Editing Len Shackleton

{{Short description|English footballer (1922–2000)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name                = Len Shackleton
| image               = 
| caption             = 
| fullname            = Leonard Francis Shackleton
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1922|5|3|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Bradford]], England
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2000|11|28|1922|5|3|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Grange-over-Sands]], England
| height              = {{height|ft=5|in=9}}<ref name="page 19"/>
| position            = [[Inside forward]], [[outside forward]]
| youthyears1         = 1936–1938| youthclubs1 = [[Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.|Bradford Park Avenue]]
| youthyears2         = 1936–1938| youthclubs2 = → Kippax United (loan)
| youthyears3         = 1938–1939| youthclubs3 = [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
| youthyears4         = 1938–1939| youthclubs4 = → [[Enfield F.C.|Enfield]] (loan)
| youthyears5         = 1939     | youthclubs5 = [[London Paper Mills F.C.|London Paper Mills]]
| years1              = 1940–1946| clubs1 = [[Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.|Bradford Park Avenue]] | caps1 =   7| goals1 =  4
| years2              = 1946–1948| clubs2 = [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]]           | caps2 =  57| goals2 = 26
| years3              = 1948–1957| clubs3 = [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]]                     | caps3 = 320| goals3 = 97
| totalcaps           = 384| totalgoals = 127
| nationalyears1      = 1935–1936| nationalteam1 = [[English Schools' Football Association|England Schoolboys]]                           | nationalcaps1 = 3| nationalgoals1 = 2
| nationalyears2      = 1948–1954| nationalteam2 = [[England national football team|England]]| nationalcaps2 = 5| nationalgoals2 = 1
}}

'''Leonard Francis Shackleton''' (3 May 1922 – 28 November 2000) was an English [[Association football|footballer]]. Known as the "Clown Prince of Football", he is generally regarded as one of English football's finest ever entertainers.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/1045604.stm |title=BBC SPORT &#124; FOOTBALL &#124; Len Shackleton: Clown Prince |publisher=BBC News |date=29 November 2000 |access-date=31 August 2010}}</ref> He also played [[cricket]] in the [[Minor Counties Cricket Championship|Minor Counties]] for [[Northumberland County Cricket Club|Northumberland]].

Able to play at [[inside forward]] or [[outside forward]], he scored 134 goals in 427 league and cup appearances in just over 11 seasons in [[the Football League]], and before that scored 171 goals in 209 league and cup appearances during wartime football. His ball control skills made him one of the most talented players in the country, but his individualism and outspoken nature limited him to only five [[England national football team|England]] caps in a six-year international career. He also never won a trophy or league title.

Born in [[Bradford]], he spent his teenage years before [[World War II]] with [[Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.|Bradford Park Avenue]], Kippax United, [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], [[Enfield F.C.|Enfield]], and [[London Paper Mills F.C.|London Paper Mills]], before he turned professional at Bradford Park Avenue in 1940. He spent the war assembling aircraft radios and playing for Bradford PA, and was sold on to [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] rivals [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] for a £13,000 fee in October 1946. He scored six goals on his Newcastle debut, but fell out with the club's directors, and was sold on to [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] for a British transfer record fee of £20,050 in February 1948. He scored 97 goals in 320 [[Football League First Division|First Division]] matches for the club, with the closest he came to a trophy being the 1949–50 season when Sunderland finished third in the league, and when they reached the semi-finals of the [[FA Cup]] in 1955 and in 1956. He retired due to an ankle injury in 1957, and became a sports journalist.

==Club career==
Leonard Francis Shackleton was born in [[Bradford]], England on 3 May 1922 to Leonard and Irene Shackleton; his father was a self-employed painter and decorator and his mother was a housewife.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=13}}</ref> He was the elder brother to Irene and John; John went on to sign for [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]], though never played a first team game and quit the game to become a chiropodist and tennis coach.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=14}}</ref> Shackleton attended Carlton High [[Grammar school]], and became the first Bradford schoolboy to represent England schoolboys when he scored two goals in a 6–2 victory over Wales schoolboys; also in the team that day was future Sunderland teammate [[Dickie Davis (footballer)|Dickie Davis]].<ref name="page 19">{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=19}}</ref>

===Early career===
Despite his family being keen [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]] supporters, Shackleton signed amateur forms with [[Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.|Bradford Park Avenue]] after being signed by manager [[Billy Hardy (footballer)|Billy Hardy]].<ref name="page 21">{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=21}}</ref> Bradford PA permitted him to play for Kippax United in the [[West Yorkshire Association Football League|Leeds League]].<ref name="page 21"/> [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]'s secretary-manager [[George Allison]] heard of Shackleton's talents, and drove to Bradford to sign him to amateur forms in 1938.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=22}}</ref> Arsenal permitted him to play for [[Enfield F.C.|Enfield]] in the [[Athenian League]], and he in fact only represented Arsenal twice in reserve team fixtures in the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]].<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=27}}</ref> He was released by Arsenal in May 1939 and told by Allison that he was too small to succeed as a footballer, and should find other employment.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=28}}</ref> Following this disappointment he took a job at London Paper Mills in [[Dartford]], and turned out for the [[London Paper Mills F.C.|factory's works team]] in the [[Kent Football League (1894–1959)|Kent League]].<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=31}}</ref>

===Bradford Park Avenue===
Shackleton returned to his hometown upon hearing of the outbreak of [[World War II]] and took up employment assembling aircraft radios for [[General Electric Company plc|GEC]], at which point he rejoined Bradford Park Avenue as an amateur after being invited to the [[Park Avenue (stadium)|Park Avenue Stadium]] by manager [[David Steele (footballer)|David Steele]].<ref name="page 35">{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=35}}</ref> He turned professional at the club shortly before Christmas 1940 and received a £10 signing-on fee, which the cash-strapped club had to pay in instalments.<ref name="page 35"/> On Christmas morning he played for Bradford PA, then guested for [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]] in the afternoon, and scored in both matches.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=36}}</ref> In the wartime leagues he scored a total of 171 goals in league and cup 209 appearances for Bradford PA.<ref>{{cite news|last=Slater |first=Gary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2993985/UniBond-League-Park-Avenue-to-honour-Shackleton-with-memorial.html |title=UniBond League: Park Avenue to honour Shackleton with memorial |work=The Telegraph|date=4 December 2000 |access-date=31 August 2010}}</ref> He became a [[Bevin Boys|Bevin Boy]] in order to avoid his call-up for [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|national service]] in 1945 as he did not want to miss the resumption of [[the Football League]], but found the experience of [[coal mining]] terrifying and gruelling.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=49}}</ref> He began to avoid his shifts in the pits, and so was called into the [[Royal Air Force]], where he served the remainder of his national service.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=50}}</ref> He scored four goals in seven [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] matches at the start of the [[1946–47 Football League|1946–47]] season, but left the club in October 1946 after growing tired of heckling from his own supporters who did not appreciate his individualist style.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=51}}</ref>

===Newcastle United===
In October 1946, Shackleton was sold to Second Division side [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] for a £13,000 fee.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=52}}</ref> He was sold as a direct replacement for [[Albert Stubbins]], who had been sold from Newcastle to [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] for the same fee.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=60}}</ref> He scored six goals on his debut in Newcastle's 13–0 defeat of [[Newport County A.F.C.|Newport County]] at [[St James' Park]] on 5 October, with three of his goals coming within the space of just 155 seconds.<ref>The Times, 7 October 1946, ''Association Football Newcastle's 13 Goals''</ref> However his return to Park Avenue in his fourth game for Newcastle was not a happy one, as he had a penalty saved by former teammate [[Chick Farr]] in a 2–1 defeat to Bradford PA.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=63}}</ref> The "Magpies" boasted a devastating forward line of [[Jackie Milburn]], [[Roy Bentley]], [[Charlie Wayman]], Shackleton, and [[Tommy Pearson]], and totalled 95 league goals in the [[1946–47 Football League|1946–47]] season, though their tally of 62 goals conceded and 13 defeats left the club having to settle for fifth place.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=64}}</ref> They did though reach the semi-finals of the [[FA Cup]], where they were beaten 4–0 by [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]].<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=66}}</ref> After the semi-final game he and club captain [[Joe Harvey]] went on strike over housing issues; the club's board eventually relented and granted Shackleton the house they had initially promised him, though to save face told the press that Harvey and Shackleton had been in the wrong and had apologised.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=67}}</ref> He further came into conflict with the club at Christmas 1947, when he and goalkeeper [[Jack Fairbrother]] refused to join the squad on a scouting party on opponents Charlton Athletic, who they faced later that season in the third round of the FA Cup.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=68}}</ref> Unhappy with the club, he handed in a transfer request, which was granted.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=72}}</ref>

{{Quote|"...those people upstairs, and whatnot – I never hit it off with... the fans are so brilliant at Newcastle that I feel guilty when I call them (names). But I'm not calling the fans, I'm calling the club... I've no bias against Newcastle – I don't care who beats them!"|Shackleton liked the [[Geordie]] people but felt that Newcastle United was not a well run club.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=79}}</ref>}}

===Sunderland===
In February 1948, Shackleton was sold to [[Tyne–Wear derby|Newcastle's rivals]] [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] for a [[Progression of British football transfer fee record|British transfer fee record]] of £20,050.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=73}}</ref> He was one of a number of a squad full of big name players signed by the club for a total outlay of around £250,000 during the post-war era, which earned Sunderland the nickname of the 'Bank of England' club.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=81}}</ref> However Shackleton made his debut in a 5–1 defeat to [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]] at the [[Baseball Ground]], and Sunderland finished just four points above the relegation zone – at that time the club had never been relegated out of the [[Football League First Division|First Division]].<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=83}}</ref> He later admitted that the players were more a collection of talented individuals than a true team, and that "it takes time to harness and control a team of [[thoroughbred]]s. It took time to achieve the blend at [[Roker Park]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=84}}</ref> Shackleton and centre-forward [[Trevor Ford]] would never build any kind of relationship on or off the pitch however, and Ford once threatened to never play in the same Sunderland team as Shackleton until he was forced to back down by manager [[Bill Murray (footballer, born 1901)|Bill Murray]].<ref name="Malam 2004 87">{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=87}}</ref> Ford was sold on to [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]] in November 1953.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=88}}</ref>

Shackleton never won any honours with Sunderland, the closest he came to doing so being a third-place finish in [[1949–50 Football League|1949–50]], when they finished one point behind champions [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]].<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=90}}</ref> Shackleton felt that a surprise home defeat to [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] on 15 April was both decisive and galling, as teammate [[Jack Stelling]] twice missed a penalty in a 2–1 loss.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=91}}</ref> Sunderland lost fewer games than any other team in the [[1954–55 Football League|1954–55]] season, but still ended up four points behind champions [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]].<ref name="page 92">{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=92}}</ref> They also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1955 and in 1956, losing 1–0 to Manchester City at [[Villa Park]] and then 3–0 to [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] at [[Hillsborough Stadium|Hillsborough]].<ref name="page 92"/> He injured his ankle on the opening day of the [[1957–58 Football League|1957–58]] season, and announced his retirement shortly afterwards.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=103}}</ref> This meant he played only 45 minutes for new manager [[Alan Brown (English footballer)|Alan Brown]], who had a reputation as a tough taskmaster.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=104}}</ref> The club were reluctant to grant him a benefit match, but relented after Shackleton threatened to tell [[The Football Association|the FA]] about illegal payments the club had made.<ref name="page 113"/>

==International career==
Shackleton won his first full cap for [[England national football team|England]] in a 0–0 draw with [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]] on 26 September 1948.<ref name="page 113">{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=106}}</ref> He was dropped and replaced by [[Stan Pearson]] for England's next game, before making a surprise return in a 1–0 win over [[Wales national football team|Wales]] at Villa Park on 10 November 1948.<ref name="page 113"/> His third cap came again against Wales, in a 4–1 victory in [[Cardiff]] on 15 October 1949.<ref name="page 113"/> He then had to wait five years for his fourth cap, in which time the England selectors had tried 17 different players at inside-forward, with limited success.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=116}}</ref> Selectors had always viewed the rebellious Shackleton with distrust, and one selector who was challenged over Shackleton's continued absence in the England team told a journalist that "we play at [[Wembley Stadium|Wembley]], not the [[London Palladium]]."<ref name="page 119"/> He made his return again against Wales, in a 3–2 victory at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]].<ref name="page 119">{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=119}}</ref> He put in his finest performance however in his final England appearance, scoring with a chipped goal in a 3–1 win over the then World Champions [[Germany national football team|West Germany]] on 1 December 1954.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=121}}</ref> He later wrote that the goal was "my most memorable scoring effort in a lifetime of soccer... I felt a keen sense of satisfaction – not because the goal made our victory over Germany certain, but because I had decided exactly how to go about scoring it long before the chance presented itself. Anticipation and fulfilment."<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=122}}</ref>

==Style of play==
Journalist Malcolm Hartley, wrote of Shackleton: "Apart from the adhesive ball control and breathtaking body swerve, Shack could hit a ball. His slender legs could crack the ball like a [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors gun]]." One of his contemporaries remarked: "Once in possession, and few can match his dexterity at bringing the ball under control, the ball becomes his slave. All the skills of inside forward play – dribbling, feinting, correct positioning and accurate passing are his to command."<ref name="LFS">{{cite book | last = Dykes | first = Garth | title = All the Lads | publisher = Sunderland AFC | year = 2000 | location = Great Britain | isbn = 1-899538-15-1 }}</ref>

A showman who liked to entertain the crowd, he was able to cut the ball with sufficient spin that it would roll towards an opponent only to stop and then return to him as though on a string.<ref name="page 45">{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=45}}</ref> He was also adept at back heeling penalty kicks into the goal.<ref>[http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/the-50-greatest-north-strikers-1400827 The 50 greatest North strikers] The Chronicle, 26 June 2011</ref> He would rarely track back and defend however, and antics were sometimes criticised as "unsportsman-like".<ref name="page 45"/> On one occasion, 2–1 up against Arsenal with 5 minutes to go, he dribbled the ball into The Gunners' penalty area before putting his foot on it, pretending to comb his hair while looking at his watch. Other examples include mocking opposition full-backs by playing one-twos with the corner flag, literally sitting on the ball to torment defenders who could not dispossess him, and teasing a beaten goalkeeper by putting his foot on the ball on the goal line.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Sunderland teammate [[Trevor Ford]] wrote in his autobiography that: "where did it [Shackleton's antics] get us? Precisely nowhere. The result was that when he did make a move, the opposing defence was in position and the attack broke down. Time and again when I thought Shack was going to slip a goalscoring pass to me he would veer off".<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=85}}</ref> However [[Billy Bingham]] defended Shackleton by noting that Ford had poor positional skills.<ref name="Malam 2004 87"/>

==Cricket career==
While playing for Sunderland, Shackleton played [[cricket]] for Wearmouth Colliery and for [[Northumberland County Cricket Club|Northumberland]] in the 1948 [[Minor Counties Cricket Championship|Minor Counties Championship]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/117/117811/117811.html|title=Player profile: Len Shackleton|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=8 August 2011}}</ref> His genius and humour was also evident on the cricket field. At Wearmouth, he would entertain the crowd by pretending to miss slip catches, then looking behind him as if the ball had gone to the boundary, before producing the ball from his pocket. While at Sunderland he played for Wearmouth Colliery in the Durham Senior League. He also played [[cricket]] for Lidget Green in the [[Bradford League]], and for Northumberland in the Minor Counties League.

==Journalism career and later life==
Shackleton became a sports journalist after retiring as a footballer. He had been an outspoken critic of the football establishment during his playing career, particularly so of the [[maximum wage]] rule.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=78}}</ref> He used his nickname, ''The Clown Prince of Soccer'', for his 1956 autobiography. One chapter of that book was "The Average Director's Knowledge of Football". It consisted of a single blank page.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=134}}</ref> The book proved to be immensely popular, and ran into five editions within three months.<ref>{{harvnb|Malam|2004|p=135}}</ref>

Shackleton, who had also been a barber during his playing career, had three sons with his wife Marjorie. He moved to [[Grange-over-Sands]] in [[Cumbria]] on retirement and wrote ''Return of the Clown Prince'' with his son Roger. He had a heart attack in August 2000 and died on 28 November that year, aged 78.<ref>{{cite news |title=Len Shackleton |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/nov/29/guardianobituaries.football |access-date=3 May 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=29 November 2000}}</ref>

Only after his death he became known to many and younger people, esp. to foreigners, because his fame was spread around Europe by the legendary "anarcho-folk-punk-band" Chumbawamba in their "Song To Len Shackleton" (released 2002 on their "Readymades" CD)

==Statistics==
===Club statistics===
Source:<ref>{{ENFA}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!rowspan="2"|Division
!colspan="2"|League
!colspan="2"|FA Cup
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.|Bradford Park Avenue]]
|[[1945–46 FA Cup|1945–46]]
|–
|0||0||8||1||8||1
|-
|[[1946–47 Football League|1946–47]]
|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]
|7||4||0||0||7||4
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!7!!4!!8!!1!!15!!5
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]]
|[[1946–47 Football League|1946–47]]
|Second Division
|32||19||6||3||38||22
|-
|[[1947–48 Football League|1947–48]]
|Second Division
|25||7||1||0||26||7
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!57!!26!!7!!3!!64!!29
|-
|rowspan="12"|[[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]]
|[[1947–48 Football League|1947–48]]
|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|14||4||0||0||14||4
|-
|[[1948–49 Football League|1948–49]]
|First Division
|39||8||2||0||41||8
|-
|[[1949–50 Football League|1949–50]]
|First Division
|40||14||2||2||42||16
|-
|[[1950–51 Football League|1950–51]]
|First Division
|30||6||4||0||34||6
|-
|[[1951–52 Football League|1951–52]]
|First Division
|41||22||2||0||43||22
|-
|[[1952–53 Football League|1952–53]]
|First Division
|31||6||3||0||34||6
|-
|[[1953–54 Football League|1953–54]]
|First Division
|38||14||1||0||39||14
|-
|[[1954–55 Football League|1954–55]]
|First Division
|32||8||6||1||38||9
|-
|[[1955–56 Football League|1955–56]]
|First Division
|28||7||6||0||34||7
|-
|[[1956–57 Football League|1956–57]]
|First Division
|26||8||2||0||28||8
|-
|[[1957–58 Football League|1957–58]]
|First Division
|1||0||0||0||1||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!320!!97!!28!!3!!348!!100
|-
!colspan="3"|Career Total
!384!!127!!43!!7!!427!!134
|}

===International statistics===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan=3 | [[England national football team|England national team]]
|-
!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|1948||2||0
|-
|1949||1||0
|-
|1954||2||1
|-
!Total<ref>{{cite web|title=Len Shackleton|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/24872/Len_Shackleton.html|website=national-football-teams.com|access-date=7 August 2015}}</ref>||5||1
|}

==References==
;Specific
{{reflist}}

;General
* {{cite book | last=Malam|first=Colin|title=Clown Prince of Soccer? The Len Shackleton Story |publisher=Highdown |year=2004 |isbn=1-904317-74X }}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards
|bg = gold
|fg = navy
|list1 =
{{Football League 100 Legends}}
{{English Football Hall of Fame}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shackleton, Len}}
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:Footballers from Bradford]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:England men's youth international footballers]]
[[Category:England men's international footballers]]
[[Category:England men's wartime international footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football inside forwards]]
[[Category:Men's association football outside forwards]]
[[Category:Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C. players]]
[[Category:Arsenal F.C. players]]
[[Category:Enfield F.C. players]]
[[Category:London Paper Mills F.C. players]]
[[Category:Huddersfield Town A.F.C. wartime guest players]]
[[Category:Bevin Boys]]
[[Category:Newcastle United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players]]
[[Category:Southern Football League players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:English Football League representative players]]
[[Category:English Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:Northumberland cricketers]]
[[Category:Minor Counties cricketers]]
[[Category:English male journalists]]
[[Category:English sportswriters]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force airmen]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Bradford]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Kent Football League (1894–1959) players]]
[[Category:English autobiographers]]