The Charlton Brothers – Jack & Bobby
In July 2020, the footballing world lost another legend in Jack Charlton after a spell suffering from lymphoma and dementia. He became the 12th member of the 1966 World Cup to pass away. Like his brother and many other players of his generation, Sir Bobby Charlton was also diagnosed with dementia in 2020.
A SIBLING RIVALRY
It was reported that after England won the 1966 World Cup, Bobby Charlton walked over to his team-mate and elder brother Jack. As they hugged each other in triumph and relief, Bobby said: “Nobody can ever take this moment away from us.”
This documentary from 1968 looks at both Charlton brothers during their playing days. From a time when they were both close to their peak.
THE FAMILY FEUD
What has also been well documented over the years has been the feud and rivalry between the brothers. They first fell out in 1996 after Jack accused Bobby of not visiting their mother, Cissie, before her death. Jack had claimed a clash between Bobby’s wife and Cissie caused the disagreement.
Sir Bobby explained in 2007 that he had been angered by passages in his brother’s autobiography, first published in 1996. Jack not only attacked Bobby for failing to visit their mother Cissie in her final years but described Bobby’s wife, Norma as being stand-offish and difficult. This angered Sir Bobby, who described the claims as nonsense. When they were both still relatively young, both brothers went their separate ways. Bobby was off to Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and Jack went to Leeds, then a fairly mediocre side. Despite their distance, it was at this point where they became close for the only time in their lives.
It was believed that there a mutual affection and shared understanding based on the difficulties of breaking into the world of professional football. They both socialised together when they weren’t playing, and Bobby was the best man when Jack married Pat Kemp in 1957.
MUNICH TRAGEDY
The Munich Air Crash of 1958 also had a profound impact on Bobby. Whilst he survived and was not injured physically, the psychological scars have remained with him. Feelings of guilt haunted him due to losing so many close friends. He even thought of giving up football altogether. Even Jack admitted that there was a significant change in Bobby from that day on.
An article in the Daily Mail looked at how the relationship eventually became strained. Jack and his parents all believed that from 1961, when Bobby married Norma, that the younger Charlton had deserted his North Eastern roots in Ashington.
NORMA & CISSIE
Norma was not the kind of girl that Cissie Charlton wanted as her daughter-in-law. She was extrovert, loud and passionate and Cissie was still a somewhat towering figure within the Ashington community. Cissie started to resent Norma’s influence over her brilliant son; Norma was angry at the way Cissie wanted to exert control over her husband’s life. Read More: The truth about the bitter feud between Jack and Bobby Charlton
Despite remaining distant, Jack presented Bobby with his BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award in December 2008.
THE CHARLTON’S CAREERS COMPARED
Both the Charlton brothers had successful playing careers, and both started England’s famous World Cup Final against Germany in 1966.
Sir Bobby spent most of his club career at Manchester United, scoring 249 goals. He stood as United’s highest ever goalscorer until 2017 when Wayne Rooney finally beat his tally. He won the First Division on three occasions and won the Fa Cup in 1963. His crowning glory came in 1968 when he scored twice in their European Cup Final win against Benfica.
His last game for United was against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 28 April 1973. Before the game, the BBC cameras for Match of the Day captured the Chelsea chairman handing him a commemorative cigarette case. Coincidentally, this day also marked his brother Jackie’s last appearance for Leeds.
JACK & BOBBY ENTER FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT
Bobby tried his hand at management and became the manager of Preston North End in 1973. His first full season ended in relegation and eventually left the club during the 1975/1976 season after a disagreement with the board. He then joined Wigan Athletic as a Director and briefly had a spell as caretaker manager. This would prove to be his last time on the touchline at any club.
In 1984, he was invited to become a Manchester United board member due to his long association with the club and footballing knowledge. The hierarchy at Old Trafford felt that the club needed a big name on the board after Sir Matt Busby’s resignation.
Like his former manager, ‘Bobby’ was knighted in 1994. He had previously been given an OBE in 1969 and CBE in 1974.
Jack Charlton spent his entire career at Leeds United, helping the club through one of their most successful periods and becoming a more recognisable face within the English game. He won the First Division in 1969 and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1968 and 1971, alongside the League Cup in 1968 and Fa Cup in 1969.
Unlike his brother, Jack had a decent managerial career. He had varying levels of success managing Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday, and Newcastle before taking over as the Republic of Ireland manager in 1986. He led Ireland to the European Championships in 1988 and most memorably to the World Cups of 1990 and 1994. Before the tournament in 1990, Jack featured in one of the greatest ever World Cup songs.
Jack was appointed as an OBE in 1974 and was awarded honorary Irish citizenship in 1996 due to success as manager of the Irish national team. This success also allowed him the opportunity to be made a Freeman of Dublin and was given an Honorary degree of Doctor of Science by the University of Limerick in 1994.
