Malcolm Allison

Malcolm Allison
Allison in Manchester City colours during the 1970s
Personal information
Full name Malcolm Alexander Allison[1]
Date of birth (1927-09-05)5 September 1927
Place of birth Dartford, England
Date of death 14 October 2010(2010-10-14) (aged 83)[1]
Place of death Trafford, England[1]
Position(s) Centre half
Youth career
0000–1945 Erith & Belvedere
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1945–1951 Charlton Athletic 2 (0)
1951–1957 West Ham United 238 (10)
1960–1962 Romford 49 (1)
Total 289 (11)
Managerial career
1963–1964 Bath City
1964 Toronto City
1964–1965 Plymouth Argyle
1965–1971 Manchester City (assistant)
1971–1973 Manchester City
1973–1976 Crystal Palace
1976–1977 Galatasaray
1978–1979 Plymouth Argyle
1979–1980 Manchester City
1980–1981 Crystal Palace
1981 Yeovil Town
1981–1982 Sporting CP
1982–1984 Middlesbrough
1984 Willington
1985–1986 Kuwait
1986–1988 Vitória de Setúbal
1988 SC Farense
1989 Fisher Athletic
1992–1993 Bristol Rovers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

"I'd been a professional for two and a half months and Malcolm had taught me everything I know.... When Malcolm was coaching schoolboys he took a liking to me when I don't think anyone else at West Ham saw anything special in me... I looked up to the man. It's not too strong to say I loved him."
Bobby Moore[2]

Malcolm Alexander Allison (5 September 1927 – 14 October 2010) was an English football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Mal", he was one of English football's most flamboyant and intriguing characters because of his panache, fedora and cigar, controversies off the pitch and outspoken nature.

Allison's managerial potential become apparent while in his youth at West Ham United, where he became a reliable defender and acted as a mentor to the younger players including future England World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore. His playing career was cut short in 1958 when he had to have a lung removed because of tuberculosis.

As a coach, he is remembered for assisting manager Joe Mercer in the transformation of the team he supported as a young boy – Manchester City.[3] During the 1960s and early 1970s, Allison won six major trophies in seven years with Mercer.[3] After Mercer left, he managed the club on two occasions whilst offering his managerial services for a third time in 1989. He also managed several more English clubs including Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough, as well as three in Portugal and the Kuwait national team.

  1. ^ a b c "Malcolm Allison". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Malcolm Allison". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Malcolm Allison – Archive". MirrorFootball.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2010.