Ron Saunders facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronald Saunders | ||
| Date of birth | 6 November 1932 | ||
| Place of birth | Birkenhead, Cheshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 7 December 2019 (aged 87) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1951–1955 | Everton | 3 | (0) |
| 1955–1957 | Tonbridge Angels | 53 | (39) |
| 1957–1958 | Gillingham | 49 | (20) |
| 1958–1964 | Portsmouth | 236 | (145) |
| 1964–1965 | Watford | 39 | (18) |
| 1965–1967 | Charlton Athletic | 65 | (24) |
| Total | 445 | (246) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1967–1969 | Yeovil Town | ||
| 1969 | Oxford United | ||
| 1969–1973 | Norwich City | ||
| 1973–1974 | Manchester City | ||
| 1974–1982 | Aston Villa | ||
| 1982–1986 | Birmingham City | ||
| 1986–1987 | West Bromwich Albion | ||
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Ronald Saunders (born 6 November 1932 – died 7 December 2019) was a famous English football player and manager. He played for several teams like Everton and Portsmouth for 16 years. After his playing career, he became a manager, leading seven different clubs over 20 years.
Ron Saunders was the first manager to lead three rival clubs from the Birmingham area: Aston Villa, Birmingham City, and West Bromwich Albion. He was involved in football for 36 years in a row, ending his managing career at the age of 54.
Contents
Ron Saunders' Playing Career
As a player, Ron Saunders was a strong centre forward who scored many goals. He scored 246 goals in 16 years for teams like Everton, Gillingham, and Portsmouth.
He was the top goal scorer for six years in a row at Portsmouth. His goals helped Portsmouth win the Third Division title in 1962. He is still the third highest goal scorer in Portsmouth's history. He stopped playing full-time football in 1967 when he was with Charlton Athletic.
Becoming a Football Manager
Early Managing Days
After he stopped playing, Ron Saunders became a player-manager for a non-league team called Yeovil Town. This meant he played for the team and also managed them.
Leading Norwich City
Ron Saunders first found success as a manager with Norwich City. He led them to win the Second Division title in 1972. This was a big deal because it meant Norwich City was promoted to the First Division for the very first time in their history!
In their first season in the top league, Saunders helped Norwich City stay there. They also reached the Football League Cup final, but they lost 1–0 to Tottenham Hotspur. He left Norwich City in November 1973 after a disagreement with the club's leaders.
Time at Manchester City
Just five days later, Saunders became the manager of Manchester City. For the second year in a row, he led a team to the Football League Cup final. However, they lost again, this time to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Even though they did well in the cup, Manchester City's league performance was not very good. Ron Saunders left the club three weeks before the season ended. But he didn't stay out of work for long! The next month, he joined Aston Villa, which was in the Second Division.
Aston Villa's Golden Era
Ron Saunders quickly made a big impact at Aston Villa. In his very first season, he led them to promotion to the First Division. They finished as runners-up in the Second Division and also won the League Cup. This made him the first manager to take three different clubs to the League Cup Final in three years in a row!
He helped Aston Villa become a top team in the First Division again, winning the League Cup once more in 1977. In the 1980–81 season, he guided Villa to win their first First Division title in 71 years!
He left Aston Villa on 9 February 1982, because he had a disagreement with the club's board about his contract. At that time, Villa was doing well in the First Division and had reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup. His assistant, Tony Barton, took over and led the team to win the 1982 European Cup Final just four months later.
Managing Birmingham and West Brom
After leaving Aston Villa, Ron Saunders immediately moved to their local rivals, Birmingham City. The team was relegated in 1984, but he helped them get back into the top league right away. In January 1986, Saunders left Birmingham to take charge of another local rival, West Bromwich Albion, who were also struggling.
He couldn't stop West Brom from being relegated to the Second Division. He left the club in September 1987, after failing to get them back into the First Division. This was his last job as a manager.
Later Years and Legacy
In 1994, Ron Saunders returned to Villa Park for a special friendly match. This game was held to honor Tony Barton, who had recently passed away. Saunders managed a team mostly made up of players who had won the European Cup in 1982. This was the first time he had been back to the club since he left 13 years earlier.
In December 2006, Ron Saunders was a special guest at Villa Park for a match between Aston Villa and Manchester United. He was invited by the new chairman, Randy Lerner. He also returned to Villa Park on 5 May 2007, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1982 European Cup win.
Remembering Ron Saunders
Ron Saunders passed away on 7 December 2019, at the age of 87.
Achievements and Trophies
Player
England U18
- FIFA Youth Tournament: 1948
Portsmouth
- Third Division: 1961–62
Manager
Norwich City
- Second Division: 1971–72
Aston Villa
- First Division: 1980–81
- FA Charity Shield: 1981 (shared)
- Football League Cup: 1974–75, 1976–77
See also
- List of English football championship-winning managers
