Fred Pentland

Prisoner in Germany After retiring as a player, Pentland went to Berlin in 1914 to take charge of the German Olympic football team.

Pentland was one of several former professional footballers at Ruhleben. Others included former club teammates and fellow England internationals, Samuel Wolstenholme and Steve Bloomer, a Scotland international, John Cameron, a German international Edwin Dutton, and John Brearley, once of Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. On 2 May 1915 an England XI featuring Pentland, Wolstenholme, Brearley and Bloomer played a World XI captained by Cameron. Towards the end of the war an international triangular tournament called the Coupe de Allies, featuring a British XI, a French XI and a Belgium XI, was organised.

Olympic Games with France In 1919, rebuilt AS Strasbourg, formerly Straßburger FV, appointed Pentland as manager-coach. In 1920 Pentland coached France at the Olympic Games. France received a bye to the quarter-final stages where they beat Italy 3–1. However, in the semi-finals they lost 4–1 to Czechoslovakia. The final stages of the tournament descended into farce and France missed out on the opportunity to win the silver medal. The host nation, Belgium won the gold medal by default after Czechoslovakia walked off in protest during the final, unhappy with the performance of the referee and the conditions surrounding the match. As a result, they were disqualified and a second consolation tournament was organised to decide the silver and bronze medallists. However France and Pentland, presuming the competition was over, had already returned home and Spain eventually won the silver medal.

Manager in Spain In 1920 Pentland joined Racing de Santander but after one season he was hired by Athletic Club de Bilbao. He revolutionised the way Athletic Club played, favouring the short-passing game, and in 1923 he led the club to victory in the Copa del Rey. He spent the next season with Real Oviedo, In 1927 he returned to Athletic Madrid and was manager during the inaugural La Liga season. In May 1929 he helped coach the Spain national team, under manager José María Mateos, when they beat England 4–3 at Athletic Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium. As a result, Spain became the first non-British team to beat England.

In 1929 Pentland rejoined Athletic Club de Bilbao. He subsequently led them to La Liga–Copa del Rey "doubles" in 1930 and 1931. In 1931 he also masterminded Athletic's 12–1 victory over Barcelona, the latter's worst ever defeat.

In 1933 he joined Athletic Madrid for a third time but returned to England at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals Small Heath 1901–02 First Division

Blackpool 1903–04 Second Division

1903–04 First Division

1904–05 First Division

1905–06 First Division

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1908–09 First Division

1909–10 First Division

1910–11 First Division

1911–12 First Division

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1912–13 Southern League Division One

1913–14 Southern League Division Two

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International

Honours Athletic Bilbao La Liga: 1929–30, 1930–31 Copa del Rey: 1923, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933

Atlético Madrid Copa del Rey runner-up: 1926