sad news

[butch03]

FOOTBALL: Former West Ham and Ipswich manager John Lyall has died aged 66

sad day for his family , he was a good manager

[Eye-dee]

:(

[BaldEagle96]

Always thought he was an excellent manager and very underrated.

Pretty young as well!

[BaldEagle96]

Former West Ham and Ipswich manager John Lyall has died at the age of 66. Lyall suffered a heart attack on Tuesday night, which resulted in his sudden death.

He succeeded Ron Greenwood as boss at Upton Park in 1974 and was in charge until June 1989 and then joined Ipswich in 1990.

He won the FA Cup twice with West Ham in 1975 and 1980 before leading Ipswich to promotion to the inaugural Premier League in 1991/92.

The Hammers beat Arsenal in 1980 to lift the FA Cup as a team from the old Second Division - and they are the last club to achieve such a feat from outside English football's top echelon of clubs.

Lyall originally joined West Ham as a groundstaff boy in 1955 before graduating through the ranks to play as a left-back and he made his debut against Chelsea in 1960.

But knee problems forced him to end his playing career early aged 24 and this heralded Lyall's first steps into coaching.

Lyall was guided by his managerial mentor Greenwood at West Ham for three years prior to taking charge of West Ham and his spell at the helm ended following relegation from the old First Division in 1989.

He assumed the helm at Ipswich the following year but, after his initial success at Portman Road, he left the club in December 1994 and never returned to football management.

West Ham will play Middlesbrough in an FA Cup semi-final on Sunday and current boss Alan Pardew told the club's website: "It is another very sad day for West Ham United after the loss of Ron Greenwood only two months ago.

"Like Ron, John did so much to build the footballing beliefs and values that this club is built on.

"To win the FA Cup twice and lead the club to it's highest league finish tells you just how much of an impact John Lyall made on the history of West Ham United - and his contribution will never be forgotten.

"I am sure that our supporters will pay tribute to John's memory in a fitting manner at our FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park on Sunday and we as a team will do the same."

[Radders]

Originally posted by BaldEagle96
Always thought he was an excellent manager and very underrated.



Here here!

[Selhurst300]

Originally posted by BaldEagle96
Always thought he was an excellent manager and very underrated.

Pretty young as well!

You've summed it up very well. Sad day.

[JohnA]

He was a good manager, his teams played decent football.

[Brett]

Not just a good manager but an under valued contributor to the game in general.

Sad that he fell of the radar and never really got the recognition he deserved.