View source for Frank Soo

{{short description|English footballer}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = Frank Soo
| image          = Frank Soo circa 1940s 1950s.jpg
| caption        = Soo c. 1950
| fullname       = Frank Soo<ref name="pink"/>
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1914|3|8|df=y}}<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City">{{cite book|last=Matthews|first=Tony|title=The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City|year=1994|publisher=Lion Press|isbn=0-9524151-0-0}}</ref>
| birth_place    = [[Buxton]], [[Derbyshire]], England<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City"/>
| death_date     = {{Death date and age|1991|1|25|1914|3|8|df=y}}<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City"/>
| death_place    = [[Cheadle, Staffordshire|Cheadle]], [[Staffordshire]], England<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City"/>
| height         = 5 ft 7+1/2 in<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-dispatch-football-guide-1936-v-di/134566111/ |title=Stoke City. Record-breaking staff re-engaged for this season |newspaper=Sunday Dispatch Football Guide |location=London |date=23 August 1936 |page=vi |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
| position       = [[Forward (association football)|Inside-left]]; [[Midfielder|half-back]]
| youthyears1    =           | youthclubs1 = West Derby Boys Club
| years1         = 1932–1933 | clubs1 = [[Prescot Cables F.C.|Prescot Cables]]  | caps1 = | goals1 =
| years2         = 1933–1945 | clubs2 = [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]]          | caps2 = 173 | goals2 = 5
| years3         = 1945–1946 | clubs3 = [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]]  | caps3 = 0   | goals3 = 0
| years4         = 1946–1948 | clubs4 = [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]]          | caps4 = 71  | goals4 = 4
| years5         = 1948–1950 | clubs5 = [[Chelmsford City F.C.|Chelmsford City]]| caps5 =     | goals5 =
| totalcaps      = 244       | totalgoals = 9
| nationalyears1 = 1942–1945 | nationalteam1  = [[England national football team|England]] (wartime) | nationalcaps1 = 9 | nationalgoals1 = 0
| manageryears1  = 1949      | managerclubs1  = [[Helsingin Palloseura]]
| manageryears2  = 1950–1951 | managerclubs2  = [[St Albans City F.C.|St Albans City]]
| manageryears3  = 1951–1952 | managerclubs3  = [[Calcio Padova|Padova]]
| manageryears4  = 1952      | managerclubs4  = [[Norway national football team|Norway]]
| manageryears5  = 1952–1953 | managerclubs5  = [[IFK Eskilstuna|Eskilstuna]]
| manageryears6  = 1953–1954 | managerclubs6  = [[Örebro SK|Örebro]]
| manageryears7  = 1954–1955 | managerclubs7  = [[Djurgårdens IF Fotboll|Djurgården]]
| manageryears8  = 1956–1957 | managerclubs8  = [[IK Oddevold|Oddevold]]
| manageryears9  = 1958      | managerclubs9  = [[AIK Fotboll|AIK]]
| manageryears10 = 1959–1960 | managerclubs10 = [[Scunthorpe United F.C.|Scunthorpe United]]
| manageryears11 = 1961      | managerclubs11 = [[Frigg Oslo FK|Frigg]]
| manageryears12 = 1963      | managerclubs12 = [[IFK Stockholm]]
| manageryears13 = 1964      | managerclubs13 = [[Fredrikstad FK|Fredrikstad]]
| manageryears14 = 1965–1966 | managerclubs14 = [[Akademisk Boldklub]]
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|t = 蘇衛清
|s =苏卫清
|p=Sū Wèiqīng
|w=Su Wei-ch'ing
}}
'''Frank Soo''' (8 March 1914 – 25 January 1991) was an English professional [[association football|football]] player and [[Manager (association football)|manager]] of mixed Chinese and English parentage. He was the first player of Chinese origin to play in the [[English Football League]], and the first player of an ethnic minority background to represent [[England national football team|England]], though in [[England national football team results (unofficial matches)#World War II|unofficial wartime matches]].

He initially began his career at [[Forward (association football)|inside-left]], though later became more established at [[Midfielder|half-back]]. A quick and intelligent player, he was an excellent [[Passing (association football)|passer]] of the ball. He grew up in [[Liverpool]] and began his playing career with [[Prescot Cables F.C.|Prescot Cables]] before he joined [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] for a [[Pound sterling|£]]400 fee in January 1933. He made his first-team debut in November 1933 and became established in the first-team by the 1935–36 season. He lost most of his best playing years to [[World War II]], leaving him only able to serve in the [[Royal Air Force]] and play for Stoke and England in unofficial wartime games, as well as guest for numerous other clubs. He was sold on to [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] for a fee of £4,600 in September 1945 and then moved on to [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]] 10 months later for £5,000. He joined [[Chelmsford City F.C.|Chelmsford City]] of the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]] in May 1948 and retired as a player after two seasons.

A stern task master, he began to [[Coach (sport)|coach]] for European clubs in the 1950s and early 1960s. He briefly coached Finnish club [[Helsingin Palloseura]] in 1949 before taking charge at [[Isthmian League]] side [[St Albans City F.C.|St Albans City]] for the 1950–51 season. He was appointed manager of the Italian [[Serie A]] club [[Calcio Padova|Padova]] in April 1951 but left the club 11 months later following the sudden death of his wife. He then coached [[Norway national football team|Norway]] at the [[1952 Summer Olympics]], then led [[IFK Eskilstuna|Eskilstuna]] to [[Promotion and relegation|promotion]] out of the Swedish [[Division 1 (Swedish football)|Division 3]] Östra in 1952–53. He briefly managed [[Örebro SK|Örebro]] before he coached [[Djurgårdens IF Fotboll|Djurgården]] to the [[Allsvenskan]] title in 1954–55. He then returned to lower league football with [[IK Oddevold|Oddevold]], securing promotion out of [[Division 1 (Swedish football)|Division 3]] Nordvästra Götaland in 1955–56. He coached at [[AIK Fotboll|AIK]] in 1958 before returning to England to manage [[Scunthorpe United F.C.|Scunthorpe United]] in June 1959. He took Scunthorpe to 15th in the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] in the 1959–60 season before he resigned in May 1960. From there, he struggled to find work, spending short periods in charge at [[Frigg Oslo FK|Frigg]] (Norway), [[IFK Stockholm]] (Sweden), [[Fredrikstad FK|Fredrikstad]] (Norway), and [[Akademisk Boldklub]] (Denmark).

==Personal life==
Frank Soo was born in [[Buxton]], [[Derbyshire]] on 8 March 1914, and brought up in [[Liverpool]].<ref name="pink">{{cite news|last1=Godfrey|first1=Mark|title=The Wanderer – Just who was Frank Soo?|url=https://footballpink.net/2016/02/29/the-wanderer-just-who-was-frank-soo/|access-date=30 August 2016|work=The Football Pink|date=29 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021045137/https://footballpink.net/2016/02/29/the-wanderer-just-who-was-frank-soo/|archive-date=21 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> His parents, a Liverpool-based Chinese sailor father, Our Quong-Soo ({{Lang-zh|t=區君仕}}; also ''Ah Kwong-Soo''), and an English mother, Beatrice Whittam, had married in [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy|Chorlton, Manchester]] in 1908.<ref name="page 7">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=7}}</ref> The couple had moved to the village of [[Fairfield, Derbyshire|Fairfield]] to open a [[laundry]], as was commonly done by Chinese emigrants in England at the time, before eventually moving premises to [[West Derby]], Liverpool around 1920.<ref>{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=8}}</ref> He had an elder brother, Norman, and several younger siblings: Phyllis, Ronald, Jack, Harold and Kenneth.<ref>{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=14}}</ref> His brother, Ronald, was killed on 14 January 1944 while serving as an [[air gunner]] in [[No. 166 Squadron RAF|No. 166 Squadron]].<ref>[http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2101029 Soo, Ronald], Commonwealth War Graves Commission, cwgc.org; retrieved 2 June 2010.</ref>

Soo married hairdressing salon proprietor Beryl Freda Lunt in [[Stoke-on-Trent]] on 12 June 1938. The couple honeymooned in [[Bournemouth]].<ref name="page 35"/> Freda, as she was known, was a keen [[Autograph collecting|autograph hunter]] and had initially introduced herself to Soo to ask for his signature.<ref name="page 41">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=41}}</ref> The couple separated in 1951, and Freda died as a result of a [[barbiturate]] overdose on 10 March 1952; it was not known whether her death was intentional or accidental.<ref name="page 126">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=126}}</ref>

==Playing career==
===Stoke City===
Soo played for Norwood, West Derby and West Derby Boys' Club and was [[Scout (association football)|scout]]ed by both [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] and [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] without ever being signed by either club.<ref>{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=15}}</ref> He instead began his senior career with [[Cheshire County League|Cheshire League]] side [[Prescot Cables F.C.|Prescot Cables]] in late 1932, whilst working as an office clerk.<ref name="matthews2008">{{cite book|last1=Matthews|first1=Tony|title=The Legends of Stoke City|date=18 December 2008|publisher=Breedon Books|location=Derby, United Kingdom|isbn=978-1-85983-653-8|pages=170–71}}</ref> He was quickly signed by [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] for a [[Pound sterling|£]]400 fee on 25 January 1933, after being spotted by the club's scouts.<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City"/> [[Tom Mather]] handed Soo his debut at the expense of [[Harry Ware]] after picking him to play inside-left against [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] at [[Ayresome Park]] on 4 November 1933, making him the first player of Chinese descent to play in [[English Football League|the Football League]]; the match ended in a 6–1 defeat.<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City"/> Despite the heavy defeat, he was praised as Stoke's stand-out performer. He kept his place for the 1–0 defeat to [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] at the [[Victoria Ground]] seven days later.<ref>{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=26}}</ref> He made a third appearance in a loss to [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]], before being dropped for six matches.<ref name="page 27">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=27}}</ref> He scored his first goal in professional football on 3 January 1934, as Stoke beat [[Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.|Bradford Park Avenue]] 3–0 in the third round of the [[FA Cup]], and then scored again as Stoke defeated [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]] by the same scoreline in the following round 24 days later.<ref name="page 27"/> He scored his first league goal for the "Potters" on 29 January, concluding the scoring in a 3–0 victory over [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]].<ref name="page 27"/> He made a total of 16 appearances during the [[1933–34 Stoke City F.C. season|1933–34]] season, scoring three goals, as Stoke posted a 12th-place finish in the [[Football League First Division|First Division]].<ref name="page 28">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=28}}</ref>

Soo featured mainly for the [[Stoke City F.C. Under-21s and Academy|Reserves]] during the [[1934–35 Stoke City F.C. season|1934–35]] campaign, as the forward line of [[Harry Davies (footballer, born 1904)|Harry Davies]], [[Joe Johnson (footballer, born 1911)|Joe Johnson]], [[Bobby Liddle]], [[Stanley Matthews]] and [[Tommy Sale]] proved to be highly effective, scoring 60 of the club's 71 league goals on the way to a tenth-place finish.<ref name="page 28"/> He failed to make a first-team appearance between September and 9 March, only returning to the side following a run of three consecutive defeats.<ref name="page 29">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=29}}</ref> He [[Bone fracture|broke]] his leg during [[1935–36 Stoke City F.C. season|1935–36]] pre-season training, but made a speedy recovery to feature in a 2–0 defeat to Liverpool at [[Anfield]] on 18 September.<ref name="page 30">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=30}}</ref> He found himself a first-team regular under new [[Manager (association football)|manager]] [[Bob McGrory]], who utilised him as a left-sided half-back in the place of ageing veteran [[Harry Sellars]].<ref name="page 31">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=31}}</ref> Playing alongside [[Arthur Turner (footballer, born 1909)|Arthur Turner]] and [[Arthur Tutin]], Soo would be a part of one of the club's great half-back lines.<ref name="page 31"/> He played a total of 40 matches that season, helping Stoke to a fourth-place finish, the highest in [[History of Stoke City F.C.|the club's history]].<ref name="page 31"/>

Stoke were inconsistent across the [[1936–37 Stoke City F.C. season|1936–37]] season, recording a 10–3 victory over [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] (a game which Soo missed due to injury) in the middle of a run of eight defeats in 11 league fixtures.<ref name="page 34">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=34}}</ref> Soo made 31 appearances, as City finished in tenth place. Soo scored four goals from 45 appearances during the [[1937–38 Stoke City F.C. season|1937–38]] campaign and played at centre-forward on two occasions in November due to injuries to [[Freddie Steele (footballer)|Freddie Steele]] and [[James Westland (footballer)|James Westland]].<ref name="page 34"/> However, Stoke struggled again, falling to 17th-place in the league and being knocked out of the FA Cup by Bradford Park Avenue. Soo succeeded Turner as acting club [[Captain (association football)|captain]] in March 1938 and was formally named as captain in the summer.<ref name="page 35">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=35}}</ref>

In October 1938, Stoke rejected a bid from [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]] of £5,000 for Soo.<ref name="page 38">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=38}}</ref> Stoke recovered from a poor start to the [[1938–39 Stoke City F.C. season|1938–39]] season to finish in seventh-place, with Soo scoring three goals from 44 appearances, sometimes being asked to play out of position due to injuries to other players.<ref name="page 38"/> His name was put forward in numerous newspapers for selection in the [[England national football team|England team]], with the ''[[Daily Express]]'' stating that "Soo, of Stoke, is one of the finest halves in the game, and it would be no less than he was worth if they put him in".<ref name="page 39">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=39}}</ref> However, he lost the chance to represent England due to the outbreak of [[World War II]], which had also caused Stoke City to cancel their planned 1939 summer tour of Germany and Poland, and then led the Football League to cancel the [[1939–40 Stoke City F.C. season|1939–40]] season after just three matches.<ref name="page 45">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=45}}</ref> Before the league was suspended, Soo's midfield partnership with Turner and Tutin – with Matthews and Steele in attack – had made Stoke one of the favourites for that season's league title.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Peter |title=Stoke City superstar Frank Soo honoured as Google Doodle - and this is why |url=https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/frank-soo-google-stoke-city-4118261 |access-date=9 May 2020 |work=Stoke Sentinel |date=8 May 2020}}</ref>

===World War II===
Soo initially found work in the engineering department of the [[Michelin]] tyre company in Stoke-on-Trent, which allowed him to play wartime matches for Stoke City.<ref name="page 49">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=49}}</ref> Throughout the war he played at full-back, right half-back, left-half-back and inside-left, filling in as need be as team-mates would be unavailable for selection due to service or work commitments.<ref name="page 49"/> He also appeared for [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]], [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]], [[Everton F.C.|Everton]], [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], [[Reading F.C.|Reading]], [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]], [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]], [[Crewe Alexandra F.C.|Crewe Alexandra]], [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]], and [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]], and played nine times for the England national football team between 1942 and 1945 (in Wartime and [[Victory International]]s),<ref name="kent">{{cite book|author-link1=Jeff Kent (author)|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=275|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=International caps|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/eng-warvic-intres.html|work=[[RSSSF]]|author=Barrie Courtney|access-date=16 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=England - War-Time/Victory Internationals - Details |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/eng-warvic-intres.html |website=[[RSSSF]] |author=Barrie Courtney |access-date=16 December 2019}}</ref> the first non-white person ever to play for the national team (albeit in semi-official matches only) and the only person of East Asian descent to date.<ref>{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Jonathan |title=Frank Soo Street hopes to put England's pioneering Asian footballer on the map |url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/2177631/frank-soo-street-hopes-put-englands-pioneering-asian-footballer-map |access-date=23 December 2019 |work=South China Morning Post |date=13 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref> He also played for several [[The Football Association|FA]] representative teams not officially described as "England". He played mainly for Stoke City however, scoring three goals in 28 appearances in the [[1939–40 Stoke City F.C. season|1939–40]] season as Stoke won the War League West Regional Championship.<ref name="page 54">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=54}}</ref> He then scored four goals from 18 matches in [[1940–41 Stoke City F.C. season|1940–41]].<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City"/>

He was called up to the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) on 28 July 1941 and spent most of his time in the RAF working in the technical training of aircrews.<ref name="page 56">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=56}}</ref> As time went on, he was based further away from Stoke and became unable to play for the club; he scored three goals from 12 appearances in [[1941–42 Stoke City F.C. season|1941–42]] and four goals from 13 matches in [[1942–43 Stoke City F.C. season|1942–43]], before he was stripped of the captaincy.<ref name="page 64">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=64}}</ref> He played just two games for Stoke in [[1943–44 Stoke City F.C. season|1943–44]] and scored three goals from eight games in [[1944–45 Stoke City F.C. season|1944–45]].<ref name="page 53">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=53}}</ref> In April 1945, Soo submitted a [[Transfer (association football)|transfer]] request after growing tensions between himself and McGrory due to his lack of availability and his frustrations at being played out of position by McGrory, who also had a similarly tense relationship with star player Stanley Matthews.<ref name="101 greats"/><ref name="page 69">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=69}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last1=Matthews|first1=Stanley|first2=Les |last2=Scott|title=The Way It Was|publisher=[[Headline Publishing Group|Headline]]|year=2000|isbn=0-7472-6427-9|page=238}}</ref>

===Leicester City===
On 27 September 1945, Soo was sold to [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] for a fee of £4,600, rejoining the manager who had signed him for Stoke, Tom Mather.<ref name="City legends">{{cite news|title=Stoke City legends: Frank Soo|url=http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Stoke-City-legends-Frank-Soo/story-12564183-detail/story.html|access-date=16 December 2012|newspaper=[[The Sentinel (Staffordshire)|The Sentinel]]|date=10 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229142022/http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Stoke-City-legends-Frank-Soo/story-12564183-detail/story.html|archive-date=29 December 2012}}</ref> He was named as the "Foxes" new club captain less than two weeks later.<ref name="page 82">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=82}}</ref> However, Leicester struggled in the [[1945–46 in English football|1945–46]] season, and he was transfer-listed in January despite being one of the better performers at [[Filbert Street]].<ref name="page 88">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=88}}</ref> He was demobilised from the RAF on 26 April 1946.<ref name="page 90">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=90}}</ref>

===Luton Town===
Soo joined [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]] in July 1946 for a fee of £5,000.<ref name="matthews2008"/> The "Hatters" started the [[1946–47 Luton Town F.C. season|1946–47]] season poorly, losing eight matches by mid-November.<ref name="page 93">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=93}}</ref> However, after going three goals down to league leaders [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]], manager [[George Martin (Scottish footballer)|George Martin]] gave what Soo described as "the most unusual pep talk I have ever heard" and inspired a 4–3 comeback victory.<ref name="page 94">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=94}}</ref> Luton went on to finish the season 13th in the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]], with Soo making 38 league and four FA Cup appearances. He then scored five goals in 36 appearances in the [[1947–48 Luton Town F.C. season|1947–48]] season, though new manager [[Dally Duncan]] could not take Luton above 13th place, and he allowed Soo to leave [[Kenilworth Road]] in the summer.<ref name="page 97">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=97}}</ref>

===Chelmsford City===
On 28 May 1948, Soo signed with [[Chelmsford City F.C.|Chelmsford City]] from Luton for a reported "substantial transfer fee".<ref name="page 98">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=98}}</ref> He was appointed as club captain and as a [[Coach (sport)|coach]] and helped [[Arthur Rowe]]'s "Clarets" to finish second in the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]] in [[1948–49 Southern Football League|1948–49]], before being transfer-listed in the summer after failing to agree terms with the club.<ref name="page 104">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=104}}</ref> He spent the summer coaching Finnish club [[Helsingin Palloseura]].<ref name="page 108">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=108}}</ref> Rowe left to manage [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] and Soo applied to succeed him as Chelmsford manager, but lost out to [[Jack Tresadern]].<ref name="page 110">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=110}}</ref> He submitted a transfer request in November 1949 so as to try and find a club closer to his wife's family home in Stoke-on-Trent following her father's death, and also due to increasing tensions between himself, Tresadern, and the club's board of directors.<ref name="page 113">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=113}}</ref> [[Kidderminster Harriers F.C.|Kidderminster Harriers]] offered Chelmsford £1,000 for his services, but Soo refused to join the club.<ref name="page 115">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=115}}</ref> He was forced to play for Chelmsford Reserves as the dispute rumbled on, before he was reinstated in the first-team in January following outcry from the club's supporters.<ref name="page 116">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=116}}</ref> City finished in fourth-place at the end of the [[1949–50 Southern Football League|1949–50]] season, and though Soo was named on the club's retained list he instead retired as a player to join [[St Albans City F.C.|St Albans City]] as manager on 30 May 1950.<ref name="page 121">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=121}}</ref>

==Style of play==
Soo was quick and intelligent and was noted for his ability to deliver perfectly placed passes.<ref name="page 143">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=143}}</ref><ref name="101 greats">{{cite book|title=Stoke City 101 Golden Greats|year=2002|publisher=Desert Islands Books|pages=88–90|isbn=1-874287-55-4}}</ref> [[Stan Mortensen]] wrote in his autobiography, ''Football Is My Game'', that Soo was one of the four best wing-halves he ever played with (alongside [[George Farrow]], [[Billy Wright (footballer, born 1924)|Billy Wright]] and [[Harry Sellars]]), and "seemed incapable of a clumsy movement".<ref name="page 32">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=32}}</ref> Arsenal's [[Alex James (footballer)|Alex James]] described him as "modern for his time".<ref name="street"/>

==Managerial career==
===Padova===
Soo spent the summer of 1949 coaching the Finnish club Helsingin Palloseura before entering management full-time at [[Isthmian League]] side St Albans City in May 1950. He led the "Saints" to a ninth-place finish at the end of the [[1950–51 Isthmian League|1950–51]] season. On 12 April 1951, he was appointed as manager of Italian club [[Calcio Padova|Padova]] following [[Giovanni Ferrari]]'s dismissal as manager.<ref name="page 122">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=122}}</ref> The press had accused the "Patavini" players of laziness, and Soo's reputation as a stern taskmaster was seen as a good solution.<ref name="page 124">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=124}}</ref> Padova beat [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]] 2–0 on the final day of the [[1950–51 Serie A|1950–51]] season to avoid [[promotion and relegation|relegation]] out of [[Serie A]], and finished just a point ahead of 19th-placed [[A.S. Roma|Roma]].<ref name="page 124"/> His main summer signing was Norwegian player [[Knut Andersen (footballer, born 1930)|Knut Andersen]], though the transfer was only completed in December when clearance from the Scandinavian Federation was confirmed; on Andersen's debut Padova managed to beat reigning champions [[A.C. Milan|Milan]] 5–2 at the [[Stadio Silvio Appiani]].<ref name="page 125">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=125}}</ref> However, the team struggled in the second half of the [[1951–52 Serie A|1951–52]] season, and Soo left the club on 13 March to return to England following his wife's death; [[Gastone Prendato]] was named as his successor at Padova, but could not keep the club out of the relegation zone by the end of the season.<ref name="page 125"/>

===Scandinavia===
He signed a one-year [[Association football contracts|contract]] to manage Swedish club [[IFK Eskilstuna|Eskilstuna]] in May 1952, but took charge of the side after first working as [[head coach]] of the [[Norway national football team]] for the [[1952 Summer Olympics]] in [[Helsinki]].<ref>[http://www.fotballen.eu/artikler/landslaget/statistikk.html Landslaget statistikk/rekorder] (Norwegian) Retrieved 16 December 2019.</ref> He took charge of just one match, as Norway were defeated 4–1 by neighbours and [[Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics|reigning gold medallists]] [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] in the [[Football at the 1952 Summer Olympics|first round]] of the tournament.<ref>{{cite web|title=Olympic Football Tournament Helsinki 1952 - Sweden 4:1 (2:0) Norway - Overview |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/mensolympic/helsinki1952/matches/round=197061/match=32387/index.html|website=FIFA.com|access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref> Returning to Eskilstuna, he told the press that he wanted to initiate a new playing style of "long, sweeping passes", and in addition to coaching the first-team he also took charge of the [[Youth system|youth team]] and coached at local [[Eskilstuna]] schools.<ref name="page 127">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=127}}</ref> He also initiated a total ban on alcohol for his players, which some in the media criticised as totalitarian and unnecessary.<ref name="page 128">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=128}}</ref> The club finished third in the Östra region of [[Division 1 (Swedish football)|Division 3]] in [[1952–53 Swedish football Division 3|1952–53]], but were promoted into [[Superettan|Division 2]] due to a re-organisation of the league system.<ref name="prom">{{cite web|title=Division 3 (3rd level) 1952/53|url=http://home.swipnet.se/clasglenning/Sweden/3rdlevel/31953.htm|access-date=14 August 2017|date=25 November 2009|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125201616/http://home.swipnet.se/clasglenning/Sweden/3rdlevel/31953.htm|publisher=Swipnet|archive-date=25 November 2009}}</ref>

Soo was appointed manager of newly relegated Division 2 Svealand club [[Örebro SK|Örebro]] in 1953, however, soon became unpopular with some players in his new dressing room due to his strict training methods.<ref name="page 129">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=129}}</ref> Despite his apparent unpopularity, he still managed to take the club to a second-place finish at the end of the [[1953–54 Swedish football Division 2|1953–54]] season, one place ahead of Eskilstuna.<ref name="page 129"/> He again did not stay long though. He was appointed as manager at [[Allsvenskan]] club [[Djurgårdens IF Fotboll|Djurgården]] in June 1954, succeeding Welshman [[Dai Astley]].<ref name="page 129"/> He was also linked with the [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden national team]] job, but the [[Swedish Football Association|SvFF]] opted not to appoint a full-time manager following failure to qualify for the [[1954 FIFA World Cup]].<ref name="page 131"/> He instead accepted a post as part-time coach of Sweden, still to be officially managed by a committee, but left the post following heavy defeats to the [[Soviet Union national football team|Soviet Union]] and [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]].<ref name="page 131"/> Back at Djurgården, his physical style of play proved to be highly effective, and he led the "Blåränderna" to the league title at the end of the [[1954–55 Djurgårdens IF season|1954–55]] season, after which he tendered his resignation.<ref name="Djurgården">{{cite web|last1=Colon|first1=Paul|title=Djurgården And Hammarby: A Moving Story – TheInsideLeft|url=http://theinsideleft.com/djurgardens-hammarby-moving/|website=TheInsideLeft|access-date=1 November 2016|date=18 June 2013}}</ref>

Soo was appointed manager of Division 3 Nordvästra Götaland club [[IK Oddevold|Oddevold]] on 21 February 1956 and led the club to promotion as runners-up of their region in [[1955–56 Swedish football Division 3|1955–56]].<ref name="page 133">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=133}}</ref> However, the team struggled in the Västra Götaland region of Division 2 in the [[1956–57 Swedish football Division 2|1956–57]] campaign, and Soo left the club in February 1957; his successor, [[Sven-Ove Svensson]], led the club to an eighth-place finish.<ref name="page 133"/> In December 1957, he was appointed as trainer at Allsvenskan club [[AIK Fotboll|AIK]], working alongside former Sweden selection committee chairman [[Putte Kock]].<ref name="page 133"/> However, he soon caused controversy after trying to focus his players primarily on football, which angered [[bandy]] playing twins [[Bengt Anlert|Bengt]] and [[Björn Anlert]].<ref name="page 134">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=134}}</ref> The "Gnaget" finished ninth in [[1957–58 Allsvenskan|1957–58]], and Soo and the players suffered a difficult relationship.<ref name="page 134"/>

===Scunthorpe United===
On 8 June 1959, Soo returned to England and was appointed manager of [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] club [[Scunthorpe United F.C.|Scunthorpe United]], and immediately came under fire from vice-chairman Doug Drury, who said the club could not afford Soo's £1,600-a-year salary.<ref name="page 136">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=136}}</ref> He signed defender [[Dennis John (footballer)|Dennis John]], winger [[Martin Bakes]] and centre-forward [[Barrie Thomas]]; Thomas went on to score 26 goals as the "Iron" recorded a 15th-place finish at the end of the [[1959–60 Scunthorpe United F.C. season|1959–60]] season.<ref name="page 137">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=137}}</ref> Writing in February 1960, [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]] manager [[Alf Ramsey]] described Scunthorpe as "one of the most improved clubs in the country, since manager Frank Soo took over the reins at the [[Old Showground]] at the start of the season, the football produced by this little club has at times matched the best".<ref name="page 138">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=138}}</ref> However, Soo resigned in May 1960.<ref name="page 138"/>

===Later career===
In 1961, Soo returned to Scandinavia and managed [[Frigg Oslo FK|Frigg]] in [[Oslo]], the capital of Norway, for one season.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Aftenposten |first1=Viljam Brodahl |title="Den glemte spilleren" var norsk landslagssjef i én kamp. Nå hylles han av milliardselskap. |url=https://www.aftenposten.no/sport/fotball/i/jd2xjq/den-glemte-fotballspilleren-var-norsk-landslagssjef-i-en-kamp-naa-hylles-han-av-milliardselskap? |access-date=11 May 2020 |work=Aftenposten |language=nb-NO}}</ref> Two years later Soo was appointed manager of the [[Israel national football team|Israel national team]] and was due to take charge in October 1963, but a last-minute disagreement between himself and the [[Israel Football Association]] meant that he never formally took charge of the team. The job instead went to [[George Ainsley]].<ref name="page 138"/> He subsequently returned to [[Scandinavia]] and briefly took charge at [[IFK Stockholm]] before he was appointed manager of [[Eliteserien|Norwegian First Division]] club [[Fredrikstad FK|Fredrikstad]] in January 1964.<ref name="page 139">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=139}}</ref> He had a "short and turbulent" reign, again finding his players resentful of his prohibition of alcohol, and led the club to a second-place finish in [[1964 1. divisjon|1964]], before he resigned on 15 December 1964.<ref name="page 139"/> In November 1965, he was appointed manager of [[Danish 1st Division]] club [[Akademisk Boldklub]], and led the "Akademikerne" to fifth-place and sixth-place finishes in [[1965 Danish 1st Division|1965]] and [[1966 Danish 1st Division|1966]].<ref name="page 141">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=141}}</ref> However, by this time he had established a reputation as a manager who was difficult to work with, highly demanding both in what he asked of his players and what he asked for financially, and someone who very quickly moved on.<ref name="page 140">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=140}}</ref> He remained in Sweden for the rest of the 1960s, though nearly made a return to coaching with the [[Hong Kong national football team|Hong Kong national team]] in April 1972, though did not take up the post as the [[Hong Kong Football Association|HKFA]] were only prepared to offer him a one-year contract.<ref name="page 141"/> He returned to Stoke-on-Trent by the 1980s, and later died due to complications of [[dementia]] at a cottage hospital in [[Cheadle, Staffordshire|Cheadle]] on 25 January 1991.<ref name="page 143"/>

==Style of management==
In an interview with the Swedish newspaper ''Fotboll'', Soo said "usually I run with the boys for 90-minutes. Then I try to make that time as intense as possible... I want them to be tired after training".<ref name="page 131"/> He was described as a ''slavdrivare'' (slave driver).<ref name="page 131">{{harvnb|Gardiner|2016|p=131}}</ref>

==Legacy==
A street was named after him on what used to be the site of the Victoria Ground in Stoke.<ref name="street">{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Peter |title=Who is Frank Soo? The Stoke City legend who made England history |url=https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/google-frank-soo-stoke-city-4118355 |access-date=9 May 2020 |work=Stoke Sentinel |date=9 May 2020}}</ref> The Frank Soo Foundation was created in Soo's honour in 2016, the aim of which is to promote his story, continue his legacy and encourage more people from [[British Asians in association football|East and South East Asian backgrounds]] to participate in football. An annual five-a-side charity football tournament is held in his honour, with the Player of the Tournament award being named after him.<ref>{{cite web |title=Charity {{!}} The Frank Soo Foundation |url=https://www.thefranksoofoundation.org.uk/ |website=Frank Soo Foundation |access-date=9 May 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The Frank Soo Cup is also held every year in collaboration with [[County football association|County Football Associations]] encouraging grassroots participation and supported by the FA

On 8 May 2020, to commemorate the anniversary of his first England [[Cap (sport)|cap]], Soo was honoured by [[Google]] with a [[Google Doodle|Doodle]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Peter |title=Google artist explains tribute to Stoke City hero Frank Soo |url=https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/frank-soo-google-stoke-england-4118403 |access-date=9 May 2020 |work=Stoke Sentinel |date=9 May 2020}}</ref> On 3 November 2023, Soo was inducted into the Stoke-on-Trent Sporting Hall of Fame to mark 90 years since his debut for Stoke City.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Trehan |first1=Dev |title=England and Stoke City trailblazer Frank Soo to be inducted into Stoke-on-Trent's Sporting Hall of Fame |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12997250/england-and-stoke-city-trailblazer-frank-soo-to-be-inducted-into-stoke-on-trents-sporting-hall-of-fame |access-date=28 February 2024 |work=Sky Sports |date=2 November 2023 |language=en}}</ref> On 2 November 2024, Soo was also inducted into the [[National Football Museum]]s Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Frank Soo: England's first player of Asian descent to be inducted into National Football Museum Hall of Fame |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13212811/frank-soo-englands-first-player-of-asian-descent-to-be-inducted-into-national-football-museum-hall-of-fame |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240917121436/https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13212811/frank-soo-englands-first-player-of-asian-descent-to-be-inducted-into-national-football-museum-hall-of-fame |archive-date=2024-09-17 |access-date=2024-12-12 |work=Sky Sports |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dobson |first=Craig |date=2024-11-05 |title=Frank Soo inducted into our Hall of Fame |url=https://nationalfootballmuseum.com/news/frank-soo-hall-of-fame/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=National Football Museum |language=en-GB}}</ref> A campaign lobbying [[The Football Association|the FA]] to award Soo with a posthumous honorary England cap was launched shortly after.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Trehan |first1=Dev |title=Frank Soo: Football Association urged to award honorary cap to Asian trailblazer who played for England during the war |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12016/13001122/frank-soo-football-association-urged-to-award-honorary-cap-to-asian-trailblazer-who-played-for-england-during-the-war |access-date=28 February 2024 |work=Sky Sports |date=10 November 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

==Career statistics==

===Playing statistics===
Source:<ref name="ENFA">{{ENFA}}</ref><ref>{{NeilBrownPlayers|player3/franksoo}}</ref><ref name="fsm">{{cite web |title=Frank's Matches {{!}} The Frank Soo Foundation |url=https://www.thefranksoofoundation.org.uk/franksoomatches |website=Frank Soo Foundation |access-date=9 May 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|FA Cup
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="7"|[[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]]
|[[1933–34 Stoke City F.C. season|1933–34]]
|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|14||1||2||2||16||3
|-
|[[1934–35 Stoke City F.C. season|1934–35]]
|First Division
|9||0||0||0||9||0
|-
|[[1935–36 Stoke City F.C. season|1935–36]]
|First Division
|35||0||5||0||40||0
|-
|[[1936–37 Stoke City F.C. season|1936–37]]
|First Division
|31||0||0||0||31||0
|-
|[[1937–38 Stoke City F.C. season|1937–38]]
|First Division
|42||2||3||2||45||4
|-
|[[1938–39 Stoke City F.C. season|1938–39]]
|First Division
|42||2||2||1||44||3
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!173!!5!!12!!5!!185!!10
|-
|[[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]]
|[[1945–46 in English football|1945–46]]
|War League
|0||0||2||0||2||0
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]]
|[[1946–47 Luton Town F.C. season|1946–47]]
|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]
|38||0||4||0||42||0
|-
|[[1947–48 Luton Town F.C. season|1947–48]]
|Second Division
|33||4||3||1||36||5
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!71!!4!!7!!1!!78!!5
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!244!!9!!21!!6!!265!!15
|}

===Managerial statistics===
Source:<ref name="ENFA"/>
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center"
|+ Managerial record by team and tenure
|-
!rowspan=2|Team
!rowspan=2|From
!rowspan=2|To
!colspan=5|Record
|-
!{{abbr|P|Matches played}}!!{{abbr|W|Matches won}}!!{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}!!{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}!!{{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}}
|-
|align=left|[[Norway national football team|Norway]]
|align=left|June 1952
|align=left|July 1952
{{WDL|1|0|0|1|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Scunthorpe United F.C.|Scunthorpe United]]
|align=left|June 1959
|align=left|May 1960
{{WDL|44|14|10|20|decimals=1}}
|-
!colspan=3|Total
{{WDLtot|45|14|10|21|decimals=1}}
|}

==Honours==
'''Eskilstuna'''
* [[Division 1 (Swedish football)|Division 3]] Östra promotion: [[1952–53 Swedish football Division 3|1952–53]]<ref name="prom"/>

'''Djurgården'''
* [[Allsvenskan]]: [[1954–55 Djurgårdens IF season|1954–55]]<ref name="Djurgården"/>

'''Oddevold'''
* [[Division 1 (Swedish football)|Division 3]] Nordvästra Götaland promotion: [[1955–56 Swedish football Division 3|1955–56]]<ref name="page 133"/>

==References==
;Specific
{{reflist}}

;General
* {{Citation|last=Gardiner|first=Susan|title=The Wanderer: The Story of Frank Soo|publisher=Electric Blue|year=2016|isbn=978-0-9955396-1-7}}

{{English Football Hall of Fame}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Frank Soo managerial positions
|list1=
{{Calcio Padova managers}}
{{Norway national football team managers}}
{{Örebro SK managers}}
{{Djurgårdens IF managers}}
{{AIK Fotboll managers}}
{{Scunthorpe United F.C. managers}}
{{Akademisk Boldklub managers}}
}}
{{Norway football squad 1952 Summer Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soo, Frank}}
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[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Prescot Cables F.C. players]]
[[Category:Stoke City F.C. players]]
[[Category:Newcastle United F.C. wartime guest players]]
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[[Category:IFK Eskilstuna managers]]
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[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]
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[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Denmark]]
[[Category:Deaths from dementia in England]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]