TRIBUTES & OBITUARIES
George Swindin obituary: Brian Glanville: Monday 31 October 2005
George Swindin died on 26th October, 2003.
George Swindin Arsenal goalkeeper and then manager, he played 272 league games for the Gunners
George Swindin, who has died aged 90, was Arsenal's brave, resilient goalkeeper in the immediate postwar years, and became their manager in 1958. He won his first league championship medal as far back as 1938, to which he added a second 10 years later, and made 14 appearances when Arsenal won the championship again, in 1953, by which time his first-team place had gone to the young Welsh international, Jack Kelsey. Swindin also won an FA cup medal in 1950, when Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-0, and a runners-up medal two years later when, down to 10 men for most of the game, they were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United.
He was born in Campsall, near Doncaster, and began his playing career with Rotherham YMCA, New Stubbin colliery and, still as an amateur, with Rotherham United. Swindin came to the attention of the major clubs as goalkeeper for Bradford City from 1934 and, after he had played 26 league games for Bradford, Arsenal signed him in April 1936. The following season, he made his first division debut at Brentford in a London derby. The season of 1937-38 saw him making 17 appearances, sharing the goalkeeping with Frank Boulton and Alex Wilson, which guaranteed him a championship medal. The last prewar season, 1938-39, saw him make 21 league appearances, with Wilson playing 19 games and George Marks, Arsenal and England's first-choice goalkeeper in the first years of the war, just two. At the end of the war Marks, in the RAF, seemed to be favoured
over Swindin, who was an army PT instructor. It was a question of who got back to London first for the third round FA cup tie against West Ham. In the event it was Swindin,
but at Upton Park, West Ham put half a dozen goals past him without reply. Those of us who were there knew that, had it not been for Swindin, the margin might have been
still more severe. Tom Whittaker, the legendary Arsenal trainer of the "magic hands", who would, in 1947, become the manager, was an RAF officer at the time and, picking
Swindin for the return at White Hart Lane - Arsenal's wartime ground - said: "When a pilot crashes, you don't keep him on the ground for a time; you send him up again at
once, so that he regains his confidence. That's what we are doing with George Swindin." Not that Swindin had lost his confidence, which was always high. He had another
resilient game at Tottenham where Arsenal might well not have won 1-0 without his saves; a meaningless victory in the last analysis, but one which restored a little pride.
Swindin stayed in the Arsenal goal. Marks was transferred to Blackburn Rovers for £5,000; then a record fee for a goalkeeper. When league football restarted the following
season, Arsenal had every reason to be grateful for Swindin's brave and expert goalkeeping. They made an appalling start, beaten 6-1 at Wolves against whom, in the return at
Highbury the following December, Swindin had one of his finest and most acrobatic games, the result being a much more acceptable 1-1 draw. The following January, again at
Highbury, he excelled in a thrilling FA Cup third round replay at Chelsea, another 1-1 draw. Under Whittaker, the following season, a revitalised Arsenal strode to the
championship. Swindin, who had missed just four league matches in 1946-47, now played all 42, a tribute to his condition and powers of recovery, since his courage was
enormous, and his speciality the blocking of a shot, at full pelt, which obviated the need to make a save on the line. One of his team-mates said: "George has a card-index
mind on angles. He is quick to make up his mind and as soon as he has, he acts! Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, he is right!" Perhaps the finest and most spectacular
save he ever made was during that season, and from Tommy Lawton, at Chelsea, where he hurtled through the air to deflect a seemingly irresistible header for a corner, via
the outside of a post. The only blemish came in the sixth league game, and the sixth Arsenal win. Rushing out in typically decisive style to capture the ball, Swindin
collided with the stand-in Arsenal centre-half, Alf Fields, who was covering for Leslie Compton. Fields's knee was badly injured and he did not play again that season.
Kicks on the hands, kicks on the body, kicks even on the head; Swindin seemed able to shrug them off almost casually. He had an especially memorable game in 1949 in Sao Paulo against the Corinthians, on Arsenal's tour of Brazil at the end of which the rest of the team lined up to pat him on the back. The game was watched by 80,000 people.
By the time he left Arsenal in February 1954 to become player-manager of Peterborough United, he had played 272 league games for the Gunners. In 1958, he returned to Highbury as manager, a role in which he was somewhat less successful, owing much to the coaching of the future England manager Ron Greenwood. Leaving Arsenal in April 1962,
he became manager of second division Norwich City that May, but, after just 20 games, Swindin took over as manager of Cardiff City in November. At Cardiff he signed John
Charles from Roma but Swindin's appointment ended, with some bitterness, in 1964. He went on to manage Kettering and Corby, and managed a Corby garage before retiring to
Spain. He is survived by his wife Stella and his son.
George Swindin, footballer, born December 4 1914; died October 26 2005
George Swindin obituary: Ivan Ponting: Friday 28 October 2005
Fearless Arsenal goalkeeper who returned to the club as manager
George Hedley Swindin, footballer and manager: born Campsall, Yorkshire 4 December 1914; played for Bradford City 1933-36, Arsenal 1936-54; managed Arsenal 1958-62, Norwich City 1962, Cardiff City 1962-64; married (one son); died Kettering, Northamptonshire 26 October 2005.
As one of the most composed and reliable goalkeepers of his era, George Swindin helped Arsenal to lift three League championships and the FA Cup, and that despite losing six years of his prime to the Second World War. But when he returned to Highbury as manager, a favourite son entrusted with the task of leading the becalmed north Londoners
out of a period of dismal mediocrity, the blunt, undemonstrative Yorkshireman failed to meet the challenge, and he left the club in tears. At that point, Swindin - an often
painfully honest, immensely dedicated individual, who upset certain of his charges with his acerbic, some would say tactless, manner - was sorely disillusioned, but it would
be poignantly unjust if his managerial travail was allowed to obscure his consistent high achievement as guardian of the Gunners' net in nearly 300 senior games. That he
never played for his country was due principally to being a contemporary of Frank Swift, one of the most majestic of all custodians, though twice during 1947/48 he occupied
the England bench as first reserve, and arguably was unfortunate to fall behind the likes of Bert Williams, Gil Merrick and Ted Ditchburn in the struggle to succeed the
Manchester City hero. Swindin was not tall for a keeper and, unlike with the extrovert Swift, there was not the merest hint of flamboyance about his game. But he was
fearless and agile, a safe handler and intelligent anticipator of crosses, the type who radiated an aura of security which instilled confidence in his defenders. As a boy,
he rose through the local footballing ranks of Rotherham YMCA and New Stubbin Colliery, then served Rotherham United as an amateur before turning professional with Bradford
City. He made his Second Division debut as a 20-year-old in a 3-0 home victory over Port Vale on Boxing Day 1934, and, although he never became an automatic choice for the
Bantams, his potential attracted a £4,000 bid from Arsenal, which was accepted in April 1936. During the 1930s, the Gunners side built by Herbert Chapman, then taken on by
George Allison, was the dominant footballing power in the land and some youngsters who joined the multiple trophy-winners were daunted by the challenge. Certainly, Swindin
seemed hesitant at first, maybe lacking self- belief at that early stage, but his essential strength of character stood him in admirable stead and he prevailed. A career-
ending injury to the splendid Frank Moss had created a vacancy between the Arsenal posts and, after tasting senior action during 1936/37, Swindin gradually rose above his
fellow hopefuls Alex Wilson and Frank Boulton to become the club's long-term net-minder. Having languished behind his rivals for much of 1937/38, he produced a succession
of commanding performances in the spring as a memorable team including the free-scoring marksmen Ted Drake and Cliff Bastin, the defensive bulwarks George Male and Eddie
Hapgood and the fearsomely combative wing-half Wilf Copping pipped Wolverhampton Wanderers to lift the League title.
Swindin's momentum was jolted by the Second World War, during which he served as an Army PT instructor in Germany, but after the conflict he became firmly established
as first choice at Highbury, excelling as an ever- present during the 1947/48 championship triumph, conceding only 32 goals, a League record at the time. Two years later
he was characteristically solid as Arsenal beat Liverpool in the FA Cup Final, then suffered injury and shared goalkeeping duties with Ted Platt in 1950/51, before returning
to his dominant best in 1951/52. That term climaxed with a valiant Wembley rearguard action in which he was prominent as the north Londoners, reduced to 10 men for most of
the match following a serious injury to the full-back Walley Barnes, lost the FA Cup Final to Newcastle United. By now, though, there was a rising new goalkeeping star in
the Highbury camp and, while the ageing Swindin enjoyed just enough outings to secure a medal as Arsenal took the title again in 1952/53, future custody of the team's net
would be in the safe hands of the brilliant young Welshman Jack Kelsey. Duly, the veteran bowed out during the next term - he conceded seven goals in his final appearance,
against Sunderland at Roker Park - and, in February 1954, he was freed to join non-League Peterborough United as player-manager. Swindin took to his new responsibilities
with alacrity, leading the Posh to three Midland League championships in the space of four seasons as they built impetus which culminated in admission to the Football League
in 1960. By then Swindin was back at Highbury, having turned down offers from other clubs in favour of becoming Arsenal boss in the summer of 1958. He took over a mundane
side for which the road to resurrection looked long and hard, but he wrought wholesale changes in his playing staff - including the recruitment of the dynamic Scottish
wing-half Tommy Docherty - and by February the Gunners were topping the First Division table. Though they had slipped to third place by season's end, still there were
grounds for heady optimism, but there followed three years of frustrating ordinariness leading to Swindin's resignation and replacement by the former Wolves and England
hero Billy Wright in 1962.
Swindin had been unlucky with serial injuries to key players, notably the expensive Mel Charles, which laid him open to charges of constant team-changing, and his side suffered hugely by comparison to the great Tottenham Hotspur combination of that era. Clearly, having to watch the local antagonists lift the League and FA Cup double in 1960-61 did not engender patience among Highbury regulars. Also, Swindin was panned savagely for perceived mistakes such as the failure to sign Denis Law from Huddersfield
Town and the sale of the free-scoring David Herd to Manchester United. On the credit side, he did enlist the gifted play-maker George Eastham from Newcastle, but that was
not to prove enough. Swindin had worked prodigiously in the Arsenal cause, and he cared passionately - his sorrow on the day of his departure was deeply moving - but, when
he could not procure success for employers who craved it urgently, the upshot was inevitable. There followed a few months in charge of Norwich City before he accepted an
offer from the fellow Second Division club Cardiff City, newly demoted from the top flight, in October 1962. His 18-month sojourn at Ninian Park proved turbulent, with
seemingly endless comings and goings by players, more chronic luck, with injuries and several disagreements with the board, as over the signing of the fading maestro John
Charles from Roma against Swindin's advice. However, he blooded a crop of promising youngsters and, immediately after he was sacked in April 1964 - having guided the
Bluebirds clear of relegation - Cardiff won the Welsh Cup, enabling them to enter European competition for the first time. Swindin was bitterly disappointed by his treatment,
but he remained in love with football, going on to manage the non-League clubs Kettering Town and Corby Town. He ran a garage business and general store in Corby, later
moving to Spain before returning to live in Northamptonshire.
George Swindin: 31 Oct 2005: Telegraph
George Swindin, who has died aged 90, won three league championships with Arsenal in three different decades; he later returned to Highbury as manager, but did not repeat the success he had enjoyed there as a player. Swindin, a goalkeeper, joined the club in 1936 from Bradford and found himself competing with two other young hopefuls - Frank
Boulton and Alex Wilson - for the first team berth. Arsenal were then recovering under George Allison's management from the shock of Herbert Chapman's death in 1934. They
signalled their recovery by winning the league title in 1938, and that season. Swindin played 17 matches, the most of any of the goalkeeping trio, and claimed his first
championship medal. During the war he continued to turn out for Arsenal while serving as a PT instructor in the Army. When peace returned, he was unchallenged between the
sticks, having overcome the sometimes nervous displays of his early career to become a dominant and reliable keeper, especially when collecting crosses.
Although never selected for England - Frank Swift usually being preferred - he did play for an FA XI against the Army in 1947. In 1948, now managed by Tom Whittaker,
Arsenal won the championship again, with Swindin conceding just 32 goals, then a league record. In 1950, a side featuring both Leslie and Dennis Compton beat Liverpool 2-0
at Wembley (the goals being scored by Reg Lewis) to take the FA Cup. Arsenal featured in a more dramatic Final, against Newcastle, in 1952. An injury to full-back Walley
Barnes left them a man down for most of the game (there then being no substitutes), but the 10 men fought a notable rearguard action. With Swindin beaten, Lionel Smith
cleared off the line from Jackie Milburn, while in the 79th minute Arsenal's Doug Lishman hit the crossbar with a header. Five minutes later, however, George Robledo
outwitted the Londoners' defence to score the winner. Consolation came for Swindin the next season in the form of his third league winners' medal, fully 15 years after his
first, when Arsenal won the title on goal difference from Preston North End. Swindin was then nearing 40, and was under pressure for his position from Jack Kelsey. Soon
afterwards, having played 297 matches for the Gunners, he moved to non-league Peterborough to begin his career in management.
George Hadley Swindin was born at Campsall, near Rotherham, on December 4 1914. He signed amateur forms with Rotherham before turning professional with Bradford City in the early Thirties. After less than 30 games for them, his potential was spotted and he moved to Highbury for a fee of £4,000. At Peterborough, he rapidly made his mark as a
manager, guiding the Midland League side to three titles and to the 4th Round of the FA Cup in 1957. The following season he was brought back to Highbury to succeed Jack
Crayston and given a brief to rebuild a club then in a fallow period. Signings such as Tommy Docherty and George Eastham revitalised the team, and by February 1959 they
topped the league, only to fall away as injuries took their toll. The next few years proved hard going, especially when their North London rivals Tottenham claimed the Double
in 1961, and though all admired Swindin's good humour and dedication to the cause, he and the club parted ways in 1962. He was succeeded as its manager by the former England
captain Billy Wright. Swindin then had six months in charge of Norwich before moving on to Cardiff. Although the club was able to tempt John Charles back from Italy, he was
not the player he had been and was unable to prevent the side from being relegated to the Second Division. Swindin resigned in 1964, and later had spells at several non-league
clubs, including Kettering, where he eventually settled after some years in Spain. Into his eighties, George Swindin was still enjoying two rounds of golf every day, but
latterly he had suffered from Alzheimer's Disease. He died on October 27. A son survives him.
George Swindin obituary: Tony Attwood
George Swindin – one of Arsenal’s great keepers.
George Hedley Swindin was both an Arsenal player and an Arsenal manager, playing almost 300 games for Arsenal, but proving to be a very poor manager, from whose tenure the
club took years to recover. He was born 4 December 1914, near Doncaster, and played as an amateur for Yorkshire clubs before turning professional in 1934 with Bradford City.
Two years later he was signed by George Allison for Arsenal after playing just 26 games for Bradford C. The fee was £4000, and his debut game on 3rd September 1936 and played
19 games that season. In fact Arsenal used three keepers that season. In the first game Alex Wilson (who had played 37 games the previous season) was in goal, but aside
from that he made only one other appearance. Alex had been understudy to Frank Moss, and although he played 90 games for Arsenal was never seen as a permanent keeper for the
club, so Swindon took over until he lost his place to Frank Boulton. In 1937-38 Arsenal used all three keepers, but George Swindin played enough games to win a championship
medal. However it was not until 1938/9 the Swindin was seen as the first choice keeper.
In the war he was a physical training instructor for the Army, playing war time games for Arsenal, and after the war he took over as the first choice keeper, playing for six more seasons, one under George Allison and then under Tom Whittaker, winning another championship medal in 1947-48. He also played in the 1950 and 1952 cup finals, thus
gaining a Cup Winner’s medal in 1950, but from 1953 onwards he was challenged for his position in goal by Jack Kelsey. But he still played enough in 1952-53 to get another
championship medal. In total, he played 297 games, plus a huge number of wartime matches and must be reckoned as one of Arsenal’s all time great keepers.
But after leaving Arsenal he became a manager, first with Peterborough United, for four seasons, then Arsenal for four, then a short period at Norwich, two years at Cardiff, a short spell at Kettering, and then rather amazingly a season at my local club, Corby Town. He died in October 2005.
In October 1956 Tom Whittaker, the club’s manager, died of a heart attack. He had won the league twice and the FA cup as manager of the club, and served Arsenal with
great honour over the years as player, assistant manager and finally manager. His league championship in 1952/3 was the last trophy of the club until 1971 – and indeed the
only near misses were the two league cup final defeats under Bertie Mee in 1968 and 1969. Jack Crayston took over from Tom Whittaker mid season and stayed for a second season
before moving on, and he was replaced by George Swindin – who like both Whittaker and Crayston was an ex-player of the club. George Hedley Swindin, between 1936 and 1954,
made 297 apparences for Arsenal as a goalkeeper, including two seasons when he appeared 42 times for the first team. George was born in Doncaster and played for Rotherham YMCA,
New Stubbin Colliery, Rotherham United, Bradford City (his first professional appointment), Arsenal and Peterborough United. He played 26 games for Bradford City, before being
transferred for £4,000, making his début on September 3, 1936, in a team that include Male, Hapgood, Crayston, Copping, Hulme, Drake and Bastin. He was one of three players
used in that season in goal, and was said to be erratic at first. Despite the club again using three keepers the following year under the management of George Allison, we won
the league and George Swindin got his league winners’ medal. In the war, in common with many players, he became a physical training instructor, and continued to play in wartime
matches.
In the second season after the war Arsenal won the league with Swindin in goal for every game, keeping clean sheets in 21 out of 42 games. After 1950 he was again sharing the
number 1 shirt, but played in two cup finals in 1950 and 1952, winning the first. He finally came under the challenge of Jack Kelsey but played enough in 1952/3 to get his third
championship medal – the final triumph of the Whittaker era. Swindin moved to Midland League side Peterborough United as player-manager in 1954, and took his team to several
famous FA Cup runs and three consecutive Midland League titles between 1956 and 1958. When George Swindin became manager in 1958 it is said in most histories that he made huge
changes to Jack Crayston’s side that had come 12th in the previous season. But this is not quite true. For 1958/9 the opening XI on the first day of the season were all players
who were there the year before. Newcomers did arrive or were promoted from the reserves, but in this first season only Docherty (38 games) and Henderson (21 games) made a
significant number of starts. But Arsenal were top of the league in February 1959 , however they slipped away despite the return of top scorer David Herd after a period of
injury at the end of 1958 (not the other way around as Arsenal’s own web site has it). After this the chopping and changing did start, and by the end of the year seven players
had made their first start for Arsenal, but of these probably only the name of John Barnwell will be familiar to many supporters, 60 years later. Eventually the club reached
third place, but that was the high point and after that the darkness set in. George’s record was not too after that. 13th in 1960 (and knocked out of the cup by Rotherham), 11th
in 1961, 10th in 1962 – there seemed to be no progress. What is noticeable is that the number of players who played 25 or more league games a year (out of 42) declined year by
year under Swindin, and yet in the 10 years from 1952 to 1962 the best years were the years with the most players playing over 25 games. Consistency was always a winner at this
time. By his final year as manager all the players he had inherited apart from Jack Kelsey had gone and the regular players we were left with were McCullough, Eastham, Bowen
and McLeod – the four who with Jack Kelsey made over 35 appearances in the final season. Worse, this was Tottenham’s era – of which we may perhaps say no more just here.
After resigning as manager in May 1962 he went to Norwich for five months, and then Cardiff from 1962 to 1964, resigning after the club were relegated to the second division.
After that he moved to my local clubs – Kettering Town and Corby Town, and then left football. (Actually I would love to know more about his work with these two clubs – anyone
who knows please do write in). The, George owned a garage in Corby (again I wish I could find it – I live just outside the town, and no one seems to remember) before retiring to
Spain. He returned to England later but suffered from Alzheimer’s. He died in Kettering (I imagine at the hospital – the hospital in fact where my three daughters were born) in
October 2005, aged 90. (Sorry about all the personal notes, but well, it is interesting to me, even if no one else!)
: George Swindin: Kettering Town Career
Kettering Town manager from July 1965 to November 1965.
George Swindin was already a household name in footballing circles when he arrived at Rockingham Road to take over the vacant manager’s post after the departure two months
earlier of Dick White. By the time he took up then chairman John Nash’s offer to become part-time manager, Swindin had already decided his priorities lay in financial security
for his family and had become the tenant manager of a service station in Corby. Swindin had been keeping goal for Arsenal and had two League Championship medals and an FA Cup
winner’s medal before eventually becoming manger of the Gunners in 1958. During a spell in charge at Cardiff City, Swindin signed the legendary John Charles for the Bluebirds.
Swindin’s tenure at Rockingham Road was fleeting and his departure brought about by the unhealthy atmosphere between chairman, manager and playing staff, of which the former
Arsenal keeper and now successful businessman had no desire to continue dealing with in his part-time job as Poppies boss. His programme notes for the home match against Bath
City on November 1965, gave an alarmingly honest appraisal of the situation from the manager’s point of view: “Much has been said and written about the club in the past few
weeks, most of it uncomplimentary. This has arisen because of my criticism of team performances and individual effort, yet nothing has been said publically by me, which had not
first been conveyed to the playing staff. Unfortuanetly, some players are completely unmoved by private criticism, and one has to resort to more drastic methods. This is seized
upon by those whose pleasure it is ‘knocking’ everything and everybody, to stir up trouble, by suggesting there is more to it than meets the eye. It is my duty to get the best
out of the Club’s players, that we are limited is obvious, yet we have players on the staff who give 100% every game, some of them lack experience as well as having limited
ability, yet if they are 100% fit and show effort and fighting spirit, I would rush to their defence at all times, my criticism is of those whose attitude is, make sure not to
get injured, don’t train an harder than ncessary, and when the going gets tough, make sure to keep out of the way.” The match ended in defeat for Kettering Town and Swindin
decided he’d had enough, handing in his resignation to then chairman, John Nash. Despite the brevity of his tenure, Swindin’s record in charge of Kettering was fairly impressive:
Played 20, Won 11, Drawn 4 and Lost 5. Swindin was later coaxed out of retirement to manage Corby, before eventually retiring to live Spain. The manager’s position was left
vacant until early December, when Steve Gammon, who had been player-coach at the Poppies, now took over as player-manager.
Sundry George Swindon Obituaries
OBITUARY: George Swindin.
In his time, the football scribes, ever anxious to vary their vocabulary, would often call the man between the sticks "the custodian". And perhaps it was a fitting description
for the goalkeeper, who received three championship medals with Arsenal in three different decades. He was a man you could trust to hold the back line in a calm manner, despite
the repeated advances of the opposition. Bruises patterned his body like an abstract painting, but the acrobatic Swindin, who had an uncanny ability to judge the trajectory of a
shot, never faltered, a fact rued by the Liverpool team which faced Arsenal in the Cup Final of 1950. Despite the dropping of Bob Paisley, who had scored in Liverpool's 2-0 win
over Everton in the semi-final, they began brightly enough. But the Gunners gradually asserted their authority and goals from Reg Lewis and Denis Compton sealed the victory.
George Hadley Swindin was born in Campsall, near Doncaster, and began his working life as a miner. While playing as an amateur with Rotherham United, his potential was spotted
by Bradford City, who signed him in 1934. Less than two years later, he was at Highbury. Swindin played 17 times for the Arsenal team which won the 1937-38 championship. His
career was interrupted by war service as a PT instructor with the Army. In 1948, Arsenal won the championship again and Swindin conceded only 32 goals in the season, a record at
the time. He was in the Arsenal Cup Final team which lost 1-0 against Newcastle United in 1952 and then the following season, nearing 40, he was for the final time in an Arsenal
championship side. He left the club in 1954, having made 272 League appearances, to join Peterborough United as player-manager. In 1958, he rejoined Arsenal as manager, but didn't
enjoy the success of his playing years, leaving in 1962. Periods of management followed at Norwich and Cardiff. After a spell in Spain, Swindin, who was married with a son,
settled in Kettering, where he was a regular on golf courses, before succumbing to illness
George Swindin, goalkeeper; born December 4, 1914, died October 26, 2005
OBITUARY: George Swindin.
George Hedley Swindin, (born Dec. 4, 1914, Campsall, Yorkshire, Eng.—died Oct. 26, 2005, Kettering, Northamptonshire, Eng.), English association football (soccer) player who,
manned the goal for Arsenal Football Club from 1936 to 1954, except for six years (1939–45) that he lost to military service during World War II. At Arsenal, Swindin was part of
three first-division championships in three different decades (in 1938, 1948, and 1953). The 1947–48 championship season was perhaps his finest, as he allowed only 32 goals, a
Football League record at the time. He was also in goal when Arsenal defeated Liverpool 2–0 in the 1950 Football Association Cup final. After his playing career ended, Swindin
became a manager; included among his posts was a stint (1958–62) at the helm of Arsenal.
George Hedley Swindin: born December 4, 1914 Campsall, England: died October 26, 2005 Kettering, England.
OBITUARY: George Swindin.
George Swindin - 1914-2005
George Swindin, a former player and manager of Arsenal FC, has died at the age of 90.
The Doncaster-born goalkeeper joined the Club in 1936 from Bradford and won the title within two years. His next League winner's medal would come 10 years later after the war
interrupted his playing career. He added another in 1953 and also won the FA Cup in 1950. Swindin had amassed 297 games for the Club by the time he left at the end of the 1953-54
season. He became player-manger at non-League Peterborough before returning to Arsenal in 1958. Only this time he was in charge of the side. After making sweeping changes, Arsenal
topped the table in February 1959. However Swindin's side never quite lived up their early promise partly due to a huge run of injuries. When he was replaced by Billy Wright in
1962, his record as a manager read as follows: Played 178 Won 70 Drawn 43 Lost 65. Ivan Ponting, in Arsenal: Player-by-Player, summed up his managerial contribution in the following
way: "Swindin was honest, dedicated and positive. His sorrow on the day he left Highbury was genuinely moving." He later managed Norwich and Cardiff. On behalf of everyone associated
with Arsenal Football Club, we would like to pass on our condolences to George's family and friends at this sad time.
