Gordon Francis Lee (13 July 1934 – 8 March 2022) was an English football player and manager. He played 144 league and cup matches in a 12-year career in the Football League, before going on to greater success as a manager, as he would take charge of 777 matches in a 23-year managerial career.
A right-back during his playing days, he moved from Hednesford Town to Aston Villa in 1955. He spent the next eleven years with the "Villans", winning a League Cup winners medal in 1961, as well as a League Cup runners-up medal in 1963. He then moved on to Shrewsbury Town in 1966, where he made the shift from player to coach.
Lee began his management career with Port Vale in 1968, leading them to promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1969–70. Switching to Blackburn Rovers in January 1974, he took them to the Third Division title in 1974–75. This won him the top job at Newcastle United, and in 1976 he led Newcastle to the League Cup final. He took up the reins at Everton in January 1977, and also took them to the League Cup Final later in the year. After losing his job at Everton in May 1981, he was appointed manager of Preston North End, before he departed two years later. In 1985, he moved to Iceland to manage KR Reykjavik, before he left the club in 1987. Returning to England behind the scenes at Leicester City, he spent a brief period of 1991 as the club's caretaker manager.
Playing career
Hednesford Town
Lee captained Littleworth School in both football and cricket, beginning his playing career at Girton Road Gasworks. He joined Hednesford Town in 1953, where he was nicknamed "Onka". He made his first-team debut on 10 January 1953, in a 1–0 win over Sutton.
Aston Villa
Lee turned professional at Aston Villa upon his demobilization from National service in the Royal Air Force in October 1955, having been recommended to the club by former player Jackie Martin; Villa would pay a total of £250 to Hednesford after targets were met. Villa won the FA Cup in 1957, though Lee did not feature in the final. He instead had to wait until September 1958 before making his First Division debut in a 3–2 defeat to Nottingham Forest. The club were bottom of the league by December of the 1958–59 season, and new boss Joe Mercer could not steer them away from relegation. In 1959–60, the "Villans" were crowned Second Division champions, finishing one point above runners-up Cardiff City – however Lee did not feature in the campaign. They posted a ninth-place finish in the 1960–61 season and won the League Cup, by which time Lee had re-established himself in the first team. Lee played in both legs of the 1961 final, which saw Villa defeat Rotherham United 3–2 on aggregate to become the inaugural winners of the competition. Villa finished seventh in 1961–62, before dropping to 15th in 1962–63. They again reached the League Cup final in 1963, and Lee played in both legs of the 3–1 aggregate defeat to rival's Birmingham City. They dropped to 19th in 1963–64, though still managed to finish ahead of Birmingham and to avoid relegation by a six points margin. They then finished 16th in both the 1964–65 and 1965–66 campaigns under new manager Dick Taylor. Lee made 142 appearances in all competitions, playing his final game for the club against West Ham United in March 1965, before he left Villa Park.
Shrewsbury Town
Lee joined Shrewsbury Town in July 1966 and featured in two Third Division games for the "Shrews" in the 1966–67 season. He later became a trainer-coach at the Gay Meadow, later serving as Arthur Rowley's assistant manager. He also did some scouting for former club Aston Villa.
Managerial career
Port Vale
Lee started his managerial career with Port Vale in May 1968. Succeeding Stanley Matthews, he was an archetypal modern manager; track-suited and with a focus on coaching. Devising an individual coaching plan for each player, he built a side around fitness and teamwork. Veteran defender Roy Sproson later said that "Lee was a great person to work for. He was as straight as a die but, if anything, rather cautious and predictable. If he took over a team in North Vietnam, I would know the way they play." His first task as manager was to persuade Sproson to continue playing.