Jimmy Hogan

James "Jimmy" Hogan (16 October 1882 in Nelson, Lancashire; 30 January 1974 in Burnley, Lancashire) was a British footballer and football coach. He is counted amongst the great pioneers of the game on the European continent.

Hogan enjoyed some success as a footballer, reaching an FA Cup Semi-Final with Fulham in 1908, but it was as a coach that his abilities shone through.

Hogan is considered one of the great pioneers of the game on the continent. In Switzerland he coached ca. 1924 Young Boys Berne. In this period he was also besides his compatriot Teddy Duckworth, then coach of Servette FC, and the Hungarian Izidor "Dori" Kürschner, then coach of FC Nordstern Basel, responsible for one of three regional coaching groups preparing the Swiss national team for the Olympics 1924 in Paris. Duckworth should take the team there to the final, losing to the giants of that era, Uruguay, 0-3. This is up to now the greatest success in Swiss footballing history. In 1925 and from 1933 to 1934 Hogan coached Lausanne Sports.

Partly responsible for the development of football in mainland Europe, Hogan formed a great partnership with the legendary Hugo Meisl - coaching the Austrian national team to unprecedented success.

After a brief spell as Fulham boss, Hogan returned to Austria, where he coached them to the 1936 Olympic final.

Aston Villa appointed Hogan as their manager in November 1936. This was following the embarrassment of the club's first ever relegation the previous season. Within two seasons, Hogan had guided Villa back to the top flight.

Beyond the assignments mentioned he has also coached the teams of FC Dordrecht in the Netherlands, MTK Hungária and Dresdner SC.

He is sometimes credited with the revolution in European football that saw Hungary thrash England 6-3 at Wembley in 1953, ushering in a new football era.

Trivia

* Jimmy Hogan coached the Netherlands, as they beat Germany in a friendly match (1:2) on 16 October 1910. His stint as manager for the Dutch was, however, short lived. He assumed the duties of compatriot Edgar Chadwick, for just 1 match.
* Hogan was famously described as a 'traitor' by FA Secretary Frederick Wall after Hogan spent the duration of World War One in Europe. [cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2003/nov/22/sport.comment2|title=How total football inventor was lost to Hungary|accessdate=2008-05-05|date=2003-11-22|publisher=The Guardian]

References

External links

* [http://elbombin.stuarthomfray.co.uk/Jimmy-Hogan/ El Bombin - Traitor or Patriot: Jimmy Hogan] (part of an illustrated and eloquent homage to British coaches abroad)