Hall of Fame

 

Kevin Keegan, Jimmy Hogan, Sir Bobby Robson, James Richardson Spensley, Chris Waddle.

Towards the end of 2010, Les Rosbifs sought to find the most influential and best Englishmen ever to play or coach overseas. After a lengthy process, a selection panel featuring some major figures from all sections of the football world selected who they thought deserved to be inducted into the Les Rosbifs Hall of Fame.

The five above were painstakingly researched and discussed by the selection panel, having first been put forward by readers of Les Rosbifs. Kevin Keegan won the European Footballer of the Year award in consecutive seasons whilst at Hamburg in West Germany. Jimmy Hogan is seen as the father of central European football, including influences on the famous Austrian Wunderteam of the 1930′s and the Magical Magyars of 1950′s Hungary. Sir Bobby Robson won trophies and hearts in the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. James Richardson Spensley is seen by many as the leading influence on the growth of calcio in Italy. Chris Waddle enjoyed a successful stint in France with Marseille, is cited by the likes of Zinedine Zidane as an idol.

The following pages and links take you through the whole process: from the initial call for nominees, to the final selection, via a series of 21 beautiful articles from some of the finest football writers and bloggers around. Those five Englishmen above were selected by a panel which included Brian Glanville, Keir Radnedge, Gavin Hamilton, Steve Darby and Ben Lyttleton.

This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the Hall of Fame.

I am looking for FIVE quality writers, each to write 2000-3000 word essays on each of the Hall of Fame inductees. The article needs to pay tribute in the best possible manner to the individual, rather than a reeling-off of facts. If you would like to have a crack at this, please use the comment form below to contact me.

Hogan leads the way as five are inducted

The official announcement of the five inductees, including details of how the panel voted.

Jimmy Hogan convincingly led the voting by the Les Rosbifs selection panel to become the first inductee into the Hall of Fame. Hogan, who was the father of the great Austrian Wunderteam of the 1930′s and the Magical Magyars of Hungary who defeated England at Wembley in 1953, was selected by 14 of the 15 panellists, making him the resounding first choice. Joining Hogan in the first batch of inductees are two-time European Footballer of the Year Kevin Keegan, the father of Calcio, James Richardson Spensley, Marseille winger Chris Waddle and one of the most respected coaches of recent times, Sir Bobby Robson. The Hall of Fame recognises the achievements of Englishmen who have been influential and successful in football outside of their home country.

The selection panel

Full of the great (Brian Glanville, Gavin Hamilton, Janine Self), the good (Sam Tillen, Dan Brennan, Adam Digby) and me.

It gives me great pleasure to unveil the 15 who will be selecting the first inductees into Les Rosbifs Hall of Fame. The panel is the perfect balance of youth and experience, with each panellist offering a strong understanding of football history, as well as their own opinions!

The selection criteria

The selection criteria are as thus:

There is no limit on the number we can induct into the HoF. However, it is important that we consider each individual on their merits and consider whether some are more deserving of their place in the Hall of Fame than others. The criteria to base your choices on are as follows:

 

Each nominee must:

• Be English;
• Have played, coached or managed outside of England;
• Have stopped playing, coaching or managing outside of England since September 2007;
• Have made a positive impact on football outside of England.

Number of games played/coached, ability, integrity, sportsmanship and character are not necessarily a consideration if the contribution made by the individual is deemed to have been great in their spell overseas.

How the panel voted

Click on the link above to see who the 15 members of the selection panel chose. 60% of panelists choosing them meant that the nominee was in.

How it all worked

Features links to all of the articles and how the Hall of Fame format worked, from public nominations to the selecting.

It seems only right to celebrate the achievements of the best of England’s footballing exports to the rest of the world. We have had a few since the modern game was developed in the country. From the pioneers, teachers and early workers who left English shores to spread their enjoyment of the game in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to the more recent successes”¦the list is endless.

The 21 Hall of Fame Finalists

Selected by the readers of Les Rosbifs, with profiles written by some of the finest football bloggers around.

The writers of the articles: Each of the 21 finalists have been profiled by some of the finest football bloggers and journalists around. Some are written by Englishmen, while others are written by those who were born and bred in the nations where the 21 made their names. Each profile is an outstandingly strong case for the inclusion of each individual. We have got a hell of a job on our hands!

The 21 Hall of Fame Finalists (in alphabetical order):

Gordon Banks by Paul Brown

Legendary England goalkeeper who had short spells in South Africa and Ireland, as well as a stint with Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the NASL in 1977/78.

Vic Buckingham by Dan Almond

One of the most influential Englishmen in Dutch football, having spent two spells in charge of Ajax Amsterdam, as well as influencing the famous Academy there. Helped to ensure a young Johan Cruyff developed as a footballer. Also spent a year in charge of Barcelona in 1970.

Laurie Cunningham by Ian King

Four trophy-laden years with Real Madrid ensured Cunningham is known as one of the most influential Englishmen in Spanish football. Also spent brief spells in France, Belgium and other Spanish teams.

Paul Gascoigne by Paul Dargan

In three years at Lazio, Gazza only scored six times in 43 appearances, but he brought Serie A into the British mainstream, as well as scoring vital goals for his club. A successful spell with Glasgow Rangers followed, while a stop-over in China was less spectacular.

Jimmy Greaves by Giancarlo Rinaldi

A very short and very sweet spell with AC Milan in 1961, scoring nine goals in 12 matches before driving himself back to England, having failed to settle in Italy.

Jack Greenwell by Brent Atema

A hugely successful coach in Europe and South America, and one of the most influential Englishmen ever in Spanish football. Greenwell won five Catalonian titles as manager of Barcelona, before heading off to South America and winning the Copa America in charge of Peru.

Jimmy Hagan by Michael Hudson

Former Sheffield United player who spent eleven years coaching in Portugal. He took Benfica to three consecutive league titles between 1970-1973, as well lasting one whole season without defeat.

Owen Hargreaves by Chris Mayer

Canadian-born, English international who was brought up through German football with Bayern Munich. Was English when he won his four German league titles and the Champions League in 2000/01, where he was one of the best players in the final.

Jimmy Hogan by Dominic Pollard

Hugely influential and successful coach in central Europe between 1910-1934, with clubs such as Austria Vienna, MTK Budapest and Austrian Olympic side. Perhaps his greatest mark was not with his titles, but with his influence over a whole generation of coaches, where his input and ideas saw great eras for both the Austrian and Hungarian national teams.

Paul Ince by Tom Whitney

A solid, regular figure in the Internazionale midfield between 1995 and 1997, Ince was well-liked by the club but chose to return to England.

Kevin Keegan by Stefan Horvath and Vampy Archer

32 goals in 90 appearances during his three year spell with SV Hamburg, “Mighty Mouse” also won the European Footballer of the Year award twice while at the club. The club reached a European Cup final and won the Bundesliga in his time at the club.

Gary Lineker by David Bevan

Before Johann Cruyff came and started playing Lineker on the wing, the former Everton striker was very prolific, scoring 21 times in his first season at the club, including a hat-trick against Real Madrid. Honours were short on supply though, despite a European Cup Winners’ Cup success. Lineker finished his career in Japan.

Steve McManaman by James Tyler

The former Liverpool man spent four years with Real Madrid and twice won the UEFA Champions League in his time at the club. Scorer of some vital goals for his club and a real survivor as the Galacticos era took hold.

David Platt by Andrew Gibney

Single seasons with Bari and Juventus, before a two-year stint with Sampdoria, Platt established himself as a goalscoring midfielder in Serie A in the early 1990′s. He also spent a brief period coaching Samp as well.

Jack Reynolds by Mohamed Moallim

Already a success in Switzerland, Reynolds was even more influential in the Netherlands, spending 24 years in charge of Ajax Amsterdam. It is he who is known in Dutch football as the pioneer of ‘Total Football’ and the Ajax Academy.

James Richardson Spensley by Adam Bate

Richardson Spensley is known as one of the fathers of Italian football, having set up the football section of the Genoa Cricket and Athletics club in 1897. He went on to lead the club to an unprecedented six league titles in a seven year period.

Sir Bobby Robson by Jamie Maher

Sir Bobby won European trophies in charge of Ipswich Town and Barcelona, as well as league titles in the Netherlands with PSV. Robson also coached in Portugal and brought Jose Mourinho into the trade. A hugely popular, successful coach.

Terry Venables by George Ogier

Venables won the league whilst in charge of Barcelona and also took them to the European Cup final in 1986. He also managed Australia to within a few minutes of a place in the 1998 World Cup finals.

Chris Waddle by Seb White

Selected as the most influential Englishman in French football, Waddle spent three enjoyable years with Marseille between 1989 and 1992. The club won three league titles in his time at the club and, in 1998, he was voted the second best Marseille player ever.

Ray Wilkins by George Bouras

A popular midfielder with Milan, where he spent three seasons before moving to Paris St. Germain for a brief spell. Also played for Rangers and Hibernian in Scotland.

Tony Woodcock by Stuart Fuller

Spent three periods in Germany over the 1980′s, all in Cologne, where he was a regular feature in the Bundesliga during this time.

The Results of your selections

You helped whittle the long list down to a shortlist of 21, who would go to the selection panel.

The votes are in and are counted and now Les Rosbifs can reveal who will be facing the Hall of Fame selection panel later on this month.

795 people cast a total of 2486 votes to determine who the public feel should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was decided that the top 21 – all of the players and managers who picked up 2% or more of the popular vote – out of the 41 long-listed would go forward to the final stage of the induction process. From here, these 21 and their legacy will be analysed by a panel of football experts, who will be revealed in due course. The selection panel will choose as many as they see fit to be inducted into the Hall of Fame – whether it be 3, 4, or all 21.

Your nominations – Part 1 and Part 2

Readers of Les Rosbifs got to put names forward, before the big vote.

An introduction to all 44 of the nominations for Les Rosbifs Hall of Fame. They are listed in two parts, in alphabetical order with the voting form at the bottom. Part Two will be online tomorrow.