Thanks – Sam Ellis

For a long while, I knew of Sam Ellis only as the failed manager here, someone who played long ball football that bored many supporters. It is only with time (and my Dad) that I’ve come to hear his name more as a top player and captain than the beleaguered boss.

He started out as a player with the Owls, appearing in the 1966 FA Cup final for them against Everton, a game his side lost 3–2. He spent the late sixties and early seventies with the Owls, making more than 150 appearances before a stint with Mansfield led him to Lincoln. He joined us in 1973 for a fee of £7000 (£86,000 with inflation). It was a move nobody at the club would regret.

Super Sam, as he was known, was a penalty expert, netting 13 in the 1974/75 season, to finish as the leading scorer. He was a wall at the back, forming a terrifying partnership with Terry Cooper which helped drive us to the Division Four title in 1975/76, a season in which he bagged 12. He was twice named City’s Player of the Season, with his never-say-die, no-nonsense approach striking a chord with the fans of the day. Sadly, when Graham Taylor left for Watford, he needed a general and soon Super Sam was a Hornet. He only played 30 times for them before moving into coaching.

He had seven years as manager of Blackpool, getting them promoted in the 1984/855 season, and a year at Bury, before moving to City as manager. That wasn’t a great time for the club, but Sam has since worked at Bury, Leeds, Stoke, Bolton and Middlesbrough and is a respected figure in the football, world.