24 Facts About Jimmy Hogan

James Hogan was an English football player and coach of Irish descent.

Jimmy Hogan is generally regarded as the architect of Total Football.

James Jimmy Hogan was born in 1882 into an Irish Catholic family in Nelson, Lancashire, the son of James Jimmy Hogan.

Jimmy Hogan grew up in nearby Burnley and received his early education at St Mary Magdalene Roman Catholic School.

Jimmy Hogan's father hoped he would enter the priesthood and sent him to study as a boarder at the Salford Diocesan Junior Seminary St Bede's College, Manchester in September 1896.

Jimmy Hogan was a promising young inside forward, and in 1903, he was the first signing of Burnley's new secretary-manager, Spen Whittaker.

In 1910, Jimmy Hogan accepted a two-year contract at Dordrecht and set about improving the team in fitness and ball control, as well as implementing the Combination Game.

Jimmy Hogan moved to Budapest, where he was allowed out of captivity to coach at MTK Budapest between 1914 and 1918.

Jimmy Hogan next formed a partnership with Hugo Meisl in 1931, coaching the Austria national football team to success during its Wunderteam period when it was recognised as one of the best European teams.

Between 1932 and 1934, Jimmy Hogan managed Racing Club de Paris and Lausanne Sports before returning to England to manage Fulham from 1934.

However, his players decided they did not want to be coached and Jimmy Hogan was sacked after only 31 games.

Jimmy Hogan was contacted by Meisl to help coach the Austria national team at the 1936 Summer Olympics, which was hosted by Germany.

Jimmy Hogan's team were initially defeated by Peru in the quarter-final a controversial rematch was scheduled which the Austrians won by default as the Peruvians left Germany in protest.

Villa board member Frederick Rinder had witnessed Jimmy Hogan leading Austria to the final of the 1936 Olympics and persuaded him to return to England.

Jimmy Hogan joined Brentford as coach in September 1948, before joining Celtic in the same year.

Jimmy Hogan left Celtic by mutual consent in 1950, when Aston Villa asked him to return and take over from youth training and advise manager Eric Houghton.

Jimmy Hogan would have you in the old car park at the back of Villa Park and he would be saying 'I want you to play the ball with the inside of your right foot, outside of your right foot, inside again, and now turn come back on your left foot inside and outside'.

Jimmy Hogan would get you doing step-overs, little turns and twist on the ball and everything you did was to make you comfortable on the ball.

Jimmy Hogan retired, aged 77, in November 1959, but continued to scout for both Villa and Burnley.

Jimmy Hogan later returned to live in Burnley and attended several Burnley home games.

Jimmy Hogan died in 1974 whilst living with his sister's daughter Margaret Melia on Brunshaw Avenue, Burnley.

Jimmy Hogan was buried with his sister, Ellen Melia and her husband Peter Melia, in Burnley cemetery.

Jimmy Hogan's legacy created a direct lineage for modern football tactics from Meisl's Wunderteam to the Golden Team of Gusztav Sebes to Rinus Michels' Total Football to Johan Cruyff's Barcelona to Pep Guardiola's teams; all have the same direct ancestor as Hogan worked with the first two and influenced the rest.

Jimmy Hogan believed that passing and possession-based football was the answer, but that it must be founded upon constant passing and movement, and added versatility in his players and increased fitness that would allow them to bamboozle an opponent with the fluidity of their attacking moves.