Tributes to Sir Walter

England's first national team manager, Sir Walter Winterbottom, dies at the age of 89.

Send your tributes to a footballing pioneer.

Born on 31 January 1913, Sir Walter was the first ever manager of the English national team, combining the job with his role as director of coaching.

As a player, he made 27 appearances for Manchester United, before a spine disease forced him to quit during the 1937/38 season.

He led England from 1946 to 1962, qualifying for four World Cups and winning 79 of his 139 matches in charge.

Always receptive to new ideas, his exceptional organisational skills constructed a framework that was to help bring the World Cup to England in 1966.

E-mail your tributes to Sir Walter Winterbottom.

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Without Walter Winterbottom, England would not have won the World Cup in 1966. It may have been Ramsey who was the manager in the summer of '66, but it was Winterbottom who laid the foundations for this success. He was an excellent coach, and helped to build the coaching network that now operates in this country.
John Ballard, United Kingdom

The football world has lost another great son. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
Bismark Uzziel, Ghana

Despite the considerable constraints on his freedom of choice while England manager, it has always seemed to me that England would have challenged strongly for the World Cup in 1958 (probably reaching the semi-final at least) had not the squad been savagely decimated by the Munich air crash. In particular, the loss of Duncan Edwards - a colossus - was devastating. Sir Walter, and England, were unfortunate.
Bob Letham, USA

A stalwart of English football. Perhaps it would be put a little better to have said the teams under Sir Walter only lost 28 of the 179 games he was in charge of.

When I was a boy Walter ranked alongside royalty

Jim Burlong, England

An awful lot of people in recent times would not know very much about him, but I can still remember my father 'singing his praises' as a young lad in the fifties. A great loss, hope he will not be forgotten too soon!
Alan Knox, Netherlands

One of the true greats of football. When I was a boy Walter ranked alongside royalty. Part of our history that should never be forgotten.
Jim Burlong, England

Sir Walter evidently outlived the writing careers of those journalists who knew his contributions because I've yet to see an adequate tribute on the web. He was one of the greatest influences in Twentieth Century English football. In fact, he dragged English football into the Twentieth Century practically by himself.

He made coaching and tactical awareness acceptable to a tradition-bound football community reluctant to acknowledge their value, led England out of self-imposed isolation and into international competitive play, built a national coaching structure that immensely improved the quality of play in England, and laid the foundations for England's World Cup victory in 1966.

All of this he accomplished in the face of difficult obstacles, primarily a reactionary football establishment that resisted almost everything he tried to do.
Peter Young, U.S.A.

The best tribute to Walter will be if England win the World Cup. Let's hope that dream becomes a reality at the end of June.
Steve, UK

I wonder if England would have done better between 1946 and 1962 if he had a free hand in player selection. If I remember correctly he was subject to a selection committee, something Alf Ramsey was not. Saddened by his passing.
John Murray, Canada