Vic Buckingham

Victor Frederick Buckingham ( born October 23, 1915 in Greenwich, † January 26, 1995 in Chichester ) was an English football player and coach. As a coach, he was a pioneer of total football.

Career

As a professional player Buckingham ran on only for a club that Tottenham Hotspur, for whom he played 230 games as a defensive midfielder 1935-1949.

His coaching career began in 1950 when amateur club AFC Pegasus, which he to winning the FA Amateur Cup 1950/51 helped lift developed by Arthur Rowe push- and-run tactics. He then coached the English second division club Bradford Park Avenue. In 1953 he became manager of West Bromwich Albion. In 1954 he reached with West Bromwich a second place in the Football League First Division, also has won this year's FA Cup.

In 1959 he coached Ajax Amsterdam, where he discovered the young Johan Cruyff and his concept of total football developed what his time was far ahead and earned him a great reputation throughout Europe. In 1961 he moved to Sheffield Wednesday. His reputation in his native country in 1964, damaged by a betting scandal. Even if the allegations against him were never proven, three of his players were sentenced to prison terms, as they had put in a game against Ipswich Town on a defeat of their team and manipulated the game accordingly.

1964 Buckingham then returned back to Ajax. After just one season he was coach of FC Fulham for three years. After briefly Ethnikos Piraeus trained coach in 1968, he became coach of FC Barcelona in 1969. With Barcelona he won the 1971 Copa del Rey, but he was after this season Rinus Michels replaced.

His last coach stations were ultimately of Seville and Olympiacos FC.

Achievements

• FA Amateur Cup: 1951
• FA Cup: 1954
• FA Community Shield: 1954
• Eredivisie: 1960
• KNVB Cup: 1961
• Copa del Rey: 1971