- Charlie Mitten
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Charles "Charlie" Mitten (17 January 1921 – 2 January 2002) was an English football player, who came through the junior ranks at Manchester United. While he signed with the club in 1936, his first professional appearance did not come until 1946 because of the Second World War.
Between 1942 and 1944, Mitten made 22 guest appearances for Southampton, scoring 5 goals.[1]
Mitten was an excellent winger for the club during the early years of Matt Busby's time at the club. He would help the club win the FA Cup in 1948, and scored 61 goals in his United career.
In 1950, he was approached by wealthy Colombian businessmen to play for Independiente Santa Fe in Bogotá. For this, he accepted a lot of money and was given the nickname "The Bogotá Bandit". After funds dried up a year later, he was set to return to England. Real Madrid in Spain offered him more money, but he turned it down to return to his wife in England. Upon his return to England, Manchester United still owned his rights, and manager Matt Busby suspended him for six months, before finally selling him off to Fulham. During his time at Fulham, he was picked for the London XI in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
After his playing days, he decided to take up managing. He coached Mansfield Town and Newcastle United before retiring to greyhounds.
He died in January 2002, two weeks before what would have been his 81st birthday.
His nephew Andy Mitten has been an editor of the fanzine United We Stand since the late 1980s.
References
Newcastle United F.C. – managers Selection committee (1892–1930) · Cunningham (1930–35) · Mather (1935–39) · Seymour (1939–47) · Martin (1947–50) · Livingstone (1954–56) · Mitten (1958–61) · N. Smith (1961–62) · Harvey (1962–75) · Lee (1975–77) · Dinnis (1977) · McGarry (1977–80) · Cox (1980–84) · Charlton (1984–85) · McFaul (1985–88) · J. Smith (1988–91) · Ardiles (1991–92) · Keegan (1992–97) · McDermott (1997c) · Dalglish (1997–98) · Gullit (1998–99) · Clarke (1999c) · Robson (1999–2004) · Carver (2004c) · Souness (2004–06) · Roeder (2006–07) · Pearson (2007c) · Allardyce (2007–08) · Pearson (2008c) · Keegan (2008) · Hughton (2008c) · Kinnear (2008–09) · Hughton & Calderwood (2009a) · Shearer (2009) · Hughton (2009–10) · Beardsley (2010c) · Pardew (2010–)
(a) acting in regular manager's absence; (c) caretaker Categories:- 1921 births
- 2002 deaths
- English footballers
- Manchester United F.C. players
- Fulham F.C. players
- English football managers
- Altrincham F.C. managers
- Mansfield Town F.C. managers
- Newcastle United F.C. managers
- Independiente Santa Fe footballers
- Southampton F.C. wartime guest players
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