate, was appointed asLeeds City's first manager in March 1905, Ray followed him toElland Road in July 1905.[4] The club had just been elected to the Second Division and Ray played the club's first-ever Football League appearance in a 1–0 defeat toBradford City atValley Parade in September 1905.[4] After the death of Leeds playerSoldier Wilson during a match againstBurnley in October 1906, he served as apallbearer carrying Wilson's coffin to Leeds Station.[5] He played 38 League and sixFA Cup games ascaptain atElland Road before leaving the club when the board declined to renew Gillies'contract in March 1908.[4]
Ray retired from playing in 1912 and then served in theRoyal Army Service Corps duringWorld War I.[4] He was invited to become a member of the original committee that was elected to manage the newLeeds United followingLeeds City's expulsion from theFootball League in October 1919.[4] He was appointed the club's first manager in the 1919–20Midland League season, beforeArthur Fairclough was appointed as his successor.[4] Ray worked as Fairclough's assistant, before leavingElland Road in June 1923.[4]
He was appointed asDoncaster Rovers manager for the1923–24 season. He led "Donny" to ninth in theThird Division North in the club's first season back in the Football League. Rovers struggled to finish 18th in1924–25, just three places and six points above the re-election zone. He then took them to tenth and eighth-place finishes in1925–26 and1926–27. AtBelle Vue, he signed four members of the Keetley family:Tom,Harry,Joe andFrank.[3]
WhenArthur Fairclough resigned followingLeeds United'srelegation into theSecond Division at the end of1926–27, the Leeds board recalled Ray as manager in July 1927.[4] Described as "an outspoken character", he developedBert Sproston,Billy Furness,Eric Stephenson,Arthur Hydes,Tom Cochrane,George Milburn andJim Milburn into key players for the club.[3] He also signedCharlie Keetley in July 1927, who would go on to become the club's most prolific goalscorer.[6] He installed an all-England international half-back line ofWillis Edwards,Ernest Hart andWilf Copping.
Ray led Leeds United to promotion in1927–28 with a second-place finish, just two points behind championsManchester City. United finished 13th in theFirst Division in1928–29, before rising to fifth place in1929–30. He then took the "Peacocks" to relegation in 21st place in1930–31. He succeeded in taking the club to immediate promotion in1931–32, as they finished in second position, just two points behind championsWolverhampton Wanderers. He then took them to eighth spot in1932–33 and ninth place in1933–34. Yet with Wilf Copping sold toArsenal, Leeds fell to 18th place in1934–35.[7] Ray resigned in March 1935, with Leeds struggling against relegation.[4]
After Ray leftElland Road, he becameBradford City manager in April 1935. The "Bantams" finished 12th in theSecond Division in1935–36. However, he left his post atValley Parade in February 1937, with the club sliding towards relegation in1936–37.
The Football League appointed Ray as the first manager of a Football League representative team for a 2–2 draw with theScottish League atIbrox in February 1938.[3] He later worked as chiefscout atMillwall and later ran a garage business and billiard clubs.[3]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Macclesfield Town | 1893–94[9] | The Combination | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 1894–95[10] | The Combination | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Total | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | ||
| Burslem Port Vale | 1894–95 | Second Division | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 1 |
| Macclesfield Town | 1895–96[11] | The Combination | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 1895–96 | Second Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Manchester City | 1896–97 | Second Division | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| 1897–98 | Second Division | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 1 | |
| 1898–99 | Second Division | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| 1899–1900 | First Division | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1902–03 | Second Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 83 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 89 | 3 | ||
| Stockport County | 1903–04 | Second Division | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Chesterfield | 1904–05 | Second Division | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| Leeds City | 1905–06 | Second Division | 27 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| 1906–07 | Second Division | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 44 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 239 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 257 | 6 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Leeds United[12] | 1919 | 1920 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 023.53 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1 August 1923 | 1 July 1927 | 173 | 65 | 44 | 64 | 037.57 |
| Leeds United | 1 July 1927 | 1 March 1935 | 341 | 142 | 72 | 127 | 041.64 |
| Bradford City | 1 April 1935 | 28 February 1937 | 86 | 27 | 23 | 36 | 031.40 |
| Total[13] | 617 | 238 | 144 | 235 | 038.57 | ||
Macclesfield
Manchester City
Leeds United