Thomas M. Morgan was a

football manager ''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...

, noted in the 1930s for twice being the manager of

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 ...

, which is the area where he was born, as well having a spell as manager of

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

Playing career

Morgan played for Etruria Church, Goldenhill Villa, Tunstall Park and Goldenhill Warriors before joining

in the summer of 1910. He scored twice on his debut at inside-right in a 4–2 win at Audley in a Burslem Park Cup game. However he was forced into retirement due to injury the following year, having played just a further four games for the club.

Coaching career

Morgan was offered employment at Vale following his injury. He worked as a

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 ...

, assistant secretary and reserve team manager before being appointed the first time manager following the death of

Joe Schofield Joseph Alfred Schofield (1 January 1871 – 29 September 1929) was an English footballer and football manager. A winger, he played for Stoke between 1891 and 1899, winning himself three England caps in the process. He was later appointed as S ...

in October 1929. He led the club to the

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

title at the end of the 1929–30 season despite having to sell star player Jack Mandley to

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

; Vale had the best defensive record 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 ...

with only 37 goals conceded. The following season, 1930–31, would see Vale post their best ever club finish of fifth in the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

. However he was sacked in June 1932 after they dropped to 20th-place by the end of the 1931–32 campaign. He once more became assistant-secretary and then was later made secretary-manager again in December 1937. Vale finished 15th in the Third Division North at the end of the 1937–38 season and then 18th in 1938–39. Morgan then resigned his position and accepted the role of

manager in April 1939.

Career statistics

Source:

as a player

as a manager

Honours

as a manager

;Port Vale *

Football League Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated In sports leagues, promotion and ...

: 1929–30

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Tom Year of birth missing Year of death missing Footballers from Stoke-on-Trent Men's association football forwards English men's footballers Port Vale F.C. players English football managers Port Vale F.C. managers Wrexham A.F.C. managers English Football League managers Association football coaches Association football scouts Port Vale F.C. non-playing staff