 Allison in 1936 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Frederick Allison | ||
| Date of birth | (1883-10-24)24 October 1883 | ||
| Place of birth | Hurworth-on-Tees,County Durham, England | ||
| Date of death | 13 March 1957(1957-03-13) (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | London, England | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 1934–1947 | Arsenal | ||
George Frederick Allison (24 October 1883 – 13 March 1957) was an Englishfootballjournalist,broadcaster andmanager. He was theBBC's first sports commentator[1] andArsenal's second longest serving manager.[2]
Allison was born inHurworth-on-Tees,County Durham, and attended Holy Trinity School inStockton. He started out as ajudge'ssecretary in his nativeNorth East, while playing for a local amateur team inStockton-on-Tees. Allison ran a sideline in writing about his own team's exploits, and he was eventually convinced by his editor to become a full-time journalist. A year inDevonport aside, Allison spent most of his time in theCleveland andMiddlesbrough areas, and was briefly assistant to the secretary-manager ofMiddlesbrough F.C.[1]
Allison moved to London in 1906, as the sports representative of theHulton group of newspapers. Four years later he becamegreyhound correspondent for theSporting Life and began to writeGunners' Mate in Arsenal's matchday programmes.[3] After a chance encounter withLord Kitchener before the 1911coronation ofKing George V, Allison became London correspondent for theNew York Post and a year later joined the staff ofWilliam Randolph Hearst, remaining in this post until 1934.
DuringWorld War I Allison worked for theWar Office and theAdmiralty, producingpropaganda[3] and later joined theRoyal Flying Corps (later renamed theRoyal Air Force). After the war Allison also moved into broadcasting, joining theBBC and becoming the first person to commentate on the radio on events such asthe Derby and theGrand National (with the BBC's racing correspondent Meyrick Good), as well as the annualEnglandv.Scotland international, and theFA Cup Final in1927, betweenCardiff City andArsenal.[4] By this time, he had already formed a strong association with the latter club.
Having been a keen footballer in his youth (although he failed to make the grade as a professional, the best being a trial withShildon), after his move to London in 1906, Allison soon became associated withWoolwich Arsenal. He became the club's programme editor and continued his association with the team after they moved toHighbury and renamed themselves "Arsenal". He became a member of the club'sboard of directors soon after the end of the First World War; he was at first club secretary and thenmanaging director.[5][4]
After the sudden death of legendary Arsenal bossHerbert Chapman earlier in January 1934, Allison was appointed Chapman's full-time successor in the summer of that year. Under Chapman andcaretaker managerJoe Shaw, Arsenal had already won theLeague Championship twice in a row, in1932–33 and1933–34, and Allison made it a hat-trick, winning a third successive title in1934–35. He also won theFA Cup in1935–36 and the League again in1937–38.[5] In 1938, Allison set a world transfer record when he bought Bryn Jones fromWolverhampton for £14,000.[3]
Allison famously appeared in a 1939film set atHighbury,The Arsenal Stadium Mystery, where he had a speaking part as himself. Amongst his lines included one uttered at half time:"It's one-nil to the Arsenal. That's the way we like it.", a line of which helped foster and create the club's famous one-nil to the Arsenal chant.[6]
Allison took a hands-off approach to managing, unlike his predecessor Chapman; Joe Shaw andTom Whittaker took charge of training and squad discipline, while Allison concentrated on transfer policy and the club's relationship with themedia.[3] Arsenal playerBernard Joy later recounted: "[He was] tactful, friendly and good-hearted. But he fell short in his handling of footballers and lacked the professional's deep knowledge of the game".[5] Allison's proponents have cited the trophies won under his reign, though by the end of the 1930s Arsenal were no longer the all-conquering team that they had once been. Allison was unable to replace many of the stars from the first half of the decade, especiallyAlex James.
With the advent of theSecond World War, official competition in England was suspended. Allison continued to manage Arsenal in theWartime League, going unpaid to do so.[7] After hostilities had ended, many of the players that had made Arsenal a success (such asCliff Bastin andTed Drake) had retired from playing. Arsenal finished a disappointing 13th in1946–47, and Allison, by now in his mid-sixties and tiring of managerial life, decided to step down and retire from the game. He died in 1957 after several years of illness.
Allison married Ethel Swordy in 1912.[1]
Arsenal[5]