FOOTBALLING FIFTIES, THE GREAT POLL: MANAGERS

Select the man you want to manage your Dream Team from the choice of ten below. They are presented in alphabetical order. E-mail your ideal manager and your dream team selection in 2-3-5 formation to the author normangiller@footballingfifties.co.uk He will do his best to reply.

MATT BUSBY Manchester United. He inherited one team, built another (the Busby Babes) and bought a third championship-winning team. He survived the 1958 Munich air disaster and captured the European Cup ten years later, but you must judge him on his feats in the 'fifties.

STAN CULLIS Wolves. Managed Wolves in the same way that he used to play for them, with total commitment and the emphasis on power. His leaning towards long-ball tactics meant they were not always pretty to watch, but in the 'fifties they were one of the great untouchables.

TED DRAKE Chelsea. Brought a revolution to Stamford Bridge in an era when Chelsea were the butt of music-hall jokes. He swept aside the Pensioner image and guided them to their first League championship in 1954-55 before developing the headlne-hitting Drake Ducklings.

LES McDOWALL Manchester City. He was in charge at Maine Road for thirteen years from 1950, and had his peak season in the mid-1950s when steering City to successive FA Cup finals, losing the first in 1955 and then returning the following year to capture the coveted Cup.

HARRY POTTS Burnley. Always insisted on his team playing pure football, and finally got the deserved reward for his skill-at-all-times approach by lifting the League championship in 1959-60.This quiet man of football later become general manager at Turf Moor.

BILL RIDDING Bolton. Took a Bolton team all the way to FA Cup Final glory in 1958 that cost just £110 in signing-on fees. He liked his teams to mix beef with their skill and the take-no-prisoners Bolton defence of the 1950s was one of the most feared in football.

ARTHUR ROWE Tottenham. The architect of push-and-run, he was a tactical genius who produced a Tottenham team that played pure football on the way to back to back Second and First Division championships. Greatly influenced future master managers Alf Ramsey and Bill Nicholson.

JOE SMITH Blackpool. A manager out of the old school, he produced a procession of exceptional Cup-specialist teams and in more than 20 years at the helm motivated the likes of Matthews and Mortensen to make the Seasiders a greatly respected club.

WALTER WINTERBOTTOM England. Though not a club manager, you may wish to consider him as manager of your dream team. He spent 16 years as England team manager without touching the heights of his successor Alf Ramsey. Walter was responsible for setting up a nationwide coaching network.

TOM WHITTAKER. Arsenal. Promoted from club physiotherapist, the 'man with the magic hands' helped restore Arsenal's pride in the immediate post-war years and steered them to two FA Cup finals and a League championship.

CHOOSE THE MAN YOU WANT TO MANAGE AND SEND HIS NAME ALONG WITH YOUR DREAM TEAM IN 2-3-5 FORMATION TO normangiller@footballingfifties.co.uk THANK YOU.

YOU CAN ORDER A COPY OF FOOTBALLING FIFTIES AT A SPECIAL DISCOUNT PRICE BY E-MAILING normangiller@footballingfifties.co.uk

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