20 Facts About William Garbutt

William Thomas Garbutt was an English professional football coach and player.

William Garbutt then relocated to Italy to seek employment as a dockworker in Genoa, but was appointed as the head coach for the local team.

William Garbutt would depart to join newly formed Roma in 1927, where he secured a Coppa CONI title, and then moved further south to coach Napoli in 1929.

William Garbutt returned later that year for a brief reign at Milan, and was re-appointed at Genoa.

However, William Garbutt was exiled from the nation under the fascist policy of Benito Mussolini, and he was forced to return to England in 1940.

William Garbutt was born, the son of a carpenter in a small village near Stockport.

William Garbutt's family was large, sharing his home with his parents, grandmother, six older sisters and a younger brother.

William Garbutt spent four seasons playing for Blackburn, making 82 league appearances and reaching another FA Cup semi-final; he won a cap playing for the Football League XI.

William Garbutt's playing career having been blighted by injuries, he retired from playing in 1912, aged 29.

William Garbutt moved to Genoa, Italy, to work on the docks after retiring from playing football, to support his family.

William Garbutt was appointed as the new head coach of Genoa CFC on 30 July 1912, with no previous experience and only aged 29.

William Garbutt restructured the training regimes, putting a heavy emphasis on players physical fitness and tactics.

From when William Garbutt first took over in 1912, until 1927 when he left the club, Genoa were victorious in the Italian Football Championship three different times; 1915,1923 and 1924.

Roma and William Garbutt was brought in as their first ever manager.

William Garbutt stayed there for only two years but captured a tournament named Coppa CONI with them, as well as helping them reach third in group A of the Italian Football Championship.

In search of a new adventure, William Garbutt moved to Spain in 1935.

William Garbutt took up the position as manager of Athletic Bilbao, leading them to the Spanish Championship which they won over Real Madrid by two points.

William Garbutt soon moved back to the club where he was held in such high regard; Genoa.

Since William Garbutt had left in the 1920s, Genoa had gone into a slump even being relegated at one point.

William Garbutt was deeply mourned, in Pozzo's words as 'the most important man in the history of Italian football'.