Gordon Francis Lee (13 July 1934 – 8 March 2022) was an English football player and manager. He played 144 league and cup matches in a 12-year career in the Football League, before going on to greater success as a manager, as he would take charge of 777 matches in a 23-year managerial career.
A right-back during his playing days, he moved from Hednesford Town to Aston Villa in 1955. He spent the next eleven years with the "Villans", winning a League Cup winners medal in 1961, as well as a League Cup runners-up medal in 1963. He then moved on to Shrewsbury Town in 1966, where he made the shift from player to coach.
Lee began his management career with Port Vale in 1968, leading them to promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1969–70. Switching to Blackburn Rovers in January 1974, he took them to the Third Division title in 1974–75. This won him the top job at Newcastle United, and in 1976, he led Newcastle to the League Cup final. He took up the reins at Everton in January 1977 and also took them to the League Cup final later in the year. After losing his job at Everton in May 1981, he was appointed manager of Preston North End, before he departed two years later. In 1985, he moved to Iceland to manage KR Reykjavik before he left the club in 1987. Returning to England behind the scenes at Leicester City, he spent a brief period in 1991 as the club's caretaker manager.
Lee captained Littleworth School in both football and cricket, beginning his playing career at Girton Road Gasworks. He joined Hednesford Town in 1953, where he was nicknamed "Onka". He made his first-team debut on 10 January 1953, in a 1–0 win over Sutton.
Lee turned professional at Aston Villa upon his demobilization from National service in the Royal Air Force in October 1955, having been recommended to the club by former player Jackie Martin; Villa would pay a total of £250 to Hednesford after targets were met. Villa won the FA Cup in 1957, though Lee did not feature in the final. He instead had to wait until September 1958 before making his First Division debut in a 3–2 defeat to Nottingham Forest. The club were bottom of the league by December of the 1958–59 season. The new boss Joe Mercer could not steer them away from relegation. In 1959–60, the "Villans" were crowned Second Division champions, finishing one point above runners-up Cardiff City – However, Lee did not feature in the campaign. They posted a ninth-place finish in the 1960–61 season and won the League Cup, by which time Lee had re-established himself in the first-team. Lee played in both legs of the 1961 final, which saw Villa defeat Rotherham United 3–2 on aggregate to become the inaugural winners of the competition. Villa finished seventh in 1961–62, before dropping to 15th in 1962–63. They again reached the League Cup final in 1963. Lee played in both legs of the 3–1 aggregate defeat to rival's Birmingham City. They dropped to 19th in 1963–64, though still managed to finish ahead of Birmingham and to avoid relegation by a six points margin. They then finished 16th in both the 1964–65 and 1965–66 campaigns under new manager Dick Taylor. Lee made 142 appearances in all competitions, playing his final game for the club against West Ham United in March 1965, before he left Villa Park.
Lee joined Shrewsbury Town in July 1966 and featured in two Third Division games for the "Shrews" in the 1966–67 season. He later became a trainer-coach at the Gay Meadow, later serving as Arthur Rowley's assistant manager. He also did some scouting for former club Aston Villa.
Lee started his managerial career with Port Vale in May 1968. Succeeding Stanley Matthews, he was an archetypal modern manager; track-suited and with a focus on coaching. Devising an individual coaching plan for each player, he built a side around fitness and teamwork. Veteran defender Roy Sproson later said that "Lee was a great person to work for. He was as straight as a die but, if anything, rather cautious and predictable. If he took over a team in North Vietnam, I would know the way they play." His first task as manager was to persuade Sproson to continue playing.
The club were a poor outfit Fourth Division when he took charge, and to boost the squad he signed 'tenacious' wing-half John King and Wales international winger Graham Williams from Tranmere Rovers, as well as Walsall's teenage Bobby Gough. With goalkeeper Stuart Sharratt out injured, he brought in Geoff Hickson on loan from Crewe Alexandra. Despite inconsistent results, fans threw their support behind Lee after witnessing consistent improvements in the Vale's performances. He solved his goalkeeping problems by signing Keith Ball from Walsall for 'a small fee', and his side put together a five-game unbeaten run in November. He adopted a more 'hit and run' style in March, and his side ended the campaign in 13th-place with 46 points from their 46 games, scoring 46 and conceding 46 goals.
In preparation for the 1969–70 campaign he released Mick Cullerton, Mick Mahon, Jimmy Goodfellow, Graham Williams, and Milija Aleksic; whilst top-scorer Roy Chapman rejected a new contract and signed with Chester City. Despite this, the club's dire finances meant that he was only able to bring in three new attackers on free transfers: Ken Wookey (Newport County); Stuart Shaw (Southport); and Eric Magee (Oldham Athletic). Vale started the season with a club-record unbeaten 18 matches, and Lee began playing midfielder Tommy McLaren on a regular basis. Vale's financial situation was highlighted by the fact that they could not afford the £500 registration fee for Ian Buxton following the player's departure from Notts County. The "Valiants" were knocked off the top of the table following a bout of injuries, and Lee was forced to sign wing-half Tony Lacey on loan from Stoke City, and also bought Bill Summerscales from Leek Town for £400. As promotion was secured with a nine-game unbeaten run, Lee signed Lacey permanently for £2,500 and also brought Sammy Morgan in on a free transfer from Gorleston. Speaking of their third-place finish, Lee said that "no team could have deserved reward as much for their hard work and strength of character".
Preparing for life in the Third Division, Lee released Ken Wookey, Stuart Shaw, Eric Magee, Stuart Chapman, and Gordon Logan. In their place he signed centre-half Roy Cross from Walsall, inside-forward Brian Horton from Hednesford Town, and full-back Mick Hopkinson from Mansfield Town. He steadied the ship in the midst of infighting in the boardroom, and the team went on a four-game winning streak in October that included a 2–0 win over fallen-giants Aston Villa. In January, he signed John Brodie from Northern Premier League side Bradford Park Avenue for £250, and noted that his team's performances were not helped by the 'boo boys' at Vale Park. Safety was assured with a 17th-place finish, three points above relegated Reading.
For the 1971–72 campaign he released Mick Hopkinson, John Green, and John King; and signed left-half John Flowers from Doncaster Rovers and full-back Tony Loska from Shrewsbury Town for 'a small fee'. Pre-season did not run smoothly, however, as Lee fell out with Sammy Morgan and had to contend with injuries to Roy Sproson, Stuart Sharratt, and top-scorer John James. Low attendances forced him to sell Clint Boulton to Torquay United for £10,000. In December, he brought Ray Harford from Mansfield Town for a £5,000 fee, as well as Keith Lindsey from Southend United for 'a small fee'. War in the boardroom continued, whilst only 2,809 turned up to see a 1–0 home win over Mansfield Town on 4 March. On 8 May, Sproson made his farewell competitive appearance for the club in front of only 2,743 supporters, and Lee angrily declared that "the attendance was nothing short of a disgrace to mark the end of a legend". Safety was assured with a 15th-place finish, five points above relegated Mansfield Town.
He did not retain the services of four players for the 1972–73 season: Mick Morris, Keith Ball, Stuart Sharratt, and John Flowers. Lee made some key signings however, bringing in Stafford Rangers goalscorer Ray Williams for £3,000, midfielder Freddie Goodwin (Southport), 'controversial' goalkeeper Alan Boswell (Bolton Wanderers), young midfielder Colin Tartt, and trialist goalkeeper Reg Edwards (Nuneaton Borough). Six wins were gained from the opening eight league games, though low attendances caused Lee to remark that "the people here are not genuinely interested in league football". Offered the management position at Shrewsbury Town, he rejected the offer as he believed the club "lacked potential" and that he had a "feeling of loyalty towards the [Vale] players". In mid-season he sold John James to Chester for £5,000, Ray Harford to Colchester United for £1,750, and Keith Lindsey to Gillingham for £750, whilst spending £2,250 to bring 'pacey' striker John Woodward in from Walsall. Lee's team was criticized for foul play, particularly on 10 March, when Blackburn Rovers manager Ken Furphy branded them "a brutal and physical side". In the FA Cup, West Ham United manager Ron Greenwood claimed that the Vale players attempted "the most blatant calculated intimidation I have ever seen anywhere in the world". Vale finished in sixth spot with 53 points, four short of promoted Notts County. The tally of 69 goals conceded was higher than all but the bottom two clubs.