Les Shannon

Shannon was born in Liverpool, he was rejected by Everton for his short stature (5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)). A centre-forward, he instead started his playing career with his hometown club of Liverpool in November 1944. The next year he scored against Merseyside rivals Everton in the Liverpool Senior Cup. He made his debut for George Kay's "Reds" in the Football League four years later, against Manchester City at Anfield on 17 April 1948. His only goal for the Merseyside club came the following season, in a 2–1 win at Sheffield United on 30 August 1948. This was his only goal in ten appearances, and he was dropped from the first team. He was sold to First Division rivals Burnley for £6,000 November 1949. He dropped back to the inside-forward position, and was described as "a feistily competitive, yet subtly creative, inside-forward cum wing-half". However, he disappointed in the 1949–50 (one goal in eight games) and 1950–51 seasons, before he showed his potential in the 1951–52 (11 goals in 34 games) season. He replaced Billy Morris as Jimmy McIlroy's midfield partner in the 1952–53 campaign, and scored 16 goals in 46 appearances as the "Clarets" posted a sixth-place finish under the stewardship of Frank Hill. Shannon claimed nine goals in 33 matches in the 1953–54 campaign, but after Alan Brown was installed as manager he only found the net just once in 43 appearances in 1954–55. He scored twice in 44 games in 1955–56, claimed two goals in 27 matches in the 1956–57 season, and then…

Playing statistics

Managerial statistics

Shannon's knowledge of football led to his working alongside Pelé in co-ordinating the football sequences of the 1981 war movie Escape to Victory. He was also enlisted as an advisor on the Channel 4 series The Manageress in 1989. Shannon died after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. At his memorial service at the Square Methodist Church, Dunstable, former Manchester United manager Wilf McGuinness gave a speech. One of the songs chosen was "You'll Never Walk Alone", sung by two of his great nephews, Tom Wing and James Wing, a homage to his beginnings in football.

Bury

Football League Third Division second-place promotion: 1967–68 Blackpool

Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1969–70 PAOK

Greek Cup: 1971–72, 1973–74 Iraklis

Greek Cup: 1975–76 Brann

2. divisjon: 1980