Happy belated birthday big Jack born on this day 8th May 1935

[Erimus74 5,259 5.4k]

So glad I was old enough to watch the Boro back then in an era that 50 years later I still can't get enough of reading or seeing anything about Jack & his team of legends

IMHO, Boro's best manager in my 50 plus years following the mighty Boro.

His first game watching the mighty Boro was 21st April 1973 when sitting in the directors box watching Boro beat Sheff Weds 3-0, not knowing what the next 12 months was going to unfold & especially April 1974 at home to Sheff Weds

25/8/73 - Our 17th manager Jack's first game in charge was away to bookies favourites Portsmouth, with Boro winning 1-0

1/9/1973 - Jack's first defeat, a week later home to Fulham a 2-0 defeat when he stormed out of the ground after telling his players what he thought of their display with the words "You do it my way from now on"

Another excellent season (1974/75) followed our second division championship season when we could & should have won the double, FAC & League, even the League cup losing out to second division Man Utd 3-0 in the 5th round (QF) after drawing 0-0 at Ayresome Park.

22/4/77 - Jack told the board he was leaving at the end of the season to try another challenge, saying 4 years at one club is enough, shame he didn't stay as long as he did at Leeds,

14/5/77 - So, after 4 years as manager he left the Boro, following a 0-0 home draw against Bristol City

March 1984 - Following his successful reign at Sheff Weds big Jack received a call from the Boro board to help the club who were in financial trouble & heading towards relegation, the club had sadly sacked Malcolm Allison, Jack agreed to become caretaker manager till the end of the season & no longer, without taking any payment out of the club to fingers crossed steer us to safety, which he did

31/3/84 - Boro beat Oldham 3-2 in Jacks first game on his second return & the challenge was on

Big Jacks managerial league record at the Boro.

1973/74 W27. D11. L4. Goals for 77 Against 30

1974/75 W18. D12. L12 Goals for 54 Against 40

1975/76 W15. D10. L17 Goals for 46 Against 45

1976/77 W14. D13. L15 Goals for 40 Against 45

1983/84 W3. D3. L3 Goals for 9 Against 10

His final job at the Boro was to recommend the late, great Willie Maddren as his successor, Willie, at such a young age with no managerial experience, took on an impossible task at the Boro, we were financially goosed & sinking fast, as a club we were at our lowest ebb ever & yet Willie still brought players to the club, along with bringing Bruce Rioch, his final recruit, that played a major role in us having three unforgettable seasons that will live long in the memory of Middlesbrough football club

Happy belated birthday Big Jack, who would have been 90 years young today x

Edited May 8 by Erimus74

[Downsouth 8,142 39k]

Great post @Erimus74 one of my earlier memories of Jack Charlton was when I was taken to a match at Luton and how he collected and carried all the track suit tops from the Boro players during warm up.

Got to see Foggon for the first time as well and watched a Boro win

[Erimus74 5,259 5.4k]

39 minutes ago, Downsouth said:

Great post @Erimus74 one of my earlier memories of Jack Charlton was when I was taken to a match at Luton and how he collected and carried all the track suit tops from the Boro players during warm up.

Got to see Foggon for the first time as well and watched a Boro win

Nice memory, yes Jack collecting the tops, think he done it to stay involved with the playing side of things as long as possible leading up to kickoff

[Erimus74 5,259 5.4k]

Managing the Boro without a contract, but he was that good he knew hecwas safe, his achilles' heel was spending money, if he had any other managers mindset we'd have paid the extra £20k & signed Ray Hankin, Amer told him the money was available there for him, who knows how that first season (1974/75) would have finished

Edited May 8 by Erimus74

[Erimus74 5,259 5.4k]

Selling one european cup winner for anotber was a master stroke when Nobby Stiles was sold to Preston for £20k & bringing in Bobby Murdoch on a free