View source for Ron Saunders

{{Short description|English footballer and manager (1932–2019)}}
{{for-multi|the American politician|Ron Saunders (politician)|other people|Ron Sanders (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ron Saunders
| image = Ron Saunders.jpeg
| full_name = Ronald Saunders
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1932|11|6}}
| birth_place = [[Birkenhead]], [[Cheshire]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2019|12|7|1932|11|6}}
| height = 
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = 
| years1 = 1951–1955
| years2 = 1955–1957
| years3 = 1957–1958
| years4 = 1958–1964
| years5 = 1964–1965
| years6 = 1965–1967
| clubs1 = [[Everton F.C.|Everton]]
| clubs2 = [[Tonbridge Angels F.C.|Tonbridge Angels]]
| clubs3 = [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]]
| clubs4 = [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]]
| clubs5 = [[Watford F.C.|Watford]]
| clubs6 = [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]]
| caps1 = 3
| caps2 = 53
| caps3 = 49
| caps4 = 236
| caps5 = 39
| caps6 = 65
| goals1 = 0
| goals2 = 39
| goals3 = 20
| goals4 = 145
| goals5 = 18
| goals6 = 24
| totalcaps = 445
| totalgoals = 246
| manageryears1 = 1967–1969
| manageryears2 = 1969
| manageryears3 = 1969–1973
| manageryears4 = 1973–1974
| manageryears5 = 1974–1982
| manageryears6 = 1982–1986
| manageryears7 = 1986–1987
| managerclubs1 = [[Yeovil Town F.C.|Yeovil Town]]
| managerclubs2 = [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]]
| managerclubs3 = [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]]
| managerclubs4 = [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]
| managerclubs5 = [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]
| managerclubs6 = [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]]
| managerclubs7 = [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]]
}}
'''Ronald Saunders''' (6 November 1932 – 7 December 2019) was an English [[association football|football]] player and manager. He played for [[Everton F.C.|Everton]], [[Tonbridge Angels F.C.|Tonbridge Angels]], [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]], [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]], [[Watford F.C.|Watford]] and [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]] during a 16-year playing career, before moving into management. He managed seven clubs in 20 years, and he was the first manager to have taken charge of [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]], [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] and [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]], the three rival clubs based in and around the city of [[Birmingham]].

Saunders also managed [[Yeovil Town F.C.|Yeovil Town]], [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]], [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]] and [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]. He was involved in football for 36 consecutive years; he left his final managerial role, at [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]], at the age of 54.

==Playing career==
As a player, he was an old-fashioned, hard-shooting centre forward who scored 246 goals in 16 years for [[Everton F.C.|Everton]], Tonbridge Angels, [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]], [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]], [[Watford F.C.|Watford]] and [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]].<ref name=NB>{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/ronsaunders.html |title=Ron Saunders |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |access-date=28 January 2010}}</ref> Saunders was leading goalscorer for six consecutive seasons at Portsmouth<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pompeyrama.com/pompey-fc-squad-13.html |title=Pompey 1st Team Squad: 1958/59 |publisher=PompeyRama |access-date=28 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715103017/http://www.pompeyrama.com/pompey-fc-squad-13.html |archive-date=15 July 2011}}, and subsequent season pages.</ref> and his goals were a key factor in helping Pompey win the [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]] title in 1962.<ref name=WatfordBook>{{cite book |title=The Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who |author=Jones, Trefor |year=1996 |isbn= 0-9527458-0-1 |page=205|publisher=T.G. Jones }}</ref> He remains their third highest goalscorer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pfcusa.net/fact.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414204725/http://www.pfcusa.net/fact.htm|archive-date=14 April 2009|title=Pompey Database|publisher=Portsmouth F.C. Supporters Club of U.S.A.|access-date=11 April 2014}}</ref> He retired from full-time playing in 1967, when with Charlton.

==Managerial career==
===Early career===
Saunders became player-manager at non-league [[Yeovil Town F.C.|Yeovil Town]].<ref name=WatfordBook/>

===Norwich City===
As a manager, Saunders first tasted success at [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]], guiding them to the Second Division title in 1972, which saw them promoted to the First Division for the first time in their history. Saunders steered Norwich City to survival in their first season in the top flight. They also reached the [[Football League Cup]] final, losing 1–0 to [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canaries.co.uk/page/History/0,,10355~1025326,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722160316/http://www.canaries.co.uk/page/History/0,,10355~1025326,00.html |archive-date=22 July 2012 |title=Club History – 1970 to 1985 |publisher=Norwich City F.C |access-date=28 January 2010}}</ref> He resigned as Norwich manager on 17 November 1973 following a boardroom row after a 3–1 home defeat to [[Everton F.C.|Everton]].<ref>{{cite news |title=No valid answers for collective decline |first=Geoffrey |last=Green |newspaper=The Times |date=19 November 1973 |page=8 |quote=Last year, Norwich only just escaped relegation by a whisker and again find themselves in the shadows, made even darker on Saturday night when their manager, Ron Saunders, resigned after an angry scene in the boardroom following the 3–1 home defeat by Everton.}}</ref>

===Manchester City===
Five days later, Saunders accepted an offer to take over at [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Derby players not to go on strike |newspaper=The Times |date=23 November 1973 |page=11}}</ref> For the second season running Saunders managed a team to the Football League Cup final, but once again they lost – this time to [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]]. Despite their cup success, City's league form was shaky, and Saunders was dismissed three weeks before the end of the season. He did not stay out of work for long however, and the following month joined Second Division side Aston Villa as manager.<ref>{{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Tony |title=Birmingham City: A Complete Record |year=1995 |publisher=Breedon Books |location=Derby |pages=64–65 |isbn=978-1-85983-010-9}}</ref>

===Aston Villa===
Saunders guided Villa to promotion to the First Division (as runners-up in the Second Division) in his first season as manager, also winning the [[Football League Cup|League Cup]]. He became the first manager to take three clubs to the League Cup Final in three successive years. He re-established Villa as a top First Division club, winning the League Cup again in 1977. In [[1980-81 Football League|1980–81]], he guided Villa to their first First Division title for 71 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/HistorySaunders |title=Villa Legends Ron Saunders |publisher=Aston Villa F.C. |access-date=11 April 2014}}</ref>

He resigned from Villa on 9 February 1982, due to a disagreement with the board over his contract. At the time, Villa were mid-table in the First Division and had reached the quarter-finals of the [[1981–82 European Cup|European Cup]]. His assistant [[Tony Barton (footballer)|Tony Barton]] took over, and led them to victory in the [[1982 European Cup Final]] four months later.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ward |first1=Adam |last2=Griffin |first2=Jeremy |title=The essential history of Aston Villa |date=30 September 2002 |publisher=Headline |page=129 |isbn=0-7553-1140-X}}</ref>

===Birmingham City===
Saunders moved straight to Villa's local rivals, [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]]. They went down in 1984 but he got them back into the top flight at the first attempt. In January 1986, Saunders walked out on struggling Birmingham to take charge of local rivals and fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion.<ref>{{cite book |last=Matthews |title=Birmingham City: A Complete Record |date=3 March 1995 |pages=42–44 |publisher=Breedon |isbn=978-1-85983-010-9}}</ref>

===West Bromwich Albion===
Saunders was unable to stop Albion from sliding into the Second Division and was dismissed in September 1987, after failing to get them back into the First Division. This was his last managerial role.<ref name=ReturnToVilla>{{cite news |url=http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/local-news/saunders-return-villa-park-3974272 |title=Saunders to return to Villa Park |first=Hyder |last=Jawad |newspaper=Birmingham Post |date=6 December 2006 |access-date=11 April 2014}}</ref>

===Retirement===
In a friendly fixture staged as a testimonial for the recently deceased Tony Barton, Saunders appeared at [[Villa Park]] in 1994 as manager of a Villa side drawn mostly from players who had played in the European Cup final in 1982, against a West Midlands all-stars side. This was the first time he had returned to the club since his resignation some 13 years earlier.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Football%3A+RETURN+OF+THE+HERO%3B+Villa+salute+to+'greatest+boss'+long...-a0156307099 |title=RETURN OF THE HERO; Villa salute to 'greatest boss' long overdue He was the catalyst of Aston Villa's greatest successes but Ron Saunders became the forgotten man|first=Hyder|last=Jawad|newspaper=Birmingham Post |date=23 December 2006|access-date=11 April 2014|via=The Free Library}}</ref> In December 2006, the 74-year-old Saunders was the guest of honour at Villa Park for the match between Aston Villa and [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]], invited by new chairman [[Randy Lerner]].<ref name=ReturnToVilla/> He returned to Villa Park shortly after, on 5 May 2007, for the 25th anniversary celebrations of the 1982 European Cup win.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2007/05/04/oneill-heroes-should-inspire/ |title=O'Neill: Heroes should inspire |newspaper=Express & Star |location=Wolverhampton |date=4 May 2007 |access-date=11 April 2014}}</ref>

===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
!rowspan=2|{{abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
|-
!{{abbr|P|Matches played}}!!{{abbr|W|Matches won}}!!{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}!!{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}!!{{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}}
|-
|align=left|[[Yeovil Town F.C.|Yeovil Town]]
|align=left|17 April 1967
|align=left|1 March 1969
{{WDL|128|55|36|37|decimals=1}}
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ytfc.digital/managers/18 |title=Stats: Managers: Ron Saunders |website=Yeovil Town F.C. Digital Archive |access-date=2 April 2025}}</ref>
|-
|align=left|[[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]]
|align=left|1 March 1969
|align=left|9 July 1969
{{WDL|12|6|3|3|decimals=1}}
|<ref name="ENFA manager">{{cite web |url=https://www.enfa.co.uk/managersearch.php |title=Manager search: Saunders, R (Ron) |website=English National Football Archive (ENFA) |access-date=2 April 2025 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
|-
|align=left|[[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]]
|align=left|10 July 1969
|align=left|18 November 1973
{{WDL|221|84|61|76|decimals=1}}
|<ref name="ENFA manager"/>
|-
|align=left|[[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]
|align=left|22 November 1973
|align=left|12 April 1974
{{WDL|30|10|9|11|decimals=1}}
|<ref name="ENFA manager"/>
|-
|align=left|[[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]
|align=left|4 June 1974
|align=left|9 February 1982
{{WDL|395|180|106|109|decimals=1}}
|<ref name="ENFA manager"/>
|-
|align=left|[[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]]
|align=left|22 February 1982
|align=left|16 January 1986
{{WDL|202|72|53|77|decimals=1}}
|<ref name="ENFA manager"/>
|-
|align=left|[[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]]
|align=left|14 February 1986
|align=left|2 September 1987
{{WDL|65|14|19|32|decimals=1}}
|<ref name="ENFA manager"/>
|-
!colspan=3|Total
{{WDLtot|1053|421|287|345|decimals=1}}
!
|}

==Death==
Saunders died on 7 December 2019, aged 87.<ref name="Bonell">{{cite news |last1=Bonell |first1=Jonny |title=Aston Villa legend Ron Saunders dies, aged 87 |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-legend-ron-saunders-17382023 |access-date=7 December 2019 |work=[[Birmingham Mail]] |date=7 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="BBC-50701448">{{cite web |title=Ron Saunders: Former Aston Villa manager dies aged 87 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50701448 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=7 December 2019 |date=7 December 2019}}</ref>

==Honours==
===Player===
'''England U18'''
*[[UEFA European Under-19 Championship|FIFA Youth Tournament]]: [[1948 FIFA Youth Tournament Under-18|1948]]<ref>{{ cite web | title = England Youth results | url = http://www.englandfootballonline.com/matchrsl/MatchRslTmU18pg1.html | publisher = England Football Online | access-date = 26 June 2022 }}</ref>

'''Portsmouth'''
*[[Football League Third Division|Third Division]]: [[1961-62 in English football|1961–62]]<ref>{{ cite web | title = PAST MASTERS - RON SAUNDERS | url = https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/2012/july/past-masters---ron-saunders/ | publisher = Gillingham Football Club | date = 3 July 2012 | access-date = 26 June 2022 }}</ref>

===Manager===
'''Norwich City'''
*[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]: [[1971-72 in English football|1971–72]]

'''Aston Villa'''
*[[Football League First Division|First Division]]: [[1980-81 in English football|1980–81]]
*[[FA Charity Shield]]: [[1981 FA Charity Shield|1981]] (shared)<ref>{{cite web|title=1981/82 Charity Shield|url=http://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/CommunityShield/1981-82CharityShield.htm|publisher=footballsite.co.uk|access-date=4 November 2019}}</ref>
*[[Football League Cup]]: [[1975 Football League Cup Final|1974–75]], [[1977 Football League Cup Final|1976–77]]

==See also==
* [[List of English football championship-winning managers]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|title=The Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who|author=Jones, Trefor|year=1996|isbn= 0-9527458-0-1|page=205|publisher=T.G. Jones }}

{{English Second Division top scorers}}
{{English Football First Tier League Championship winning managers}}
{{EFL Cup winning managers}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Ron Saunders managerial positions
|list1=
{{Yeovil Town F.C. managers}}
{{Oxford United F.C. managers}}
{{Norwich City F.C. managers}}
{{Manchester City F.C. managers}}
{{Aston Villa F.C. managers}}
{{Birmingham City F.C. managers}}
{{West Bromwich Albion F.C. managers}}
}}
{{Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame}}
{{Aston Villa F.C. Hall of Fame}}
{{Portsmouth F.C. Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Ron}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:Footballers from Birkenhead]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Everton F.C. players]]
[[Category:Tonbridge Angels F.C. players]]
[[Category:Gillingham F.C. players]]
[[Category:Portsmouth F.C. players]]
[[Category:Watford F.C. players]]
[[Category:Charlton Athletic F.C. players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:English football managers]]
[[Category:Yeovil Town F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Oxford United F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Norwich City F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Manchester City F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Aston Villa F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Birmingham City F.C. managers]]
[[Category:West Bromwich Albion F.C. managers]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]