Frank Barson

Football player infobox
playername = Frank Barson


fullname = Frank Barson
height = height|ft=6|in=10cite news |url=http://www.btinternet.com/~keano16/manupag/legends/barsonpag/barson.html |title=Frank Barson's Bio |date=2007 |accessdate=2007-08-10 |publisher=Btinternet ]
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date|df=yes|1891|4|10
cityofbirth = Grimesthorpe, Sheffield
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = death date and age|df=yes|1968|9|13|1891|4|10
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Midfielder
youthyears =
youthclubs = Firshill Council
Grimesthorpe schools
Albion FC
Cammell Laird's
years = 1911–1919
1919–1922
1922–1928
1928–1929
1929–1930
1930–1931
1932–1935
clubs = Barnsley
Aston Villa
Manchester United
Watford
Hartlepool United
Wigan Borough
Rhyl Athletic
caps(goals) = 091 0(0)
092 (10)
140 0(4)
010 0(1)
009 0(2)
019 0(0)
00? 0(?)
nationalyears = 1920–1921
nationalteam = England
nationalcaps(goals) = 001 0(0)
manageryears = 1932–1935
managerclubs = Rhyl Athletic

Frank Barson (10 April 1891 – 13 September 1968) was an English footballer. He was born in Grimesthorpe. He started life as a blacksmith, and started his football career with Sheffield amateur clubs Albion FC and Cammell Laird's before joining Barnsley in 1911. He went on to play for a number of clubs in English football including Manchester United and Aston Villa, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1920.

Barson was known as one of the most feared players of his era, [cite web |title=Frank Barson |url=http://www.rednews.co.uk/features/featmats.htm |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050913115432/http://www.rednews.co.uk/features/featmats.htm |archivedate=2005-09-13 |date=2007 |accessdate=2007-08-10 |publisher=Red News ] and had a reputation as a "hard man" of English football.cite web |title=50 greatest hard men of football |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2215721.ece?bcsi_scan_D397AC55D256AA0B=mIs8hOZZ9RDP7HwvUBpezCYAAAAmf/sP&bcsi_scan_filename=article2215721.ece |date=2007 |accessdate=2007-08-10 |publisher=The Times ] On frequent occasions Barson was escorted out of grounds by policemen to protect him from mobs of angry opposition fans. He was once banned for seven months for a challenge in a match against Fulham.

Club career

Barnsley

In 1909 he signed for Cammell Laird FC and it was two years later in July 1911 that he began his professional career with Barnsley.cite news|url=http://www.yeoldetreeandcrown.34sp.com/hall-frankbarson.htm|title=Frank Barson|date = 2007 |accessdate = 2007-08-10|publisher=ye olde tree and crown|] It was whilst at Oakwell that his notorious temper first became evident. Before he could start his first game for the Tykes he had to serve a two month suspension following an ugly brawl with some Birmingham City players in a pre-season friendly.cite web|first = Dave|last= Woodhall|title = The hardest man in history|url =http://freespace.virgin.net/heroes.villains1/68/3.htm|archiveurl =http://web.archive.org/web/20070711004420/http://freespace.virgin.net/heroes.villains1/68/3.htm|archivedate=2007-07-11 |date = 2007 |accessdate = 2007-08-10|publisher = Heroes and villians] On one occasion Barson had to be smuggled out of Goodison Park to avoid a large crowd who had gathered outside the ground to discuss with him his behaviour in an FA Cup tie with Everton. After a very public fall out with the Barnsley directors over travelling expenses, he joined Aston Villa in October 1919.

Aston Villa

Barson joined Villa for a fee of £2,850 - more than the average Sheffield worker earned in a year,cite news|url=http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Soccer-legend39s-medal-for-sale.2112695.jp|title=Soccer legend's medal for sale|date = 2007 |accessdate = 2007-08-10|publisher=The star] after persuasion from George Ramsay, who was rebuilding Villa after the First World War. In October 1919, he made his debut in a 4–1 win at Middlesbrough. Barson undoubtedly played a large part in the Villa team during his three seasons at the club, but it is his run-ins with authority for which he is best known. He maintained a business in Sheffield and refused to move to Birmingham despite Villa's insistence that he should do so. His living arrangements caused further controversy on the opening day of the 1920–21 season and he was suspended by the Villa board for fourteen days but Barson still refused to move. In fact, he was appointed captain in succession to Andy Ducat, although it's not known whether he merely decided he wanted the job and nobody dared argue with him. He celebrated is first game as captain he scored a header from thirty yards out against Sheffield United. The most famous story about Frank Barson concerned the 1920 FA Cup Final, when he was warned about his behaviour by referee Jack Howcroft – in the dressing room before the match started. "The first wrong move you make Barson, off you go" he was told. Villa went on to win the FA Cup, Barson's only club honour in his career. His FA cup winners medal has been sold twice and fetched £6,000. He also went onto win one cap for England at his time with the club. The beginning of the end to his time at Villa came following a match against Liverpool. Barson invited a friend of his to wait in the dressing room while he got changed, and this drew a rebuke from a director, a seven day suspension was the result and Barson handed in a transfer request. At his time with Villa he went onto make 108 appearances scoring 10 goals. He was later Youth team coach and First team coach for Aston Villa.cite web|title =Frank Barson|url =http://web.telia.com/~u27301997/84.html|date = 2007 |accessdate = 2007-08-10|publisher=Aston Villa database]

Manchester United

In 1922, he was transferred to Manchester United for a fee of £5,000. He spent an injury plagued six years at Old Trafford, making 140 League appearances and scoring 4 goals for the club. One of these goals, against Aston Villa on 26 December 1921, was described by contemporary accounts as a candidate for the longest-distance header ever scored.cite book |last=Brandon |first=Derek |title=A–Z of Manchester Football: 100 Years of Rivalry |publisher=Boondoggle |location=London |year=1978] While Barson's United appearances were punctuated by injury, when he did play he was known for his on-field leadership, helping United to promotion at the end of 1924–25. For gaining promotion he was given a pub in Manchester. At the time he was regarded as a hero, but Barson was so sick of such attention that on the opening night of his pub he gave the business to his head waiter.cite news|url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BE0DB31FD-0C0E-49D7-98B7-AA7B75FF0E21%7D&section=decadeDetails&sectionid=945&customPageID=945|title=Manchester United History|date = 2007 |accessdate = 2007-08-10|publisher=Manutd.com] cite news|url=http://www.redcafe.net/archives/history/twenties.php|title=Man United's history|date = 2007 |accessdate = 2007-08-10|publisher=Redcafe] He then joined Watford in May 1928.

Watford

Division Three South side Watford signed Barson on a free transfer three days after the end of 1927–28 season. His signing was considered a coup for the club, as Barson's availability had caused "20 managers to lounge round outside the defender's house."cite book |last=Phillips |first=Oliver |title=History of Watford FC 1881-1991 |publisher=Watford Football Club |location=Great Britain |year=1992 |id=ISBN 0-9509601-6-0]

In his debut at Crystal Palace Barson was cautioned early on in the game. Watford player Joe Davison was later sent off in that game with the referee reportedly saying "Off you go, Barson". In late September Barson was sent off in a home game against Fulham. After entangling legs with Fulham's Temple, Barson was adjudged to have kicked out at him, although both Watford and Fulham players argued that it had not happened. Although a petition of 5,000 signatures arguing Barson's unfair treatment was presented to the FA by Watford's mayor, Barson was suspended for six months. Watford's chairman, John Kilby, spoke out against the decision, citing that a player had recently been suspended for three months for striking a referee. Barson's case was argued for in local and national newspapers, but the revelation that the petition had been burnt at the FA headquarters caused the affair to die down. The suspension stopped Barson from participating in the remainder of the season, and he was released from his contract.

Although his Watford career was brief, Barson did recommend two Manchester United players to Fred Pagnam, the Watford manager. Both Tommy Barnett and Frank McPherson would go on to have successful careers at Vicarage Road. Barnett later called Barson "the best skipper I was to ever play under" and stated how he used to sweat off excess beer with exercises before the game.

Final years

Exactly a year after being at Watford he accepted the post of player coach at Hartlepool United, but within five months (October 1929) he signed amateur forms for Wigan Borough. He became a professional for Wigan in July 1930 in what was Borough’s last full season as a Football League club. Barson was the club’s highest paid player and in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to stabilise the club’s terrible finances he was off-loaded to Rhyl Athletic in June 1931. He was 39 at the time and at the end of his career but he appeared 19 times in a Wigan shirt. His last appearance was against Accrington Stanley on Boxing Day 1930 when he got sent off in the 83rd minute.cite news|url=http://www.chilvers1.demon.co.uk/Borough.htm|title=Wigan Borough Page|date = 2007 |accessdate = 2007-08-10|publisher=Wigan Borough]

International career

In 1920 Barson had England trials and it was whilst at Villa Park that he made his one and only international appearance for England on 15 March 1920 against Wales at Highbury. Wales won the game 2–1.

Discipline

Barson was regarded as one of the most feared players of his era, [cite web|title =Frank Barson|url =http://www.rednews.co.uk/features/featmats.htm|archiveurl =http://web.archive.org/web/20050913115432/http://www.rednews.co.uk/features/featmats.htm|archivedate=2005-09-13|date = 2007 |accessdate = 2007-08-10|publisher=Red news] and had a reputation as a "hard man" of English football.cite web|title=50 greatest hard men of football|date=2007 |accessdate=2007-08-10|publisher=The times|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2215721.ece?bcsi_scan_D397AC55D256AA0B=mIs8hOZZ9RDP7HwvUBpezCYAAAAmf/sP&bcsi_scan_filename=article2215721.ece] On frequent occasions, Barson was escorted out of grounds by policemen to protect him from groups of angry opposition fans. Opposing crowds loathed him, forcing Barson to publicly defend himself on the grounds that he had been "brought up to play hard and saw nothing wrong with an honest to goodness shoulder charge." He was once banned for seven months for a violent challenge in a match against Fulham.

Coaching career

In May 1932 he became the player manager of Rhyl where he remained until his contract was terminated in March 1935.Within three months he re-surfaced as the manager of Stourbridge but an offer to return to Aston Villa as youth coach in July 1935 meant he gave up the job as soon as a replacement was found. Three months after his appointment as youth coach he became the senior coach and head trainer at Villa Park until the outbreak of the Second World War. He became the trainer at Swansea Town from June 1947 until February 1954 and he finished his career at in May 1956 after previously spending almost two seasons as the trainer at Lye Town.

Personal life

Barson was born in Grimesthorpe. He started life as a blacksmith,.He was married to Frances Evelyn Betton in 1915, and died on 13 September 1968 at Winson Green, Birmingham, at the age of 77.

Playing honours

Aston Villa flagicon|England
*FA Cup Winner – 1920

References