Fred Halliday (footballer)

John Frederick Halliday (19 April 1880 – 20 May 1953) was an English professional footballer and manager who played as a full back in the Football League for Bolton Wanderers and Bradford City. He went on to manage Bradford Park Avenue and Brentford. He was posthumously inducted into the Brentford Hall of Fame in 2015.

Fred Halliday
Halliday while Brentford manager in 1911.
Personal information
Full name John Frederick Halliday[1]
Date of birth (1880-04-19)19 April 1880
Place of birth Chester, England
Date of death 20 May 1953(1953-05-20) (aged 73)[2]
Place of death Willesden, England
Height 5 ft 10+12 in (1.79 m)[2]
Position(s) Full back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
–1898 Chester
1898–1900 Liverpool 0 (0)
1899–1900 Crewe Alexandra
1900–1901 Everton 0 (0)
1901–1903 Bolton Wanderers 27 (0)
1903–1907 Bradford City 72 (0)
1907–1908 Bradford Park Avenue 1 (0)
Total 100 (0)
Managerial career
1907–1908 Bradford Park Avenue
1908–1912 Brentford
1915–1921 Brentford
1924–1926 Brentford
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Halliday began his career as an amateur at local club Chester, playing in The Combination.[3] He transferred to First Division club Liverpool in April 1898, but failed to make a first team appearance.[4] Prior to his release from Liverpool on a free transfer,[5] Halliday played for Lancashire League club Crewe Alexandra.[3] He joined cross-city rivals Everton in 1900, but failed to make an appearance for the Toffees before moving to Bolton Wanderers in 1901.[5][6]

Halliday left Bolton Wanderers at the end of the 1902–03 season, after the club's relegation to the Second Division was confirmed.[7] He moved to newly founded Second Division club Bradford City prior to the beginning of the 1903–04 season.[6] He made 72 appearances in the Football League and two FA Cup appearances for Bradford and departed Valley Parade in 1907.[8]

Management career

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Bradford Park Avenue

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Halliday became manager of Southern League First Division club Bradford Park Avenue in May 1907,[6] guiding the club to a mid-table finish in the 1907–08 season.[9] He made one playing appearance for the club as an emergency goalkeeper in a match versus Swindon Town, when regular keeper Tom Baddersley missed his train.[10] He departed Park Avenue after the season.[10]

Brentford

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First spell (1908–1912)

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Halliday joined Southern League First Division club Brentford as manager in June 1908,[10] taking over from W. G. Brown.[11] Halliday's team had a disastrous 1908–09 campaign in the league, finishing bottom (though avoiding relegation to the Second Division),[12] but he brought silverware to the club, winning the Southern Professional Charity Cup.[13] He led the Bees to a mid-table finishes in the 1909–10, 1910–11 and 1911–12 seasons.[12] He carried on into the 1912–13 season, but with the club still in relegation trouble, Halliday stepped down in November 1912 and became the club's secretary.[14] He was replaced by one of his players, Ephraim Rhodes.[13]

Second spell (1915–1921)

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Halliday stepped up to become Brentford manager for the second time in August 1915,[11] replacing Ephraim Rhodes, who was inducted into the army.[15] The break-out of the First World War in August 1914 led the Football League and Southern League to decide to cease operations at the end of the 1914–15 season until the end of hostilities, so Halliday took charge of a Brentford team playing in the unofficial War League and the newly formed London Combination.[16] He managed the club in both leagues during the 1915–16, 1916–17, 1917–18 and 1918–19 seasons and won the London Combination title in the latter campaign.[17]

Competitive football returned for the 1919–20 season and Halliday's Bees were elected back to the Southern League First Division, finishing in mid-table.[12] Brentford won election to the Football League as founding members of the Third Division for the 1920–21 season.[18] An unsuccessful season saw the Bees finish second-from-bottom and Halliday stepped down at the end of the campaign to return to administrative duties.[13] He was replaced by Archie Mitchell.[11]

Third spell (1924–1926)

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After Archie Mitchell's sacking in December 1924, Halliday took over the manager's job for the third time.[11] Another second-from-bottom finish followed in the 1924–25 season.[12] An 18th-place finish followed in the 1925–26 season,[12] after which Halliday left the Bees permanently.[11] He managed the club in 334 matches, winning 108, drawing 70 and losing 156.[19] Halliday was posthumously inducted into the Brentford Hall of Fame in 2015.[20]

Career statistics

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Playing career

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bradford City 1903–04[21] Second Division 23 0 1 0 24 0
Career total 23 0 1 0 24 0

Managerial career

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Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref
P W D L Win %
Brentford 24 June 1908 13 November 1912 181 62 36 83 034.3 [19]
Brentford August 1915 August 1921 86 24 22 40 027.9
Brentford 3 December 1924 May 1926 67 22 12 33 032.8
Total 334 108 70 156 032.3

Honours

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As a manager

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Brentford

As an individual

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References

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  1. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 123. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  2. ^ a b "John Frederick Halliday (Fred Halliday)". Play Up, Liverpool. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Halliday Fred Brentford Manager 1911". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Local talent signs on". Kjellhanssen.com. 23 April 1898. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Halliday given a free transfer". Kjellhanssen.com. 30 June 1900. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Frost, Terry (1988). Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988. Breedon Books Sport. p. 397. ISBN 0-907969-38-0.
  7. ^ "Overall Appearances/Goals Record – H". Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  8. ^ Frost 1988, p. 383.
  9. ^ Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  10. ^ a b c TW8: Brentford Official Matchday Programme versus Notts County. Charlton, London. 24 February 2001. p. 14.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ a b c d e "Brentford". League Managers Association. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d e Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  13. ^ a b c d Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 119. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
  14. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. pp. 174–175. ISBN 0955294916.
  15. ^ Haynes 1998, p. 88.
  16. ^ "Match Database – all matches for season 1915/16". Stamford-Bridge.com The History of Chelsea FC. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  17. ^ "London Combination 1918–19". Westhamstats.info. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  18. ^ Haynes 1998, p. 55.
  19. ^ a b c White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 360–368. ISBN 0951526200.
  20. ^ a b Wickham, Chris. "Kevin O'Connor and Marcus Gayle join others in being added to Brentford FC Hall of Fame". brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  21. ^ Frost 1988, p. 71.
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