| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Harry Keith Burkinshaw | ||
| Date of birth | (1935-06-23)23 June 1935 (age 90) | ||
| Place of birth | Higham,Barnsley, England | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wolves | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1953 | Denaby United | ||
| 1953–1957 | Liverpool | 1 | (0) |
| 1957–1965 | Workington | 293 | (9) |
| 1965–1968 | Scunthorpe United | 108 | (3) |
| Total | 402 | (12) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1964–1965 | Workington | ||
| 1966–1967 | Scunthorpe United (caretaker) | ||
| 1976–1984 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| 1984–1986 | Bahrain | ||
| 1987–1988 | Sporting CP | ||
| 1988–1989 | Gillingham | ||
| 1991 | Pahang | ||
| 1993–1994 | West Bromwich Albion | ||
| 1997 | Aberdeen (caretaker) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Harry Keith Burkinshaw (born 23 June 1935) is an English former professionalfootballer and football manager. He is one of the most successful managers ofTottenham Hotspur, winning three major trophies for the club as manager there.
Burkinshaw was born inHigham,Barnsley,West Riding of Yorkshire. He passed his11-plus and attended Barnsleygrammar school, being in the same school year asMichael Parkinson. He obtained sixO-levels and after leaving school, he began his footballing career withMidland League sideDenaby United while working atDodworth Colliery. He had a brief spell as an amateur withWolverhampton Wanderers before joiningLiverpool in November 1953. He spent a period in theBritish Army, serving alongsideDuncan Edwards in Wales.[1]
Burkinshaw played just once for Liverpool, againstPort Vale in April 1955, moving toWorkington in December 1957 for a fee of £3,000. He was player-manager of Workington between November 1964 and March 1965, leaving to joinScunthorpe United in May 1965, having played 293 league games for Workington. He played a further 108 league games for Scunthorpe, and had a short spell as caretaker manager before retiring from playing in May 1968.
Shortly after announcing his retirement, Burkinshaw moved toZambia where he coached for a few months before returning to England as first team coach ofNewcastle United. He was sacked by Newcastle on 1 May 1975 and joinedTottenham Hotspur as coach a month later. He became manager afterTerry Neill left as manager for Arsenal in 1976. He was manager from 14 July 1976 to 31 May 1984, and he won more major competitions at the club than all but one other Spurs manager (that beingBill Nicholson). Spurs were relegated in Burkinshaw's first year in charge but bounced straight back for promotion the following year. He signed two ArgentineWorld Cup stars,Osvaldo Ardiles andRicardo Villa, in 1978. It was considered a brave move but Ardiles would become one of the Spurs greats and Villa would score one of the greatest goals ever seen atWembley in the1981 FA Cup Final replay. Burkinshaw's Spurs, with Ardiles, Villa andGlenn Hoddle, won two successiveFA Cups.
In his final game in charge, Spurs won theUEFA Cup for a second time after a penalty shoot-out after the second leg atWhite Hart Lane. In doing so, they beat anAnderlecht team that included the future Spurs Sporting DirectorFrank Arnesen. On leaving White Hart Lane for the last time, brought about by a disagreement with the board, he was said to have remarked: "There used to be a football club over there" (actually a misattribution – it was written by journalist Ken Jones who mentioned to Burkinshaw as he was leaving the club the Frank Sinatra's song "There Used to Be a Ballpark", said to be about the demolition ofEbbets Field, and Burkinshaw nodded in agreement.)[2][3]
In June 1984 he was appointed as coach to theBahrain national side. He left that role in July 1986.[4] Burkinshaw later managedSporting Clube de Portugal until he was sacked in February 1988.[5] In October 1988 he returned to England as manager ofGillingham, but resigned in April 1989 with the team on the verge of relegation toDivision Four.
Burkinshaw took charge of big-spending Malaysian state teamPahang between late April and July 1991, leading them to the top of the league table before departing for Swindon Town.[6]
Burkinshaw was later Chief Scout forGlenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles atSwindon Town and in May 1992 became assistant to Ardiles atWest Bromwich Albion. When Ardiles moved to manage Tottenham in the summer of 1993, Burkinshaw was promoted to Albion manager.[7] His career as Albion manager lasted just one season (1993–94) and he was sacked after they narrowly avoided relegation back to Division Two.[8]
He was later Director of Football atAberdeen[9] before briefly taking charge as caretaker-manager at Pittodrie whenRoy Aitken was sacked in 1997, he left whenAlex Miller was appointed as the club's new manager.
In March 2005 Burkinshaw was appointed assistant manager atWatford.[10] He left this position in December 2007 due to a serious family illness,[10] having helped the club reach promotion to thePremier League in 2006.