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{{short description|Welsh footballer and manager}}
{{for|the evangelist|Ivor Powell (evangelist)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ivor Powell<br /><small>{{nobold|{{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}}}</small>
| image = 
| caption = 
| fullname = Ivor Verdun Powell<ref name="kent"/>
| birth_date = {{birth date|1916|7|5|df=y}}<ref name="kent"/>
| birth_place = [[Bargoed]], Wales<ref name="kent"/>
| death_date = {{death date and age|2012|11|6|1916|7|5|df=y}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Ivor Powell: Former QPR and Team Bath legend dies at 96|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20221753|access-date=6 November 2012|newspaper=[[BBC Sport]]|date=6 November 2012}}</ref>
| height = 
| position = [[Wing half|Left-half]]
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = Bargoed Thursdays
| years1 = 
| clubs1 = [[Barnet F.C.|Barnet]]
| caps1 = 
| goals1 = 
| years2 = 1937–1948
| clubs2 = [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]]
| caps2 = 110
| goals2 = 2
| years3 = 1948–1951
| clubs3 = [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]
| caps3 = 79
| goals3 = 5
| years4 = 1951
| clubs4 = [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]
| caps4 = 6
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 1951–1952
| clubs5 = [[Barry Town F.C.|Barry Town]]
| caps5 = 13
| goals5 = 4
| years6 = 1952–1954
| clubs6 = [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]]
| caps6 = 83
| goals6 = 9
| totalcaps = 291+
| totalgoals = 20+
| nationalyears1 = 1946–1950
| nationalteam1 = [[Wales national football team|Wales]]
| nationalcaps1 = 8
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 
| nationalteam2 = Wales Wartime
| nationalcaps2 = 4
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| manageryears1  = 1951| managerclubs1  = [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]
| manageryears2  = 1952–1955| managerclubs2  = [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]]
| manageryears3  = 1960–1963| managerclubs3  = [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]]
| manageryears4  = 1964–1967| managerclubs4  = [[Bath City F.C.|Bath City]]
| manageryears5  = 1968     | managerclubs5  = [[P.A.O.K. F.C.|PAOK]]
}}
'''Ivor Verdun Powell''', [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (5 July 1916&nbsp;– 6 November 2012) was a Welsh [[Association football|football]] player and [[Manager (association football)|manager]]. He won eight [[cap (sport)|caps]] for [[Wales national football team|Wales]].

A [[wing half]], he began his professional career with [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] in September 1937. His career was interrupted by [[World War II]], though he returned to QPR to help them to the [[Football League Third Division South|Third Division South]] title in [[1947–48 Football League|1947–48]]. He moved to [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] for [[Pound sterling|£]]17,500 [[1948–49 Aston Villa F.C. season|in December 1948]], and played 79 games in the [[Football League First Division|First Division]]. He was appointed [[player-manager]] at [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] in July 1951, though he was sacked after just four months. He was appointed [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]] manager in 1952 but was again unsuccessful and departed in February 1955. He did find success at [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] following his appointment in 1960, leading the club to [[Promotion and relegation|promotion]] out of the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]] in 1961–62. He left the club in 1963 and later managed [[Bath City F.C.|Bath City]] before becoming a [[Coach (sport)|coach]].

He was inducted to the [[Welsh Sports Hall of Fame]] in 2004 alongside [[snooker]] player [[Terry Griffiths]] and cricketer [[Tony Lewis]]. He also entered the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of World Records]] as the oldest working football coach on his 90th birthday after 55 years as a coach. He retired on 26 May 2010, aged 93. Ivor was the father of [[Barry Powell (footballer)|Barry Powell]].<ref>''Argentina come to Wembley again'', Norman Fox, [[The Times]] 15 January 1974.</ref>

==Club career==
===Queens Park Rangers===
Powell was a [[seventh son of a seventh son]] and started his working life down the [[Mining|mines]], alongside his father and six brothers for a wage of two [[shillings]] a day.<ref name="beano"/> His playing career began with [[South Wales]] League side Bargoed Thursdays.<ref name="beano">{{cite journal |title=The Ivor Powell Interview |journal=The Vale Park Beano |volume=64}}</ref> To his delight, in August 1936 he was invited to London to have a trial with [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]], making him "so happy to leave that wretched [coal] pit".<ref name="beano"/> This was unsuccessful but Powell stayed in London and got a job. He started playing for the [[reserve team]] of [[Barnet F.C.|Barnet]] and, in May 1937, played in a [[Exhibition game|friendly]] game against QPR. Powell was the outstanding player in the game, and Barnet won 8–1. This time, the Rangers took real interest. Joining QPR on professional terms under [[Billy Birrell]] in September 1937, the club finished third in the [[Football League Third Division South|Third Division South]], missing out on [[Promotion and relegation|promotion]] as they finished three points below champions [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]]. They finished sixth in [[1938–39 Football League|1938–39]], the first full season before the outbreak of [[World War II]]. {{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

During the war, he guested for [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]] and [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]] whilst working as an [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] physical trainer. At Blackpool, he struck up a friendship with [[Stanley Matthews]], who later became Powell's best man at his wedding to Joan Browell in 1943.<ref name="bath">{{cite web|url=http://www.teambath.com/2007/12/mbe-for-ivor-powell/ |title=MBE for Ivor Powell |date=29 December 2007 |work=teambath.com |access-date=21 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528182120/http://www.teambath.com/2007/12/mbe-for-ivor-powell/ |archive-date=28 May 2010 }}</ref>

He returned to [[Loftus Road]] after the war and helped QPR to finish as the Third Division South runners-up in [[1946–47 Football League|1946–47]], though only the team that finished first were promoted into the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]. They managed to finish as champions in [[1947–48 Football League|1947–48]] under [[Dave Mangnall]]'s stewardship to win promotion finally.<ref name="beano"/> He played 159 league and cup games for the club.<ref>{{cite news|title=Former half-back passes away, aged 96|url=http://www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/061112-ivor-powell-rip-469343.aspx|access-date=6 November 2012|newspaper=qpr.co.uk|date=6 November 2012}}</ref>

===Aston Villa===
On 15 December 1948, the tough [[Tackle (football move)|tackler]] commanded a [[Pound sterling|£]]17,500 [[Transfer (association football)|transfer]] fee; this was a record for a half back and for both the buying and selling clubs when he moved to [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]].<ref name="bath" /> Manager [[Alex Massie (footballer)|Alex Massie]] appointed him as club [[Captain (association football)|captain]].<ref name="beano"/> He played another 79 [[Football League First Division|First Division]] games for Villa in [[1948–49 Football League|1948–49]], [[1949–50 Football League|1949–50]], and [[1950–51 Football League|1950–51]], before he was appointed [[player-manager]] at [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] in July 1951.

==International career==
Powell made eight international caps for [[Wales national football team|Wales]]<ref>{{NeilBrownPlayers|player1/ivorpowell}}</ref> and won four wartime caps.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aston Villa Player Database|url=http://www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com/1096.html|website=astonvillaplayerdatabase.com|access-date=18 October 2016}}</ref> In one game he was replaced by [[English people|Englishman]] [[Stan Mortensen]] in a game between [[England national football team|England]] and Wales when his injury left the Welsh side without an available [[Substitute (association football)|substitute]].

==Management career==
===Port Vale===
At Port Vale, as player-manager, he played just six times, restricted on the field by a knee injury. As a [[Manager (association football)|manager]], he tried to 'rule by fear' and was not well-liked by the players; with the club bottom of the [[Football League Third Division South|Third Division South]], his [[Association football contracts|contract]] was terminated in November 1951.<ref name="kent">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=237|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}}</ref> [[Roy Sproson]] later said that "everything seemed to go wrong for him at Vale" and that "he used to treat players like kids".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sprosonfund.com/Stories/meetthemanagers.html |title=Meet the Managers |last=Harper |first=Chris |date=17 February 1975 |work=The Sentinel |access-date=23 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119233137/http://www.sprosonfund.com/Stories/meetthemanagers.html |archive-date=19 November 2008 }}</ref> Powell stated that all of the club's funds had been spent on completing [[Vale Park]] but that "I thought if I increased the fitness of the squad and worked on their diet I could knock them into shape".<ref name="beano"/> Injuries affected the squad and top-scorer [[Cliff Pinchbeck]] "disappeared for the first weeks of the season".<ref name="beano"/>

{{Blockquote|"He was a good, clean-living man who was always fair with me. He was a sergeant major-type as a manager. The first time he called me into his office, his first words were 'I'm the boss' and I thought 'Oh heck'. He had been a tremendous player, although I remember him coming unstuck in one training session on the [[Football pitch|pitch]] when he was trying to [[Coach (sport)|coach]] our winger, [[Mick Hulligan]]. Mick's free kicks hadn't been too clever that day, so Ivor said, 'Right, let me show you'. Ivor put the ball down just outside the penalty area, took a run-up and, as we all watched, he blasted the ball right out of the ground and off down Hamil Road. He did his best to recover the situation though. He turned around to Mick and said, 'Now, you see, that's what you were doing'. Football is a results business and, unfortunately, we weren't getting those results when Ivor was there. I remember being in the dressing room when he came in to the ground to see our chairman, William Holdcroft. We guessed he was being shown the door. On his way out he stopped and said to us: 'I may be back one day'. The chairman shouted: 'Oh no you won't'. Ivor was a disciplinarian at Vale, but that's not a criticism. I think it was his first job in management and he just didn't have the success with us."|Port Vale winger [[Colin Askey]] noted that Powell's first job in management was a steep learning curve.<ref>{{cite news|last=Baggaley|first=Michael|title=Former Valiants player and manager Ivor Powell dies|url=http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Port-Vale-Valiants-player-manager-Ivor-Powell/story-17255904-detail/story.html|access-date=7 November 2012|newspaper=[[The Sentinel (Staffordshire)|The Sentinel]]|date=7 November 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113042148/http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Port-Vale-Valiants-player-manager-Ivor-Powell/story-17255904-detail/story.html|archive-date=13 November 2012}}</ref>}}

===Bradford City===
Powell moved to [[Barry Town F.C.|Barry Town]] before being appointed the new [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]] manager, again as player-manager, before the start of the [[1952–53 in English football|1952–53]] season. His first season at [[Valley Parade]] was disappointing as they slipped to 16th in [[Football League Third Division North|Third Division North]]. The following season, they came fifth but were 16 points shy of the [[promotion and relegation|promotion]] places. During that season he missed the first [[Penalty kick (association football)|penalty]] of his career in a home fixture with [[Workington A.F.C.|Workington]].<ref name="frost">{{cite book| last = Frost| first = Terry| title = Bradford City A Complete Record 1903-1988| publisher = Breedon Books Sport| year = 1988| pages = 72–73| isbn = 0-907969-38-0}}</ref> The following season, he was carried off with [[knee]] [[ligament]] damage against [[Wrexham A.F.C.|Wrexham]].<ref name="frost"/> The injury ended his playing career. City's form also struggled, and Powell left in February 1955 after a run of seven straight defeats and just two wins from 19 games without his presence on the field. City were forced to apply for re-election at the end of the campaign.

===Carlisle United===
Powell became a trainer-coach at [[Don Revie]]'s [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]], and also had a coaching spell at [[P.A.O.K. F.C.|PAOK]] in Greece before he returned to management with [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] in May 1960, succeeding [[Andy Beattie]]. He led the "Cumbrians" to their first promotion when they finished fourth in the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]] in [[1961–62 in English football|1961–62]].<ref name="beano"/> He instilled discipline at [[Brunton Park]], and signed players such as [[Peter McConnell (footballer)|Peter McConnell]], [[Reg Davies (footballer, born 1929)|Reg Davies]], [[Terry Caldwell]], and [[Jack Marsden]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hall|first=Andy|title=Former-manager passes away|url=http://www.carlisleunited.co.uk/news/article/ivorpowell6nov12-470130.aspx|access-date=6 November 2012|newspaper=carlisleunited.co.uk|date=6 November 2012}}</ref> He left the [[1962–63 in English football|following season]], with the club struggling in the league and knocked out of the [[FA Cup]] by [[Southern Football League|Southern League]] side [[Ebbsfleet United F.C.|Gravesend & Northfleet]].<ref name="frost"/>

===Bath===
Powell became manager of [[Bath City F.C.|Bath City]] in 1964 and then a member of the coaching staff at [[Team Bath F.C.|Team Bath]] ([[University of Bath]]), where he worked for over 30 years, before becoming a coach at the same club. At 93, Powell announced his retirement as the "world's oldest football coach" in May 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/85/england/2010/05/26/1944806/worlds-oldest-soccer-coach-ivor-powell-retires|title=World's oldest soccer coach retires|publisher=goal.com|date=27 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10167841|title='Oldest' coach Ivor Powell hangs up his football boots|date=26 May 2010|work=BBC News|access-date=28 July 2010}}</ref>

He was inducted into the [[Welsh Sports Hall of Fame]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/3696447.stm|title=Foster joins Hall of Fame|date=8 May 2004|work=BBC Sport|access-date=21 June 2009}}</ref> In 2006, while assistant coach for [[Team Bath F.C.|Team Bath]] at the [[University of Bath]], he celebrated his 90th birthday and entered the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of World Records]] as the oldest working football coach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/5150570.stm|title=New record for football coach, 90 |date=5 July 2006|work=BBC Sport|access-date=21 June 2009}}</ref> He later became the club President.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2481597.stm|title=Coach, 86, inspires student players|date=18 November 2002|work=BBC Sport|access-date=21 June 2009}}</ref> He completed 53 years as an [[The Football Association|FA]] accredited coach. In 1993, he was awarded an Honorary Degree (MA) by the [[University of Bath]].<ref>{{cite web  |url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/ceremonies/hongrads/  |title=Honorary Graduates 1989 to present  |publisher=[[University of Bath]]  |work=bath.ac.uk  |access-date=18 February 2012  |archive-date=19 December 2015  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219000643/http://www.bath.ac.uk/ceremonies/hongrads/  |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

He was appointed a [[Order of the British Empire|Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[2008 New Year Honours]] for his services to sport and was presented with his award by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] on 25 June 2008, a few days short of his 92nd birthday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/7163068.stm|title=New Year Honours for sports stars|access-date=29 December 2007|date=29 December 2007|work=BBC Sport}}</ref> He described receiving the award as "an honour and a privilege."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7474279.stm|title=Football coach, 91, receives MBE |date=25 June 2008|work=BBC Sport|access-date=21 June 2009}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|"Aggression, determination, the will to win. These have always been my watchwords, and they still are. That's what I try to instil into these youngsters. And they listen, they really do."|Speaking in 2007, Powell explained his philosophy to ''[[The Independent]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Minchin|first=Rod|title=Wales football legend Ivor Powell dies aged 96|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/wales-football-legend-ivor-powell-dies-aged-96-8289825.html|access-date=6 November 2012|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=6 November 2012}}</ref>}}

In 2010, he launched "The Ivor Powell Sports Scholarship Fund" at the University of Bath to provide scholarships for future undergraduates who are academically gifted and in their chosen sport. This scholarship is administered by University of Bath Development and Alumni Relations.<ref>{{cite news|title=World's oldest football coach Ivor Powell retires|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/8704103.stm|access-date=6 November 2012|newspaper=BBC News|date=25 May 2010}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===Playing statistics===
Source:<ref>{{ENFA}}</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"|Other{{ref label|Other|A|}}
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="5"|[[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]]
|[[1938–39 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season|1938–39]]
|[[Football League Third Division South|Third Division South]]
|8||0||0||0||2||0||10||0
|-
|[[1946–47 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season|1946–47]]
|Third Division South
|41||1||6||0||0||0||47||1
|-
|[[1947–48 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season|1947–48]]
|Third Division South
|41||1||6||0||0||0||47||1
|-
|[[1948–49 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season|1948–49]]
|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]
|20||0||0||0||0||0||20||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!110!!2!!12!!0!!2!!0!!124!!2
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]
|[[1948–49 Aston Villa F.C. season|1948–49]]
|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|20||0||4||0||0||0||24||0
|-
|[[1949–50 Aston Villa F.C. season|1949–50]]
|First Division
|42||3||3||0||0||0||45||3
|-
|[[1950–51 Aston Villa F.C. season|1950–51]]
|First Division
|17||2||0||0||0||0||17||2
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!79!!5!!7!!0!!0!!0!!86!!5
|-
|[[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]
|[[1951–52 Port Vale F.C. season|1951–52]]
|Third Division South
|6||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]]
|[[1952–53 Bradford City A.F.C. season|1952–53]]
|[[Football League Third Division North|Third Division North]]
|36||3||3||0||0||0||39||3
|-
|[[1953–54 Bradford City A.F.C. season|1953–54]]
|Third Division North
|39||5||2||0||0||0||41||5
|-
|[[1954–55 Bradford City A.F.C. season|1954–55]]
|Third Division North
|8||1||0||0||0||0||8||1
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!83!!9!!5!!0!!0!!0!!88!!9
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!278!!16!!24!!0!!2!!0!!304!!16
|}

{{refbegin}}
:A.&nbsp;{{note|Other}} The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the [[EFL Cup|League Cup]], [[EFL Trophy|Football League Trophy]], [[English Football League play-offs]] and [[Full Members Cup]].
{{refend}}

===International statistics===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan=3 | [[Wales national football team|Wales national team]]<ref>{{NFT player|id=35156|accessdate=10 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|1946||1||0
|-
|1947||2||0
|-
|1948||1||0
|-
|1949||3||0
|-
|1950||1||0
|-
!Total||8||0
|}

===Managerial statistics===
{| 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|[[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]
|align=left|14 June 1951
|align=left|1 December 1951
{{WDL|19|2|8|9|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]]
|align=left|31 May 1952
|align=left|1 February 1955
{{WDL|128|46|37|45|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]]
|align=left|31 May 1960
|align=left|1 February 1963
{{WDL|92|47|30|15|decimals=1}}
|-
!colspan=3|Total
{{WDLtot|278|95|75|108|decimals=1}}
|}

==Honours==

===As a player===
'''Queens Park Rangers'''
*[[Football League Third Division South]]: [[1947–48 Football League|1947–48]]<ref name="beano"/>

===As a manager===
'''Carlisle United'''
*[[Football League Fourth Division]] fourth-place promotion: [[1961–62 Football League|1961–62]]<ref name="beano"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Port Vale F.C. managers}}
{{Bradford City A.F.C. managers}}
{{Carlisle United F.C. managers}}
{{Bath City F.C. managers}}
{{PAOK F.C. managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Ivor}}
[[Category:People from Bargoed]]
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[[Category:Welsh men's footballers]]
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