Books – Prophet or Traitor?: The Jimmy Hogan Story (2003)

On a murky afternoon fifty years ago this November England’s football team suffered their first ever defeat on home soil. But it was more than just defeat. England were humiliated 6-3 by the Hungarians (the Magic Magyars) who won with their sometimes strolling, sometimes devastatingly swift and always beautifully controlled football. Although the match is considered among the most significant in the history of the game, it is not widely known that, ironically, it was dedicated by the Hungarians to an English coach, Jimmy Hogan, who before the First World War had gone abroad after only a moderately successful playing career and became perhaps the most influential trainer/coach of all time.

Born in Lancashire, he developed into a skilled inside forward for Burnley and Fulham. His ball control was so breathtaking that when he turned to coaching his demonstrations often left some of the greatest players of the time feeling inferior. In Austria he linked up with Hugo!

Meisl with whom he later worked to produce the famous ‘Wunderteam’ that came to Stamford Bridge in 1932 and astonishingly nearly beat England. He was stranded in Austria at the outbreak of the First World War and interned. Afterwards, he went to the FA to plead poverty and was offered only a pair of army socks. The clear message was…traitor. Moved to Hungary and successfully coached the MTK club that later produced several of the Magic Magyars.

He preached skilful ‘Total Football’ before the phrase was invented and continually warned that English football would be overtaken by the Continentals. The clubs were sceptical. Managed Fulham in the thirties but the senior players rebelled against the need for coaching. Acted as chief coach in Germany but needed to get out quickly and over the French border. Had his life savings sewn in his Plus-Fours.

Returned to manage Aston Villa. In his sixties he coached Celtic. Tommy Docherty said: “He was the greatest influence on my career.” Told he was too secretive by Stanley Rous but continued to coach Aston Villa’s youth players into his seventies (Peter McParland was another to say he was a huge influence). In spite of his age, after the 1953 match the Press campaigned to have him made England’s manager.

On his death in 1974 tributes poured in from some of the most famous names in international football but until now his life story has never been fully explored.