Jack Charlton: Leeds United’s Cornerstone Of Revie’s Side
Another great from that Don Revie side, Chartlon though, was slightly older than Billy Bremner, Peter Lorimer etc – he’d been around a lot longer but I think his presence in the side helped with the younger kids who were coming through at the time.
I understand that Revie relied on Charlton a lot and he helped the youngsters transition into first team regulars. However, Charlton can go down in history as being one of the only players to stay at one club for the entirety of his playing career, so it is fair to call him a true Leeds legend.
Coming through the youth ranks, he signed his first professional contract at the age of 17 and made his debut on 25 April 1953, coming on for John Charles at centre-back in a 1-1 draw – the final second division game of the season.
For the following two years, Charlton had to undertake National Service – compulsory to everyone at the time of a certain age and so his contribution to us was limited. Despite this, he captained the House Guards to a win in the Cavalry Cup which took place in Hanover, Germany.
In 1955, Charlton was back in our first team, as a centre-forward no less, and played a key part in our promotion to the first division where we finished second to Sheffield Wednesday.
For the second half of the following season, he was dropped due to his lifestyle which consisted more of partying – one suspects, his two years spent in the Household Cavalry meant that he didn’t really have any time to let his hair down. I would think that this is something that was taken into consideration by management as they didn’t dismiss him from the club.
| Attribute | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | John Charlton |
| Nationality | English |
| Height | 1.88m (6’2″) |
| Position | Central Defender |
| Leeds Appearances | 629 competitive appearances (club record) |
| Leeds Goals | 70 goals |
| Captaincy | Not regular captain, but key leadership figure |
In the 1957/58 season, he was back in our side and settled down as a married man. That campaign, he was also picked to represent English Football League in a match against the League of Ireland. Following the departure of Raich Carter in 1958, Willis Edwards and Bill Lambton took the reins, and we finished just nine points outside the relegation zone during the 1958/59 season. Jack Taylor took charge for the following season and we were relegated.
Leeds United Career Transition
At this point, with Charlton beginning to mature as a player, he started to take his coaching badges and after a season back in Division Two where we finished the following season just five points above the relegation zone, Taylor was then dismissed.
Revie then took over, but experienced a number of teething problems at first, also taking a dislike to Charlton. He played him up front for the start of the 1961/62 campaign but he proved too ineffective and he was moved to centre-back.
It was a turbulent 12 months that followed for Charlton – he became unsettled, his younger brother Bobby was enjoying success at Manchester United, there was a move to Liverpool that didn’t materialise and Revie became annoyed at his unprofessional attitude.
Finally things calmed down, Charlton signed a new contract and became a key player under Revie, forming a great partnership at centre-back with a young Norman Hunter in a backline that also consisted of Paul Reaney at right-back and Rod Johnson at left-back, as well as Gary Sprake in goal.
We all know what happened in the decade that followed. We went on to taste major success domestically and almost in the European Cup, becoming one of the most feared teams on the continent, with Revie moulding one of the most talented crop of players England has seen.
At the end of the 1972/73 season, Charlton announced his retirement from the game due to not being able to regain match fitness following an injury. His testimonial against Celtic was well attended by many well-wishers with Charlton being given £28,000 of the £40,000 takings as a reward for his service.