Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland (29 July 1883 – 16 March 1962) was an English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and coach. Pentland played club football in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

for

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

and

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

, in the

Southern Football League The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven a ...

for

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

and

Stoke Stoke may refer to: Places Canada * Stoke, Quebec New Zealand * Stoke, New Zealand United Kingdom Berkshire * Stoke Row Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stoke Gifford * Bradley Stoke * Little Stoke * Harry Stoke * Stoke Lodge Bucking ...

, and in the

Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...

for Halifax Town. He was capped five times for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1909. He played as a forward, mainly at

outside right In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bei ...

. As a manager, he took charge of the German Olympic football team, the France national team, and Spanish club sides

Racing de Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spani ...

Athletic Club de Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country, Spain. They are known as ''Lehoiak'' (The Lions) because their stadium was built ne ...

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

and

Real Oviedo Real Oviedo ( Asturian: Real Uviéu) is a Spanish professional football club based in Oviedo, Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, the club plays in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system. The club plays at ...

, before returning to England where he briefly managed Barrow.

Playing career

Pentland began his football career with Avondale Juniors and Willenhall Swifts before joining

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...

club

Small Heath Small Heath is an inner-city area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre. History Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman t ...

in August 1900 at the age of 17. He played for Small Heath's reserves in the Birmingham & District League, but made no senior league appearances, and after the club's promotion to the First Division at the end of the 1900–01 season, it became more difficult to break through. His only senior appearance was in a 2–1 defeat at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

in the

1901–02 FA Cup The 1901–02 FA Cup was the 31st staging of the world's oldest association football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup (more usually known as the FA Cup). Sheffield United won the competition for the second time, beating South ...

, playing at

inside forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...

in a team weakened by injuries, and in 1903 he signed for

. Blackpool used him at centre forward: he scored his first senior goal on 26 September, at home to

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...

, completed a run of five goals in four matches with a double in a 4–1 win away to

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

on 17 October, and eleven days later, signed for First Division

in a deal reported as "a good bargain" for Blackpool. Over the next two and a half seasons, Pentland contributed 9 goals from 51 league appearances as Blackburn twice finished near the foot of the division and once climbed to mid-table. In 1906, the club listed him for transfer at a fee of £250. There were no takers from the Football League, so he moved into the Southern League, initially with

. He had been so popular at Blackburn that a "crowd of players and friends", accompanied by the Palace Theatre band, saw him off at the station with renditions of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" and "Auld Lang Syne". He missed only two league matches and contributed twelve goals as Brentford finished in mid-table, but was not retained. He remained in west London with another Southern League club,

, who had ended the previous season eight places below Brentford. Under the management of James Cowan, QPR won the 1907–08 title. Playing at

, Pentland scored 14 goals from 37 Southern League matches, and was selected for The South to face The North in an international trial. Although his performance in the trial did not earn him selection for his country, he was first reserve at outside right for that season's internationals. As Southern League winners, Queens Park Rangers faced the Football League champions, in this case

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

, in a match for the new Football Association Charity Shield. Pentland played, and the match was drawn. It was replayed in August, by which time Pentland had left QPR; although he was reportedly keen to play, and the

Football Association A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...

granted special dispensation for his inclusion, QPR's directors did not select him because, according to the '' Kilburn Times'', he had been insistent on leaving the club despite being offered the maximum salary. In June 1908, Pentland returned to the First Division with

, who had to pay fees to both clubs with an interest in the player: £350 to Queens Park Rangers and £150 to Blackburn Rovers. Playing with such teammates as

Alf Common Alfred Common (25 May 1880 in Millfield, Tyne and Wear, Millfield (Sunderland) – 3 April 1946 in Darlington) was an English footballer who played at inside forward or Forward (association football)#Centre-forward, centre forward. He is most fa ...

and

Steve Bloomer Stephen Bloomer (20 January 1874 – 16 April 1938) was an England international footballer and manager who played for Derby County – becoming their record goalscorer – and Middlesbrough. The anthem " Steve Bloomer's Watchin'" is played a ...

, he helped Middlesbrough finish ninth in his first season, and in 1909, was rewarded with his first cap for

. He played at outside right, alongside captain

Vivian Woodward Vivian John Woodward (3 June 1879 – 31 January 1954) was an English footballer who enjoyed the peak of his career from the turn of the 20th century to the outbreak of the First World War. He played for Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Inter ...

, as England beat

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

to complete victory in the

1908–09 British Home Championship The 1908–09 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. England dominated the competition with three wins over their opponents. When placed in the context of their overseas tours to Europ ...

. He won three more caps, on a tour of central Europe that same year. In the next two seasons, Pentland continued to play regularly, although Middlesbrough were less successful, and in 1911 he spent some time suspended by the club for "neglecting his training". He made only one first-team appearance in 1911–12, to take his totals to 11 goals from 96 appearances in all senior competition. In August 1912 he joined Halifax Town, newly admitted to the

. He scored freely, finishing the season as the club's top scorer, as well as acting as

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

, and helped Halifax reach the first round proper of the 1912–13 FA Cup. With the club in straitened financial circumstances, he was sold to Southern League

in February for a substantial fee. He remained with Stoke until December of that year, contributing six league goals in twelve appearances, before returning to Halifax where his career ended a few months later through injury.

Prisoner in Germany

After retiring as a player, Pentland went to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in 1914 to take charge of the German Olympic football team. However within a few months, the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

broke out and he was subsequently interned at Ruhleben, a civilian detention camp in the

Spandau Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs of Berlin, boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence (geography), confluence of the Havel and Spree (river), Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smalle ...

district of Berlin. The camp contained between 4,000 and 5,500 prisoners. Gradually a mini-society evolved and football became a popular activity. Cup and league competitions were organised and as many as 1,000 attended the bigger games. Pentland was prominent in organising and playing football within the camp. He was chairman of the Ruhleben Football Association and regularly contributed to football articles in the camp magazine. Pentland was one of several former professional footballers at Ruhleben. Others included former club teammates and fellow

internationals, Samuel Wolstenholme and

, a

international, John Cameron, a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

international Edwin Dutton, and

John Brearley John Brearley (October 1875 – 1944) was an English football player and manager. He played as a forward for several clubs, most notably Millwall Athletic, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. He was able to play in at least five outfield position ...

, once of Everton and

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

. 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. Pentland remained in the camp until the end of the war and then returned to England. During his recuperation, he met Nahneen Hayes, a war widow working as a nurse with a

Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...

(VAD); the couple married in 1923.

Olympic Games with France

In 1919, rebuilt AS Strasbourg, formerly ''Straßburger FV'', appointed Pentland as manager-coach. In 1920 Pentland coached

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

at the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

. France received a bye to the quarter-final stages where they beat

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

3–1. However, in the semi-finals they lost 4–1 to

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. 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 Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

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 Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

eventually won the silver medal.

Manager in Spain

In 1920 Pentland joined

but after one season he was hired by

. 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 The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

. However, in 1925 he left Athletic and went on to coach Athletic Madrid, leading them to the Copa final in 1926. He spent the next season with

, In 1927 he returned to Athletic Madrid and was manager during the inaugural

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

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 Metropolitano Stadium (Spanish language, Spanish: ), also referred to as Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a stadium in Madrid, Spain. It has been the home stadium of Atlético Madrid since the 2017–18 Atlético Madri ...

. 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. He also guided the club as they won the Copa four times in a row between 1930 and 1933 and finished as La Liga runners-up in 1932 and 1933. In 1931 he also masterminded Athletic's 12–1 victory over

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, the latter's worst ever defeat. He was known in Bilbao for his "trademark" cigar and bowler hat. In 1933 he joined Athletic Madrid for a third time but returned to England at the outbreak of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Athletic Bilbao *La Liga: 1929–30, 1930–31 *Copa del Rey:

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

Atlético Madrid *Copa del Rey runner-up:

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

References

External links

''Independent'' article on English influence on Athletic BilbaoEdited extract from Phil Ball's ''Morbo'' about Pentland's managerial philosophyBlog post about Pentland's managerial history
*
Atlético Madrid stats at La Liga website
(via archive.org)
Pentland's managerial stats (Athletic Club and Atl. Madrid)
at Athletic Club website {{DEFAULTSORT:Pentland, Fred 1883 births 1962 deaths Footballers from Wolverhampton English men's footballers English expatriate sportspeople in Spain English expatriate sportspeople in Germany English expatriate sportspeople in France England men's international footballers Men's association football outside forwards Willenhall F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Middlesbrough F.C. players Halifax Town A.F.C. players Stoke City F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players Midland Football League players English football managers English expatriate football managers France national football team managers Racing de Santander managers Athletic Bilbao managers Real Oviedo managers Atlético Madrid managers La Liga managers World War I civilian detainees held by Germany Expatriate football managers in France Expatriate football managers in Germany Expatriate football managers in Spain Brentford F.C. non-playing staff Barrow A.F.C. managers