17 Facts About Fred Pentland

Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland was an English football player and coach.

Fred Pentland was capped five times for England in 1909.

Fred Pentland played as a forward, mainly at outside right.

Fred Pentland began his football career with Avondale Juniors and Willenhall Swifts before joining Football League Second Division club Small Heath in August 1900 at the age of 17.

Fred Pentland missed only two league matches and contributed twelve goals as Brentford finished in mid-table, but was not retained.

Fred Pentland remained in west London with another Southern League club, Queens Park Rangers, who had ended the previous season eight places below Brentford.

Fred Pentland won three more caps, on a tour of central Europe that same year.

Fred Pentland was prominent in organising and playing football within the camp.

Fred Pentland was chairman of the Ruhleben Football Association and regularly contributed to football articles in the camp magazine.

Fred Pentland was one of several former professional footballers at Ruhleben.

Fred Pentland remained in the camp until the end of the war and then returned to England.

However France and Fred Pentland, presuming the competition was over, had already returned home and Spain eventually won the silver medal.

In 1920 Fred Pentland joined Racing de Santander but after one season he was hired by Athletic Bilbao.

Fred Pentland revolutionised the way Athletic played, favouring the short-passing game, and in 1923 he led the club to victory in the Copa del Rey.

Fred Pentland spent the next season with Real Oviedo, In 1927 he returned to Athletic Madrid and was manager during the inaugural La Liga season.

Fred Pentland guided the club as they won the Copa four times in a row between 1930 and 1933 and finished as La Liga runners-up in 1932 and 1933.

Fred Pentland was known in Bilbao for his "trademark" cigar and bowler hat.