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John Sillett obituary
Exuberant football manager who led unfancied Coventry City to a romantic FA Cup win in 1987
Saturday December 11 2021, 12.01am, The Times
John Sillett had an infectious personality
ALAMY
At a time of stadium disasters and hooliganism, John Sillett brought a smile back to the face of British football and reminded the public of the romance of the FA Cup.
As joint manager of Coventry City, he steered the perennial First Division strugglers to victory in the world’s oldest cup competition in 1987. With Sillett taking the lead on team matters, Coventry captured the public’s hearts at a time when the FA Cup meant a great deal more than it does now.
Nicknamed “Schnoz” on account of his big nose, Sillett had an infectious personality to match. After winning through another round he would rally neutrals across the land to the Sky Blues’ cause in humorous post-match interviews in which he talked up Coventry’s chances of winning the cup.
Sillett, left, in 1974
PA ARCHIVE
Their opponents in the final were Tottenham Hotspur, who had been title contenders that season, their playmakers Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle in their pomp and their centre-forward Clive Allen in prolific goalscoring form. Coventry were a motley crew in comparison: the captain Brian Kilcline looked more at home in the pages of Kerrang! than Shoot magazine and the goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic was more than fond of a cigarette. Their talisman was Keith Houchen, a big-hearted striker who had come up from the lower leagues; he rarely scored in the First Division but could not stop scoring in the cup.
Spurs were heavy favourites and in the second minute of the final Allen scored with a header from a Waddle cross. Throughout the first half Waddle terrorised the Coventry full-back Greg Downs. Sillett told his player (with expletives thrown in) to “kick that winger or you’re off”. Downs got tighter and after 63 minutes Houchen scored with a brilliant diving header to make the score 2-2.
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Sillett’s men pressed forward and in extra time a Gary Mabbutt own goal gave Coventry a famous 3-2 victory. The BBC commentator John Motson described it as the most entertaining final he had ever commentated on. Sillett danced with the trophy in hand on the Wembley turf. Coventry celebrated their first big trophy since the club was formed in 1883 with an open-top bus parade in front of 250,000 people to the peel of the city’s cathedral bells. Rotund and balding, “Schnoz” hammed it up on the bus wearing a black wig.
John Charles Sillett was born in 1936 in the New Forest village of Nomansland. His father was Charlie Sillett, a footballer for Southampton who went on to run a pub and died in the war while serving in the Royal Navy. When the Chelsea manager Ted Drake visited the family pub in 1953 to sign John’s elder brother Peter, he invited 17-year-old John for a trial as an afterthought.
Sillett waves to the crowd before one of Coventry City’s more recent appearances at Wembley
ALAMY
Sillett served his apprenticeship with the young Jimmy Greaves, who would become a close friend and conferred Sillett’s nickname. Sillett recalled that Greaves was the only apprentice who owned a car, but that the first time he rode in the vehicle with his friend the door fell off. Some 30 years later Greaves predicted a Coventry win in the cup final, but Sillett forbade his old friend from having a flutter because “Greavsie has never won a bet in his life”.
On New Year’s Day 1957, the 20-year-old Sillett made his Chelsea debut at right-back and would join his brother as a regular in the team. He would go on to play 102 games for the club, who described him in a tribute as a “classic, hard-tackling, muscular full-back” who could run the 100 yards in the Olympic qualifying time.
When Tommy Docherty took over as Chelsea manager in 1961 Sillett was part of the clearout along with his brother. Jimmy Hill, manager of Coventry, signed him for £3,000. Sillett helped the club win the Third Division title in 1964.
After ending his playing career at Plymouth in 1968, Sillett was appointed youth team manager and then coach at Bristol City and later took Hereford United up to the Second Division. He joined Coventry’s coaching staff in 1979, with Hill now installed as chairman. Sillett would work at the club for much of the next decade. Coventry were facing relegation in 1986 when Sillett and another former Coventry player, George Curtis, were appointed joint managers for the last three games of the season. Coventry won two of them to preserve their First Division status. At the end of the season he asked his players how he could get the best out of them. They told him they wanted to play passing football into feet so Sillett changed the tactics, Coventry became a more attractive side and results improved. He was renowned for keeping a happy dressing room.
After winning the FA Cup Sillett was promoted to first-team manager and over the next three seasons Coventry avoided relegation anxieties and finished a highly creditable seventh in 1989. He was sacked in November 1990 after a run of poor results, but retained his bond with Coventry’s fans and was made club president in 2012. Sillett, who is survived by his wife, Jean, and their son Neil, continued to attend Coventry matches and would lead fans in renditions of the Coventry anthem Let’s all sing together at club events.
Despite his “happy-go-lucky” persona, Sillett was deeply superstitious. When travelling on the team coach to away matches he would order the vehicle to pull in if he saw a single magpie. Whether or not the driver sighted a second magpie is not known, but Coventry City were never late for a game.
John Sillett obituary
Exuberant football manager who led unfancied Coventry City to a romantic FA Cup win in 1987
Saturday December 11 2021, 12.01am, The Times
John Sillett had an infectious personality
ALAMY
At a time of stadium disasters and hooliganism, John Sillett brought a smile back to the face of British football and reminded the public of the romance of the FA Cup.
As joint manager of Coventry City, he steered the perennial First Division strugglers to victory in the world’s oldest cup competition in 1987. With Sillett taking the lead on team matters, Coventry captured the public’s hearts at a time when the FA Cup meant a great deal more than it does now.
Nicknamed “Schnoz” on account of his big nose, Sillett had an infectious personality to match. After winning through another round he would rally neutrals across the land to the Sky Blues’ cause in humorous post-match interviews in which he talked up Coventry’s chances of winning the cup.
Sillett, left, in 1974
PA ARCHIVE
Their opponents in the final were Tottenham Hotspur, who had been title contenders that season, their playmakers Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle in their pomp and their centre-forward Clive Allen in prolific goalscoring form. Coventry were a motley crew in comparison: the captain Brian Kilcline looked more at home in the pages of Kerrang! than Shoot magazine and the goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic was more than fond of a cigarette. Their talisman was Keith Houchen, a big-hearted striker who had come up from the lower leagues; he rarely scored in the First Division but could not stop scoring in the cup.
Spurs were heavy favourites and in the second minute of the final Allen scored with a header from a Waddle cross. Throughout the first half Waddle terrorised the Coventry full-back Greg Downs. Sillett told his player (with expletives thrown in) to “kick that winger or you’re off”. Downs got tighter and after 63 minutes Houchen scored with a brilliant diving header to make the score 2-2.
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Sillett’s men pressed forward and in extra time a Gary Mabbutt own goal gave Coventry a famous 3-2 victory. The BBC commentator John Motson described it as the most entertaining final he had ever commentated on. Sillett danced with the trophy in hand on the Wembley turf. Coventry celebrated their first big trophy since the club was formed in 1883 with an open-top bus parade in front of 250,000 people to the peel of the city’s cathedral bells. Rotund and balding, “Schnoz” hammed it up on the bus wearing a black wig.
John Charles Sillett was born in 1936 in the New Forest village of Nomansland. His father was Charlie Sillett, a footballer for Southampton who went on to run a pub and died in the war while serving in the Royal Navy. When the Chelsea manager Ted Drake visited the family pub in 1953 to sign John’s elder brother Peter, he invited 17-year-old John for a trial as an afterthought.
Sillett waves to the crowd before one of Coventry City’s more recent appearances at Wembley
ALAMY
Sillett served his apprenticeship with the young Jimmy Greaves, who would become a close friend and conferred Sillett’s nickname. Sillett recalled that Greaves was the only apprentice who owned a car, but that the first time he rode in the vehicle with his friend the door fell off. Some 30 years later Greaves predicted a Coventry win in the cup final, but Sillett forbade his old friend from having a flutter because “Greavsie has never won a bet in his life”.
On New Year’s Day 1957, the 20-year-old Sillett made his Chelsea debut at right-back and would join his brother as a regular in the team. He would go on to play 102 games for the club, who described him in a tribute as a “classic, hard-tackling, muscular full-back” who could run the 100 yards in the Olympic qualifying time.
When Tommy Docherty took over as Chelsea manager in 1961 Sillett was part of the clearout along with his brother. Jimmy Hill, manager of Coventry, signed him for £3,000. Sillett helped the club win the Third Division title in 1964.
After ending his playing career at Plymouth in 1968, Sillett was appointed youth team manager and then coach at Bristol City and later took Hereford United up to the Second Division. He joined Coventry’s coaching staff in 1979, with Hill now installed as chairman. Sillett would work at the club for much of the next decade. Coventry were facing relegation in 1986 when Sillett and another former Coventry player, George Curtis, were appointed joint managers for the last three games of the season. Coventry won two of them to preserve their First Division status. At the end of the season he asked his players how he could get the best out of them. They told him they wanted to play passing football into feet so Sillett changed the tactics, Coventry became a more attractive side and results improved. He was renowned for keeping a happy dressing room.
After winning the FA Cup Sillett was promoted to first-team manager and over the next three seasons Coventry avoided relegation anxieties and finished a highly creditable seventh in 1989. He was sacked in November 1990 after a run of poor results, but retained his bond with Coventry’s fans and was made club president in 2012. Sillett, who is survived by his wife, Jean, and their son Neil, continued to attend Coventry matches and would lead fans in renditions of the Coventry anthem Let’s all sing together at club events.
Despite his “happy-go-lucky” persona, Sillett was deeply superstitious. When travelling on the team coach to away matches he would order the vehicle to pull in if he saw a single magpie. Whether or not the driver sighted a second magpie is not known, but Coventry City were never late for a game.
