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Harry Potts
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Harold Potts (22 October 1920 – 16 January 1996) was an English football player and manager. As a player he won promotion with both Burnley and Everton, and both from Second Division. As Burnley manager, he guided them to the First Division championship in 1959–60, the Anglo-Scottish Cup in 1978–79 and an unsuccessful appearance in the 1962 FA Cup Final.
Key Information
Early life
[edit]Potts was born in Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, as was another well-known name in football, Bob Paisley. The duo spent much of their childhood playing various sports, but it was football that Potts loved most. A promising young footballer as well as a good scholar, he was forced to choose between sport and studies, and he chose football as his career.
Playing career
[edit]Potts joined Burnley, who had one of the first youth-development systems in football; however, his own development was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, which came before he could make his début for the club. He served for the Royal Air Force, mainly in India as a PT instructor. Although playing for the club in a few wartime fixtures, his first league action for Burnley came after its conclusion. He took time to return to the form that saw him regarded as a promising youngster, but he eventually became a success as a Burnley player.
He made his Burnley first team début on 31 August 1946, in a position then referred to as "inside-left", which would now be considered one of the striker positions. He wore the number 10 shirt associated with that position, and played in all but two of Burnley's 42 games in the Second Division that season, becoming the club's leading goalscorer with fifteen goals. The Clarets finished second in the table and were promoted. They also reached the FA Cup Final at Wembley. Potts played all nine of Burnley's cup games, including the final, which Charlton Athletic won 1–0.
In the following season, the challenge of top-flight football did not seem to slow his progression. Burnley finished third, and Potts scored fourteen goals in the 38-game season. Burnley settled into a mid-table position over the next few years, and Potts added to his tally of goals. He eventually got 47 from 165 matches, before moving to Everton in October 1950. His next Burnley match would have been a trip to his native Sunderland. In his stead, future Burnley star Jimmy McIlroy would make his début at inside-left.
Everton were relegated in his first season with the Liverpool-based club. They were promoted in 1954 and then spent two top-flight seasons in mid-table. He ended his career as a player at Everton in 1956, having scored 15 in 59 League games for the club.
Managerial career
[edit]After Potts left Everton, he was offered a coaching job at Leeds United but turned it down. After working for Wolverhampton Wanderers as chief scout, Potts took the more senior position of manager at Third Division South side Shrewsbury Town. He spent just over half a season at the Shropshire club before Burnley lured him back to become their manager in February 1958.
Burnley finished 1957–58 in sixth position and in his first full season in charge (1958–59) Burnley finished 7th. Potts made his first cash signing for the club, left back Alex Elder. His second cash signing was made eight years later.
1959–60 brought Burnley's their second league championship success (their first came in 1921). The following season the club represented England in the European Cup, reaching the quarter-finals. In 1962 Burnley were runners-up in both the FA Cup and First Division.
In 1963, when forced to sell Jimmy McIlroy to raise funds for the club, Potts's relationship with Burnley fans suffered. This dissipated, and Potts stayed on to steer the Clarets to European competition again, in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (now the UEFA Cup) in 1966–67.
Potts' last match as Burnley manager came on 21 February 1970 with a 5–0 win against Nottingham Forest. He moved into a more executive position of general manager. This was an unwanted and unhappy move for Potts, and he left Burnley just over two years later.
In December 1972, Potts became manager of Second Division side Blackpool. He guided the Seasiders to a seventh-place finish in the league, while his former club, Burnley, won the championship. His first full season in charge, 1973–74, almost ended in success. After leading Sunderland 1–0 with only seven minutes to go in their final match of the season, the team lost 2–1 and missed out on the third promotion place, which was filled by Carlisle United. He was named the division's Manager of the Month for December, and was presented with the award prior to Blackpool's home game with Luton Town on 22 December.[1]
Potts bought wisely but expensively, most notably on players such as John Evanson, Wyn Davies and Paul Hart. The club demanded an instant return of results, and Potts walked a tightrope for the remainder of his Bloomfield Road career.
By the end of the 1975–76 campaign, chants of "Potts out" began to be heard, and with the team managing to finish only tenth, the board sacked him in May. As of 2013, Potts is the joint-ninth-longest-serving Blackpool manager in terms of Football League games in charge, alongside Ian Holloway.[needs update]
Potts was re-hired by Burnley, becoming their chief scout in 1976. After a poor start to the 1976–77 season, manager Joe Brown was sacked in February and Potts became manager for the second time.
Burnley ended the season in 16th in the Second Division, two points clear of relegation. 1977–78 saw them finish mid-table and so did 1978–79, a season which saw them win the Anglo-Scottish Cup. The following season (1979–80) began badly, and Potts was sacked after a run of eleven games without a win. Burnley were relegated to the Third Division at the end of the season.
Managerial statistics
[edit]| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Shrewsbury Town | 
|
1 June 1957 | 1 February 1958 | 31 | 11 | 9 | 11 | |
| Burnley |
|
1 February 1958 | 1 February 1970 | 605 | 272 | 142 | 191 | |
| Blackpool |
|
1 January 1972 | 5 May 1976 | 208 | 83 | 60 | 65 | |
| Burnley |
|
20 February 1977 | 16 October 1979 | 140 | 49 | 35 | 56 | |
| Total | 984 | 415 | 246 | 323 | ||||
Death
[edit]Potts died on 16 January 1996, aged 75, after a long illness. Before his illness got too restrictive, he often attended Burnley matches. Burnley remembered him on his funeral day, as the 1959–60 title winning side, plus many of his former players, colleagues and Burnley supporters gathered at Turf Moor to pay their respects as his cortège stopped outside the stadium. The streets had been blocked to traffic for this occasion.
In 2001, a section of Brunshaw Road which runs past the stadium was renamed "Harry Potts Way" in his honour.[4]
Honours
[edit]As a player
[edit]Burnley
- Second Division runners-up (promoted): 1946–47
Everton
- Second Division runners-up (promoted): 1953–54
As a manager
[edit]Burnley
- First Division championship: 1959–60
- Anglo-Scottish Cup winners: 1978–79
- FA Cup finalists: 1962
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- Specific
- ^ Gillatt, Peter (30 November 2009). Blackpool FC On This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-905411-50-4.
- ^ "Harry Potts". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 284–334, 361–374, 504–507, 546–548
- ^ "It's Harry's Way for Clarets". Lancashire Telegraph. 12 February 2001. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- General
- Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 1-873626-07-X.
- Simpson, Ray (2007). The Clarets Chronicles: The Definitive History of Burnley Football Club 1882–2007. Burnley Football Club. ISBN 978-0-9557468-0-2.
External links
[edit]- Tribute at claretsmad.co.uk
- Harry Potts at Soccerbase
- Harry Potts management career statistics at Soccerbase
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
Harry Potts
View on GrokipediaPersonal life
Early life
Harry Potts was born on 22 October 1920 in Hetton-le-Hole, a coal mining village in County Durham, England, into a working-class family.[3][5] His father, Harry Potts Sr., worked as a grocer, while the family lived amid the industrial landscape dominated by nearby collieries that shaped the local economy and culture.[5] Growing up in this environment, Potts developed an early passion for football.[6] As a child, Potts was influenced by the vibrant local sports scene in Hetton-le-Hole, where football served as a key community outlet. He formed a close childhood friendship with Bob Paisley, a fellow villager who would later become Liverpool's renowned manager, and the two shared many early experiences on the pitch.[7] During the 1930s, Potts began playing organized amateur football with local clubs in the Durham area, honing his skills as an inside-left and attracting attention from professional scouts. In 1937, at the age of 16, he signed amateur forms with Burnley after a successful trial, marking his initial step toward a professional career.[8][3] The outbreak of World War II in 1939 significantly disrupted Potts' early development, postponing his full professional debut with Burnley. During the war years, he continued to play football in regional wartime leagues, including guest appearances for clubs like Fulham, where he contributed goals in competitive matches despite the limited official status of the games.[9] Potts served in the Royal Air Force in non-combat roles, mainly as a physical training instructor in India, balancing military duties with his sporting involvement, which helped maintain his fitness and visibility in the game until peacetime resumed organized professional play.[8]Later years and death
After his second stint as Burnley manager ended with dismissal on 16 October 1979, Harry Potts transitioned from management but remained involved in football, serving as Burnley's chief scout and scouting for the non-league side Colne Dynamos in the 1980s.[3] Potts had married Margaret, a nurse he met in 1947, and the couple had one daughter, though public details about his family life are limited.[10] The family eventually retired to Read, near Burnley, where they spent Potts' final years.[10] In the 1990s, Potts suffered from Parkinson's disease, and he died on 16 January 1996 at the age of 75 in Burnley, Lancashire.[11][3][12] His funeral took place on 22 January 1996, with a service at St John's Church in Read at 2:15 p.m., followed by one at Burnley Crematorium at 3:30 p.m.[12] The cortege paused outside Turf Moor, where former players, club officials, and hundreds of Burnley supporters lined the streets—later renamed Harry Potts Way—to pay tribute.[8] Local newspapers and club statements emphasized his profound connection to Burnley FC spanning decades as both player and manager.[12][3]Playing career
Burnley
Potts joined Burnley in 1937 at the age of 17 as an inside-left. His early progress was interrupted by the Second World War, during which he served in the Royal Air Force and made guest appearances for Fulham and Sunderland. He resumed competitive football with Burnley in 1946.[3] In the 1946–47 season, Potts was the club's top scorer with 17 league goals, helping Burnley secure promotion to the First Division as Second Division champions. He also played a key role in their run to the FA Cup final, where they lost 1–0 to Charlton Athletic in extra time; Potts hit the bar with a shot in the match.[8][3] Over his playing career at Burnley from 1937 to 1950, he made 165 appearances and scored 47 goals.[4]Everton
Harry Potts joined Everton from Burnley in October 1950 for a club-record fee of £20,000, taking up the role of inside forward at the Merseyside club.[13][6] In his first season of 1950–51, Potts featured in 29 matches and netted 5 goals, but he faced challenges adapting to the higher expectations at Goodison Park during Everton's difficult period in the Second Division, resulting in limited starting opportunities in the following early campaigns.[14] Potts played a part in Everton's successful 1953–54 Second Division promotion push, which saw the team finish as runners-up and return to the top flight; although his league appearances were restricted to 2, he contributed goals in pre-season practice matches, a friendly against the Army, and a tour game in Denmark, including a brace in the latter.[15][16] Recurring injuries forced Potts to retire from playing at age 35 in 1956, after which he promptly moved into coaching under Stan Cullis at Wolverhampton Wanderers.[6]Managerial career
Shrewsbury Town and early appointments
Following his retirement as a player with Everton in 1956, Harry Potts transitioned into coaching roles that laid the groundwork for his managerial career. He undertook FA coaching courses at Lilleshall and spent summers coaching at Butlins holiday camps in the UK, honing his tactical insights and player development skills.[6] In late 1956, Potts joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in a coaching capacity, initially as chief scout, where he contributed to the club's renowned youth development system and absorbed advanced training methods under manager Stan Cullis over the next year.[8] These experiences emphasized Potts' focus on nurturing young talent and implementing structured coaching, which became hallmarks of his early managerial philosophy. Potts secured his first full managerial appointment at Shrewsbury Town in the Third Division South in June 1957, succeeding Walter Rowley.[11] During the 1957–58 season, he oversaw 31 matches, achieving 11 wins, 9 draws, and 11 losses for an overall win rate of 35.48%.[17] His tenure produced mixed results, with the team finishing mid-table and failing to secure promotion, though Potts introduced a tactical emphasis on fluid passing and youth integration to build a competitive squad from limited resources.[8] Key examples included promoting academy prospects into the first team and experimenting with balanced formations to counter stronger opponents, reflecting his Wolves-influenced approach to long-term development over immediate results.[6] Potts departed Shrewsbury in January 1958 after just over six months, amid the club's transitional phase, which opened the door for his return to a more prominent role.[11] This brief stint marked a formative period, solidifying his reputation as a thoughtful coach committed to youth-focused strategies that would define his later successes.Burnley
Harry Potts returned to Burnley as manager in February 1958, having previously enjoyed a successful playing career with the club from 1937 to 1950. Appointed by chairman Bob Lord to replace Billy Dougall, Potts inherited a Second Division side and immediately focused on developing a young, homegrown squad emphasizing attacking play.[6] During his first stint, which lasted until 1970 and encompassed 605 matches, Potts implemented tactical innovations that foreshadowed Total Football, including swift passing, high possession, and overlapping full-backs surging forward—a style inspired by Hungary's 1953 victory over England. Key figures in this system included captain Jimmy Adamson, a versatile midfielder who featured in every league game of the title-winning campaign, alongside talents like Ray Pointer and Brian Miller. With minimal external signings—such as the teenage left-back Alex Elder—Potts relied on just 19 players to secure promotion to the First Division in 1959 before clinching the league title in 1959–60, finishing one point ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers after a 2–1 win over Manchester City on the final day.[6][18] The 1960s under Potts saw Burnley establish themselves as a top-flight force, with consistent top-half finishes including second place in 1961–62 and a run to the European Cup quarter-finals in 1960–61, all built on the fluid, attacking ethos that earned widespread acclaim. This era transformed a modest club from a town of around 80,000 into national contenders, showcasing Potts' ability to maximize limited resources through youth development and tactical discipline.[6] In February 1970, amid a run of poor results, Potts was shifted upstairs to general manager at Burnley, with Jimmy Adamson succeeding him as manager. He returned for a second stint in March 1977 amid relegation struggles in the Second Division, managing 123 matches until his sacking in October 1979. Despite pressures that saw the club flirt with further demotion, this period yielded the 1978–79 Anglo-Scottish Cup victory, Burnley's first trophy in 19 years, achieved through gritty performances against Scottish opposition like Celtic.[19] Across both tenures, Potts oversaw 728 games at Burnley, leaving an indelible mark as the club's longest-serving and most successful manager, with enduring fan loyalty evident in the naming of Harry Potts Way near Turf Moor. His visionary approach not only delivered silverware but also embedded a legacy of innovative, entertaining football at the heart of the Clarets' identity.[20]Blackpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers
After departing from his role as general manager at Burnley in 1972, Harry Potts assumed the position of manager at Second Division side Blackpool.[21] In his debut season of 1972–73, Potts guided the team to a seventh-place finish, narrowly missing out on promotion.[21] Over the course of his tenure, which spanned from January 1973 to May 1976, he managed 208 matches, recording 83 wins, 60 draws, and 65 losses.[22] Blackpool achieved consistent mid-table stability under his leadership, with subsequent seasons yielding respectable results despite ongoing financial limitations that restricted squad investments.[21] Potts emphasized pragmatic management to maintain competitiveness amid these constraints, focusing on squad cohesion rather than major overhauls.[21] However, the lack of promotion success led to his dismissal in May 1976.[21] Potts' earlier association with Wolverhampton Wanderers dated to 1956–57, when he served as chief scout and coach under Stan Cullis, contributing to the club's youth system before his move to Shrewsbury Town. He had no further formal roles there after 1970. In the interim before his second stint at Burnley, Potts returned to the club as chief scout in 1976, providing advisory support during a period of instability.[21]Achievements and legacy
Honours as a player
During his time at Burnley, Harry Potts played a pivotal role in the club's promotion from the Second Division to the First Division at the end of the 1946–47 season, contributing 17 goals across 49 appearances as the team secured second place in the league.[8] He was also a key inside forward in Burnley's run to the 1947 FA Cup Final, where the team lost 1–0 to Charlton Athletic after extra time at Wembley Stadium in front of 98,215 spectators, with Potts noted for his efforts in a closely contested match.[23][24] After transferring to Everton in October 1950 for a then-club record £20,000 fee, Potts helped the side achieve promotion as Second Division runners-up in the 1953–54 season, featuring regularly as an inside forward during the championship-winning campaign under manager Cliff Britton.[25][1] Over his playing career with Burnley and Everton, Potts made 242 appearances and scored 65 goals in all competitions, earning no international caps for England.[8][26]Honours as a manager
As manager of Burnley, Harry Potts led the club to its only First Division championship in the 1959–60 season, securing the title with a 2–1 victory over Manchester City on the final day at Maine Road.[6][24] This triumph, achieved on a modest budget, marked Burnley's second top-flight title in history, pipping Wolverhampton Wanderers to the championship by one point.[27] During his second stint at Burnley from 1977 to 1979, Potts guided the team to victory in the Anglo-Scottish Cup, defeating Oldham Athletic 4–1 on aggregate in the final of the 1978–79 competition (4–0 first leg, 0–1 second leg), with the second leg on 12 December 1978.[28] This minor but notable honour came amid efforts to stabilize the club in the Second Division.[19] Potts' tenure also brought consistent European qualification for Burnley in the early to mid-1960s, including the 1960–61 European Cup, where the Clarets reached the quarter-finals before elimination by Hamburger SV.[1] The team qualified again for the 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup after finishing third in the First Division the previous season, advancing to another quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt.[29] These campaigns highlighted Burnley's competitive edge in domestic leagues during Potts' management. Beyond team trophies, Potts received no major individual awards such as Football Managers' Association Manager of the Year, though he earned the Bell's Second Division Manager of the Month for March 1978 during his return to Burnley. Locally, the club honored his contributions by naming the access road to Turf Moor "Harry Potts Way" in recognition of his legacy.[20]Managerial statistics and influence
Potts managed a total of 967 games across his career, achieving 408 wins, 242 draws, and 317 losses, for an overall win rate of 42.19%.[17] His tenure was longest at Burnley, where he oversaw two spells totaling 728 matches, while shorter stints at Blackpool and Shrewsbury Town added further experience in varying divisions. The following table summarizes his record by club:| Club | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnley (1958–1970) | 605 | 272 | 141 | 192 | 44.96% |
| Blackpool (1972–1976) | 208 | 83 | 60 | 65 | 39.90% |
| Burnley (1977–1979) | 123 | 42 | 32 | 49 | 34.15% |
| Shrewsbury Town (1957–1958) | 31 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 35.48% |