Jack Charlton, a World Cup winner for England, became the manager of Sheffield Wednesday in October 1977 after previously managing Middlesbrough. He transformed Wednesday from relegation contenders into a solid third division team, leading them to promotion to the second division the following season. Two years later, he brought them within one point of promotion to the first division before resigning in 1983.
His time in club management was awkward. After leaving Leeds after the 1972-73 season, he began managing Middlesbrough and quickly found success, leading them to the 1st division. After four years, he left, thinking it was time for a change, but later regretted that decision.
He quickly found a job at Hillsborough in October 1977, where the team was at the bottom of the Third Division. He hired Maurice Setters as his assistant; Setters had experience managing at that level but had distanced himself from management roles after taking Doncaster Rovers to court for unfair dismissal.
The two agreed that the football standard was low but the effort was high. The best way to improve was to play long balls into the opponent’s penalty area and hire strong defenders to prevent being caught by teams using similar tactics.
Charlton led “The Owls” to a safe 14th-place finish in the 1977–78 season, but they were embarrassed by losing to Northern Premier League team Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.
In the summer of 1978, his main goal was to find a partner for Tommy Tynan. He signed 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Andrew McCulloch from Brentford for £70,000 and brought in Terry Curran as a winger, later moving him to play with McCulloch. He sold goalkeeper Chris Turner to Sunderland and brought in the larger Bob Bolder as a replacement.
Charlton increased the team’s height by signing centre-half Mick Pickering from Southampton. The team ended the 1978–79 season in 14th place and made an impression in the FA Cup by taking eventual winners Arsenal to four replays before losing 2–0.
Charlton’s main signing for the 1979–80 season was Yugoslav midfielder Ante Miročević, who joined for £200,000 from FK Budućnost Podgorica. While Miročević struggled with the cold British winter, he brought skill and creativity to the team during better weather. Wednesday achieved promotion, finishing in third place, with Curran as the division’s top scorer.
During the 1980–81 season, Wednesday had young talents like Mark Smith, Kevin Taylor, Peter Shirtliff, and Mel Sterland joining the first team. The club finished comfortably in tenth place in the Second Division.
Wednesday aimed for promotion in the 1981–82 season but finished just one place and one point short of the promotion spots. They would have been promoted under the old two points for a win system, which was replaced by the three points for a win system at the start of the season.
In the 1982–83 season, Charlton added experienced defender Mick Lyons from Everton, and by Christmas, they were at the top of the table. However, with a small squad and injuries to McCulloch and Brian Hornsby, they ended the season in sixth place.
They reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing 2–1 to Brighton & Hove Albion at Highbury with key defender Ian Bailey out with a broken leg sustained the previous week. Charlton announced his departure from Hillsborough in May 1983 despite pleas from the directors for him to stay.
In March 1984, Malcolm Allison left Middlesbrough, and Charlton agreed to manage the club for the rest of the 1983–84 season to help avoid relegation. He did not receive a salary, only covering expenses, and took the position as a favor to his friend, club chairman Mike McCullagh. Middlesbrough finished the season in 17th place, seven points above the relegation zone.
1980. Jack Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday celebrate promotion pic.twitter.com/iNsmglrDbI
— The League Magazine (@Theleaguemag) September 23, 2026
He was fondly remembered by Sheffield Wednesday fans for laying the groundwork that helped the team get promoted to the top tier in 1984-85. They remained there until 1989-90, when they were relegated, but returned straight away in 1991-92.
Howard Wilkinson succeeded Jack Charlton and effectively revived the club, returning it to the top tier and ensuring its success.
Jack Charlton managed Newcastle for one season before becoming the Republic of Ireland manager, with Maurice Setters as his assistant. He achieved great success, leading a nation that had never qualified for major finals before. During his ten-year tenure from 1986 to 1996, Ireland played in two World Cups and two Euros.
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