Arthur Rowe: How one man shaped Palace and Spurs in his image

“A side suddenly strings a few passes together, short, quick passes with people moving intelligently to give and take them. It’s as if the game suddenly got a little electric shock. The crowd catches its breath, and when it’s over everyone claps because it’s been a lovely moment.”

The Tottenham native responsible for such lyrical commentary on what was then referred to as ‘push-and-run’ (soon morphing into ‘Total Football’), was former Spurs captain and England international Arthur Rowe, the originator of this style and, in this humble writer’s opinion, Spurs’ finest coach.

‘Push-and-run’ can clearly be identified as a forerunner of ‘total football’. It is a short-passing game whereby the activity of players without the ball plays as significant a role in success as that of the player in possession.

By the early post-War period, an emphasis on physical, long-ball football had seen England fall behind in the world game, but Rowe’s approach surprised and delighted crowds. When facing Spurs as an Aston Villa player, the great Danny Blanchflower was impressed: “[Spurs’ style was] thrilling to watch, players encouraged to improvise, the ball moved along the ground at remarkable speed and with devastating accuracy.”

When Rowe led Tottenham to successive championships in his first two seasons, his only significant acquisition on taking over had been Alf Ramsey, who he acquired cheaply from Southampton. Despite this lack of investment, in his third season Spurs almost clinched the title again, finishing second but only to Matt Busby’s first great Manchester United side.

Unable to rejuvenate his team, a gradual decline followed. The only occasion Rowe was provided with the kind of cash needed for rebuilding, he outbid Arsenal to bring the commanding figure of Blanchflower. He had also put together other members of Bill Nicholson’s later, much-heralded Spurs’ side, including Peter Baker, Ron Henry, Tony Marchi and Terry Dyson.

However, despite Blanchflower’s welcome arrival, the strain of maintaining results with a faltering squad affected Rowe’s health and he departed White Hart Lane in 1955.

But Spurs are not the only London club who owe much to Arthur. When he accepted a less-pressurised managerial role at Selhurst Park in 1960, Rowe persuaded his fourth-tier players to perform the same sophisticated short-passing ‘push-and-run’ that had achieved so much in the First Division.

Palace’s Roy Summersby, strike partner to Palace great Johnny Byrne under Rowe’s management, said of the opening League game under Rowe: ‘‘From the kick-off Johnny, myself and Alan Woan passed the ball between us and ended with a shot on goal! Straight the way through! I couldn’t believe it. It was so exhilarating.” The result in Palace’s very first competitive game under Rowe? Palace 9-0 Accrington Stanley.

As they had in north London, the fans now began pouring through the turnstiles at Selhurst Park. In his first season, Palace recorded not only their all-time record League goals tally (110) but also the club’s highest-ever points total – and this at a time when only two points were awarded for a win. By season’s end Rowe’s scintillating football had produced a Fourth Division attendance record, one game alone attracting 37,774.

Byrne would later score eight goals in just 11 England appearances and he and Rowe had formed a close relationship. Those Palace fans who saw Byrne in action will always consider him one of the club’s best ever players, and he later proved his top-level quality when shining brightly at First Division West Ham and even netting a hat-trick for England in Portugal.

Would Palace be in the Premier League today if Rowe had not set his ten-year target to reach the First Division in 1960? It was a particularly bold pledge considering Palace were then marooned in the Fourth Division. But leap ahead nine years to 1969, and Palace were indeed sitting, with two games left, requiring just two more points for the club to reach the promised land.

By then Rowe was no longer manager, having again suffered ill-health, but, by 1968 he remained a much-respected, cheerful force in the background, uncovering the youthful likes of goalkeepers Bill Glazier and ‘Jacko’ Jackson, defender Alan Stephenson, and midfielders David Payne and Steve Kember.

Palace would dramatically turn a two goal half-time deficit against Fulham into a 3-2 victory, thus clinching the club’s arrival in Division One. That summer work continued on a new stand to adequately welcome fans drawn by likes of Jimmy Greaves, Denis Law, George Best and Bobby Moore. Indeed, during that summer of 1969 the smartly dressed Rowe would personally contribute to clearing up the rubble left from the hurried construction of the ‘Arthur Wait’ stand.

Perhaps it should now be renamed The Two Arthurs Stand? Were he sitting there today, Rowe would surely have much enjoyed seeing his legacy of attacking football at Selhurst Park live on.