Sir Alf Ramsey was so calm that he famously told his staff to calm down after Sir Geoff Hurst scored England’s fourth goal in the World Cup final. However, the story of Lord Ramsay’s heated argument with the iconic Billy Wright is told in detail.
It involved Wright, Lord Ramsey and a non-league manager named Charlie Phillips. The latter introduced Ramsay to the mystical world of Freemasonry. Details of the altercation were revealed by Charlie’s son Graham Phillips.
He told Mirror Football: “The true story of what happened behind the scenes, on the pitch and in the dressing room during the 1953 game against Hungary is very different from what was reported at the time and since, and it concerned the final rift between Alf and Wright.”
It is claimed that during England’s 6-3 defeat to Hungary in 1953, Wright was given specific instructions but largely ignored them, leading to a frightening altercation between the two sides. Graham added: “After the game, Wright got up, went up to manager Walter Winterbottom, put his arm around his shoulders and said, “Don’t worry, if you had picked a different team, maybe you would have been better.”
“When Ramsey heard this, he was furious on two counts: first, that Wright had betrayed his confidence in the matter of team selection; and second, that he had absolved himself of responsibility for his performance.”
“Ramsey, in the most measured tone possible, accused Wright of messing up the strategy they were asked to play. Not once, but twice. Once when they conceded the first goal, and the second time after the team had played very well within the strategic plan for an equalizer. This time it was personal, and Wright knew it.”
“Ramsey was standing with his back to the dressing room door, talking a few feet from Wright and Winterbottom.
“As soon as he started speaking, I noticed that the two men were not looking at each other and were looking behind me. I turned around and saw two men and a suit come into the dressing room while he was speaking.”
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