About Bert Johnson
Lived 1916 – 2009 (aged 93). Bert Johnson was a British association football player.
William Herbert Johnson (4 June 1916 – 30 June 2009), was an English football player, manager, and coach who played as a wing half in the Football League. He played in both the 1946 FA Cup Final for Charlton Athletic.
Matt Gillies brought Johnson on as a coach at Leicester City in 1959. He was originally signed as head scout, but soon become Gillies' assistant manager. He was influential in the signing of both Dave Gibson and Mike Stringfellow, both of whom would become key figure in Leicester's success during the 1960s. Johnson is often credited as having come up with a tactical innovation of switching the positions of Frank McLintock and Graham Cross, upsetting the traditional 1–11 formation. This hugely influenced Liverpool manager Bill Shankly.
Gillies said on the innovation: "confused opposition" as opposition players would often be asked to mark "our [Leicester's] number eight, so they thought Cross was their man, when McLintock had replaced him" as "players hadn't got beyond thinking about numbers then."
Honours Charlton Athletic FA Cup: 1946–47; runner-up: 1945–46
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Important facts
People in Bert Johnson's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Related people
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Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Bert Johnson's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Bert Johnson?
English footballer and manager (1916-2009)
When was Bert Johnson born?
Bert Johnson was born on 4 June 1916 in Stockton-on-Tees.
When did Bert Johnson die?
Bert Johnson died on 30 June 2009 in Evington.
What was Bert Johnson's occupation?
Bert Johnson was an association football player.
What nationality was Bert Johnson?
Bert Johnson was British.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Bert Johnson (footballer, born 1916)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bert Johnson. https://biography.guide/bert-johnson-association-football-player/
MLA: "Bert Johnson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bert-johnson-association-football-player/.
Chicago: "Bert Johnson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bert-johnson-association-football-player/.
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