On This Day (21 May 1928) Johnny Cochrane Officially Takes Charge At Roker!
We take a look back at the appointment of a 37-year-old Scot to replace the legendary Bob Kyle.
John Cochrane, Sunderland manager (Photo by Barratts/PA Images via Getty Images) | PA Images via Getty Images More often than not, managers today have somewhat fleeting relationships with clubs; they come, they go, often interchangeable, if not indistinguishable. Go back 100 years or so, and it was a very different landscape for what were then termed ‘secretary managers’. For the first time in 23 years, Sunderland had been on the lookout for a new manager – needing to replace Bob Kyle after the Irishman stood down in the March.
The then 57-year-old had managed Sunderland for an astonishing 800+ games after arriving from Distillery in 1905; he’d managed more than 200 games in Ireland, too, before arriving in the north east. Kyle had been in charge when Sunderland won the league in 1913 (he’s still the only Irishman to have lifted the top-flight trophy in England), and finished runners-up in 1923. So, it was little wonder that the football club, led by Alderman Fred Taylor, took their time over appointing his successor.
The appointment of St Mirren’s manager, John Cochrane, was made in April – around six weeks after Kyle had stepped down – but on this day 98 years ago he officially took up the post, having seen out the season in Scotland. It hadn’t been a straightforward decision, though. The public wanted the return of a Roker hero – a barrage of letters from supporters urging the club to give the manager’s job to Charlie Buchan, who’d been invited by the board to apply for the vacancy, but had declined to declare his interest.
Talks had taken place with Derby manager George Jobey and Wolves’ Major Frank Buckley, who’d both turned down the role, and so Alderman Taylor turned to Cochrane, who stood at just 5ft 2in but was ‘sturdily built’. Cochrane had been offered the job after meeting the board at Roker Park, and had accepted via telephone following a conversation with his wife. He later wired a communication in writing confirming his decision.
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