First-class full back and first-rate manager
Ronald (Ronnie) Suart 1920-2015
Ronnie Suart was born in Barrow on 18 November 1920 and, after school football, he signed as an amateur centre half for Netherfield. Blackpool were alerted to his potential and he was signed by the club on 30 December 1938. His wage was to be £3 per week up to 26 January 1939 but after he 'played remarkably well' in a private practice match held mid week in January 1939, his contract was extended and his weekly terms for the remainder of the season were revised to £4 per week plus £1 extra when playing in the first team. Then later in the year, Blackpool were so pleased with his progress that they made a generous 'three-figure' payment to Netherfield.
After playing in the junior teams, he made his senior debut for Blackpool in the Central League side against Sheffield United reserves on 21 January 1939 when Blackpool won 3-0. Then, playing for the ‘A’ team against Lancaster City Reserves on 28 January 1939 he and fellow half back Bray were spoken of as 'noteworthy players' in Blackpool's 3-2 defeat. He played in two further Central League games in that season, a 2-0 victory over Stoke City reserves, when he was moved to left back, and a 3-1 defeat by Bury reserves. He also appeared for a strong Blackpool representative side against a Scottish Juvenile FA XI on 22 April 1939 when Blackpool won 6-0.
He had also appeared for Blackpool in the North West Midweek League during the 1938/39 season and his form was so good that at the end of the season he was selected to play for the Rest of the League XI against Preston North End.
He began the 1939/40 season at centre half for the reserve side in the Football League Benevolent Fund match against Preston when Blackpool won 4-2 but then, just as he was being spoken of as a possible first team player, World War II broke out and his career was put on hold. In that first wartime season he did play a few unofficial reserve games and he made his initial appearance in the first team, at centre half, in a North West Regional League game against Rochdale on 28 May 1940; the game was drawn 3-3.
Wartime duties severely restricted his appearances but over the four season 1941/42 to 1945/46 he managed to make 64 appearances for Blackpool, alternating between centre half and full back. Then when the official FA Cup re-started in the 1945/46 season he made his first team debut, again at centre half, in the third round tie against Wrexham on 5 January 1946. The ties were played over two legs that season and Blackpool won both games 4-1. He went on to play in three of the other four FA Cup ties that season.
He began the 1946/47 season as the regular centre half in the league side, making his league debut in the opening game, a 3-1 victory over Huddersfield Town on 31 August 1946. He missed five games through injury but played in 11 of the first 16 games before Blackpool signed a new centre half named Eric Hayward, who took over Suart's spot in the league side. Mid-season he replaced an injured Hayward for five games and then he reverted to left back to replace Eric Sibley for the final three games of the season. In all he played 19 league games and one FA Cup tie in the 1946/47 season and in addition he played in 10 Central League games.
His emergence as left full back earned him the spot in the league side for the 1947/48 season and by early April 1948 he was reported as 'playing with a confidence which is increasing with every match'. The turning point was noted as being the game against Preston North End in December when he had played an excellent game against Tom Finney even though Blackpool lost 1-0. Sadly the season was to end in tragedy for injury in the game against Sunderland on 12 April 1948 put him out for the remainder of the season and cost him his place in the FA Cup Final side. He was later awarded a runners-up medal by The Football Association. He had played in 38 league games and five FA Cup ties in the 1947/48 season.
He won a trophy as the Blackpool Football Club Two-Ball Champion, Scratch Prize presented by George Mee and Dick Seed, in the summer of 1948 and, fit again, he started the 1948/49 season in the league side against Sheffield United on 21 August when Blackpool lost 3-2. And he went on to be an ever-present in the side in that season, playing in all 42 League games and three FA Cup ties.
Although he began the 1949/50 season in the league side, his place was under threat from the emerging Tommy Garrett and after five games, two at right back, he was replaced by Bill Lewis and then Garrett. He reverted to centre half and played four games in the Central League side, his last for Blackpool being a 1-1 draw with Chesterfield reserves on 17 September 1949.
Seeing that he was temporarily out of favour, Blackburn Rovers were interested in signing him and they duly did so for a fee of £12,000 on 23 September 1949; it was at the time Blackpool’s record receipts from a transfer. His Blackpool career had encompassed 104 league games, nine FA Cup ties and 14 Central League games.
He went on to play 176 League games and 11 FA Cup ties for Blackburn Rovers up to the end of the 1954/55 season when he moved into management, taking over as player-manager of then non-league Wigan Athletic in September 1955. He was to return to league football when he was appointed manager of Scunthorpe United in July 1956 and he held the post until becoming manager of Blackpool on the retirement of Joe Smith.
He was announced as the next Blackpool manager on 11 March 1958 when Joe Smith decided that he would retire through ill health at the end of the 1957/58 season. Suart was by then a qualified FA coach and he was selected from a short list of three, the two others being Eric Hayward and Walter Galbraith, manager of Accrington Stanley.
It was stated that he was the first ex player to be appointed manager of Blackpool, although there is some possibility that Jack Cox could claim the honour for although Blackpool did not officially have a manager at the time Cox was re-signed from Liverpool in August 1909, he was unofficially known as 'player-manager'.
Suart said on his appointment 'Naturally I want to get to Blackpool as soon as possible, certainly before Mr Joe Smith goes, so that he can put me in the picture, as I am sure he will do.' He added, 'It all depends on how quickly Scunthorpe United settle the promotion issue. If we get four points out of the Easter fixtures then it could be virtually decided then, but in any case Scunthorpe have to play seven matches in the last 15 days of the season so, with average luck, we should get the necessary points from the first few of those games.' Apparently he had said on leaving Blackpool nine years earlier that he would like to come back one day and when reminded of that he said, 'I can well understand my saying that. Blackpool treated me wonderfully well when I was a player with them.' He added, 'I like the town too. So does my wife. We have two little girls and they should be very happy at Blackpool.'
Of his future plans at the club he said, 'I intend to work really hard at Blackpool. I have my own plans and, with the co-operation of the directors, players, staff and public, I am sure they will work out to the good. Following a man like Joe Smith, with his wonderful record, will not be easy, but I feel confident, and the thought of managing the club I once played for gives me a great thrill.' And he took up his duties at Bloomfield Road in May 1958 apparently without a contract. He was eventually given a contract but it was said that he was asked to resign after a humiliating 6-2 defeat by his former club Scunthorpe United in January 1961. He did not do so and, although Blackpool were becoming a spent force in First Division football, he was a well-respected manager and he signed a new three-year contract in October 1962 after he had turned down an offer to manage Cardiff City.
When offered another three-year contract, at better terms, in January 1966, he was expected to sign it within a week and he said, 'That is just a formality.' However, Blackpool's results faltered and when they were firm relegation candidates in the 1966/67 season, he resigned as manager in January 1967.
He was not out of work for long for in April 1967 he was appointed Chelsea’s assistant-manager under Tommy Docherty. When Docherty left Chelsea, he took over as caretaker-manager in October 1967 before the appointment of Dave Sexton. When Sexton left the club in October 1974, he was appointed manager, a post he held until April 1975. He then became general manager of Chelsea from April 1975 until 1978 and was appointed chief scout at the club in February 1983.
He later did some scouting for Portsmouth and Arsenal before being appointed chief scout at Wimbledon in 1992, a job he held until 2002 when he was released as the club struggled financially.
He later moved back to the Fylde, living in Staining and he died on 25 March 2015, aged 94.
Gerry Wolstenholme
Ronnie Suart was born in Barrow on 18 November 1920 and, after school football, he signed as an amateur centre half for Netherfield. Blackpool were alerted to his potential and he was signed by the club on 30 December 1938. His wage was to be £3 per week up to 26 January 1939 but after he 'played remarkably well' in a private practice match held mid week in January 1939, his contract was extended and his weekly terms for the remainder of the season were revised to £4 per week plus £1 extra when playing in the first team. Then later in the year, Blackpool were so pleased with his progress that they made a generous 'three-figure' payment to Netherfield.
After playing in the junior teams, he made his senior debut for Blackpool in the Central League side against Sheffield United reserves on 21 January 1939 when Blackpool won 3-0. Then, playing for the ‘A’ team against Lancaster City Reserves on 28 January 1939 he and fellow half back Bray were spoken of as 'noteworthy players' in Blackpool's 3-2 defeat. He played in two further Central League games in that season, a 2-0 victory over Stoke City reserves, when he was moved to left back, and a 3-1 defeat by Bury reserves. He also appeared for a strong Blackpool representative side against a Scottish Juvenile FA XI on 22 April 1939 when Blackpool won 6-0.
He had also appeared for Blackpool in the North West Midweek League during the 1938/39 season and his form was so good that at the end of the season he was selected to play for the Rest of the League XI against Preston North End.
He began the 1939/40 season at centre half for the reserve side in the Football League Benevolent Fund match against Preston when Blackpool won 4-2 but then, just as he was being spoken of as a possible first team player, World War II broke out and his career was put on hold. In that first wartime season he did play a few unofficial reserve games and he made his initial appearance in the first team, at centre half, in a North West Regional League game against Rochdale on 28 May 1940; the game was drawn 3-3.
Wartime duties severely restricted his appearances but over the four season 1941/42 to 1945/46 he managed to make 64 appearances for Blackpool, alternating between centre half and full back. Then when the official FA Cup re-started in the 1945/46 season he made his first team debut, again at centre half, in the third round tie against Wrexham on 5 January 1946. The ties were played over two legs that season and Blackpool won both games 4-1. He went on to play in three of the other four FA Cup ties that season.
He began the 1946/47 season as the regular centre half in the league side, making his league debut in the opening game, a 3-1 victory over Huddersfield Town on 31 August 1946. He missed five games through injury but played in 11 of the first 16 games before Blackpool signed a new centre half named Eric Hayward, who took over Suart's spot in the league side. Mid-season he replaced an injured Hayward for five games and then he reverted to left back to replace Eric Sibley for the final three games of the season. In all he played 19 league games and one FA Cup tie in the 1946/47 season and in addition he played in 10 Central League games.
His emergence as left full back earned him the spot in the league side for the 1947/48 season and by early April 1948 he was reported as 'playing with a confidence which is increasing with every match'. The turning point was noted as being the game against Preston North End in December when he had played an excellent game against Tom Finney even though Blackpool lost 1-0. Sadly the season was to end in tragedy for injury in the game against Sunderland on 12 April 1948 put him out for the remainder of the season and cost him his place in the FA Cup Final side. He was later awarded a runners-up medal by The Football Association. He had played in 38 league games and five FA Cup ties in the 1947/48 season.
He won a trophy as the Blackpool Football Club Two-Ball Champion, Scratch Prize presented by George Mee and Dick Seed, in the summer of 1948 and, fit again, he started the 1948/49 season in the league side against Sheffield United on 21 August when Blackpool lost 3-2. And he went on to be an ever-present in the side in that season, playing in all 42 League games and three FA Cup ties.
Although he began the 1949/50 season in the league side, his place was under threat from the emerging Tommy Garrett and after five games, two at right back, he was replaced by Bill Lewis and then Garrett. He reverted to centre half and played four games in the Central League side, his last for Blackpool being a 1-1 draw with Chesterfield reserves on 17 September 1949.
Seeing that he was temporarily out of favour, Blackburn Rovers were interested in signing him and they duly did so for a fee of £12,000 on 23 September 1949; it was at the time Blackpool’s record receipts from a transfer. His Blackpool career had encompassed 104 league games, nine FA Cup ties and 14 Central League games.
He went on to play 176 League games and 11 FA Cup ties for Blackburn Rovers up to the end of the 1954/55 season when he moved into management, taking over as player-manager of then non-league Wigan Athletic in September 1955. He was to return to league football when he was appointed manager of Scunthorpe United in July 1956 and he held the post until becoming manager of Blackpool on the retirement of Joe Smith.
He was announced as the next Blackpool manager on 11 March 1958 when Joe Smith decided that he would retire through ill health at the end of the 1957/58 season. Suart was by then a qualified FA coach and he was selected from a short list of three, the two others being Eric Hayward and Walter Galbraith, manager of Accrington Stanley.
It was stated that he was the first ex player to be appointed manager of Blackpool, although there is some possibility that Jack Cox could claim the honour for although Blackpool did not officially have a manager at the time Cox was re-signed from Liverpool in August 1909, he was unofficially known as 'player-manager'.
Suart said on his appointment 'Naturally I want to get to Blackpool as soon as possible, certainly before Mr Joe Smith goes, so that he can put me in the picture, as I am sure he will do.' He added, 'It all depends on how quickly Scunthorpe United settle the promotion issue. If we get four points out of the Easter fixtures then it could be virtually decided then, but in any case Scunthorpe have to play seven matches in the last 15 days of the season so, with average luck, we should get the necessary points from the first few of those games.' Apparently he had said on leaving Blackpool nine years earlier that he would like to come back one day and when reminded of that he said, 'I can well understand my saying that. Blackpool treated me wonderfully well when I was a player with them.' He added, 'I like the town too. So does my wife. We have two little girls and they should be very happy at Blackpool.'
Of his future plans at the club he said, 'I intend to work really hard at Blackpool. I have my own plans and, with the co-operation of the directors, players, staff and public, I am sure they will work out to the good. Following a man like Joe Smith, with his wonderful record, will not be easy, but I feel confident, and the thought of managing the club I once played for gives me a great thrill.' And he took up his duties at Bloomfield Road in May 1958 apparently without a contract. He was eventually given a contract but it was said that he was asked to resign after a humiliating 6-2 defeat by his former club Scunthorpe United in January 1961. He did not do so and, although Blackpool were becoming a spent force in First Division football, he was a well-respected manager and he signed a new three-year contract in October 1962 after he had turned down an offer to manage Cardiff City.
When offered another three-year contract, at better terms, in January 1966, he was expected to sign it within a week and he said, 'That is just a formality.' However, Blackpool's results faltered and when they were firm relegation candidates in the 1966/67 season, he resigned as manager in January 1967.
He was not out of work for long for in April 1967 he was appointed Chelsea’s assistant-manager under Tommy Docherty. When Docherty left Chelsea, he took over as caretaker-manager in October 1967 before the appointment of Dave Sexton. When Sexton left the club in October 1974, he was appointed manager, a post he held until April 1975. He then became general manager of Chelsea from April 1975 until 1978 and was appointed chief scout at the club in February 1983.
He later did some scouting for Portsmouth and Arsenal before being appointed chief scout at Wimbledon in 1992, a job he held until 2002 when he was released as the club struggled financially.
He later moved back to the Fylde, living in Staining and he died on 25 March 2015, aged 94.
Gerry Wolstenholme
No comments have been added yet.
