Frank Barson
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 April 1891 | ||
| Place of birth | Grimesthorpe, Sheffield, England | ||
| Date of death | 13 September 1968 (aged 77) | ||
| Place of death | Winson Green, Birmingham, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Half back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Firshill Council | |||
| Grimesthorpe schools | |||
| Albion FC | |||
| Cammell Laird's | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1911–1919 | Barnsley | 91 | (0) |
| 1919–1922 | Aston Villa | 92 | (10) |
| 1922–1928 | Manchester United | 140 | (4) |
| 1928–1929 | Watford | 10 | (1) |
| 1929–1930 | Hartlepool United | 9 | (2) |
| 1930–1931 | Wigan Borough | 19 | (0) |
| 1932–1935 | Rhyl Athletic | ? | (?) |
| National team | |||
| 1920 | England | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1932–1935 | Rhyl Athletic | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Frank Barson (10 April 1891 – 13 September 1968) was an English footballer from Grimesthorpe who played for several English football clubs including Barnsley, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Watford. He had a reputation for aggressive play, and is regarded as one of the "hard men" of English football.
Born in Sheffield in 1891 to William and Agnes Barton (he was the third of their six children), he began his career working as a blacksmith and playing for amateur clubs Albion FC and Cammell Laird's, before joining Barnsley Football Club in 1911. He transferred to Aston Villa in 1919, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1920, and to Manchester United in 1922, with a transfer fee of £5000.
On one occasion Barson's hard tackling resulted in a seven-month ban; after a game, he often needed a police escort to protect him from angry opposition fans.
In 1909 Barson signed for Cammell Laird FC; two years later in July 1911 he began his professional career with Barnsley. It was whilst at Oakwell that his notorious temper first became evident. Before he could start his first game for the Tykes he had to serve a two-month suspension following an ugly brawl with some Birmingham City players in a pre-season friendly. On one occasion Barson had to be smuggled out of Goodison Park to avoid a large crowd who had gathered outside the ground to discuss with him his behaviour in an FA Cup tie with Everton. After a very public fall out with the Barnsley directors over travelling expenses, he joined Aston Villa in October 1919.
Barson joined Villa for a fee of £2,850 – "more than the average Sheffield worker earned in a year", according to a Sheffield newspaper – after persuasion from George Ramsay, who was rebuilding Villa after the First World War. In October 1919, he made his debut in a 4–1 win at Middlesbrough. Barson played a large part in the Villa team during his three seasons at the club, but it is his run-ins with authority for which he is best known.
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