Leslie Shannon (12 March 1926 – 2 December 2007) was an English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player and manager. As a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

, he scored 40 goals in 274 league games in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

, playing for Liverpool between November 1944 and November 1949 and then for Burnley from November 1949 to August 1958 following a £6,000 transfer. He also won three caps for the England B team. He coached at Everton and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, before he embarked on an 18-year career in management in England, Greece, and Norway. He is considered by Greek fans and media to have been one of the most successful foreign managers to ever work in Greek football. His first management role was at

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

from 1966 to 1969; he took ''the Shakers'' to promotion out of the Third Division in 1967–68, though they were twice relegated. He took charge at

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, leading ''the Tangerines'' to promotion out of the Second Division in 1969–70. He spent the 1970s in Greece, and found most of his success with PAOK, taking the club to two Greek Cup titles. He also won the Greek Cup with

Iraklis Thessaloniki Gymnasticos Syllogos Iraklis ( el, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Ηρακλής, en, Gymnastics Club Heracles), commonly referred to as Iraklis, is a Greek multi-sports club based in Thessaloniki. The club was founded in 1908 as "Mace ...

. He also took charge at

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

, Panachaiki, and OFI Crete. He also led Norwegian side Brann to promotion into the top-flight in 1980. He returned to England 1984, and

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

ed for Luton Town for 25 years.

Playing career

Shannon was born in Liverpool, he was rejected by Everton for his short stature (). A centre-forward, he instead started his playing career with his hometown club of Liverpool in November 1944. The next year he scored against Merseyside rivals Everton in the Liverpool Senior Cup. He made his debut for George Kay's "Reds" in the

four years later, against

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

at Anfield on 17 April 1948. His only goal for the Merseyside club came the following season, in a 2–1 win at Sheffield United on 30 August 1948. This was his only goal in a sequence of ten appearances, and he was dropped from the first team. He was sold to First Division rivals Burnley for £6,000 November 1949. He dropped back to the inside-forward position, and was described as "a feistily competitive, yet subtly creative, inside-forward cum wing-half". However, he disappointed in the 1949–50 (one goal in eight games) and 1950–51 seasons, before he showed his potential in the 1951–52 (11 goals in 34 games) season. He replaced Billy Morris as Jimmy McIlroy's midfield partner in the 1952–53 campaign, and scored 16 goals in 46 appearances as the "Clarets" posted a sixth-place finish under the stewardship of

Frank Hill Frank Robert Hill (21 May 1906 – 28 August 1993) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager. Playing career Forfar and Aberdeen Hill was born in Forfar and started his career at Forfar Athletic F.C., Forfar Athletic, jo ...

. Shannon claimed nine goals in 33 matches in the 1953–54 campaign, but after Alan Brown was installed as manager he only found the net just once in 43 appearances in 1954–55. He scored twice in 44 games in 1955–56, claimed two goals in 27 matches in the 1956–57 season, and then scored two goals in 38 games in 1957–58 under

Billy Dougall William Dougall (25 October 1895 – 15 November 1966) was a Scottish association football player and manager. He played as a left half. He spent the majority of his playing career with Falkirk and Burnley. A qualified physiotherapist, Dougall ...

's stewardship. He fell out of the first team picture under new boss

Harry Potts Harold Potts (22 October 1920 – 16 January 1996) was an English football player and manager. As a player he won promotion with both Burnley and Everton, and both from Second Division. As Burnley manager, he guided them to the First Division ...

in 1958–59, playing just eight games. Shannon retired from playing first-team football in August 1959, and captained Burnley's reserve team for a year. In total, he scored 44 goals in 281 appearances at Turf Moor.

Coaching and management

In 1959, Shannon moved into youth team coaching with Everton, and remained at Goodison Park for three years. In 1962, he joined Billy Wright's backroom staff at

, rising to the rank of assistant manager. After four years at Highbury, Shannon took over as manager of Second Division

. Bury finished bottom in his first season in charge, and Shannon was sacked, only to be re-instated two months later following boardroom changes at Gigg Lane. He guided the "Shakers" out of the

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

the following season as runners-up to

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...

, only to see them make the drop again in 1968–69. After Bury's relegation, Shannon replaced Stan Mortensen as manager of

, with whom he had instant success, finishing as runners-up to Huddersfield Town and winning promotion back to the First Division. This was achieved without the services of the club's star player, Tony Green, who sat out the entire 1969–70 season due to injury. In 1970–71, however, Blackpool finished bottom and were relegated to the league's second tier once again. Shannon had left his position only two months into the season and after only seventeen months in charge. He was replaced, in a caretaker role, by

Jimmy Meadows James Meadows (21 July 1931 – 3 January 1994) was an English footballer and manager. He started his playing career in 1949 at Third Division Southport, before being transferred to Manchester City in March 1951 for £5,000. He made his only a ...

; his permanent successor at Bloomfield Road was Bob Stokoe. Shannon accepted an offer to work in Greece in 1971, where he coached PAOK to fifth in Alpha Ethniki in 1971–72. He also led the club to victory in the Greek Cup in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

with a 2–1 win over

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

at the Karaiskakis Stadium;

Giorgos Koudas Giorgos Koudas ( el, Γιώργος Κούδας; born 23 November 1946) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He spent his entire career in PAOK. Due to his fierce competitiveness and his Macedonian ...

scored both goals. He then took the club to second place in 1972–73, just two points behind rivals

. They also had to settle for second place in the Greek Cup, as they lost 1–0 to Olympiacos in

the final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. In the

European Cup-Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourna ...

they reached the quarter-finals, bowing out to Italian giants AC Milan. He departed the

Toumba Stadium Toumba Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Τούμπας) is a football stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is property of AC PAOK. The official name of the stadium is simply PAOK Stadium ( el, Στάδιο ΠΑΟΚ), but through the years it has become ...

following a fourth-place finish in 1973–74. Before leaving he guided the club to another Greek Cup title, as they beat Olympiacos on penalties. He moved on to another Salonica club,

, with whom he won their first and only major trophy to date, the Greek Cup, in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, as they beat Olympiacos on penalties at the

Nikos Goumas Stadium Nikos Goumas Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Νίκος Γκούμας) was a multi-purpose stadium in Nea Filadelfeia, a northwestern suburb of Athens, Greece. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home stadium of AEK Athens F.C. It is ...

. They posted an eighth-place finish in the league in 1975–76, before he departed the Kaftanzoglio Stadium. Shannon moved on to Piraeus club Olympiacos, taking them to a second-place finish in 1976–77. He then spent six months at the

Kostas Davourlis Stadium Kostas Davourlis Stadium is a stadium in Patras, Greece. It is the home of Panachaiki FC. Work on the grounds started in 1935. Originally called Stadium of Panachaiki, it has been officially renamed Kostas Davourlis in 1992 after the great foo ...

coaching Panachaiki in

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, who finished 15th in 1978–79. He then led Crete club OFI Crete to 11th place in 1979–80. He then had an interlude back in England as an adviser with

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

. He had a two-year stay with Brann in Norway, leading Brann to promotion out of

2. divisjon The Norwegian Second Division, also called 2. divisjon and often referred to as PostNord-ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the third-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. There are 28 teams divided into two groups, and at the ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

, and then to tenth place in the

1. divisjon The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon and OBOS-ligaen (named sponsor is property developer OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are p ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

. He then departed Brann Stadion. He returned to the

Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium ( el, Γήπεδο Θεόδωρος Βαρδινογιάννης) is a stadium in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. It was built in 1951 (not at its present state) as the home stadium of OFI Crete. The stadium is commonly ...

, leading OFI to seventh and eighth-place finishes in 1982–83 and 1983–84. After this he returned permanently to Britain, where he settled in Bedfordshire. He became a

for Luton Town in 1986, and remained at Kenilworth Road until 2001.

Later life

Shannon's knowledge of football led to his working alongside

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...

in co-ordinating the football sequences of the 1981 war movie '' Escape to Victory''."Tribute to Les Shannon" – LastingTribute.com
/ref> He was also enlisted as an advisor on the Channel 4 series ''The Manageress'' in 1989. Shannon died after a long battle with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. At his memorial service at the Square Methodist Church, Dunstable, former

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

manager

Wilf McGuinness Wilfred McGuinness (born 25 October 1937) is an English former football player and manager, who played twice for England in his short playing career. He succeeded Sir Matt Busby as manager of Manchester United in 1969. Following his tenure at ...

gave a speech, whilst one of the songs chosen was " You'll Never Walk Alone", sung by two of his great nephews Tom Wing and James Wing, a homage to his beginnings in football.

Career statistics

Playing statistics

Source:

Managerial statistics

Honours

Bury * Football League Third Division second-place promotion: 1967–68 Blackpool * Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1969–70 PAOK * Greek Cup:

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

; runner-up:

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

* Alpha Ethniki runner-up: 1972–73 Iraklis Thessaloniki * Greek Cup: 1976 Olympiacos * Alpha Ethniki runner-up: 1976–77 Brann *