Ted Vizard

Infobox Football biography
playername = Ted Vizard


fullname = Edward Vizard
dateofbirth = birthdate|1889|6|7
cityofbirth = Cogan, Penarth
countryofbirth = Wales
dateofdeath = death date and age|1973|12|25|1889|6|7|df=y
cityofdeath = Wolverhampton
countryofdeath = England
height =
position = Outside-left
years =
1910–1931
clubs = Barry Town
Bolton Wanderers
caps(goals) =
512 (70)
nationalyears = 1911–1926
nationalteam = Wales
nationalcaps(goals) = 022 0(-)
manageryears = 1933–1939 1939–1944 1944–1948
managerclubs = Swindon Town Queens Park Rangers
Wolverhampton Wanderers

Edward 'Ted' Vizard (7 June 1889 - 25 December 1973) was a Welsh footballer who became a manager. He spent almost all his playing career at Bolton Wanderers.

Playing career

Vizard joined Bolton Wanderers in September 1910 from Barry Town, making his debut later that year. From here, he never looked back making the outside left position his own for the next 18 seasons. In total, he made 512 appearances for the Trotters scoring 70 goals.

During his time at Bolton, he appeared in the 1923, 1926 and 1929 FA Cup Finals, all three victoriously. He remained in the team until retiring in 1931 aged 41, becoming the oldest player to play for the club (a record only broken in 1995 by Peter Shilton).

In total, he made 512 appearances for the "Trotters", scoring 70 goals. He was amongst the first eleven players to be placed in the Bolton Wanderers Hall of Fame in 2002.

Vizard also won 22 international caps for Wales.

Managerial career

windon Town

Vizard went into management after his playing days were over. He first managed the Bolton ‘A’ team before taking charge of Swindon Town in 1933.

Vizard was offered the club manager's position after the board decided that 65 year old Sam Allen should be relieved of some of his responsibilities, and a full time team manager should be appointed. He joined on a salary of £6 per week.

Vizard's first action was to release almost the entire first team squad, leaving only Arthur Briggs, Alec Lambie, Cyril Quinn and Harry Cousins - even the legendary Harry Morris was allowed to leave. To replace them, Vizard was allowed just £200 to spend in the transfer market, and with it he bought Tom Duckworth and Rollo Jack from his former club, Bolton.

After a promising first season, which saw the Town finish eighth in Division Three, performances began to slip. Two seasons later in 1935/36, after a disastrous cup defeat to non-league Southall and a season finish of 19th, Vizard offered his resignation to the board, but they persuaded him to stay.

They were rewarded with respectable mid-table positions for the following three seasons. Vizard also broke the four-figure transfer barrier for the first time - signing Ben Morton from fc|Torquay United.

QPR

After the 1938/39 season, Vizard left the club to take the reins at Queens Park Rangers, succeeding Billy Birrell. Due to the outbreak of World War II causing the suspension of league football, he never had the chance to manage them in a competitive game. Despite this they were relatively successful in wartime football and in 1944 he replaced Major Frank Buckley as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Wolves

Despite taking them to third place in the First Division in the first peacetime season in 1946/47, he was replaced by Stan Cullis in June 1948.

He later managed non-league Cradley Heath before leaving to run a pub in Wolverhampton. Vizard died in Wolverhampton on Christmas Day 1973, aged 84.

References

*cite book | author=Macey, Gordon | title=Queens Park Rangers - A Complete Record | publisher=The Breedon Books Publishing Company Limited| year=1993| id=ISBN 1-873626-40-1