William Gordon Thompson (10 August 1921 – 26 December 1986)[3] was a Scottish footballer who played in the Football League as a wing half for Portsmouth and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic.[4][5] He went on to manage clubs in England and the Netherlands.
 Thompson arguing with Dutch referee Brouwer (1966) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Gordon Thompson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 10 August 1921 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 26 December 1986 (aged 65)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Portsmouth, England | ||
| Position(s) | Wing half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Carnoustie Panmure | ||
| 1948–1952 | Portsmouth | 20 | (2) |
| 1952–1954 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 45 | (0) |
| – | Guildford City | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1956–1957 | Guildford City | ||
| 1957–1958 | Exeter City | ||
| 1958–1962 | Worcester City | ||
| 1963–1966 | Sparta Rotterdam | ||
| 1970–1971 | HFC Haarlem | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Life and career
Born in Glasgow,[3] Thompson played for Scottish junior club Carnoustie Panmure before joining Portsmouth.[4] He was a member of Portsmouth's championship-winning team of 1949 and 1950.[3] His only goals for the club came on the last day of the 1949–50 season, playing as an emergency centre-forward. Needing to beat Aston Villa to ensure they stayed ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers on goal average, Thompson scored twice in a 5–1 win.[6] He went on to play in the League for Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic and in non-league football for Guildford City.[5]
Thompson took over as manager of Guildford City towards the end of the 1955–56 Southern League season, in which they won the title.[7] In May 1957, he was the pick of more than thirty applicants for the post of manager at Third Division South club Exeter City,[8] but lasted only until January 1958, when the club announced his departure by mutual agreement, though Thompson himself said he had been sacked.[9] A few days later, he was appointed manager of Southern League Worcester City, leading them to victory against Liverpool in the 1958–59 FA Cup and remaining in post until 1962.[10][11]
He went on to coach abroad, including in the Netherlands with Sparta Rotterdam from 1963 to 1966[12][13] and HFC Haarlem from 1970 to 1971.[14][15]
Honours
Portsmouth
Guildford City
- Southern League Premier Division: 1955–56[16]
Sparta Rotterdam
- KNVB Cup: 1965–66