The 21st November 1962 was the last day that Walter Winterbottom managed the England international team, having been responsible for the national team's performances since 28th September 1946. This was a match at Wembley, and a 4-0 win for England in the "Home Countries Championship". The teams was: Springett, Armstrong, Shaw, Moore, Labone, Flowers, Connelly, Hill, Peacock, Greaves and Tambling.
This was Moore's 8th cap and in May 1963 he was made captain on a tour, in Czechoslovakia, a game England won 4-2. Moore was in charge because Jimmy Armfield did not play. By 1965 Moore was made the regular leader. Winterbottom was an academic, a qualified coach, of course and somebody who wanted to "run" the national side rather than rely on a "selection committee" that had gone before. A group of "officials from the FA" who didn't coach the team, just turned them out, expecting them to beat an opposition! Much was to change. Winterbottom introduced coaching badges and an academic approach to the game.
In Winterbottom's reign, England played 139 matches winning 78, drawing 33 and losing 28, scoring 385 goals and conceding 195. His win percentage was 56%. Winterbottom had managed the team in the post war period when England were beginning to realise that they were not the only team in the World that could play the game!
His first game ended in a 7-2 win against Ireland at Windsor Park. Five victories later, England lost his first game, on a European tour to Switzerland, 0-1, in Zurich (May 18th 1947). In 1948 a return game ended in a 6-0 win for England at Highbury and then another defeat 1-3 against Scotland in April 1949.
Winterbottom took the England team to Chile for the 1962 World Cup Finals. Previously, England qualified beating Portugal and Luxembourg, scoring 15 goals against the "minnows", Luxembourg. Portugal did force a draw against England in Lisbon.
England then met Hungary (lost 1-2), Argentina (won 3-1) and Bulgaria 0-0. In the "Finals" Quarter-finals, England lost to eventual winners, Brazil 1-3, with Garrincha, Didi, Vava, Amarildo and Zagalo proving too clever. The England team was: Springett, Armfield, Wilson, Moore, Norman, Flowers. Douglas, Greaves, Hitchens (goal), Haynes and Charlton. Gerry Hitchens was the first player playing for a non-British club (Inter Milan) t earn an England cap. Centre forward, Gerry Hitchens, did score against Brazil but that was his only contribution!
The only excuse we could offer was: there was only one warm up game, earthquakes in the Andes, huge distances between games, no English crowd, costs! A miniature railway took our squad up to their mountainous base, a 50 mile railway designed to shift copper to the national ports! Who arranged that? There was no team doctor on site, also, which was a big issue for those suffering from tummy bugs and so on.
Alf Ramsey succeeded Walter and ran the side from May 1963 until May 1974. His 113 games presented 69 win 27 drawa 17 defeats at 61%.
Winterbottom retired to Cranleigh, Surrey and through a personal link we invited him to a dinner at Charterhouse (my school) and we were entertained by his modesty and knowledge of his international experience. Nice man.
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