Frank George Watt (ca. 1854 - 26 February 1932) was the first unofficial manager of Newcastle United Football Club. A former referee, Watt was appointed secretary in December 1895 and held the position until 1935. He did not control the team's selection, so technically he was not the manager in a modern sense; this role was unheard of, and the club was run by a committee, overseen by the club secretary. Newcastle's first official manager was Andy Cunningham in 1930. Watt was also a member of the committee that owned the club at the time. He was very influential, referred to as "The Guv'nor". He was a portly figure with a handlebar moustache. Newcastle-1897-98-Season

Scotsman The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded ...

, Watt's first involvement in football came with the 3rd E.R.V. club in

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, the precursor of the former league side St Bernard's, where he combined his playing role with that of club secretary. He was later appointed secretary of the Edinburgh (later East of Scotland) Football Association before leaving for

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. Watt had great ambitions for Newcastle. Upon arrival he declared "We're going to be the best team in the country." The Edwardian Newcastle side dominated the league with a side assembled entirely by Watt, who also signed players such as

Hughie Gallacher Hugh Kilpatrick Gallacher (2 February 1903 – 11 June 1957) was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s. In 624 senior games, Gallacher scored 463 goals, playing senior league football for Airdrieonians, Newcastle United, Chelsea, D ...

Colin Veitch Colin Campbell McKechnie Veitch (22 May 1881 – 26 August 1938) was an English football player in the early 20th century for Newcastle United and manager of Bradford City. Playing career Newcastle United Veitch was born in the Heaton area ...

and Stan Seymour throughout his 37 years at the club, players who are still considered legends today (however, he initially turned down Seymour, explaining that the future Mr. Newcastle was "too small to play football"). During his time at Newcastle, the club won the old First Division four times in 1905, 1907, 1909 and 1927. They won the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

in 1910 and 1924 and were finalists on four more occasions, in 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1911. When he retired in 1930, his son of the same name took on his job with the club until his own death in 1950. For most of his tenure Watt's trainer, who retired along with him in 1930, was James Quar McPherson, who took on the role in 1903. McPherson's duties were taken on by his son

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(who had coached the Norwegian national side at the 1920 Olympics, as well as clubs in the Netherlands and Germany including FC Bayern Munich during the 1920s) until May 1938. F.G. Watt, "the man who made Newcastle United", died on 26 February 1932 in his house in Newcastle at the age of 77.''A Football Pioneer: The late Frank Watt of Newcastle United'',

Edinburgh Evening News The ''Edinburgh Evening News'' is a daily newspaper and website based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded by John Wilson (1844–1909) and first published in 1873. It is printed daily, except on Sundays. It is owned by JPIMedia, which also ...

, 27 February 1932, p. 17

Honours

First Division *Champions:

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1906–07 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, 1908–09, 1926–27

*Winners: 1909–10, 1923–24 FA Charity Shield *Winners:

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Sheriff of London Charity Shield The Sheriff of London Charity Shield, also known as the Dewar Shield, was a football competition played annually between the best amateur and best professional club in England, though Scottish amateur side Queens Park also took part in 1899. The ...

*Winners:

References

*
Frank George Watt
', toon1892.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Watt, Frank Newcastle United F.C. managers Newcastle United F.C. non-playing staff Scottish football managers 1854 births 1932 deaths