Meet Danny Blanchflower…

Danny Blanchflower was a footballer from Belfast who’s most well-known for captaining the Tottenham Hotspurs team that won ‘the double’ in the 1960-1961 season.

(Making them the first team to win both the League and the FA Cup in the 20th Century).

He also led the Northern Irish team to the World Cup twice as team captain in 1958 and in his role as manager in 1976.

Off the pitch he was highly respected as one of the greatest football writers in the world, a true scholar of the game and someone with incredibly sharp intellect.

But to many people’s surprise, I had never heard of Danny Blanchflower, despite growing up in Northern Ireland and even visiting Blanchflower Park as a teen.

When I discovered more about his story and the incredible legacy he left behind, I decided to set out on a journey to find out more about the man, the myth and the legend — but more importantly, to uncover why we in Northern Ireland are running the risk of forgetting about one of our greatest players.

Today’s episode documents that journey and features interviews with former team-mates like legendary goalkeeper Pat Jennings, representatives from Tottenham Hotspurs like Club Historian John Fennelly and Danny’s only son Richard Blanchflower.

We also do a deep-dive into Danny’s childhood neighbourhood on Grace Avenue in East Belfast to find out more about why old red brick buildings have such an important role to play for the people of Belfast today.

Check it out.

Introducing The Streets Where They Lived…

This episode is part of The Streets Where They Lived: a new documentary collaboration between Successful Belfast, Belfast Buildings Trust, and Best of Belfast.

The six-part series will feature the stories of six incredible but sometimes overlooked men and women from Belfast and some of the buildings and places in the City with which they’re connected. We’ll hear from family members and people who know their story to help us better understand some of the lesser-told stories of the City. The people and buildings have been chosen to reflect a diverse set of Belfast’s people: working-class to Knights, industrial power to sporting prowess, immigrants and survivors, and covers buildings from Arts centres to the old Town Hall, red-brick terraced houses to historic Victorian churches and industrial complexes.

The project is a collaboration with Successful Belfast, a project of Belfast Buildings Trust. It is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Belfast Buildings Trust is a charity founded in 1996 to regenerate Belfast’s landmark buildings. The Trust works to ensure that the City’s authentic heritage is made relevant for people today. One of its projects is Successful Belfast, which champions new and creative ways of involving people in Belfast’s future development.

Support for the series came from a wide range of local historians, heritage, and civic organisations. All of them helped make today’s podcast possible.

The Streets Where They Lived is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Danny Blanchflower’s episode was written/edited by Matthew Thompson and produced by Owen McFadden.

More Information About Danny Blanchflower

Danny was born in 1926 and died in 1993
He lived in a red brick terrace house on Grace Avenue in East Belfast as a boy
His mother was a keen footballer who played for a local team
Blanchflower’s first signing was to local club Glentoran
Jackie Blanchflower (his brother) was also a keen footballer and played for Manchester United
(Until his injuries sustained in the 1958 Munich Air Crash ended his playing career)
Danny was an incredibly private man, and was the first person to turn down an interview on popular TV show This Is Your Life hosted by Eamonn Andrews
Later in life he wrote a book called The Double And Before
Blanchflower was one of the only people to ever win FWA Footballer Of The Year, twice
There is a park named after Danny in Sydenham, Belfast (Blanchflower Park)
A new stadium is also being built in his honour (Blanchflower Stadium)

Quotes by Danny Blanchflower:

"The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It is nothing of the kind. The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.”

“If someone asks you a stupid question, give them a stupid answer.”

Interviewer: “What’s the secret to the Spurs winning every match so far this season?”
Danny: “Most probably because in each match we have scored more goals than our opponents.”

“Football is a simple game made complicated by people who should know better.”

Spurs Director: “The trouble with you is that you think you know all the answers.”
Blanchflower: “Ah, God love you, you don’t even know the questions.”

“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.”

How To Listen To This Episode Featuring Danny Blanchflower

If you don’t have time to tune in right now, you can listen to today’s show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast or your favourite podcast app.

If it’s your first time listening to a podcast, click here to learn how to listen and enjoy audio shows.