Bob Stokoe facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Stokoe | ||
| Date of birth | 21 September 1930 | ||
| Place of birth | Mickley, England | ||
| Date of death | 1 February 2004 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Hartlepool, England | ||
| Playing position | Centre half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1946–1950 | Newcastle United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1950–1960 | Newcastle United | 261 | (4) |
| 1960–1964 | Bury | 82 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1961–1965 | Bury | ||
| 1965–1967 | Charlton Athletic | ||
| 1967–1968 | Rochdale | ||
| 1968–1970 | Carlisle United | ||
| 1970–1972 | Blackpool | ||
| 1972–1976 | Sunderland | ||
| 1977–1978 | Bury | ||
| 1978–1979 | Blackpool | ||
| 1979–1980 | Rochdale | ||
| 1980–1985 | Carlisle United | ||
| 1985–1986 | Carlisle United | ||
| 1987 | Sunderland | ||
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Robert "Bob" Stokoe (born 21 September 1930 – died 1 February 2004) was a famous English footballer and manager. He was special because he was loved by fans of both Newcastle United and Sunderland. These two teams are big rivals in the north-east of England.
As a player, Bob Stokoe won the FA Cup with Newcastle in 1955. Later, as a manager, he led Blackpool to win the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1971. Just two years after that, he guided Sunderland to an amazing victory in the 1973 FA Cup Final. He also helped Sunderland get promoted from the Second Division in the 1975–76 season.
Contents
Playing for Top Teams
Bob Stokoe was born in Mickley, a small town near Prudhoe in Northumberland. His father worked as a miner. Bob started his football journey at Newcastle United. He joined them as a young apprentice in 1947.
He played his first game for Newcastle on Christmas Day in 1950. He usually played as a centre-half. He played 261 games for the club and even scored a goal in his first match! The best moment of his 13 years at Newcastle was winning the 1955 FA Cup Final. They beat Manchester City 3–1 in that big game.
After leaving Newcastle, Bob joined Bury in 1961. He played there for a short time. He helped the team get promoted without losing a single game. Soon after, he became a player-manager at Bury, starting his career in management.
Becoming a Manager
Bob Stokoe became the player-manager at Bury in December 1961. He was only 31 years old, making him one of the youngest managers in the Football League. He led Bury to the semi-finals of the League Cup in the 1962–63 season.
He stopped playing football in 1964 but stayed on as Bury's manager for another year. After that, he moved south to manage Charlton Athletic from 1965 to 1967. He also managed Rochdale from 1967 to 1968. Bob had three different periods managing Carlisle United (1968–1970, 1980–1985, and 1985–1986).
Managing Blackpool
Between his times at Carlisle, Bob Stokoe managed Blackpool from 1970 to 1972. He had been asked to join Blackpool earlier, but he chose to stay with Carlisle. About 18 months later, he became Blackpool's ninth official manager.
When Bob took over, Blackpool had just been relegated to the Second Division. He worked to rebuild the team. He sold player Tony Green to Newcastle and brought in striker Keith Dyson.
Blackpool had a great time in Europe, winning the Anglo-Italian Cup in June 1971. In the league, they finished sixth. However, fans were not happy about being out of the top division. They also didn't like the team's style of play under Stokoe.
The next season, Blackpool reached the final of the Anglo-Italian Cup again, but lost to Roma. This helped keep the fans from complaining too much. Everyone at Bloomfield Road knew the 1972–73 season would be very important.
Bob's third season at Blackpool started well. The team was in a good position for promotion. He had said he wanted to stay for five years. But then, he left the club. He was called back to his home region to manage Sunderland.
Sunderland's FA Cup Glory
Bob Stokoe became the manager of Sunderland on 29 November 1972. The team was struggling, near the bottom of the Second Division. They had only won four games out of 18. His first game in charge was a 1–0 loss. But the next week, the players seemed to play with new freedom and won 3–2 away from home. This started an amazing run of 32 games with only five defeats.
Just six months later, on 5 May 1973, something incredible happened. Sunderland, a Second Division team, had already beaten big clubs like Manchester City and Arsenal to reach the FA Cup final. Bob Stokoe led them to Wembley to face the cup holders, Leeds United.
Leeds United was a very strong team, full of international players. They were expected to win easily. But Sunderland scored in the first half with a goal from Ian Porterfield. In the second half, goalkeeper Jim Montgomery made two amazing saves that everyone still remembers. Sunderland held on to win 1–0!
This victory was a huge shock. It was the first time a Second Division team had won the FA Cup in 42 years. Bob Stokoe is famous for his happy run down the pitch after the game. He ran in his raincoat and trilby hat to celebrate with Jim Montgomery. Today, there is a statue of Bob Stokoe, with his arms raised in celebration, outside Sunderland's Stadium of Light.
Sunderland finished 6th in the Second Division that season. They almost got promoted in the next two seasons. In the 1975–76 season, Bob guided the club to win the Second Division title. He resigned the next season when they struggled in the First Division.
Later Management Years
In May 1978, Bob Stokoe returned to Blackpool. The club was in a very bad situation. They had been relegated to the Third Division for the first time ever. Bob was brought in to rebuild the club. He helped them finish in the middle of the table. He then resigned again before the start of the 1979–80 season.
He had another time managing Rochdale (1979–1980). Then he had two more periods with Carlisle United (1980–1985 and 1985–1986). He led Carlisle to promotion to the Second Division in 1982. In the 1983–84 season, they were even contenders for promotion to the top league! He resigned in 1985, was reappointed, and then resigned again seven months later.
Near the end of the 1986–87 season, he became the caretaker manager for Sunderland. They were struggling in the Second Division. Sunderland lost in the play-offs and were relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history. Bob's contract was not renewed, and he retired from football. It's important to know that he was never fired by any of the clubs he managed during his whole career.
Remembering Bob Stokoe
Bob Stokoe was unwell for some time with Alzheimer's disease. He passed away on 1 February 2004, at the age of 73, after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia.
His funeral was held in Newcastle upon Tyne. It showed how much he was respected that fans from both Newcastle United and Sunderland attended. The minister at the service said, "He will be remembered by all as a real gentleman. Such was Bob's standing that we can see Sunderland and Newcastle here together today to celebrate his life."
Honours and Achievements
As a Player
Newcastle United
- FA Cup winner: 1955
As Manager
Blackpool
- Anglo-Italian Cup winners: 1971
Sunderland
- FA Cup winners: 1973
- Second Division championship: 1975–76
