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Anthony Knapp (born October 13, 1936 in Newstead)
He was training with Nottingham Forest before becoming professional, as a player for Leicester City (1955-61, 86 matches), Southampton FC (1961-67, 260 matches, 2 goal), Coventry City (1967-68, 11 matches), Los Angeles Wolves (1968) and Tranmere Rovers (1969-71, 36 matches, 1 goal).
His career as a manager started in Poole Town F.C. (1971-72, also player) and as an assistant coach to Norwich City. He then had success with the amateurs Iceland national football team (1974-77, A, U18, U21) as in their beating the East Germany national football team 2-1 (1975). In Norway he had success with Viking FK (1978-80, winning the double 1979), Fredrikstad FK (1982-83), again Iceland (1984-85), and SK Brann (1986-87, cupfinalist). Since then Knapp has coached lower division clubs around Stavanger, such as SK Vidar, Djerv 1919, Sandnes Ulf, Staal (from Jørpeland, 2003) , Stavanger IF, Hundvåg FK (2004-05) and Lillesand IL (2007-).
Rated one of the best defenders in the Football League, and a man with enough star quality to earn selection for a midfield position alongside Dave Mackay and Bobby Robson for a Great Britain XI, Knapp, now aged 70, but still working in football, is in his 33rd year living abroad in Scandanavia, and in his own words is 'still a massive fan of Southampton and English football'. But like many former top stars he constantly wonders: "What is happening to our international game?" As an international team manager who shook some of Europe's top national teams when he was Head Coach and Manager of the Icelandic national team, he is puzzled by current moves and the appointment of a non-English speaking coach Fabio Capello. He told me: "Of course I have great respect for his ability, but an important aspect of the job is the conversation between the coach and his players, and it is an instinctive thing with the emotion of the situation dulled by the need for an interpreter, "It is commendable that he says he will learn to be able to speak good English through a month's study, but the FA surely have not thought through the situation by letting him bring in a team of four assistants from Italy, because naturally they will talk Italian among themselves, and it also seems amazing to me that among his assistants is a Fitness trainer." From hopeful young teenager making his way into League football to keen as mustard veteran now managing Second Division Lillisland in the Norwegian League, Knapp is now in his 54th year as a football professional, living near to some of his greatest triumphs in Stavanger, the home of the Viking FC club, with his Norwegian wife Kirsti and with soccer mad children Chris (19) and Charlotte (17). He has great days to look back on after his playing career with Southampton, Coventry City, Leicester City and Tranmere Rovers, and has earned his living out of football after being born at Newstead in Nottinghamshire, son of a coal miner. At his home in Jorpeland, now Tony has evidence through trophies and certificates of a glittering managerial career, topped by taking Viking of Stavanger to the treble for the first time of National League and Cup final wins along with the National Youth Cup, and by his unparalleled success at international level with Iceland in European and World Cup football with a team of part timers. Memories abound: Northern Ireland, managed by Danny Blanchflower, and Wales, managed by Mike England, couldn't beat his team who not only received no wages from the Icelandic FA, but lost wages they would have had from their civilian work when they played for their country, and must have been the only real amateurs in world football. And among the great triumphs under Knapp was a 2-1 defeat of an East German side rated in the top four national teams in the world at the time, a feat that led to the Icelandic Football Association making him the first foreigner ever to be given their 'Gold Achievement' award. And as well as his success with Viking at club level he took Fredrikstad to the League championship and Brann of Bergen to victory in the Cup final and to promotion from the Second Division. He says: "It was and has been great experience working abroad as a coach and working against the great managers in Europe, and you can learn so much going to a different footballing environment, and more of our managers should try and reverse the trend and manage abroad. "It cannot be good for our game that the top teams are managed by foreigners, and just one Brit Sir Alex, and that the top two English managers Harry Redknapp and Steve Coppell hardly got a mention when the FA looked for their latest leader. I've thought for a long time that Redknapp was the perfect man to lead England. You've only got to look at the way that he's got Portsmouth playing for him, and within the game he is so respected, and wherever he goes he does well." He added angrily: "I just don't believe there is not an Englishman capable of doing the job. Perhaps the system of selecting club managers does nothing to help with the criteria too often to pick from a list of tried and trusted failures or ex international players with little or no experience on the coaching and management side of the game. And if you are not fashionable it seems some high achieving managers now from the lower divisions will never be considered for the big time." With the status of an ex International team manager, and his triumphs as Norway's most successful and longest standing foreign manager Tony Knapp does not bother about pulling punches: "There are too many people in positions of power in football in England who are earning money out of the game under false pretences and directors who don't know much about football "What is a paramount need in my mind for England's national team is that everybody in the side is able to attack. The great Dutch teams had that philosophy, their total football, and the Brazilian teams have always been able to do that. I was on an England tour when we played Spain in Madrid with men like Ronnie Clayton, Joe Baker, Ron Springett in the side and Spain had Puskas, Di Stefno, Ghento and I always look back to that Spanish side when I think about my ideal. "They played a lot of attacking football. Every defender would attack if the situation was on and every one was comfortable attacking. It was clear there werre no restrictions in their play, but when their opponents got the ball they all defended as well. I like to see defenders released for attacking positions." Well past the pensionable age is certainly not a rocking chair and slippers time for Tony Knapp. Still football daft? "Yes you could say that," was his parting shot.
