Ronnie Allen

Ronald Allen (15 January 1929 – 9 June 2001) was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League, and scoring 276 goals. He also won five caps for England national team. He later became a manager at clubs in England, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. His son, Russell, also played professional football throughout the 1970s.

Starting his career in 1946 with Port Vale, he spent four years with the club, before making a record breaking transfer to West Bromwich Albion. He was one of the best strikers of the 1950s, playing over 400 games, with a ratio of a goal every two games. He lifted the FA Cup in 1954, and helped the club to the FA Charity Shield in 1954, and a second-place finish in the First Division in 1953–54. In 1961 he signed with Crystal Palace, where he spent the final four years of his playing career. He helped Palace win promotion out of the Third Division in 1963–64.

His management career began in 1966 with Wolverhampton Wanderers, as he led Wolves out of the Second Division in 1966–67. In 1969, he took up the reins at Spanish club Athletic Bilbao, leading the club to a second-place finish in La Liga in 1969–70. In 1972, he was appointed manager of Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon, after one season with the club he moved back to England to manage Walsall for a brief period. In 1977, he spent a short time as manager of West Bromwich Albion. After a spell advising the Saudi Arabia national team, he took charge of Greek club Panathinaikos for a short time in 1980. His last management position was back at West Brom in 1981–82, following which he served the club as a coach and scout.