Portrait of a great man

[goldensmoke]

 

Jack Charlton. Wonderful days watching his team build up from the best seat in the house up in the centre of the West stand.

 

Charlton truly was a man befitting the rich history of our club. He possibly did the greatest job of any manager from where he had to begin with us.

 

I will always remember those days and be thankful for him and what he did.

[torryowl]

My favourite manager  ...old bert McGee pulled a rabbit out the hat with jacks appointment and had the good sense to let jack do the job his way  and backed him 100%.

[matthefish2002]

Not a Wednesday photo but thought this was a good one of Jack Charlton. 

 

[bladeshater]

I remember the game big jack  attended with his wife think it was chesterfield and it was a shocker I was on kop that day.on way home on football special a chap told me jack Charlton was at game and was about to take over but I couldn't really take it in or believe it why would this colloses of a man take over my club when I got home it was on look North it was true and one of the greatest days of my life

[casbahowl]

51 minutes ago, bladeshater said:

I remember the game big jack  attended with his wife think it was chesterfield and it was a shocker I was on kop that day.on way home on football special a chap told me jack Charlton was at game and was about to take over but I couldn't really take it in or believe it why would this colloses of a man take over my club when I got home it was on look North it was true and one of the greatest days of my life

We were in the North that day Baz, Chezzie at home. A buzz went round the whole stand when word got out, didn’t believe it, and then we saw him!

Like you say awful game but we nicked it 1-0 and the place erupted......... Jack went on to say the fans swung his decision that day!

The party in the Gate after the game was like a promotion party!

[bladeshater]

I enjoyed that era had some great days our fanbase was solid everyone seemed to look after each other 

I think these days social media kills our fanbase we don't seem to have the togetherness just my opinion

[ZicoSterland2]

Was a great manager for us . Gave the whole club a lift and was the start of our rise from the ashes.

[belfast owl lad]

A giant of a man in every sense,Had the good fortune to meet him on a few occasions with the Limavady Owls,Always willing to talk to us,pose for photos,sign autograph books for the kids,My favourite Wednesday manager by a country mile,And not forgetting what he did for the Irish,The 1990 world cup in particular.These day's the word 'Legend' seems to be banded about for anybody,not for 'Big Jack' a true Legend.

[Bearwood Owl1]

Just got a copy of his autobiography, written in the 1990s I think, well worth reading. Not only for the Owls section. He writes a thoughtful, if rather sad, epilogue about his (non) relationship with his brother Bobby.

[Musn't Grumble]

I don't think we can underestimate what a great job Jack Charlton did for us.

 

When he took over in October '77, playing-wise, the club was a basket case. We were bottom of Division Three and not looking like avoiding the drop after nine or ten games.

 

And then Big Jack arrived and he was able to bring in some rare talent at little cost. Not only did we finish a very creditable 8th that season but the foundation for better things was being built.

 

By the time Jack left in the summer of '83, the squad was a challenging second tier outfit. Without wanting to take anything away from another decent manager, Howard Wilkinson, it was Jack's momentum that created the opportunity for promotion to the top tier a year later.

[Guest Jack the Hat]

I went on the summer training camp at Middlewood. He was there with Maurice setters and pretty much all the players used to show their faces. The only one who didn’t turn up during the camp which ran every Sunday for about 4 weeks was TC, but that just added to the enigma. They should do stuff like that more often - if they don’t already. Remind the players it’s not all about the benjamins. Worthwhile too. Big Jack taught me how to head a ball and I went on to play for the Acorn Academicals.

[matt68owls]

2 hours ago, bladeshater said:

I remember the game big jack  attended with his wife think it was chesterfield and it was a shocker I was on kop that day.on way home on football special a chap told me jack Charlton was at game and was about to take over but I couldn't really take it in or believe it why would this colloses of a man take over my club when I got home it was on look North it was true and one of the greatest days of my life

 

we were in the north stand sat 2 rows in front of him, my dad explained who he was as I didn't have a clue, got his autograph. He turned out to be my favourite Wednesday manager of all time.

[S36 OWL]

4 hours ago, matthefish2002 said:

Not a Wednesday photo but thought this was a good one of Jack Charlton. 

 

 

My favourite ever Wednesday manager and my favourite ale. 

Edited April 27, 2020 by S36 OWL

[Rogers]

Waddle doesn’t look too impressed. 
 

I thought this would be a thread about painting - disappointed. It would be a nice change. Something different

[Bpmber]

I had the privilege to shake his hand at the BDM reunion ( had a tear in my eye ) what an absolute legend loved by all.

He gave a friend of mine who grew up with his son in Barnsley his 66 winning shirt it had just been hanging in his wardrobe. 

[kobayashi]

3 hours ago, Musn't Grumble said:

 

 

By the time Jack left in the summer of '83, the squad was a challenging second tier outfit. Without wanting to take anything away from another decent manager, Howard Wilkinson, it was Jack's momentum that created the opportunity for promotion to the top tier a year later.

Not sure that is fair...Big Jack was my first Wednesday boss and and will always be my favourite Wednesday boss and he certainly built good foundations but the momentum for promotion in 83/84 came from Wilkinson. He brought a level of drive that converted good players into winning players. 

[sage owl]

5 hours ago, bladeshater said:

I remember the game big jack  attended with his wife think it was chesterfield and it was a shocker I was on kop that day.on way home on football special a chap told me jack Charlton was at game and was about to take over but I couldn't really take it in or believe it why would this colloses of a man take over my club when I got home it was on look North it was true and one of the greatest days of my life

I was going to post something very similar. 

[glynnb]

4 hours ago, Bearwood Owl1 said:

Just got a copy of his autobiography, written in the 1990s I think, well worth reading. Not only for the Owls section. He writes a thoughtful, if rather sad, epilogue about his (non) relationship with his brother Bobby.

Saw him at my lads football club dinner in Knutsford and his opening line was "apparantly my brother lives here". 

[wexowl]

My memory was of him being a few rows away from me at Ayresome park  April 1973. he was being courted by Middlesborough at the time.

In his time at Hillsborough I wrote to him saying that I couldn't afford to travel over (from Ireland) as with mortgage, car and cat taking all the money. In his reply he told me to get rid of the cat.

As Belfast mentioned earlier his time with Ireland was the most exciting time ever for the national team .

He fished often in Co.Mayo and was well liked by all who met him.

[OhForAnotherShez]

18 minutes ago, wexowl said:

My memory was of him being a few rows away from me at Ayresome park  April 1973. he was being courted by Middlesborough at the time.

In his time at Hillsborough I wrote to him saying that I couldn't afford to travel over (from Ireland) as with mortgage, car and cat taking all the money. In his reply he told me to get rid of the cat.

As Belfast mentioned earlier his time with Ireland was the most exciting time ever for the national team .

He fished often in Co.Mayo and was well liked by all who met him.

 

I saw him at BDM reunion, and when fly fishing with someone I knew (which was quite competitive) he told me he used to sneak a lug worm on when not being watched.

 

Always a winner.