John Lyall

John Angus Lyall (24 February 1940 – 18 April 2006) was an English footballer and manager primarily known for his 34 years at West Ham United.

He played for the club as a youth, then as a first-team player before injury cut short his career.

In October 1955 he was taken on as a groundstaff boy, with duties such as boot cleaning, painting the football stands and wages clerk.

He played youth team football as a left back.

In February 1957 he won his only significant international honour when he played for England Youth in a 7–1 victory over Luxembourg at Upton Park.

In 1957 he was also a member of the West Ham side which lost 8–2, on aggregate, to Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup Final.

He made his senior debut in April 1959.

His first team career was interrupted and prematurely ended by a serious injury to his left knee.

In January 1964 after making 36 appearances in all competitions, aged 23, he was diagnosed with an inoperable, generally disarranged knee and retired from playing professional football.

Lyall was granted a testimonial game by West Ham which was played in April 1964 and netted him £3797.

He was offered the role of part-time youth team manager.

Impressing at part-time youth manager Lyall was offered the role on a full-time basis in 1967.

He then joined the coaching staff, before becoming the manager of the senior team in 1974.

He rose through the coaching ranks at Upton Park to succeed Ron Greenwood as team manager in September 1974, managing West Ham for 15 years (1974–1989).

In 1975, at the end of his first season as manager, West Ham won the FA Cup final and reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup the following year, losing 4–2 to Anderlecht.

However, West Ham slipped down to the Second Division in 1978.

Lyall attempted to rebuild the side and made significant purchases in Phil Parkes, £565,000 from Queens Park Rangers, a world record for a goalkeeper and Ray Stewart from Dundee United for £430,000, a British record for a teenager.

During their exile from the top flight, on 10 May 1980, West Ham beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final, the last team outside the top flight to do so.

West Ham returned to the First Division in 1981 winning the title by a thirteen-point margin.

In their 1981 promotion season, Lyall also led the Hammers to the final of the League Cup – where they drew 1–1 against Liverpool, before losing the replay 2–1, having led early in the match.

They also reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup in the same year, losing to eventual winners Dinamo Tbilisi.

West Ham spent the first four years back in the top flight consolidating their position.

Long serving Trevor Brooking and Frank Lampard both retired and Billy Bonds was struggling with the effects of first team football.

Lyall again attempted to rebuild the team, bringing Frank McAvennie from St Mirren and Mark Ward from Oldham Athletic.

28 goals from McAvennie, 25 from Tony Cottee and an eighteen-game unbeaten run saw Lyall take West Ham to their highest ever league finish in the 1985–86 First Division campaign when they finished third behind champions Liverpool and runners-up Everton.

However, they were unable to compete in the UEFA Cup because of the ban on English teams from European competition arising from the previous year's Heysel Disaster.

Lyall was unable to build on the side which finished third in the First Division.

McAvennie was sold to Celtic in 1987 and Cottee to Everton in July 1988 for a British transfer record of £2.05 million.

He stayed in that role until 1989.

Their replacements combined with the additions of Tommy McQueen, Gary Strodder, David Kelly, Allen McKnight, Liam Brady, Julian Dicks and the return of McAvennie in March 1989 failed to save West Ham from relegation in May 1989.

Lyall was sacked in June 1989.

He was awarded an ex gratia payment of £100,000 but left the club in what Lyall described as 'upsetting' circumstances, meriting only 73 words in a terse acknowledgement of his service in the club programme, Lyall left West Ham after 34 years service.

During the 1989–90 season, he acted as technical advisor to Terry Venables.

He subsequently went on to manage Ipswich Town from 1990 to 1994.

Lyall was of Scottish descent.

His mother, Catherine, was from the Isle of Lewis, and his father, James, was from Kirriemuir.

He was born in Ilford, Essex.

Watched by the club's manager, Ted Fenton, and chief scout Wally St Pier, Lyall was offered a place at West Ham United aged fifteen.

He made his return to football management on 11 May 1990 with Ipswich Town.

After Ipswich finished 14th in his first season, he brought club legend John Wark back to Portman Road for a third spell.