HE was so down to earth, he even kept his World Cup medal in a COAL BUCKET. Not the usual place to house the most prized honour in football. But fitting for Jack Charlton, born in the Northumberland pit town of Ashington to miner dad Bob. Former defender John Anderson, who played under the charismatic […]
HE was so down to earth, he even kept his World Cup medal in a COAL BUCKET.
Not the usual place to house the most prized honour in football.
But fitting for Jack Charlton, born in the Northumberland pit town of Ashington to miner dad Bob.
Former defender John Anderson, who played under the charismatic manager for both Newcastle and the Republic of Ireland, was astonished to discover Charlton’s bizarre trophy cabinet.
Anderson recalled: “I remember myself and Kenny Wharton going up to see him at his Northumberland home.
“Remember the World Cup coins you used to collect with the players’ faces on? He had a gold set of them and they were in a coal bucket.
“And, beside them in the bucket, was his World Cup winner’s medal.
“He didn’t blink an eye. ‘They’re in there’, he said, nodding at the coal bucket beside the fire.”
He’s held in such high esteem in Ireland. He might have been born and bred in England but he’s an honorary Irishman
John Anderson
Despite being an authoritative figure in the dugout, Charlton saw himself as one of the players, says ex-Liverpool and Republic star Mark Lawrenson.
Lawro told the BBC: “The first time the Irish Liverpool lads had met him, we missed the first game so we went to Dublin.
“We used to get there on a Sunday and we would meet up in the pub.
“We checked in, had a couple of beers and came back late.
“The next morning we are all stood there waiting for training and Jack came over to me and said, ‘I want a word with you on behalf of the team’. I was thinking I was in big trouble.
“He asked, ‘Where did you all go to last night?’, and I said, ‘It’s just one of those things, we always go to this pub’.
“He said, ‘I think I might fine you all’. I asked him why and he replied, ‘Because you didn’t invite me!’ That was him all over.”
For all his success during his club career both as a player at Leeds and manager, it is in Ireland where Charlton is most revered after getting them to their first major tournament at the 1988 Euros.
They would go on to beat England in the opening game, draw with the Soviet Union and unluckily lose to Holland.
Jack and Co got a heroes’ welcome when they returned to Dublin.
He then guided the Boys in Green to the World Cup quarter-finals at Italia 90, falling to Italy, before getting revenge against them four years later in America — this time bowing out in the last 16 to a talented Holland outfit.
Anderson admitted: “He’s held in such high esteem in Ireland. He might have been born and bred in England — but he’s an honorary Irishman.”
Mick McCarthy, who captained the Republic at Italia 90, said: “I loved the bones of the man.
“Jack’s passing will touch Ireland, England and the football world but the loss to football will be felt in Ireland more than anywhere else. He changed my life.”
Former Ireland striker Niall Quinn added: “Jack led the band.
“He brought us, as players and fans, to places we never thought possible — and gave us so many precious moments. He changed lives. For his players, he gave us the best days of our lives.”
Ireland’s President Michael D Higgins said: “He leaves a legacy of outstanding leadership of a group of players of many diverse talents, which he moulded into the successful team that captured the imagination of the nation.
“It was not just the success on the field, Jack’s endearing popularity also had much to do with the warmth and personality of the person who quickly became such a legendary sporting icon.”
Despite wanting to keep away from the limelight, there were moments when Jack’s fame and popularity came in quite useful.
Lawrenson explained: “He would take himself off fishing. He would then go to a pub. He never had any money.
“He would say to the owner, ‘Can you cash me a cheque?’ and they would say, ‘Sure’. They would give him the money — but they never cashed the cheque.
“Instead, they would frame it, so he never actually paid for anything. He was like God in Ireland.
“We went to the Vatican. As the Pope walked in and saw Jack, he said, ‘Hello boss’. It doesn’t get better than that!”
